Just a heads up for friends who read When Catastrophy Strikes…

A new chapter will be arriving tomorrow. And I’m working on being able to commit to weekly (or weekly-ish) updates.

Also I’m working on finishing Until I Find You.

Ya know, in case you were curious.

a new ME1 playthrough with a totally different shep construction! Except for the face, I basically have the same face every time with just slightly different hair. But I have alive parents this time!!!

My last shep was Tom, survivor of both Mindoir and Akuze. This one is Michael, Alliance legacy brat and hero of the Skyllian Blitz. And like. It's so weird to play a character with living, accessible parents. I don't like it. I imprinted on Tom. Michael is so... he's like a baby to me. He's not even traumatized.

Unrealistic, blocked.

Anyway I've decided that Michael and Tom are cousins and they're not on bad terms or anything but Tom very much does have a lot of underlying resentment for Michael.

Notes:

Tom Shepard: Didn't romance anyone in the first two games, though briefly considered starting something with Tali at the end of ME2 (Ash and Liara both confessed in ME1 but Tom was not interested - felt they were too young & wasn't comfortable dating a subordinate). Romanced Kaidan in ME3, but half-heartedly. It was mostly out of a desire to not be alone and to try to reconnect with Kaidan after ME2 and early ME3, but things were never quite the same. Kaidan was too much of a romantic and had his own shit going on. Tom thought Kaidan's attempts at romance were kind of cute but ultimately fell flat (largely bc Tom doesn't realize he's aro and 95% ace). And even though Kaidan was fully committed and ready to try again, Tom wasn't. Tom had a hard time trusting Kaidan after he came on board the Normandy II.

Plus... Tom's heart wasn't in it. Tom's heart was with Legion from the moment they met. He felt ridiculous and out of his mind for being so willing to trust and care for a geth in the space of a heartbeat, after all that time fighting them and the business with Tali's father. But he was sick of all the bullshit from organic civilization, feeling attacked on all front and unsafe in his own body (he was convinced up to the very moment he disobeyed and destroyed the Reaper brain that Cerberus was lying about not having a kill switch implanted in him), and Legion's actions and vulnerability (and N7 armor) set him at ease, for the first time since he woke up at Cerberus. So the whole time he was with Kaidan, he was preoccupied with trying to find Legion, and making peace on Rannoch, and then grieving Legion's loss. Kaidan was cold comfort.

Tom was extremely Paragon, but he sacrificed the Ascension in ME1 out of a combination of desperation to take out Sovereign and pettiness with the Council always challenging him to make hard choices. It's his greatest regret. His next greatest regret is sacrificing the Rachni queen to save Aralakh Company, but that at least does not feel entirely pointless - he fully believes that Wrex is going to have a hell of a time not just wrangling support from the other krogan, but playing nice enough with the rest of the galaxy to save the krogan from another genocide - one they can't recover from - and that Aralakh Company will be an important factor. He also regrets not making Liara talk to her father - he thought there would be more time to reconcile them, but there never was.

Tom is very much the idea of light in the darkness, hope for a bright future when all seems lost. He's a survivor and a peacemaker. He wants to makes the best of every situation. He wants to save everyone. When there is tragedy, he tries to minimize losses and find a way forward. He can't bring himself to destroy the geth - after everything he did to bring peace to Rannoch (he didn't even punch Han'Gerrel!!), Legion's sacrifice, and the loss of the Rachni, he can't wipe out another species. And although the control choice didn't seem so bad, that had been what the Illusive Man was going to do, and his gut reaction held that it had to be worse than it sounded. So he chose synthesis - his final hard choice, his final 'way forward' for the galaxy, and prayed.

Also Tom is trans as fuck.

Michael Shepard: Michael is just slightly less Paragon than Tom was. He wants to do good, he wants to save people, he wants to make his boss happy, he wants to be liked by the galaxy and by the Alliance in particular. He doesn't have a strong sense of his own identity, of who he is, but he's a competent soldier and leader, and the Skyllian Blitz was the best thing that ever happened to him. He was in his element there, and then it was over, and somebody put a medal on him and he's been riding that high ever since.

