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causticsunshine · 3 years

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i was tagged by both the lovely @dyingstars-x and @harrymegirlfriend to answer twenty questions about myself! this was a lot more candid than i anticipated but here we go~

💗what do you prefer to be called name-wise?

alex!

💗when is your birthday?

july 21st! cancer season baybee

💗where do you live?

in the US! i've been in the pacific northwest for about eight years but i'm definitely still a californian at heart

💗three things you’re doing right now?

1. jobhunting 2. trying to open my online shop 3. attempting™️ to finish deadline stuff and this HSLOT drawing i've been working on since saturday 🤞🤞

💗four fandoms that have piqued your interest right now?

i go through little phases where i have my one big primary interest—one dee since returning to it last summer—that sticks around for awhile and then some smaller, less involved ones that tend to come and go, so i'd say right now the only other 'fandom' i'm kinda in is for MDZ/the untamed/cql, even though i'm a very late member to the party!

💗how is the pandemic treating you?

okay i guess? i'd really like to be moved out already as being in therapy and gaining confidence since my big mental breakdown last fall—accompanied with quitting my job of nearly four years that didn't get me anywhere in life—i've realized how many unhealthy behaviors and mindsets are perpetuated in my household and how they're....really not good for me at all. but i also know i can't get to the place i'd like to be mentally and emotionally without moving out, i also can't move out until i find a 9-5 with bennies with all my health problems + me losing my insurance in the new year so it's been....a time.

buuuut besides the soul crushing terror of being an adult living at home with people who don't understand you, i'm confident now and a lot of my mindsets have changed to healthier ones and i've regained my love of art and being creative?

💗song you can’t stop listening to right now?

it's a combination of 'i wish i never met you' by loote, 'crowd' by sophie cates, and...... 'stay' by the kid laroi + justin bieber (although i think that one's just an earworm i need to work out lmao)

💗recommend a movie

i just got to rewatch 'cowboy bebop: the movie' and it's sooo fun....(spoilers) i know the ending of the anime is supposed to be purposefully open as it just covers a section of time in the characters' lives where they're all together but i kinda wish i'd watched the movie after as opposed to when it takes place because it's a little bit...of a nicer (and much clearer) wrap up!

💗how old are you?

twenty five 🧓

💗school, university, occupation, other?

currently jobhunting for a Boring grown up job just for some regularity and insurance (and $$ to get my ass OUT) but i want to take on freelance commission work again too! i dropped out of uni in like 2018 because the school i was going to kept fucking me over with credits just to get my associate's but maybe i'll go back one day.....maybe.....

💗do you prefer hot or cold?

HOT only because it's so gd cold and wet where i live now and even when the summers are warm they're super short and don't compensate for the months i spend not moving out of arthritis pain and freezing my ass off

💗name one fact others may not know about you.

i always come up with fun ones when i don't have any reason to share them lmao but i guess.....staying on-brand with 1d stuff, and i might've said this before, but louis gave me my first bout of gender envy that i recognized as actual gender envy when i was like, fifteen? and as i was coming out of my obvious emo phase into one more subdued, i totally dressed like twink louis for almost a year....haircut and everything....

if i can find the one photo i'm thinking of i'll post it but until then use your imagination sjkgdf

💗are you shy?

i can be? i think once i vibe with someone enough it becomes easy to talk to and open up to them but before that i can be pretty closed off and a bit impersonal.

💗do you have any preferred pronouns?

they/them!

💗any pet peeves?

i'm one of those 'people talking or random noise being made near me while i'm trying to concentrate on something fuels my murder response out of nowhere' people but otherwise...outside of common courtesy/manners stuff being ignore, i don't think so? although i genuinely hate when people walk right behind me or right in front of me...shit makes me anxious and ticks me off dfjkngdf i got shit to do!!

💗what’s your favourite “dere” type?

am i boring if i say tsundere just because it's relatable? although dorodere is kinda fun in the right setting....i love a good character twist!

💗rate your life 1-10. 1 being really crappy and 10 being the best you could ever be.

i'd say a 5? there's a lot more i want to do and achieve and things i know i could have right now if my ADHD and anxiety didn't still have such a death grip on me but i'm also in the best headspace i've been in in years so i'll take that as a win!

💗what’s your main blog?

this one!

💗list your side blogs and what they’re used for.

swmpwxtch is my art-only blog because i'm slow at finishing things and know there's no point trying to make this an 'art blog' when i reblog so much, and then prickelndauge is my insp blog (so if you're wondering why there's a startling lack of fashion and art on this blog, it's mostly over there!), then i have one for creepy/spooky stuff (bonepickng) because i know not a lot of people want to see that on main, aaaaand am-ref a ref blog for art tips, life things, donation pools, etc.! (and some old urls i have saved)

💗is there anything you think people need to know about you before becoming friends with you?

at the risk of sounding like a YA protagonist: my heart is full of love and i try to be as understanding and open as i can be but i also have a very short bullshit fuse, so while i'm still happily understanding of certain behaviors and mindsets, if you cross the line that i put very bluntly in the sand, you're not crossing back over.

(ie i love my friends but don't be a dick and if you are you get one warning and that's all <3)

uhhh i know a lot of people got tagged already and have done this so! i'll be tagging @grimmpitch @hershelsue @niallnailme @dragmedown @ialwaysknewyouwerepunk @justmehernthemoon @non-binharry @genius0flove @mamaharry @theymetinthetoihlet @saintqueer and uhhh anyone else that would like to!! and if you've done this already please ignore me~

#tagged #twenty questions #oh geez that's me

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classicrosie · 4 years

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My Top 10 Posts Ever

I’m @gemshine and I’ve been posting art on Tumblr for five years. Over those five years, I’ve had ten posts gain over 100 notes. Here I will talk about each one of them, their story, and how I think they got popular. If you like any of them you can click the link to take you to the original post, I really appreciate likes and reblogs. If you want to see more of my art please follow @gemshine.

1). How to Make a Comic Infographic - 237 notes - Mar 27 2020

This is my most popular post. It is a how-to infographic I did for class and I am really proud of it. Comics are really hard to complete, there are so many steps that without organization it is easy to get lost and give up. So, I thought letting others into my thought process would help.

I haven't made that many comics, but I do love making them. I love storytelling and character development so much, so as a visual artist comics are an amazingly creative medium for me to play around with and tell my story. Here is my short story about an elf lawyer named Cherry Elliott I made in 2018 for another class, that made me fall in love with comic making. I dream of writing and illustrating a graphic novel one day.

This was my first time doing the equivalent of a colour palette challenge, I think it turned out pretty well, I love the colour combo of pink, purple, and yellow/orange. The comic I used as the example was a comic made specifically for this infographic, featuring my original character, Mystic. I’m the person in the bottom right, illustrating a comic about “Some Elf Thing”, aka my original story passion project @mysticsrealm. My Mystic’s Realm stuff has not gained much traction yet, so it’s pretty wild that a post with an illustration of myself and my oc has gotten 237 notes and been reblogged 68 times.

Most people finding this post are going through some sort of “comic reference” related tag and I’m glad my experience is actually helping people start making comics. The majority of people tag it with “comic tutorial” or “reference”.

TLDR; this post is helpful for people looking to start making comics and it’s very aesthetic

2). Dad Hank Comic From Detroit Become Human - 205 notes - Aug 21 2018

At the time this post felt like it was blowing up by my standards. It is still my number two post. It gained traction because I posted it in a big fandom at the right time (#connorarmy). If I posted it now it would have maybe 20 notes. A lot of getting notes is posting at the right time of a fandom, but I don’t really know the science.

This post is nice and simple, I like the purple wash. I like Hank’s expression. These two and their dog are a really sweet little family and I cashed in on that angst, like I am one to do. At least it was kinda wholesome angst, I guess. We love found family.

3). Ladynoir!Opal Comic From Miraculous Ladybug and Steven Universe - 188 notes - Feb 26 2019

I was and still am really proud of this one. I was inspired to try lineless by @sneakysscribs‘ lineless art. Lineless art is a pain, but so pretty. This piece was made by having lines, but then colouring them in. I love how I was pushing the comic format, making the two gems flying in the beginning and Ladynoir!opal really pop out of the page. I also love that I actually made backgrounds for once in my life, they’re SU inspired and very aesthetic.

I call this AU Miraculous Universe, and it has been in my head a long time, starring Ladybug!Pearl and Chat Noir!Amethyst. It is not very fleshed out, but it is very fun. It also makes no sense. This concept is so oddly specific it’s hilarious. But I’m also rewarded in my uniqueness in that there’s nothing else like it and I got to work both the SU and ML tags.

4). Adrinino Dancing Comic From Miraculous Ladybug - 177 notes - Aug 15 2019

I just noticed my top 4 all had to do with comics. Hopefully, that’s a good omen for my future in graphic novel.

This piece was for the first and only (so far) zine I’ve been in, @theninozine. That is where the majority of people found this post. It was nice to create something knowing that people were going to see it. It was also nice to have my work displayed among so many talented and passionate artists. Drawing ships for ml is funny because to have to tag the same exact ship four times to account for their love square. Anyways this piece is very sweet and gay.

5). Viperinoire From Miraculous Ladybug - 166 notes - May 7 2020

This is my most recent post above 100 notes. And it was posted during the ML offseason. I’m not that big of a fan of the show, but I love the fan content a lot. We lot just kinda take elements from canon and do whatever we want with them. This Viperinoire post is a great example steering far from canon.

This post succeeded despite the last episode of Miraculous aired having been in Dec 2019 because of the active Lukanette fanbase. I have a theory that the reason ML is still so popular on the internet, despite a large crowd being disappointed with the show, is because the fan content gets a ton of interaction, encouraging creators to keep making more, keeping the fandom alive.

6). Christine Canigula From Be More Chill - 141 notes - Feb 4 2018

This was my second post to gain over 100 notes. I posted when the Be More Chill fandom was very popular. People were really nice in the notes, they really love ChristiiIIIIIIiine. In this post I was practicing posing and using a glowy tutorial I found for the stage lights. This is the scene during More Than Survive where she is lifted up and signs the sign-up sheet for the after school play. When I look at this piece I can see the progress I made to get that point, and how I’ve grown since.

7). Heather Chandler From Heathers The Musical - 120 notes - Feb 19 2017

This was my first post ever to get over 100 notes. I still think it’s pretty good actually, I really like the hair. This post was copied directly from a photo, which I think is pretty good practice for shading. During this time, I didn’t have a drawing tablet so I was posting traditional drawings. This post blew up over all the ones before it because it was at a good time in the Heather fandom and it looks pretty great tbh.

8). Green Diamond From Steven Universe - 108 notes - Aug 15 2018

Someone asked me to imagine two diamonds fused so I did. I think I did a pretty good job combining the aesthetics of Blue and Yellow to create a new gem with their own identity. This post got popular because of Bellow shippers. One thing I would change is that underneath her left arm you can see a little looseness of her top, I would have changed that to be form fitting to match with the SU style of drawing gems.

9). The Zen Garden From Detroit Become Human - 103 notes - Aug 27 2018

This is one of the only times I’ve ever practiced drawing a background. Came out pretty picturesque if I do say so myself. The Zen Garden from DBH has always been very pretty. This was really just an exercise for me to come out of my comfort zone and draw a place instead of a person. Actually, at first, it started as a background for [this post], but the background came out nicer than the subject, so I posted it on its own too.

10). Pearls From Steven Universe - 100 notes - Aug 14 2019

This post just got 100 notes, which lead me to making this post. I think I captured the SU art style for Pearl quite well. When I was younger I found a tutorial for how to draw Pearl and she became my go-to doodle. This post was made years later, but I definitely used the muscle memory I had for drawing Pearl. Though the Pearl I drew was in her bow outfit, this was my first time drawing Pearl in either of these outfits. This post was made before the SU movie a pretty good prediction might I say. I love Pearl a lot.

Thank you, everyone, so much for supporting my work, and may there be lots more in the future.

#artists on tumblr #my art #ml #su #personal #my post #okay to rb #id actually love it #it was weird to talk about myself for so long #gemshine #tumblrnotecounter

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papatonyinsandiego · 6 years

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Creating Sacred Male Space, Part 3: Welcoming the Stranger

I often run into people who beseech each other for help in figuring out how to approach new people, for the purpose of inviting them to be a part of the community, without appearing to be a predator.

I've been extremely successful in this endeavor. The group in San Diego that I started years ago has almost 1200 followers, and nearly ALL of them have been added ONE AT A TIME.

I can't stress that enough - Simply printing cards or flyers, or mass-emailing, or posting it online is nothing, compared to the personal approach. We are all fed up with impersonal invitations. We've been burned too many times with spam, viruses, and every other kind of crap coming at us from every direction. These people have raised our threshold for bullshit so high that any sane person would assume that nobody could ever break through the average person's cynicism.

However, all that it takes is a touch.

Let's assume that I'm going to approach you at a bar event that I've created. I'm HUGE (six foot five, even taller in my big boots, 280 pounds, gray-bearded and hairy, and usually in uniform or leather). To the average person, I look nine feet tall and six foot wide. Despite all of this, when I come up to strangers to let them know about my group, I have a consistently high success-rate. Out of 100 strangers, approximately 90 of them will gladly give me their email address. Out of those people, after I have added them to my weekly email list, ONE will unsubscribe. Everybody else sticks around, and likes what they receive from me.

