#yes that was 25 Tweets even without the big correction in the middle look I am not pithy okay

[doctor-fancy-pants]

Generic Medications Rant (or PSA)

(yes I copy pasted it from my Twitter because it turns out that Twitter hasn't entirely imploded yet and it's still my automatic Ranty Pants outlet)

PSA: reminder that generic brands of medications are not actually always the same. Bio-availability varies because the inactive ingredients vary, and these affect absorption rates, delivery of relevant molecules to bloodstream, etc. To be approved, I think a generic brand has to demonstrate somewhere between 85 to 125% the same... look, I'm just gonna call it "bloodstream payload" because it's late and words are hard, okay? And it might not deliver that over the same time frame.

[I needed to look that up. Original tweet had 135% which is a typo, it is 125%. And my phrasing is really misleading, mea culpa! That's not the amount of bioavailable medication, it's a numerical index. Absolutely my bad. Very tired.]

Here's the more detailed correction: the dissolution profile of a generic medication - oral capsules, tablets, etc. - applying to the TGA for approval in Australia must show at least an 85% dissolution profile match to the reference drug. Furthermore, they must provide clinical trial data detailing bioequivalence to the reference drug (which must be a medication already approved for use in Australia), bioavailability testing, peak plasma concentration, time to peak concentration, rate of increase, etc. etc. It's involved, and there are medications for which the range is narrower at 0.9 to 1.11, but for most it seems to be in that 0.8 to 1.25 range.

Reiterating that it this is a numerical index evaluating the overall profile and plasma concentration etc. It's not "you only get 80% of the drug", it's not a raw amount, it's more that the pattern of delivery and absorption, as demonstrated in those specific clinical trials on healthy subjects (sigh) must have a similarity index of 0.8 - 1.25. The actual amount involved is a lot narrower, which is why if there are differences in how someone is metabolising a drug, it will be quite subtle, and will mostly affect someone who is sensitive to those differences. It is nevertheless a pretty common phenomenon, but more information on bioequivalence here.]

Back to the Twitter thread!

I'm tweeting about this again because it's been a while but tonight I encountered a young bright spark of a pharmacist who insisted that the generic brand Zoloft should be the same.

and you can FUCK RIGHT THE FUCK OFF with that bullshit

Disclaimer: I was not rude. I was not even stern. I was firm and possibly a tad more forceful than I would have preferred, but there was no ill will on either side (that I could see. Factor in: I am oblivious).

But it pissed me off. This should be common knowledge by now.

I've been on Zoloft - with brief breaks - since 2001. Dosage has varied. I was on a generic at one point, and noticed no change, so at least I'm aware of one generic that will work for me.

At one point, though, I was put on a different brand. APO.

And I started having paraesthesia, otherwise known as "brain zaps" to those who have experienced that. It's a common withdrawal symptom of SSRIs, and I never get them for ANY OTHER REASON.

EVER.

My dose had not changed.

...but the fucking manufacturer had.

I was really puzzled. Digging around online (and feeling confused and skeptical, because whenever I question anything a doctor or pharmacist has told me, I feel like I'm two overconfident steps away from the anti-vaxxers), I found that this is actually pretty fucking common.

Insulin-dependent diabetics have learned, to their sorrow, suffering and grief, that not all brands of insulin are created equal - in spite of what manufacturers and prescribers and (in the US) insurers insist to be the case.

But that many people are not imagining the effects of inadequately managed diabetes. They just aren't.

Generic manufacturers aren't making the same medication. They are attempting, for the most part, to reverse engineer it.

This is not as reliable as anyone would like.

And this many people are not imagining brain-zaps and withdrawal from anti-depressants on which they were previously very stable.

I should not get withdrawal symptoms from a medication that I am still taking.

I went back to the pharmacy and started saying "no generic." It wasn't until there was a shortage of Zoloft brand sertraline (which has happened a few times) that I questioned that decision.

Another pharmacist pushed the generic, insisting quite firmly that it was the same.

I started to doubt myself. I'm not a pharmacist. I'm not a doctor. I'm a fucking marine biologist. What the fuck do I know about pharmacokinetics? Fuck all, that's what.

So I gave it a shot. And then - this is important - I forgot that I had done that.

The brain zaps started up again. Slow at first and then with increasing intensity. And I was in the most bizarre denial about it - even after I remembered.

Because the pharmacist had said with such WILD confidence that they were the same.

They fucking are NOT.

I got mad. This was several years after the first incident, and online access to good information (alongside dreadful information) had increased. Now, very reputable sources of generalised medical advice were saying "check with your doctor before switching to a generic."

I respond best to the Pfizer brand of sertraline. Second to that, I can take Eleva. What I can't take is APO. And now I no longer allow myself to be steamrollered. I have data. I have sources. I have qualified professionals in this area (including in patent law) who back me up. In hindsight it's wild that you would expect identical product from divergent manufacturing processes, particularly in different countries with different regulatory infrastructure and frameworks. The same "active ingredient" is not always going to be in the same form. It's not always going to be something your body can metabolise or tolerate in the same way. Particle size, capsule material, binding agent - all can make a significant difference to something as finely tuned as an anti-depressant. I respond best to the Pfizer brand of sertraline. Second to that, I can take Eleva. What I can't take is APO.

(sidebar: last time I got mad about this, I looked into Apotex and, uh... look it's an old article but it does not inspire confidence, does it?)

And I also can't take the idea that this bright young pharmacist, afire with good will and misplaced confidence, will steamroller other people with her inadvertent "gaslighting by profound ignorance." Not everyone will push back or have such an obvious withdrawal symptom. And if their depression is poorly managed, or their diabetes is out of control, or their heart medication is not quite right, they won't always think of the brand! Especially if their pharmacist reassured them! The consequences are, at best, suffering. At worst, tragedy. Look, some people can swap brands easily and they'll be fine. Some are more tolerant to fluctuations in that bloodstream payload. Some medications are more robust as well. We just can't presume that to always be the case. So no, I don't have a lot of mental space for good intentions around this issue. A response like "oh that's weird, it should be the same" is expected from a layperson, but from a pharmacist, it just makes me think you've been living under a fucking rock. That response would make sense 20 years ago. Now, it should be "yeah, that happens a lot." And for what it's worth, some people respond better to a particular generic than the original patent brand. Bodies are fucken weird, yo. Anyways, I've belaboured the point enough, I'm just pissed off that I got pushed that hard, and worry about people who can't push back as confidently. I've been steamrollered into bad decisions. It sucks. So: if you've had odd symptoms after changing brands, and if you have doubts about your generic? That's extremely valid, and you want to be able to rule it out as a cause.

Stand your ground, as best you can. And stay safe. -Doc out

[ruminativerabbi]

When A Torah Falls to the Ground

I don’t believe I had ever heard of Rabbi Israel of Brno until earlier this week. Or maybe I had heard of him, but without knowing who he was or having read any of his surviving works. Born around the year 1400 and gone from the world in 1480, his life span covered almost the entire fifteenth century. And he had, to say the least, a tumultuous life, on one occasion being imprisoned by the authorities after someone lodged a blood libel against him by claiming he had kidnapped a Christian youth to make some sort of ritual use of the lad’s blood. (That story actually has a good ending—or at least it did for Rabbi Israel: his accuser eventually recanted and was subsequently executed. But they still only let the rabbi out of jail once he formally renounced any future effort to secure compensation for the injustice done him.) I mention him, though, not because of any of those details, but because he is apparently the earliest authority to suggest that the correct way to respond to seeing a Torah scroll, or even a pair of tefillin, fall to the floor is to take the incident as a sign from Heaven for the community to consider its deeds, to spend time in repentance for known and unknown sins, and to fast as a way of atoning for the misdeeds of individuals in the community and of the community itself.

This was an almost natural development of an earlier idea mentioned in the Talmud, where a well-known text enumerates the specific instances in which, after having rent one’s clothing in grief, the tear may never be sewn up: when mourning the loss of a parent and the loss of one’s primary teacher of Torah, when gazing on the site of the destroyed Temple in Jerusalem, or when expressing one’s sense of deep loss after having witnessed the burning of a Torah scroll. (There are others too.) The commentators focus on each instance separately, in the case of the Torah scroll wondering if the law is different if the scroll is burnt accidentally or intentionally, if one actually sees the incident or is merely present in synagogue when it happens, and if it is completely or only partially destroyed. But Rabbi Israel of Brno (pronounced Bruna by the Jews of the time) was the first to decree that the proper response even just to seeing a Torah scroll fall to the ground, let alone to seeing it burnt to ash, is to fast as an expression of sorrowful repentance and to take the incident neither as happenstance nor accident, but as a word from Heaven to the community that the time has come for it to consider its ways and devote time to asking the most monitory of all self-directed questions for any Jewish community: whether the community itself is worthy of having a Torah scroll in its midst. Not whether they can raise the money to repair or replace the damaged scroll. Not what procedures they should put in place to guarantee that this kind of accident never happen again. Not, and least of all, whom they should blame for the incident having happened in the first place. Instead, Rabbi Israel suggests that a far more disorienting question be asked: whether this incident can successfully inspire the community to look deep within to consider how privileged its members are to own a Torah scroll in the first place, let alone a dozen of them, and to ask what exactly they have done to make themselves worthy of that privilege.

These are not stress-free questions to contemplate. The urge to wave the whole incident away as a mere accident, thus as something to be regretted but not taken all that seriously, is intense. And hiding behind the whole question of how to respond when a Torah falls to the ground is the even deeper, far more anxiety-producing one regarding the way in general that God speaks to the world, to us all, to each of us. Are the circumstances of our lives—the things that happen to us, the successes we celebrate and the setbacks we endure, the accomplishments we achieve and the failures we regret—to what extent is any of these things, let alone all of them, meant to bear meaning beyond the obvious details of the event itself? Shelter Rockers know that I often speak from the bimah about the concept of personal destiny. And that concept too is part of the larger discussion here. Are the big things that happen to us part of God’s plan for our lives? What about the less big things, about the twists and turns along the road of life we all experience? What about individual incidents—arriving at the site of an armed robbery when the robber was already fleeing the scene instead of ten minutes earlier (this happened to me in college), being in a minor airplane accident that led directly to meeting your future spouse in a specific setting and at a specific hour (ditto), having the bus you’re on break down in the middle of nowhere on Erev Yom Kippur thus guaranteeing that you spend Kol Nidre evening in a chilly field of purple flowers instead of in shul (also)—what about incidents like that? Is that how God speaks these days to whomever will listen? (And if so, then why not far more clearly, as in ancient times when prophets wandered the world proclaiming the word of God forcefully and clearly?)