I haven't played far enough into ME1 yet to know much about Michael. I'm not sure what I'll end up doing with him. I know he's a Paragon with a bit of a temper (he's going to punch Han'Gerrel for sure), I think he's cis, and at least in the first game he's probably going to romance Liara. He feels a lot younger than Tom did. He's a lot lighter, spiritually - he doesn't have the losses of Mindoir or the thresher maw weighing on him. Having to make a sacrifice on Virmire is going to kill him, he's going to constantly be questioning if he made the right choice, if there wasn't something more he could have done. He's a good kid, but he's very much a Golden Child, and not in a good way. He cares about people and doing the right thing, but he wants to be liked more than he actually wants to do right by people.

EVERYTHING ABOUT US || Joel Miller x OC || Part 1

I had this idea for a hot minute and thought I'd share this with y'all 🥺 this is a SUPER SUPER fckn slow burn so y'all have been warned 👀👀👀

Lots of words! Gore and language!

PART 2

THEY weren’t sure what they had expected, the last thing they did expect was for her to run the way she did. A woman covered head to toe with blood, as if a bucket full of it had been dumped over her in some sick practical joke — she had her arms raised ready to give them what they wanted in an instantly recognisable sign of surrender, but at the last second she bolted. They had almost mistaken her for infected, the skin that wasn’t covered with viscus blood was stained red, her hair was no doubt already a darker colour but no one could tell with the amount of blood soaked through it.

As nimble as she may be, avoiding the gunshots, they would track her down eventually. She had scuttled away, like a wounded animal trying to avoid the inevitable cycle of life that would catch up to her. 

Gunshots drew unwanted attention through the abandoned town, attracting a variety of infected like a moth to a flame. As intelligent as hunters may be, they didn’t think this one through once they had been swarmed by a horde of runners and the odd clicker. 

It appeared that the cycle wouldn’t catch up to the woman as quickly as they anticipated, by them, anyway. No doubt she would make a tasty treat to the numerous infected lurking around the town — that is if other hunters hadn’t got to her first. That likelihood dwindled as she slowed her pace down, now hearing the shouts and rounds of fire through just a mere echo.

Fucking idiots.  

The thought crossed through her mind, reminding herself why she had long abandoned firearms many years ago. It drew too much attention by both parties, those parties being Infected and Hunters of course. Both terrifying and formidable enemies in the current state of the world, but nothing was more terrifying than coming up against groups of people .

At least Cordyceps had the decency to regress a person down to their most primal instinctual need to kill, scavenge and survive. People did what they did, because they were bored or they just wanted fun and the world they lived in provided those sick individuals opportunistically. 

This wasn’t going to be her final fight, throwing down with a bunch of Hunters while they pulled her apart for supplies, fun or meat. A person alone was terrifying, but nothing compared to a person who had nothing left to lose but one bittersweet and potentially fatal final wish. 

“Oh, fuck me.” She hissed, ducking low behind the cover of a dumpster upon catching sight of more Hunters scrounging through the abandoned town. The location had been optimal for her, it wasn’t too far away from her own residence and had more than enough supplies for her to scour through. Of course, situations change.

Vastly outnumbered on both accounts, the pressure increased on her to find a way out by doing the least amount of work. Exhaustion had already set its course through her after a tiring altercation with several runners and a clicker, the last thing she needed was to misstep and be gunned down by a group of Hunters for the sake of it. 

Five hunters… Three eastbound by the post office… Two preoccupied with a horde…

She drew a heavy breath, knowing her perpetually insulting luck there were bound to be more around the wooded area in the treetops. It wasn’t her first run in with snipers, and it would be an incredibly stupid oversight to not at least anticipate the possibility of them. Cornered in a dingy alleyway behind a dumpster, she needed to think fast, hard and smart about her next movements or she might as well die right here on the spot. 

