#specifically i need someone to make me go to bed when the spreadsheet games are calling

[astronauticalaspirations]

You know you're having a rough day as an engineer when export control laws start to feel logical.

#i'm so tired please help #specifically i need someone to make me go to bed when the spreadsheet games are calling #flight engineer's log #export control

[talenlee]

What to Write About

New Post has been published on https://press.invincible.ink/what-to-write-about/

What to Write About

Tonight, I sat down to make, in the organiser I use to track the things I post on this blog, a google sheets function to pick a random topic I’d like to write more about and share it.

That function by the way is:

=INDEX(A:A, RANDBETWEEN(1, COUNTA(A:A)))

Fill up column A with ideas, and then this field will just go ‘hey, picked one at random.’ Really handy. I use it for randomising things like who to call on in a subject, for example. Set it up, put it down, then immediately couldn’t think of anything to put in that column.

This is annoying. I also have to accept that this tool – which by now I may have been using all year – may get made at one day, but populated another day.

Writing on this blog tends to be the result of an inspiration. Oh, I know I’ve been critical of inspired writing in the past, but the trick here is that I have managed to develop the practice of making sure I have a moment of inspiration and can put it to some use. Even the least inspiration, even stuff that I wouldn’t normally consider ‘worth it.’ There will be some bad ideas that get tried, and the backlog is long enough that they can get cut before they go live. This means that any given day, what will usually happen is that I will partake of something that interests me or I will hear something interesting or I’ll explain something to someone and then I’ll go: Hang on I should write that down.

Then I do.

And that’s it! That’s what we call in phd stuff, data capture, where time spent doing things is also accompanied with documenting it. If I play a game, I can record it and decide what to do with that later. If I read a book, I can take notes, and decide what to do with that. If I watch a movie, design a game, inspect an art asset, all of that, that stuff is an avenue of things to work on.

Every day the blog gets older, though, every day I add to the list of things this blog has talked about, I find myself wondering if I’ve already covered it. This time I think I have already, but just not in these specific terms. There’s a small sub-genre of posts on the blog about the challenges of keeping the daily blog going, and sometimes I wonder if I overdo it? But then I remember that the bulk of people who read this blog only read a small amount of it, and you’re not going to see four or five of these posts every month. You might see two or three a year.

As I write this, it’s Desert Bus. Like, 2021’s Desert Bus. The charity event is great, but, it’s also a 24/7 thing, and I don’t find it very agreeable background content to the kind of creative work I’m doing. The stuff that I do tend to enjoy for that tends towards being isolated or quiet. I think after two years of it, given the amount of time I spend writing once Fox has gone to bed, I need to recognise that I do like writing in comparative quiet, without a speaker behind my head. I don’t know if that’s the new normal or if I’ve just been exhausted by not having any ‘away time’ for a year.

Absolutely core to this blog is the discipline to write every day, and the organisation to make sure that that discipline gets to be properly distributed. I have written things for theme months well outside of the time they’re for. Dread Month is the collection of the entire year’s worth of edgy, dark topics, for example. When I have queer feelings or experiences or thoughts, I put them all in Pride month. This way these topics get to fill up a celebratory month, but also when those months hit I’m not scrabbling for ways to talk about it. It’s a great trick to make it look like I can concentrate on something when really, I’m just taking this scattered idea space and putting it all in one heap so it looks organised.

This is data capture.

Get in the habit, it does make things easier.

And hopefully, I’ll have ideas I can use to fill in the column on that spreadsheet.

[unforth]

A Non-Exhaustive and (In)Frequently Updated List of Resources I’ve Used while Writing MDZS/CQL/Untamed Fic

I did so much research for The Vermillion Ribbon that I decided to make a doc out of it. If I’m bored sometime (ha) I might go farther back through my google search history but for now this is MDZS specific and just what I used for TVR. I’ll try to update it periodically as I write other things, though, so it’ll get more complete.

In most cases, I go to Google and type in what I’m trying to find out. This might be a question - “were there barrels in ancient china” - or it might be an idiom - “origin ‘barrels of fun’” - or it might definition - “define pusillanimity”  or it might be that I’m trying to find out if a reference is appropriate - “china mosquitoes” was a search to make sure there were, in fact, mosquitoes in China. Each of these searches only take a few minutes at most but doing them can really enhance a narrative. 

Here are some other examples of searches I used to get utterly random pieces of information I needed - all of these produced the results I was looking for:

domesticated geese in china

traditional shanghai food

history of sandpaper

traditional peaked hat china

how to help someone who is having a flashback

parts of a day bed

wang yibo height

shades of green

is dumbfoundment a word

bland chinese food

flowers native to eastern china

how were ancient chinese homes heated

does chinese hair tangle

when do gentians bloom

popular alcohol in hebei

how does baijiu taste

history of use sinkers for fishing

does rain damage silk

what are the dots in go called in chinese

perception of snakes in china

do people kneel or sit cross legged at chinese tables

history of our understanding of cancer

common bushes near tianjin

necrotization vs gangrene

chinese formal letter opener

I’m including these so you see...basically if an issue comes up while you’re writing, and you’re not sure...just check. The information is out there. Looking at it gives the FBI agent spying on all your internet usage something interesting to read!

General Writing Resources:

Behind the Name and Behind the Surname (https://www.behindthename.com/, https://surnames.behindthename.com/) - definitely more a resource for Western names but if you care about name origin and meaning, extremely handy.

Encyclopedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/) - I use it much less often than Wiki but it’s still helpful sometimes.

Google Image Search (https://www.google.com/imghp) - not sure what something looks like? GIS is your best friend. There’s no better way to make sure you write a compel a description than to actually look at the thing you’re trying to describe.

Google Maps (https://maps.google.com/) - if you’re writing about a real place, it’s always helpful to be able to look at it, especially on satellite or street view.

Google Translate (https://translate.google.com/) - should you rely on it? God, no. But if you just need something basic and you remember you might get garbage back, it can still be helpful.

Online Etymology Dictionary (https://www.etymonline.com/) - an excellent source for word origins, especially slang (like if you’re trying to figure out if a word or phrase is time period appropriate).

Onomatopoeias (http://onomatopoeialist.com/) - need just the right sound? Here you go.

Scrivener (https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview) - this is the only writing software I’ve ever used and while I honestly don’t use it for writing fanfiction (I just write in gdocs and wing it), I still support it and I use it to organize my research for original projects.

Thesaurus.com (https://www.thesaurus.com/) - my preferred thesaurus. I use a thesaurus constantly - both for synonyms and antonyms - while writing and find it infinitely more useful than, say, the lists of words I sometimes see circulating as rebloggable Tumblr posts. If you find a word you’re not sure of listed, always check the definition before using it.

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page) - maybe I should be embarrassed by how often I rely on Wiki but fuck that, because Wiki is an invaluable source for random obscure information. On major topics it’s sometimes unreliable but on most historical matters aside from those that are most fraught (ie, the causes of the US Civil War) you can generally trust that the information is reliable, and if you need more information the included references can help a lot. 

Sources for Information on English Idioms (asterisk denotes ones I like best/use most):

The Free Dictionary: https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/

*The Grammarist: https://grammarist.com/

Know Your Phrase: https://knowyourphrase.com/

Merriam-Webster “Words at Play” Blog: https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play

*The Phrase Finder: https://www.phrases.org.uk/index.html

Word Histories: https://wordhistories.net/

MDZS/CQL-Specific Resources:

LIST OF OTHER REFERENCE SOURCES: https://wangxianfics.tumblr.com/post/617467597810778112/mdzs-resources-references

Characters Ages: 

Novel-specific: https://mihanada.tumblr.com/post/176537120295/are-there-any-actual-or-speculated-ages-for-the

Character Ages When Specific Events Happen: https://wang-xians.tumblr.com/post/190805604377/ages-of-wei-wuxian-and-peers-during-key-events

Character Birthdays: https://klashta-neali.tumblr.com/post/183922824954/tdp-and-mdzs-character-birthdays-masterlist-im

Character Heights: https://bigbadredpanda.tumblr.com/post/181326045966/mdzs-character-height-chart

Character List and Ship List (the only one of these resources I made…): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/3/d/1qtE4KXAcLfdEEBv-JHznf81Uoo8gZzrI_ID-kn9B6BU/edit?usp=sharing

Character Names and Titles: 

A list of names and titles: https://bonibaru.tumblr.com/post/187163138846/mdzs-character-names-and-titles

Some info on who calls others what, and why: https://bigbadredpanda.tumblr.com/post/182713668731/hello-can-you-pls-explain-it-to-me-why-mdzs

Some breakdown on relationships relating to what people call each other: https://bigbadredpanda.tumblr.com/post/182811566041/hi-theres-something-i-was-a-bit-curious-about

Event Timeline: 

https://somanyjacks-writes.tumblr.com/post/190555900555/mdzs-rough-timeline

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15GsYRs4V5ZpfTTQ3fHaPOd-6f_cnFMB6upoH6A6Gwsw/edit#gid=0

Honorifics Guide: https://nomadicism.tumblr.com/post/185554769582/cleyra-i-made-a-mdzs-honorifics-guide-for-one-of?is_related_post=1

Lan Clan Rules: 

https://twitter.com/BigBadRedPanda/status/1170675728750469125?s=19

https://my-otp-list.tumblr.com/post/178014806440/so-i-heard-youve-been-wondering-what-are-the

Locations/Map: https://childe-wei.tumblr.com/post/190288325910/mercyandmagic-mdzs-locations-sects-are

Modao Zushi Fandom Wiki (https://modao-zushi.fandom.com/wiki/Grandmaster_of_Demonic_Cultivation_Wiki) - MDZS has one of the most exhaustive and well-done fandom wikis I’ve used to date.

Swords (these are images, with the name, of each weapon in Untamed): 

https://linglynz.tumblr.com/post/187228990951/the-untamed-weapons-part-13

https://thirteenyearsofslumber.tumblr.com/post/187243506239/linglynz-the-untamed-weapons-part-2

https://linglynz.tumblr.com/post/187245850321/the-untamed-weapons-part-33

What Each Character Calls Each Other Character: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NEL1WU6NU3rzuLgTjJYDDGNu2XW0DZLQYlJGJhcz9IU/edit?usp=drivesdk

What the Heck does Er-Gege Actually Mean: https://boat-full-of-lotus-pods.tumblr.com/post/182490910183/this-is-a-really-stupid-question-but-what-is-the

General History:

The Tiffany Problem: https://medium.com/swlh/the-tiffany-problem-when-history-makes-no-sense-703b86522627

Chinese Culture, History and Language:

Alcoholic Drinks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholic_drinks_in_China

Architecture: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_architecture

Breakfast Foods: https://www.thespruceeats.com/traditional-chinese-breakfast-694158

Common Cooking Ingredients: 

Pantry Essentials: https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-pantry-essential-ingredients/

Spices: https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/12-common-chinese-spices

Confucius: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucius

Creation Myths: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_creation_myths

Clothing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Chinese_clothing

Desserts: https://www.echinacities.com/expat-life/6-Traditional-Chinese-Desserts-You-Have-to-Try

Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms: http://mahajana.net/texts/soothill-hodous.html

Diyu (Hell): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diyu

Etiquette Guides: 

http://factsanddetails.com/china/cat4/sub19/item114.html

https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/guidebook/etiquette.htm

The Five Punishments: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Punishments

The Five Virtues: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Virtues

The Five Virtues: http://www.goolevalve.com/news/news-detail-195.html

Furniture: https://www.chinese-furniture.com/c_furniture/history.html

Go: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_(game)

History of Chinese Gardens: https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/architecture/features-garden.htm

How Names Work: 

https://avenuex.ca/blog/2019/8/24/how-ancient-chinese-names-work-learn-from-the-untamed

https://twitter.com/chiharuzushi/status/1125436481638629382

Jade: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_jade

Literary Conventions: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20426162/chapters/48456785

Music: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_China

Musical Instruments: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chinese_musical_instruments

Musical Instruments: https://www.cchatty.com/Traditional-Chinese-Musical-Instruments-g-100163

Mythology: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology

Numbers: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Chinese_(Mandarin)/Numbers

Pet Names:

6 Terms of Endearment: http://blog.tutorming.com/mandarin-chinese-learning-tips/chinese-terms-of-endearment

200+ Chinese Nicknames for Guys and Girls (With Meanings): https://www.findnicknames.com/chinese-nicknames/

Random Chinese Name Generator: https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/chinese_names.php

Symbolism in Chinese Embroidery: 

https://augustphoenixhats.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Stitchery4-Chinese-Symbolism.pdf

https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/stories/blog/2015/the-language-of-chinese-embroidery

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/arts/embroidery.htm

Symbolism in Chinese Porcelain: https://china360online.org/?property=228-park-ave-s

Swear Words: https://ltl-school.com/chinese-swear-words/

Taoist Alchemy: https://www.goldenelixir.com/files/The_Way_of_the_Golden_Elixir.pdf

Time (and how to tell time): https://www.reddit.com/r/noveltranslations/comments/4az3tg/ancient_chinese_measurements_of_time/

Titles for Family Members: https://www.italki.com/article/183/complete-list-of-titles-for-family-members-in-chinese

Titles and Honorifics: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_titles

https://www.wuxiaworld.com/page/wuxia-xianxia-terms-of-address

Underwear: 

https://www.thoughtco.com/chinese-clothing-dudou-687371

http://chinesehanclothing.blogspot.com/2016/01/underwear.html

https://wedriveeast.wordpress.com/2011/02/17/history-of-chinese-undergarments-part-1/

Units of Measurement: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_units_of_measurement (includes multiple historical systems, sorted by era and with their metric equivalent)

Weapons:

Siege Weapons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_siege_weapons

Weddings:

Basics: https://pearlriver.com/blogs/blog/your-guide-to-chinese-weddings

Overview: https://www.topchinatravel.com/china-guide/chinese-wedding-customs.htm

Overview: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_marriage

Order of Events: https://www.char4u.com/content/chinese-wedding-day-order-events/

Tea Ceremony: https://www.teasenz.com/chinese-tea/chinese-wedding-tea-ceremony.html

Wuxia World: https://www.wuxiaworld.com/

Wuxia World: “Cores” in Chinese Cultivation Novels: https://www.wuxiaworld.com/page/cores-in-chinese-cultivation-novels

Wuxia World: What is Dao? https://www.wuxiaworld.com/page/what-dao-heck

Wuxia World Glossary: https://www.wuxiaworld.com/page/general-glossary-of-terms

Sex Stuff:

The History of Lube: https://getmaude.com/blogs/themaudern/the-history-of-lube

It’s Literally a Picture of a Dick: https://slideplayer.com/slide/3858701/13/images/15/Reproductive+System+Visual+1%3A+External+male+views.jpg

Prevalence of Circumcision: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prevalence_of_circumcision

Sex with Uncircumcised Assigned Male at Birth People: https://www.asstr.org/~Kristen/learning/uncut.htm

What Does Semen Taste Like: https://www.healthline.com/health/mens-health/what-does-sperm-taste-like

Pain and Trauma:

Helping Someone with PTSD: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/ptsd-trauma/helping-someone-with-ptsd.htm

List of Methods of Torture: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_methods_of_torture

#unforth writes #writing resources #the untamed #untamed #mdzs #modaozushi #modao zushi #mo dao zu shi #chengqingling #cheng qing ling #chengqing ling

[itsevidentvery]

The wonderful @joycecarolnotes had their birthday last week, and here is my (appallingly belated) birthday gift. 

