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kinkymagnus · 4 years

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okay im fucking LOSING MY MIND LAUGHING

normally i like block anon hate and i might do a quick generic response but i don’t necessarily show the ask but this is too fucking funny not to. this is genuinely the best anon hate i’ve ever gotten. i’m almost wondering if it’s a joke surely someone isn’t this goddamn stupid???

ok ok ok so.

first of all. i actually was joking, mostly because while magnus’s actor, harry, is very attractive he’s like late 30s and it would be kind of weird for someone that much older than me to have sex with me. and while magnus is, again, super hot, i also ship him with alec more than i actually want to have real sex with him or something, particularly again given the age thing and my own unrelated issues, so like, if somehow magnus bane became real, i would not want to have sex with him. although that’s irrelevant, as he isn’t real, and fantasies are harmless even if i was fantasizing about that, but whatever.

second. even if i wasn’t. what the fuck. i literally wouldn’t even be doing anything wrong.

anon please tell me what’s disgusting about being attracted to a FICTIONAL CHARACTER. it’s not like i’m out here thirsting over a 12 year old anime girl with huge tits or something, so i honestly don’t see the issue. he’s a fictional adult, and also he’s hot. people have fantasies about fictional characters all the time?? this is normal?????

like 1. on a more serious note some people only feel comfortable with sexual fantasies about a fictional character because it’s more coherent than vague “and then im having sex with...someone” but also its unattainable and like, can’t hurt you, and also, you don’t feel weird being attracted to someone (although you never should anyway unless they’re way younger than you or something??) and also again 2. WHY IS THIS A PROBLEM? DO YOU THINK THIS IS LIKE BESTIALITY AND THE FICTIONAL CHARACTER CAN’T CONSENT TO [checks notes] YOU FINDING THEM SEXY??? WHAT THE FUCK they’re not REAL, karen

and even so no one needs consent to find someone attractive lmao what the fuck it’s attraction not action

i genuinely can’t get over this it’s so fucking funny “ERRRM just learned that you think a fictional character is hot. [vine voice] blocked and reported” i????????

or is this about the specific use of the word “topping” which is referring to the fact that i personally prefer being on the receiving end of things, but would be willing to be the “giver” so to speak for him? it’s a joke, i’m not even necessarily classifying him as A Bottom and me as a A Top in that post (although even if i did mlm joking and/or seriously headcanoning this shit is not the same as like Cishet Women clowning about it) like..... ok???????

also “writing porn of characters is one thing but WANTING TO FUCK THEM YOURSELF? TOO FAR. IF YOU WRITE SELF INSERT YOU’RE GOING TO HELL.” i??????????????????????? I????????????????

I ACTUALLY WANT TO KNOW THE LOGIC BEHIND THIS I WON’T EVEN BLOCK YOU YET. because despite the whole “blocked and unfollowed” someone only sends anon hate like this when they want attention, and i have no doubt you are going to be checking my blog to see me crying or angry about this. of course, now that i’ve said that you might not respond out of spite or some childish willingness to be like “NUH UH” but like, we both know the truth. and i mean, congrats, you got my attention, look at how fuckin long this response is

anyway despite how hilarious i find this.... like i just... “oh...i......its wrong to joke about wanting to top a fictional character who literally couldn’t care less....it’s WRONG TO BE ATTRACTED TO FICTIONAL CHARACTER....WRONG TO GET OFF ON FICTIONAL CHARACTER (why do you think people read my porn, buddy, for the intellectual stimulation?) WRONG TO WANT FICTIONAL SEX WHEREIN YOU COMPLETELY SET THE BOUNDARIES AND WHAT GOES RIGHT AND WRONG AND IT IS SAFE AND THE FICTIONAL CHARACTER CANNOT HURT YOU IT’S THE FICTIONAL CHARACTER WE AREN’T EVEN MAKING WEIRD COMMENTS ABOUT THE ACTOR--”

[ahem] despite how funny this is, anon hate isn’t cool, and also, dude. if you really were upset by me.... [im about to start giggling again] being. being attracted. to a fictional character. like................ just......... unfollow. hell, you can block me if you want to, god knows i understand blocking people who make content that doesn’t feel comfortable to you.

but like, sending a petty anon ask (anon! coward! if you’re gonna send hate show me your face!) being like “WELL I HOPE YOU’RE HURT, BECAUSE I HATE YOU NOW, YOU DIRTY SLUT, HOW DARE YOU DO THIS CONTENT I DON’T LIKE” is wrong! even if i was actually doing something that really was gross! even if i’m following someone and i find out they’re into j*lec incest or something, i don’t go into their inbox and go “DISGUSTING. THAT’S WRONG AND RACIST AND GROSS. BLOCKED AND UNFOLLOWED.” even though it is, and they are, because i have class. i unfollow, block, and move on!

but like, this is even worse because it’s something so mind blowingly trivial it’d be like if i went into some poor person’s inbox like “YOU MADE A POST SAYING YOU THOUGHT AN ACTOR WAS CUTE. FUCK YOU. THAT’S DISGUSTING. BLOCKED AND UNFOLLOWED.” like??? ok??? bye. good riddance

anyway you’re really hurting yourself more than me. i mean, i’ve got [checks notes] holy shit my follower number has gone up one.

oh my god this is so fucking funny i’ve got one new follower and as far as i can tell it doesn’t look like anyone’s unfollowed unless there’s another new follower buried in the notifications and/or you unfollowed ages ago. did you even unfollow or are you just trying to shame me for thinking magnus is hot, which he is???

that is so fucking funny oh my god i’m just laughing harder the longer i look into this

anyway i was going to make a joke about 601 going down to 600, a nice round number, and like, i wasn’t going to miss you, i block book stans that follow me all the time and people unfollow me for various anti reasons all the time, i’m used to losing followers, you’re the one who is apparently missing out on my porn--speaking of which, why do you like my porn? you can’t be attracted to the characters, right, because that’s a sin? or is it ok if you’re only watching but not involved. like the “it’s not gay if you’re watching and not touching” kind of rule.

i just.......

“but then wanting to have sex with a FICTIONAL character???wtf??” LKGJFLGKHJFH I CAN’T GET OVER THIS THIS IS SO FUCKING FUNNY “i expected better of you” FROM ME? THE PORN BLOG? DID YOU THINK I DIDN’T FIND THEM FUCKABLE IN ANY WAY???????? I??????????????????????

also did you send a similarly childish ask to all the other people on that post? not that i’m encouraging you do but tothetrashwhereibelong sadly had their inbox closed and has personally expressed interest in a dumbass rant from you when we were laughing about this, so you can send that to me and i’ll carry the message! they’d be delighted to hear it.

anyway i’m actually not going to block you just yet because i honestly want another response but i’ll give it a few days, maybe longer. i’m so curious and also this is so funny lmaooo

#what the fuck is this im fucking.#i want you to know i got this when i was barely away and it was kind of early for me cos i went to bed super late #and then instead of going back to sleep like i would literally any other time #i actually got up to immediately send this to my friends and LAUGH MY FUCKING HEAD OFF IM????#this is just so wild #i love it #thanks anon youve made my day #this is it. the funniest ask ive ever gotten #im not even mad despite moral objections to anon hate and shit im just losing my mind #thirstgate #thirstgate anon #the og!

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twelvehousemoon · 7 years

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Moon Transits

The moon moves from one sign to the next about every 2 ½ days. Its transits can have an emphasis on our mood because it’s a luminary and moves faster than any other planet. I personally view transits from the app called “Time Nomad” which I love, but you can also just google it.

*Some may be more susceptible to the moon’s transits than others, for example those with Moon conjunct the Asc., Moon in 1st, or those with Moon as their dominant or ruling planet. Even if you don’t feel particularly affected, keeping track of the moon’s movements can be quite useful because it’s such a powerful planet containing strong energy.

When the moon is in Aries: You may feel more confident and have more energy than usual. You may feel the urge to take on a new project or feel like accomplishing some other task. You may also be more blunt or straightforward than usual. It’s possible to be a little stubborn as well, but this is because you know what you want. You can take advantage of this energy by using it to be active and get shit done! It’s also a good time to unlock your inner child and be playful. If you've been thinking about starting a new project, this is a great time for it!

When the moon is in Taurus: You may feel more relaxed than usual. You may value your personal comfort greatly and strive for more harmony in your life. You could also actually feel the urge to be productive and accomplish things, as Taurus is both fixed and an Earth sign. It’s also possible to feel more sensual. This is the perfect time to be productive because when Taurus starts something, they have the determination to follow through. It’s also a great time to express affection in your relationships, as you may be feeling more peaceful or harmonious than usual. It’s also a nice time to pamper yourself.

When the moon is in Gemini: You may feel more mentally active than usual. You may feel social and enjoy conversations that stimulate your mind. You might feel more open-minded and curious about new things. This is a great time to make plans with friends or even just sit down and have a nice talk with a family member. It’s a great time to learn about new things, explore your interests, and think of new ideas. It may also be beneficial to explore your creativity and playful side. New experiences are also a great idea because Gemini loves variety. This is the time to have fun.

When the moon is in Cancer: You may feel more sensitive than usual. You might feel more relaxed and possibly withdrawn. Comfort may be something you crave, and you may be more focused on stability than normal. You could find yourself being more thoughtful and reflecting upon your past or whatever else is on your mind. You may feel caring and affectionate. Spending time with your loved ones is a good idea during this transit as it may provide you with feelings of warmth and well-being. It’s also a good time to spend some time with yourself and reflect on your emotional well being, as this transit provides us with an opportunity to do some serious reflecting.

When the moon is in Leo: You may feel more focused on yourself as well as any creative pursuits you may have. You may feel more confident and sure of what you want than normal, and you may not be as afraid to be assertive about your needs. This is a great time to explore your creativity and get artistic. Or you may have some other hobby your passionate about. Either way, this transit provides a great opportunity to focus on your passions as well as yourself. It can be a good time to pamper yourself and do things that offer pleasure. It’s also a great time to be active and Leo’s determined energy can provide you with the strength to take on any new challenges or pursuits you may be interested in.

When the moon is in Virgo: You may feel more detail-oriented than usual. Your mind could be more active than it usually is and you may feel like improving yourself or something about your life. You may notice the flaws in things more than your normally would, but this is simply from being observant and thoughtful. You might feel more intellectual and be able to see things from a rational, logical point of view. It’s a great time to improve something in your life, even in little ways like cleaning your room or organizing your dresser, since Virgo is a sign that appreciates the little things. Productivity may come easier than usual.

When the moon is in Libra: You may feel more harmonious than usual. It’s possible to feel more social and easygoing in those environments. You may feel more balanced than normal, and you might even feel quite affectionate and loving. It’s a good time to focus on your relationships because of the harmonious energy surrounding you. Socializing may be particularly enjoyable during this transit and you may find yourself enjoying having conversations, especially those that stimulate your mind. This is a perfect time to reflect on the balance in your life as well as your close relationships.

When the moon is in Scorpio: You may feel more withdrawn and reflective than usual. You may be more private and enjoy your alone time more than you normally would. It’s also possible you may feel more curious and inquisitive. You could also have an easier time being assertive and being determined. During this time, it’s a good idea to spend some time with yourself, reflecting on your life or by doing something active. It’s also a great time to focus on whatever you’re passionate about, as this can bring you much happiness. Exploring your obsessive interests will bring you much satisfaction

When the moon is in Sagittarius: You may feel more lighthearted than usual. You might be more carefree, impulsive, and drawn to new experiences. Independence is a natural want during this transit, as you’ll want the freedom to do as you please. Adventures may be of great interest to you, and it could be beneficial to look for new experiences. You might find yourself being more curious than your normally are, and willing to learn new things. You may feel like unlocking your inner-child, so embrace it! It’s a great time to have fun, be active, or socialize with friends.

When the moon is in Capricorn: You may feel more focused than usual. You might also feel calm, yet determined. Furthering your career, school performance, or even reputation/online presence may be of special interest to you during this transit. You may feel like launching a new project or making progress on an old one. This is a good time to be productive and take on any new challenges. It’s also possible to have success bettering your reputation if that’s of any interest to you. It’s really a good transit for ambition in all aspects.