Backdoor access through the bakery and out onto the main strip would leave me vulnerable if deadshots saw me… rooftop would give me an advantage on grounders…

The window of opportunity was getting slimmer by the second, weighing out all potential options took time and time was of the essence. She was patient. Her family had always been patient. Rushing things made larger room for mistake and mistakes led to an untimely death, something she considered not too long ago but wouldn’t let it happen. Not here . 

Reaching over her shoulder, she drew her crossbow, quickly and carefully counting her dwindling number of bolts left. Six . They weren’t all that difficult to make, no — but supplies had been thin for her and as if timing hadn’t been anymore… Taunting… Her trusted carpenters knife had long exceeded its lifespan after numerous skulls it cut through and crossbow bolts whittled.

It was now a matter of a simple waiting game, she had boxed herself into this corner and by god if she wasn’t going to make the best out of a shit time. The distant gunfire had since ceased, now the atmosphere merely filled with ambience and the occasional humane shout.

Today had been a shit show for everyone it seemed, not just for her - who was always prepared for the worst - but also for the Hunters, who didn’t anticipate one woman causing them so much trouble. 

Regardless how grim it was panning out, she kept her eyes on all her openings as she crept forward in the alley, edging out just before hitting the street. Her head very cautiously poked around the corner, catching a glance at a target as they stopped in front of the bakery. Hand cupped to the window to get a better look at what contents remained behind closed doors. 

She took her opening, raising the crossbow like it was muscle memory and firing off a bolt. The sound of it piercing through his skull still made her grimace, no matter how many times she heard it beforehand, the inherent action of killing someone in self defence or not was enough to add yet another internal weight on her already heavy shoulders. 

As swift as the death was, she was even quicker crouching by the newly made corpse and retrieved her bolt. The over hanging rooftop of the bakery provided her enough cover if there were anyone in the trees close by, but what lie ahead was a naked street that screamed ‘risky’. It was a gamble, but not one she was willing to bet her life on. 

That was until she heard more gunfire.

Her ears piqued at the sound, instead of the rain of bullets being followed up by the sound of the infected and inevitable blood curdling screams of their victims. These gunshots had been echoed by more, which meant she wasn’t the only person in town they were after. 

East… They’re firing east of town… That should clear up the western area.

One glance up at the sky, noting the position of the now rapidly setting sun and a momentary pause in thought was enough for her to get her bearings. The least ideal situation would be if she were stuck here, at night time and twice — now three times the threat. 

There had been no indication of heavy set bullets being fired which meant her initial concern of snipers was completely futile, providing ill comfort for the dire situation. Just because one threat was out of the way didn’t mean she would get careless as she attentively crossed through town, keeping to the store fronts and near cover at any turn. 

Nearing what was presumably a bar before the outbreak, footsteps were heavy across what sounded like old wooden floorboards. She peered in, seeing yet another target searching through the already empty ruins of the bar, much like the one beforehand, she dealt with him quickly. 

His body landed with a decent thud onto an old table which looked as if it would break after years of wood rot and negligence. Unsurprisingly, the sheer weight crippled the furniture and with it, a rather loud noise. No doubt attracting nearby infected if they weren’t already at the gun show across town. 

Not willing to die over one crossbow bolt, she continues her journey through town as the sun had now begun disappearing behind the surrounding tree line. If she didn’t get the fuck out of dodge soon, she’d be giving herself a one way ticket to an early death. 

Keep calm… deep breaths…

She reminded herself, pushing back the overwhelming sense of anxiety that filled her. Stay calm, stay patient. Those two things alone are what got her this far into the end of the world, she’d be lying if she said that it didn’t at least provide comfort and some semblance of attachment to her family. 

Pressing forward was a must, she was losing light and fast. Ideally she’d be out of town by dark but then again… patience was also a must. If she had to stay in the town then so be it, regardless if she wanted to do so or not, which seemed to be the most likely outcome as she crosses an open street with care. 

It was hard to imagine what the street was like prior to the outbreak, of course there were some leftover remnants of what was, but it was still hard to think about life prior to the outbreak. She barely had any memories of living in normalcy, not being able to comprehend a life that was any different than patience, travel, adaptation and survive. 