Warning: I haven’t watched any of the most recent season, and it’s been months since I wrote Jared/Richard fic, so my apologies for, like, everything.

BUT. Here is my offering for sickfic, domestic fluff, Jared being taken care of, and Far Too Much Vicks Vaporub.

‘If I could just - ’

‘No, Jared,’ says Richard. ‘You can’t just.’

Jared shrinks back, his shoulders drawing in and the colour draining out of his cheeks. Well, mainly draining out. That fever-brightness remains.

‘As you say,’ says Jared with absolutely no expression.

Richard swears inside his head. He knows that tone, that terrible flatline blade-of-the-guillotine, hush-before-the-hangman-swings tone. The tone before Jared falls ass over teakettle in love with some social reject who won’t even –

Not that Richard –

She didn’t even notice he was gone when Jared came back to Richard.

To Pied Piper.

But also to Richard.

Which. Jared just came back. Back to his weird garret office-space that he clasped his hands when he first saw and then bustled about saying things about the first Mrs Rochester that Richard is 1000% certain are not, like, remotely comforting analogies.

But still. Back he came.

And then fell ill because he was helping his friend Mabel babysit her great-granddaughter who promptly distributed the flu to anyone who even looked at her for more than ten seconds and then Jared went down like a baby bird with a broken wing.

And there he is now, swaying on his feet and hunting desperately for those goddamn sunglasses.

‘You’re ill, Jared,’ says Richard, as softly as he can.

Jared sniffs. ‘It’s nothing, Captain, I can’t – I won’t – be felled by a bacterium - ’

‘The flu’s a virus,’ says Richard. ‘Jared. Go home.’

And Jared shrinks again – right into the waiting arms of Gwart or GNewt or GPickle or whatever other beady-eyed coder with the social skills of a concussed duckling but who somehow, somehow, knows juuuuust enough to clutch their gizzards and make juuuuust the right sort of pitiful eyes at Jared, Richard knows, he knows, he knows their game, you’ll have to get up pret-ty early in the morning to pull one over on Richard Hendricks.

In this regard, at least.

‘I’ll come home with you,’ says Richard in a rush.

Jared’s head flies up and his eyes are like stars and Richard really hopes he’s not starting the flu because he’s feeling hot and cold and hot all over.

‘Let me just - ,’ says Richard, and he turns and fumbles for his laptop.

‘Af- after you, m’lord,’ he says once he has it, and then sucks his entire bottom lip into his mouth because what. The actual. What.

*******************************************************************************************

Jared’s condo is still cosy and sparkling with that precise combination of Arsenic and Old Lace that so defines Jared. There’s some Hieronymus Bosch and Remedios Varo up beside his Welsh Spoon collection, which is – yeah. Checks out.

‘So,’ says Richard, ‘you go and, uh. Lie down? Yeah. You should.’

‘But Richard,’ says Jared.

‘Jared,’ says Richard.

‘I really do think - ’

‘Jared - ’

‘I’m fine, Richard,’ says Jared, the effect only slightly undercut by the racking cough that shakes him.

‘Please lie down, Jared,’ says Richard, and Jared meekly trails away.

*******************************************************************************************

It’s actually pretty … nice. Not nice nice, but … Richard had almost forgotten how easy it is to work at Jared’s. How the quiet lets everything fall away, and the occasional Surprise Mediaeval Horrorshow helps keep him sharp.

He’s clack-clack-clacking away in a pleasant, highly focussed trance, when he sees a notification at the corner of his screen. It’s an e-mail from Monica with the subject line ‘I THOUGHT HE WAS WITH YOU.’

Richard opens the e-mail, which turns out to be a forward from Jared with a spreadsheet attached. Richard clicks on the attachment, and regrets it the instant his eyes are assaulted with RED-AMBER-GREEN colour-coded nested-conditional visual basic fuckery.

He plucks off his headphones, puts down his laptop and goes to Jared’s bedroom. Where the supposed patient is sitting up in bed, honking and wheezing and clacking away furiously on a laptop (and just where the fuck did he get a laptop anyway?)

‘Jared,’ says Richard. Jared looks up and freezes, like some kind of weird flannel-wearing deer in the headlights.

‘Richard,’ he croaks. ‘Richard, this isn’t what it looks like.’

‘Jared,’ says Richard, ‘you need to rest.’

‘I will,’ says Jared, ‘I just need to - ’

Richard steps closer and holds out his hand. ‘Give me the laptop, Jared.’

‘Let me just - ’

‘Laptop, Jared.’

They look at each other for a while, and yes, okay, maybe it’s cheating, but it’s kinda – like, Richard always breaks first, he always does, because Jared’s gaze is a heavy thing and it’s kinda hard to, to, it’s kinda hard when that laser blue is like, entering through Richard’s eyeballs and leaving out the back of his head because – well, anyway, it’s like that. But now Jared’s compromised by his plague or whatever and Richard gets to watch him duck his head and sigh.

And then his giant hands tighten on the keyboard.

‘I just need to send this and then - ’

Richard grabs one end of the laptop. It’s not exactly – Jared’s clutching at one end and he doesn’t want to like, hurt him, and yes it’s all helpfully rounded edges but still and then also knuckles and very long fingers and then Jared kinda yanks and Richard tumbles over and faceplants onto Jared’s bony chest.

Jared’s startled ‘Ooph!’ has the hair on Richard’s head rustling gently.

‘Sorry!’ Richard says into the little indent between Jared’s – like, his – his chests.

Chest.

Chest, singular.

Jared has one chest.

One chest that Richard is now talking into.

He springs away, very narrowly missing butting Jared’s chin (which, on the one hand, good, but on the other hand, all that means is that like, that’s one more thing lying in wait for Richard now).

‘Sorry,’ says Richard. Scrubs his fingers through his hair. Dares a glance at Jared.

Jared who is staring at him, chest (one chest. One chest with one indent. One chest with one indent just perfectly made for Richard’s nose.) rising and falling rapidly.

There’s a flush on his cheeks. Not that hectic scarlet flu-blotch, but.

It’s.

His eyes are very bright.

Richard swallows. Watches Jared’s eyes track the movement.

Richard grabs the laptop and runs out of the room, deaf to Jared’s protesting cry.

Well, not deaf precisely.

But like. He’s doing the right thing, so.

*******************************************************************************************

Richard sits back down and quickly loses himself to a script that won’t run, when his e-mail pings again. This time it’s from Dinesh and it’s another forward. From Jared.

Richard goes to the bedroom to find Jared sitting in bed with his hands clasped in his lap.

Nobody should be this bad at looking nonchalant.

‘Jared,’ says Richard.

‘Hello, Captain,’ says Jared. Is he trying to hum carelessly?

‘Jared,’ says Richard again.

‘Can I help you, Richard?’

Richard sighs. ‘Where is it, Jared?’

‘Where’s what, Richard?’

‘Your iPad, Jared.’

‘Oh,’ says Jared, and Richard swears he can see Jared wondering whether to deny any knowledge of the existence of iPads in general, and his own in specific. ‘I – Richard, I’m not sure, would you like me to find it for you?’

‘I’d like you,’ says Richard, ‘to give me your iPad, Jared.’

‘I would,’ says Jared earnestly, and it’s terrible, its grotesque, it’s fascinating how bad a liar he is, ‘but I really couldn’t say, Richard, and I just - ’ he coughs, once, and how in the flaming hell can someone with the actual flu not produce a better cough, literally how, ‘I’m quite, the flu, Captain, I’m afraid I feel quite faint, so - ’

‘Where is it, Jared.’

‘I’m not - ’

At this point there’s a ping and a green flash under Jared’s duvet.

Richard holds out his hand. There’s a momentary flicker of … something … on Jared’s face. Something that on anyone else might look like…

“Mutiny” supplies a voice in Richard’s head which sounds a lot like Jared’s voice.

Well, anyway.

That.

‘Thank you,’ Richard finds himself saying, as Jared hands him the iPad. Jared’s head snaps up to look at him, his eyes very round.

Richard flees.

*******************************************************************************************

Richard builds up a nice little collection of devices as the day wears on. Jared’s phone. Jared’s old phone. Jared’s much older phone, which, how the fuck was Jared tapping out forecasting instructions on a fucking flip-phone anyway? Jared’s watch. He’s considering taking away his FitBit: he has no idea how Jared could even put together hideous spreadsheets on the thing, but he won’t be fooled again.

When he pops his head in later, Jared’s looking like reheated shit. His cheeks are blotchy, his eyes are huge and he’s shivering.

Richard’s horrified but also –

‘I told you you were sick,’ he says.

‘Richard,’ says Jared, and his voice is so small, ‘Richard, I can’t do this.’

‘You can,’ says Richard, ‘Jared, it’s only like a couple of days and - ’

‘Richard, this is vital forecasting - ’

‘Jared, it’s fine - ’

‘It’s not fine, it’s the end of the quarter and - ’

‘Monica’s on top of it, all right? It’s being done. Look, here - ’ and Richard pulls up the interactive project management tool that Jared introduced, shows him the exuberant and reassuring sea of green, and –

And Jared’s curled in on himself.

‘Oh,’ he says. ‘I – that’s good. Thank you, Richard.’

Richard blinks at him.

‘I – Jared, that’s – I thought you’d - ’

‘No, I am,’ says Jared, and smiles. A broad rictus grin that makes Richard want to claw his own skin odd. ‘It’s – you’re doing very well, Richard. Monica’s – she’s doing very well.’ He clears his throat. ‘I’ll – I’ll take some rest now, Richard.’

Richard watches him lie down and curl up on his side.

‘I - ’

‘I’m glad you told me, Richard,’ says Jared. ‘I’ll let you work now. I – I’m sorry, I thought I was helping.’

Which.

I mean.

That’s.

That wasn’t what –

Ah, fuck.

‘Jared?’ says Richard. ‘Jared, I want you to get better.’

Jared nods. He isn’t looking back at Richard.

Richard swallows and goes on: ‘B – because I – I think we should have fixed exchange rates for PiperCoin.’

Jared’s head snaps around to look at Richard. (Richard cheers internally. Gotcha.)

‘Rich - ’ he says and is overtaken by a cough.

‘Hey, hey,’ says Richard, his voice coming out quicker and softer than he’s ever heard it. ‘I wouldn’t – not without - ’

Jared’s staring at Richard. He swallows. ‘I’m sure Monica could - ’

Richard shrugs. ‘Maybe. Seems like it might - ’

‘Please don’t,’ says Jared, ‘please, I’ll – tell Monica, she’ll tell you to - ’

‘I want you,’ says Richard, still softly. He coughs. ‘I – t-to – f-figure it out, or - ’

There’s a silence. Jared’s still staring at Richard. Richard can feel every individual capillary on his cheeks warming.

‘Okay,’ says Jared, at length. He’s pink, but in a good way.

‘Okay,’ says Richard, nodding.

Thank fuck.

He opens up his laptop. Kicks off his sneakers and stretches out on the bed. Tells himself it’s because he doesn’t trust Jared not to fish out a pedometer or a remote control or whatever the fuck to start working.

*******************************************************************************************

He orders soup and crusty bread for the two of them. Watches as Jared pulls himself up painfully to a sitting position. Hears his own mouth offer to feed it to Jared in a soft voice, bending from the waist with his head tilted, which, what even. Jared refuses with a blush. Richard doesn’t insist, which is probably – I mean, Richard spills scalding hot soup over his own hands like five seconds later so. Yeah. But Richard watches Jared’s lashes resting on his cheek and his lips purse as he blows on his soup and he doesn’t blink for the next twenty minutes.

Jared eats up all the soup, careful and quiet, which is good.

And Richard says so.

He says ‘Good boy,’ when Jared’s done eating his soup, which.

He says it.

Out loud.

Softly.

Glowingly.

With his mouth.

Where Jared can hear.

Where Jared does hear.

And Jared blushes.

And says ‘Thank you.’

And looks at Richard with saucer eyes.

And Richard hits his elbow against the side table.

Which.

There’s a jar of Vicks Vaporub on the table.

‘Would, uh,’ says Richard, ‘would this help?’

He holds up the jar, and Jared’s absurd eyes get even rounder.

‘I,’ says Jared, and swallows, ‘I don’t – Richard, I don’t want to impose.’

‘Okay,’ says Richard, and moves back so quickly he nearly falls off the bed and has to claw at the sheets to right himself. ‘Okay, yeah, sure, I shouldn’t. Yeah.’

He opens up his laptop and stares at the screen.

Jared’s breathing evenly. Very very carefully evenly.

Typetypetype.

In. Out.

Clicklicklick.

In. Out.

Typetypetype.

In. Out.

Then: ‘Richard, if you wouldn’t mind - ’

‘Yeahsureokay,’ says Richard, and grabs the jar.

Jared sits up. Begins to unbutton his pyjama shirt.

His hands are shaking, Richard notices.

So are Richard’s, as he unscrews the lid.

The smell hits him. Menthol and little old ladies all at once, obtrusive and confident.

‘So,’ says Richard, ‘I just – on your chest?’

Jared nods.

‘Okay,’ says Richard. ‘Sure.’

Jared says ‘Richard, you really don’t have to.’

‘No, I want to,’ says Richard, and swallows. ‘I just - ’

‘Richard, I – you’ve already done so much, you really don’t have to feel like you – oh.’

Richard’s slapped a Vaporub-laden index and middle finger on Jared’s chest.

He spends a few moments like that, just kinda. Tracing the indent, up and down. Until Jared lets out a shaky exhale and Richard starts.

‘I’ll just,’ he says and gets another glob of the stuff.

He spreads out his fingers. Figures the point is to distribute the stuff on Jared’s chest. Maybe get kinda … it’s gotta … he should get it so Jared can inhale?

And also … rubbing? They say. Right there in the name, it says. So.

He presses a little and looks at Jared. ‘Is this – Jared, is this okay?’