When the moon is in Aquarius: You may feel more individualistic than usual. You may be feeling more lighthearted, open-minded, and possibly creative. It’s possible to find yourself thinking outside the box more than usual. Independence may be of special value right now and you’ll want the freedom to think as you want. This is a great time to be creative and come up with new ideas. You may also enjoy having stimulating conversations with others that inspire your ideas.

When the moon is in Pisces: You may feel more compassionate than usual. You may be feeling more imaginative, sensitive, and intuitive. It’s also possible to feel more emotional, but not always. Creativity is thriving during this transit and you may enjoy expressing yourself in those ways. You may feel extra empathetic and possibly even romantic or loving. This is a great time to day-dream, be creative, and relax. Spending time with loved ones may be perfect for you, or you may just find happiness spending time with yourself.

for similar posts click here to check out my blog ❤

#moon #moon transits #mine

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profitablepractices · 4 years

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9 Tips to Turn Your Blogs into Cash Machines for Your Private Therapy Practice!

If you’re like most therapists, you weren’t taught much about marketing in graduate school, especially about online marketing. Online marketing for therapists is an incredibly easy (yes, easy!) and inexpensive way fo let your ideal clients know who you are and how you can help them. A super easy and inexpensive form of online marketing is blogging, but there are a few tricks you need to turn a random blog into an online marketing tool. So what are we waiting for? Let’s dive in and learn how to do it! By the way: If this seems like a lot of information and you'd like support in the process, please feel free join my program for an extra sense of support!

The easiest way to attract whatever types of clients are perfect for you is to write blogs about topics that interest those clients, make sure the world sees them, and make sure the blogs guide people to actually book your services. I know many of us (myself included!) felt like never writing anything ever again after 5+ years of graduate school including a 100+ page dissertation, so let me just say that blogging for marketing purposes is much easier than writing grad school papers. In fact, those old grad school papers can come in handy; keep reading to see how! Here are some easy ways to kick out some blogs that will sit online forever, working to attract business for you while you sleep, catch up with friends, see clients, or do whatever you enjoy doing while those blogs do your online marketing for you:

1. Recycle your old essays into blogs. Remember those papers you had to write in grad school on topics like how two different theorists conceptualized anxiety? Or a painstaking case analysis that included pages and pages of explanation regarding how certain interventions helped a particular client? Good news: You can adapt nearly ALL of that into bite sized blogs.

2. Write a “how to” blog. Whatever types of therapy goals you enjoy helping people with, write blogs about those topics. For example, “How to Raise Your Self Esteem”. Or “How to Move Past an Old Relationship”. Nearly any therapeutic goal can be converted into some sort of “How To”. “How To” blogs tend to get a lot of traffic because readers quickly and easily understand their use. These types of blogs are great for marketing because they will be intrinsically targeted towards your ideal type of client issue. Here's an example of an article I wrote for US News and World Report on how to choose an online therapist... guess what types of clients it helps me attract?!:) Oh, and you're wondering how I got to write for USNWR? They saw my blogs on my own site and like them so much that they approached me! Yet another good reason to blog and make sure your blogs are wallpapered all over the internet (see tip # 8).

3. Try using a ghost blogger. If you’re just allergic to writing, try jotting down a few key points, or just have a phone call with someone who is good at writing. Tell them to just write down whatever you say. Depending on the quality, you can either use it as a rough draft or it may be basically ready to go. Undergrads and graduate students are usually up for this type of work. Just make sure you get a signed release that whatever output they create is your intellectual property that you’re free to use without crediting them. Or, you can save money by offering to list them as second author; if that interests you both. Here is a link to a ghost blogger I have used before when I'm in a pinch for time or when I was still learning how to generate blog ideas.

4. Remember, “less is more”. When I was first starting to blog, I used to think I needed to write big huge long essays. Then, I learned that the public tends to get overwhelmed by long blogs. So keep it short. If you are overflowing with information, consider breaking your blog into a multi-part series.

5. Talk in lists. See how you’re reading this list right now? That’s what readers like to do. Lists of 3 are generally good, though in some cases lists need to be longer.

6. Brainstorm at least 5 titles. The title is actually KEY to getting people to read. Don’t make the mistake of spending lots of time on a great blog and then dropping the ball with a boring title. Titles that include phrases like “How to” and numbers (ie “Three Top Tips for xyz”) tend to get clicks since readers know there will be actionable info in your blog.

7. Close with a “Call to Action”. For most therapists, the call to action goes something like, “If you’d like to talk more about (topic of blog), please feel free to reach out to discuss private sessions by visiting (your online booking page here or however you want to be reached)- I love helping clients with this issue!”. Many therapists are afraid to seem pushy, but remember: this is only a blog, and you’re just telling people that you’re available. It’s really not pushy; it’s professional. 8. Post EVERYWHERE. Once you have created a blog, squeeze the maximum value out of it by posting it everywhere you possibly can. “If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears, does it make a sound?” The same question could be asked, “If you write an awesome blog and no one reads it, does it help you?” Personally, I keep a spreadsheet of all the places where you can post blogs for free. Every time I create a blog, it gets posted on every single one of those websites. And of course, you will have an author page on each of those blog sites. The more sites that link to your website, and the more sites that are posting your material, the better you’ll do in organic searches on Google. Make sure you also post them to your LinkedIn profile, and to your personal and/or professional Facebook page. For a copy of my spreadsheet and more guidance on this, you may want to check out my on-demand social media workshop for therapists.

9. Use Facebook. Facebook ads are also a great way to promote your blogs very cheaply to people who reside in your area, are your desired age range, have indicated an interest in therapy/anxiety/depression/relationships/whatever your blog topic is. You can even target Facebook ads towards people who have an income level that connotes an ability to pay for services. Facebook ads can run for as little as $1 per day.

10. Bonus Tip! I know I said 9 tips, but here's one more: Every time you have a new blog, make sure to send it to your existing mailing list as well in your monthly newsletter. My office always sees a bump in bookings when we send the newsletter. The newsletter stimulates existing contacts to think of you, and this is a positive thing if your newsletter is full of helpful information, such as a great blog on a topic many of your readers enjoy!

Conclusion

I know it may sound daunting to write a bunch of blogs, post them to high heaven, and potentially even market them on Facebook. Don’t worry about doing it all at once. Personally, I just keep a list of all the topics I might want to blog about as well as a list of all the places to post blogs. When I was first starting out, I’d blog if I was feeling energetic and talkative; and do the mindless posting admin stuff when I was feeling quiet or mentally tired. Now, I have an assistant who posts the blogs everywhere. You might be able to find a student or online assistant to help you with this part, but when you’re starting out it’s all part of the process. Sometimes, I’d take my laptop to a restaurant and work on this type of stuff over lunch, dinner, drinks, or whatever. It was a fun way to be “out and about” while still feeling productive.

Do you need help brainstorming a list of topic ideas? Join a ProfitablePractices.net group coaching call or discuss on our alumni listserv! You are SO FULL of ideas, and you may not even know it-- we'll help you discover them together!:)

Remember: blogs are a win-win for you because they not only help get your name out there to reach new clients, they also allow you to shape what potential clients see when they Google you. Plus, blogs are what’s known as “evergreen”, meaning that once you create them they sit online forever blasting your message. If you have a newsletter, make sure you share relevant blogs there too. It’s okay to re-share the same blog if there’s a relevant reason (ie every holiday season I re-share my blogs about holiday stress).

Do you want more tips on how to grow your practice? I’m proud to say that my practice grew super quickly to the point where I had to hire people after being open less than two years. I’m now taking pleasure in teaching other therapists how to do the same, since I remember how scared I was when I was first starting. To learn more, join ProfitablePractices.net!

https://profitablepractices.net/9-tips-for-cheap-easy-and-successful-online-marketing/

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guylty · 7 years

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Before I get to the “extRA questions” of the title, I need to share another great ode by Kathy with the world. As always, too good to get lost in comments:

Remember, kids: Smoking is bad for you. Don’t start!

So, our need for hot eye candy intellectual stimulation fulfilled, I can carry on with my post…

While I was still finishing up my RA Challenge ♡, fellow fan SueBC had moved on to her reply to the ever-circling Liebster Award on her blog I’m Feeling This. Some of her own questions for the continuation of the blog award, caught my attention. They would have been interesting as part of the RA Challenge ♡, too, as well as the old Blog Introspection Challenge from early 2015. Sue gave me the go ahead to answer a shorter catalogue of questions, and if you feel in the swing of another little blog challenge, why don’t you answer this, too? (All credit and references back to her, please 😉 .) As usual, I am particularly interested in the views of the commenters. The comment thread is yours!

Here is Sue’s list of questions picked by me, followed by my answers:

1. What is your favourite photo ever of your favourite actor or actress? 2. What time of day do you usually write and/or blog and why? 3. Does your avatar have special significance and if so, what is that significance? 4. In your real life, how open are you about the fact that you have a blog? 5. What are the boundaries for you in terms of how much of your real life you share on your blog?

1. Favourite Photo Ever

I love everything about this photo – the colours, the clever placement of the subject against the wall, the relaxed pose, the Lucas North styling, the perspective from slightly above, the off-centre composition, the lighting that creates a bit of shadow on the subject’s face, the intriguing look on the subject’s face, the evidence of strong thighs and biceps, the extended thumb… It’s not too polished, yet shot with the evidence of a professional photographer who knows his stuff. I’ll spare you the denotations and connotations of the image (they were not a huge hit when I posted them on tumblr 😂) , even though they are part of the reason why I like this image so much. My love for this picture probably also comes down to my discovery of it at a time when I was hypersensitive to good photography – and to the appeals of Richard Armitage.

2. Blogging Schedule

Two favourite times: Either in the morning, on days when I don’t have much work; or in the evening, when work has been done. I prefer the mornings, though, because I tend to be alone at home at that time, so there is no “danger” of someone walking in on me and disturbing my train of thought.

3. Significance of my Avatar

I better show you my avatar in full glory before I explain.

It may not be self-explanatory anymore because it has been a long, long time since I last wrote an *ooof*. So here we go – when the original picture appeared on the entertainment site click, it caused a bit of hoohaa in the fandom because it was an answer to the question whether he was a cat or a dog person. While the cat lovers in the fandom were slightly put out by Richard’s cheeky two-part answer, the dog people were very pleased:

Dubious about cats?

More into dogs!

Guylty (self-confessed dog-lover despite being a cat-owner), however, only focussed on the chosen dog sound – because it fits very nicely with her moniker for her photo analyses… Besides – *ooof*, the man did look pretty hot in his slightly dishevelled early-morning-hair… (If you want to know why he looks that way, read this fan fic entitled “Bed Head” – It’s one of my favourites and I think it argues the case pretty convincingly… Note: It’s NSFW RPF, so if you don’t like RPF, don’t read!)

Anyway, I adjusted the picture sliiiiightly to fit my own agenda *coughs*, and it’s been my avatar on WP ever since. I’m usually not a fan of pictures of the OOA as an avatar (all my other Social Media accounts have a photo of “Armitage House” as the avatar), because there is always a chance that two people may use the same avatar – which can cause confusion. But this one was just too good to pass up…

4. In your real life, how open are you about the fact that you have a blog?

In my RL, a lot of people know that I am a fan, and a lot of my RL friends and family also know that I have a blog. I find it difficult to hide anything – mainly because a) I am not fond of secrets and lies, and b) my blogging activities have tangible, RL effects that I have had to explain to my friends and family. For instance, when my dad died (almost to the day) three years ago, my dear fandom friends and readers organised a fundraising drive in honour of my father which resulted in a massive donation to a cause that had been named by my mother and myself, in lieu of flowers, as well as donations to RA’s JustGiving pages. I felt that that had to be acknowledged by my RL family, and so I disclosed that I was part of a community of fans, by virtue of being a blogger. Similarly, I eventually had to explain to my children and husband why there was a continuous stream of parcels arriving at our house for a while – all thanks to my blogging (and crafting) activities.

So the upshot is that many people in my RL know that I blog. However, I have not told anyone the name of my blog and where to find it. I insist that I am not embarrassed about what I am doing on my blog. The reason I am not throwing that info around is connected to my unwillingness to justify my enthusiasm for an actor to people who may not understand why that gives me any kind of pleasure. Plus, since my work happens on the internet as well, I do not want my professional life as a rather serious, specialised writer to be associated with my entertainment-focussed hobby. That said – I don’t think I’ll be fired if my fandom activities were to be known. I think my bosses would actually find it quite funny. And who knows – it would even open up a completely new niche of specialisation for me?