As many readers already know, we had the terrible experience last Shabbat of seeing a Torah scroll fall from the Torah-reading table to the ground, whereupon it rolled down the stairs to the floor of the sanctuary and ripped almost in two. It was, to say the very least, a heart-stopping moment…for me, certainly, but also for everybody present both physically and virtually. I’ve known that Talmudic passage mentioned above about rending our garments in the style of mourners when we see a Torah scroll for decades. (Just for the record, the text is clearly meant to reference an intentional act of desecration.) But I don’t think I ever really understood it until this last Saturday—or rather I understood it intellectually but not emotionally or viscerally.

Of course, the physical thing—the parchment and the ink, the gut used to sew the panels together and the wooden handles—is just the vessel, the pot: the “real” Torah is constituted of the words themselves, how they sound and what they mean. So here too it feels like it should be easy to look past the physical thing and feel secure that the words themselves were safe. But that’s not at all how it felt. I remembered, somehow, that we don’t rend our garments on Shabbat, so I didn’t make that error. (And also that law applies solely to acts of intentional desecration, not accidents.) But it was still a chilling moment, one that no one present is going to forget easily or even possibly at all.

We have been responding, I think, in a positive manner. Each morning we have been adding the 130th psalm to the worship service, the same psalm we add in between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur as a way of inspiring repentance born jointly of serious introspection and trust in God’s saving power. As soon as Chanukah is over, we will be adding in Avinu Malkeinu as well, the extended supplication recited on fast days and also on the Ten Days of Repentance between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. A week from today, on Friday, December 25, we will be observing the Fast of the Tenth of Tevet—a relatively obscure fast day generally ignored by most but this year to be imbued with the hope of a whole community that through the traditional media of repentance—prayer, fasting, and giving charity to the needy—we achieve a state of atonement for whatever flaws in our personal behavior, or in our communal comportment, that led to this signal being vouchsafed to us all.

The sages of old understood the universe to be an organic whole composed of disparate but intricately interconnected pieces, something of the way the human body consists of many different bits and pieces that are distinct yet intricately interrelated by virtue of being part of the same organism. That being the case, the thought that happenstance be alive with meaning is not that far-fetched. Whether the Creator always speaks through creation seems unlikely. (I broke a glass bowl Sunday when I was emptying the dishwasher and found the incident to be suggestive solely of my own clumsiness.) But that creation—and not solely the physical universe but the universe of deeds, events, and, yes, accidents—that creation can serve as the medium for the Creator’s tweets, that seems entirely reasonable to me.

In the wake of the incident, I received many, many emails offering to help both with repairing the scroll and with interpreting the event. All were heartfelt and helpful, but I would like to quote in closing just from the one written by Stuart Stein. “The Torah scroll,” Stuart wrote, “is ultimately words on parchment wrapped on wooden spindles. The Torah’s message and meaning stay firmly and permanently secure in each of our hearts, thus forming part of who each of us is. And from that perch it simply cannot fall.”  I couldn’t have said it better myself!

[theritualofourexistence]

#CancelStudentDebt

You. Guys.

Background: Bernie Sanders and Ilhan Omar have called, on Twitter, for users to briefly state how their lives would be different without student debt, using the hashtag #CancelStudentDebt. It’s part of a campaign recently launched by Sanders that would instantly eliminate the $1.6 trillion dollars of student debt currently hefted by American citizens.

Even with that plan, I’m still not sure I’m voting for Bernie.

And if he somehow wins, I still don’t actually believe he’d be able to just poof away my student loan debt. 

For the sake of the “what-if,” however, I chose to tweet along with the hashtag... just a simple statement about how my life would be different if I didn’t have student loan debt. 

This is the exact text of my tweet:

“With no student debt, I’d be planning a future that included children, supporting my parents, and pursuing my dream job. #CancelStudentDebt”

I went on to say in a few follow-up tweets that I’m still pursuing my dream job... just much more slowly than I could without the debt I already have. I briefly explained what that dream job is (having my own practice and providing therapeutic services to those incarcerated or recently released) and that I have three jobs now that I’m using to work in that direction... but that I still feel the pressure of my loans every day, every time I choose to spend money on anything.

That tweet seems pretty harmless to me. Despite that, it has launched quite a shit storm. One that I was definitely not expecting.

First, I am a nobody. I have very few followers on Twitter. I basically use it to follow sports, a handful of celebrities, and whine to no one about the stuff I struggle with daily. 

The good: this tweet now has 200 likes. WHAT?! I think the most likes I’ve gotten on a tweet before capped out at like 25, at the MOST. It also has nearly 30 retweets. So folks relate. I approve.

The shit storm: over 60 mostly middle-aged white dude trolls were sitting on that hashtag, waiting for a simple little tweet like mine to come along so they could jump on it and rip it to shreds. 

In the last eight hours I’ve been called stupid and lazy more times than I can count. I’ve been told over and over again that I shouldn’t have taken out loans if I didn’t want to pay them back, that I should have picked a different major in college, that I shouldn’t have gone to college, that I should have gone to a cheaper school. I’ve been called a socialist (yeah, okay, not denying that), I’ve been called evil. As of 5pm, I’ve been called a cunt... by strangers... at least three times.

I never intended to start an argument about the benefits and or downfalls of eliminating student loan debt. 

I was simply saying that, without it, my life would be different. And easier.

I was raised to chase my dreams. I think a lot of people in my generation were. But our parents, likely the same dudes shit-posting on Twitter today, were well-meaning when they told us to dream big and to have the courage to chase those dreams. I don’t think they could predict the world we would inherit... and just how hard it would be to actually pursue those dreams.

I don’t think my dreams are outlandish. I don’t think they’re irrational. And trust me, I know what irrational looks like. 

Do I think my student loan debt will magically disappear? No, I don’t. Would it be nice? Yeah. It would. Would things be different and easier? Yes, definitely.

I can’t go back and pick a cheaper college. I can’t go back and pick a different major. I can’t go back and decide not to switch fields. I can’t go back and un-sign the loan papers I signed when I was 18 years old.

I was 18 years old. Maybe. I honestly could’ve been 17 because I’m a summer baby. And I have absolutely no memory of signing loan papers. I knew enough to know I’d have to pay them back. But I also knew that getting loans was the only way to pay for the program at the college that I thought would be best for me.

Turns out, 18-year-olds don’t know shit.

Maybe we shouldn’t let 18-year-olds make decisions about thousands of dollars.

Anyway, here I am now, unable to undo any of the decisions that saddled me with my current student loan debt. 

Today I was called stupid, lazy, evil, and a cunt, just for having a dream.

What a weird thing.

Some suggested I join the military. Maybe I could make that work... but let’s be honest, the military isn’t a nice place to be for pacifists. Also, enlisting when we’re on the brink of war with Iran just seems, objectively, stupid.

What do people get out of insulting strangers on the internet? None of the people who responded know anything about my life. Many of them told me to get a job and work to pay off my loans. Well, I’ve got a job and I am working and that’s not really enough. Many of them accused me of seeking handouts. Of never working for anything and expecting to be carried through life.

Those people don’t know how hard I’ve worked. But that didn’t stop them from calling me names.

I often forget that not everyone understands empathy the same way I do. It’s why I feel the way I do about a lot of socio-political issues. If you told me that my taxes would go up ever so slightly but that I’d be able to help millions of Americans achieve financial stability, I’d say sure. 

I don’t understand why people with a comfortable life--a home, a family, a steady income--feel so mad about other people wanting a chance to have those things too. 

All I want, really, is to be comfortable enough to feel like I can give back. To repay my parents for their constant support, to donate to causes fighting the good fight, to provide affordable therapeutic services to people in need with limited access.

Today, right now, I’m pretty sure I will die childless and still with debt. That’s the reality that I face every day. I work hard, despite that. And I dream, despite that. But the idea that maybe that isn’t my future is certainly nice... no matter how immediately unrealistic it may be. 

What did all those angry white people get from telling me to quit bitching and get a job and deal with the consequences of my actions? What good does that do? Who does that help? 

What good does it do to tell a fat, poor, anxiety-ridden 28-year-old that her dreams are stupid and unattainable and that she’s a lazy idiot for having them? 

What synapses are firing in your brain to make you think that that action has any kind of value? 

Remember, folks, that even if you’re looking at a computer and not a face, that screen-name is connected to a real ass person. I may have silly dreams but at least I am committed to not treating other people like garbage. I don’t have any interest in hurting anyone’s feelings, and I’m adult enough to choose my actions accordingly. 

Today, I sent a simple tweet out into the universe, and, in return, strangers called me names for hours. HOURS. It’s literally still happening.

Who does that serve? Calling me an idiot isn’t going to change the reality that forgiving student loan debt would change my life. That’s not an opinion that can be corrected, it’s simply the truth. 

So, regardless of who is elected and what happens with student debt... Regardless of whether or not I pay off my loans some day... Regardless of whether or not I die childless with debt still left to pay... think about how you interact with others. 

Hurting people for no reason is sick.

I’m a strong girl, because of all the hard work I’ve put in, of course; so I’ll be okay. But you don’t get anything from insulting others on the internet... so why spend the time and energy to cause that hurt when there’s nothing at all to gain from it? 

Here in America, if we’re lucky, we’ve only got 80-some years to dick around on Earth.

For the love of God, please just use that time to be kind to one another.

[dandart]

I like quizzes...

1. What is you middle name?

Walter. Not kidding.

2. How old are you?

28

3. When is your birthday?

4th June

4. What is your zodiac sign?

Classical: Gemini

Revised: Taurus

5. What is your favorite color?

Deep purple. Also orange sometimes.

6. What’s your lucky number?

4, 16, 64... powers of 4.

7. Do you have any pets?

1 black cat, 2 lutino cockatiels, a venus fly trap and a "puppy" (shytsumiki is my Chise)

8. Where are you from?

Devon, south west England.

9. How tall are you?

175cm (about 5'9" in ye olde measurements)

10. What shoe size are you?

Like 7... ._. That's tiny. It makes it painful to walk. (EU 41, US 9)

11. How many pairs of shoes do you own?

One that I actually use. But then I occasionally share with my darling Angel shytsumiki, but I also have more impractical ones stashed.

12. What was your last dream about?

Ah fuck now I don't remember... it was interesting though.

13. What talents do you have?

Coding, origami, musical instruments, tech in general and uhmm not a lot else?

14. Are you psychic in any way?

No one's psychic. That's never been proven. I can barely read emotions when I look at faces. I am remarkably imperceptive.

15. Favorite song?

Starset's My Demons, Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb or Focus' Anonymus 2.

16. Favorite movie?

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. But I do also enjoy me some others. Ask for my imdb if you're interested.

17. Who would be your ideal partner?

My babygirl shytsumiki was my childhood crush. No one I have ever met has come close to being so magically attractive to me.

18. Do you want children?

No, I have my babygirl shytsumiki and our pets are our babies.

19. Do you want a church wedding?

Noooooooooooo. One in the dead of night in the woods would be just lovely.