Jared seems to refocus – the flu, right, the flu – and nods. ‘Y- yes, Richard. It’s – it’s okay.’

Richard dips back into the jar. Returns. Presses. Kneads. Strokes in wide concentric circles. The rhythm is dreamy, like cleaning string code when you’re tired. Jared’s chest rises and falls beneath his fingers. His clavicle is somehow both fragile and – impudent? Kinda? Just piercing through the delicate skin? Richard’s slick fingers stroke up to cover it and he watches Jared’s Adam’s Apple bob.

Jared’s face is swimming before his eyes and Richard wonders for a full twenty seconds if he’s caught Jared’s plague before he realises, oh yeah, the Vaporub.

Richard’s eyes are stinging from the Vaporub.

He should probably…

Like, the jar’s half-empty anyway.

And then Richard’s eyes return to Jared’s chest, naked and glistening, and he swallows.

One more coat can’t hurt, right?

*******************************************************************************************

Richard – inevitably – catches Jared’s cold.

Jared pre-emptively seizes all electronic equipment before Richard can secrete them away.

He does, however, bring the VapoRub.

#joyecarolnotes #silicon valley #silicon valley hbo #sv hbo #jarrich #my fic #way too long for tumblr #but what can you do?

[paytonsportfolio]

Reading Through the Screen

The excessive amount of technology that has been implemented into today's society has been an ongoing controversial topic. Whether it rots our brains or makes us ten times smarter, people across the globe deal with digital literacy every day. Technology has advanced greatly over the last few decades and has completely shaped how we live. Our daily routines revolve around technology. We look at our phones when we wake and when we go to bed. We can even track our calories burned every single day. The fact is, digital literacy dominates the people of our society’s everyday lives.  

In order to be successful in today’s mechanically driven world, you must be literate and have some experience with computers. Most of the time, whether you are working at your job or completing a project for school, you deal with digital literacy. It doesn’t matter how high or low of a paycheck you receive. You will deal with digital literacy; for example, employees at Taco Bell are required to read the upcoming order on a screen to ensure that they cook and prepare the correct order on time. On the other end of the spectrum, if you have a higher-ranking job than working at Taco Bell, like a CEO of a company, you are also required to digitally read and communicate.  

There’s also the other aspect of looking at a much younger population, children in school. The expectation of having computer and literacy skills have skyrocketed. Even at the age of eight, sometimes even younger, students are taught computer skills. When I was in grade school, it was required for me to take multiple years of typing classes. This class entails reading words and phrases off a computer screen and typing them in response. Sometimes the program will even give you paragraphs to read and type. It was very fast pace; therefore, my classmates and I had to retain the text quickly in order to do well in the class. For students that don’t have the opportunity to take this class, I think it is a setback in learning to have a relationship with the computer. After lots of repetition and practice, you get used to typing a particular way, but for the students that aren’t taking this class, it will be hard for them to type at a faster pace.  

Students most commonly use digital literacy when they are unsure of a question and search for the answer on a web browser. This can be very useful and is not only done by students. When attending a university, it is required to have a laptop or tablet to complete coursework and utilize it during class. Colleges like Cleveland State University operate their courses through computer programs. Cleveland State University uses a program called Blackboard. Blackboard uploads course materials that are a key role in a student’s success. Many grade schools and universities, mostly private institutions, supply students with iPads, encouraging them to read and do their homework outside of the classroom. Other students don’t bother with the readings and download games like “Subway Surfer” instead.  

Text messages are the most common types of digital literacy that are used daily. Nowadays, everyone has a cell phone. Texting can be used for a variety of things. It can be very beneficial. In some cases, getting a text could save a life; for example, if you have a home intruder, you must contact someone for help. Calling the police is your first option; however, you must stay quiet. Luckily, we have texting. In today’s modern world you can now text the police, specifically in situations like this. Although it is not often that you will come across one of these life-threatening situations, it goes to show you that texting isn’t all that bad. Of course, when you are texting your friends, it’s not the most formal form of communication, but you still need basic literacy skills. You can’t type a long rant without punctuation. It wouldn’t make any sense.  

Along with text messages, emails are also a source of communication that is used daily. Unlike text messages, emails are often used as a formal type of communication; for example, a student will email their professor a question about an assignment when they are not in class. You can’t email a professor like you would text a friend. It’s just unprofessional. In order for your email to look professional, you must know the format to set your email in. Normally, you start with a greeting, which addresses who you are speaking to. Following your greeting is your body, where you get your point across. Finally, you close your email with your name and a phrase like “thank you” or “sincerely.” If you don’t use these essential literacy skills, you will be unprofessional.  

Social media has a huge influence on the forever evolving English language. Slang is used and seen daily on social media, text messages, or conversations with friends. Considering how often humans use these phrases, they are essential in today's pop culture, but slang has been evolving for decades. One of the more recent phrases that was established from social media is “and I oop!” A viral video of a drag queen, Ms. Jasmine Masters, was in the middle of a rant and accidentally hit her genitalia on a chair. “And I oop” can be portrayed many ways and used in many different situations. It is most commonly used when someone sees or hears about something that catches them off guard; for example, you are walking around town and see your friend with their ex-boyfriend. For people like my friends and I, it is our first instinct to say, “and I oop!” This is just one of many examples of slang that have dramatically affected the new ways of language.  

If my generation lived twenty years ago when we didn’t have the current, advanced technology. We would be lost. How would we show our followers what we are eating for lunch every day? You can’t “D.M.” a guy that you think is cute. You would have to speak to him in person. Imagine if you had to read a physical newspaper to learn about the latest news like our grandparents did, and no, there is no such thing as facetime. You can’t video chat your friend and have them walk you through how to break up with your boyfriend over text. We take all of these things for granted because we use them daily.  

I can assume that most grandparents are like mine and always ask how to operate technology. Almost every time I visit my grandparents, I am asked a new question. “How do you make the words bigger?” “Can you download some music for me?” Of course, I always help, but what’s hard to admit is that I always tend to not understand why it’s so hard for my grandmother to operate an iPhone. Then again, could you imagine having to adapt to rotating landlines to portable telephones that can do almost everything that a computer can do? They went from having jobs that have little interaction with technology similar to what we have today to adapting to screens and operated machinery surrounding their workplace.  

Whether you believe the overpowering amount of technology that is available to people across the world is a threat to one’s brain, or if you believe being able to create an Excell spreadsheet makes you a genius, technology isn’t going anywhere. People are constantly reading and writing through a screen. Almost every aspect of life has been modified because of technology. There are new ways to communicate, learn, write, or generally do your job. It is expected to be digital literate today in order to be successful. Digital literacy is used every day in all different kinds of aspects.  

#technology #society #first draft #future #education #literacy #argument without research

[ahnsael]

Ever get one of those emails from your boss that just PISSES YOU OFF? I just got one.

We have to log progressive jackpots every night. Not just what was won, but where every progressive jackpot in the casino stands at that time. Which for us, is a 17-page list of machines, (multiple machines per page). It used to be 39 pages before I reformatted it to save about a tree per week in paper.

When a taxable progressive is hit, we’re supposed to list it on the log as having been hit -- the machine number, the date and time the jackpot was hit, the number of the jackpot slip from which it was paid, etc. It helps if the Gaming Commission comes into the head office and says, “Why did this 1,400 jackpot suddenly drop down to $800?” The info that I provide (see below for example) is meant to answer that question without it taking days for Audit to research the answer and get back to Gaming. They should be able to look at the log, see my notes, and say “Here’s why it went down, it was won by a guest at [x time] on [y date], and here’s the paperwork you’ll need to verify that.”

I used to write that all at the bottom of the page as they were won by a guest. If it was won while I was off work (which is usual, since I work graveyard), I research it and then add the information to the log. I’m the one who sends it off, so I’m the last person to see it (or, at least, the last person to actually look it over) before it is sent off.

In the third week of August, in our manager’s meeting, I was specifically told by my boss’s boss (in FRONT of my boss) that they preferred that information to be on the back of the page, not the front. So I started doing that instead.

Today I got an email regarding last month’s log saying:

This was written on the back of a page on the progressive log. no initials no IR attached. Please ensure that an IR is attached to the progressive log with things like this

(IR stands for Incident Report)

Here is what I wrote, thanks to the attachment in the email:

I replied, including my boss’s boss in the reply, that this is EXACTLY how I was told to do this after having done it the other way. Literally the only thing that changed was that I used to write this on the front of the page, but I started writing it on the back of the page after BEING TOLD TO at that meeting by my boss’s boss.

Granted, I had thought before that meeting that I had a better way (which would cost us an extra sheet of paper, but be a simple Excel spreadsheet to fill out and add to the log when needed), which I eschewed when I was told they just wanted me to write it on the back of the page. I offered to send that out for approval/feedback when I go to work tonight.

I can’t wait to see the replies to that email. Because I know DAMNED WELL that this is the EXACT SAME WAY I used to write this info with no complaints -- the only thing that changed is that it’s now on the back of the page, AT THE SPECIFIC REQUEST of the company’s higher-ups.

They once requested that I include LESS information (I used to list both the total win for the game, including the jackpot and any other bonuses won in the same game, AND the amount of the progressive jackpot itself separately -- for example, that progressive was closer to $1,500, but...with the rest of the bonus in which they won it, they ended up with more; now they only want the total win, not the separate information, even though I know it doesn’t tout up with the log of progressive jackpot).

I usually roll with things. And if I make a mistake, I accept the criticism and move on with life. If I deserve a spanking over email, I accept it. And if things change, I change with the times. But to be called out, on a mass email to people inside and and outside of the casino for doing what I’m told? I will fight for my honor on this one. If they changed their minds and preferred my old way of doing things, they should have had the foresight to...you know...TELL ME that they had changed their minds after they told me to change the way I do things.

Seriously, I am PISSED OFF about this email.

The assistant property manager is my relief tomorrow. And while this email came from our collective boss, he’s closer to my boss than I am (I work graveyard, which means I pretty much ONLY ever see my boss at our monthly manager’s meetings, so he’s my best outlet without looking like a jerk.

My boss replied to my protestation email as I typed this.

I ALMOST wrote him a gigantic “F you” message back (not including that implied phrase, but very much with that exact feel)  explaining everything I’m saying in this post. My boss told me in my interview that he’s cool with me cursing him out, if I think he deserves it, as long as I don’t do it in front of guests. But I don’t see him often, and when I do it’s either in front of guests or in front of the entire management team.

Even so, I was hovering over “send,” and then I remembered six years of unemployment before landing this gig. I needed a more subtle form of “f*** you.” Maybe it’s too subtle...for now. But wait until he sees what comes next.

So instead I wrote:

I'll make the necessary changes in the future. There is one note for Island Dreams (Machine #6014, if I remember right -- the one on the far right of Prospector's Choice) that has the identical format to the one that is objected to in this email chain. It was hit three times, if memory serves, this week (but only one was taxable). I believe it was hit on Tuesday of this past week, and while I don't remember the exact amount, it was in the neighborhood of $1,800 or so. I believe (I could be wrong) that it is on the back of Page 10 of this past week's log, if it hasn't already been sent since this morning when it was completed.

And while it may SEEM that I’ve given in, just wait to see what’s next.

We have a progressive (two of them, in fact) that starts at $5 and hits before $25. Heck, we have four that hit before $12,50.

Those get hit MULTIPLE times per day.

And you’d better ABSOLUTELY believe that I am going to painstakingly research EVERY SINGLE occurrence of that progressive being won, even though the $25 max progressives mean I have to research 12 separate machines on which that jackpot is shared. And even if it’s 20 times in a day, and I am GOING to include an incident report for EVERY SINGLE OCCURRENCE of anybody winning it.

I’m going to make Audit’s lives hell, and they’re in turn going to make MY boss’s life hell. And when he comes to me, I’m just going to say “Well, since things change so often, and since you can’t be bothered to TELL me when these changes happen, I’m just going to include EVERY SINGLE BIT OF INFORMATION I CAN (except the winner’s name, even if we know it, because...that would violate an actual PUBLISHED company policy on privacy and confidentiality), until they can make up their freaking minds on how much information they want, and maybe not have that change whenever someone in Audit leaves the company.

And by “make Audit’s lives hell,” I just mean that I am going to INUNDATE THEM with unnecessary paperwork. They may, in the end, not care. But...I’m GOING to get my point across.

It’s going to be SO MUCH more work to do it this way than it would be to argue with my boss via email when I should be going to bed, but...it’s going to be SO MUCH more rewarding to do it this way.

On the plus side, I copied my boss’s boss on both my original “what the heck?” reply as well as the “I’ll make the necessary changes” reply. I have a feeling my boss’s boss is going to be LAUGHING HIS ASS OFF at my boss when he sees the progressive log next month, with even $6 wins logged in painstaking detail.

The only downside is them thinking that “if he has enough time for this, imagine how much MORE we could ask of him?”

So once I start literally spending half my night researching 2-digit jackpots and writing an Incident Report for EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM, he’s GOING to get the point.

And while it’s a HELL of a lot more work for me, it’s going to be SO worth it to see Audit’s email to him, forwarded to me, asking what the hell I’m doing, and then me replying with today’s email chain and saying “Just trying to make sure I’m covered when everything keeps FREAKING CHANGING.”

Thank goodness I work graveyard where I have a lot more time for doing extra work just to spite my boss (while being able to innocently claim “I never know what you want from me on this log for this particular month so I’m just covering my bases”).

They say that Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

But whoever the “they” are who said that has never dealt with an underpaid manager who gets in trouble for doing EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE TOLD TO DO. My scorn is going to burn, it’s going to be far-reaching, and it’s all going to be coated with “I’m just doing what I was told.”

I cannot WAIT to see how this turns out.

#work things #I am UPSET about this #I only changed the way I did things because they FREAKING TOLD ME TO #and now they want to come down on me for DARING to listen to my superiors and do what they tell me? #I mean it's not like they told me to break the law and I was stupid enough to obey #this is nothing but a procedural thing #if they don't like it they can be up front with me and say 'actually we preferred the old way after all' #don't come down on me for FOLLOWING THEIR INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO FILL OUT PAPERWORK #Bill Cosby (I know not the best example to use) used to say men work hard to screw things up so they aren't asked to do things again #My philosophy is different #I will work extra hard to do MORE THAN WHAT YOU ASKED to prove that what you asked was ridiculous in the first place #other parts of my job may suffer #but what do you want if you want an IR for every progressive? #I only have 8 hours in a day #and even if I was committed enough to pursue this spite at home #(and I actually am) #I don't have access to the needed info at home #so...welcome to me wasting about two hours a night at work researching every progressive win (even the small ones) #so that you can't say in the future that I didn't include the correct information

[dramallamadingdang]

Wee-plies.