5.What are the boundaries for you in terms of how much of your real life you share on your blog?

Ooops, caught in the act. So much for keeping pictures of myself out of this… Guylty accidentally appearing in the photograph by a fellow fan whose name I unfortunately do not know.

Well, a lot of that harks back to what I have written in the previous question: It starts with keeping my real name out of my blog, as well as my face, for the reasons cited above. I also draw the line at showing my children’s photos (an old habit from when they were young; I think that parents should *never* post images of their children publicly online, and that even includes quasi-private social media platforms such as Facebook.) Respecting the privacy of others is important to me, which is why I don’t name friends or family who are not part of the fandom. Plus, this is a fandom blog dedicated to RA – I write under the assumption that my audience predominantly want to read about Armitage, not about me. The occasional breaches of my own rules tend to happen in the context of photography (when I am posting a slide-show of my holiday snaps or when I have seen an interesting exhibition), when RL has had an impact on my blogging behaviour (such as my dad’s death), or when things happen in RL that may be of universal interest (like elections, or other news). But unless my RL has some kind of relevance to the topic of the individual RA-related blog post, I always keep references out.

Having said all that, I do realise that my RL sneaks into my blog, mostly in asides, or in individual sentences, when I am explaining something. The temptation to write more about myself, is always there – who *doesn’t* like to talk about themselves? – but I try to keep it in check. This is a fan blog about RA, and I want to keep it that way.

Now, what about yourselves?

Link me your favourite pics (I could put them into a picture gallery in a separate post), tell me about your blog reading/writing habits, reveal the secret of your avatar, and tell us how much your RL knows about your fan girling activities. I am very curious!

And thanks to SueBC for the interesting questions!

Some ExtRA Questions Before I get to the "extRA questions" of the title, I need to share another great ode by Kathy with the world.

#Daniel Miller #fandom love #Richard Armitage

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pimothers · 5 years

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Meet Neha

Neha Jain is a Software Engineering Manager at LinkedIn. She is a mother of a five-month old boy Josh. At work she leads a team to help companies find their dream hire. She is passionate about using technology to empower individuals and society realize their true potential. Outside of work she mentors rising talent at Holberton School and founded PiMothers - a blog to share the inspiring stories of mothers in technology. In 2017, she was named a Top 10 Women in Cloud.

Q. What was your role and responsibility in the company when you found out you were expecting?

First time I found out I was expecting I was a senior engineer. It's interesting when I look back to that time of Jan 2017. I declined an opportunity to work on an exciting new project because I found out that I was four weeks pregnant. Two weeks later I found out that I might have been better off taking on that project since project baby was not on the table anymore :( Now in that emotionally challenging moment I had another 'what if’ which left me even more miserable.

Second time I found out that I was expecting I didn't turn down any professional opportunity which I would have otherwise accepted. I became an Engineering Manager and hosted/planned several events like speed mentoring with next play and girl geek dinner and I was named a Top 10 Women in Cloud 2017 all while I was pregnant!

Q. What advice do you have for other women, how to create a healthy environment at home for both your kid and spouse, your relationship and yourself?

Building on the answer above, my first advice to any woman would be to say yes to any opportunity that you would otherwise be excited to jump onto. As Sheryl Sandberg has famously said - “Don’t leave before you leave”. [full piece here]

Second, allow others to help you be it a fellow human or intelligent machine. I have so many machines at my house to take care of the household chores like cleaning (roomba), mopping (brava), making rotis (rotimatic), google home connected devices (nest, philips hue), automatic sprinkler. And I solicit help from my family and friends so that I can get a full night's sleep and time to relax and enjoy life.

One last advice that someone gave me which I would like to pass on - Plan a vacation. When you join back work after maternity leave, this vacation will be a very good thing to hold in your head and look forward to in the next six months. This will be the time you get to unwind and be with your family and build that healthy bonding.

On Preparing for the Change

Q. How has being a mother affected your career? Do you think you are consciously taking less challenging projects because you know you are a mom?

Becoming a mother has made me better at prioritization. I understand that the time I spend browsing Facebook or Whatsapp is time I can be with my son or do something meaningful at work. Because I want to get more active and learn new skills, I tend to be very mindful of where I invest my time and spend my efforts.

Q. How did you prepare yourself for the change? What books, blogs, advice, quotes do you remember, that motivated you during the time?

The books I read to prepare myself include:

Mindful Birthing: This book was recommended to me by my Ob and it’s a great book. Mindfulness practices presented in this book helped me get back to normal even in pregnancy when I learned that I had gestational diabetes. I used to practice walking meditation many times on post meal walks. Using BRANN technique explained in the book I was able to prevent an almost inevitable emergency c-section. I had been in labor for almost 24 hours after my water broke and we were running out of time. I started running temperature, that’s when hospital staff and my doctor asked us to prepare for c-section and pack out of the current room. At this point, I asked them about Risks of using pitocin and Alternatives to c-section. With that mindful discussion, nurse gave me pitocin and in just an hour Josh was born without any surgery!

Happiest Baby on the Block: I found this book via google search. The concept of fourth trimester and five S’s - Swaddle, Side/Stomach, Shush, Sway and Soothe explained in the book were very useful in those first eight to twelve weeks when it’s the very difficult to handle the baby’s feeding, crying and sleeping. I can’t say with certainty if it’s because of these S’s or Josh is naturally a delightful baby ;)

Breastfeeding Made Simple: This is one book I would recommend reading before delivery which unfortunately I read after delivery. The book has a very non-judgemental tone (which in itself is very soothing, when you are already struggling with breastfeeding, you don’t want a book breathing down your neck telling you that you are bad mother if you are not breastfeeding). It presents the seven natural laws of breastfeeding - presents the concept of nose to nipple in a very helpful way and has useful links to videos of mothers trying to breastfeed newborns.

Reversing Diabetes in 21 days: This is another book my ob recommended when I found out that I had gestational diabetes. Though the whole food, vegan diet that is presented in this book is very unconventional and I was split whether to try something as disruptive as leaving dairy while pregnant (I am already a vegetarian and main source of protein for me were dairy products). I think it was worth trying it out. My blood glucose became stable and insulin dose reduced as a result of it. Yes, eliminating dairy from the diet meant that I had to get creative with my food. I incorporated alternative milks like soy, almond, more nuts, tofu and hemp seeds in my diet. With my husband and my mom’s support it all worked out.

Other good books on the topic that I read were Expecting Better and Taking Charge of your Fertility.

After my son was born I read a lot on KellyMom for managing breastfeeding challenges.

Three years ago after moving to United States I wanted to find out how to balance work-life as a mother in technology. I started talking to mothers in technology to learn from them. I interviewed and talked to a lot of mothers in technology to get an understanding of what to expect, what to plan. I have shared these stories through my blog - PiMothers. I listened to Mothersboard podcast by Katherine Rottendo during pregnancy, I found out about this podcast during my interview with Jenni Snyder from Yelp.

Thinking out loud

Q. If you are comfortable talking about breastfeeding and how you manage it while working?

Breastfeeding for me was very challenging, I mean exceptionally challenging. I am so grateful to my husband and friends, specifically Sigal and lactation consultant Elaine for counseling me and supporting me through the difficult time of mastitis, clogged ducts and blocked pores. After a few months of managing via breast pumps, paced bottle feeding, nipple shield etc I was finally able to get myself and my son comfortable with direct latching.

Looking back, I think persevering through these difficulties when every day I thought of quitting and settling for bottle feeding, was more than worth it. These days, I have to worry about the bottles only on working days, holidays and weekends are complete bliss.

LinkedIn has really good Mother's room and our workplace team is very open to taking feedback and making improvements to support working moms every step of the way.

Q. What is that one thing that bothers you the most about parenting and you would want to fix in the system to make this process easier?

I think we need to build family friendly workplaces. Pregnancy is not a disability - the commitment in this one doesn’t end with the end of pregnancy, it only increases when a living dependent tiny human comes into this world. Improving support at workplace could start by providing clean pump parts for every session so that mothers’ don’t have to worry about cleaning etc every day. An option to bring your kids to work, if necessary or work from home on days no help is present would be very supportive for working parents.

Q. Given an option to stay-at-home and enjoy being a mom for your kids, would you leave your job?

I like the independence that I get as a result of working. The intellectual as well as social stimulation I get in the professional context lifts my spirits and makes me more meaningfully present around my son and family. I love my son but this is my way of teaching him independence.

Rapid Fire

Favorite book: He loves solar system book.

Biggest stress buster: Talking out loud with my husband over a warm cup of soy chai.

Favorite game you play with your family: Peek-a-boo

Favorite hobby: Reading, writing, cooking, exploring the world

Favorite lullaby: Lalla lalla lori

Typical go-to meal: Daal, roti, sabzi

Your best friend when it comes to handling tantrums: Smiling at him or holding him close to my chest.

On Benefits & Support

Q. What was your support structure during and after your pregnancy?

During the pregnancy my husband used to help out with household chores and I had a cook come over one day on weekends to chop veggies and prepare parathas etc.

After the delivery my mom came over from India and stayed with us for five months. She took care of the house and food as well as my son when I joined work. After she left my parents-in-law came over for some months. I have already enrolled him in a daycare which he will join after they leave.

Q. How did you find out about the various benefits that you were entitled to as an expecting mother? How was that experience?

I checked with my manager. There are a lot of mothers at LinkedIn and a friend of mine plugged me in to the mothers-at-LinkedIn slack channel. I had a pleasant experience finding out all the information and I would say that the process at LinkedIn is very smooth.

Q. When you have to stay for longer duration in office or have off-sites, how do you manage with your family waiting at home for you?

I use the grid of urgency, importance. I choose to be in the place which is urgent, important and I am required. This means sometimes I have to miss offsites to be with my son and family, yet other times I stay late at work for finishing up some last minute planning while my husband takes care of my son. Secondly, we try to organize family friendly activities between 9 - 5 so that parents don’t have to set up alternative care options for their family and kids.

Q. Do you have advice on how to choose a daycare/babysitter/nanny?

Choose what works best for your case. Each has its pros and cons. But I would say one thing - start your search early specially if you are in the bay area.

On Managing Daily Tasks

Q. What is your typical workday and weekend like? I bet it would have changed drastically since you have become a parent. Do you find time for yourself?

My workdays have expanded slightly as in I have to get up early to get ready myself and get my son ready (shared responsibility between me and my husband). Since these days I pump at work, I do find time for myself during those sessions. Once my son weans off, I hope I will find ‘me time’ by delegating some chores.

On weekends I spend more time with my son, massaging him, reading books, playing with him, taking him to a park or meeting friends.

Q. How did you prevent yourself from falling behind your peers during this time?

I actively practice not to compare myself with others. I find that doing your best work, spending time to perfect your skills and acquire new ones is productive and satisfying undertaking. I compare myself with my past self - if I am meeting the personal goals that I set for myself every year and I am becoming a better person, then I count that as success.

Q. Are there times when you are solving a difficult problem and it goes home with you? Do you get time to ponder on the challenge at home?

That happens sometimes. I try to use the time when he is breastfeeding to think about the problem. Sometimes I talk to my mentors and my manager to get a better understanding of the problem and varied perspective.

Q. How do you handle situations when you have a demanding day at work and suddenly your child gets sick? What would you want to have in this situation?

I try to be mindful in such situations and handle one thing at a time. A skill I have picked up as a manager which comes very handy is delegation. Based on the severity of the issue whether at home or at work I check which task can be handled by someone other than me, I hand that one over and take care of the other one myself.

#mothersintech #working mothers #womenintech #bayarea #india #linkedin

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intheliteraturesense · 7 years

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Shh...Let People Enjoy Things

When I was about…I honestly don’t know whatever a reasonable age to still be playing with Barbie dolls is (great memory you got there Shan lol), the ‘must have’ toy at the time was a convertible Bratz car.