People think that the most important currency is money. In 2011, it's not. It's CREDIBILITY. No amount of money will buy credibility. It has to be earned the hard way. I have the confidence to approach strangers and enroll them in a sweet, joyful common dream, because I have kept my word for decades. The average stranger doesn't know that for a fact yet, but they are intrigued enough by my affectionate, respectful and confident demeanor to give me a chance.

So, let's say that I'm at a public event (usually one that I created for this purpose), looking for new people to sign up for FMSD (FetishMenSanDiego.org). I call these events "Honey Traps", which is a term that I am using as a metaphor - They are events that are attractive enough to drag individuals away from their damn computers. The average person sits in front of FaceBook, Fetlife, Recon or some other endless distraction, but has a firm conviction that everybody else is having more fun in the real world than they are. EVERYBODY has that idea in their heads, and doesn't understand how few people are having fun in the non-virtual world. We're all lonely, disconnected and losing our ability to feel like we're part of something real, and bigger than our concerns, insecurities and considerations.

I look around me at these events, looking for someone who is clearly wearing their favorite "suit of armor". They are broadcasting "I'm shy", or "I'm not interested" or "I'm just passing through". Those are the folks that I make a beeline for. Other people might call them "Attitude Queens". I don't - I understand that "Attitude with a Capital A" is just shyness. I can handle that, and here's how… This is my standard script for approaching strangers:

I approach the stranger, stand quite close (about two feet away), where they can clearly see me and can't pretend that I'm part of the furniture. I pointedly look them right in the eye, and say "Excuse me, have I spoken with you before?", while wearing a pleasant, (but not excessively pleasant) smile, and slightly upraised eyebrows. My demeanor is clearly communicating polite and courteous interest. They usually have a slightly startled reaction to this, saying "No, I don't think so". I'll then ask "are you a San Diegan?" If they say no, then I tell them a bit about our group, and show them a few pictures from previous events, and then move onward to the next guy. If they say yes, then I continue with the script.

Remember, many of these events are NOISY - Loud music, chattering people all around. This gives me cover for moving in closer and making actual, physical contact with them. I touch their solar plexus with the back of my hand, while introducing myself, and asking who they are, and a few other polite questions to break the ice. This is 100% effective in initiating physical contact, because no matter how shy or cynical that person is, they have been programmed their entire lives to shake hands to show that they are nice, well-raised people who don't have any weapons. I'll say "I'm Papa Tony, and I host many of the leathermen's events here in town." I'll release their hand, and whip out my iPhone. I''ll show them group pictures that clearly show happy, satisfied crowds of people who obviously share traits with my guest of the moment. These events are diverse, full of big smiles and don't follow any common rules of the "I'm Hot and You're NOT" philosophy.

I'm now paging through photos for the enjoyment of the person in front of me, and drawing QUITE close - Close enough to rest my hand on his shoulder while I'm flipping through pictures one-handed. That way, I can talk in a normal, comfortable, just-between-nice-guys voice, because I'm so close - My mouth is maybe ten inches away from his ear, and I'm using my Indoor Voice. Closeness COUNTS. In our current culture, we have learned that somebody who stands at a distance from us is not a trustworthy person. Spammers like to hide. Abusers like to hide. Nice people are close by, and have no fear about other nice people in a polite society.

Example: Let's say that you see a stranger shoving his way through a crowd, and when he gets to you, he says "Get the fuck out of my way, ASSHOLE!" Chances are pretty good that he's going to get a big dose of ASSHOLE in response. That's not a side of us that we prefer, but our internal, hard-wired Fight or Flight response demands that we do SOMETHING in a stressful situation. Now, delete that example, and imagine somebody coming up to you and treating you as a thoroughly respectable, intelligent, pleasant and enjoyable person, right from the very first instant. You're being approached, not for the sake of money, or power, sex, or any other other obvious, predictable reason, but because somebody wants YOU, of all people, to be a part of an actual, visually-appealing, thriving community of nice people, who get together often in public.

By this time, my target of interest (and possible new brother) is intrigued, despite multiple layers of well-earned cynicism. I continue to destroy his defenses: I'll say "We want all ages, all colors, all body-styles and all levels of experience. The only kind of people that we actively and aggressively discriminate against… Is GRUMPY PEOPLE!". This is usually good for a laugh, but they always look at my face and see that I'm being quite authentic in this statement.

I will then set the hook - I'll be showing him the pictures, and I'll say "You would fit right in". And, clearly, he would. Everyone is tired of being judged by externals. Even the world's prettiest/most-perfect men and women are sick of the social "A-List" game of perfect teeth/hair/muscles/tits/whatever providing us with varying levels of social status. It's an empty philosophy, but we never know when it's time to let go of it and just be happy like a bunch of uninhibited three-year-olds. By looking at the pictures (and grabbing the phone from me and zooming in closer to see everybody better, my new brother is losing his defenses fast.

I'll say "The nicer you are, the more friends you deserve - This is normal human behavior, but it fell apart somehow for gay men. We've fixed that." I tend to get rueful agreement from my new buddy.

I'll go further, and demolish his preconceptions like my life depends on it. I'll say "Listen to the people around you". He'll stop, and listen seriously and intently. I'll say "Everybody sounds really happy, don't they? You can't fake that kind of happy." He'll have to admit that yes, everybody else sounds like they're having a rocking good time. I'll tell him "You deserve to have just as good a time as anybody here. I'm the host of this event, and you have my word of honor that no one here will ever treat you shabbily. If anybody DOES, you bring it to ME, and I will take care of it right away. I take full responsibility for the safety, success and well-being of everybody at this event, and you can count on me. Just go up to people and chat, and they'll all be nice to you. I know most of the folks here, and they aren't meanies, or tweaking, or spiteful."

I'll mention that I have nothing to sell him, and never will. I don't make a penny off of this, and neither does anybody else. In today's society, this is unheard-of… It seems mythological and theoretical. EVERYBODY wants a piece of somebody else, wants to treat us like walking wallets, and they have cunningly learned to hide it until they have tricked you somehow. And yet, here's this big galoot who is saying that he wants your actual, non-virtual and physical presence at a series of upcoming events. Nothing more, as long as you're a pleasant, well-socialized grownup.

Then, I say that I have an email-list that tells people what events are coming up, so that they know about them BEFORE each event, instead of hearing about it after everybody else had a great time. I'll ask "Would you like to be on the mailing-list?" This is Decision Time. I'm being the very epitome of a forthright, pleasant, respectful and clearly idealistic human being, and now, I need them to step up and deliver their half of the social contract. Just listening, or tolerating, or being a disinterested observer isn't enough - They have to make a commitment and be responsible about it. Like I said earlier, it's nearly always a slam-dunk… People can't get on the mailing-list fast enough.

I have created a web-page that is perfectly designed to be used on a Droid or iPhone's web-browser, using a free utility that allows me to sign people up for the mailing-list ON THE SPOT, without delay. I hit a bookmark icon on my phone's main page that brings me directly to that page, tap the field that asks for the email, and hand the phone right over for their data-entry. While doing so, I say "You have my word of honor that you will never receive any spam as a result, and if you don't like the mailing-list, just click on the link at the bottom and you'll be unsubscribed immediately". When they are done, they hand it back to me - I always have a pair of reading-glasses with me, in case somebody needs a pair for accuracy. I insist that they check the address one final time, and then tap the "Submit" button.

Nowadays, my success-rate is so high, I can sign up a total stranger within three minutes, and I will do it over and over and over, all during the event. I do not sit with my Good Buddies, chewing the fat. To me, that is exactly the wrong thing to do. I have a task to perform, and nothing will distract me from it. If I am going to be committed to creating real, honest and solid community, then I have to extend the hand of friendship to every new face that shows up. The moment that any affinity-group stops welcoming new people IN A CONSCIOUS WAY, then that group is dead. D-E-A-D. Our newest members are our group's future, and if we force them to bounce off of our indifference, then we may as well close up shop. The group will get older, and less relevant, and wither away.

So, what about the folks who DO NOT sign up? What if their cynicism is too awesomely impervious? No problem. "Invitations can be accepted, denied or renegotiated". I never attach my ego to trying to enroll 100% of the people that I approach. It is impossible. I wish them well, I mention our Web site (while pointing to it on our club banner, hanging in obvious display) and step over to the next person. I have seen those same people come to our events over and over, because they wanted to see whether my fancy talk had any actual credibility.

So, one more time, let's talk about Credibility with a Capital C. LEADERS PROVIDE. We keep creating these "Honey Trap" events, and take group pictures periodically. Why? Because no amount of words can convey the awesomeness of a successful, joyful and satisfying event as well as group pictures can. No amount of money, or trickery, or bossiness or manipulation can make a big, diverse and deliriously happy crowd look like a bunch of Labrador Retrievers with a tennis ball. You want to document your successes, even if they start out small. That's still better than the big, echoing emptiness that is usually the default when somebody is looking for heartfelt community in the real world.

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squeemcsquee · 6 years

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HPLD Nerd Con 2018

So, this past weekend, on Sat 6/16/18, @lechevaliermalfet attended the HPLD Nerd Con in Havana, IL. It’s a free, small-scale con hosted by the Havana Public Library District. We heard about it through Facebook, thanks to La Vie Cosplay’s facebook posts and decided, “why not?” Havana isn’t too far from home, really. We had fun, got some free stuff, and @lechevaliermalfet won a door prize, too! It’s a great event for first-timers, younger con-goers, or those who want a relaxed atmosphere. Click that “Keep Reading” link if you are curious and wanna know more.

Since I found myself getting scattered as I wrote this, I’m putting little headlines over each relevant portion of this review.

Size

I want to be up front and clear that when I say this is small-scale, I do mean it. Everything happened in one room in a Havana Park District facility. I stood on one wall and took the following three photos, which show the size of the room pretty well (I hope).

As you can see, they had a decent number of vendors for the size, some gaming, a panel area, and crafting / reading to kill time. Board games were also available for check-out from the registration table. Honestly, I thought the space was really used pretty well. I think I only noticed one issue from it. It wasn’t a deal-breaker for me, but it definitely was something that I think could be improved for next year.

The panel/Q&A area should be partitioned off from the rest of the room.

That’s it. See, the panel area are those chairs off to the right in that final photo. It isn’t a big area, and panelists did have microphones. BUT, sometimes the wall of sound from the rest of the room would overwhelm the sound of one voice coming through a mic. @lechevaliermalfet and I theorized that maybe some temporary partitions would help with the noise. Panels Speaking of panels, I admittedly only took one photo (I know, shame on me!).

There were 3 panels on that schedule, but I would argue that the General Cosplay Q & A that La Vie Cosplay held was actually a 4th panel. As such, I think it would have been nicer to have it running in its own time slot, instead of concurrent with the Robotics panel. I think it would have created a nice line-up too, with 2 cosplay panels and 2 non-cosplay panels alternating through the day. But that’s my opinion and I’m also selfish, because I love learning more about both cosplay and robots.

We attended two of the three panels: the Robots panel, which was interesting but ran very short, and a panel on wigs for cosplay that La Vie Cosplay presented. Both were definitely interesting.

Merch

Besides panels, there were obviously talented dealers to look at and potentially buy from. We did walk away with some stuff, too:

Honestly, I hadn’t even expected to see much I wanted to buy, let alone walk away with what we did (along with a small thing each for @someoldmemory and @el-draco-bizarro)

Giveaways (Scavenger Hunt, Swag Bag, Raffles)

If you still had time to kill (and we did), the con was running a nerdy scavenger hunt. I’ve got a photo of my card below. Please excuse the crappy quality - I took some of these photos after the con, once I was at home, when I realized I wanted to document some of this.

The scavenger hunt didn’t take @lechevaliermalfet and I long: I think for each of us, it was under 10 minutes. But it wasn’t really aimed at us, you know? I think younger con goers probably got more of a kick out of it. What entertained me was seeing where the images were placed - I saw a few of them before I even actually made the connection with the scavenger hunt.

Once you completed it, you could draw a prize from the giveaway table (that’s why there are 2 little aliens in that photo - we got them as prizes).

They were well stocked! And if you take note of that Slytherin printout, you’ll see the ‘L’ was bolded - that was one of the clue cards for the scavenger hunt!

I loved that giveaway table. You see, you could choose one free item whether you won a thing or not. Just because you were attending the con!

For a first con, especially to a kid who may not have money to spend on dealers, the idea of getting a free item from the table (and more, if you won the scavenger hunt or an hourly raffle) is pretty cool. I mean, I’m 32 and my inner 8-year-old was going nuts.

Actually when we registered, we got a little swag bag with our badge:

Again, I had expected to walk away from this con empty-handed or maybe with a print, at best. So getting a swag bag when i walked in the door was a win for me!

The con also ran raffles every hour. @lechevaliermalfet won one of the first drawings and got to choose from the small handful of 18+ prizes.

I also walked away with a comic, though I don’t think mine was quite as epic. Still, it turned out to be an interesting read anyway.

Cosplay

I did show up as Twilight Sparkle. And yes, my Spike was with me, though he was in my bag (which wasn’t with me) when I took this photo.