Or, not-so-wee-plies, as the case may be, because, you know, me. *eye roll*

First of all, thank you to those who wished me a happy birthday in comments as well as to @kairisu and some anons in my ask box! It was a quiet day -- we’re celebrating both our birthdays this year with a cruise in August -- but it was a nice day, so we took the horses out riding in the morning. Then I got the usual phone call from my bro with the usual razzing about being older than him again. (We’re only 10 months apart in age, so for about seven weeks out of the year, we’re the same age.) I talked to all three offspring I birthed and to their SOs/kids, too, where applicable, so it was nice. :) Oh, and I yakked with my mother-in-law for an hour, but we do that quite often, anyway. She’s only a few years older than me -- the perils of having a younger husband. ;) -- so she’s more a buddy than a mother-in-law. :) (She called to tell me she’s sending me birthday tamales, yum!)

BUT ANYWAY! These are for @katatty, @didilysims, @alawren4ever, @catnip-sims, @deedledops, @criquette-was-here, @penig, @tamtam-go92, and @immerso-sims...

katatty-main replied to your photo “iCad Does Urban Planning. AKA: iCad Is Nuts.  Buuuuuut, on the plus...”

oh, i love seeing this sort of thing! always gives me a ton of inspiration :)

Yeah, me, too. So, that’s pretty much why I shared the image, to maybe give other people some ideas AND in the hopes that they’ll share those idea in turn. I kinda love how Simmers feed off of each other that way. :)

didilysims replied to your photoset “This morning, because my hand needed a break from painting hair...”

Ugh that stupid disappearing Maxis bridge. I thought your monorail bridge looked kind of cool, honestly. :)

The monorail bridge is growing on me. It works best on that particular suspension bridge, though, because then the train doesn’t smash through the girders. :) Can’t really say the same for the others, but we just ignore that on the other side of town. *cough* In any case, though, it IS better than the endless monotrail track magically hovering over water, so there’s that. :)

That being said, I HAVE crossed bridges that were shared by road and train traffic where the train tracks ran above or, more often, to the side of the road-deck. Which probably isn’t often the case since trains and vehicles don’t often share road/track beds like that and most often railroad bridges were built before large, modern bridges for automobiles, but it’s not TOTALLY unrealistic. 

And yeah, I totally hate the stupid Maxis bridge. One, it doesn’t always fit in with the look I want for a neighborhood. It’s often too modern or not-modern/urban enough. Two, it isn’t visible from lots, which often looks stupid. Three, you can’t get rid of the damn thing other than by “sinking” it below the terrain in SimPE. And then four, after you sink it, you still can’t modify the terrain around where it was, so it might not be suitable for a replacement deco-bridge and....ARRRGH! Hate it hate it hate it.

didilysims replied to your post “Why do I keep doing this to myself?”

The curse of this open game!

IKNOWRITE??? It’s hell playing this game. HELL, I TELL YOU! :)

alawren4ever replied to your photoset “So yesterday, I posted about this fire hydrant object that randomly...”

Very cool that you can control the level of traffic by the number of hydrants!

It IS cool. And I didn’t find out that it can work that way until I accidentally had more than one on a lot when I was trying to figure out why the remeshed one I made was invisible. SERENDIPITY! :D

But it makes sense, I guess, because the “calls” it puts out to summon a vehicle seem to be randomly timed, not at regular intervals. So, if you get a bunch of them on a lot, each putting out calls at random times, rather than all at the same time in the same time intervals, it makes sense that the traffic level would increase with the number of objects on the lot. I shoulda thought of that sooner, really.

didilysims replied to your post “Info and testing things RE: the number of visitors that show up at...”

Ooh I've never see that mod to up the lot visitors before. I'll have to give it a try. Thanks for sharing!

It works pretty well, although it does have its pitfalls. The obvious one is that you might have to experiment a bit to see what “level” your machine can handle without the game lagging on you. The other is if you play community lots of widely variable size. Like, if you put in the mod that ups the visitors to, say, 25, that’ll be fine on a big community lot if your machine can handle it, but not so fine if you have any that have a “1″ in the size dimensions, where you’ll end up with an overcrowded lot full of stomping, complaining Sims who can’t move. :) 

I kinda wish there was a customer/visitor-number adjuster that could be used on ALL lots, not just owned ones........Although maybe that object can be used on regular community lots. OOOOH EXPERIMENT FOR SCIENCE!

catnip-sims replied to your photoset “This morning, because my hand needed a break from painting hair...”

I like parking filler lots too! I recently came up with a 1x3 lot with just a bunch of bushes along the street & a big "YOUR AD HERE" banner, lol. It looks nice from the neighborhood view :D

THAT IS A GREAT IDEA I THINK I WILL STEAL IT THANK YOU! :) Except now I need to make banners. *growl* And maybe billboards, hmmm....

deedledops replied to your post “Why do I keep doing this to myself?”

This, but a whole neighborhood tailored to each specific thing with a special downloads folder I can switch out for each theme. But I know if I did it I'd want all the Sims to know each other next

Yeah, “ whole neighborhood tailored to each specific thing with a special downloads folder“ is kind of how I play in general. :) Only I use separate user accounts on my computer, each with its own Documents/Sims 2 folder tailored specifically for it because I don’t trust myself to put in the right folder before I load up the neighborhood I want to play. (Did that once with the wrong neighborhood deco loaded, and POOF! All the painstakingly-placed neighborhood deco in that neighborhood was gone. NEVER AGAIN!

But yeah, how I play is pretty much this: Step 1: Come up with idea/theme. Usually, this happens like a bolt out of the blue, things just blooming fully-formed in my head, just like how story ideas happened to me back in my fanfic-writing days, so it must be how my brain works. Whatever the case, it’s very jarring. Step 2: Create an unnecessarily complex rule set for playing out the idea/theme. Step 3: Create a complex spreadsheet to use to keep track of the neighborhood. Step 4: Build a neighborhood around the idea/theme.  Step 5: Play the neighborhood. 

Currently, I have some neighborhoods that are at each step of the above process. :) Often, steps 2 and 3 happen concurrently, and sometimes steps 4 and 5 happen at the same time, all BACC-like. But not always!

criquette-was-here replied to your post “Why do I keep doing this to myself?”

@dramallamadingdang ***laughs for a second and then cries thinking of road and terrain DR project*** I feel your pain,lol! @immerso-sims you actually can (I'm on mac) ***cries even harder***

*laugh* Yeah, this is probably a pain that all serious simmers feel at least once in a while. For some of us, though, it’s more like a constant thing. Chronic pain. *sigh* :) So then you’ve got all these ideas but not the time or stamina to work on/finish them all.

penig replied to your post “Why do I keep doing this to myself?”

Alternate between play and projects. You'll get Better Ideas as you play anyhow. Also, projects are play if you choose to do them.

Yeah, that’s pretty much how I do things, in general. It’s just that sometimes my brain/imagination is particularly fertile, and I get lots of big ideas that require big projects all at once, and it all gets a little overwhelming sometimes. It’d be nice if the brain kind of spread out the big ideas a little more....

tamtam-go92 replied to your photo “Let’s call this a “Cool CC That I Think Everyone Ought to Have” Post....”

THIS is just amazing!!! #things you didn't know you need until you see them

Right? I was surprised (but also kind of not-surprised, because it is a really old object) that more people didn’t know about that thing. I only learned about it a while back because of a stray post in the MTS forums that mentioned it, and fortunately that was at a time when the Graveyard was working reliably. I don’t often bother using it in less-densely-populated neighborhoods, but it does add a nice touch when playing downtowns.

immerso-sims replied to your photoset “I needed a bit of a break from hair retexturing and alpha-painting and...”

Looks great and I really like the idea. Looking forward to following the challenge :)

I’m not sure I’m going to document it, unfortunately. When I first play one of these ideas I get in my head, I like to see if it’ll actually work the way I think it’s going to, first. So, the initial playing is more like a dry run, where I’m still experimenting and coming up with new ideas and tweaking the rules and such. I have played the first batch of “runaways” through three seasons, and three of them have “escaped” from the vacant lot into better housing, one of them skipping the “livin’ in the slums” stage entirely because she married someone who came with a ton of skill points, whose LTW career came up in the newspaper right away, and who got a bunch of job promotions one right after the other. I haven’t decided yet if it was all too easy! *laugh* I should probably take out the “no friends needed for promotions” mod when playing this, now that I think about it. And maybe I shouldn’t even allow marriage when they’re still homeless -- because who wants to marry into that?! -- but she got “risky woohoo” pregnant on a date, and.... Well, anyway, I plan to play these initial four for a while, and once I have them all established so that I know everything works, I’m going to add a new group of “runaways” for a less-dry run, and perhaps I’ll document them. 

Anyway, I might post some highlight pics from this first batch of runaways, and maybe I’ll write up the rules once I know they work. I mean, you don’t HAVE to build an elaborate downtown to play this way or anything. It can be just a mini-challenge that you play within something else...although longer lifespans kinda help with this, at least with the rules I’m using. Anyway, the downtown’s just something I’m doing because I want to, and it seems to go along well with this rule set idea.

#katatty-main #didilysims #alawren4ever #catnip-sims #deedledops #criquette-was-here #penig #tamtam-go92 #immerso-sims #replies

[anthonymanly]

We all have the same amount of hours each day. You can’t store time, borrow it, or save for later use. You can only decide how to allocate it, spending it on activities of higher rather than low value. Time management is a game of choices: projects to pursue, tasks to complete, routines to follow.

Adopting good time management techniques in your life is about simplifying how you work , getting things done faster, and doing things better.

By doing so, you’ll have more time for play, rest, and doing the things you love .

Remember: everyone is different.

Writing your own time management rulebook, you’ll discover that there are really enough hours in a day for everything you’d like to do. It just takes a bit of rearranging and re-imagining to find them…

1. Organize You Work Around Energy Levels

Productivity is directly related to your energy level.

Find your most productive hours at the time of your peak energy and schedule Deep Work for those periods. Do low-value and low-energy tasks (also known as shallow work), such as responding to emails or unimportant meetings, in between those hours.

For example:

If you are a morning person, do your most critical work first thing.   After you’ve had lunch, your energy might be low so it’s a great time to clean your desk, clean emails or update spreadsheets.

Plan your work around your energy levels, scheduling critical work for peak productivity times.

Focus on identifying your energy by day: Tuesday seems to be the most productive day for most people, but find your own patterns.

Map your work and energy levels in a spreadsheet for a couple of weeks until you uncover your productivity patterns.

Spend a few minutes each evening before going to bed to write down everything you need to get done tomorrow.

Make planning a part of your night-time routine and save yourself time and worries in the morning. Once you wake up, you’ll be able to just get to work.

2. Start the Day with Critical Work

Find your most important task (MIT) for the day and tackle it first. Your MIT should be the one thing that creates the most impact on your work. Getting it done will give you the momentum and sense of accomplishment early in the day. That’s how big life goals are achieved: small continuous efforts, day after day.

Each day, identify the most crucial tasks to complete and tackle it first. Once you’re done, the day has already been a success!

3. Prioritize Tasks

How to prioritize your work is an essential time management technique. Projects, however small or large, need clear priorities.

You want to prioritize your “true tasks” first, the tasks that actually move the needle of your goals. To help you find them, use a productivity hack Eisenhower Matrix Prioritize “true tasks”: urgent and important to-dos that have a direct impact on your goals.

Here’s the step by step:

Write down all your tasks. Don’t worry about the order (for now), just write everything you need to do

Now identify what’s urgent and what’s important. After each task, mark them with “U” for Urgent and “I” for Important. Tasks can have one, both, or none. If none, you’ll need to purge them

Now we need to assess value: look at your “I” tasks and identify the high-value drivers of your work. You want to find which tasks have priority over others and how many people are impacted by your work

The next step is to estimate the time to complete each task. Order them from most effort to least effort

Finally, insert the tasks into the Eisenhower Matrix. You now have a complete overview of all your work tasks

4. Delegate Tasks

Using your Eisenhower Matrix, you’ll find that some tasks are urgent but not important. When that’s the case, the best you can do is find someone who can complete these tasks for you. You don’t have to do everything yourself. Delegating or outsourcing some tasks can be a great way to multiply your efforts and get more done.

Delegate or outsource urgent but not important tasks to multiply yourself and keep you focused on the most important work.

Here are the top things you need to know to delegate efficiently:

Find to the right person: whoever you’re delegating the tasks to should have all the necessary skills and is capable of doing the job

Provide clear instructions: write down the tasks in a step-by-step manual be as specific as possible

Define success: be specific about what the expected outcome is and the deadline to have the task completed

Clarity: have the tasks explained back to you and offer clarification when something is unclear, rewriting the specifications if needed

5. Automate Repetitive Tasks

Technology has finally reached a point where we can automate a lot of our daily operations. By automating a few of your tasks, you save hours per week. You can then use that time for Deep Work or taking breaks. Putting some of your daily tasks on autopilot is key to working smarter Use technology to automate daily repetitive tasks and use the newfound time to perform Deep Work or rest.

6. Set Time Constraints

Become more productive when you allocate a specific amount of time to complete a specific task.

Parkinson’s law states: “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”.

So, if you reduce the time you have to complete a task, you force your brain to focus and complete it.

Set deadlines even when you don’t need to. Scheduling less time to complete tasks and force your brain to focus.

7. Eliminate Distractions

Distractions hurt your productivity and focus.

When you lose your focus, it can take you twice as long to get back into the groove.

Half an hour completely focused on a task is more productive than 2 hours switching between tasks. Eliminate distractions from your work to avoid task-switching costs.

Here are a couple of hacks to eliminate distractions from your life:

Turn off all notifications on your phone, computer, and tablet

Leave your phone in odd places to prevent you from finding it

Use “Do Not Disturb” on chat systems, such as Slack

If you have an office, shut the door

PRO TIP

Have a “To-Don’t List”

In Mathematics, there is a problem-solving technique called inversion . You start with results and work backward to calculate the causes. Inversion is a powerful tool because it forces you to uncover hidden beliefs about the problem you are trying to solve. You need to think about how to minimize the negatives instead of maximizing the positives.

Let’s say you want to improve productivity. Thinking forward, you would list all the things you could do to be more productive. But if you look at the problem by inversion, you’d think about all the things you could do that would diminish productivity.

Enter the To-Don’t List.

Create your own by writing down all the habits you want to quit and activities you wish to eliminate from your life. Think about your possible workday long meetings with people you don’t like and boring repetitive tasks and work from there.

Create a To-Don’t list with all the habits you want to remove from your life. Use it as a guideline of what you don’t allow in your life.

8. Batch Similar Tasks

The main idea behind batching is to collect up a group of similar activities and do them all in one sitting.