For those unfamiliar with Bratz they were essentially Barbie’s big headed more fashion forward and trendy sisters, and the car….man the car was cool as shit! Not only could your dolls obviously fit inside said car, but it also had working flashing lights, a working horn and a radio built in, (I’m seriously not trying to sell you a Bratz convertible, I swear…) in short the thing was freaking amazing to a young mind. I, like every girl my age at the time desperately wanted one of these convertibles from Santa, but the reality was as it often is was that the car that Christmas was sold out everywhere! Every kid had been begging their parents for weeks and of course, parents in a panic most definitely ran to the store to pick up the must have item as quick as possible. This is not a new phenomenon, much as some people will have to believe by going on and on about the new must have item, it’s merely a repeated pattern in consumerism. I guess that fact is the point of this whole post to be honest, it’s the fact that we were all kids once and we all at one point or another wanted the must have item. Hell…I’m going to be honest here and say that you don’t even have to be a kid to want the newest must have item, I myself have been guilty of this and even my own mother bought a toy supposedly for my brother, but really her and her brother wanted to check out this Mr Frosty themselves. (Side note: They were highly disappointed as were most people during this time lol). We like to think of ourselves as bigger and better people, who don’t conform to these ideas or desires to have the newest gadget or toy but the reality is that sometimes it’s just in our nature. We’re excited by new innovative creations, even if they are as simple as a bloody convertible car for dolls that happens to also have radio. We’re people of simple pleasures, even if these things seem simple in design or useless in function we still find them amusing when they become mass produced and in our faces. I get a little frustrated when people complain on and on about the latest must have to be honest, because it’s rarely an argument on consumerism which would be understandable and relevant. It's usually more a case of “I don’t like this thing personally or find use for it, so I’m going to complain about how people are idiots for using it” which if I’m going to be brutally honest, makes you sound like a bitter old person because it’s just damn right stupid. Before you send me hateful comments, think about it for a second!

You probably love a book, movie, or type of music that if you’re like me a lot of people cannot stomach, right? (I’ll continue my quest to make people love the angsty sad music I love if it kills me) Eventually you move past that stage of insisting to people that the thing you like is somehow superior to the thing that they like and you accept the fact that neither is superior or inferior but that “different strokes for different folks” meaning you both love different things and that that’s okay. In previous eras a lot of people including some of the famous critiques I actually look up to such as Theodor Adorno, would often argue that particular genres of things, literature or music for example would be more intellectually stimulating and therefore superior to other genres. Many people argued that these superior genres were highly beneficial to humanity as stimulated thought and action etc., rather than forcing people to mindlessly consume the product. In my opinion these guys may have had some very accurate points (which Adorno has many) but it’s important to remember there is also a high amount of cynicism in these arguments. People get so mad about things simply because they themselves don’t enjoy them or for a variety of personal reasons take offence to them, these things in modern times can be artists such as Ed Sheeran (whom has become sort of the Nickelback of 2017), or the fads of today such as the Pokémon Go craze or the more recent Fidget Spinners. Last Summer Pokémon Go hit the app store and we all went nuts, the mobile phone application was brought about under the idea of getting kids out and about rather than playing video games at home. Yes, we all remember our parents complaining about how we never leave the house and sit glued to a screen, so finally a new game set out to fix that problem which sounded awesome! However, I wonder did it change this argument from parents and did parents breathe a sigh of relief when it was announced people would actually have to leave their homes to play a game? Of course, it changed nothing and like most things it became just another thing to complain about. Granted there were/are many reported accidents, injuries etc. caused by this craze, which is a vital part of many arguments but these accidents were highly avoidable so if anything it proves once again that some people just do silly things and become the reason we have warning labels on everything. (We still have to remind people not to text and drive? Like seriously?! Lol). I fully take on the reality that yes, this craze had downsides, but damn can we stop being so damn serious for a minute.

I’m genuinely quite a sociable person, yet I find it hard to meet people as I rarely have the money to go out to clubs or bars etc. so for people like me or people who maybe suffer social anxiety more severe than myself, Pokémon Go became a tool to engage with people. Not only did it stop me staying inside reading or on my computer for all of the Summer which is highly likely to have happened without it, but it also provided an easy conversation starter. As so many people were playing this new must have, those people could talk to each other because of this commonality that they may not have had before. A lot of people, adults, young adults, kids etc. were getting out of the house, most for hours at a time being active in order to catch Pokémon, it seems funny but it’s actually pretty damn awesome. I’ve easily walked for several hours of the day around my town, just to catch some Pokémon and I’m known for being too lazy to walk for food. So why the cynicism then? Why do we have to ruin a good thing by pointing out only the downsides? People often say things like “Oh you could be reading a really good book” or learning a new skill, instead of playing something they deem useless and unstimulating. I despise this argument because of the high levels of snobbery it emerges from, these people too often follow these statements up with something like “I just need something more interactive and thought provoking in my life” as if they spend their evenings reading by candle light and don’t know what “TV dramas” are, give me a fucking break. The point is this argument falls completely flat because it can just about be used for bloody anything if you feel the need for it, for instance you can easily argue and I’m sure many boring interesting people have that watching TV shows is in no way intellectually stimulating for us as human beings, but the reality is nearly every single person on this planet probably watches at least three shows religiously (damn my number of shows is that multiplied by 12 lol). If people get enjoyment out of something then damn, leave them to it. The world (especially right now) is a pretty freaking bleak place at times, sometimes it’s hard to be happy in this world so if you get amusement, joy or laughter from something be it a new game or a type of music etc. then that’s awesome! As human beings we should have evolved past this silly behaviour of shaming people for liking a particular thing, and actually just being happy they found something to enjoy in this world. I understand people in retail somewhat hating these fads as people desperately wanting the newest must have, sometimes can be quite awful to deal with but that has pretty much nothing to do with the must have but everything to do with those people. So to sum this blog up before I continue rambling on.

Please! Let people enjoy things. Don’t be a dick about something just because someone else enjoys it and you don’t. Don’t be a dick to people if they don’t enjoy it. Don’t be a dick to people in retail (cause damn they gotta deal with the general public who no offence is a lot dumber than we like to believe, do them a solid and be nice). In short, don’t be a dick.

*Authors Note* This post was heavily inspired by the following image by the hilarious, Adam Ellis.

Love & hugs, Shannon

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floraexplorer · 5 years

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Hay On Wye Book Festival: A Haven for Literature Lovers

For most of the year, Hay-on-Wye is just a quiet Welsh village.

But for ten days each spring, over 250,000 people descend on Hay-on-Wye. They fill the narrow streets, they book every available bed for miles around, and they spend a great deal of time wandering around a field on the hunt for intellectual stimulation.

Why? Because they’re all obsessed with books – and Hay-on-Wye village is essentially the world’s biggest bookshop.

For those who don’t know, the Hay Literary Festival is a ten day event held each May in the tiny Welsh village of Hay-on-Wye, in the Brecon Beacons. Usually this village has a population of around 1,500 – but that number swells considerably when the bibliophiles arrive.

Avid readers and literary fans come to hear readings, panel discussions, podcast recordings, presentations and conversations from over six hundred different novelists, historians, children’s authors, comedians, academics and prominent thinkers. It’s a literature-loving group which I’d love to know the collective noun for!

In May 2019 I was one of these Hay festival attendees, catching a train up from London to the Welsh border and daydreaming about the festival which awaited me in just three hours time.

This is pretty much my dream set up: cold coffee, new book and a three hour train journey ahead of me AND I’m off to spend the day at #HayFestival2019! I’m going to wander around a FIELD OF BOOKS!! Does it get any better?! #HayFestival pic.twitter.com/1cYfVH9OlF

— Flora Baker (@FloraBaker) May 24, 2019

I’ve been to many festivals over the years, some better than others – but I’ve recently come to the realisation that I actually have a fair amount of festival anxiety. The crowds, the chaotic atmosphere, the general pressure to have a Very Good Time: it all combines to make me feel pretty uncomfortable.

But thankfully, the Hay Festival was the complete opposite of a triggering festival situation. And I shall tell you why.

Pin me for later!

Why a literary festival is my dream antidote right now

The first months of 2019 have been very enlightening for me. After finally emerging from a surreal and nightmarish 2018 (where I did little more but sob in my bed, eat copious amounts of takeaway food and grieve the death of my dad) I started the new year with a new lease of life.

But that’s not to say I’ve thrown myself back into tons of activities or embarked on months of non-stop travelling. Quite the opposite, in fact.

2019 has seen me slow right down as I happily settle into a routine in London: one which involves catching up on all the blog articles I’ve never ‘had time’ to write (hello, huge guide-style posts about South America!), delving back into working on the third draft of my book manuscript, spending time with friends, and most crucially, ensuring that each day has a focus on self-care.

My therapist recently told me that I’ve got Generalised Anxiety Disorder. This was music to my ears, as I’ve long-thought that my anxious thoughts were serious enough to warrant an official name. With the help of my therapist, I’m now able to work on methods to keep my anxiety in check, and having a routine is a huge part of that.

For now, my self-care routine includes weekly CBT therapy sessions, meditation, going running every other day – and reading as many books as I can get my hands on.

Rediscovering a love of reading books

Ahh, BOOKS! Aren’t they the best?! Once upon a time I basically lived in my local library – but then I grew up, and went travelling, and the concept of a library membership was all but forgotten.

Until recently, when I walked past my local library and suddenly remembered there were FREE BOOKS in there – and now I can’t stop loudly proclaiming my utter joy to people.

“Look at this huge stack of books! I borrowed all of these for free!!”

There’s nothing like getting lost in a good book, and it’s making me truly happy to be voraciously reading once again (although I know it’s not a competition, I’m still loving the fact that I’ve already read nineteen books this year!). It’s opened up my imagination to all these stunning worlds that so many authors have conceived of, and reminded me just how magical it is to be taken on a journey with them.

So when my friend Jas said she was going to Hay on Wye Book Festival for a talk in late May, I absolutely jumped at the chance. What better activity for a Bank Holiday weekend than celebrating my newly-invigorated bookworm status?

How to spend the day at Hay Literary Festival

If you catch a train from London like I did, you’ll go to Hereford station (the closest city to Hay on Wye). The festival organises bus transfers to and from Hereford – but be forewarned, buses only depart every 1.5 hours so time your train arrival accordingly (or catch a more expensive taxi with other festival attendees).

Hereford is 21 miles away from Hay-on-Wye, so the bus takes about an hour and costs £7.50 for a one-way ticket. When the bus leaves the rolling countryside and starts pottering through quintessential-British-village-style lanes with brightly coloured bunting fluttering in the breeze, you’ll know you’ve arrived.

The transfer bus dropped me on the outskirts of Hay-on-Wye village – a place which already looked so picturesque that I decided to have a little wander before heading to the festival itself.

I highly suggest you do the same. Because it’s ADORABLE.

Have a little look around Hay-on-Wye village

If you want some backstory to the festival, it’s worth knowing that Hay-on-Wye’s unofficial status as ‘the world’s first book town’ is precisely why the festival began in the first place.

In 1961, an Englishman named Richard Booth opened a second-hand bookshop in Hay’s old fire station, capitalising on the closure of lots of libraries in the US to ship books back in huge containers and fill his new shelves. The idea spread, and gradually more people began to open more bookshops, some choosing to specialise in antiquarian books or children’s books or history books.

As the village’s reputation for books grew, Richard Booth promptly moved into Hay Castle (also proclaiming himself the ‘King of Hay’) and partially opened that medieval building up as a bookshop, too.

Nowadays, Hay-on-Wye has over twenty bookshops scattered amongst the streets, and it’s globally known as a Book Town. Which is why it makes total sense that in 1987 a man named Peter Florence sat at a kitchen table with his parents and friends and conceived of a literary festival to further solidify the village’s book-obsessed reputation.

Florence funded the first Hay Festival with winnings from a poker game – although it’s rumoured that his mum also had to bail him out the first year. Luckily, the festival went from strength to strength, and now there are dozens of sister festivals all around the world in places like Colombia, Kenya, Denmark and Lebanon.

Apart from the plethora of Hay bookshops, the literary influence has burrowed its way into every nook and cranny of Hay-on-Wye: parking notices are book-themed, the hanging signs above shop doorways are shaped like books, and even the decorations in the local pharmacy are made with carefully folded pages.

Whether they work with literature or not, it feels like everyone living in this village is keen to jump on the book bandwagon.