20. Are you religious?

In as much as I occasionally personify the world or the universe, but not seriously.

21. Have you ever been to the hospital?

Yeah. I even stayed overnight but only to stay with my little Angel shytsumiki.

22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law?

Umm... once as a kid I didn't know how to do anything nor what I was doing, and punched a teacher after she stopped me stealing and eating broken biscuits and had to talk to a policeman. But other than that, not since I was like 7. Gosh I was a horror.

23. Have you ever met any celebrities?

Yeah, I met the Linux Outlaws and co, I've met the Gadget Show crew, I went to see Biffy Clyro live... of all bands... I've spoken to a few coding legends too... erm... tweeted with Carmack, and Akira, that vfx guy for Star Trek...

24. Baths or showers?

Baths are soothing but I usually shower because I haven't always got the patience.

25. What color socks are you wearing?

Nihilism.

26. Have you ever been famous?

I should hope so. I was known as The Cloud Man by LO, got published in Linux Format, once had a thousand twitter followers and had feedback from strangers on my code. I am also in the OEIS, thrice.

27. Would you like to be a big celebrity?

Not in the classical papparazi pop star sense, but to be a household name who doesn't have to hide his face in public sounds okay. A legacy would be nice, after all.

28. What type of music do you like?

Uber metal and prog rock, usually. Soundtracks too.

29. Have you ever been skinny dipping?

Noooooooo eww.

30. How many pillows do you sleep with?

Two, but I often share two with shytsumiki and iunno if she counts <3

31. What position do you usually sleep in?

Sideways unless my neck hurts (physiological problem) in which case back or front.

32. How big is your house?

Three bedrooms but still pokey. We have too much stuff.

33. What do you typically have for breakfast?

A nothing sandwich with bread made out of thin air with a side of invisible chips.

34. Have you ever fired a gun?

Only a bb and a fairground one.

35. Have you ever tried archery?

Yeah once and I loved it and want to take it up again.

36. Favorite clean word?

Either discombobulate, defenestrate, pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis or jam.

37. Favorite swear word?

Fucknugget? Anything which is half swear and half clean is a winner in my book. Shitsticks.

38. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep?

Around 40 hours I should think.

39. Do you have any scars?

Myes. That's a story which perhaps requires a tw...

40. Have you ever had a secret admirer?

How would I know? If it's secret I wouldn't know. My little darling is my exsecret admirer though apparently.

41. Are you a good liar?

Nope. I am forgetful so I wouldn't even be aligned in the answers I was giving. Plus I just don't like it. It makes me too guilty.

42. Are you a good judge of character?

I hope so but haven't had many chances to find that out just yet.

43. Can you do any other accents other than your own?

Sure. It's-a pizza, italiano! But seriously I am okay at some but terrible at others.

44. Do you have a strong accent?

I wouldn't say so but no one would. I would just say "generic Southern English"

45. What is your favorite accent?

Some Southern hemisphere or east Asian I like a lot, also a few European.

46. What is your personality type?

INTP afaik

47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing?

I don't actually know, I don't go for expensive, nor care for my clothes especially.

48. Can you curl your tongue?

Yes.

49. Are you an innie or an outie?

Innie.

50. Left or right handed?

Right.

51. Are you scared of spiders?

Nope.

52. Favorite food?

Sushi.

53. Favorite foreign food?

...sushi. Alright, different answer? Takoyaki?

54. Are you a clean or messy person?

Extremely messy.

55. Most used phrased?

It changes every so often. Dunno right now.

56. Most used word?

Also changes. Still don't know.

57. How long does it take for you to get ready?

For climbing? Jk like a minute?

58. Do you have much of an ego?

Used to, now I don't.

59. Do you suck or bite lollipops?

Both.

60. Do you talk to yourself?

All the time. I know, right?

61. Do you sing to yourself?

Yup.

62. Are you a good singer?

Only if I try which is rare and even then rarely.

63. Biggest Fear?

Losing my Angel. Or dying.

64. Are you a gossip?

Nope. Not at all.

65. Best dramatic movie you’ve seen?

I don't actually know.

66. Do you like long or short hair?

Having? Long. Seeing? Don't mind as long as it's not a buzzcut. So from vaguely short and floofy to massively long.

67. Can you name all 50 states of America?

No I can't, and it would be weird to expect that of me.

68. Favorite school subject?

Maths and physics and IT.

69. Extrovert or Introvert?

Intro now, ex extro

70. Have you ever been scuba diving?

No but it sounds llike good fun.

71. What makes you nervous?

Jealousy and making the wrong moves.

72. Are you scared of the dark?

Nope. Used to be a bit when alone.

73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes?

Sometimes, less than I used to, when it would be useful.

74. Are you ticklish?

A bit. Less than I used to be since being bigger.

75. Have you ever started a rumor?

Nope

76. Have you ever been in a position of authority?

Not official governmently but I have owned projects, and in other places.

77. Have you ever drank underage?

Probably.

78. Have you ever done drugs?

Hasn't everyone done soft ones?

79. Who was your first real crush?

My Angel Baby shytsumiki

80. How many piercings do you have?

None.

81. Can you roll your Rs?“

Yes.

82. How fast can you type?

Reasonably fast I should think.

83. How fast can you run?

Reasonably slow.

84. What color is your hair?

Brown to me, dark blonde to my mum and ginger in an underground coding quiz apparently.

85. What color is your eyes?

Are? Blue.

86. What are you allergic to?

Probably prawns.

87. Do you keep a journal?

No, wish I could remember to.

88. What do your parents do?

My mum's a mosaic artist and my dad's a retired satcom engineer.

89. Do you like your age?

Ummm, it's alright??

90. What makes you angry?

Die hard cruelty and things that make people or animals suffer. Including wars, all of which are inexcusable. Come on people, the best for the most, keep up! I am the judge.

91. Do you like your own name?

It's alright. Better than some, not as cool as others.

92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they?

Bob Jim Ted because they are hilarious names. Not that I'm using them for anything but fiction.

93. Do you want a boy a girl for a child?

No. I already have my babygirl shytsumiki.

94. What are you strengths?

Code. Logic. Maths and science. Compassion perhaps.

95. What are your weaknesses?

Memory, communication and showing emotion.

96. How did you get your name?

My folks picked it from a comic. "Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future". Middle name from a great uncle.

97. Were your ancestors royalty?

Everyone's were. I haven't traced exactly how but have traced up to 500 years in some places.

98. Do you have any scars?

Yes, you asked that before.

99. Color of your bedspread?

Colour. Currently red and black.

100. Color of your room?

Colour! Well white as are all of them atm.

These are fun. Thank you.

[andrewuttaro]

New Look Sabres: GM 8 - LAK - Stats Class

How much would you give for the Sabres to win a Stanley Cup? The list goes pretty far for me stopping only once you get to some basic human needs and fundamental decency. I’d trade the Buffalo Bills for four of them. I think that’s a fair price for giving up an NFL team, that league sucks ass mightily. The Kings sold it all away for their two Stanley Cups. It’s hard to imagine the City of Los Angeles being a snake-bitten hockey market but before 2012 they were one of those first wave expansion teams who had come close again and again to never actually do the thing. It changed quickly and for most of the early years of this decade they were right up there with Chicago as the class of this league. That whole arrangement is no more. The players that won those Cups are eroding off the roster save for an unmovable few. If you win the Cup, even once, you did it. You’re allowed to be terrible for what… ten years afterward? They sank a lot of assets into those runs and it paid off. And though the dynasty team maybe eroding away that “killer instinct”, that never-say-die attitude, still echoes off the ice. It did last night against the Buffalo Sabres. We might look back on this game as just a record 47-save shutout for Carter Hutton or a record back-to-back plus forty save shutout for him; but this game was not what the score shows. LA never fighting in this game and the Sabres got some luck from the posts. Maybe this team learned something last night. In a tired win against a rested squad perhaps they learned you have to keep coming back, you got to cash in your opportunities or even games you should win will not go your way. The Sabres were not punished for their mistakes last night and they take two points from this one, but they have to be thinking about how the massive Kings counterattack nearly ruined it on multiple occasions. The frequency of occasions this game could’ve gotten away from them was a relative stats class on how to not protect a lead. Nonetheless they did. This was a silly shutout but those count all the same. We’ll talk about some advanced stats that show our Sabres lost their hold on it but at the end of the day the only stat that matters is the score and Buffalo won in that category 3-0.

Casey Mittelstadt was snake-bitten, at least in the goal scoring department. The eternal child looked absolutely elated to get the no goals monkey off his back. Jimmy Greasy Vesey similarly finally got on the scoresheet with an assist on the first goal of this game. The two were streaming into the zone… I don’t know… medium speed (?) and Vesey got the puck to Mittelstadt who sniped it home through a defender and Kings goalie Jake Campbell. You could see the relief both of them had with the outcome of that play. That goal came 2:36 into the game while a little over two minutes late at 5:20 into the first the visitors got their second goal of the game. This time Conor Sheary is getting Casey Mittelstadt into the zone at a faster rate of speed and receives the puck from the boy wonder to quick-fire a puck past Campbell. Campbell must have thought Mittelstadt was going to take the shot. 2-0 Sabres and we’re not even ten minutes into this game yet. As awesome as that was I may regret staying up for this game. The Kings are like if Jurassic Park was real. Yes, they have the killer instinct and the never-say-die attitude still that I mentioned earlier, but like a lot of dinosaurs they’re kind of slow and unwieldy. I’m not kidding when I say that 1-0 goal looked like it was in slow motion. Such a speed-of-smell team is then the perfect foil for a very hot Buffalo Sabres powerplay. After we were already up 2-0 the PP opportunity just absolutely grinded to a halt. There was not a shot on the Kings goal during the full two minutes. That first period powerplay was something microcosm of this game: the Sabres getting only non-dangerous token chances but the Kings just not being able to convert when they got the chance. In this whole first period the Sabres managed only 7 shots scoring on two of them while the Kings shot 11 times.