With yet another wary glance up at the sky, she made the executive decision to hole herself up in what appeared to have been a laundromat. Coming across these had been commonplace when travelling across the country as much as she had — that and it was the only building in town that had fortification, even if the wear and tear of the boarded windows indicated it’s been up since early in the Outbreak. 

It wasn’t much, but it was better than waiting out the night in the middle of the street, there was one entrance and exit and she had no desire to rest until she was home safe. 

‘home’

Sure, as much as a vacant house isolated in the forest could be home. No, home for her was not here.

She loaded a bolt into her weapon, placing it right beside her as she retrieved a small amount of food from her bag. Her eyes never flickered away from the entrance, similarly to how her ears never stop listening to the sounds outside of the building. 

No more gunshots… lets hope they all killed each other .

A grimly optimistic thought, the less people alive the better for her considering she didn’t want to deal with it. As far as food went, whatever she cooked last tasted like shit yet didn’t deter the aggressively grumbling stomach from taking it and using it as essential sustenance. 

Oh how she missed the finer things, what she’d do to kill for at least one can of soup. Minestrone to be more precise. Every grocery store, convenience store, abandoned market turned up nothing while she scoured each place top to bottom for one fucking can of Minestrone soup. Nada. Every. Single. Time.

A grimace pulled at her face, the incredibly chewy meat tasted bland and by the time she had bitten through down to the bone it was more fat than actual protein. She pondered on the way her food tasted like shit when a loud bang kick-started her adrenaline once again. 

She crouched low behind the cover of a dilapidated washing machine, crossbow in hand as two sets of footsteps entered, followed by pained grunts that remained on the opposite side of the room. 

“Think any more of them sons-of-bitches will come?” 

It was a male voice, gruff sounding and exasperated. She could gather two things; he was injured and on the older side of life. 

“Not likely… said they was after a woman, might be out lookin’ for her.” 

Another male voice, younger sounding — both had accents, then again to her everyone had accents and she wasn’t keeping track. She had bigger problems at hand than to worry about accents and a complete comprehensive guide to what people sounded like from whatever part of this Country they resided in. 

“Here’s hopin’ she don’t get caught then.” 

With that she rose from her cover, crossbow raised. At least she was confident these two must have been the source of the secondary set of gunfire she heard not too long ago. Her sudden presence startled the two men, the non-injured and visibly younger of the two drew his pistol.

No words were said, but tension was high. She had an up on the two men, knowing that it was dark and more quiet than usual it wouldn’t be beneficial to either party if a loud gunshot alerted infected. Maybe if the other hadn’t been injured, it might’ve been different. 

She wasn’t one for talking, not to people she didn’t know anyway— so that ruled out every person she had encountered in this apocalyptic hellscape. Despite this, she felt her intentions were conveyed clear enough through the stand off between her and the man before her. 

“‘lright, you’re not gonna hurt us.” He was the first to break away, her intentions had been heard loud and clear even without the presence of words. He held his hands up, placing his pistol on top of a washing machine but never breaking eye contact with her. A remarkably unusual move on his behalf, that was made known by his injured companion.

“Tommy what the fuck are you doin’?” he hissed, clearly unnerved by his choice to drop his arms in the presence of a complete stranger who they’d never seen before. 

Even though she was certain that the two men were much like her, seeking refuge for the night, she just couldn’t be too sure. She backed up until she was flush up against a machine and sat on top of it, weapon still raised, her eyes watching the too men like a hawk — more so now that she got a better look at the injured companion. 

She was surprised at just how old he was, long grey hair and a beard adorning his face, he must at least be in his sixties… seventies maybe… poor old bastard…

“She ain’t gonna hurt us, Eugene…Reckon she’s just glad we ain’t hunters.” Tommy reassured, kneeling down to tend to the older man's leg wounds. He was indeed correct, she was most definitely grateful that they weren’t hunters but that didn’t mean she trusted them wholeheartedly.

Quinn didn’t trust anybody. 