You can work efficiently on multiple tasks without losing your flow if the activities require similar mindsets. Batching forces your brain to be focused on one type of task at a time.

Batch similar tasks and complete them at one time.  Batching reduces the start-up and slow-down time, daily clutter, and improves focus.

To discover which tasks you should stack, start by writing all your activities for the day and week. Now identify the ones that call for similar mindsets and batch them together. Try the batch and rearrange tasks if necessary.

P.S. Whenever you’re ready… here are 4 ways I can help you and your coaching business right now:

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Schedule a FREE 15-minute Game Plan Call with me we’ll map out a personalized plan of your next steps to grow your coaching business.  Please leave your credit card at home too – there’s no pitch on this call.  Just great conversation with an expert to help you figure out what’s next for you in your business. CLICK HERE to book a call now!

[rushingsnowy]

Holster/Ransom/March/Tater. Yes.

RIGHT???? DOESN’T IT SOUND AMAZING???

So Holster’s aroace, cuz in my world he just is. He and Ransom are queerplatonic partners. There’s a whole story their first year at Samwell and it involves a drunk kiss at a kegster and Esther Shapiro and Excel spreadsheets and so much research done while avoiding test anxiety and coral reef mode. It’s long and involved, but it’s a thing.

Polyamory was brought up when Ransom realized oh shoot I really like March and it’s more than sex but I LOVE YOU I PROMISE. She’s just so pretty and smart and funny. She wants to be a teacher. Like, actively wants to teach. Ransom finds that pretty amazing considering he’s pre-med and graduating next year and even the word MCAT sends him into coral reef mode and Holster keeps bringing up cities where he can find a good finance job and Ransom can apply to a good med school and Ransom kinda wants to throw up but March is seriously dedicated. Like how Jack is with hockey. Or Shitty is with law school. It’s pretty amazing.

So Ransom started dating March and March and Holster become good friends and metamours and chirp Ransom horribly and March will watch all the shows with Holster that Ransom didn’t like the first time around and then makes both of them watch horrible B horror movies with her. And, after graduating, March stays in the area, too, as she gets her Master of Education at Boston University and it wasn’t planned, but she half lives with Holster and Ransom in their two-bedroom apartment. Sometimes all three of them crash in the living room. Sometimes Ransom and March slip off to his room. Sometimes March steals Holster’s bed because school sucks and she’s tired and Holster’s room is quiet and she’s a blanket and space demon so Holster crawls in with Ransom (though when Ransom and Holster share a bed, it’s usually when March isn’t staying the night, since they do actually live together).

ANYWAY. Back in their senior year, Holster and Ransom were both super excited about the idea of meeting Alexei Mashkov!!!! Jack was playing on the same team as him! He’d have to introduce them at some point, right??? And he’s such a great D-man! And they’re D-men! Ransom is also very bi and admits Tater is on his list. Holster’s definitely cool with that, but there’s March to consider…and Ransom’s anxiety because wow that first meeting that following spring did not go well. Holster thinks Tater’s really fun, though, and if Lardo hadn’t hogged the pong table with their constant rematches, he would have challenged Tater to a round. They do talk for a bit while Tater’s crying over jam (Holster gets it. It’s fucking good jam!) and Tater proves himself a super cool guy when he takes a picture with Ransom’s hat on specifically for the poor guy who isn’t feeling well but is a fan.

March thinks it’s hilarious that Ransom refuses to correct Tater’s misunderstanding of his name. Holster’s kinda annoyed and thought better of the guy. Ransom is seriously considering changing his name.

Out of curiosity, March goes with Ransom and Holster to a Falcs game the preseason after they graduate. She’d been to a few of the home Samwell games when she’d been a junior and senior and it had been fun, but she wanted to see a pro game with how Ransom and Holster talked them up. Besides, she’d get to see this Tater in person…and maybe even meet him.

Holy cow this got so long! It keeps going!!!

ANYWAY. Tater sees them at the hockey game (and hears Randy! Wow, so loud! We’ll definitely win with best luck charm!), but there’s a super hot girl on Adam’s arm which is really confusing because what about Randy and Adam??? Either way, it means Adam’s taken which is a major disappointment. But the three come down to the locker room after the game and meet Jack (the super hot girl and Jack seem to know each other and are talking about Thanksgiving and B’s food). Tater comes up and says hi to everyone, preening under the big smile Adam always gives him. When he asks about the super hot girl, he finds out her name is March–like the month!!!!–and she’s Adam’s girlfriend. Tater is still confused about Randy, but when he asks, he finds out they’re all dating! Or, well, Holster and Ransom are sort of dating, but not romantically or sexually and March and Holster are close friends (though they’ve been talking about maybe being the non-romantic non-sexual dating Holster and Ransom are) and March and Ransom are dating. It’s a bit confusing to Tater, but it means they’ll date more than one person and in his excitement he asks, “What about me?!”

Adam falls on the spot, getting this dazed look. March laughs hysterically and tries to help him back up. Randy, though, Randy takes it seriously and gives Tater his number so they can set up a time to talk about it once Tater’s had time to think about this seriously. “My name’s Adam, by the way. He’s Justin,” not-Randy says, “Justin didn’t want to correct you before, but if you’re going to seriously consider joining our polycule, then you’re getting our names right.”

Ransom stands back up, still feeling pretty dazed, as Tater apologizes over not having his name right. “It’s fine, bro. I didn’t really correct you, either. I was just excited you were talking to me.” He confirms that Tater was serious (and thank God he’s in shock because the dissociating is making talking a lot easier even if he’s doing it while staring at his hands because they look really weird right now) and gets Tater’s email so he can send him some material to read through as he considers it.

When the three of them get back to Boston, Holster and March cuddle up on each side of Ransom and they all sleep on the living room floor even if it means they’ll be complaining in the morning while getting ready for work or school. The next day, once they’ve had time to think about this individually, the three of them get together to discuss what opening their polycule up to Tater would mean. March is concerned because she’s only just met him. Holster doesn’t want Ransom to be stretched too thin. Ransom is so glad he has these two because they’re both really right and are helping him look at Tater as an individual and not a hockey player because there’s a BIG difference between a celebrity crush and actually dating someone (if Tater really does want to give this a try).

He does. Or, at least, he wants to talk. They all meet up and he has questions. Really good questions about levels and organizations of relationships and interconnectedness with others. “I had to find some stuff in Russian to read easier and ask Zimmboni some questions, but I think now we need to talk.” So they discuss ways they could organize themselves and make this work. Holster is very adamant about remaining only a friend. It’s taken him a few years to consider March as a queerplatonic partner and he doesn’t think he’ll be opening himself up any further. March wants to get to know Tater first as a friend before anything happens to their polycule, so she and Tater set up a lunch date on one of her free days so she can go down to Providence and they can chat. Ransom wants to try a few dates as well to make sure his hockey crush is something that could be more and real. They plan to have dinner in Boston tonight (no time for the anxiety to creep up on him).

The dinner date goes well. Really well. Ransom is thoroughly charmed–not starstruck, but honestly charmed–and it is really really hard to say goodbye at the end of the night but even if March and Holster joked about his list earlier, Ransom knows this is going to take a lot more thought and consideration to make work if it’s going to be more than a one-night stand.

Lunch with Tater and March goes even better, though Ransom and Holster don’t know until hours later when March tells them to come down and join her and Tater at a park. When they get there, there’s a bounce house shaped like a clown. “We went for a walk after lunch and saw a kid’s party with a castle one and I mentioned how much I hated how you had to be a kid to go in those because if you were too big you’d risk hurting any kids and Tater said we should get one just for adults!” March explains while bouncing down onto her butt and then back up onto her feet. An hour later they’re all slipping out of the bounce house and rolling on the grass because they can’t use their legs anymore, but they’re all laughing and grouped together and it’s really really good.

And for the sake of ending this because holy cow this got way longer than I thought, it stays really really good and March and Tater date and Ransom and Tater date and Ransom and March date and Holster is queerplatonic partners with Ransom and March and a very close friend with Tater and it is all just very good. Yes.

#star-anise #linnea writes stuff #ransom #holster #tater #march #aroace holster #querplatonic holsom #queerplatonic marchster #ransomarch #ranskov #holsomarch #holsomarchkov #yup that's the name #it's frankenstein's monster but it's a name

[sevdrag]

dreamwidth update: the sweet subtleness of time

...or some other shittastic ~~pensive~~ title because I'm so fucking out of goddamn fucks already it's the 14th half of january is gone jesus christ stop fucking moving so fast i would like off this ride thanks

I like the organization of "new year resolutions" not really because I believe you need to wait for a calendar year to make serious changes, but because there's something very neat about the way things can slot into having to write a new date on all your sign-offs and checks do people still use checks? i only have to sign them at work and lists and notes; to the excel spreadsheet that is my mind1, I like the way aligning change with change sorts itself.

This year I am returning to quantifiable goals in some ways, since the general vagueness of "do X more" may be more friendly but does not truly work in the lifestyle I have at the moment. I wanted to do a deep introspective post as a lead in but fuck that, I already have two truly severe horror stories about 20172 and it's the 14th, but I feel like I want to make a statement about the year before I devolve back into bitchcraft and wizardry.

As another change this year, I am looking for friends to help keep me accountable to these things. I've already roped and wrangled a couple people along with me, but if you have similar goals, let's discuss ways we can shame uh motivate SHAME each other into proceeding, or mainly just me, I require someone to - not compete with, but to keep up with, in a way, anyway, I am terrible so do stop.

So here is a list of my intentions for what I have labeled 12/52/365/20173:

Health. Rather than breaking this down into a tale of my woes and triggering an actual breakdown I will instead list the targets:

Get more than 4.5 hours of (good, deep, REM) sleep on average. According to my Fitbit, my average in 2016 was below 4.5 hours4. This involves a lot of things, including going to bed earlier and somehow figuring out how robots relax.

Working out. My goal for working out is to visit the gym - or otherwise work out - on at least 1/3 of the days of 2017: 122/365/2017. 122 visits. This is 2-3 workouts a week on average which should be doable for someone with fibro, assuming I keep them reasonable.

General. Continue stocking and making healthy food at home. Drink less at home5. Go back to packing lunches for work.

Weight/Size. Due to medication changes, 3 surgeries, and a major job change with severely increased my responsibilities, I gained 25-30 lb in 2017, putting me into the beginnings of an unhealthy place I don't want to be6. It's also fairly annoying to be at the upper limit of most of my clothing, to be frank. My goal is to use the above 3 points to try to lose 25+ pounds in 2017, OR return to the range of a size 8-107 where my clothing lives. 25/2017. A half a pound a week will do.

Writing. lassarina is my partner here; we have pledged to write a fic a week of at least 100 words using a list of prompts we gathered earlier. (Of course, I am already behind, although I plan to work on that immediately after this entry.) 52/2017. The hope, of course, is that writing small things helps to spur the writing of larger things. They will be posted on AO3 and linked from here.

subgoal: at least 1 entry a week on DW (52/2017), and 1 entry a week on my secret business blog which I will share once I have some substance (52/2017).

Art. justira is my partner here; we have, quite hilariously, pledged to draw a thing a day. For Ira, those things may be recognizable as art; for me, I reserve the right to draw a shit doodle with my finger on my iPhone, as long as it is a drawing of some sort. They'll be posted right here at the Feymarch Library where most of my art shame lives.

Home. Of course I have big statements to make about the first floor remodel I want to do, but honestly this is about habits, so my 2017 goal is to declutter my life. Every day I will do at least 1 chore dedicated to decluttering my home8 or otherwise making my life easier (cooking a big meal for the week, etc).

Mental. A few mantras I am focusing on:

Allow hobbies to be chores. This sounds counter-intuitive, but last year I got away from a lot of hobbies I love because I had "so much other shit to do" that was more important in my mind. This year, writing, art, knitting, gaming, reading; these are allowed to be chores I can give priority to. It's okay to write if I still have dishes to do.

Recharge your battery. If I have a night where I am truly in too much pain to do anything, I need to stop whining and griping about that, and instead focus on my own comfort and recovery, because self-care is allowed to be a priority, also.

Ground myself. I'm not a nice person by default9 so making a pledge to share the love or be kinder doesn't really mean anything to me; but I believe I can eliminate some of the negative energy by grounding myself more and letting it just pass on into the neutral environment rather than building up a static charge.

Be more of who you are. I lost my way at work somewhat this year faced with a gigantic new challenge with no lessening of my previous responsibilities, interpersonal conflicts, and some sporadic and questionable criticism. Moving forward I need to remember who the fuck I am and be that lady as hard as possible, because that's where I am awesomest.

Allow myself to unplug. I don't have to be tied to my phone - not just for work, but texting with friends or playing stamina games. I can leave it in the corner and just be for an evening.

Work. I need to focus on managing more: I am a manager, not a contributor, and I need to focus more on leading and guiding people in big-picture ways towards improvement. Too many people list me as a project leader or member, when I should not be a worker on anyone's project - and this is what makes my job so unmanageable. It isn't just me letting go; I need to make it clear to others that there should be more than one person who knows how to do the things I do.

Family & Friends.

See my nieces at least once a month. See my parents at least once a quarter.

Continue to work with my partner on this great relationship we have developed. Learn to ask him for help more, and learn where his boundaries are for asking help. Show love and appreciation better. Develop a good schedule for spending more time together - we are both very obviously happier and healthier when we do.

Try to visit someone or travel at least once a quarter -- traveling is really costly to me in terms of energy, but I have broken through some of my traveling-and-health fears last year (Japan!) so it would be cool to travel a bit with friends when the opportunity is there.

Stay in touch: post, email, text. Reach out in new areas.

Seven is my lucky number. That's 2017.

1 (mind palace?? nothing so fancy; my brain is a four-dimensional fully-formulated spreadsheet archive with tabs, complete with charts, graphs, and little programs that sort by categories and make a smiley face out of pixels.)

2 the first, about my fucking furnace; the second, about my fucking supervisor. stay tuned for more great literature on what makes my life a goddamned shitshow shitcom!

3 because I want to quantify it and report on things, see, like the project manager i am

4 Now, the reason I am not dead is because there is also some restless sleep in there, but the problem is twofold: (a) i only get 4.5 fucking hours of the good sleep (b) the good sleep comes in 30-45 minute spurts which is nowhere near what's needed for mental recovery (c) for fibromyalgia one of the most productive and healing things you can do is get REM sleep.