If you were watching this game as a fan of neither team for some reason the second period was probably the most interesting. As the period goes on the Buffalo Sabres are just caved in in terms of corsi by the LA Kings. I am not smart guy either, so I have been training myself in the ways of this sensei called Corsi for a couple years now. Corsi is an attempt to make a stat about shot differential that makes sense. The guy who invented it, Tim Barnes, was actually inspired to do so after listening to former Buffalo Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier talk so much about shots. Barnes wanted to name it the Regier number or the Ruff number for then-Sabres Coach Lindy Ruff, but both didn’t sound right to him. If he hadn’t been going by a fake name himself he should’ve called the stat Cellino because what combination of names would pay better homage to Western New York than Cellino and Barnes? *Ba dum tis* See what I did there? Anyway, Corsi includes shots on goal, missed shots on goal and blocked shot attempts. In effect it’s how much your team is actually getting puck to the opposition net to put it another way. That also why it breaks down to several sub-categories like 5 on 5 corsi or corsi for and against but I’m already starting to confuse myself here. Feel free to correct me on that description, Chad. By the time the second period is nearing an end the Kings’ corsi is +25 to Buffalo’s -25. The statistical lopsidedness of this game only grew as the game went on. And here’s the thing: the Kings were getting chances galore. Marco Scandella is having a bounce back season so far, but he delivered a goal on a silver platter Ilya Kovalchuk in the second when he squirts the puck (#SabresAfterDark) out from a puck battle behind the Buffalo net to nobody on his team. Kovalchuk was right there, got the puck one-on-one with Carter Hutton at just about point blank with no Sabres defender nearby and fired it wide. They call Alex Ovechkin the Russian machine that never breaks, Ilya Kovalchuk is the Russian machine that broke before the last lockout. Anze Kopitar got a chance earlier where he out-maneuvered Hutton in front but the Sabres’ goaltender’s skate stopped the goal. It’s more or less miraculous the Kings didn’t score through the middle period. You know who did? Yea, Casey Mittelstadt again. LOL.

Our favorite broken Russian machine cross-checked Rasmus Ristolainen and sent the visitors off to a powerplay. Ristolainen then collected a rebound and shot it in Casey’s direction where he was parked in front of the net. Campbell once again failed to track the puck and it ended up in the net behind him. At first it wasn’t clear if Mittelstadt touched the puck at all or if it went in off Kings defender Alec Martinez, but it was credited to Casey. Y’all have two Cups this decade, you don’t get to be upset. And so Mittelstadt was on the Hat trick hunt but because of the aforementioned growing statistical lopsidedness of this game that third Casey goal never came. The third period was wild. I’m told it was at least because admittedly I was in and out of consciousness. I’m no party boy and am no good after midnight. There was only one powerplay and no goals or other big game events in the final frame other than Buffalo holding on for dear life so let’s talk about another advanced stat. This one is a bit easier to wrap your head around then corsi: Expected Goals (xG). Think of expected goals as a combination of various danger-levels of shots on net plus goalie stats mixed in for some flavor. The name is almost self-explanatory, but this stat is literally how many goals should be scored if there was no luck and randomness in the game. Imagine only robots played hockey. If they were flawless robots who didn’t get malfunctions of any kind they would always meet the expected goals statistic. This game is played by humans though, so this stat often shows just how much a team overcomes to get a result. This stat is also often the base stat for all those fun heat maps the nerdiest of stats nerds feel the need to post without any explanation what we’re looking at. The software Chad DeDominicis uses plots it out rather well if you ask me. He tweeted a map of the expected goals and scoring chances for the third period and let me just say Wow. There are a lot of big, scary Kings circles representing high-danger chances right in front of the Sabres net while not so many large circles for Buffalo in front of the Kings net. Though the Sabres won this game 3-0 they were outshot… wait for it… 47 to 24. That’s a record-breaking shutout for Carter Hutton and an opposition outshooting us more than 2 to 1. But hey, we won.

Jimmy Vesey had a pretty decent game for once. I heard his voice for the first time in that interview with Rob Ray in the first intermission. Speaking of people who had a good game, Rob Ray was 100% Rob Ray for this game. He had funny walk up skit in the pregame and fumbled through the aforementioned interview like a champ. We should all have a conversation about Rob Ray at some point about whether we’ve turned him into a self-referential joke about hockey culture but that’s for another day. I brought this postgame to Stats Class, the class I hated the most in undergrad mind you, because this game is pulled straight from the Sabres win streak of last season. They were jobbed statistically and apart from coming back from behind late in the game they exhibited every quality of our fun but ill-fated Fall folly last year. I don’t want to think this is what undergirds the Sabres torrid start and statistically speaking the other wins so far this season show progress and sustainability. I’m all for my club getting shutouts but not like this. I don’t think I can do New Look Sabres reply guy tweet of the game today. By the time Sabres twitter was engaged in this game it was a little too late for quippy tweets, maybe Sunday night when I postgame the Sharks game. For now like, share and comment on this blog to help out. I’ll admit I was totally wrong that they would powerbomb the Kings from lower-earth orbit. I’ll be honest I just like saying that phrase. Here’s a question you could answer in your comment on this blog: What do we think of our first back-to-back of the season? Did it actually effect either game or was it not notable in any meaningful way? Now it’s Evander Kane and the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night to wrap up #SabresInCali. I suspect I’ll be #AndrewInBed before the final horn sounds on that one.

Thanks for Reading.

P.S. I’m fully out of steam on the #SabresAfterDark front. I think I peaked with challenge the goal, daddy.

[zutaralesbian]

1-100

Ahhh thanks!

1. How do you define your sexuality? Lesbian. 100% gay. I only like women. 2. At what age did you first realize that you like girls? I didn’t full come terms with my sexuality until I was 20, but I first started realizing I was attracted to women at around 17 or 18. 3. How out are you? Pretty out? My family and most of my co-workers and friends know. I just don’t have a GF yet and I probably pass as straight from a first glance, so people don’t usually know unless I tell them. 4. At what age did you first come out? 205. Who was the first person you came out to? How did they take it? My mom. She took it well. And wasn’t really surprised. 6. Has coming out lost you any friends? Yeah, one. I’m over it now but it hurt at the time. :/7. What is your current relationship status? Single *sighs*8. How many gay friends do you have? Four 9. How many male friends do you have? Outside my family, only two lol. And only one of them is cishet. 10. Have you ever cut your hair super short? I used to have my hair short when I was a kid but it’s been long since middle school. I think I look better with long hair. 11. How often do you wear flannel? Never. I feel like I should start wearing it though12. How much do you like cats? I LOVE CATS13. Do you like skirts and dresses?: Once in a while. I’m usually a strictly jeans person but i’ll wear a skirt or dress for special occasions. 14. Do you like high heels? Nope15. Do you have any tattoos? If so, how many and where? None yet. But I kind of want to get one one day. 16. How accurate is your gaydar? It’s shit lol17. Have you ever been to a gay bar or a gay club? Not yet18. How do you feel when platonic female friends refer to each other as girlfriends? It’s kind of annoying but I don’t really get heated about it? Mainly because I don’t think the people who do it actually mean any harm. 19. Have you ever had a crush on a straight girl? All I do is get crushes on straight girls lol :(20. Ellen or Portia? Ellen21. Is your nose pierced? Nope22 Would you ever want to get married? Yes I do. One day23. Will you wear a dress for your wedding? Probably 24. Would you ever want to give birth? I kind of want to do it once just so I can experience the whole pregnancy thing. But I probably won’t want to do it twice. 25. Have you ever watched The L Word? No. And I probably won’t, with the things I heard about it. 26. Have you ever dated a guy? I had a really brief relationship with one in high school27. How do you feel when someone uses the word gay to mean stupid, dumb, or boring? It makes me uncomfortable. I usually try to correct people when I hear it. 28. How many rainbow items do you own? One bracelet 29. Have you ever been to a pride festival? Yep! I went to my first last June months ago. 30. Have you ever celebrated National Coming Out Day (October 11)? Not yet. (Besides tweeting about it anyway)31. Have you ever participated in the National Day of Silence? Yes32. Have you ever worn a woman’s suit? No33. Have you ever worn any men’s clothing? No34. Do you eat meat? Yes35. Do you consider yourself a feminist? Yes of course 36. Who is your favorite LGBT celebrity? Samira Wiley 37. Are you religious at all? Not really. I identify as Agnostic. 38. How often do you find yourself trying to sneak a peak or staring at a cute female? Pretty often39. What is your ideal first date? Dinner or lunch at a restaurant. I like being able to talk to people on a first date. 40. Are you comfortable with terms such as lezzie, lesbo, or dyke? I’m okay with lezzie and lesbo (as long as it isn’t spoken in a malicious way or by a straight person) but I don’t like dyke. I’m obviously okay with other lesbians reclaiming it but I personally would rather not. 41. How outdoorsy are you? Not at all lol. I’m very much a diva in that sense. I need a clean bathroom and shower. And I hate dirt and bugs. 42. In general, has being out affected your relationships with other females? It hasn’t really effected how they interact with me, but I tend to be more cautious around women now, especially if they know i’m gay. Idk :/ I’ve only been out about my sexuality for about a year now so it’s just going to take some getting used to. 43. How much makeup do you typically wear? I wear it once in a while when i’m going to a large gathering or event of some kind. But I hardly ever wear it during an average day. And even then it’s usually pretty light makeup. 44. Have you ever been in a long distance relationship?45. Are you more feminine or more masculine? I have some tom boyish traits but I think i’m definitely a little more feminine than I am masculine. 46. How long is the longest relationship you’ve been in? Are you still with that person?47. Have you and a girlfriend ever been mistaken for sisters?48. Do you think it is possible for someone to truly be a 50/50 bisexual, or is the percentage always skewed in favor of one gender? I’m not bi so it’s not really my place to answer but if someone says they’re 50/50, they’re 50/50. Not my business. 49. Have you ever wished you were completely straight? Sometimes. My dating life was already a mess because of my anxiety but now I feel like being a lesbian is going to make it even harder to find a partner. But realizing that it’s what I am has also been more freeing too, because I no longer feel pressured to date someone I don’t want to date. 50. Do you watch any lesbian YouTubers? I don’t really watch YouTube in general, aside from occasional fan videos and randomness. 51. Do you like wearing combat boots or Doc Martins? Nah52. Have you ever been hit on by another female? There’s this girl at work who I feel like flirts with me but at the same time, i’m not sure because i’m shit at being able to tell lol. I also went on a date once, so there was some flirting there. 53. How athletic are you? Not at all lol54. How many girlfriends have you had? Zero :(55. What is your opinion of septum/bull nose piercings? They’re not my thing but some girls can pull them off56. What does equality mean to you? Equal rights for everyone 57. If you are not a full blown lesbian, about what percentage of the time do you find yourself attracted to other females? I’m a full blown lesbian58. Have you ever shared clothes with a girlfriend?59. Have you ever liked or dated a girl with the same name as you?60. How flirty are you? Not very, I don’t think. I try to be though lol61. Are you a virgin? Yes62. Do you listen to any LGBT musicians such as Tegan and Sara, Melissa Etheridge, or Chely Wright? No. But maybe i’ll check them out!63. Have you ever been told that you are too pretty to be gay? No64. Have you ever been discriminated against because of your sexuality? If so, please explain. Not on a personal level 65. Have you ever driven an SUV or a pickup truck? I hardly ever drive in general lol66. Are you or have you ever been a tomboy? I was definitely a tomboy as a kid. I’ve gotten more feminine as I got older but some of the traits remain.   67. Agree or disagree: Everyone is at least a little bit gay. Idk68. What personality trait are you most attracted to? Kindness. I just like genuinely nice people, especially with how much meanness there is in the world.  69. Boobs or butts? Boobs70. Beer or wine? I don’t drink alcohol very often, but wine. Beer is gross71. Do you have a favorite lesbian movie? I haven’t see any yet 72. From 1-10, how attractive are muscular women? 1073. From 1-10, how attractive are women who wear glasses? 1074. From 1-10, how attractive are women who are covered with tattoos? 1075. From 1-10, how attractive are curvy/plus-size women? 1076. From 1-10, how attractive are women with short hair? 1077. From 1-10, how attractive are masculine butch women? 1078. From 1-10, how attractive are highly intelligent women? 10079. From 1-10, how attractive are tall women (i.e. around 6 feet or taller)? 1080. Have you ever been on your period the same time as a girlfriend?81. Has a girl ever dumped you for a guy?82. Do you carry a purse? Yes 83. Do you have any LGBT relatives? Yep. One of my cousins is also a lesbian84. Have you ever pretended to be completely straight? Once in a while to complete strangers 85. Would you ever date a trans girl? Sure, if we liked each other86. How well do you think LGBT women are portrayed in television? We don’t get portrayed often enough. And when we do, there’s usually very minimal effort put into it :/ (PS: Watch Black Sails everyone!)87. Have you ever had a crush on a woman who’s much older than you? Yes88. Do you have any celebrity crushes? Samira Wiley, Ellen Page, Emmy Rossum, Adelaide Kane, Jessica Parker Kennedy  89. Do you have any opinions on LGBT people in the military? Don’t really have an opinion, other than that they should obviously be allowed to be in it. 90. Do you believe in love at first sight? No91. Would you ever have a threesome? If so, would a guy be included? Nope, ESPECIALLY not with a guy. I’m a strictly one-person girl. 92. Where do you think is the best place to meet a potential lover? Don’t really think there is a specific place. But then again, what do I know? Lol93. Is there such a thing as “good” lesbian porn? If there is, I haven’t heard of it. (Good as in: made my wlw FOR wlw)94. Have you ever had a one night stand? No95. How often do you wear a bra? All the time unless i’m in bed. It’s weird, but I feel kind of exposed without it. I also have big boobs, so not wearing one while i’m moving around can get a little uncomfortable. 96. Have you ever been part of a softball team? When I was really little. I sucked at it though lol97. If you could live your life all over again, would you still be attracted to other women? Yes. There’s some insecurities that I still have to work past but I overall love being a lesbian. 98. What stereotype about LGBT women do you disagree with the most? Not sure 99. What advice would you give a girl who is struggling to figure out her sexuality? Take your time and not to worry too much about it. It also helps to ask other LGBT+ about their experiences. 100. What advice would you give a girl who is struggling to come out? The same as above, pretty much. But also that their safety is more important than being “out”, if they live in a dangerous home environment. 