There were other cosplayers - the event page on Facebook has a nice group photo. But since many were (or at least appeared) to be under 18, and because of the relaxed atmosphere, I wasn’t running around snapping photos like I might have at a larger con.

There was a cosplay contest scheduled at the end of the day, but we opted to skip it.

Badges

The badge was a little big, but I like it. Assuming I ever get around to putting badges in an album, I’m not sure this one will fit. I also noticed they didn’t date the badge, which means they can probably re-use any leftovers for next year.

The lanyard is some cut-up Spiderman-patterned cloth. I love the simplicity of it, and it’s still so much cooler than a generic cord lanyard.

Pokemon Go

This was the same day as the Tyranitar Community Day. But given where I was, I only managed to get one Tyranitar, since I only lured in a handful of Larvitars with incense. Tbh, if I hadn’t had a crapton of candy, I wouldn’t have even gotten my one. Also, Central IL was under a Heat Advisory, so I really wasn’t inclined to leave the building to go walk around - or at least lounge on the nearby playground while waiting for Pokemon to show.

The experience as a whole

It was fun. It was relaxed. It’s definitely not aimed at me, and that’s perfectly okay, because it was still done well enough to be enjoyed by all. This is perfect for kids dipping their toes into the convention waters or for parents who want to know what the fuss is about. It’s a great introduction to the con atmosphere and community.

Would I do it again? Maybe. For me, driving just under an hour to kill three to four hours is definitely something I’d consider. I don’t know that I would recommend it to anyone who’s got farther to go, unless they’re stopping by while en route somewhere.

#hpld nerd con #hpld nerd con 2018 #con review #prose and cons

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sonderei · 6 years

Text

I got bored and answered one of those 100-questions things so if you ever wanted to know a stupid amount of useless information about me read on, otherwise enjoy whatever content is in the next post!

Spotify, SoundCloud, or Pandora? Spotify

is your room messy or clean? my room is a mess, the rest of the apartment is pretty clean

what color are your eyes? brown

do you like your name? why? its grown on me. I used to get teased a lot in school “hey Ariel, where’s your best friend Flounder??” but now I work on Disney property and it’s on my name tag so I get to make a lot of kids (and adults) happy

what is your relationship status? been dating a small mess of a person for 4 years, whom I love dearly

describe your personality in 3 words or less basically a cat

what color hair do you have? brown, or like a really dirty blonde if I spend enough time in the sun

what kind of car do you drive? color? a black 2013 hyundai accent hatchback (named Jazz)

where do you shop? where I shop: target, forever21, H&M, BoxLunch, Garage where I’d LIKE to shop: ModCloth, ASOS

how would you describe your style? I once bought an oversized Polariod windbreaker and I wear it everywhere I can??? I also love passive aggressive crop tops (”no thanks”) I wore it to a mandatory meeting at work at 9am and any time my managers asked me a question I just pointed to my shirt. So idk that should tell you something

favorite social media account I think I enjoy Instagram and Tumblr equally?

what size bed do you have? queen

any siblings? one full brother (5 years younger), one half brother on my dad’s side (13 years younger), and one half sister on my mom’s side (18 years younger).

if you can live anywhere in the world where would it be? why? idk because I haven’t traveled anywhere I’d actually like to live. I love the idea of living northwest US (Seattle, Portland) or in NZ or like Scotland or somewhere with beautiful scenery but like...never been so can’t say for sure?

favorite snapchat filter? flower crown

favorite makeup brand(s) NYX is pretty much all I use but I also do like bare minimum with my makeup

how many times a week do you shower? typically every other day unless I’m super gross

favorite tv show? too hard. Steven Universe, Game of Thrones, A:TLA, and Adventure Time?

shoe size? 7-8 depending on who makes them

how tall are you? smol. Like 5′3″ or so?

sandals or sneakers? sneakers, unless going somewhere involving water and/or sand

do you go to the gym? nah. I’m up and down stairs at least 20 times a day, usually while carrying stuff. that’s my exercise.

describe your dream date sitting in front of the Ocean Voyager exhibit at the Georgia Aquarium all day. like literally that’s it. and my date lets me without asking to move on, and ideally enjoys it as much as I do.

how much money do you have in your wallet at the moment? uhhh like $25 because that’s how much you have to have to open a new bank account which I’ve been meaning to do for like two weeks now

what color socks are you wearing? not wearing any, but I was wearing shark socks all day

how many pillows do you sleep with? just one, super soft and squishy

do you have a job? what do you do? I'm a server at a restaurant in Disney Springs at Walt Disney World. Its challenging and often frustrating and stressful but I get to meet some really cool people so it evens out. (Pat Sajak from Wheel of Fortune was in last week, I didn’t ask him if I could buy a vowel because I have some dignity)

how many friends do you have? like true friends, would drop everything for me if I asked them / needed them to? I’d say 3. But my social group is like...maybe 10 people? That I actively try to hang out with semi regularly.

whats the worst thing you have ever done? I honestly don’t even know. I forgot a woman’s ketchup last week at work and apparently I ruined her entire Disney vacation so

whats your favorite candle scent? usually anything with jasmine, so long as it isn’t overpowering

3 favorite boy names Nathaniel, Sebastian, Milo

3 favorite girl names Riley, Maisie, Phoebe

favorite actor? robert downey jr probs

favorite actress? tessa thompson?

who is your celebrity crush? ugh. tom holland, tessa thompson, rdj?

favorite movie? Spirited Away or Howl’s Moving Castle

do you read a lot? whats your favorite book? I used to, before I worked at a bookstore. For some reason that killed my love for reading. But favorite books were the Bartimaeus Trilogy and Abarat.

money or brains? brains

do you have a nickname? what is it? Skip (long story short, its a Cabin Pressure reference because I’ve always wanted to be a pilot)

how many times have you been to the hospital? for myself? 5? maybe 6?

top 10 favorite songs in no particular order Evolve by Phoria Put ‘Em Up by Priority Cleopatra by The Lumineers Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man Miracle by CHVRCHES Dissolve by Absofacto Taro by alt-J Lavender by Two Door Cinema Club Dinosaurs by The Maccabees Ambling Alp by Yeasayer

do you take any medications daily? nope

what is your skin type? (oily, dry, etc) ehh a bit on the oily side

what is your biggest fear? losing the ones I love

how many kids do you want? NONE ZERO NADA ZIP ZILCH FUCK NO

whats your go to hair style? pull it back, messy bun if possible

what type of house do you live in? (big, small, etc) a p small apartment (but not tiny, I think it’s like 800-900 sq ft)

who is your role model? Steve Irwin

what was the last compliment you received? a guest at one of my tables told me I looked like one of the recent Bond girls

what was the last text you sent? bailing on a few friends who were going to Blizzard Beach because I was exhausted from having my dad in town for the last two days so I wanted to sleep

how old were you when you found out santa wasn’t real? like 2 or 3. not very old

what is your dream car? realistic? a nice Subaru or Audi. Maybe a Tesla unrealistic? bugatti veyron

opinion on smoking? cigarettes? ew gross not around me also poor life choices weed? don’t care, just not around me please and thanks my other half is allergic

do you go to college? I did, graduated two years ago, still haven’t done anything with my life / degree

what is your dream job? anything working directly with animals, especially marine mammals, big cats, or non-venomous reptiles

would you rather live in rural areas or the suburbs? big city. right in the middle of it.

do you take shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotels? not usually, I have specific stuff I use for my hair that’s a lot nicer than the stuff at hotels

do you have freckles? not like a ton but yeah

do you smile for pictures? if I feel like it? also depends on who’s taking the picture

how many pictures do you have on your phone? I’d say somewhere in the realm of like 650-800?

have you ever peed in the woods? yep, used to go camping a lot as a kid

do you still watch cartoons? hell yeah, I usually prefer them to anything else. Steven Universe, Adventure Time, Voltron, A:TLA, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends...that shit is my jam

do you prefer chicken nuggets from Wendy’s or McDonalds? mmmm Wendys but I usually don’t get c nugs from anywhere

Favorite dipping sauce? chick fil a sauce or ranch

what do you wear to bed? just underwear

have you ever won a spelling bee? no but I came close in middle school

what are your hobbies? not many tbh. I have a few reptiles that I take care of. I collect / trade Disney pins. I love swimming but don’t do it all that often. Uhhh...seeing how many times I can ride Kilamonjaro Safari in a row before the cast members begin to judge me?

can you draw? not really, no

do you play an instrument? nope, I can’t even read music and I can barely hum

what was the last concert you saw? uhhhh...I think Death Cab for Cutie and CHVRCHES?

tea or coffee? tea

Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts? Starbucks for drinks, Dunkin for food (donutssssss)

do you want to get married? yeah, eventually. I told the SO that ideally before I’m 30 and that we’re not having a wedding but we’re gonna elope instead because fuck weddings I don’t have the money for that or the patience to plan it

what is your crush’s first and last initial? not really a crush but more of a “current-and-potentially-forever life partner” but DU

are you going to change your last name when you get married? no idea. D wants to change their last name but idk if they’d take mine or they’d just change it to their middle name and then I’d take that? honestly it doesn’t really matter to me each way so long as I don’t get their current last name (because of bad associations)

what color looks best on you? no idea honestly. I prefer dark, muted blues?

do you miss anyone right now? my parents and siblings, and two of my best friends

do you sleep with your door open or closed? open, otherwise the cats would never let us sleep

do you believe in ghosts? nah, not really. I grew up in a town that had a bunch of history and by extension ghost stories, so it was more a part of “tourist culture” than something that seemed legitimate to me

what is your biggest pet peeve? I never know until someone starts doing it around me. but uhhhh I hate loud chewers, people that refuse to even try to see your side of an argument, and when you’re sitting somewhere in public like on a bench or something and there’s plenty of other empty seating options nearby and yet someone comes up and sits RIGHT NEXT TO YOU nope you know what that’s it I fucking hate that and it happens to me all the time at Disney

last person you called` I think my mom?

favorite ice cream flavor? cookies and cream, unless I’m at one of those places where you can basically make your own flavor in which case I will ALWAYS do a rose-infused ice cream with pistachios

regular oreos or golden oreos? please don’t make me choose

chocolate or rainbow sprinkles? rainbow!

what shirt are you wearing? not wearing one ;)

what is your phone background? just a basic stock photo of some ferns. kinda boring but I like simple backgrounds

are you outgoing or shy? its pretty even but if I had to say one over the other I’m probably slightly more outgoing than I am shy.

do you like it when people play with your hair? only people I know and allow. don’t just come up and start playing with my hair unless you KNOW that I’d be okay with it

do you like your neighbors? haven’t met them! we moved in like a month ago but we still haven’t seen anyone that lives on our floor

do you wash your face? at night? in the morning? if I remember, but honestly I’m really bad about doing it unless I’m in the shower in which case it’s every time I take a shower

have you ever been high? nope

have you ever been drunk? sadly no. I have a ridiculously high natural alcohol tolerance, so I get sick to my stomach before I can even manage tipsy.

last thing you ate? pizzaaaaaaa

favorite lyrics right now idek and that’s a lot of effort so sorry here’s me “free pass” I’m using it on this question next

summer or winter? ugh winter always I can’t stand the heat there’s only so many layers you can take off

day or night? night

dark, milk, or white chocolate? milk or white. milk for straight eating, white for flavoring other things

favorite month? october

what is your zodiac sign leo!

who was the last person you cried in front of? my significant other

#I was bored #fite me #in case anyone ever wanted to know what I do for a living #or what my favorite songs are #or what color my eyes are #now you know

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champhangman · 7 years

Text

Monumental Gravity - Part 1

Characters: Corey Graves x OFC

(shitty)Summary: I'd pick your thunder – I'd pick your rain – over anyone's sunshine any day.

Word Count:

Notes: There is an extreme lack of Corey fics. What's up with that? Anyway, here's my attempt to fill the void. Special thanks to @athoughtfulmindwrites for helping me with things and for assuring me that it's totally fine to abandon my other fics to work on something new.

More Notes: Those who read my other ongoing fic, Reckless, fear not! I’m not abandoning it! That fic will be updated later this week.

Propping his feet on the corner of the announce table, Corey Graves was just unlocking his phone when it vibrated with a notification. He smiled upon seeing what it was, and was opening the app to read it fully and reply when his feet were shoved off the edge of the table. Catching himself, he sent a glare to the man who'd done it. "I hate that shit."

"Didn't your mom teach you any manners?" Baron Corbin scoffed, pulling one of the other chairs over to sit in.

"Says the man that thinks it's totally fine to piss in a sink," Corey muttered. Lifting his feet onto the table again, he turned his gaze back to his phone. He paid no attention to his friend's defensive mutterings, intent on making sure he read the message fully. Nodding to himself, he began to reply.

"Who are you looking forward to seeing later?" Baron asked, having leaned to see Corey's screen.

"Jesus, personal space, man," he groaned, pushing the man away.

"You're setting up dates through Twitter? Are you that fucking desperate?"

Corey groaned again and sent the message before looking to Baron. "First of all, it's not a date. And I'm not desperate."

"What is it then?"

"She tweeted me a few weeks ago that her son enjoyed my commentary and he tries to emulate me when he plays with his action figures." Corey smoothed the front of his shirt.

"Emulate?" Baron snorted and shook his head. Then, smiling, he nodded. "The kid could do much worse than you."