5 lolololoLLOLOLOLLOOLLOOLOLOLLLLLLLLLLL

6 lots of family history of pre-diabetes; I've already noticed my hypoglycemia and blood sugar problems are getting worse. I realize this isn't always correlated to weight but as there is some data pointing that way (scientific as well as family), I want to be sure to avoid it, because dude if you stack fuckin diabetes on top of this stack of medical bullshit I may just ravine myself

7 since women's sizes can never make up their damn minds

8 on bad days this might actually be something like "put dishes in dishwasher" but let's face it sometimes even that doesn't happen

9 nothing against anyone, I'm just kind of sociopathic and hate people in general; i've learnt to "play nice" and I can and do feel love for specific people, but i'm really just not friendly

comments Comment? http://ift.tt/2ixhKTU

#crossposted #dreamwidth

[jonasmaurer]

Looking back on 2019 + my goals for 2020

Hi friends! I hope you’re enjoying the new decade so far. What are you up to today? I’m going to get in an arms workout at the gym and start blasting through my editorial calendar for the new year. I have my new planner ready to go (major nerd vibes because new planners make me oddly excited) and am pumped to get content ideas together. Thank you again to those of you who took this year’s blog survey!

I thought I’d share a little look back on the past year and my goals for the upcoming year. I’d love to hear about a highlight from your 2019 and any goals you’re going after this year!

Here are some of the major highlights from 2019:

– The Pilot came home after a 7-month deployment! He immediately was hired by the airlines, which I’ll share a bit more about below

– I attended my first Beautycounter conference (and we saw Michael Buble that weekend! AMAAAAZING)

– I launched HIIT Bootcamp

– Baby August was born! I love this little guy so much. 

– We explored Vancouver and took our first Disney cruise to Alaska

– I got to meet up with Julie and Anne at the NOW Foods trip to Chicago

– We went to San Diego for the 4th of July

– I launched my first pair of leggings with Four Athletics

– We got two guinea pigs, Donut and Lollipop, and we love them

– Did a couple of Phoenix staycations (like the opening weekend of Great Wolf Lodge Scottsdale)

– Went back to San Diego and Disney for a fall trip

– I turned 35 (AH)

– I took Liv to NYC for her first time! We saw Frozen, Wicked, Aladdin, went ice skating at Bryant Park and ate the best pizza

– We celebrated our second year of holidays back in Tucson partying with the fam, but the Pilot was out of town

2019 ended up being a challenging year for me. It was studded with more beautiful memories than difficult, but I thought/hoped this year was going to be a bit of a “reset” and much-needed reprieve from the stress and tireless effort of the Pilot’s deployment. As it turns out, it became another solid year of trying to keep my head above water. See, the Pilot spent the down time of his deployment refining his airline applications and preparing for potential interviews, so when he got home, he immediately got his medical stuff updated and put in his apps while he finished separating from the active duty military. While everyone would’ve loved a little bit more of a break just living our normal lives here, there was no telling how long it would take to hear back from a major airline. As luck with have it, the Pilot had interviews lined up (and was hired) shortly after settling back into Tucson. Of course, for him, that meant traveling for a months of training and jumping into the first year’s schedule with both feet. For me, that meant an immediate return to being the full-time caretaker for the girls while also running a business from home. I absolutely love being with our babies and feel so thankful that I’m the one here and not away, but at the same time, you always have to be “on.” I also felt a lot of pressure from financially supporting the fam and keeping things afloat during the first year. I know it’s not always going to be like this, but for now, I just know it’s my time to hustle and I’m running with it. 

As far as the airlines go, I know I’m venting a lot here, but we do love the Pilot’s new job and his company, We couldn’t be more thankful to have the security of a great second career, and we expected an intense first year paying our dues, but it’s been tough. I feel more used to him being gone than here. Sometimes it’s very lonely, which is why I feel so happy we’re near the family and also to connect with all of you. 

I’ll definitely be ok if 2020 is a more low-key year than 2019. I have some goals set, but am trying to reduce some of the pressure I put on myself. I’m looking at these goals as concepts I’d love to work towards, but if they don’t all happen this year, that’s ok. Mostly I was to emphasize creating time for the things that make me feel fulfilled, and spending time together as a family of 4 whenever possible.  

Health and fitness:

– Continue to follow my gallbladder protocol so I have a good ultrasound in February. This protocol is totally self-imposed and I haven’t written about it in detail because I’m not a medical professional and I have no clue if it’s actually working. My next ultrasound is in February and if the polyps have grown, they want to take out my gallbladder. I can’t go into the ultrasound without doing everything in my power to have an awesome result. Obviously a lot of it is out of my control, but I’m all about taking every step I possibly can. I really, really don’t want to have another surgery for a very long time so I’m crossing my fingers that I can keep my gallbladder. 

– Stay consistent with my current routine. I feel like I’ve hit a stride with my workout routine and love the mix of classes I’m currently taking. Each week, it’s a mix of Orangetheory, Telos (CrossFit-ish), barre, hot yoga, Peloton, outdoor hikes, and Les Mills On Demand workouts I’ll do at home. It’sfun to mix it up depending on what I’m subbing and how I feel that week. Nutrition-wise, I stopped counting macros a while ago (I feel like it was too much for my gallbladder to eat when I wasn’t actually hungry) and am just trying to get in protein, produce, whole grains, healthy fats, and lots of water. 

Family:

Make it through the first year of airlines (and I’m not even the person flying the planes lol). Whooooaaaaaa we’re halfway there. We’re definitely having a party when we hit 2nd year!

Keep supporting our babies in any way possible. I just love them so much and want them to know I’m always their advocate.

Really start to figure out a budget and long-term plans. This is something we’re going to work on for the following year, especially since we have some big long-term financial goals. I guess I’ll dust off my old Excel skills and get a spreadsheet together. 

Focus on things that fulfill my soul:

– Audition for choir (again). You guys know the choir audition I bombed? I’m going for it again. If it doesn’t work out, there are a few other local options to explore. I think that singing again would make my heart happy and a choir feels like a safe bet. 

– Join a volunteer organization. I always say I want to volunteer more and end up feeling overwhelmed with options and don’t end up doing it as often as I’d like. We’re going to be joining a specific organization that has requirements and I’m excited because the Pilot and I are going to do it together, and will also be held accountable.

– Reading every night before bed. I enjoy it so much and sleep better when I read for even 15-20 minutes before crashing. 

– Meditate at some point each morning. I’ve been using the Calm app and love it! My tips for starting a meditation practice are here. 

– Make time to hang out with friends and other couples. We’re at a point in life where it can be tough to get together with friends. I was doing a cooking club here in Tucson, but after a couple of months, no one could make it because everyone is shuffling kids to dance class and sports practice/games. I’ve found that with young kiddos and such a busy schedule, you won’t hang out with friends if you don’t make the time and concrete plans. (Instead of “Let’s meet up this week!” it has to be something like, “Do you want to grab breakfast at 10 on Friday?”) Since I work from home and the Pilot is gone a lot, I feel a bit more sane and happy when I have time to meet up with friends.

Pick up some regular fitness classes to teach. I’ve been subbing classes at a couple of studios, but didn’t take any of my own classes mostly because of childcare. I put it out to the universe (= Facebook) that I wanted to start teaching a couple of my own classes in the new year and was offered a HIIT class where I’m subbing that will start in February. I’m excited to be teaching more regularly again!

Continue therapy. I started seeing an incredible therapist the morning my grandfather passed away. I had made the appointment over a month in advance and figured I couldn’t cancel it, because if you ever needed a therapy appointment, that would be the day you should take one. So I went, and sat in her office and sobbed for 30 minutes. She told me that her office loved tears and I needed to truly feel everything I was feeling, and since then, she’s wrapped me in so much kindness and compassion. She’s become an extremely valued member of my tribe and even though I only see her every couple of weeks, it’s changed my life. It’s helped so much with my anxiety and my relationships, and if you are on the fence about therapy in the New Year, do it. It’s so worth it. 

Travel: 

– Traveling is one of my very favorite things, so I’m hoping for more in 2020! It gives us a chance to fully be present and enjoy time with each other while exploring a new, or beloved place. We have a cruise planned already (YEAHHH) and I’m also hoping we can start planning our next Italy trip. 

Professional:

– Finally find time to focus on SEO. It’s a wonder that my blog has survived this long considering that I know nothing about SEO. I’ve picked up a couple of tips over the past couple of years but I have no idea what I’m doing. I’m going to take a course and also am looking to hire an SEO expert to help me update old posts that are performing well. 

– Hire an editorial assistant. I have a couple of amazing team members who help behind-the-scenes with Pinterest, editing (not this post since I’m writing it the night before it goes live so sorry for the typos…), and Beautycounter. I’m looking for someone local who can help with filming/editing and kitchen days so I can post more recipes in the new year. 

– Update the podcast more consistently and focus on producing video content more consistently. 

– Work on opening my own studio. It may be next year, it may be 5 years from now, but it’s a huge goal of mine. 

– Run more online challenges through the blog. HIIT Bootcamp was so much fun (we’re going to do another one towards the end of January!) and I’d love to create more video packs with full calendars to follow. 

– Hit Senior Director with Beautycounter. Beautycounter has become one of the best things I’ve added to my business, especially because it’s given me the opportunity to connect with some many incredible friends and women, while creating an additional income stream. I’d love to hit Senior Director this year! You can read more about what it’s like being a Beautycounter consultant here. 

– Finish my second book! I signed my second book deal in December and I’m so excited to get this one out into the world! I’ll share more details when I can, but it’s geared more towards my beginner friends who are just getting started. 

If you made it to the end of this post, here’s a high five because this was a long one! 

Thank you so much for being here with me on the crazy 2019 ride. Thank you for being here and being so amazing. I can’t help but feel like I dropped the ball a bit this year (especially on the podcast and posting as much as I’d like) but I have a feeling that 2020 is going to be a good one. Honestly, if I get lots of time with the fam, a good report on the gallbladder front, and make a lot of cheese boards, I’m calling it a win. 

Cheers to the new year! Tell me, friends: what goals do you have set? Please share a personal and professional goal with me in the comments – I’d love to hear them!

xoxo

Gina

The post Looking back on 2019 + my goals for 2020 appeared first on The Fitnessista.

Looking back on 2019 + my goals for 2020 published first on https://olimpsportnutritionde.tumblr.com/

[georgiapickupfutureworks-blog]

Tabletop RPG

For our assignment, we was informed that we would be creating a tabletop game in the RPG genre. I had to do research into the genre, and see what was already out there, after all; I feel like most games on the market probably all are similar to Dungeons and Dragons in some way. I for one have never played it, and I also had no idea how it played out, but I found a nice handy rulebook online and an overview, and it give me an idea how the game plays out. I wanted to take the idea of having a Dungeon Master role, (a storyteller?) and having one in my game too. I didn’t really understand how else a tabletop rpg would play out.

I don’t know why, but I am that 1% of the population that comes up with the name first (even if I do change it a bit,) just to come up with an idea. My end name was Planet Hoppers. Others I thought of was Planet Invaders, Space Magic, Attack on the Planets, Galaxy Wizards. I knew I wanted something along the lines of Space, and Magic, the character breeds I was willing for anything. I wanted to make the game as wacky as possible, so when I thought of the name, it went up from there! I feel like name first is important to me, then I can make a pun-derful idea that I will enjoy making.

As I wanted to make this crazy idea into a playable one. I needed to figure out why on earth Frogs would be in space. Here are the basic themes I wanted to expand on in creating the game;

Frogs and maybe other strange similar animals.

A wizard on Earth (main storyteller?)

Necromancers wanting to learn animal training

Each player owns their own planet and companion

You defend/attack each others bases?

As of coming back to this blog, my ideas have changed completely, I decided not to re-write anything, as it gave me something to look back on. I feel like I was over complicating the idea, and I could of made it more simple whilst still keeping to the aesthetic I wanted. I scrapped basically most of the initial mechanics, and come up with something that anyone can easily pick up and play.

As the art style of pixel evolved within my game, I wanted to make sure the gameplay really represented that. I decided it would be some wacky game that makes no sense and requires no real storyline. It’s simple, you start on the moon, travel through planets, kill things, collect things, finish on Earth to be taught a spell of a Wizard. Simple right? No, the Game Master throws all these bosses in your face that you must defeat, before you can collect Spirit Animals of him. That 10 health you had at the start of the game? Bam, you are now on five.

At the moment I have done no play testing, the Game Master will have some limitations as to how many of what he can spawn and how many overall he can spawn. The gameplay is designed to be fast paced and not take long. I can’t wait to do some playtesting and see the evil boss spawns game masters out their decide. As for me, I know I would spawn 20 buzzy bees if the game allowed it, to see the mages cry themselves to sleep.

Currently, my blog is all over the place, when I am writing my ideas are just on some sort of broken plane, and I can’t write in a logical A-Z space. My work is a mixed up alphabet, that could be a game idea in the future, I’ll note that down. I’m not the best artist, but I really enjoyed creating all the little bits of art in my game (also why I chosen pixel art.) Pixel art is hard to be bad but I made it bad, not purposely, of course.

So, the basics of my idea, I researched about looking at rules of other games, I didn’t want to look at anything other than rules or mechanics because otherwise I get too much into other people's ideas and i’m like, I want to do that! Before I know it I have made almost a carbon copy, so mechanics research is where it's at. Look at the rules, and look no further. When playing Escape the Castle, I learned better about how role playing tabletops play out. As I have never played one before. I have played a lot of rpgs in the past, but never a tabletop, it was a fun experience! From games I have played in the past (Mostly Everquest 2,) I like to think I have a large knowledge of fantasy characters and abilities, and I feel as though I can balance a game well.

As for inspiration, I was inspired by the idea of quirky art style, and a bunch of fun normal bugs and made up animals. I was gutted that I couldn’t make the museum trip as wondering a museum and looking at all the weird and cool things of life is always a fun experience. To make up for it, I looked deep into the world of pinterest, my second home. Inspiration is the life of me there. Inspiration, mostly my nights awake, insomnia comes in to use a lot for having ideas, the notebook at the side of my bed is full of crazy ideas. This is one of them. I used to be the type of person so shy to write down ideas I had, because I was ashamed they was too weird, but now I aspire to be that designer who makes the strangest things possible. I added a screenshot of the art I was working on.

I had some very basic rough handbooks in powerpoint as my game was developing, now I know what I want to go for, I have created a house style in photoshop. Graphic Design is my jam so I was super excited to get into creating a player handbook. I went for a very cute and quirky style that really represented the game, lots of bright colours involved!

I thought heavily about the mechanics in my game, I enjoy number crunching, mages are my favourite out of all four archetypes. My idea evolved very quickly, and I decided that I wanted to make it cooperative mages that must defeat the game. (After suggestion later on, they must defeat the Game Master instead.) (And I love that idea.) I gave each mage their own ability. Each boss have their own abilities too. I loved being able to balance the game, I always love a good logic puzzle to make a game balanced. I wanted to make each Mage special in their own way, and make each boss special in their own way. Testing the game was a way I could find a balance in everyone's abilities. There is only so far you can test as a Game Master will never be certain. Below is a screenshot of the Mage Page in the handbook.