[prfm-uk]

Get to Know Me Uncomfortably Well (Filled Out)

@southeastasyano wanted me to completely fill out these 100 questions and a bonus one, and an anonymous asker wanted me to answer just a few. So here ya go! Go on and stalk me, young ones.

For the questions below the cut, I tag: @southeastasyano, @fukigen-na-boy, @prfm-au, @prfm-us, @housekinoame, @cosmog-explorer, @jenmarii, @chrism-sol, @p-r-f-m, @securitylucy, @a-chan-san and @jeffhardys!

What is your middle name? I never use it on my passports or regularly, but I do have a middle name. But I don’t wanna say it >///<

How old are you? I am currently 17 years old!

When is your birthday? June 24th!

What is your zodiac sign? Cancer (yes, I’m that mentally unstable b*tch)

What is your favorite color? Green all the f*cking way!!

What’s your lucky number? 3

Do you have any pets? I had two fish, but they died when I was 11 :’(

Where are you from? While I was born in London, United Kingdom, my family originates from Sri Lanka

How tall are you? I am 6 foot 1 inch.

What shoe size are you? I am only UK size 7.

How many pairs of shoes do you own? I own only five pairs of shoes.

What was your last dream about? It was a dream in which my best friend committed suicide... Yeah, it was grim, and was more of a nightmare :(

What talents do you have? I am pretty good when it comes to learning foreign languages, and I play piano maybe kinda semi-decently well? I can also do that thing where I can show the red bit inside my eyes, and I can fit my whole fist in my mouth.

Are you psychic in any way? Ask @prfm-us

Favourite song? ‘New Americana’ by Halsey or ‘I Know Places’ by Taylor Swift or ‘Warm Blood’ by Carly Rae Jepsen...

Favourite movie? It would have to be ‘The Emoji Movie’

Who would be your ideal partner? James Wright <3 Well, he is my bf so, um, yay?

Do you want children? Yup, I’d love to see my kid go through life and me be like “ha, I remember when I went through that shizz”

Do you want a church wedding? Well, I’m a Buddhist and I don’t know how they do weddings, so I guess I’d be fine with a civil ceremony of sorts..?

Are you religious? Not at all, and I’m not really sad about it either.

Have you ever been to the hospital? So many f*cking times, honestly. Some weren’t as bad, whereas there is one in particular that will always be my worst ever day alive.

Have you ever got in trouble with the law? Nope, I’m pretty submissive with the law, I’m too scared of punishment haha

Have you ever met any celebrities? When I was in primary school, I was chosen to go meet the Queen and that was pretty cool. We gave her like this bouquet of flowers and she didn’t seem very appreciative. (Just kidding, I love you, Lizzie)

Baths or showers? I prefer baths, but I always have showers because otherwise I might never come out.

What colour socks are you wearing? I’m wearing black socks which say “Thursday” in green font. And yes, it is Thursday where I am, my OCD is too much.

Have you ever been famous? Well, Kyary tweeted my video once and I f*cking YELLED, but no, I’m pretty irrelevant!

Would you like to be a big celebrity? No haha, I wouldn’t be able to handle that much attention to be honest.

What type of music do you like? Electropop, I guess is what it is. I also like modern 80s pop (does that make sense) and also EDM.

Have you ever been skinny dipping? No, haha, I think that just isn’t a very common thing in Britain.

How many pillows do you sleep with? Just one, under my head.

What position do you usually sleep in? I sleep like a fetus does in the womb. Enjoy that mental image.

How big is your house? 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Not amazing, but my family is somewhat well-off.

What do you typically have for breakfast? Basic cereal, generally.

Have you ever fired a gun? Yup, I spent a short while in my school’s combined cadet force before deciding that it wasn’t for me.

Have you ever tried archery? No, I think I have terrible hand-eye co-ordination anyway haha

Favorite clean word? If you mean normal, random word, then my favourite is kumquat.

Favorite swear word? My favourite swear word on it’s own is c*nt because I love how it rolls off the tongue, it just sounds like pure spite. In an insult, definitely f*cknut or f*cktard is a common resort for me.

What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep? 4 days, powered by a coffee each day. And I wasn’t even tired, people basically forced me to have coffee.

Do you have any scars? I have one on my leg from a surgery where they put a metal screw in my hip to make sure that it grew straight (well I didn’t turn out straight, but my leg did). Also, I still have a few old ones on my thighs and wrists...

Have you ever had a secret admirer? Ahahahahahaha, as if anyone would go to that effort over someone like me.

Are you a good liar? If I do say so myself, yes, I am. Or was I lying there?!?!?!?!

Are you a good judge of character? Ask @prfm-us

Can you do any other accents other than your own? I can do an LA valley accent..?

Do you have a strong accent? I have a strong British accent, and then I have a semi-strong Essex accent layered on top, so words like “fam” and “lit” just sneak their way into my speech.

What is your favourite accent? Canadian and Australian are my favs!!

What is your personality type? Unstable, but caring..? <3

What is your most expensive piece of clothing? I have a £45 tie that someone gave me as a bday gift. Yes, I don’t get spending tons on clothes...

Can you curl your tongue? I can do it into a U shape and that weird W shape thingy.

Are you an innie or an outie? Innie. Is this really helpful information to you?

Left or right handed? Right handed!

Are you scared of spiders? DON’T GET ME STARTED. I get terrified of the world’s smalliest spiders and I will legit scream and chuck my phone across the room and everyone else will just be confused.

Favorite food? Profiteroles..?

Favorite foreign food? Um, maybe, poutine? Tim Horton’s? Basically I love Canada.

Are you a clean or messy person? Clean, always clean. I cannot function in a messy environment.

Most used phrase? “I put the SAD in Social Anxiety Disorder”. Yes, I am too real sometimes.

Most used word? Well, it’s probably “the”, “a” or “lopsided”

How long does it take for you to get ready? Literally around ten minutes.

Do you have much of an ego? I mean, I don’t have a shred of self-confidence, so no..?

Do you suck or bite lollipops? I don’t know what this shows about my gay self, but I suck... yeah.

Do you talk to yourself? When I’m intensely lonely or need to calm myself down.

Do you sing to yourself? All the time. I cannot listen to any music without dancing and/or singing to it.

Are you a good singer? Hell no!

Biggest fear? Losing those who are closest to me. Oh, and f*cking spiders.

Are you a gossip? Nope, I guess i’m just not in that circle.

Best dramatic movie you’ve seen? I can’t name the best I’ve ever watched, but I recently watched a British-made film called “I, Daniel Blake” and I really liked it.

Do you like long or short hair? Short hair.

Can you name all 50 states of America? No, I’m British.

Favourite school subject? German or Physics!

Extrovert or Introvert? Introvert 100%

Have you ever been scuba diving? Yup, I’ve been in Sri Lanka

What makes you nervous? The dark and silence.

Are you scared of the dark? Oh, I just accidentally answered that. Yes, I am.

Do you correct people when they make mistakes? Only when it’s appropriate, I don’t want to bother people!

Are you ticklish? VERY ticklish! If you touch my neck, I’ll be on the floor in a few seconds.

Have you ever started a rumour? No haha I’d get baited out so quickly.

Have you ever been in a position of authority? I was an editor for my school newspaper? I mean, it wasn’t that thrilling at all

Have you ever drank underage? In the UK, the legal drinking age is 18, I’m 17, and although I’ve never gotten hammered or drunk vodka and stuff like that, I have had very light alcohol for the taste!

Have you ever done drugs? God no, and I intend never to!

Who was your first real crush? Ugh, it seems so immature when I see it now, but there was this cute guy called Josh in my class who kept paying so much attention to me, so I asked him out, and he was like “How’d you know I was gay? Oh, and I’m not interested”. Yeah, I cried that night haha

How many piercings do you have? None!

Can you roll your ‘R’s? I can <3

How fast can you type? Around 75 words-per-minute (I used an online typing test just now!)

How fast can you run? I think I run pretty slow! In school, I was just average, in the middle, but I’m not going to be winning any fun-runs :P

What colour is your hair? Jet black, but any other colour would look out out place on my brown skin :D

What colour are your eyes? A relatively dark brown, but they are still visibly brown in the sun.