"I told her he could probably find someone a lot better, but yeah. And we interacted a little more, then I saw she lives near here and knew we'd be here for Smackdown—"

"So you, being the big softie you are, arranged for them to come to the show?"

"No, she already had tickets." Corey kept his gaze averted from Baron, because he'd been prepared to comp her and her son some tickets. "But the kid likes me—"

"Poor deranged little guy," Baron murmured sadly.

"Fuck you too. Anyway, I'm meeting them for a little bit before the show."

"Cool. Am I allowed to ask questions?"

Like the man had ever asked permission. In all the years they had been friends, nothing ever stopped Baron from asking questions. It was one of the things Corey valued about their friendship. There were, literally, no secrets. "Go ahead."

"How do you know it's really a woman?"

Corey rolled his eyes. "I'm not that stupid."

"But how do you? It's Twitter. It could be some five-hundred-pound dude with a plan to kidnap you." Baron leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms above his head.

"Why would a dude – don't fucking answer that," he muttered when he saw Baron's smirk.

"Have you seen a picture of her?"

"No," he answered after a moment. And he'd looked. Her profile picture on Twitter was a child's drawing of the sun. He'd followed a link to her Instagram, only to find it was set to private. The only photos she had posted on Twitter were random, sweet, funny, or weird things she wanted to share, the most recent being a plate of brownies she'd baked. It was a good thing, he supposed, that she was so private. But damned if it hadn't frustrated him when he'd gone looking. "She hasn't posted pictures of herself."

"Then it's definitely a dude," Baron decided. "How are you supposed to know it's her?"

"She just messaged me saying what her and her son are wearing.

"So you're just gonna go outside to meet this strange woman? That's luring you out with her kid?" Baron frowned. "When they find your mutilated corpse can I have your dog?"

"Would you fucking stop?" Corey scowled while checking the time. "And no, you can't have Bull."

"Come on, this is fun. I can already see the internet posts and news story about you missing without a trace." Baron was grinning now. "It'll be a sad, sad story with a wonderful lesson: Don't meet strangers from the internet."

"Why don't you come with me if you're so worried about my safety?"

"What, so I can get kidnapped too? Hell no." Despite that answer, his friend was nodding. "But if it'll make you feel better, I'll keep an eye on you from the door."

"My hero," Corey snorted.

***

Small feet encased in vivid pink Skechers hopped from one brick to the next. When they reached the end of the walkway, and a pair of brown cowboy boots, they danced briefly then began hopping in the other direction, until they met a pair of red Converse. After a moment of hesitation they moved to one side and continued their hopping, stopping only when they arrived at a pair of black leather boots.

"How many hops?" asked the owner of the boots.

"Um." The owner of the pink Skechers hesitated. "Eleventy four hundred!"

"Eleventy four hundred, huh? Are you sure?"

"Uh-huh." The pink Skechers turned and once again began to hop from brick to brick.

"Mom, there's no such number as eleventy."

"She's two, Clark. I think I can give her just a little leeway with numbers." Bette Spencer watched her daughter hop along the brick walkway. As she expected, Julia went directly for her grandfather, who was seated on the bench. Once she had climbed up to sit next to him, Bette relaxed and turned her attention to her son. "Besides, it wasn't that long ago that you told everyone the sun was made of mustard."

Clark's eyes widened with embarrassment. "Mom! I was six."

"Oh, right, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me for reminding you of your misguided youth." Rolling her eyes playfully, Bette lifted her to-go cup of coffee for a sip.

"What time is it?"

She decided against sighing and pointing out that Clark had a watch, a cell phone, and had asked the time only two minutes before. Nudging the sleeve of her sweater up so she could see her watch, she blinked with surprise. Five minutes had passed since Clark had last asked the time. "Four ten," she answered, giving her son a smile. "Are you nervous?"

"A little," he admitted. Then, after making sure that Julia was still with their grandfather, he nodded. "What if he's a jerk?"

"I don't think a man that's offered to take time out of his busy schedule to meet you for a little bit could be a jerk," she promised, even though she had her own worries. What if he didn't show? What if he was standing backstage laughing with coworkers about gullible women? Perhaps she shouldn't have told Clark about the planned meeting. It would have been better to surprise him, if Corey Graves did show up. She could have kept quiet about Corey offering to meet him before Smackdown. It was already a pretty big deal in her son's world, getting out of school early to make the two hour drive to see a wrestling show. She would have come early even if Corey hadn't messaged her about meeting up, because she hated rush hour traffic in the city and had learned on their earlier trips that it was much nicer to arrive a few hours early. Better to have time for a bite to eat and a little bit of touristy action to blow off some of the steam of excitement. Especially with a two year old in tow…

Maybe bringing Julia had been a mistake. She was still a baby, for crying out loud. It would probably be too loud for her little ears. Or there would be some drunken jerk right behind them that would scream obscenities and scare her. Or she would fall asleep halfway during the show, as she was apt to do at home. Or…

Or maybe she was just worrying too much.

"He said four thirty, right?" Clark didn't look bothered by the fact he'd broken into her thoughts. Of course he probably didn't know. His hand reached up to smooth his hair, then fell to his lap.

Her sweet, worrying little boy. Like mother, like son, she supposed. She would have kissed him if she hadn't thought he would cringe at the public display of affection. Instead, she took another sip of her coffee before answering. "He did. We'll head around in a couple of minutes, okay?"

"Wouldn't it be great if he got us inside and we could see the announce table and the ring and maybe meet some of the wrestlers?" Clark blurted. "I mean, what if I could meet Kevin Owens?"

Knowing her son, he'd probably soil himself. Bette knew better than to say that, though. Smiling, she said nothing to discourage his imagination. An imagination was good, especially when so many people wanted him to face the cold, hard reality of life at his young age. So even though she was pretty sure he would only meet with his favorite commentator for probably only ten or fifteen minutes, she said, "You never know."

"Mama! Mama!" Julia's voice filled the early autumn air. Bette heard her voice and approaching footsteps before she focused on the blue-and-green blur that was her daughter. She lurched to a stop, wobbling long enough to make her mother worry she would fall, then surged forward to the bench Bette and Clark shared. "Papa's hat!"

"What have I told you about stealing your Papa's hat? Do you want his bald spot to burn?" Bette sighed, nudging the brim of the Boston Bruins cap back so she could see her daughter's face. Then she groaned. "Julia Rose Spencer! You haven't had a thing to eat in the past hour, how did your face get so dirty?"

"I'unno," Julia answered, shrugging her shoulders elaborately. When her mother reached into her purse and pulled out a packet of wipes, the girl's green eyes widened. "No, mama!"

"Yes, mama," Bette corrected, opening the packet and getting a wipe. "You can't go around in public with a dirty face. I don't mind if you go around in clothes that don't match, or when you insist on having your hair in three ponytails with ribbons in them, or even when you want to wear winter boots in the middle of July. But I'll be darned if I'm letting my child skip around with a face so nasty I could grow pumpkins on it."

She worked to clear the small face while she spoke, ignoring the sighs of complaint and squirms to get away. Julia wrinkled her nose in disgust when Bette brought the wipe to her chin.

"There," Bette announced, tossing the used wipe into the trashcan next to the bench. "Now take Papa his hat, and let's get moving."

Next to her, Clark hopped to his feet. "It's time to go around back already?"

"It will be by the time Her Royal Slowness gets to your Papa." Bette stood and finished the rest of her coffee before throwing it away. Smoothing the front of her sweater, she waited until Julia was further along the walkway before heading after her. The late afternoon sun was warm, making her sweater too warm to have on, but she knew that by the time the show ended and they left the arena it would be chilly. Julia had discarded her jacket; it was stuffed into Bette's purse. Clark was still wearing his Seth Rollins hoodie, which had come in the mail the day before, and Bette had a feeling it would take an act of Congress to get him to take it off.

When she reached the bench her father was on, he was adjusting his cap. He stood, one hand instantly reaching to grab Julia before she could skip off. He transferred her to Bette, then nodded in the direction of the sports bar they'd passed on the way in. "I'll be over there if you need me."

"I'm sure we'll be fine." Grateful he hadn't asked a million questions, she pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I'll text you when we're done."

"Wait a minute, I don't think my phone's on…"

***

She was late. Corey glanced to the handful of fans standing at the barricade. No sign of a woman wearing a green sweater, or a little boy wearing a Kevin Owens shirt and a Seth Rollins hoodie. He decided to give her a few more minutes, allowing for traffic and knowing that kids always had to use the restroom at the most inconvenient time.

"How long are you gonna wait?" Baron asked.

"A few minutes." He reached for his phone to check if she'd sent another message. "She could have gotten—"

"What's she supposed to be wearing?"

"A green sweater and black pants I think she said. The kid's wearing an Owens shirt and a Rollins hoodie." Head lowered to look at his phone, he grunted when Baron's elbow jammed into his arm. "What the—"

"What color is her hair?"

"I have no idea, why?"

"Because I think I see them. But she's got two kids."

Corey jerked his head up. His gaze landed on the figure of a woman standing a bit away from the other fans. A small child was on her hip and, next to her, a little boy. He squinted, saw that they matched the description she'd given him, and motioned to the nearby security guard. "That's them. Her last name is Spencer."

"You're bringing them inside?" Baron's voice was incredulous.

"I'm not dragging them into the locker room," he snorted, watching as the guard crossed to the barricade. "I just figured the kid would like to get a quick tour."

"Did you—"

"I cleared it with Hunter," Corey promised. "They can't be backstage for longer than it takes to get out to the ring, and he said to keep it under an hour."

"You're really sticking your neck out for a chick you met on the internet," his friend murmured. "Did she promise you a repayment?"

"Don't be vulgar."

"You're the king of vulgar, though."

"Well, yeah," Corey admitted begrudgingly. "I'm just being nice for a kid. What's the crime in that?"

"Nothing," Baron promised. "Nothing at all. It's just the mom's hot."

Corey rolled his eyes, turning to see the guard was coming back. Ms. Spencer was with him, and as they approached he saw the child on her hip was a girl. The boy – Clark, wasn't it? – was starting to smile, and when his eyes moved to Baron his lips parted in shock.

She was attractive, he conceded. Not of the drop-dead-gorgeous variety, but he knew she would get more than a few second looks in public. There was confidence in her step, and her lips were upturned in a soft smile. Her hair was dark, waves bouncing against her shoulders with each step. And when she turned slightly to reach for her son's hand, he suddenly understood what dangerous curves were.

"Told you," Baron muttered, pushing away from the wall and pasting a smile on his face.

There was the blur of introductions. The little girl was Julia, the boy was Clark. There was disbelief from Clark when Corey invited them in to see the arena and the commentary table. There was the curious, almost pensive expression on Julia's cherubic face that remained even as he escorted them through the backstage area.

"Oh my god," Clark breathed when they bypassed Gorilla and went through the side curtain.

He couldn't have timed it better if he'd tried. The techs were going through a light sequence, filling the arena with blue and white spotlights. The huge LCD screens and panels swirled with color. Corey rubbed his hands together, then guided the boy to the edge of the stage. "You gotta walk down the ramp, you know."

"I do?"

"Of course. Even commentators walk down the ramp." Corey lifted him onto the stage, then looked to the little girl. "Would you like to walk the ramp, too?"

Julia's lips puckered in thought. She looked from him to her brother to the stage and then back again. Finally, with a nod, she reached for him.

"Don't run," their mother warned once Julia was standing next to her brother.

"Aw, man," Clark sighed. He turned to see the LCD panels, then circled back to face the ring. Just as he took a step forward to get to the ramp, the panels came to life with vivid red, and Kevin Owens' music began to play. Immediately the boy's face lit up.

"Owens is his favorite," the woman at Corey's side explained.

"Then he's about to have the best moment of his day," Corey told her, leaning in so she could hear him above the music. She turned her head so he could see the confusion on her face. He caught the aroma of her shampoo. And realized how green her eyes were. "Kevin's coming out," he said, motioning to the stage.

They both turned to look just as Kevin stepped out onto the stage. At the sight of Julia and Clark he stopped, and Corey motioned to him and gave him a quick thumbs up. The man nodded, moving forward to stand behind the kids, then leaned to speak in Clark's ear. Corey didn't catch what he said, but judging by the grin on the boy's face it was something great.

Julia didn't seem half as interested, already skipping down the ramp. Kevin walked with Clark, whose mouth was moving rapidly. Corey reached for Ms. Spencer's arm to guide her around the lights set up along the edge of the ramp. The music blessedly ended once they all reached the ring, and he was able to introduce the three to Kevin.

Tom and Byron were at the announce table, going over notes for the upcoming show. When Corey walked over with Clark, both men glanced up and looked to him curiously. He made more introductions, explained that Clark would be the hottest commentator in the company in about twenty years, then motioned for the boy to take his chair while they showed them how they did their job. Opening his mouth to answer Clark's question about watching the monitor instead of the action in the ring, he lifted an eyebrow when Tom began to speak.

"We need to call the action that's shown on TV, so—"

Clark turned to look at Corey. "Can I say it? Please?"

Corey began to grin. "Go for it."

"Shut up, Tom!"