Pink & Purple Lipstick - Part Eight (Trixya) - Lost Imp

Trixie woke up to a tight, clenching feeling gripping her chest as she rolled over to check the time on her bedside clock. Five thirty am. T minus seven hours until she had to board a flight across the country. In an attempt to calm the panic rising in her stomach she made a mental check-list of all the things she needed to make it back home. No clothes, no phone, no luggage, but she did have a passport and roughly five hundred dollars saved, both of which were stowed safely in her school bag. As far as she was concerned, nothing could make her feel remotely alright about what she was about to do, but the idea of getting to see Katya and her mother and her friends at the end of it all kept her focused on following through.

By the time seven in the morning rolled around, she could hear her parents downstairs. Trixie already knew that they would be leaving once she had gone to school, and they wouldn’t be back until the following day. It was her responsibility to look after herself for twenty-four hours and she finally felt like she was taking steps towards that. Pulling on a pair of jeans and a plain white sweater, Trixie triple checked her passport and money were tucked away and headed downstairs, where she was promptly greeted with orders.

“Beatrice, you will have to cook something for yourself this evening, there’s plenty to eat in the fridge. I expect you to have finished some of your schoolwork and I suggest you do some work before your meeting with the pastor this Sunday, I know he had an assignment for you this week. The neighbours next door will help you if you need any assistance, but I trust that you can take care of yourself.”

Good morning to you too,  Trixie thought to herself, as she nodded along to her mothers’ words.

“Nothing out of the ordinary while we’re gone please, Beatrice” her father added, pulling on a pair of heavy boots.

“Of course not,” Trixie said, “god forbid” she muttered.

“If you have something to say, say it” her father responded sharply.

“No, nothing. I’ll see you tomorrow, I need to go to school” Trixie answered quickly, tying her own shoes and opening the door.

“Do you have your key?” her mother called from the kitchen.

“Yep,” Trixie yelled back before pulling the door behind her.

Glancing at her watch, she made yet another mental note. Seven twenty-two. She had thirty-eight minutes to make it to the bus station and onto a bus. She had left just early enough so that she wouldn’t meet anyone from the base that was walking to school that could ask difficult questions as she took the left turn opposite to her usual route. Nothing Trixie told herself could quell her anxiety and paranoia as she glanced over her shoulder every couple of minutes along the road to the bus station. Willing herself to fight her every instinct, she pushed forward reminding herself of Katya, whom she had left hurting, alone back home.

A few hours, she promised herself, pulling open the door to the bus station, a few hours until you’re home. Just keep going.

“Good-mornin’,” an older man greeted from behind the desk as Trixie cautiously approached, “what can I do for you?”

“I need to catch the bus to the regional airport. The one at eight, please” Trixie asked quietly, pulling a twenty dollar bill from her purse, hoping that would cover the cost of a one-way ticket.

“Can I ask how old you are, young lady?”

“I’m sixteen” Trixie responded, not meeting his gaze.

“Where’s your mom and pop? Not with you?”

Trixie was getting nervous, not comfortable with all the questions. The less she had to explain to this man, the better.

“They’re meeting me at the airport” she lied, trying to put across an air of confidence.

“Ok, whatever you say,” he said, sounding unconvinced, but handed over a ticket anyway, “that’ll be thirty dollars”

Reluctantly, Trixie pulled another bill from her purse and handed it over.

With a quick thank you, she tucked her ticket into her pocket and took a seat on a bench, checking her watch. Seven forty-eight. Twelve minutes. Four hours and forty-two minutes until her flight took off. Thirty minutes on a bus to the airport.

When the bus pulled up, Trixie felt a sense a calm rush over her, Finally, she would be on her way, leaving her parents and the place that had caused her more pain than she had ever felt or ever thought she could endure behind.

If that’s how I feel, imagine how Katya must be feeling, what she has to endure.

There were two other people on the bus, and Trixie’s new hobby following her trip to the graveyard of imagining what was going on in other people’s life came into full effect. Without her phone or music, and the only option within her reach for light reading being the bible, she had to find something else to occupy her time. The older lady and the younger man in front of her seemed just as calm as she was in that moment. Maybe they’re thankful to be getting out of here too.