Head to the fields of the Hay on Wye Book Festival

My curiosity about the village adequately sated, I followed the street signs to walk five minutes out of the village along the narrow Brecon Road, with fields on my left and houses on my right.

There were stewards in reflective vests politely directing cars into the fields set up for parking, and the row of houses opposite were embracing the entrepreneurial spirit: a family were selling ‘drive thru Welsh cakes’, someone’s front garden had been transformed into a high tea area serving scones and jam, and there was even a cider wagon parked in a driveway pouring freshly drawn pints for thirsty festival-goers!

The festival itself is held in a field just outside Hay on Wye village, where a network of covered green walkways connects fourteen different venues. I hadn’t planned an event schedule once I arrived, choosing instead to simply wander and see what the Hay festival is like from a newbie’s perspective.

In hindsight, this was probably a bit of a waste – especially as in a single day’s schedule I counted at least seventy eight events! On the other hand, my carefree exploring allowed me to get a general sense of what the Hay Festival has to offer.

Browse the second-hand bookshops

First up, I had an industrious browse in the Oxfam bookshop, the shelves and tables positively groaning with second-hand books.

“Let’s look for Daddy’s books – history books, about things which used to go on!” I listened as the man opposite me read a passage out loud from a heavy-looking book entitled ‘World History’, which made the small boy in his arms wriggle and say “Put me down now!”

Buy some books written by the authors speaking at Hay

Next, I headed to the revered ‘Hay Festival Bookshop’, a huge tented space where virtually every book on the shelves belonged to an author speaking at Hay. Which was a pretty surreal realisation when I thought too much about it.

The bookshop is also where many of the book signings take place, and when I came in I immediately spotted Michael Rosen signing books for a gaggle of schoolchildren who kept asking him for selfies.

Rosen is a childhood hero of mine who wrote literal tons of poetry which I can still remember – which meant I unexpectedly turned into a bit of a gibbering idiot for a while, umming and ahhing about whether to wander nonchalantly over to his signing table and tell him he’s probably responsible for fostering my lifelong love of poetry… but at the last minute I wimped out. Ridiculous.

Read a book in one of the deckchairs on the grass…

One of my favourite elements of the Hay on Wye Book Festival is seeing the deckchairs dotted everywhere, waiting expectantly for book-loving bums to take a seat in.

I wandered the walkways until I spotted an empty chair and made a beeline, settling in and taking my book from my bag with a flourish so I could read for a bit.

…Or get serious in the official Reading Room

Unfortunately English springtime is not the warmest: it got a bit chilly outside so I headed to ‘The Serious Reading Room’, which took my breath away.

This little tented space was filled with comfy chairs and reading lamps, and every single person had their nose buried in a book. It was wonderfully, joyously surreal.

Attend an event at one of the venues

I didn’t manage to see what the other venues were like, but the talk we’d bought tickets for was held in the Oxfam Moot – a sizeable tent with ramped seating, a big stage and three large screens to better see the speakers.

At 5pm I queued outside the venue and took my seat (with my friend still racing to park her car and make it to the venue on time!). Just as the lights went down in the auditorium I spotted her running in from the other side of the tent, so we waited until after the talk to reunite.

For the next hour, I listened to Joan Smith and Nazir Afzal discuss the timely and somewhat terrifying topic of how domestic violence can turn men into terrorists. I’d been a little nervous about hearing this in-depth discussion (terrorism is an anxiety trigger I have to deal with quite often) but it was actually fascinating to hear a human rights activist (Smith) and a British solicitor (Afzal) speak on a subject I knew little about, and I left feeling inspired and educated.

Soak in the joyous sight of people READING! Everywhere you look!

Finally reunited with my darling friend Jas, we headed for the bookshop so I could buy the book I’d spied earlier (a stunning collection of essays by Sinead Gleeson). This was the first time Jas had been to Hay Festival too, and it was lovely to see her initial reactions to the place.

‘It’s very civilised, isn’t it! Very…quiet?!”

The sun was out again, and we flopped down in some deckchairs to catch up. All around us, people were reading books. They sat in deckchairs, on benches, at picnic tables, cross-legged on the floor, leaning against any surface – some held pages open while eating ice cream or munching a mouthful of paella.

It was a gorgeous sight.

The Hay Festival is unlike any festival I’ve been to: it’s calm, serene, fascinating and thought-provoking, with none of the stressful situations of a typical music festival that I’ve come to dislike.

In fact, the idea of a festival focused around books is still so amazing to me. How many large-scale events champion the concept of reading – not to mention providing a space to share what words have taught us, and how much we appreciate the value of a good book?! (And just in case any festival organisers are reading this, I think more festivals should take a leaf out of the Hay Festival’s book. Have an on-site bookshop! And please, PLEASE set up a dedicated reading room!)

I think this short clip from the fabulous Michael Rosen sums up what reading is all about for me. Give it a watch – and then maybe go and pick up a book.

“The great thing about reading is that it turns human experience into a kind of object that you can look at and turn over,” says @MichaelRosenYes @hayfestival #TextualHealing pic.twitter.com/hBLJO4JKRa

— BBC Culture (@BBC_Culture) May 30, 2019

Have you ever been to Hay on Wye Book Festival? And more crucially, are you a fan of book puns?! You might have noticed I couldn’t help but add a few in here – let me know how many you spotted in the comments below!

Helpful tips for Hay Literary Festival:

How to get to Hay-on-Wye by train/bus: From Hereford train and bus stations, there’s a transfer bus every 1.5 hours which takes 50 minutes and costs £7.50 one way, £10 return. There are also transfer buses from Worcester Crowngate bus station. Contactless payment is available on board.

How to get to Hay-on-Wye by car: The festival is just off the A438 between Brecon and Hereford. The official Hay Festival address is Dairy Meadows, Brecon Road, Hay on Wye, HR3 5PJ.

Do I have to pay for entry to Hay Book Festival? No, it’s free to enter the festival site – but each event is individually ticketed. Prices range from £5 to £40 and all tickets are available either from the festival’s website or the box office on-site.

What accommodation can I stay in during Hay Book Festival? There is camping on-site (Tangerine Fields are 2 minutes from the festival) and plenty of hotels, bed & breakfasts and Airbnbs in the surrounding area. Make sure to book early as they fill up fast!

Did you enjoy reading about my experiences at the Hay Book Festival? Pin it for later!

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ultradecaffeinatedbouquetsw-blog · 6 years

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23 Ways To Drive By means of A Tough Workout session.

During our journey for better freedom, excellence and also happiness often times our experts overlook our spiritual side. Painting a vivid image for precisely what you want is actually certainly not simply a highly effective come in stimulating you, yet the specific interpretation will certainly help you arrive. The repay" mindset is actually additionally an appealing strategy for those which want to change their adverse emotions right into even more incentive to analyze. Bad side-effects of this stubborn strategy of inspiration are greed as well as lust. Whether it is actually Tony Robbins, Les Brown, or a quote compilation, there's only one thing about these video clips that immediately provides me a boost of energy and also fortitude. Give this a view and let me understand exactly what you assume, as this is merely the second inspirational video I've produced. Lots of people are inspired off Parikshit Jobanputra, his speeches are very exciting as well as inspirational. Researchers have actually found that caffeine can enrich some intellectual activities, including mind features, as well as stimulate off the inspiration and perks circuit in the brain. Inspiration creates dedication, which in turn produces passion merely making it take place. He started the Tim Tebow Foundation, he composed Through My Eyes along with Nathan Whitaker, and also as well as he aided have the Denver Broncos to the playoffs this previous time. So in this write-up I 'd like to discuss FIFTY from the thought-provoking, motivating and efficient quotes coming from recent handful of hundreds of years on leadership. The next personal motivation technique is enthusiasm, which can successfully encourage on your own! Popular music is actually the simplest, however extremely effective, inspiration methods a person can integrate into his real-time. Your best motivation ought to be that you wish to clear yourself of the evil from dependence in order to lead a sober as well as tidy life. A healthy body system and in good condition thoughts are going to most definitely aid you find that little inspiration to analyze in the ultimate year of your planning. I highly recommend that you view a new motivational video or even hear one thing motivational every day. Similarly to a couple of the various other video clips on this checklist, Through Heck is actually all about driving with bumpy rides in your life when your experiencing disappointment, drawbacks, rejection and various other circumstances that are actually draining pipes the life away from you. Particular incentive can be reinforced through using motivation strategies whereas the external motivation determines or even demands outdoors aspects to be raised. Therefore today I will as if just do one blog post with simply a few of my favorite inspirational video clips off Michael Jordan and Nike. The energy of tourist attraction is an universal energy, showing up just about everywhere and also throughout. In http://termeszetes-megjelenes.info recognizing the energy of words are going to dramatically strengthen your quality of life and you will certainly being to reside a lifestyle of correct definition and best objective. I am actually super-keen to accomplish that and also if I finish this in under 4 hrs and Thirty Minutes I would certainly be very satisfied. As you can observe from these connections, it's just organic to be interested concerning the power of the subconscious mind. What issues is for you to understand whether you are actually much more encouraged from within, or if you acquire even more of your incentive off exterior factors. You may locate that your level from incentive is actually straight associated to exactly how clinically depressed you are experiencing if clinical depression is accountable for your absence of motivation. Redouble on doing what YOU definitely, actually prefer to carry out. When you really, truly like performing one thing after that the motivation to accomplish that factor tends to happens pretty instantly. It's the kind of inspiration that you receive when you are actually performing one thing you appreciate; when the activity on its own is its personal reward. Understanding the true significance beind this can assist drive inspiration yet likewise live much more in the here and now. In my adventure partnering with families, professional athletes, physical fitness specialists as well as lovers, and company managers and staffs, I've learned there are actually four strategies people may use to make lasting incentive: Self-Efficacy, FIT/Rational Reasoning, MORE INTELLIGENT Goals, and also Devotion Contracts. Goals are actually a great source from inspiration, as they help us to support our inspiration and offer needed concentration and path and also ought to as a result be incorporated into our tool kit" of incentive procedures. However, when faced with a lack of patience, checking out a checklist of impressive persistence quotes could make an accurate variation. This form of incentive is actually frequently used to inspire students in the learning system and also often in a professional setting to encourage staff members. Path is actually possessing a daily tactic to obtain that if focus implies possessing a supreme objective. A shortage of path eliminates motivation due to the fact that without an obvious next activity we succumb to laziness. Handful of things give me as much brand new electricity and also inspiration to tackle life as this carries out. To enhance your inspiration and interest, think frequently of your objective, about its own advantages as well as benefits, as well as exactly how this will certainly modify your life. Each are actually similarly vital as well as we need the energy as well as benefits of both understanding and also riches to succeed. Prior to you unconsciously enable out, analyze whether this is actually mosting likely to provide the each of you long-term, in whatever circumstance you locate your own self in. Much way too many people only focus on the hard portion of life that motivation may help our company with. Well I have eventually managed to get 22 great video recordings from some terrific private progression speakers and also inspirational bodies. If you could certainly not read manuals at that point pay attention to the sounds or even online videos of your place from interest. In maintaining along with the motif, this short article is committed to detailing a few of the greatest Youngster Cudi quotes, an additional hip hop musician that truly probes serious and speaks some prudent words in his tunes. You will certainly quickly notice that only by pondering over the meaning of a number of these quotes you will swiftly restore the desire to accomplish one thing terrific.http://termeszetes-megjelenes.info/bioxyn-ar-velemenyek-hatasok-hol-kaphato-etrend-kiegeszito-a-fogyas/ ='float:left;margin-right:10px;' src="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nuclear_Power_Plant_2.jpg" width="279" alt="powerschool"/> Oftentimes, we possess plenty of great tips in our mind, however our team lack the required power as well as incentive to execute all these visions. Please remember that this approach could simply stir your incentive to examine as long as you use the basic guideline: asking for purpose = glorious benefit and also basic target = little reward. Lots of posts along with quotes and phrases that are actually as tacky as a sizzling slice from pizza.. When you do not possess this, you cannot merely rouse up incentive. At times you are actually undergoing something.