Kevin joined in the laughter. The next thing Corey knew, Clark was being taken to the ring for an up-close tour. Tom and Byron wandered off with promises of seeing him in a little while. Corey looked to Ms. Spencer and turned Tom's seat toward her.

"Is it always this hectic before a show?" she asked, taking the seat and tugging Julia away from a coil of cable.

"Sometimes it's worse. The calm hits a few minutes before the doors open." Corey turned his seat to face her, surprised when Julia leaned against his leg and stared up at him. "What do you need, sweetheart?"

"Tat," she announced, pointing to his neck.

He reached up to touch the front of his throat. "This one?"

She nodded excitedly. "C'I see?"

"Sure." Further surprised when she crawled into his lap, he grunted as her knee banged dangerously close to his crotch, reaching to steady her with one arm. He tilted his head back so she could get a good look at the tattoo. "You like tattoos, huh?"

"She's obsessed with them," her mother explained with a rueful smile.

"I can tell. Not a problem," Corey said, chuckling as Julia traced the skull on his throat. Letting his head move back to its usual position when she turned her attention to the ink covering his forearm, he smiled at her mother so she would know it really wasn't a problem. "I prefer kids who want to look at them instead of screaming over how hideous they are, Ms. Spencer."

"It's Bette. And she's been examining tattoos since before she could walk. Neither she or her brother have ever been scared of them. Probably because I have so many."

He looked from the girl in his lap to the woman next to him. Demure, level-headed, brownie-baking Bette had ink? His gaze quickly roved over her figure. No tattoos were visible with the leggings and loose sweater she wore. Of course, neither was much skin. "You do?" he asked, turning his arm so Julia could see the rest of the tattoo she was tracing. "Where?"

"All over," she answered. "Half-sleeve on my right arm, big piece on my left hip and thigh, both ankles, shoulders, left forearm… And of course the totally tacky college girl tramp stamp."

He lifted an eyebrow. "What are they of?"

"Good grief, it'll be easier to show you than to explain them all," Bette laughed.

Corey briefly wondered if she was going to start stripping, and was almost – almost – disappointed when she plucked her phone out of her purse. She leaned close and he glimpsed a photo of her kids as the wallpaper before she brought up her pictures.

"This is my hip piece," she said, angling the phone so he could see better. "It was right after it was finished, so ignore the redness and the sheet. I got irises because they're my favorite flower."

He pressed his lips together while looking at the picture. Vivid purple and white irises were arranged in a collage on her hip, extending to almost mid-thigh and up to her lowermost rib. The background was soft and perfectly shaded. He let his gaze settle on curve of her backside, which was visible despite the sheet, and suddenly felt uncomfortably warm. "That's great," he enthused. "Who did it?"

"Nick at Werther's. He's done all my tats." She swiped to the next photo. "My half-sleeve after the last bit was added."

It was a mishmash of small tattoos. Though they were all different, they meshed well. A Christmas tree, a brilliant gold star, a red and black dragon wearing a diamond tiara, a fleur-de-lis. Tiny butterflies and blood-red roses were interspersed between all of them. "What's behind it?"

She exhaled softly and told him, pointing to each individual piece. Christmas was her all-time favorite holiday, although Halloween was a very close second. The star was for Clark, who she always called her shining star. The dragon was for Julia, her little dragon princess. The fleur-de-lis was a nod to her French roots. "There are twenty-two butterflies, which is how old I was when Clarke was born. And twenty-nine roses, for how old I was when Julia was born. They were the last ones added to it, and we split them up over three visits."

He nodded, impressed. Opening his mouth to praise the work, he instead closed it as she swiped the screen to bring up the next picture. "Your shoulder?" he guessed, glancing at her before turning his attention to the picture. "That's insanely good."

A skull, thorny vines crisscrossing and growing into its mouth, stared back at him with blooming red roses. Bette zoomed in so he could see the detail, and he saw the smile on her face. "It's probably my favorite," she murmured. "It was my first one."

"Not the tramp stamp?" he teased.

She groaned. "That doesn't count because I was… Okay I wasn't drunk but I was on my way to being drunk."

"I gotta see it, you know."

"Let's save the worst for last," she insisted, swiping to the next photo. "Left shoulder. For my mom."

He nodded, admiring the detail of the wings spreading out from a heart. Across the heart was a banner, the name Joan filling it in a looping script. Next was an infinity symbol with her son's name and birthdate on the inside of her right ankle, then a matching one for her daughter on the left ankle. Then a dreamcatcher on her left forearm.

"And that's it," she said, beginning to shift away.

"Oh-ho, nice try," he laughed. He slipped her phone from her grasp. Ignoring her shocked noise, he swiped to the next photo. And immediately pressed the phone to his chest to shield it from Julia's eyes. Not that the girl seemed to care. She'd slipped out of his lap and was digging through her mother's purse.

"I told you it was terrible," Bette muttered, reaching for the phone. He waved her hand away though.

"You could have warned me the picture showed your—" he cut off, glancing at the little girl, and cleared his throat. "Your rear end."

"Don't be such a prude. There's barely any butt cleavage," she defended.

"Still," he grunted, tilting the phone away from his chest and looking down at the screen. The purple butterfly was dead center on the small of her back. Shaded swirls of turquoise and lavender extended beyond the wings, the tips of the swirls nearly reaching her hip dimples.

Hip dimples. He bit the inside of his bottom lip, not liking how easy it was to imagine his thumbs on those dents while he—

"Gum!" Julia squealed. She straightened, holding a pack of mint gum victoriously. "Please?"

"Ask Mr. Graves if he'd like some," Bette said.

"Mis'er G'aves?"

Corey dragged his attention from the photo on the screen and the inadvertent imaginings it had produced to find the girl extending the pack of gum into his direction. "What is it, sweetheart?"

"Gum."

"Gum would be perfect right about now." He took one last glance at the butterfly tattoo and handed the phone back to Bette, smiling as Julia carefully extracted a stick of gum and placed it in his palm. "Thanks so much. It's just what I needed. Can't go around with stinky breath, can I?"

She giggled, popping a piece of gum into her mouth. "Nope!"

"Geez, Julia, you're supposed to say his breath doesn't stink," Bette groaned.

Julia's brow furrowed, and she leaned close to Corey. Breathing in deeply, she shrugged. "I'unno."

"It's fine," Corey promised Bette when she groaned again. "I've been known to have some rough breath before."

"But it doesn't smell—" she cut off and glanced to the ring, where Clark was standing on the middle turnbuckle. Lifting her phone, she began to take photos. "Thanks so much for doing this. When you suggested we meet before the show, I didn't know you would go to so much trouble."

"It's no trouble at all," he assured her, smoothing the gum wrapper between his fingers. "He seems like a great kid. Julia too," he added when the girl shot him a look. "I just don't understand how a boy can be more interested in commentary than the actual wrestling."

"He's not very physical. If I'm honest, he's a little bit of a klutz. Plus he had a few speech problems when he was first starting to talk. Delayed speech mainly, but also some phonetic difficulties. Playing with his action figures helped, and he began to repeat what the commentators said. That helped him even more. Then he discovered NXT a few years ago, and you. And well, that was that. You became his favorite. When I told him you'd be doing commentary on both Raw and Smackdown I thought his head was going to burst."

Touched, Corey pressed his lips together to keep a silly grin from forming. Watching as Kevin helped Clark down, he felt his breath catch in his throat when the boy slid from the ring and jogged straight towards him. He was startled at the feel of a pair of small arms wrap around him in a tight hug.

"Thank you so much, Corey," Clark said.

The words pulled directly on Corey's heartstrings. Returning the embrace, he cleared his throat. "Anytime, Clark. Anytime."

#corey graves #wwe #corey graves imagine #wwe imagine #multipart:MG #corey graves fanfiction #wwe fanfiction #OH GOD PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT ME TO CONTINUE THIS #because new story worries

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artificialqueens · 7 years

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forever halloween (Alaska/Adore) - comeapart

a/n: i haven’t submitted before but apparently 2017 is the year i do new things. i wrote this in half an hour + it’s 2k worth of adore/alaska fluff with some alaska/katya angst

Alaska hadn’t seen any of her friends in months. After winning All Stars, her life had been a mix of overseas gigs and shows that didn’t let her do what she wanted, and flights to places she probably couldn’t pronounce even sober. Her twitter had been left for dead in terms of actually tweeting, and her social media was just bookers posts by now. It was kind of ridiculous that she felt something, after the numbness that followed Drag Race. It wasn’t even Alaska’s show, but Halloween was sacred to her, and half of her friends were booked for the gig. It just made sense that she had to go, especially since it was in LA.

She settled on something cute for the occasion, something that meant she didn’t have to actually go buy a costume. It was pretty similar to her normal drag, when she actually got down to getting into it. In fact, it was her normal drag. All she had done was draw whiskers on her cheeks and a button nose for good measure, adding bangs to the mass of wigs pinned into her hair quite simply because she could. Someone would call her out later, but she didn’t care.

She was late, because it wasn’t her show, and she wasn’t about to walk past the line outside in full drag. She was too recognisable now, people stopped her for photos when she was out getting groceries, and as much as she didn’t mind it, she wasn’t at the show to perform. She was there to watch, and to see her friends, and probably drag them out to a club afterwards. She made the uber driver take the long route, arriving half an hour after doors and sneaking in through the back, being greeted by Willam in half-drag.

“You’re late, bitch,” Willam had laughed, pulling her into a hug before looking her up and down and rolling her eyes. “This is cute. C’mon, everyone’s upstairs. Meet and greet just ended.”

Realistically, Alaska knew that nobody would be surprised that she was there. Willam was the only one who had known, mostly because Alaska had texted her and made sure that she would be able to get in, but she did see everyone pretty regularly. Emotionally, she’d pulled away from nearly every friend she’d made. Twitter was overwhelming with death threats and hate that seemed a little too real to be a joke, and she’d gotten into the habit of ignoring texts under the guise of being too busy. It wasn’t obvious that she wasn’t okay, but a few people had caught on. Courtney had come over a couple of times to check on her, and her mom had suggested seeing a therapist once after a long phone call about the future and winning the race.

When Katya saw her, she hugged her extra tight. She was the only one in the dressing room, in full drag, but she was missing eyebrows. It was kind of cute, and Alaska couldn’t figure out why, but she liked it. Katya didn’t let go until Alaska pulled away, looking up at her and smiling, mumbling something about missing her before making a joke that Alaska definitely laughed too hard at. Katya noticed, too. She didn’t know what was worse.

Alaska gave a shitty excuse before pulling herself away, but Katya grabbed her arm, letting go almost immediately when she saw her flinch. “You know I’m here for you, right?” God, Alaska hated that. She didn’t need help. Or pity. It wasn’t anyone’s fault but her own that people sent her hate. It wasn’t Katya’s fault that people liked her, that she was the fan favourite.

“I’m okay, girl. I’m just tired. Thank you,” Alaska drawled, pulling her arm away from Katya before looking down at her. Fuck Katya and her blue eyes and the way she knew everything about Alaska without asking. Maybe Courtney had told her, which would’ve been worse.

“I’m serious. You’re welcome to come over anytime, I’m crashing at Tracey’s right now, but we can trash her house and break twitter if you want,” And Alaska knew it was a bad idea. Alaska really did know it was a bad idea, because Katya had mentioned twitter, and that meant that she knew about the shit people sent her. Alaska just nodded and smiled, agreeing to whatever. She could cancel the plans later.

She didn’t really relax until Adore entered the room. She was carrying an armful of gifts and letters, and she looked happy. She looked so genuinely happy to meet people, and it made Alaska’s steel heart warm. Drag was meant to spread positivity, not what Alaska had been receiving for months now. She dumped her stuff by Ginger and Tatianna before looking around, realising Alaska was there, and grinning.

She didn’t say anything, walking over and launching herself into Alaska’s arms and hugging her tighter than any of the other queens had. It felt sincere, like Katya’s hug had been, but without any guilt. It was hard to act like she was completely okay with being told she deserved to have acid thrown at her, or be hit by a car, or whatever horrible thing one of the team Katya fans had decided to come up with, but she knew it wasn’t Katya’s fault. She didn’t doubt that Katya would tweet about it later, telling people to be nicer or some shit. Katya was the queen for the people, clearly.

It wasn’t that Alaska was always sad. She had good days where it didn’t affect her, but she had a habit of reading too much into things. But even on her worst days, Adore could put a smile on her face. It was the attitude, the fact she didn’t give a shit. Alaska was pretty sure they were too similar for their own good, both anxious and both great at hiding it. In a way, it was the same for Katya, except there was tension within that friendship. Adore had never gone through the stress of competing against Alaska in the same way, and it had definitely made things a lot easier. Adore was good vibes personified, Alaska was pretty sure.

Adore finally pulled away after a few moments, looking up and grinning. “You bitch, you’re meant to tell me when you’re here. We could’ve gotten high at Roy’s place or something, Laganja hooked me up with new shit today,” She started, moving her hands from Alaska’s sides to her arms and laughing to herself, “I missed you.”

“You do know I live here, right?” Alaska laughed, biting her lip and probably pulling off half of the gloss she’d applied earlier with her teeth. Something about Adore made her feel warm.

“Yeah, but you’re never home. You’re too busy for little ol’ me, I know it,” Adore pouted, letting the green strands of the unbrushed wig cover her cheek as she tilted her head.