What are you allergic to? Nothing, as far as I know :)

Do you keep a journal? I keep a kinda mood tracking thingamajig through an app called ‘Pacifica’. It’s great for anyone tackling stress or any mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, bipolar, etc. But other than that, I don’t keep a journal as such, no.

What do your parents do? My father is a physiotherapist, and my mother is a fraud investigator; she works for the government to find people who are illegally claiming benefits.

Do you like your age? No, because it’s too ‘in the middle’! If I was below the age of 14, I’d be able to relax and be pretty carefree, and if I was above the age of, say 25, I wouldn’t be studying random crap that will never come up in the future and will actually be doing worthwhile things. Instead, I’m 17 and I need to study stuff that won’t come up even in my degree, and it’s almost impossible to find motivation right now.

What makes you angry? People making mistakes when I literally warned them not to; they were just that f*cking ignorant.

Do you like your own name? Some people know, but no, I don’t like my name. I feel like it just sounds a weird, so whenever I tell someone my name, I always include some disclaimer like ‘Oh, it’s a weird Asian name’.

Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they? Nope, I haven’t thought of any! I mean, unless I name my kids Dan and Phil...

Do you want a boy a girl for a child? Call me sexist, but I want a boy!

What are you strengths? I can fit my whole fist in my mouth, and I’m pretty good at languages.

What are your weaknesses? I’m quite sensitive and sometimes I get carried away with jokes.

How did you get your name? Well, my parents called over some kinda psychic name-giver as soon as I was born, and they’d use my star sign, read my palm and use God knows whatever info they could make up, and then name me based on it. That gave me ‘Yasath’, which I’m pretty sure means ‘treasure’ or something.

Were your ancestors royalty? No, but they were pretty high up in government jobs :]

Do you have any scars? That’s Question 39, so just refer back to that :3

Colour of your bedspread? It is white and brown. Hey, it’s like me! Sorry, bad joke.

Colour of your room? It has generic, textured cream (I think) wallpaper.

Does it ever get better? I like to think so, and it’s usually the only shred of hope I have left. But if you think it will never get better, then it won’t ever get better, because you won’t let it get better! So yeah, just have that small light at the end of the tunnel in mind whenever you’re starting to lose hope in yourself <3

Jeeeeeeez, that was long! I hope someone enjoyed that at least haha

[chrismaverickdotcom]

You Don't Give a Shit About ______ of the Year... so stop pretending...

You might have noticed it’s nearing the end of the year. And like, if you didn’t notice this… well, what’s wrong with you? Anyway, a weird thing starts happening at the end of the year. Magazines start giving out the “_____ of the Year” awards. I find these fascinating in general and that’s no surprise. I’m a pop culture junkie “scholar”; I live for this stuff. But what I’ve found all the more interesting is the internet response to them. As far as I can tell, the primary purpose of magazines giving out ______ of the Year awards is so that people who don’t actually read them can bitch about them.

Here’s the thing… you don’t give a shit about _____ of the year… so stop pretending you do.

And I’m not just talking about the TIME Person of the year award. But yes, I mean that too… especially since His Royal Orangeness decided to take a break from his very busy schedule of presidenting to pretend that TIME had called him to offer him the chance to be Man of the Year for a second year in a row. Apparently they said that he was “probably” going to win and so they needed to know when he was available for his photoshoot. And The Donald is such a stud that he said “fuck that, probably isn’t good enough” and turned it down. Big pimpin’ yo!

Time Magazine called to say that I was PROBABLY going to be named “Man (Person) of the Year,” like last year, but I would have to agree to an interview and a major photo shoot. I said probably is no good and took a pass. Thanks anyway!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 24, 2017

Spoiler alert. They did not. The president is a liar. And he’s a dumb liar. Because he actually thought that he’d be able to tweet that and the actual magazine wouldn’t call him on his bullshit. And of course they did. TIME immediately tweeted back at him that that is NOT how Person of the Year works… which Trump totally knows because he “won” it last year. You find out when the magazine comes out. They don’t ask your permission. It’s not really an award. This is why when people were all mad about Trump winning last year, other people pointed out “you know Hitler won too, right?” and he did. Because it’s not “winning.” It just means that you were in the news enough to where they feel like you’re important to talk about at the end of the year.

The President is incorrect about how we choose Person of the Year. TIME does not comment on our choice until publication, which is December 6.

— TIME (@TIME) November 25, 2017

So like, it’s entirely possible that Trump COULD be Time Person of the Year again. It could also be Colin Kaepernick (more on him later) or Steven Bannon, or Robert Mueller,  or Harvey Weinstein or some non-specific ethereal person or object. That’s happened before. “The computer” has been Person of the Year. “The whistleblowers” have been person of the year. I wouldn’t be surprised if the person of the year this year is “the protestor” or “the social justice warrior” or maybe even just “women.” It’s not an award… But it’s very important to Trump that he wins it anyway. Even if it means that TIME goes out of their way to subtly imply that he IS Hitler by the choice of image they used for the cover. He just REALLY REALLY REALLY cares… And if that’s not a good enough reason for you to not care about it, I don’t know what it is. He cares a lot! But you don’t give a shit. And you shouldn’t give a shit.

And by you… I mean YOU… yeah, you right there! I mean both liberals and conservatives. I mean white people and black people and every other race. All genders… all religions… I mean YOU. YOU don’t care about this… any outrage that you have about it is entirely manufactured. Let it go.

You know why? Because it doesn’t matter. AT ALL!

I’ve seen a few of these lately, because… like I said… it’s just that time of year.

The first one I saw in the last couple weeks was the conservatives complaining about Colin Kaepernick being named “Citizen of the Year” by GQ. There were a couple flavors of this. One was people, notably led by pundit Tomi Lahren (who conservatives like to pretend they care about for reasons other than how fuckable she looks… and she totally is fuckable… but seriously stop deluding yourself. Being hot doesn’t make her right… and she’s not going to fuck you… seriously… she just isn’t… so you don’t actually have to pay attention to her… but it’s ok to acknowledge that you liker her because she’s hot. She is hot. I admit it. More on that later.), saying that he doesn’t deserve this because he is anti-American. Lahren tweeted a photoshopped photo of Kaepernick kneeling before the soldiers storming the beaches at Normandy, which Warner Huston of Breitbart then picked up on to explain how poignant this was because Kaepernick the monster is so anti-American that he doesn’t vote and says that America has “never been great.”

Food for thought. pic.twitter.com/2ita0blH0O

— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) November 23, 2017

I’ve already talked in detail about how dumb you are if you think Kaepernick’s protest is un-American (and seriously… you’re dumb… and racist. Just accept it!). But, both Lahren and Huston both are ignoring the context of the not only Kaepernick’s protest, but the photo. The implication of Lahren’s tweet would be that Kaepernick was protesting the war. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Do you know who was one of the most notable protestors of WWII. Mahatma Gandhi! Yeah, that’s right. Fucking Gandhi. Because it turns out a lot of people just basically oppose war. Gandhi’s stance was that people (including the Jews being murdered) should show peaceful, non-violent protest to the Nazis rather than fighting. That was kind of Gandhi’s whole deal. Furthermore, Lahren and Huston, much like most other people complaining about the kneeling protest, tend to ignore that Kaepernick picked kneeling specifically because it was an alternative way of showing respect, without standing. The idea was that it was showing deference to the flag/anthem while still refusing I’ve seen many people say that Kaepernick should stand with his hand over his heart during the anthem because anything else would be disrespectful. Because that’s what you do. Except, Lahren’s tweet sort of accidentally points something out. That’s not always been what we did. In fact, the original “correct” way to show respect to the flag was to “raise your right hand, flip your palm down, point it toward the flag in a salute.” Sound familiar? Yeah, it’s the same thing the Nazis did. We only changed the flag code in 1942 because we wanted to protest the way the Nazis were treating the Jews and do something different. In other words, the US government specifically changed the way we treat the flag to protest social injustice. Whacky, huh?

The other tactic I’ve seen people take is to point out other athletes who “deserve to be man of the year more than Kaepernick.” Usually this is some white sports star who did something else notable. Often people point to JJ Watt for his efforts at fundraising for the victims of Hurricane Harvey. And you know what, Watt did a good thing. There’s no doubt about that. Of course the people praising him are missing two important details. First of all JJ WATT SUPPORTS THE RIGHTS OF THE PLAYER’S TO KNEEL! Do you know how I know this? Because he fucking said so. He thinks that the greatest thing about America is the right to free speech and he includes that. He says it’s important to pay attention the point behind the protests and different ethnic experiences the protestors have had. So you know, there’s that. But also, I bet there’s not one person calling for Watt over Kaepernick who can say who GQ’s Citizen of the Year was last year. Anyone? I’ll wait. Anyone? Anyone? Yeah, I didn’t think so. The answer is no one. There wasn’t one. Because that’s not how GQ does things. The GQ Men of the Year awards (and unlike TIME, they’re actually awards. You get a trophy and there’s a banquet and stuff) work like the Kennedy Center Honors. Like a dozen people win one each year. In fact, this year Gal Gadot will be getting “Wonder Woman of the Year” (something that literally ONLY makes sense to give only her… ever… and maybe Linda Carter) and Stephen Colbert will be getting “Bad Hombre of the Year.” And then there are some artists and humanitarians that you’ve probably never even heard of. They pick the people they want to honor every year and then say what they’re for. In other words, GQ decided it wants to honor Kaepernick and then picked a title that says why. And if you were a fan of GQ, you’d probably know that. But you’re not a fan. In fact, you don’t give a shit about the GQ Men of the Year awards. So stop pretending…

It goes the other way as well. This has been evident because soon after I started seeing conservative people complaining about Kaepernick, I started seeing liberal people complaining about Blake Shelton being named People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive. This also comes in two flavors. First, was people complaining that Blake just isn’t sexy. Really, this came down to a lot of people just not really knowing who he is, or if he was, not giving a shit. Blake Shelton is arguably the most successful country music star of all time. He’s hella rich. And yeah, he may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Hell, he’s not mine… partly because he’s a dude. But also because he’s just not my kind of dude. But he certainly isn’t bad looking. In fact, for a scruffy looking middle-aged white boy, He’s sure as hell hotter than Mick Jagger or Steven Tyler have ever been. For some reason Adam Driver seems to be a sex symbol right now and he’s just downright scary looking. Seriously, if Adam Driver wasn’t famous and he hit on you in a bar, you’d run away. And with good reason. But Blake Shelton is decent enough looking, if you’re into the rugged cowboy never freshly shaven look. And people are. It’s an enduring look for a reason. If you’re saying that you don’t understand how Blake Shelton is sexy, you sound stupid. Sure, maybe you don’t care for his music. But he’s still a musician. And he’s rich. And he’s got a relatively classic style of handsomeness. It’s not a hard thing to “get.” I admitted earlier that Tomi Lahren was sexy. She is. I don’t like her. In fact, I think she’s pretty deplorable. But if she knock on my door today and is standing there in lingerie and says “One of us is right about flag protests and the other is wrong. Let us settle this in the bedroom. Whoever orgasms first is the loser.” I mean… I’m going to give it the old college try. Because I’m a patriot. Well, and also because she looks like she might be fun to have sex with… and then kick out of bed. So like… for the people who like Blake Shelton… who enjoy his music and aren’t morally opposed to him… which is a lot of people… I get it.