The airport had the opposite effect. It was loud and noisy and there were far more people around her, but Trixie was becoming more determined the closer she came to being home. She purchased a ticket to Portland without much hassle, handing over nearly two hundred dollars, leaving her with two hundred and twenty-eight dollars. Once she made it through security, she decided breakfast would be the best distraction before her flight boarded.

“Flight 203 to Portland, Oregon. Gate 23A. Boarding Now”

It was the announcement on the loudspeaker that dragged Trixie from her thoughts. Pulling her backpack over her shoulders, she joined the long line of people waiting to step onto the plane. Around her, everyone was plugged into a screen, earphones in, eyes down and it made Trixie miss Dolly. She hadn’t had a chance to listen to any of her music for weeks, or even to play her own on guitar, which had been left behind in the mess of leaving Katya. She was envious of the small children around her that had access to their favourite tv shows and the man in a suit behind her listening to a podcast. Among all the things that had been taken from her, music was at the top of the list of thing she missed the most, a much-needed comfort that had been kept from her since Christmastime.

Handing over her passport, she took a seat at the back of the plane, curling up and leaning her head against the window. Trixie was exhausted, but she knew that there was no use in trying to sleep on this flight. Three hours and forty-five minutes until she landed in Portland. Twenty-minute cab ride. Four and a half hours until she can see Katya, hug Katya, talk to Katya. She buckled in as the pilot spoke over the speaker, welcoming everyone on board the flight.

What if Katya doesn’t want to see me though? What if she’s too hurt that I left her? It wasn’t my choice. But it was. I could have fought harder or stood my ground. But I’m too weak, god I’m so weak. And gross. Why would I tell her I liked kissing her? I don’t even know if I do and it’s just creepy. And disgusting. And after everything, she’s had to go through.

All it took was for the flight to take off and hundreds of thought ran through Trixie’s mind, second-guessing every decision she had made.

Why did I think I could ever think I could pull off running away and leaving my parents behind? Why did I ever think Katya would want me back in her life?

Trying not to cry, she shut her eyes and focused on her breathing, willing her mind to relax enough for her to survive the flight.

One thousand three hundred miles later, Trixie landed in Portland, shaky and tired and directionless. She wandered through passport control and towards the line of cabs outside the doors of airport arrivals. In her original plan, she had plenty of money to take a taxi back to Katya’s and run home, into the arms of her best friend and back into her old life. But now things were different. Every fibre of her being was telling her that no-one could want her back in their life, especially after what she had put both Katya and Margarita through. So she had nothing.

Trixie left the airport and walked in the direction of a row of shops, reasoning that maybe a warm drink would stop her hands from shaking. She found an empty looking café with a painted yellow door and decided that if she was going to break down, at least it would be in a place without many people.

“Can I get a cup of tea, please?” Trixie asked the woman at the counter, hoping her voice would remain steady.

“Sure, honey, do you want something to eat too? You look a bit pale” the woman asked, smiling.

Trixie felt her lip wobble and tears threatening to fall from her eyes. It was her first time experiencing kindness for weeks.

“I… I don’t know” Trixie whispered.

“Ok, angel, you just take a seat right here and I’ll fix you something, not to worry. You just sit right down and I’ll look after you”

It was all becoming too overwhelming for Trixie, who nodded and obliged, sitting up into a chair at the wooden counter of the small yellow shop as tears slipped slowly down her cheeks. She buried her face in her hands and let a mop of blonde hair fall forward over her eyes.

The kind woman returned from the kitchen and slipped around the counter to wrap an arm around Trixie, leaving a plate of food in front of her.

“Hey now, blondie, don’t cry. You want to have some pancakes?”

“I’m so.. sorry. I’m just really tired” Trixie sniffed, glancing around to make sure no one else was watching her fall apart. The three other people in the café seemed entirely unbothered by her presence.

“No need to apologise, honey. You’ll feel better after you’ve eaten, that’s what I always think. Nothing a nice meal and some talking can’t fix.”

Trixie nodded and took a sip of the tea in front of her, feeling the warmth run down her dry throat.

“What’s your name, angel?”