“I’m never too busy for my Adorm,” Alaska smiled, moving the hair from Adore’s face and shaking her head. “Are you singing tonight? Or lip-syncing?”

“I was gonna do some Halloween classics. Hey, we should do our song together, Lasky. It’ll be fucking cool,” She laughed, throwing her head back before looking back to Alaska, and yeah. It would be cool. Alaska wasn’t going to ruin the one thing that had made her genuinely smile for the first time in a month.

They got high together, hotboxing one of the bathrooms right up until Adore was called away to perform and Alaska following suit, making her way to sit by the side and watch just out of the public’s view. She was warm inside, and she didn’t hate anyone. She should probably go apologise to Katya, but that would happen much later, when she was on her way home in another uber. They didn’t play I Look Fucking Cool until the very end, Alaska walking on on cue and making the crowd scream in a way that she hadn’t heard all night.

She forgot a word, which nobody noticed, and at some point, Katya and Tatianna had walked onto the stage, Katya doing her gymnastics thing and Tatianna dancing. It felt good. It felt like what she had started doing drag for. It felt like passion and expression and it felt like what she wanted to be doing, even if it was just being high on stage with her friends. After the show, people slowed the horrible tweets, but a few were still there. The group hug between Adore, Katya, and Tati probably helped, but Adore caught her frowning at her phone and took it off of her, reading it.

It could’ve been worse. Some guy was threatening to knife her if she ever went to Texas, but he didn’t look particularly big, and Alaska travelled with security anyway. Adore raised her brows, blocking the user before handing it back. “You shouldn’t read that shit, y’know? I used to, but it just made me sad. Now I block people.”

“I should probably do that,” Alaska mumbled, putting her phone away and smiling at Adore. “I get so many of them. I don’t understand why people don’t like me. I watched All Stars, I know I wasn’t that bad.”

“It’s because you’re good at what you do, Lasky. You’re so good at what you do. And none of us had a chance, and they’re just upset because you finally got a crown to match the talent. Now c’mon, it’s Halloween! No being sad, or I’ll call Willam on you, and he’ll try and blow you,” Adore laughed, and Alaska did too. The idea of Willam being a punishment was hilarious. Maybe it was the weed, or the half-bottle of gin she’d drunk whilst watching the show, but everything felt better.

They smoked again, and shared a bottle of wine after Adore had complained about anything harder hurting her voice. Alaska couldn’t stop thinking about her, and as much as she knew it was stupid, she really did like Adore. It wasn’t the alcohol, or the weed, or the show. Hell, the main reason she’d gone to the show was because Adore was there. She had nearly not gone because she was worried about Katya feeling guilty that Alaska had essentially jumped ship on twitter.

It wasn’t until four am that the club thinned out, people leaving in cars and taxis and stumbling down streets, and Adore was telling Alaska that she really should go home. She didn’t really know how it happened, but then her hands were on Adore’s sides, and they were kissing, and it was so much better than she’d expected.

Adore was all smooth, curves and soft skin and lips that were too eager. Alaska was probably too eager, too, but it was okay. It didn’t matter because Adore wanted her too. Before Alaska could say anything, they were in an Uber, Adore’s suitcase separating them until they reached Alaska’s apartment. Alaska texted Katya a string of jumbled letters, completely aware that it was barely readable, but she’d fix it later. Katya had left hours ago, and was probably asleep.

Alaska got the door open with some difficulty, and the rest of the night was a blur. She couldn’t remember anything that happened when she woke up the morning after, but she was naked, her face still painted and eyebrows half-smeared off onto the pillow. Adore was naked too, ass pressed against Alaska’s stomach and breathing shallow, still asleep.

Alaska checked her phone, and there were missed calls. There were a lot of missed calls. Several from Bianca, two from Courtney and Willam each, six from Katya and one from her manager. She checked her texts first, and yeah, okay. She could see why Katya tried calling so many times. From the looks of her texts, she had basically told her that she wanted to die, and that she was suicidal. It wasn’t necessarily wrong, but it definitely wasn’t appropriate to send someone at 5am on a Wednesday. She texted her back apologising, saying that she was hungover and that she’d call later, and left it at that.

Her hand hovered over the twitter app, before deciding against it. She didn’t need to read hate. She had the best person in the world besides her, and she had to figure out what had happened the night before before she let herself feel bad again. Later that day, she would find out that Adore liked her just as much as Alaska liked her. They made the relationship facebook official on their secret accounts, and later that month when people started asking questions, they went public.

Alaska was content, and it didn’t matter that people were getting tired of her posting pictures of Adore, because it made her happy. Courtney came over a lot more, and Bianca started booking shows with Alaska too. Finding the balance between comedy and music and everything inbetween wasn’t easy, but Adore made it easier. Alaska started using twitter again, too, and Katya ended up being one of her closest friends. Adore and Katya defended Alaska to the point that people stopped nearly entirely sending her hate. Besides, halloween was always going to be sacred to her.

#alaska thunderfuck #adore delano #katya zamolodchikova #halloween #tw suicide mention #comeapart #rpdr fanfiction #submission #adore delaska #canon compliant #forever halloween

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andrewdburton · 5 years

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How I learned to stop worrying and love DIY

“Oh good,” Kim said when I rolled out of bed yesterday morning. “I’m glad you’re up.” She gets up at 5:30 for work most days, but I tend to sleep in. Especially during allergy season.

“Huh?” I grunted. It was 6:10 and I was very groggy. My evening allergy meds kick my butt. Plus, I hadn't had my coffee yet.

“Something’s wrong with the bathroom sink,” she said. “Look. It’s leaking. The floor is soaked.” She wasn't kidding. The bathmat was drenched. When I looked under the vanity, I was greeted by a small lake.

“Ugh,” I grunted. This wasn't how I wanted to start my day.

Kim kissed me goodbye and hurried off to work. I pulled on a pair of pants, poured some coffee, pulled out the vanity drawers, and got to work.

I was worried that I might have caused the leak when I replaced the sink's pop-up assembly last month, but no. The problem was obvious: The hot water line to the bidet (which I installed in October) had worked itself loose. (By the way, I love my bidet. Too much information, perhaps, but it's some of the best sixty bucks I've ever spent.)

Fortunately, the fix was simple. I reattached everything, then added a light layer of tape to prevent similar problems in the future.

Note: As a safety measure — to make sure I wasn't missing anything — I took photos of the issue and made a trip to the hardware store to ask their advice. They told me everything should be fine.

This might seem like a small thing to some folks but it’s a big deal in my world. You see, I’ve never really been a DIY type of guy. I used to get overwhelmed by home improvement. I felt unprepared, incompetent.

More and more, though, I’m learning that I can do it myself. It just takes patience and perseverance. And the more projects I complete, the more confidence I gain.

Learning to Love DIY

When I was younger, I avoided do-it-yourself projects whenever possible. As a boy, I never learned how to be handy around the house. I could program (or build) a computer. I could write. I could do accounting or analyze literature. But I couldn't replace a broken window or repair a leak.

My ex-wife and I bought our first house in 1993. Fortunately, it was in great shape. During our ten years in the place, there weren't a lot of things that needed to be repaired.

And when things did need work, they were obviously beyond our abilities. The water heater exploded on Christmas morning. The electric wall heater caught fire. We discovered an infestation of carpenter ants. These were problems I was never going to fix myself. We hired experts to solve them for us.

In 2004, we moved to a hundred-year-old farmhouse. The previous owner had lived there for fifty years and had done a lot of lazy repairs himself.

Because buying the place tapped nearly all of our financial resources, we were forced to handle some of the repairs and remodeling ourselves. We hired somebody to hang drywall for us, but we tore down the old walls ourselves. To fix the faulty wiring, we asked an electrician friend to help us find problems and make repairs. And so on.

Still, I didn't feel completely comfortable with DIY projects around the house. I did them when I had to, but mostly I tried to put them off — or to pay somebody else to solve the problem.

After our divorce, I deliberately sought a place where I did not have to deal with home improvement. I bought a condo. All exterior work was handled by somebody else. Sure, I was on the hook for problems inside my unit, but those were easy to foist on contractors. For five years, I completely avoided home repairs and home improvement.

When Kim and I bought our current country cottage, we had a chat. “You know you're going to have to do lots of DIY projects,” she said. “There's a ton wrong with the house — and that's just the stuff we know about.”

“I know,” I said. “But I'm older now, and I'm actually looking forward to developing my DIY skills. I have a better attitude. I think I'll be fine.”

You know what? I have been fine. After paying a small fortune to get the major things handled — roof, siding, floors — we've deliberately been taking on the day-to-day stuff ourselves. It's much slower this way, but it's also cheaper. Plus, it's more satisfying.

In the past eighteen months, we've:

Painted several rooms in the house, and have plans to paint the others.

Installed new molding and trim in several rooms.

Painted the kitchen cabinets and installed new hardware.

Replaced the kitchen faucet (on Super Bowl Sunday).

Repaired the bathroom sink pop-up assembly.

Replaced our only toilet.

Installed a bidet attachment on the toilet.

Built out the inside of a Tuff Shed to make it my writing studio.

Built a porch for the writing studio.

Stained our new back deck (which we did not build ourselves).

Begun work on a fire pit for summer gatherings.

Installed raised beds for vegetable gardening.

Removed a cedar tree and planted a small orchard.

Hung lighting in the laundry room.

Installed a car stereo.

Some of these projects (the writing studio, for instance) were major. Some (like the laundry-room lighting) were minor. All of them have helped me gain confidence that yes, I can do things myself.

It's still no fun when I wake up to find that a leak has flooded the bathroom. But at least now I don't feel overwhelmed. I'm able to pause, think about what needs done, and then tackle the job. It's a totally different feeling than I had even three years ago. Three years ago, stuff like this would overwhelm me. Now, I almost love these DIY projects. (For real!) Maybe it's because I'm old.

youtube

Nine Steps to DIY Success

Yesterday as I was crawling under the bathroom sink, I thought about how I've learned to love DIY, how I've shifted from viewing these tasks as chores to viewing them as opportunities to learn.

As I fixed the leak, I made a mental list of the things I've learned over the past couple of years, the guidelines I follow to make sure my home-improvement projects are productive and fun instead of something I dread.

I believe these nine “rules” have helped me embrace the do-it-yourself mindset:

Read the instructions. This point is obvious enough for some folks that it ought not even be listed. But for others, this is a vital first step. I know too many people who rush into DIY projects without bothering to read the directions that come with the parts, tools, or kits that they're using. Instruction sheets and manuals are tedious, yes, and they don't always make sense when you read them without context, but they also provide a vital framework for the project you're about to undertake. Don't skip this step!

Tap your social network. While you may have never tackled a particular project, you probably have family or friends who've done something similar in the past. Draw on their experience and expertise. Ask questions. Seek advice. While replacing our kitchen faucet, I texted Mr. Money Mustache for help. When installing my car stereo, I asked my brother lots of questions. (He's an audio nerd.) When Kim and I work in the yard, I often ask my ex-wife for advice. And, of course, I'm not shy about posting to Facebook to draw on the power of the hivemind.

Practice patience. DIY projects can be long and tedious. They can be frustrating. When I replaced our kitchen faucet, I was stymied from the start. The space was small. Tools didn't work or didn't fit. We had plans with the neighbors that put a time limit on the project. The old me would have been angry and irritable. The new me stayed calm. I forced myself to practice patience, to pause and think about the situation from a variety of angles. I had to make three trips to the hardware store. Ultimately, my patience paid off. I replaced the faucet and made it next door in time to watch the big game.

Be methodical. Another reason DIY projects used to frustrate me stemmed from my lack of organization. As I disassembled things, I put them in a common pile. When it came time to put things back together, I was lost. Nowadays, I'm smarter. I put small parts in ziploc bags and label the bags so I know what they are and where they go. If it's not obvious what large parts are for, I label them too. At each stage of the project, I take photos with my phone so that I have a reference when I put things back together. I take notes in the manual to provide clarity in the future. Then I store the manuals in a drawer. Being methodical makes the process so much easier.

Think outside the box. Sometimes you'll encounter situations where the instructions don't apply. Normal solutions don't work. When this happens, you'll have to be creative. You'll need to think outside the box. Using the kitchen faucet as an example again, none of the recommended methods would work to remove the old faucet. It was stuck, and there was no space to work with typical tools. In the end, I had to purchase a Dremel and cut into the collar, then hammer at it for five minutes before it came loose. It took a long time (and was frustrating), but it worked.

Decide on rules for buying tools. The unfortunate reality of DIY projects is that they often require specialized tools. When I replaced the kitchen faucet, I needed a basin wrench. Then I needed a Dremel. When Kim and I re-seeded our lawn, we needed an aerator. Sometimes it makes sense to simply buy the tool(s) you need. (I know I'll use the Dremel again in the future.) Other times, it makes much more sense to borrow or rent. (I'm never going to need a $1500 aerator again, so I rented.)

Do things right. It's tempting to cut corners when you do projects yourself. It's tempting to skip steps, to not work to code, to do the minimum required to get things working right now. Please, do your future self a favor: Do things right the first time. Yes, it takes longer and costs more, but it also means you shouldn't have to repeat the project. Plus, it's nicer for whoever inherits your work. The folks who owned our house before us seemed to live by the motto, “Why do something right when you can do it half-ass?” Kim and I inherited a stack of shitty fixes that have made life miserable for the past two years.