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barrattheon-blog · 7 years

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Alex West Tesla Code Secrets Review - Doesn't It Really

Throughout this Tesla Code Secrets Review by ReviewsMagz, I will supply you with a neutral opinion for this personal development product which provides to help you what you need making use of some top-secret techniques which happen to be said to be found out from none other than one of the best specialists actually ever existed Nikola Tesla. We have being used Tesla Code Secrets Review therefore i provide you that you are growing a reputable suggestions and inside important information on this website that you really perhaps will not uncover on any kind of webpage. I have been a major lover of Nikola Tesla, not alone because I learned electrical related architectural throughout the time of my graduation, but his way of life most certainly suggests that he received a specific form of much better approach for whole life, an item which assists you to reach what the rest feel is impossible. His insurance quote Should you wish to appreciate to the world, picture electrical energy, consistency and vibration generally inspires me. Alright, I am just not going to speak about an excellent male from now on the following, mainly because this really is not what this blog should be about, even so, I could keep doing that for years. And so the journalist Alex West states that he has found some mystery way by making use of which Tesla realized the majority of the success and he is spreading by using you in such a manual that he cell phone calls Tesla Code Secrets Download by Alex West. What Is Considered This tesla code secrets book? Needless to say, there is no fantastic being employed specialized solution that will make you a millionaire suddenly, nevertheless these are a handful ideas, ways, and activities that will help you to occur what you need into your life. Though the journalist has endorsed the merchandise calling that it must be all research-founded no law of attraction or new age items, it can be yet still practically an identical. Showing the type of the double split test and stating that quantum science says that the observer has effects on the identified doesn’t help it become different to LOA, in actual fact, which brings both of those subject areas even more detailed, unfortunately, I actually do keep in mind he does this to have the have confidence in with the nonbelievers. Basically, Tesla Code Secrets legit is dependant on anything at all he cell phone calls cerebral strengths and determined by him, all the most successful everyone has known simple methods to induce these types of abilities. So your overall book revolves around the best way to lead to these cerebral power to become a pure champion in a region of everyday life. There is always a thing the writer educates in ReviewsMagz Tesla Code Secrets Reviews applying which he suggests we can easily use our conscious psyche to purchase everything you interest by causing the cerebral forces and he requests it the Magic Psyche Special Stimulator, this is actually some thing which sparks the right attitudinal pattern to be successful which is referred as physiological vernacular, I are not able to discuss it, you will need to read the full ebook to realize that properly. This full factor is centered on is emphasis and also just how our conscious purposes are responsible for the reality that we build, and so i are in agreement with that totally. I am just also practically surprised by how Tesla Code Secrets Review is structured plus lots of workout plans, In my opinion Tesla Code Secrets Success stories can really help anyone to fully grasp his resourceful strength much better. Having said that, never get deluded by how just simply I actually have claimed that the free tesla code secrets helps you with about the power of your concerned spirit, this chap surely demands it within the much better degrees and helps guide you you can use matters utilising the power of your conscious psyche, so much we have only noticed is attainable with means which enables anyone to draw on his subconscious mind capacity, so no hypnosis or any that type of things. The author highlights that Nikola Tesla told me that the world is a really knowledge standard bank and can are given lots of the information you need to produce something new using our mentality as a form of transmitter, that is truly a very powerful impression, isn’t it? Based on this he made Tesla Code Secrets Experiences by Alex West at which he will reveal the right way to reveal your wants with the universe and enjoy the very best suggestions to establish your fantasies becoming reality, and this also comprises turning out to be easy-to-use and choosing accurate choices. Very well, I seriously don’t know the way substantially formula plans Alex honestly found out from Nikola Tesla’s living, but anyone with an effective expertise in the standard legal guidelines is familiar with that’s how these perfect families acquire their set goals. Entire, I feel tesla code secrets book can definitely be used as helpful tips for making a required reality if one is able to thoroughly abide by Tesla Code Secrets Experiences and incorporate the ability shown on it. From the Process The Book - Major an aspect of tesla code secrets pdf download is an eBook with all over 242 web pages that includes 18 chapters which are to be implemented each and every one per week for 18 days. You can find a large amount of exercise sessions for simple behaviors, tales for reference point and summaries for changes there. The whole set of chapters are based on how you could make use of a mindful mind’s vigor i.e cerebral powers to accomplish no matter which is required. You will definitely get to master some processes to activate physiological dialects of the body that allows you to just take appropriate basic steps at virtually any time to have power over any position. There are certain points that limit one’s cerebral power so become familiar with to remove persons boundaries. In this article are some of the important things taught and practiced around the chapters: Constructing biological transforms working with alert objectives. Emphasize Handling. Guidelines for photographic recollection. Intellectual make use of in order to make utmost usage of any chance. Methods to craft prolonged behavioral and temperament transitions. Evident wondering overall scenarios. Creating buddies and developing the believe of all sorts of us. The writer demonstrates how your mind have an effect on your actuality by developing you apply the techniques; you will also discover how to influence some and shield yourself from indeed being inspired. The Workbook - And also the important eBook, you can be finding a workbook that will make you practice some intense methods therefore you will certainly make a suitable utilization of the Tesla Code Secrets Cons by Alex West. The workbook handles varied important things plus it inspires you to submit an application the wisdom to be able to see some terrific results. Rejuvenate Your Head Audio tracks Training program - One can find 5 audios that includes some true effective psyche kicking back music. It is made for you if you like to meditate by using tunes. Even though you may do not meditate you can easily take note of these times with regards to your cell by shutting down the eyes and encouraging yourself to get immersed in the people tranquilizing seems, this will likely absolutely make you feel relatively invigorated afterwards. Rewards: Napoleon Mountain Compendium - Have you heard among the booklet that has crafted millionaires - Suppose and Grow Rich? I have been consistently reading this handbook for years because it is what revolutionized the success ideas which served many people so you can get loaded. As a good advantage utilizing this type of device, you will be trying to get this handbook within both mp3 and pdf formats, not only this, Alex acquired also delivered together again most of Napoleon’s lesser referred to gets results for example the success key facts. Now, that would be some thing I get a hold of an incredible benefit! The Power of Assuming eBook. Mainly because the total process is usually driven by LOA; this writer offers this advantage the place he episodes ways you can alter the restricting values inside your subconscious head to make certain that the changes you are going to make will last for very long. I am just giving the range of this bonus deals depending on things i earned as soon as i requested this supplement, these extra products may change after a while, kindly check the service or product website to see the things they are selling without delay. Overall Assistance Apparently, a lot of the individuals below came with definitely one essential debate in your thoughts, Is tesla code free pdf a scam? Your answer should be no! Except if you are in a delusion that you just will choose Tesla Code Secrets Cons by Alex West and you may initiate manifesting things like a wizard in working days. With the price, advice and perks, I discover it a good deal. If you are intent on growing into successful and if you happen to wanting to invest the time plus your vigor in achieving that then I am certain you will definitely are excellent consumption of these things. Consequently, I will give you an apparent environmentally friendly indicate for tesla code secrets pdf free download. In case you are locating a really good special offer then just go forward without having worries for the reason that any particular progression freak much like me will pay that volume with the Napoleon Slope compendium by yourself without the need of reluctance, having said that the things i got to study from this product was totally different and practically new in comparison with lots of the individual enlargement solutions and products I usually actually buy. How have you come across Tesla Code Secrets? Are there any thoughts about what is the tesla code to talk about? Please do provide feedback under prior to giving, I would love to hear from you. Additionally you can send me with all of your whole life points or issues, I will be really delighted that will help. If this Tesla Code Secrets Plan was useful to afterwards you remember to propagated the word by expressing it onto your using the web social media sites.

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extraupdate-blog · 7 years

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Why I Became a WordPress Blogger

New Post has been published on https://extraupdate.com/why-i-became-a-wordpress-blogger/

Why I Became a WordPress Blogger

Until currently I actually have continually favored the unfastened Blogger program supplied with the aid of Google at blogspot.Com over different strategies of running a blog. Why? Because it is so easy to installation and use, and monetize. However, Blogger has its obstacles. The most significant of that is that you do not personal your blog so you can not promote it in case you need to. And you may want to sell it at some point if it will become treasured due to the amount of income it’s far generating. It is possible to register your very own domain call and host a Blogger weblog in this domain but I determined this technically extra complex to set up.

I have usually been reluctant to take the adventure into WordPress running a blog because in advance variations appeared so confusing in particular whilst it came to trying modifications to the setup. It is feasible to install a unfastened weblog at wordpress.Com however, as first-class I can consider, there are limits on the usage of the weblog for marketing and consequently a limit on what you could earn with it. All the weblog aficionados propose using WordPress mounted in your very own domain and now I am starting to see why.

Contrary to what I imagined, I now find it’s far quite clean to install WordPress on a registered area. One of the demanding situations seems to be to discover an appropriate topic for the weblog, one that is appealing without the colors and design is dominating. The less dominating the layout the more likely your blog traffic will see your advertising and marketing, assuming you are the usage of your blog to generate some extra cash or maybe full-time profits. By suitable, I also mean a theme that’s well optimized for the search engines and which allows easy and ultimate inclusion of advertising and marketing which includes AdSense inside the posts.

But what has subsequently satisfied me to apply WordPress with my domain names is the ready availability of unfastened plugins. Plugins are small software programs which can be without problems brought to the running a blog software program to increase the alternatives to be had. I specifically favor a loose plugin referred to as Quick-Adsense which makes embedding a variety of different types of advertising and marketing anywhere in any publish a simple remember. There also are a whole host of paid plugins that could allow such things as automobile inclusion of articles, and Amazon and Clickbank advertising.

Blogging Tips For New Bloggers

1. Be Creative! The best part about blogging is that it is absolutely you! You can explicit your self, your thoughts, and your opinions. But not simply that, the entirety of your blog represents you. Get to recognize the gear, widgets, and options you have to trade the layout, coloration, background, text. Make your blog undeniably you!

2. Change it up! Not simplest can you find a perfect format, you can alternate your appearance and themes as regularly as you like! Go with the seasons! Go with your temper! Add and trade up your pictures, song, and different factors to maintain things upbeat and exciting.

3. Try multiple blogs. You don’t have to stick to one weblog. Say you have got a blog that every one your friends and the owner family realize about, and there are positive belongings you can’t say or write about because of who would possibly read it. Or say you began this blog with a positive topic or tone so that you can not write approximately different matters because it would not suit the weblog. Well, why no longer have two? You may even use a pen name and be completely anonymous on the second blog. You may want to have a deep, intellectual weblog and a brilliant, enjoyable weblog. You ought to have a dark, moody blog and a witty, expert weblog. Who says you may most effective express one aspect of your self?

4. Blog at the side. Perhaps you’re no longer a large blogger and, although you enjoy an occasional submit, you do not have the time or energy to update very frequently. Try a social network in preference to a weblog community. Most social networks, like Facebook and MySpace, have the possibility for blogging, however, there are different activities as well. From games to easy fame updates to messaging pals, you may preserve an account without having to constantly write weblog posts. Yet, you may still get a threat to put in writing a put up wherein your friends can see it whenever you want!

5. Look around! You can continually get ideas from other seasoned bloggers. You can get a notion on what to put in writing approximately, the way to layout your blog web page, and even ask questions from pro bloggers everywhere on the Internet. Check out Technorati.Com or perform a Google Blog search to discover all forms of blogs on the Internet.

6. Stay secure! Keep in thoughts that your posts are completely open to the general public. You ought to be cautious how a great deal identification information you put up on your website. Even in case you installed small bits of records here and there, all someone could do is examine all your entries to piece together quite a few statistics about you! You are in reality loose to apply a pen call and fictional names that might supply away from your area, college or paintings call to keep away from sharing an excessive amount of private records. In many cases, this will probably be encouraged.

7. Join the community! There are many bloggers like you out there who’ve some exciting stories and posts you might be inquisitive about! From the house page of your weblog host issuer, you may regularly search for weblog with comparable subjects or pastimes. You can study and touch upon other people’s posts and join their websites to get updates once they publish once more. The greater you hook up with others, the more they’ll connect with you, study your posts, and join you!

Building a weblog is comparable to building a business. Compared to the brick and mortars, a weblog is taken into consideration a low barrier to entry task; all that is needed is a computer, huge band, annual renewal expenses in your area, and internet web hosting costs.

This low entry barrier means which you do now not have tons to lose if the business does now not paintings nicely. However, on the other aspect, the low access barrier approach that loads many other entrepreneurs will be running in the equal niche as yours and it way more competitions. In low access barrier corporations, the dedication, persistence, and perseverance inside the preliminary years are what will distinguish the long time gamers from the not critical ones.