The other tactic is to complain about Shelton being Sexiest Man Alive because he’s white. Seriously, that’s the main gist of it. This is equally stupid. I’ve seen lists of “10 black men who deserve sexiest man alive more than Blake Shelton” and “10 asian men who deserve sexiest man alive more than Blake Shelton.” And this is… stupid. It just is. Sexy is in the eye of the beholder. It always has been. I said I’d fuck Tomi Lahren… but you know who I’d rather fuck? Rihanna. Seriously… I want that a lot. And a bunch of other people too. There are many people on my list that are more sexy than Tomi Lahren. But it doesn’t matter. Because her being in an article saying she is sexy doesn’t affect my preferences at all. And my vision of sexy really doesn’t affect someone else’s. My favorite version of this has been the meme of Jason Momoa (who has appeared on many of the “men of color sexier than Blake Shelton” lists). Lot of people have been resharing this saying “there is no way anyone who thinks Blake Shelton is sexy has ever seen Jason Momoa.” And you’re probably right. Because Jason Momoa would scare the shit out of people who read People magazine. They’d think he was a demon of some sort. I mean, yeah… *I* think he’s sexy. In fact, much like Lahren, if Jason Momoa showed up on my doorstep saying “One of us is right about flag protests and the other is wrong. Let us settle this in the bedroom. Whoever orgasms first is the loser.” I’d still give it the old college try. That’s right, I would absolutely fuck Jason Momoa! And I’m straight. And I have no delusions that I would be the topping in this particular scenario. But I mean, seriously… just look at him! That man will break you… He will make you feel things that you’re just not ready for.That said, the fact that a suburban soccer mom picking up the weekly groceries would rather fuck Blake Shelton than the half-man, half-wildebeest that is Jason Momoa is just not at all unreasonable. And there’s nothing wrong with not wanting that. The people who read People don’t want that. And sticking him on the cover isn’t going to change that. And it’s not going to make other people read People either.

Do you know how I know that? Because the other person I’ve seen people floating most often other than Momoa is The Rock. Because the Rock is clearly a good looking man, and “isn’t it about time we picked a Person of Color who would break down stereotypes and show people that non-white men could be sexy?” or “maybe if they chose a sexy man of color like The Rock, they could increase readership.” But the problem is, no… that wouldn’t actually change much. It wouldn’t change anything. Why do I say that? Because I know who People chose for the award last year. Do you see where I’m going with this? It was the fucking Rock. And clearly no one asking for this bought that issue. Did you buy that issue? Of course not. Because you don’t give a shit about who People’s Sexiest Man of the Year is. So stop pretending you do.

Really what this is about on both sides isn’t so much showing who you think deserves to be the ______ of the year, but proving that the person who isn’t your cup of tea DOESN’T deserve it. Since they started giving the award in 1985, there have been exactly two men of color who have won. The Rock is second. The first was Denzel Washington, back in 1996. So we can expect another in 2036. The rest have all been middle-aged (or sometimes older) white men, usually actors who are hits at that time, generally with scruffy facial hair. It’s a look. It’s the fantasy. And it’s the fantasy they want. There’s a reason that Julia Roberts has been People’s “Most Beautiful Person” five times. There’s a reason that Lena Horne won Ebony’s version of that award 34,297 times.. even at like age 90. Same thing with Kaepernick. This is similar to something I wrote a couple years ago, when Caitlyn Jenner won Arthur Ashe Courage Award for ESPN, something that I maintain til this day 99% of the people complaining about it didn’t know it existed, and don’t remember anymore. Why doesn’t Playboy Magazine ever choose any plus sized women for Playmate of the Year? In fact, all Playboy playmates have incredibly similar bodies. Go figure? Does that mean that you’re not allowed to like women who don’t look like that? Not at all. How many superhero movies have won Best Picture at the Oscars? None. But they make billions of dollars. It’s just that CGI slugfests are not what the Academy is celebrating with that award.

In other words, when you’re complaining about the choices for these things… for magazine’s that you honestly don’t give a shit about and never will, not matter what they choose, what you are really doing is telling people that they aren’t allowed to like what they like. They aren’t allowed to believe what they believe. You’re telling them that they have to like what you like. They have to believe what you believe. And if they don’t, then somehow they are wrong. It’s you’re really standing up for JJ Watt or Jason Momoa. No real thought was even put into those responses. Why Watt and not Mona Patel or any other “Top Ten Heroes of 2017″ that CNN picked and you’ve never heard of? That’s because you don’t give a shit about GQ’s Men of the Year or CNN’s Top Heroes. Why Momoa and not Mahershala Ali or any of the other thirteen non-white men who made their list of thirty sexy men in that issue? Yeah, you didn’t know there was a list and that nearly half of it was non-white, did you? That’s because don’t actually give a shit about who People thinks are the sexiest men of the year. You were never going to buy the book to find out. And Aziz Ansari is probably pissed, because I’m sure he’s thrilled to be in it.

You’re just standing against recognizing people that you don’t like. It’s hard to say Shelton isn’t sexy because he’s a dumb hick and you hate country music. It’s hard to say Kaepernick isn’t a good citizen because One blog I saw asked “SO how could Blake win ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ if Jason Momoa is still alive!? RIDDLE ME THAT, PEOPLE WHO VOTED. Wait, now that I think about it…who votes for this title, anyway?” And they’ve really answered the question there. No one voted. It’s not an election. It is a decision made by the editors of People Magazine based on the story they want to tell their readers. Just like Kaepernick in GQ. Just like Trump in TIME. They’re about as official as a mug that proclaims you “the World’s Best Mother.” And of course none of you take those seriously. Because obviously MY MOM is the World’s Best. Only you don’t give a shit. But on that one, you probably should.

Related articles

Stay Woke! Colin Kaepernick Told GQ He Only Wanted To Wear Black Designers

Colin Kaepernick, Kevin Durant named GQ’s Men of the Year

Veteran Congressman Irked by Colin Kaepernick Being Named GQ’s ‘Citizen of the Year’

NFL protest leader Colin Kaepernick named ‘citizen of the year’ by GQ

People magazine slammed for naming anti-gay country star Blake Shelton ‘sexiest man’

What is Blake Shelton hiding behind his head?

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You Don’t Give a Shit About ______ of the Year… so stop pretending… was originally published on ChrisMaverick dotcom

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Picking Out The Best Belt

#http://blog.hair-terminator.com How To Choose The Perfect Belt For Any Outfit May 25, 2017 Share Tweet Belts have been documented as far back in history as the bronze age when crude materials were used to hoist cloth together, but it wasn’t until more recently, in the 1920’s that the

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How To Choose The Perfect Belt For Any Outfit

May 25, 2017

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Belts have been documented as far back in history as the bronze age when crude materials were used to hoist cloth together, but it wasn’t until more recently, in the 1920’s that the belt really took off as we know it today. During this time, many Eastern European soldiers wore belts tightly around their waist, on the outside of their uniform (mainly for aesthetic reasons, but also to provide stability).

The belt itself has largely remained unchanged, with leather being the preferred fabric, and a long, tapered material being the usual shape. These belts replaced suspenders and offered men a more causal and easy way to adjust their pants. As such, we saw the introduction of the modern belt buckle, which tends to feature a timeless metal buckle or a cowboy or Patriotic buckle, with eagles or flags.

Despite the simple mechanics of a belt, we see this utilitarian tool used in all manner of ways; from the police officer’s duty belt to Batman’s utility belt, it seems there is a belt for every occasion. The trouble is, many guys go through life with only one or two belts – a black one and a brown one. Not only is this incredibly dull, but it ignores how much belts have to offer the dapper man.

RELATED: Here"s The Trick To Buying The Perfect Pair Of Jeans Every Single Time

What belt you wear can say a lot about who you are and what you do, and is within eye range when you are approaching someone. Pick the wrong belt, and you could look completely out of place. Choose the best belt, and you could find yourself on the receiving end of a compliment. Not to mention, the right belt will also save you embarrassment from any disastrous pants-down scenarios.

So, for this crucial reason, I’m going to show you how to pass the litmus test of men’s fashion: how you can choose the best belt for any scenario with confidence!

How Do You Wear A Belt?

When it comes to picking the right belt, I want to throw in a disclaimer right off the bat; there is no one perfect belt. Every man has different needs, and depending on the event and outfit, you are going to need several belts in your repertoire to meet the grade. Just as you have different shoes for sporting and formal occasions, belts offer different styles and use.

For example, a woven linen belt is an amazing accessory in springtime when the nautical look is in full swing. A causal woven leather belt looks great with jeans and boots but would be too bulky for use in the boardroom. And a high-fashion belt buckle might be just what you need to get the attention of a room at a party or red-carpet event but is less appropriate for a sporting game.  

I always recommend looking at your existing closet and determining what clothes you regularly wear, to get a feel for what belt might suit your taste. If you wear suits to work or go to a lot of events, it’s easy to see why you would select a more refined, and real leather belt. But if you are a more active man, you may be asking yourself what options are out there for you.

It turns out; there are belts for every man and every conceivable option. So, long as you have a desire to wear a belt, I know you will be able to find one that complements your physique and outfit. If you don’t wear a belt very often, or you wear the wrong size, you might be surprised to learn that a belt can offer more than a way to hold up your pants.

RELATED: If You"re Rocking Muscular Thighs, You"ll Want To Give These Flattering Pants A Try

The right belt will complete your outfit, acting as a subtle yet attractive accessory. Yes, it will hold your pants in place, but it will also make your waist appear more slender, and provide you will a comfortable and supported middle section. This is extremely important for portly fellows, of which, I will be talking to you fellas in a few moments – no man is too big to rock a belt, I promise!

The Sizing & Fit

The first step in choosing your belt is first to figure out how long should the belt be. Just as shoes have sizes, so do belts. For most store-bought belts, you’ll find these are offered in the same size as pants, although you will want to go up two or three sizes for the correct fit. When trying on a belt, always place the belt over your pants, and allow a few inches of the belt to loop through the first hole.

Here’s how a belt should fit: you want to be able to comfortably wrap the belt around your largest mid-section, and loop it into the first toggle without pulling harshly or breathing in. You should aim for two or three inches run of the belt, but watch out for belts that are too long (these shoot off from the hip and do not sit right).