When you're stuck, take a break. One reason I've avoided DIY projects in the past is that I inevitably get stuck. I reach a tricky and/or confusing step and become frustrated. This used to be a disheartening deal-breaker. Now, though, I accept this as part of the process. When I do get stuck, I take it as a sign to slow down — or stop. I go do something else for a while. I do more research on the interwebs. I re-read the instructions. I contact somebody I know who has done a similar project. I give time for the frustration to fade, then return to the project with fresh eyes.

Have fun. Most importantly, enjoy the process. Accept it for what it is. Yes, you'll have moments of frustration. Yes, it sucks to make repeated trips to the hardware store. Yes, most jobs take two or three times longer than anticipated. Once you agree that this is part of what DIY is all about, you'll have a better attitude and be better able to enjoy the work instead of resent it. Plus, remind yourself that each time you tackle a task yourself, you're building a library of knowledge that can be applied to future jobs.

Here's another guideline: Keep the end in mind.

Home repair and home improvement can be annoying because there are other things you'd rather be doing. You could be hanging out with friends. You could be reading a book. You could be playing a game. The last thing you want to do is replace a broken window.

I've learned to consider the reason I'm doing the work. I know that when I replace the kitchen faucet, we'll no longer have to worry about leaks. Plus, we'll have a better, more attractive fixture. After we've spent six hours staining the deck, we'll get years of enjoyment from the space. Once I build out the writing studio, I'll have an ideal space to work in.

Don't focus on the drudgery of the moment. Remind yourself of the ultimate payoff.

Choosing DIY Just for Fun

Last weekend, I tackled a DIY project for fun (gasp). I installed a car stereo.

Three months ago, I bought a 1993 Toyota pickup for projects around our little acre. Fittingly for the era, the truck came with a tape deck. Unfortunately, I don't own any tapes. I purged the last of them over a decade ago.

Still, I couldn’t resist an indulgence. “I wonder if you can get Taylor Swift on cassette,” I thought to myself. I checked Amazon. Sure enough, if you’re dumb and determined like I am, you can order Reputation on cassette for 30 bucks. So I did.

When the tape came, I was disappointed to discover that while the radio worked fine, the tape player was busted. What to do? What to do? Should I write off the T Swift tape as a $30 loss? Or should I go all in, take the risk of buying a new tape deck?

I think you all know the (irrational) course of action I chose.

I found a $70 tape deck on Amazon and ordered it. Last weekend, as a birthday present to myself, I spent an entire day installing the thing — despite having no clue what I was doing.

The project was fun! (Frustrating but fun.)

I got to take apart the truck’s front console, puzzle out the messed up wiring (a previous owner had spliced new speakers incorrectly), connect the new tape deck, then put everything back together. On my drive to work at the box factory Monday morning, I cranked up the Taylor Swift. The dog was unimpressed but I had fun.

The post How I learned to stop worrying and love DIY appeared first on Get Rich Slowly.

from Finance https://www.getrichslowly.org/learning-to-love-diy/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

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michaeljtraylor · 5 years

Text

How I learned to stop worrying and love DIY

“Oh good,” Kim said when I rolled out of bed yesterday morning. “I’m glad you’re up.” She gets up at 5:30 for work most days, but I tend to sleep in. Especially during allergy season.

“Huh?” I grunted. It was 6:10 and I was very groggy. My evening allergy meds kick my butt. Plus, I hadn’t had my coffee yet.

“Something’s wrong with the bathroom sink,” she said. “Look. It’s leaking. The floor is soaked.” She wasn’t kidding. The bathmat was drenched. When I looked under the vanity, I was greeted by a small lake.

“Ugh,” I grunted. This wasn’t how I wanted to start my day.

Kim kissed me goodbye and hurried off to work. I pulled on a pair of pants, poured some coffee, pulled out the vanity drawers, and got to work.

I was worried that I might have caused the leak when I replaced the sink’s pop-up assembly last month, but no. The problem was obvious: The hot water line to the bidet (which I installed in October) had worked itself loose. (By the way, I love my bidet. Too much information, perhaps, but it’s some of the best sixty bucks I’ve ever spent.)

Fortunately, the fix was simple. I reattached everything, then added a light layer of tape to prevent similar problems in the future.

Note: As a safety measure — to make sure I wasn’t missing anything — I took photos of the issue and made a trip to the hardware store to ask their advice. They told me everything should be fine.

More and more, though, I’m learning that I can do it myself. It just takes patience and perseverance. And the more projects I complete, the more confidence I gain.

Learning to Love DIY

My ex-wife and I bought our first house in 1993. Fortunately, it was in great shape. During our ten years in the place, there weren’t a lot of things that needed to be repaired.

In 2004, we moved to a hundred-year-old farmhouse. The previous owner had lived there for fifty years and had done a lot of lazy repairs himself.

Still, I didn’t feel completely comfortable with DIY projects around the house. I did them when I had to, but mostly I tried to put them off — or to pay somebody else to solve the problem.

When Kim and I bought our current country cottage, we had a chat. “You know you’re going to have to do lots of DIY projects,” she said. “There’s a ton wrong with the house — and that’s just the stuff we know about.”

“I know,” I said. “But I’m older now, and I’m actually looking forward to developing my DIY skills. I have a better attitude. I think I’ll be fine.”

You know what? I have been fine. After paying a small fortune to get the major things handled — roof, siding, floors — we’ve deliberately been taking on the day-to-day stuff ourselves. It’s much slower this way, but it’s also cheaper. Plus, it’s more satisfying.

In the past eighteen months, we’ve:

Painted several rooms in the house, and have plans to paint the others.

Installed new molding and trim in several rooms.

Painted the kitchen cabinets and installed new hardware.

Replaced the kitchen faucet (on Super Bowl Sunday).

Repaired the bathroom sink pop-up assembly.

Replaced our only toilet.

Installed a bidet attachment on the toilet.

Built out the inside of a Tuff Shed to make it my writing studio.

Built a porch for the writing studio.

Stained our new back deck (which we did not build ourselves).

Begun work on a fire pit for summer gatherings.

Installed raised beds for vegetable gardening.

Removed a cedar tree and planted a small orchard.

Hung lighting in the laundry room.

Installed a car stereo.

Some of these projects (the writing studio, for instance) were major. Some (like the laundry-room lighting) were minor. All of them have helped me gain confidence that yes, I can do things myself.

It’s still no fun when I wake up to find that a leak has flooded the bathroom. But at least now I don’t feel overwhelmed. I’m able to pause, think about what needs done, and then tackle the job. It’s a totally different feeling than I had even three years ago. Three years ago, stuff like this would overwhelm me. Now, I almost love these DIY projects. (For real!) Maybe it’s because I’m old.

youtube

Nine Steps to DIY Success

Yesterday as I was crawling under the bathroom sink, I thought about how I’ve learned to love DIY, how I’ve shifted from viewing these tasks as chores to viewing them as opportunities to learn.

As I fixed the leak, I made a mental list of the things I’ve learned over the past couple of years, the guidelines I follow to make sure my home-improvement projects are productive and fun instead of something I dread.

I believe these nine “rules” have helped me embrace the do-it-yourself mindset:

Read the instructions. This point is obvious enough for some folks that it ought not even be listed. But for others, this is a vital first step. I know too many people who rush into DIY projects without bothering to read the directions that come with the parts, tools, or kits that they’re using. Instruction sheets and manuals are tedious, yes, and they don’t always make sense when you read them without context, but they also provide a vital framework for the project you’re about to undertake. Don’t skip this step!

Tap your social network. While you may have never tackled a particular project, you probably have family or friends who’ve done something similar in the past. Draw on their experience and expertise. Ask questions. Seek advice. While replacing our kitchen faucet, I texted Mr. Money Mustache for help. When installing my car stereo, I asked my brother lots of questions. (He’s an audio nerd.) When Kim and I work in the yard, I often ask my ex-wife for advice. And, of course, I’m not shy about posting to Facebook to draw on the power of the hivemind.

Practice patience. DIY projects can be long and tedious. They can be frustrating. When I replaced our kitchen faucet, I was stymied from the start. The space was small. Tools didn’t work or didn’t fit. We had plans with the neighbors that put a time limit on the project. The old me would have been angry and irritable. The new me stayed calm. I forced myself to practice patience, to pause and think about the situation from a variety of angles. I had to make three trips to the hardware store. Ultimately, my patience paid off. I replaced the faucet and made it next door in time to watch the big game.

Be methodical. Another reason DIY projects used to frustrate me stemmed from my lack of organization. As I disassembled things, I put them in a common pile. When it came time to put things back together, I was lost. Nowadays, I’m smarter. I put small parts in ziploc bags and label the bags so I know what they are and where they go. If it’s not obvious what large parts are for, I label them too. At each stage of the project, I take photos with my phone so that I have a reference when I put things back together. I take notes in the manual to provide clarity in the future. Then I store the manuals in a drawer. Being methodical makes the process so much easier.

Think outside the box. Sometimes you’ll encounter situations where the instructions don’t apply. Normal solutions don’t work. When this happens, you’ll have to be creative. You’ll need to think outside the box. Using the kitchen faucet as an example again, none of the recommended methods would work to remove the old faucet. It was stuck, and there was no space to work with typical tools. In the end, I had to purchase a Dremel and cut into the collar, then hammer at it for five minutes before it came loose. It took a long time (and was frustrating), but it worked.

Decide on rules for buying tools. The unfortunate reality of DIY projects is that they often require specialized tools. When I replaced the kitchen faucet, I needed a basin wrench. Then I needed a Dremel. When Kim and I re-seeded our lawn, we needed an aerator. Sometimes it makes sense to simply buy the tool(s) you need. (I know I’ll use the Dremel again in the future.) Other times, it makes much more sense to borrow or rent. (I’m never going to need a $1500 aerator again, so I rented.)

Do things right. It’s tempting to cut corners when you do projects yourself. It’s tempting to skip steps, to not work to code, to do the minimum required to get things working right now. Please, do your future self a favor: Do things right the first time. Yes, it takes longer and costs more, but it also means you shouldn’t have to repeat the project. Plus, it’s nicer for whoever inherits your work. The folks who owned our house before us seemed to live by the motto, “Why do something right when you can do it half-ass?” Kim and I inherited a stack of shitty fixes that have made life miserable for the past two years.

When you’re stuck, take a break. One reason I’ve avoided DIY projects in the past is that I inevitably get stuck. I reach a tricky and/or confusing step and become frustrated. This used to be a disheartening deal-breaker. Now, though, I accept this as part of the process. When I do get stuck, I take it as a sign to slow down — or stop. I go do something else for a while. I do more research on the interwebs. I re-read the instructions. I contact somebody I know who has done a similar project. I give time for the frustration to fade, then return to the project with fresh eyes.

Have fun. Most importantly, enjoy the process. Accept it for what it is. Yes, you’ll have moments of frustration. Yes, it sucks to make repeated trips to the hardware store. Yes, most jobs take two or three times longer than anticipated. Once you agree that this is part of what DIY is all about, you’ll have a better attitude and be better able to enjoy the work instead of resent it. Plus, remind yourself that each time you tackle a task yourself, you’re building a library of knowledge that can be applied to future jobs.

Here’s another guideline: Keep the end in mind.

Home repair and home improvement can be annoying because there are other things you’d rather be doing. You could be hanging out with friends. You could be reading a book. You could be playing a game. The last thing you want to do is replace a broken window.

I’ve learned to consider the reason I’m doing the work. I know that when I replace the kitchen faucet, we’ll no longer have to worry about leaks. Plus, we’ll have a better, more attractive fixture. After we’ve spent six hours staining the deck, we’ll get years of enjoyment from the space. Once I build out the writing studio, I’ll have an ideal space to work in.

Don’t focus on the drudgery of the moment. Remind yourself of the ultimate payoff.

Choosing DIY Just for Fun

Last weekend, I tackled a DIY project for fun (gasp). I installed a car stereo.

Three months ago, I bought a 1993 Toyota pickup for projects around our little acre. Fittingly for the era, the truck came with a tape deck. Unfortunately, I don’t own any tapes. I purged the last of them over a decade ago.

I think you all know the (irrational) course of action I chose.

I found a $70 tape deck on Amazon and ordered it. Last weekend, as a birthday present to myself, I spent an entire day installing the thing — despite having no clue what I was doing.

The project was fun! (Frustrating but fun.)

The post How I learned to stop worrying and love DIY appeared first on Get Rich Slowly.

* This article was originally published here

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8312273 https://proshoppingservice.com/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-diy/ from Garko Media https://garkomedia1.tumblr.com/post/183753220979

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garkomedia1 · 5 years

Text

How I learned to stop worrying and love DIY

“Oh good,” Kim said when I rolled out of bed yesterday morning. “I’m glad you’re up.” She gets up at 5:30 for work most days, but I tend to sleep in. Especially during allergy season.

“Huh?” I grunted. It was 6:10 and I was very groggy. My evening allergy meds kick my butt. Plus, I hadn’t had my coffee yet.

“Ugh,” I grunted. This wasn’t how I wanted to start my day.