When God created man, He never assumes him to be best. You can in no way studies sufficient and put together enough to start a mission.

If you examine, most of the learning, in reality, comes after you started out a venture. Mistakes will emerge. Glitches will show their ugly head. Only then are you capable of tweak and mind hurricane to find answers to the issues?

So in place of troubling yourself with the nitty gritty technicalities, just begin your blog. It’s the adventure that matters.

Well, I fall into this lure all the time. I remembered when I started eBay, I gave up the task in the first month. Even now when I started out running a blog, I feel low after I do not see the site visitors. Fortunately, for me, I even have a mentor and my family to cheer me on.

We ought to be organized to set an extended time frame for our blogs to take off. If you can, forget about approximately the time frame and simply construct it passionately. After all, we aren’t restricted via problems like capital and budget whilst we construct our blogs. Find yourself a small group of bloggers to exchange ideas and to cheer ourselves on.

With a solid salary every month, many would find ourselves less stimulated to keep building our blogs. After all, we’re still quite well off and God knows while our blogs will take off.

You see, an enterprise man psychology differs vastly from those of the personnel. The former strives on uncertainties in which as the latter lives on false ‘stability’. A business proprietor will take calculated chance to search for new possibilities whereby a salaried guy will sit up for the give up month for his pay test.

Reprogram your mind set. Better things wait for individuals who dared to take a risk and who persevere in what they have started out.

All religion and masters train us to be thankful for our day by day ownership. Be grateful to the ones who have lifted us up in our hour of desires.

Sadly, many people didn’t have a look at this familiar reality. Look at what number of vintage humans are deserted by their youngsters. You can not just take things without any consideration and suppose that the world owes you a dwelling. Everything works underneath the law of motive and effect. If you need to be successful, supply a thought to those who have furnished you the important equipment.

Imagine these scenarios. Your next door neighbor will be stepping into an excessive end bungalow in a fancy residential place tomorrow. Your cousin has simply bought a brand new Hummer. Your ex-university mate is now the boss of a conglomerate with 1000 personnel.

The inexperienced eyed monster in us will certainly experience green with envy and might even start to bad mouth those high achievers. Instead, people with an educated thoughts might study the fulfillment memories and find a manner to combine other humans’ fulfillment into their very own schedule.

Bear in thoughts, the lessons in which you could study from each a success character you recognize. Usually, these human beings are individuals and are simply waiting to pass on their treasured talent to the right individual with an inclined mind to return their manner.

Learn how to weblog from a success web sites like Problogger.Internet, JohnChow.Com and many extras. Now, there’s no motive to be jealous, proper??

Many humans were given crushed when they gave too much notion about whether their blogs could be successful, how properly their blogs compared to the competitors and stuffs like blog marketing, search engine optimization, area registration, solving technical system faults and more.

Life is ready tackling and getting to know from each little struggle. Break up the procedure, and let us do one issue at a time. You should check on a website these days. Research for an internet host the next day. Engage a web host in three days. Stop and relax if you are careworn. Continue with the installation of WordPress after you have got rested.

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makeitwithmike · 7 years

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3 Tell-Tale Signs Your Content Is Boring The Life Out Of People

By Andrew Warner

You know it’s not realistic, right?

Consistently creating super-engaging content that gets your audience’s pulse pumping, sends intellectual stimulation levels soaring, and generally blows the socks off readers every single time.

I mean… it would be nice… sure. But it just isn’t realistically going to happen every time.

Is it?

Maybe it is, but you haven’t figured out the magical way to make it a reality yet.

There could be two reasons for this:

You work in a boring industry and there aren’t too many things to write about.

Your content is actually boring and it’s actively driving readers to tears every time they try to read it.

9 times out of 10, it’s the second reason. Sorry to be harsh. But unless you want your content marketing to remain in a downward spiral, you need to read this post to learn how to fix it.

I’m going to discuss three obvious ways to tell if your audience is bored of your content. Because your content should be something people give a crap about. And if it isn’t, you’re failing at the most important part of your business.

Don’t hate me for saying that! I’m here to help.

Here are three tell-tale signs your content is boring the life out of people.

#1: You barely get any comments

Picture this scene.

You’re hosting a Mediterranean-themed dinner for 20 friends.

You’ve ditched the paper plates and decided to use your fancy ones for a change.

The food you’ve prepared are unusual dishes that will satisfy the tastebuds of all your guests.

As for your centerpiece? A lightly-scented rosemary plant instead of the traditional, and overplayed, flowers.

You know that this party will be the talk of your friendship circle for months.

But in the end? No one shows up.

Ouch.

I’m not going to lie to you.

It’s a pretty bad sign if you’re not getting any reaction to the content you write, don’t you think?

Now here’s where I’m going to contradict myself.

Sort of.

Just because a post doesn’t have any comments doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not successful or boring to the reader.

For instance, have you seen Moz’s Beginner’s Guide to SEO?

Even though that guide has zero comments, that doesn’t mean that it’s boring. In fact, it’s quite the opposite:

But that isn’t always the case with content that has no comments.

So, what can you do to resolve it?

Here are the three options you have at your disposal:

#1. Write content that’s engaging.

According to a Moz study, 75% of the content out there lacks engagement. So it follows that the more engaging your content is, the better the chances are that it gets ranked.

So how do you create engaging content? One word: storytelling.

Here’s what Henneke Duistermaat from Enchanting Marketing has to say about storytelling: “Stories transform dull tips into sparkling information and sticky advice. They turn lackluster lessons into engaging adventures. And what’s more… stories help you stand out from the drab blogging crowd. Your content becomes unique because nobody tells the same stories as you.”

Because regardless of what your content is about, telling a good story to complement it is what draws readers in and gets them to engage.

#2. Provide insane amounts of value in your content.

Readers rarely visit a site by accident. Which means that when they stumble onto your site, they’re most likely looking for solutions to an issue they’re facing. This is HUGE.

Because all you have to do is make sure your content provides exceptionally great value. I know, I know… how precisely do you tell if your content is valuable or not? Well, you could try following this Ultimate Guide To Writing Valuable Content People Give A Crap About that I wrote.

I’m not just inserting this as a shameless self-plug. It will really help you ensure that everything you write provides actual value to the reader.

#3. Welcome and respond to comments.

Bloggers are often too proud or too ashamed to chase comments, but they shouldn’t be. You can either send an email to people who have previously commented on your content alerting them to the fact that you have new content up, or ask people you’ve built a professional relationship with.

The best part is that in both of these cases you probably already have their email address from previous contact between the two of you. All you need to do is swallow your pride and remember that if they were interested in your content or your business once, they’ll probably be interested in it again.

If you build a relationship with commentators, chances are they’ll come out of the woodwork on every post you write.

#2: Social shares are next to none

It’s hard not to fall victim to vanity metrics on social media.

Even though metrics like email subscriptions and annual revenue should be the real yardstick for your content’s performance, the number of likes, tweets and shares still help determine how successful your content is.

Why’s that, you ask?

Because even though social signals don’t impact your Google ranking, the more shares your content has, the more ‘social proof’ you have.

In other words, more people will share (or choose not to share) based on the number of shares a particular piece of content already has.

Let’s run through a quick example here.

Say you visit two blog posts on the exact same topic. Post A may have received 205 total shares, while Post B received 23 total shares.

Which one do you think a brand new visitor would be more tempted to share?

It’s pretty obvious, right?

The post with 205 shares wins – simply because of the number of shares it has.

In a study conducted by Syncapse, they found that one of the reasons Facebook fans “liked” anything was because someone else also “liked” it.

Crazy, right?

You may be thinking, “Well if that’s the case, I’ll just get some really influential people to share my content and watch the ripple effect.”

Not so fast.

Not all audiences are created equal.

Meaning that even if you get a high profile person to share your content with their audience, it may not necessarily benefit them to share it.

Here’s what I mean by that.

Say you wrote a post about link building that was tweeted out by Justin Bieber. Your results may look something like this:

93 Million followers, and that’s all?

But why?

Because the majority of his followers may not know or even care what link building is.

But there’s something else going on here – and Dr. Jonah Berger explains it perfectly:

So remember that example about link building?

Instead of a tweet from Justin Bieber, let’s say you got a tweet from Brian Dean from Backlinko. Here’s what the results could look like if the content was shared with people who are actually interested in the content:

It certainly helps to get your content shared by influencers who are interested in the topic.

There are two main ways to maximize your shares:

#1. Write content that influencers would want to share.

D’uh, right? As important as creating content for your readers is, creating content that influencers love is MUCH smarter because if they have the same audience you’re trying to reach, you’ll access it too if they willingly share your content.

A quick hack to ensure you get this right is to go to a site like BuzzSumo and enter the keyword your content is based on. Once you’ve done that, search through the list and find a topic that’s been shared a lot. Use it as inspiration to create a post that provides even more value.

#2. Reach out to people who shared similar content.

To be completely honest, I’m not a huge fan of this strategy as it has been over-used in recent years, but it does work.

First, go to BuzzSumo and enter the same keyword of the topic you’ve written about. So again, if your topic is ‘website traffic’, enter that in the search. Next, click on the sharers tab and sort the list by the number of followers. Then, using Excel or Google Spreadsheet, make a chart of all the people you’re planning to contact.

Lastly, search social media to find their contact information and reach out to them. Here’s a script that I’ve used before that has had success.

Hi [name],

I noticed that you tweeted out one of my favorite articles a couple of months ago: [name of post].

I recently published an article that deals with [topic] that I think you might enjoy as well.

Would love for you to check it out.

Mind if I send you the link?

Want a heads-up when it goes live?

#3: You have a high bounce rate

Picture this scene: it’s Christmas Eve and you’re at your local shopping mall trying to get a last-minute gift for someone special.

This year, you promised yourself you were going to get your shopping done early, yet there you are, navigating the chaos. Fortunately, you know exactly what you want to buy and how much you want to spend.

The only problem is that every store you visit, you spend a few minutes looking, then leave feeling even more frustrated than when you first came in. Here’s why:

You knew what you were looking for. The store didn’t appear to have it. So you left.

That exact same thing happens with your site.

Readers come to your site to find a specific thing – meaning they chose your site out of thousands in the search engine results. If they don’t find what they’re looking for pretty quickly, you’ll end up with this:

And yes, there are multiple factors that contribute to a high bounce rate, some of which are listed below:

But lackluster content is also a reason why they’re abandoning ship quickly. And that’s a big cause for concern.

Here’s how to fix it:

#1. Add links to your own internal pages within your content.

In other words, on your ‘About’ page, include links to obvious places that visitors to your site might like to go, like your ‘FAQ’ or ‘Shipping’ info. Make it a priority to think about other pages that people might be interested in seeing if they’ve come to your website and anticipating their needs.

#2. Make sure your website is visually appealing.

This sounds obvious, right? But how many times have you left a site because it looked cheesy and unprofessional? According to Stanford research, people evaluate a site very quickly by looking at its design. So, that means that the better the design, the more credible you seem, and the better the design, the lower your bounce rate.

#3. Optimize your content.

To be blunt, there’s a lot of bad content out there. And that’s a major contributor to a high bounce rate. Think of it like this: if you’re not providing what the visitor wants, why would they feel obligated to stay?

Look at pages on your website with a high bounce rate from an objective perspective. Figure out how you can improve the content so it keeps visitors on the page longer and increases the low average time spent on site.

Ready to put an end to boring content?

To be perfectly honest, writing great content can be difficult. Whether you work in a dull industry or not, it’s hard to nail it every time. But your content should never be unbearable, unreadable or boring.

Everything is fixable if you’re willing to work on it.

You just need to pay attention to the non-verbal cues people get when they land on your website or engage with your content, and create content that provides three main takeaways for audiences: education, evidence and action.

Content can hit the mark, get noticed and stand out from the competition if you follow the tips above. Best of all, it can stop boring the life out of readers!

If you feel inspired by this post, I’d love to hear how you go.

Guest Author: Andrew M. Warner is the content writing mastermind behind ContentRanked, a website that helps marketers and businesses create content on their site that converts customers. When he’s not creating content, he’s usually networking on Twitter – follow him here.