I never intended to have a Game Master, I considered it, scraped it, and now after it being suggested I can really see one fitting in the game well. Game Masters can make a game way more creative, bringing mechanics into players hands! I made a guideline page for the Game Master so they can’t go over the top, will work out the specifics during testing.

As of coming back to this, I have created a house style in Photoshop and worked on how I want my player handbook to look. I am so happy with the visuals, I spent a lot of time working on the art for the game and then doing the graphics for the handbook, but I love it! I wanted it to be super colourful and fun, and I feel like the handbook represents the game perfectly. At this point I am happy where I am with the game, and I am ready to test!

Having people read over the rules made a massive difference to how they are written, I am awful at communicating across my point so having multiple people read was very important for me. A couple of typos were picked up for me which was helpful. As my game is meant to be great for children new to RPG Tabletops, I needed it to be easy to understand, after all, the game is a simple concept in itself. Another suggestion I got is that the Game Master should be encouraged to create more of a storyline, to make it more fun for children. So I added that into my Game Master Guide.

I also did all the math of playtesting to make sure the Game Master can’t fully control the game and make it unbeatable. The math made me realise some things needed to be adjusted. E.g I adjusted the mages health from 10, to 15, the mages was too easy to kill if the Game Master was feeling up to it. I also decided to add a revive to one of the less skillful mages. Meaning if someone does die, you can try again. You can only use it once. I will add a screenshot of the math I did, it is in a weird format where I understand what is going on. If you understand my brain, enjoy the spreadsheet!

Overall I feel like my game come together really well. This was an enjoyable assignment that introduced me to a new genre in games. As an aspiring game designer I feel it is very important to have some knowledge in all genres, to be able to reach maximum creativity. I hope for anyone who plays my game enjoys it as much as I had fun making it!

#xb1101

[samuelfields]

What is a bad credit score (and what to do about it)

What is a bad credit score (and what to do about it)

The world of credit scores can be confusing. It’s filled with esoteric jargon like “credit risk” and “FICO.”

I want to help you cut through all the BS and get down to one really important question:

What is a bad credit score?

The answer? Anything less than 670.

Anything below 670 and you’re at risk for higher interest rates on loans (if you get approved at all), getting denied an apartment rental, or even passed up on a job application.

But there is hope. You can improve your credit score even if your score is less than 670.

We know because we talked to someone who has been there.

How this entrepreneur crawled out of debt and escaped her bad credit score

Credit score then: 600 – 650

Credit score now: 789

Debt owed: $12,000 in credit card debt and $35,000 in student loans

Meet Kelsey Jones.

Kelsey is a writer, entrepreneur, and founder of a marketing company called Six Stories. Though her business is thriving and she and her husband are on solid financial footing, that wasn’t always the case.

In fact, her credit score took an absolute beating after college due to a problem that happens to many college students: They don’t understand how credit cards work.

This put her in a prime position to fall into debt and kill her credit score before she even graduated.

“I got one of those credit cards you get at a tent with a free t-shirt,” she says. “My parents told me nothing about credit card debt and managing money as I’m sure most don’t, so I had no idea how to manage a credit card and use it to my advantage.”

Due to her inexperience with cards, she didn’t understand the dangers. Like many people with bad credit, she was drawn in by flashy sign-up offers and bonuses. She wound up opening credit cards at stores such as American Eagle and Victoria’s Secret, as well as the major card companies like American Express and Discover.

This behavior eventually led to a sizeable amount of credit card debt. Kelly wound up owing roughly $12,000 in credit card debt when she graduated in 2008 on top of the $35,000 she owed for student loans.  

Her credit score soon plummeted — and was further exacerbated by late payments.

“I sometimes paid my bills late because I just didn’t have enough money,” she says. “I was so broke when I graduated! I vividly remember my paychecks every two weeks were only $730. Meanwhile, I had to pay for my one-bedroom studio, car, cell phone, and all the other bills that come from truly being on your own.”

She adds, “My rent was almost the equivalent of one entire paycheck!”

I felt like I was “less than”

Being in debt and having your credit card debt can take a mental and emotional toll on you as well as a financial one. In fact, researchers have found that there’s a strong correlation between debt and mental health issues.

Debt can be both the cause and symptom of depression and anxiety — and it’s only exacerbated by the fact that many just want to ignore their financial problems.

“I buried my head in the sand for a long time,” she says. “I justified it for a while so I didn’t have to confront the angry feelings I had at myself for getting myself in that situation — specifically from credit card debt.”

For anyone who has ever been in debt, this feeling of anger and guilt should be familiar. When combined, it creates a potent mix that can be debilitating leading to inaction.

That’s why the first step in our system to getting out of debt fast is simply finding out how much you owe. When you confront your debt head-on, you provide yourself with a powerful mental boost that can help you eliminate it completely.

For Kelsey, though, that was easier said than done.

“I felt like I was ‘less than’ because I couldn’t get my shit together well enough to really take care of it,” Kelsey explains. “I felt so out of control of my life and wasn’t ready to be so broke after college. For some reason, I thought things would automatically get better, without me actually having to do anything.”

The wake-up call

It wasn’t until one day when her husband sat her down that she finally had a frank discussion about her finances: Something needed to change.

“Him coming to me about my debt was a wake-up call for me,” she says. “I couldn’t hide anymore.”

Debt is one of the biggest and most common barriers to living a Rich Life. And in their discussion, Kelsey realized that it was getting in the way of everything she and her husband wanted in their lives.

“I wanted to stop being a victim,” she says, “and dreading everything to do with money.”

Credit score improvement game plan

Kelsey’s plan to improve her credit score and escape her financial advice was threefold.

Step 1: Set a goal

First, Kelsey made the conscious decision to escape debt.

“I decided that this was it,” she says. “I was done being in debt. You have to make the conscious decision that you are done being ‘that person.’”

Though it may seem like a no-brainer, many people still put their heads in the sand and avoid their situation entirely — but that’s exactly what your lenders want you to do. They want you to avoid your statements. They want you to just pay off the minimum every month so you owe more interest. That’s how they make money.

Which is why one of our first steps in our credit score improvement system is to find out how much you owe. Once you do that, you’ll know how you can approach paying off your debts.

For Kelsey, the decision to confront her debt was a game changer.

“I went to Staples and bought a huge piece of poster board and bright markers and hung it up in my office,” she says. “I created a bar chart with months at the bottom and debt amount on the side. At the end of every month, I updated the poster board with different colors. It was awesome to see the bar graph trend down.”

Kelsey began to obsess over crushing her debt. She even leveraged this debt calculator spreadsheet whenever she made a financial transaction.

“I constantly updated it when I made payments and even made extra copies of it to test scenarios like ‘What would happen if I paid extra on my Discover card payment?’ or ‘What if I paid off this loan versus the other one?’” she explains. “Just knowing I could be debt-free in X number of months kept me going.”

Step 2: Pay down the debt by any means necessary

Kelsey also made sure that every piece of extra money she received went towards paying down her debt. This meant sacrificing a few things she loved in order to do it.

“We didn’t go on any trips and I didn’t go out to eat with friends as often as I used to,” she explains. “I still didn’t deprive myself, I simply cut down a little.”

She continues, “Any additional extra money, like tax returns, birthday gifts, and even the brand new MacBook I won in a contest, all went toward debt. It was extremely sad to ship that new MacBook to its new owner after I sold it on eBay — but I was obsessed.”

Step 3: Earn more money

Kelsey also leveraged a tried-and-true IWT method of attaining a Rich Life: Earning more money.

“I had my own digital marketing business at this time,” she recalls. “So the amount of money I made was completely up to me. I went into overdrive mode. I asked existing clients for more work and I sent pitch after pitch to potential new clients. I worked probably 50 hours a week … often until 9 or 10 at night and on the weekends, to hit my goals.”

The results

This diligence and hustle ultimately paid off when nearly two years later, she found herself debt-free.

“I still vividly remember sitting on my bed and submitting that last payment to Sallie Mae,” she says. “I promptly had a dance party in my bedroom for a few minutes, and then immediately started making my credit cards work for me.”

That meant putting in place a proven system of (say it with me):

“I set all recurring bills I could to be paid via credit card for the points and I paid off the balances completely each month,” Kelsey says. “Knowing how hard I worked to pay off that debt, I never wanted to get into that situation again. Now, about five years later, I still have never carried a balance over on a credit card more than one time.”

And to people with a low credit score, Kelsey has three pieces of advice:

Stop lying to yourself or justifying it. By confronting the uncomfortable truths about your credit score, you can take the steps to improve it. “Put yourself on an all cash budget or open a new checking account that only has your spending money for groceries, fun, etc.,” she suggests. “Your other checking account can be used to pay your credit card balances and other bills like rent.”

Ask yourself, “Where do I want to be a year from now?” It’s easy to make bad financial decisions when you don’t keep the end goal in mind. “Think about if going into more debt is worth it,” Kelsey says. “Will that new computer really make you feel better or will you feel worse because you’re even more behind on your debt?”

Think about your loved ones. Often times, debt doesn’t only affect you. It also affects your loved ones. “Having a child with our income and debt I had would’ve been irresponsible […] Think about how your debt could impact your spouse and your freedom as a family to make decisions and move forward in life.”

Now that Kelsey’s out of debt and she has a good credit score, she’s now in a great position to live her Rich Life.

What is a bad credit score?

Just like with Kelsey, a bad credit score can be emblematic of many financial issues. To understand why a credit score like 670 is bad though, you need to understand how credit scores work.

Your credit score is a number that lenders use to determine how much of a risk it is to lend to you.

This number will typically be between 300 and 850. The higher your credit score, the better you are situated for things like home and car loans.

The actual number is determined by the following information and their associated weight in relation to your score (credit score formula courtesy of Wells Fargo):

Payment history: 35%

Amounts owed: 30%

Length of credit history: 15%

How many types of credit in use: 10%

Account inquiries: 10%  

Check out these ranges from Experian, one of the three main credit reporting bureaus, to see how your credit score shapes up:

800 – 850 (Great credit score). I want to take this credit score out to a nice seafood dinner, propose marriage to it, and live out our days in the country. It’s that good. If your credit score is in this range, you’ll have no problems getting a home loan or nailing a fantastic interest rate on your mortgage.

740 – 799 (Good credit score). The credit score you’d be happy to bring home to your parents. This is a pretty good spot to be. Though it’s not the best, you’ll still have no problem getting approved for loans and attaining good interest rates.

670 – 739 (Okay credit score). This credit score range is fine for the short term, but you’re going to want to upgrade soon. At this point, any hit to your credit score will be a bad one.

580 – 669 (Bad credit score). In this range, you’re considered a “subprime borrower,” which means you’re likely not to be considered for a loan at all and will struggle getting approved for simple things like apartments.

300 – 579 (Really bad credit score). Immediate swipe left on this credit score. In fact, delete the app entirely. You are a “deep subprime borrower” and won’t get any good rates and won’t likely get approved for any loans. You’ll want to stick around to find out how exactly you can improve your score.

If you want to be approved for any conventional mortgage, you’re going to need a credit score of at least 620. That’s why any credit score below 670 is a bad credit score. At that point, even the smallest hit to your credit score can affect your interest rates and loan approvals.

Miss a payment? Those missing payments affect 35% of your score.

Close down a credit card? That affects 10% of your score.

Even the lender simply opening up an inquiry to your credit hits your score by 10%.

That’s why it’s so important to be aware of your credit score and improve it when it’s bad.

“I have a bad credit score! What should I do?”

If your credit score is bad, you’re not alone. Nearly a third of Americans have a credit score of less than 600.

Also, there’s a chance that you might even be typical for your age range. Check out the average credit score by age as of early 2017 (courtesy of Time):

Age range

Credit score

18 – 29

652

30 – 39

671

40 – 49

685

50 – 59

709

60+

743 

No matter what your credit score is, remember one thing: No credit score is too low to improve.

We want to help you do just that by taking a look at someone who had a low credit score — and the exact steps they took to improve it.

What is a bad credit score? The one that stops you from your Rich Life.

Debt is the number one barrier to living your Rich Life. If you’re in debt and have a bad credit score, we want to help you.

Check out our resources below to get started improving your credit score today:

How to check your credit score

How to improve your credit score in 4 systems 

How to get out of debt fast

Be sure to check out Ramit’s video on negotiating your debt too so you can pay it off even faster.

To help you even more, we’d like to offer you something: The first chapter of Ramit’s New York Times best-seller “I Will Teach You to Be Rich.”

It’ll help you tap into even more perks, max out your rewards, and beat the credit card companies at their own game.

It includes the tools and word-for-word scripts to fight back against the huge credit card companies. To download it free now, enter your name and email below.

What is a bad credit score (and what to do about it) is a post from: I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

from Finance https://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/what-is-bad-credit-score/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

[watsonhealthproject]

One Month Already?

First, a massive thank you to those who reached out after my post about getting sick. The waves of love were a reminder that I am not at all alone on these adventures. Here are some of my many wanderings of the last week.

All things Ophthalmology

The doctor that I have been rotating with this week has one message - “No hay que adviniar. Todo tiene un logico” (There are no guessing games. Everything has a logic.) With this in mind, this week has been all about appreciating the why of every medical decision, both in terms of anatomy and physiology as well as in terms of the individual circumstances of presenting patients. I won’t lie...I didn’t think much of the eye when I arrived but I have learned so much more than I would have imagined and grown to appreciate its complexity.

Since this week took on such a “science-heavy” tone (I was literally studying the eye and related diseases before bed and on the bus), I think my focus on the patient was considerably deferred. I did not realize that this was the case until a patient with diagnosed glaucoma started sobbing (in the middle of a consultation) at the prospect of losing her vision. The moment left me paralyzed because it was a harsh reminder that eyes belong to people and people have lives. As a person whose main focus at the moment is the patient, it is easy to say that doctors should treat people not diseases. This was the first time that I realized, in a deeply personal way, that doing so is so much harder than it seems (although not impossible).

Post eye-surgery bathroom mirror selfie. Note: I will never look at an eyeball the same way again. Despite its seemingly insignificant appearance, it is incredibly complex and delicate and tbh, fascinating in ways that I did not expect.

“If you could change anything about the medical institution, what would you change and why?”