Kim kissed me goodbye and hurried off to work. I pulled on a pair of pants, poured some coffee, pulled out the vanity drawers, and got to work.

Fortunately, the fix was simple. I reattached everything, then added a light layer of tape to prevent similar problems in the future.

More and more, though, I’m learning that I can do it myself. It just takes patience and perseverance. And the more projects I complete, the more confidence I gain.

Learning to Love DIY

My ex-wife and I bought our first house in 1993. Fortunately, it was in great shape. During our ten years in the place, there weren’t a lot of things that needed to be repaired.

In 2004, we moved to a hundred-year-old farmhouse. The previous owner had lived there for fifty years and had done a lot of lazy repairs himself.

Still, I didn’t feel completely comfortable with DIY projects around the house. I did them when I had to, but mostly I tried to put them off — or to pay somebody else to solve the problem.

“I know,” I said. “But I’m older now, and I’m actually looking forward to developing my DIY skills. I have a better attitude. I think I’ll be fine.”

In the past eighteen months, we’ve:

Painted several rooms in the house, and have plans to paint the others.

Installed new molding and trim in several rooms.

Painted the kitchen cabinets and installed new hardware.

Replaced the kitchen faucet (on Super Bowl Sunday).

Repaired the bathroom sink pop-up assembly.

Replaced our only toilet.

Installed a bidet attachment on the toilet.

Built out the inside of a Tuff Shed to make it my writing studio.

Built a porch for the writing studio.

Stained our new back deck (which we did not build ourselves).

Begun work on a fire pit for summer gatherings.

Installed raised beds for vegetable gardening.

Removed a cedar tree and planted a small orchard.

Hung lighting in the laundry room.

Installed a car stereo.

Some of these projects (the writing studio, for instance) were major. Some (like the laundry-room lighting) were minor. All of them have helped me gain confidence that yes, I can do things myself.

youtube

Nine Steps to DIY Success

Yesterday as I was crawling under the bathroom sink, I thought about how I’ve learned to love DIY, how I’ve shifted from viewing these tasks as chores to viewing them as opportunities to learn.

I believe these nine “rules” have helped me embrace the do-it-yourself mindset:

Read the instructions. This point is obvious enough for some folks that it ought not even be listed. But for others, this is a vital first step. I know too many people who rush into DIY projects without bothering to read the directions that come with the parts, tools, or kits that they’re using. Instruction sheets and manuals are tedious, yes, and they don’t always make sense when you read them without context, but they also provide a vital framework for the project you’re about to undertake. Don’t skip this step!

Be methodical. Another reason DIY projects used to frustrate me stemmed from my lack of organization. As I disassembled things, I put them in a common pile. When it came time to put things back together, I was lost. Nowadays, I’m smarter. I put small parts in ziploc bags and label the bags so I know what they are and where they go. If it’s not obvious what large parts are for, I label them too. At each stage of the project, I take photos with my phone so that I have a reference when I put things back together. I take notes in the manual to provide clarity in the future. Then I store the manuals in a drawer. Being methodical makes the process so much easier.

Decide on rules for buying tools. The unfortunate reality of DIY projects is that they often require specialized tools. When I replaced the kitchen faucet, I needed a basin wrench. Then I needed a Dremel. When Kim and I re-seeded our lawn, we needed an aerator. Sometimes it makes sense to simply buy the tool(s) you need. (I know I’ll use the Dremel again in the future.) Other times, it makes much more sense to borrow or rent. (I’m never going to need a $1500 aerator again, so I rented.)

Here’s another guideline: Keep the end in mind.

Don’t focus on the drudgery of the moment. Remind yourself of the ultimate payoff.

Choosing DIY Just for Fun

Last weekend, I tackled a DIY project for fun (gasp). I installed a car stereo.

I think you all know the (irrational) course of action I chose.

I found a $70 tape deck on Amazon and ordered it. Last weekend, as a birthday present to myself, I spent an entire day installing the thing — despite having no clue what I was doing.

The project was fun! (Frustrating but fun.)

The post How I learned to stop worrying and love DIY appeared first on Get Rich Slowly.

* This article was originally published here

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8312273 https://proshoppingservice.com/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-diy/

0 notes

garkodigitalmedia · 5 years

Text

How I learned to stop worrying and love DIY

“Oh good,” Kim said when I rolled out of bed yesterday morning. “I’m glad you’re up.” She gets up at 5:30 for work most days, but I tend to sleep in. Especially during allergy season.

“Huh?” I grunted. It was 6:10 and I was very groggy. My evening allergy meds kick my butt. Plus, I hadn’t had my coffee yet.

“Ugh,” I grunted. This wasn’t how I wanted to start my day.

Kim kissed me goodbye and hurried off to work. I pulled on a pair of pants, poured some coffee, pulled out the vanity drawers, and got to work.

Fortunately, the fix was simple. I reattached everything, then added a light layer of tape to prevent similar problems in the future.

More and more, though, I’m learning that I can do it myself. It just takes patience and perseverance. And the more projects I complete, the more confidence I gain.

Learning to Love DIY

My ex-wife and I bought our first house in 1993. Fortunately, it was in great shape. During our ten years in the place, there weren’t a lot of things that needed to be repaired.

In 2004, we moved to a hundred-year-old farmhouse. The previous owner had lived there for fifty years and had done a lot of lazy repairs himself.

Still, I didn’t feel completely comfortable with DIY projects around the house. I did them when I had to, but mostly I tried to put them off — or to pay somebody else to solve the problem.

“I know,” I said. “But I’m older now, and I’m actually looking forward to developing my DIY skills. I have a better attitude. I think I’ll be fine.”

In the past eighteen months, we’ve:

Painted several rooms in the house, and have plans to paint the others.

Installed new molding and trim in several rooms.

Painted the kitchen cabinets and installed new hardware.

Replaced the kitchen faucet (on Super Bowl Sunday).

Repaired the bathroom sink pop-up assembly.

Replaced our only toilet.

Installed a bidet attachment on the toilet.

Built out the inside of a Tuff Shed to make it my writing studio.

Built a porch for the writing studio.

Stained our new back deck (which we did not build ourselves).

Begun work on a fire pit for summer gatherings.

Installed raised beds for vegetable gardening.

Removed a cedar tree and planted a small orchard.

Hung lighting in the laundry room.

Installed a car stereo.

Some of these projects (the writing studio, for instance) were major. Some (like the laundry-room lighting) were minor. All of them have helped me gain confidence that yes, I can do things myself.

youtube

Nine Steps to DIY Success

Yesterday as I was crawling under the bathroom sink, I thought about how I’ve learned to love DIY, how I’ve shifted from viewing these tasks as chores to viewing them as opportunities to learn.

I believe these nine “rules” have helped me embrace the do-it-yourself mindset:

Read the instructions. This point is obvious enough for some folks that it ought not even be listed. But for others, this is a vital first step. I know too many people who rush into DIY projects without bothering to read the directions that come with the parts, tools, or kits that they’re using. Instruction sheets and manuals are tedious, yes, and they don’t always make sense when you read them without context, but they also provide a vital framework for the project you’re about to undertake. Don’t skip this step!

Be methodical. Another reason DIY projects used to frustrate me stemmed from my lack of organization. As I disassembled things, I put them in a common pile. When it came time to put things back together, I was lost. Nowadays, I’m smarter. I put small parts in ziploc bags and label the bags so I know what they are and where they go. If it’s not obvious what large parts are for, I label them too. At each stage of the project, I take photos with my phone so that I have a reference when I put things back together. I take notes in the manual to provide clarity in the future. Then I store the manuals in a drawer. Being methodical makes the process so much easier.

Decide on rules for buying tools. The unfortunate reality of DIY projects is that they often require specialized tools. When I replaced the kitchen faucet, I needed a basin wrench. Then I needed a Dremel. When Kim and I re-seeded our lawn, we needed an aerator. Sometimes it makes sense to simply buy the tool(s) you need. (I know I’ll use the Dremel again in the future.) Other times, it makes much more sense to borrow or rent. (I’m never going to need a $1500 aerator again, so I rented.)

Here’s another guideline: Keep the end in mind.

Don’t focus on the drudgery of the moment. Remind yourself of the ultimate payoff.

Choosing DIY Just for Fun

Last weekend, I tackled a DIY project for fun (gasp). I installed a car stereo.

I think you all know the (irrational) course of action I chose.

I found a $70 tape deck on Amazon and ordered it. Last weekend, as a birthday present to myself, I spent an entire day installing the thing — despite having no clue what I was doing.

The project was fun! (Frustrating but fun.)

The post How I learned to stop worrying and love DIY appeared first on Get Rich Slowly.

* This article was originally published here

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8312273 https://proshoppingservice.com/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-diy/

0 notes

nicholerestrada · 5 years

Text

How I learned to stop worrying and love DIY

“Oh good,” Kim said when I rolled out of bed yesterday morning. “I’m glad you’re up.” She gets up at 5:30 for work most days, but I tend to sleep in. Especially during allergy season.

“Huh?” I grunted. It was 6:10 and I was very groggy. My evening allergy meds kick my butt. Plus, I hadn’t had my coffee yet.

“Ugh,” I grunted. This wasn’t how I wanted to start my day.

Kim kissed me goodbye and hurried off to work. I pulled on a pair of pants, poured some coffee, pulled out the vanity drawers, and got to work.

Fortunately, the fix was simple. I reattached everything, then added a light layer of tape to prevent similar problems in the future.

More and more, though, I’m learning that I can do it myself. It just takes patience and perseverance. And the more projects I complete, the more confidence I gain.

Learning to Love DIY

My ex-wife and I bought our first house in 1993. Fortunately, it was in great shape. During our ten years in the place, there weren’t a lot of things that needed to be repaired.

In 2004, we moved to a hundred-year-old farmhouse. The previous owner had lived there for fifty years and had done a lot of lazy repairs himself.

Still, I didn’t feel completely comfortable with DIY projects around the house. I did them when I had to, but mostly I tried to put them off — or to pay somebody else to solve the problem.

“I know,” I said. “But I’m older now, and I’m actually looking forward to developing my DIY skills. I have a better attitude. I think I’ll be fine.”

In the past eighteen months, we’ve:

Painted several rooms in the house, and have plans to paint the others.

Installed new molding and trim in several rooms.

Painted the kitchen cabinets and installed new hardware.

Replaced the kitchen faucet (on Super Bowl Sunday).

Repaired the bathroom sink pop-up assembly.

Replaced our only toilet.

Installed a bidet attachment on the toilet.

Built out the inside of a Tuff Shed to make it my writing studio.

Built a porch for the writing studio.

Stained our new back deck (which we did not build ourselves).

Begun work on a fire pit for summer gatherings.

Installed raised beds for vegetable gardening.

Removed a cedar tree and planted a small orchard.

Hung lighting in the laundry room.

Installed a car stereo.

Some of these projects (the writing studio, for instance) were major. Some (like the laundry-room lighting) were minor. All of them have helped me gain confidence that yes, I can do things myself.

youtube

Nine Steps to DIY Success

Yesterday as I was crawling under the bathroom sink, I thought about how I’ve learned to love DIY, how I’ve shifted from viewing these tasks as chores to viewing them as opportunities to learn.

I believe these nine “rules” have helped me embrace the do-it-yourself mindset:

Read the instructions. This point is obvious enough for some folks that it ought not even be listed. But for others, this is a vital first step. I know too many people who rush into DIY projects without bothering to read the directions that come with the parts, tools, or kits that they’re using. Instruction sheets and manuals are tedious, yes, and they don’t always make sense when you read them without context, but they also provide a vital framework for the project you’re about to undertake. Don’t skip this step!

Be methodical. Another reason DIY projects used to frustrate me stemmed from my lack of organization. As I disassembled things, I put them in a common pile. When it came time to put things back together, I was lost. Nowadays, I’m smarter. I put small parts in ziploc bags and label the bags so I know what they are and where they go. If it’s not obvious what large parts are for, I label them too. At each stage of the project, I take photos with my phone so that I have a reference when I put things back together. I take notes in the manual to provide clarity in the future. Then I store the manuals in a drawer. Being methodical makes the process so much easier.

Decide on rules for buying tools. The unfortunate reality of DIY projects is that they often require specialized tools. When I replaced the kitchen faucet, I needed a basin wrench. Then I needed a Dremel. When Kim and I re-seeded our lawn, we needed an aerator. Sometimes it makes sense to simply buy the tool(s) you need. (I know I’ll use the Dremel again in the future.) Other times, it makes much more sense to borrow or rent. (I’m never going to need a $1500 aerator again, so I rented.)

Here’s another guideline: Keep the end in mind.

Don’t focus on the drudgery of the moment. Remind yourself of the ultimate payoff.

Choosing DIY Just for Fun

Last weekend, I tackled a DIY project for fun (gasp). I installed a car stereo.

I think you all know the (irrational) course of action I chose.

I found a $70 tape deck on Amazon and ordered it. Last weekend, as a birthday present to myself, I spent an entire day installing the thing — despite having no clue what I was doing.

The project was fun! (Frustrating but fun.)

The post How I learned to stop worrying and love DIY appeared first on Get Rich Slowly.

* This article was originally published here

Source: https://proshoppingservice.com/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-diy/

from Garko Media https://garkomedia1.wordpress.com/2019/03/27/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-diy/

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