If you don’t have enough fabric to do this, you will need to go up another size or two. Remember, no one has any idea what belt size you wear, so leave your ego at the door, and choose a belt that has the right fit. If you are still unsure or prefer the careful eye of a tailor, you can be measured professionally and have a belt sized exactly to your needs.

Here’s How to Determine Your Size

First, look at the pant size of your most comfortable pants

Add two or three inches to this size to get your baseline size

Try on belts within this size range, and allow for another two or three inches for space

Make sure you can wrap the belt around you and secure it comfortably

Adjust as needed until you get a belt that allows you to buckle up while breathing

Or, you can use this handy chart to see where to start:

I cannot stress the importance of trying on belts. You want to get a feel for the belt, and to make sure both the fit and style complement your needs. Belt buckles are another important consideration, and until you try the belt on, you may not know if the belt buckle sits comfortably, or digs into you. Watch out for buckles that pinch at the lip of your pants; this is a sign the belt is too large.

Frequently Asked Questions

I’m often asked, “Are belt sizes in inches?” To which the answer is yes, usually. When you go to a tailor he will take your measurements and add an extra two or three inches to create the prefect length for you; in most cases, the sizing adjustment I offered in store, along with trying on a belt, is more than a good head start in finding your next belt.

Another common question I’m asked is what hole should your belt be on, and this again can vary from man-to-man, and occasion-to-occasion. I find the second hole is comfortable, but the only hard and fast rule here, gents, is not to cut your own hole. The first hole is also acceptable, but I find the third hole is starting to verge into messy territory. By the third hole, you aren’t creating a nice, tight silhouette.

After checking out tons of fashion magazines, I can confidently say it varies, but one common trend is to thread counter-clockwise so that the non-buckled end of the belt is facing left. You want to ensure that you have two or three inches of the belt to loop. More, and you will loop sloppy, and less, and you could add the appearance of a bulge (even if you don’t otherwise have one) to your mid-section.

A word of caution to our left-handed belt wearers; make the distinction. It turns out that belts that are fashioned in the opposing direction, so the belt faces right, is how women are expected to dress. The belt buckle will often still be correct, even with this adjustment (as it will now be sitting inverted), but please do check you aren’t walking around with an upside-down buckle on show.

For larger fellows, you may be wondering what size is a large belt? Typically, men’s sizes run from an XS (28-30 inches) through XL (36-38) in most department stores, but thankfully, more outlets are increasing the size of their belts to accommodate the more realistic size of American men. You can now find brand name belts anywhere into the 50 and 60-inch region and beyond at specialty stores.

The Materials And Belt Styles

Talking about ratchet belts made me realize there are many different types of belts men can wear, and you might be surprised at just how many styles and materials are out there. From braided, to reversible, and straight up fashion belts, there’s definitely something for everyone. This is an exciting time to pick out a style you enjoy, in fabric that compliments your taste and function.

Leather belts are by far the most common material offered and are available in synthetic, bonded, full grain, and genuine leathers. But also popular are non-leather options, such as woven, canvas, polyester, and braided fabric belts (although these tend to have less longevity than a genuine leather belt). I’ll be talking you through how to pick a genuine leather belt in one moment.

But first, for active men, or men between dress sizes, I highly recommend adjustable belts, which offer lots of wiggle room. I used to think that ratchet belts were something only older men wore until I tried one on out of sheer curiosity and was pleasantly surprised; ratchet belts are super comfortable and can be adjusted without the need for holes. Think of them like sneakers, and you won’t go wrong.

RELATED: The One Wardrobe-Changing Hack Every Guy Should Know

Generally speaking, the best size for each type of wear depends largely on what feels right; you could be one size in one brand, and a different size in another. You could also wear a different size with your suit or jeans. Don’t be scared to try on different styles of belts too. Different belts can make you look slender around the middle, and shave inches off your waistline.

Picking A Genuine Leather Belt

There’s a reason leather belts are so popular; they last. Unlike other fabrics that wear away with daily use, leather stands up to a beating and can last decades with nothing more than a touch of polish here and there. The main question you ought to be asking is simple: is genuine leather real leather. In a pop quiz, most guys get this one wrong. Here’s why.  

Genuine leather is a lot like fool’s gold and doesn’t actually mean the leather is real, or that it will last as long as a high-quality and real leather belt. Genuine leather is simply the lowest grade that a product can be sold as leather with; these tend to have a lesser quality appearance and will always be the lowest priced of all leather belts.

Top-grain leather is the mid-range option and is a great choice for most men. Top-grain leather has a much more attractive and quality look than genuine leather, without the price tag of real leather. Full-grain leather takes the entire grain of hide, with all the imperfections and inherent toughness of the material.

And real leather, as noted, is the highest quality leather you can buy. This is the one you will covet the most because it acts, smells, and lasts like leather ought to. Expect to pay top retail dollar for this kind of leather, but for that investment, you will get a lifetime of wear. Real leather is often handcrafted and will stand up to the weather, and daily use, without flinching.

What is a blended leather, and why should I avoid it? Blended leather (bonded leather), as these are scraps of leather pieced together. Patent leather is another one to avoid and is easily recognizable by its shiny, glossy finish. And finally, corrected grain leather, which is a method of faking higher-quality leather by imprinting a leather grain into sub-par leather.

Some also ask, “What is Western leather?” These feature cowhide leather and may be branded with cowboy emblems, to give an authentic Western appearance. You might see these worn in the South or at a rodeo than at your local grocery store. Or, “what is a ranger belt?” Again, this is a specialty belt that originates in Texas and is worn by Texas Rangers in their uniform.

What Do You Match Your Belt With?

Now that you have your belt picked out, and have the correct style, fit, and design for your needs, it’s time to figure out the final piece of the puzzle: what do you match your belt with? I’ve heard say your shoes and wallets should match your belts or that you can wear black and brown leathers together, but I wanted to get a definitive answer.

And, in true fashion, there is no one-size-fits-all, but there is what works for me. For dark leather, I stick to black leather belts. As jeans get progressively lighter, you can start adding in tan or brown leather for a more relaxed and casual look. Black belts tend to look more formal, and with dark jeans, turn a look from day to night seamlessly.

If you are wondering if you can wear a brown belt with black shoes, I have great news. Yes, you can, but there is one little caveat – you want the brown and black to be as close in tone as possible. By pairing a dark brown and black leather belt with shoes, you will create a more pulled-together look. A light brown and black leather will clash, and distract from your overall aesthetic.

Similarly, if you are wondering, do your shoes have to match your belt, the answer is no. Being strict with style rules means you lose personality. The trick here is to choose shoes and belts that have a complimentary theme. So, for example, it’s easy to pair a western belt with Western boots, but you can make this look more wearable by paring Western boots with a real leather belt for a more chic look.

And finally, for those of you who are wondering what color belt to wear with khaki pants or chinos, it’s best to stick with tan leather belts. In these cases, a black belt sticks out like a sore thumb. Again, the complimentary rule is at play; you can layer up similar leathers, colors, and fabrics throughout an outfit to create an interesting juxtaposition that is less store-bought and more stylish.

RELATED: Trust Us: It"s Time To Trade In Your Jeans For These Stylish Chinos

What A Guy Needs To Own

So, as you may have noticed, no one bel tis sufficient for most men. What I like to do is cover the bases with a few solid choices that can be mixed and matched with what I like to wear. As I wear a lot of suits, I tend to stick with tan and black leather belts that can also be worn with light and dark denim jeans. If you are a casual dresser, consider woven belts and other fabrics that impart personality.

As a rule, leather is King, and I always recommend that you have at least one real leather belt for those important events, like interviews, weddings, and for pairing with suits. Designer belts, such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, and Versace, are reliable sources for real leather. This is one of the few purchasing decisions I make where brands influence me strongly; you don’t want to waste money on fake leather.

If you want to streamline your closet, I’ll leave you on this bombshell – many belt buckles can be taken off and switched out for a different buckle. Similarly, no one says your belt must be new. You can get really unique and interesting vintage belts, or custom made belts from thrift shops and tailors. My go to brands when starting a new collection are Beltology and Trafalgar.

Finally; what is a good price for a belt? I’m going to leave this one wide open and with good reason. It all depends on the quality of the leather, how often you use the belt, and what you expect in quality. I’ve been as happy with a $20 belt as I have with a $200 belt. But do remember, an expensive belt can make a lesser outfit look phenomenal. A great outfit can’t be polished with a cheap looking belt.

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Everyday Belts

These are the belts that you don"t have to think twice about. You can roll out of bed, slip into some decent threads and pull it all together with a versatile, sturdy and style-steady strap of leather. Meant to get you through the everyday, you can get away with just one of these if it"s a mute tan — easy to pair with any shoe & any overall look.

Generally, casual belts are fairly wide and are crafted from a supple calfskin, which tends get more comfortable over time since it shapes to your body. Not to mention, the best everyday belts also get better looking the longer you wear it, showcasing your little victories over the daily grind. Here are some of our favorites.  

Tanner Goods Classic Belt: $99.98 at Huckberry.com

Shinola Leather Belt: $150.00 at Nordstrom.com

Stachel & Page Mahogany Belt: $64.98 at Huckberry.com

Dress Belts

Designated for weddings, office meetings, formal dinners or anytime you want to make a serious impression. Dress belts, as previously mentioned, are typically less than an inch wide and usually vary between black, brown and tan colors. Another common (and suggested) element to look for is quality leather — that"s what"s going to turn your aging belt into a thing of beauty instead of a thing to replace. That all said, doesn"t mean you can"t have fun or display some personality when choosing your belt — here are the options that will cover your bases, without having you look like a grandpa.  

Allen Edmonds Manistree Brogue Belt: $120.00 at Nordstrom.com

Trafalgar Easton Calfskin Belt: $75.00 at Nordstrom.com

Mezlan Genuine Snakeskin Belt: $275.00 at Nordstrom.com

Ted Baker London Reversible Leather Belt: $75.00 at Nordstrom.com

Miscellaneous Belts

These aren"t your typical options, but there"s certainly room for them in more developed belt collections. Ranging from more seasonally appropriate (think boating) to athletic or even "tactical" in style, here are a few cool numbers that belong in a category of their own.

Tommy Bahama Tidal Wave Belt: $78.00 at Amazon.com

Elite Survival Systems Cobra Belt: $82.68 at Amazon.com

You are what you wear; this is never more true than on the first meeting when we are subject to scruitiny and laws of attraction. Don’t fail the litmus test of men’s fashion; learn how to choose the best belt for any outfit in five simple steps. Victor Macias, the founder of Male Standard, believes that everyman can look and feel like the best version of himself by paying attention to the details. For hands-on grooming tips, tricks, and more style suggestions, please visit MaleStandard.com.

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