I have asked this question to everyone who has given me the time of day, from patients to doctors to nurses. Here are some of the most common responses:

- Doctors should have less patients so that they could focus more on the needs of individual patients (patient)

- Wait times need to be reduced (various patients)

- Length of work days so that one does not get burnt out so quickly (nurse)

- How patients are treated by hospital personnel (patient)

- Better technology, software, and equipment (various doctors and patients)

- Less bureaucracy, especially when it affects patients (doctor)

- More slots for appointments because I have to take on “extras” when a patient needs to be seen in 48 hours but there are no available appointments for three months (doctor)

- More beds for more patients (medical student)

In a lot of ways, these answers are obvious and applicable to healthcare issues in the United States. Issues of capacity and efficiency are really intriguing because increasing capacity and efficiency is simultaneously a problem and a solution.

There are two obvious ways to increase capacity: more doctors and hospital space or more patients per doctor with increased pressure on the efficiency of consultations. Increasing the medical labor force is expensive and takes time while increasing patient loads reduces the personalization of medicine. This therefore becomes a question of priorities: Is it more important to treat as many patients as possible or to make each consultation as holistic as possible. In an ideal world, both goals would be simultaneously achieved but in real life, there are many circumstances that prevent this from being possible.

This brings me to my next, and perhaps most important question: can we reimagine medicine (completely and totally from the bottom up) so that both things are possible? What does an innovative solution look like? I don’t have an answer but this is the kind of question that keeps me up at night and fuels my explorations. Of course we can work within the system to make meaningful changes but what does work beyond the system look like? Is there a possibility for a total transformation of the system? In my humble opinion, the biggest revolutions happen when people dare to challenge normalized institutions and ways of doing things.

Anyways, enough babbling... this is just food for thought.

My Watson Question

I met a new doctor a few days ago who asked me about what brought me to Ecuador. After I explained my Watson question to him, he asked me what I had learned so far about marginalization and healthcare access in Quito. This was an important moment because it was the first time that someone asked me specifically about the progress I’ve made on my Watson question. As I was gathering my thoughts and explaining my findings, I realized that a lot of the things I was bringing up were things that I was already conscious of (at least partially) before coming to Ecuador. While I now have tidbits of stories, emotions, and observations that I did not have before, my interaction with this doctor helped me realize that my approach to my questions may have to be modified. What do I mean? At the moment, I spend my days in the hospital rotating with different doctors in a variety of departments. I get to observe consultations, procedures, meetings, talk to patients, and everything in between. It has been a very involved experience and a great one to say the least! There is no doubt in my mind that I have learned loads. What is missing? I think the answer is some more exploration into the literature that already exists on the topics I care about (specifically tailored to Ecuador) so that I may be able to observe the same things with a broadened, more in depth understanding of the underlying systems that produce the circumstances I am witness to. Perhaps this should have already been obvious to me and it is silly to bring it up  almost a month into my experience. However, in some ways I think it is also advantageous to have gone into the hospital with no pre-dispositions, obtain an on-the-ground perspective, and then fill in the blanks with some research.

With all of this in consideration, I have already begun my dive into the research and am looking to get in contact with public health experts in the city. The major challenge - reading academic papers in spanish...something I have never had to do before. However, this is a compelling challenge because it will allow me to expand my Spanish vocabulary even more.

Touristy Things: Trip to Quilotoa

Everyone has told me that I must visit this place before I leave Ecuador because it is spectacular. They were absolutely right. Walking into the crater of an active volcano? Check!

Embracing the beauty of nature with open arms and a big heart. #grateful.

First time riding a mule and I was literally glowing like a small child with inexplicable joy. Unfortunately, my guide doesn’t look too happy...

Pictures don’t do the rolling hills justice. It is a sight I hope everyone has a chance to experience at some point.

This lil’ thing is only 3 days old!! <3

“Adulting” in a Foreign Country:

Money: I have an extensive expenses spreadsheet that gets updated daily and am pretty intentional about the choices I make when it comes to spending money. However, I have an unreasonably large (and slightly unhealthy) fear of being without money that haunts me day and night. I think that at least part of that fear comes from my upbringing. One of my newer philosophies: experiences last forever, material things do not. Spend accordingly.

Health: I have been eating a lot healthier (I think) then when I left the states in part because it is so much cheaper to buy fresh fruit and veggetables than processed foods (the way it should always be). I cook most of my meals and exercise daily through dance.

Decision-Making: some of you may not agree but I try to remind myself daily that this is my time to be a little selfish, to indulge in the things that most excite me and extract as much knowledge and wisdom from the experiences that come from that indulgence.

Identity Exploration: Joined an LGBT group in the city. Everyone is super nice and it is loads of fun :)

Work-Play Balance: As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am the kind of person that always feels like I am not doing enough (sometimes to my disadvantage). That said, while I am also always looking for ways to fill my time with meaningful activities, I am also embracing my tourist status and creating time to get to know different parts of the city and country.

Safety: This is an unusual sub-category but traveling alone as a woman warrants that this be a big consideration in all of my “adulting.” I am generally very aware of my surroundings and super careful about who I choose to trust. One thing that my heightened awareness for my personal safety has taught me is that living in fear is one of the worst things ever. I feel deeply for those who fear for their safety daily. Fearing that someone will snatch your cell phone is one thing but fearing for your life every day, that is a heartbreaking tragedy.

Moving Forward:

Guatemala: The details are all set. I’ve got a partner organization, a cute apartment, and a lot to look forward to learning. Sadly, I will not be able to dance while I am here but perhaps I can find something similarly rewarding to fill my evenings with.

Argentina: Originally, I was planning on going to Cambodia but I have since changed my itinerary because I wanted to spend a little more time in Latin America, a region I care deeply about. If I am honest, there is a part of me that thinks I am taking an easier road by staying in Latin America. At the same time however, the opportunities that are available to me in Argentina, both because of the abundance of organizations/connections as well as my knowledge of the language, will allow me to learn so, so much more. This feels like the right decision and one that I am very excited about.

Flight has been booked and apartment reserved. TBH, I can’t wait for Argentina!

--

And finally, throwback to my last few days in the states, when purchasing a lab coat felt like the biggest accomplishment ever. Now, about a month into my Watson, I can look back at the moment when this picture was taken and appreciate that the universe has blessed me a million times over. Little did I know then the many joys that awaited me.

Quote for the week:

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things” - Henry Miller

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Tech Q&A: Quality-tuning Tv picture high-quality

Q: How do I realize if my Tv is giving me the first-class photograph feasible? I tweaked the settings, but now I suppose it’s worse than before.

                                                    Tech Q&A

Tech News

A: In case you’ve already fiddled together with your Tv’s settings, you likely realize that obtaining the proper image high-quality is an artwork. There may be no “widespread” mix of brightness, evaluation, and saturation. Each Tv is distinctive, or even the environment can have an effect on the way you perceive what you see on your screen. So how do you repair this? One word: calibration. There’s an easy way to do that, but you need to know what you’re doing. Click on here to learn how to calibrate your Television for higher photo great.

Forestall webcam spies

Q: I’m freaked out that someone can watch me through my webcam. Can I disconnect it from my laptop?

A: Sure, hackers can damage into your PC, and Yes, people can secret agent on you without your understanding. This is quite terrifying, especially In case you use your PC frequently in, say, your bed room. Many people have taken to covering their webcams with

pieces of tape, making it impossible to peer something worthwhile. but if this low-tech answer doesn’t make you sense any more secure, I wouldn’t blame you for looking to transfer it off. Click right here to discover ways to disable your webcam.

Pleasant websites for tax prep

Q: What’s the first-class web page to apply to do my taxes?

A: As is normally the case with taxes, this is a good query with a complicated answer. Basically, ask yourself how concerned your taxes may be. If you only have one task, you have a steady salary and your corporation withholds profits tax, you they’ll likely get via with a loose carrier. In case you’re self-employed, you pay quarterly taxes and also you’ve itemized masses of charges on a spreadsheet, you’ll probably want something a bit extra state-of-the-art. Click right here to look the best on-line tax preparers.

Apps for the unwell

Q: My husband is ill. Is there an app which can track the meds he’s taking?

A: First of all, I’m sorry to pay attention that, and that I hope his health improves. After a slow decade, the health care industry is, at the end, catching up to the twenty-first century, and now there are a few awesome apps that will help you keep track of medications and dosages. One app even allows you to communicate without delay together with your health practitioner’s office so that you can test in together with your clinical records. Given how expensive infection can be, you may be surprised to look how fairly those apps are priced. Click here for 3 apps that music your scientific history.

VR at the cheap

Q: I would really like to try digital fact apps and games, but I don’t want to waste $800 at the VR goggles. Are there different alternatives?

A: There are minimum methods to reflect consideration on patron VR: On one hand, it’s tough to accept as true with that virtual truth truely exists, and it’s low-cost enough for everyday human beings to apply in their homes. However, $800 is $800, and as you factor out, that’s not chump change. You in all likelihood won’t find any knockoff or general versions of VR but. but one agency found out how to provide you with the VR enjoy the usage of only your cellphone and $15 worth of packing material. Click here to study Google Cardboard.

What questions do you have? Call my country-wide radio display and click on here to locate it on your nearby radio station. You may concentrate on the Kim Komando show on your smartphone, tablet or computer. From buying advice to digital lifestyles problems, Click on here for my free podcasts.

Picture Projects for Visual Novices

A picture is really worth a thousand phrases, however to a visual learner it is really worth so much greater. Connecting the dots for a visible learner can be difficult, but with images, it could be each creative and fun.

here are a few approaches the use of photographs can stimulate your Visible learner or simply ignite creativity in students.

Watch Free Tv

pics Inspire creative Writing At the beginning of the faculty 12 months, I had college students deliver in a toddler picture for our elegance bulletin board. earlier than putting a photo on board, I had them transfer photos and write an innovative tale on what they believed was occurring within the picture.

For a history lesson, I copied numerous pictures of infantrymen or advertisements from WWII. college students have been assigned writing a poem or other kinds of expressive writing, or giving an oral presentation, explaining the image.

pictures Create magnificence Recollections When you consider that fifth grade is the end of the elementary years (at the least in my school), I had the students buy a 12 x 12 scrapbook at the beginning of the 12 months. The ultimate Friday of the month we might take the last thirty mins or so to document unique sports or activities that came about for the duration of the month. This not only served as a reminiscence for the students however as a lesson in journal writing.

All through the month, I’d hold onto writing Initiatives, math Projects, and so forth that were completed and stood out from the everyday lessons. college students would specific their mind approximately a selected occasion at the page with pix, unique writings, handouts, flyers, etc. some students became very worried inside the hobby the usage of distinctiveness scissors, papers, die cuts, stickers, and so on. a few saved the pages very simple.

It was super looking each pupil specific him/herself in various ways. by means of the give up of the 12 months, the scrapbook served as both a reminiscence e-book but additionally as a writing portfolio.

snap shots Make stronger the house-to-college Connection Most mother and father love to look what their toddler is doing in magnificence. some dad and mom might take a seat inside the classroom all day if we’d permit them! But; for those who are not able to volunteer or do not have time to just pop in and spot what goes on, photographs permit them to connect to the college and infant.

More than one years ago, I invested in a smart cellphone – smartest factor I ever did! In much less than a minute, I’m able to photograph unique activities and shoot out an email to all mother and father with a touch “diddy” of what we were doing at the time. To tricky on the picture, I may also ask mother and father to comment or to “critique” the hobby. The responding emails might then be published on our lecture room network board or given to students for his or her scrapbook. (now not all parents reply, however, I’ve had at the least 90% accomplish that. For those students who dad and mom did not reply, I will write some thing to submit on the board).

students love to peer the pix of them “stuck working” and will comment on what they have been doing while the image changed into taken. also, the images I ship function a communique starter on the dinner desk when mom/dad asks “what did you do in school today?” dad and mom can display the photograph and ask students to give an explanation for what was going on.

The out of sophistication activities, Inspire parental involvement and supply a risk for parents to paintings with their infant. It is also first-rate for parents to proportion with a family who might not live close to the child to sense more linked.

pix Simplify difficult instructions Technological know-how is a tough concern for the Visual learner, as it regularly calls for summary wondering, for a visible learner that could increase beyond the area of imagination and create confusion. To put matters into an angle or extra concrete thinking, I may also use classroom pics.

As an example, I was coaching on light and spectrum. To help illustrate this idea, I assigned a digicam mission. I requested students to take photos of diverse gadgets that suit into particular classes referring to our Science chapter (As an example, shadowing and reflection). the usage of what we talked about in class, college students have been asked the usage of cameras, to find or create situations that met the specified category and take a picture. For shadowing, of course, the scholars had to take an image for the duration of the day. no longer only did they need to take a photo, however, students needed to be aware of positioning, the attitude, and so much extra (brilliant extension to the Science lesson).

After they had been finished, every scholar becomes then requested to broaden their photos, vicinity them in a small picture album (dollar shop range) and using an index card, explain the medical term/idea for the picture positioned in the slot in the back of the photo. Now the students had a fun, creative, and relevant use of the Science principles to which they could talk over with for testing and different classes. This will also be completed reading weather, animal habitats, rocks and minerals, and a lot greater.

images assist in Trouble Fixing In an earlier blog, I expressed my love for math and math Tasks. using pictures with various math sports and having students write out the steps, arranging sequence, and piecing together Problem puzzle portions, assists in mastering the procedure to tough math equations.

For instance, we have been studying a way to calculate tax on purchases. Because it becomes close to Christmas time, I had the scholars bring in numerous flyers. I asked each pupil to create a Christmas listing and with a given finances, students needed to start their “purchasing”. After looking for absolutely everyone, we listed the stairs to calculating tax together on the board (I took a picture of our steps). the scholars then had to finish a price range chart that showed charge earlier than and after tax.

This task took a few days to finish. I took photographs as students had been at every level of the task. (I.E. Making listing, deciding on gadgets, the usage of calculator or working out Problem by means of hand, filling in budget chart, including tax, and final calculations). I then advanced the photographs (or You could print out if you have photo paper and shade printer) numbered the images, and published on the bulletin board.

students have been then assigned a range of photo and asked to provide an explanation for the strategies to that specific step. This helped them understand the concept and techniques involved in calculating tax, multiplying chances, and additionally, ought to have served as a sequencing lesson. What did we do first, subsequent… and so on?

NFL Playoff Picture

photographs Customize school paintings Education students love sports and Initiatives that are non-public to their lives or that give the opportunity to proportion more approximately them. My class and I examine collectively The arena In line with Humphrey, a satisfying tale approximately a hamster who joins a fifth-grade classroom. on the cease of the tale, I gave each student a bit publication I created and a tag board hamster to shade and name.

students had been then assigned to journal seven days inside the life in their hamster. They were recommended to take pictures in their hamster in numerous settings and sports. They loved this! I obtained such superb adventures involving my students and their hamsters with pictures! by way of making this venture personal, college students had been more concerned than they could be writing a fashionable e-book record.