The post 3 Tell-Tale Signs Your Content Is Boring The Life Out Of People appeared first on Jeffbullas’s Blog.

The post 3 Tell-Tale Signs Your Content Is Boring The Life Out Of People appeared first on Make It With Michael.

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#3 Tell-Tale Signs Your Content Is Boring The Life Out Of People

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wild-goosechase · 7 years

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Things I Could Tell Myself after Senior High School Graduation

“I would be missing you guys, and all the memories we shared.” “Best school year ever!, “Can’t wait for our reunion guys!”.

I think, I’ll be the only one in our class who can’t dare telling these words to my classmates, having such speech drama expressing a mixed feeling of happiness, sadness, and longing when recalling a person, place, or event from the past. I could be just a wallflower that day looking to everyone exchanging hugs and going through drama but me, pro-solitude (not anti-social) , so nothing be happening to me.

But don’t get me wrong about this. I’m not stuck-up, I’m just an honest person who can’t stand to pretend someone I am actually not so that the odds would be in my favour. So don’t hesitate talking to me that day to congratulate and hug me, I could understand.

So maybe after graduation I could be like, “You really survive dealing with people who had wrongfully misunderstood you huh. People who judged the way you walk awkwardly, the way you talk leaving mess, the way you think weirdly and the way you joke with your dry humor then nobody laughed and you be like “My sarcasm really is advance so they think I’m stupid, LOL”. Those people who also misunderstood me for spending time alone reading books and avoiding small talk. Also, putting earphones so people won’t talk to me but still they do. So they thought I’m avoiding them. Well, it’s half-truth but it’s nothing personal. They wouldn’t just understand my need to be alone and how I easily get drained when peopled-out. MY SOUL AND MIND ARE STARVING FOR DEEP, RICH, AUTHENTIC, STIMULATING, INTELLECTUAL, SPIRITUAL CONVERSATION. YOU JUST HAVE TO SPARK MY CURIOSITY, MAN!

However, I secretly and honestly enjoyed in their company, not literally. I meant, I enjoy observing different personalities in my head with the FAMOUS SANGUINE who were telling stories while the teacher was talking, with PERFECT MELANCHOLIES who were willing to listen to people’s problems, analyze them and come up with viable solutions, with POWERFUL CHOLERIC who are born-leaders and naturally saw the practical answers in the problems in our class, and with the PEACEFUL PHLEGMATIC who like friends but are happy alone and love watching people pass by.

And for my teachers whom I have loved dearly in my heart though they cannot love me back or maybe they already forgot me since I’m easily to be forgotten or maybe they didn’t notice me since I’m not reciting but I solemnly swear Ma’am and Sir that I was listening, sometimes. I was secretly studying your soul and not your lessons. I have realized that there are interestingly weird teachers I really love when talking. I secretly stealing some of your weirdness and humors and I know it’s not illegal. You’re humans with a good heart and really devoted in your work who desire us to be a better person. And those teachers who taught me SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT, consequently I’m now so conscious in writing on my blog and even in drafts. I’m not that really good, my apologies Teachers if I cannot apply everything you said. I just already have my own Subject Verb Agreement and they are correct for me. LOL. UCSP and OrCom, and maybe SocSci oh, I cannot thank y’all enough. I don’t just listen to your words—I watch your face. I stare into your eyes. I checked out your body language. I peep your tone. I make note of your use of words. I hear what you didn’t say. I interpret your silences. MOST IMPORTANTLY, I TRUST MY INTUITION. But of course, there are teachers whom I cannot really love and I secretly bashing them in my head, not on social media. Those teachers who are fond of generalizing students and always be like “KABATAAN NOWADAYS CHUCHU”. Yes they’re absolutely right in their target. Nevertheless, it’s annoying sometimes and I feel like doing “OBLIVIATE” spell to them. Also, I cannot lie at this point that some of the rules suck. It is suffocating and I know it’s true for everybody. I always hear students everywhere in the school trash-talking “YOU KNOW WHO” (No, it’s not Lord Voldemort). I meant, it’s too idealistic, duh you know what I mean. They’re just too much and TOO MUCH OF SOMETHING IS ALWAYS BAD, you know. I think I cannot embrace the culture here. I could really ask myself how I survived with that. Maybe they should consider to apply some psychology chuchu in their rules sometimes.

Perhaps, I could also tell myself how brilliant am I in making alibi when I make plans earlier to socialize in the week but when the day comes I’m like, “I LOVE CANCELLED PLANS”. Oh how I wish that “my parents said no” was still a viable excuse to get out of social events. And you know you’re an introvert when one thing that sucks about being grown-up is not being able to say ”MY MOM SAID NO”.

How I’m always annoyed and pissed off when people ask, “Why are you shy?” and I be like “I’m not! I don’t have anything to say to you!” I’m so tired of society thinking that the qualities of an extrovert is what should be desired or considered the norm. I’m tired of people questioning why I don’t like crowds, why I don’t like small talk, why I never entertain, why I only reserve one activity because I’m always exhausted? Their questions imply that I’m not normal! Why society has been conditioned to look down upon introverted personality traits!

My life in the Canteen when someone was still standing in front of the item I need and I have to pretend to look for something else until they move. Awkward, right?

Me everytime I go out of the room and meeting people, I need to avoid eye contact because it feels so awkward. And I be like, this really the reason I should stop loitering outside the classroom.

I always believe that unspoken words are genuine so yea it’s genuine. I don’t have to be loud to be heard. Nobody would care about my feelings and thoughts anyways.

P.S I miss those times when I take writing to a level of insanity.

…to be continued..

12/01/16

#HUMSS1117

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newstfionline · 7 years

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Why Hollywood As We Know It Is Already Over

By Nick Bilton, Vanity Fair, January 2017

A few months ago, the vision of Hollywood’s economic future came into terrifyingly full and rare clarity. I was standing on the set of a relatively small production, in Burbank, just north of Los Angeles, talking to a screenwriter about how inefficient the film-and-TV business appeared to have become. Before us, after all, stood some 200 members of the crew, who were milling about in various capacities, checking on lighting or setting up tents, but mainly futzing with their smartphones, passing time, or nibbling on snacks from the craft-service tents. When I commented to the screenwriter that such a scene might give a Silicon Valley venture capitalist a stroke on account of the apparent unused labor and excessive cost involved in staging such a production--which itself was statistically uncertain of success--he merely laughed and rolled his eyes. “You have no idea,” he told me.

After a brief pause, he relayed a recent anecdote, from the set of a network show, that was even more terrifying: The production was shooting a scene in the foyer of a law firm, which the lead rushed into from the rain to utter some line that this screenwriter had composed. After an early take, the director yelled “Cut,” and this screenwriter, as is customary, ambled off to the side with the actor to offer a comment on his delivery. As they stood there chatting, the screenwriter noticed that a tiny droplet of rain remained on the actor’s shoulder. Politely, as they spoke, he brushed it off. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, an employee from the production’s wardrobe department rushed over to berate him. “That is not your job,” she scolded. “That is my job.”

The screenwriter was stunned. But he had also worked in Hollywood long enough to understand what she was really saying: quite literally, wiping rain off an actor’s wardrobe was her job--a job that was well paid and protected by a union. And as with the other couple of hundred people on set, only she could perform it.

This raindrop moment, and the countless similar incidents that I’ve observed on sets or heard about from people I’ve met in the industry, may seem harmless and ridiculous enough on its face. But it reinforces an eventuality that seems both increasingly obvious and uncomfortable--one that might occur to you every time you stream Fringe or watch a former ingénue try to re-invent herself as a social-media icon or athleisure-wear founder: Hollywood, as we once knew it, is over.

In the mid-90s, the first time I downloaded an MP3, I realized that the music industry was in grave trouble. People who were my age (I wasn’t old enough to legally drink yet) didn’t want to spend $20 on a whole compact disc when all we coveted was a single song on the album. Moreover, we wanted our music immediately: we preferred to download it (illegally) from Napster or eventually (legally) from iTunes without the hassle of finding the nearest Sam Goody. It turned out that this proclivity for efficiency--customizing your music and facilitating the point of sale--was far from a generational instinct. It explains why the music industry is roughly half the size it was one decade ago.

These preferences weren’t confined to music, either. I also felt the raindrop moment firsthand when I began working at The New York Times, in the early 2000s. Back then, the newspaper’s Web site was treated like a vagrant, banished to a separate building blocks away from the paper’s newsroom on West 43rd Street. Up-and-coming blogs--Gizmodo, Instapundit, and Daily Kos, which were setting the stage for bigger and more advanced entities, such as Business Insider and BuzzFeed--were simultaneously springing up across the country. Yet they were largely ignored by the Times as well as by editors and publishers at other news outlets. More often than not, tech-related advances--including e-readers and free online blogging platforms, such as WordPress and Tumblr--were laughed at as drivel by the entire industry, just as Napster had been years earlier.

Of course, the same logic that had decimated music would undermine print publishing: readers didn’t want to travel to a newsstand to buy a whole newspaper when they were interested only in one story or two. And, in so many cases, they really didn��t care all that much whose byline was at the top of the piece. Subsequently, newspaper advertising revenues fell from $67 billion in 2000 to $19.9 billion in 2014. Meanwhile, the same pummeling occurred in the book-publishing world. Many consumers didn’t want hardcover books for $25 when digital versions were available for $9.99. An algorithm generally provided better suggestions than an actual in-store clerk. And consumers never had to leave home to get the book they wanted. Amazon, knowing this, eviscerated the business. While print sales have finally leveled out (largely through a reliance on science fiction and fantasy), the industry has seen sales fall precipitously over the past decade.

Hollywood, these days, seems remarkably poised for a similar disruption. Its audiences increasingly prefer on-demand content, its labor is costly, and margins are shrinking. Yet when I ask people in Hollywood if they fear such a fate, their response is generally one of defiance. Film executives are smart and nimble, but many also assert that what they do is so specialized that it can’t be compared to the sea changes in other disrupted media. “We’re different,” one producer recently told me. “No one can do what we do.”

That response, it’s worth recalling, is what many editors and record producers once said. And the numbers reinforce the logic. Movie-theater attendance is down to a 19-year low, with revenues hovering slightly above $10 billion--or about what Amazon’s, Facebook’s, or Apple’s stock might move in a single day. DreamWorks Animation was sold to Comcast for a relatively meager $3.8 billion. Paramount was recently valued at about $10 billion, approximately the same price as when Sumner Redstone acquired it, more than 20 years ago, in a bidding war against Barry Diller. Between 2007 and 2011, overall profits for the big-five movie studios--Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, and Disney--fell by 40 percent. Studios now account for less than 10 percent of their parent companies’ profits. By 2020, according to some forecasts, that share will fall to around 5 percent. (Disney, partly owing to Star Wars and its other successful franchises, is likely to be a notable outlier.)

Show business, in many ways, has entered a vicious cycle set off by larger economic forces. Some 70 percent of box office comes from abroad, which means that studios must traffic in the sort of blow-’em-up action films and comic-book thrillers that translate easily enough to Mandarin. Or in reboots and sequels that rely on existing intellectual property. But even that formula has dried up. Chinese firms, including Dalian Wanda, are rabidly acquiring companies such as Legendary Entertainment, AMC, and Carmike Cinemas, a smaller theater chain, with an apparent goal of learning how Hollywood does what it does so China can do it better.

But the real threat isn’t China. It’s Silicon Valley. Hollywood, in its over-reliance on franchises, has ceded the vast majority of the more stimulating content to premium networks and over-the-top services such as HBO and Showtime, and, increasingly, digital-native platforms such as Netflix and Amazon. These companies also have access to analytics tools that Hollywood could never fathom, and an allergy to its inefficiency. Few have seen the change as closely as Diller himself, who went from running Paramount and Fox to building his own tech empire, IAC. “I don’t know why anyone would want a movie company today,” Diller said at Vanity Fair’s New Establishment Summit in October. “They don’t make movies; they make hats and whistles.” (Half of the people in the audience, likely representing the tech industry, laughed at this quip; the other half, from Hollywood, cringed.) When I spoke to Mike Moritz, the iconic venture capitalist, backstage at the event, he noted that a nominal investment in a somewhat successful tech company could generate more money than Hollywood’s top-grossing movies. “In my mind,” he said, “Hollywood is dying.”

#Hollywood #raindrop moment

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