“I’m Trixie” she answered, smiling through teary eyes.

“It’s nice to meet you, Trixie. I’m Dela.”

Trixie took a forkful of syrupy pancakes and put it straight into her mouth, smiling once more at the taste. Dela obviously had just as much of a sweet tooth as she did.

“You like ‘em?” Dela asked, grinning at Trixie’s happy expression.

“They’re delicious, thank you.”

“You want to tell me what’s up? It’s not often I have such pretty young girls in here looking as sad as you do. Are you all on your lonesome?” Dela asked, not wanting to pry, but unable to fight the maternal concern she felt.

“Yeah. I’m coming home, sort of, but I’m not sure it’s the right choice.” Trixie answered vaguely through another mouthful of pancakes.

“I’m sure your parents want you home, wherever you’ve been, darling.”

“It’s not that. I.. I ran away from my parents. This is my real home. I’m just not sure there’s a place for me here anymore.”

“Ah” Dela nodded knowingly, beginning to understand the situation, “so the people you love are here?“

Trixie looked up at her, puzzled. How did she know?

“I know a little thing or two about leaving home. I’m not from around here. I got out when I was eighteen, and worked here ever since. Twenty-three years. Now I own it. I’m not judging, you left because you had to. Am I right?”

Tears threatening again, Trixie forced a smile, “I had to”

“I know honey, I know.” Dela comforted, squeezing the younger girls hand.

Once Trixie had finished her food and her tea, she was back where she began. What was she going to do now?

“Thinking about going home yet?” Dela asked, returning from the kitchen.

“I don’t think I can” Trixie sighed, feeling a deep, sinking feeling in her stomach. This was all for nothing. I’m going to end back up in Texas anyway.

“Well angel, the way I see it, you have two options. You call someone you love and ask for help, or you go right on back to where you came from. I don’t like the second option so much.” Dela put plainly, “so I’m gonna give you my phone, and you make a call.”

She had picked up on the fact that Trixie had no phone of her own a while back, and was more than happy to lend her own.

I can’t call Katya, Trixie thought, she shouldn’t have to help me, I got myself into this mess.

Clicking into Google on Dela’s phone, she logged into her Instagram and wrote a quick message to Danny.

“Dela, what’s your phone number?”

She typed the response into a text.

@danny_norriega: Hi Dan, I need your help. Can you please call 503-234-7837?

Within two minutes, the phone rang in her lap, and nervously, she answered the call.

“Trixie?”

“Hi Danny”

“Oh my god, you’re okay! Are you okay? Please tell me you’re okay!” Danny shouted down the phone.

“I’m okay, I guess. I’m safe.” Trixie responded in a much quieter register.

“Good. Right. Where are you? I missed you. I love you”

“I’m in a café”

“In Texas?”

“In Portland”

“What?! Where?! How did you get here?”

“I ran away,” Trixie admitted.

“Trixie Mattel, you fucking badass bitch!”

She could hear the smile in Danny’s voice, wishing she could share the same enthusiasm for what she had just done.

“So where are you? I’ll come to get you!”

“I.. I don’t know Danny. Katya probably doesn’t even want to see me. I hurt her so badly. I’m such a disgusting person for what I did to her, for what I told her, and I just…”

“Trixie, shhh. You need to calm down and listen to me. She needs you more than ever right now. You need her too. And I will never, not ever, not even for a second hear that you are disgusting. It’s a fucking lie and a horrible one at that. I don’t know what they told you, but whatever you heard while you were away, about yourself or who you are, it’s wrong. Now please, tell me where you are so I can come to get you” Danny finished, listening to soft sobs coming from the other end of the phone.

“I.. I… I’m in Yellow Brick Café. Beside the airport.” Trixie mumbled.

“I’ll be there within half an hour. Don’t move. I love you” Danny said, before hanging up.

Handing the phone back to Dela, she allowed herself to be wrapped up in yet another hug.

“I don’t know who hurt you, girly, but I sure as hell hope they don’t get close enough to do it again” Dela whispered, running her hands through Trixie’s hair.

“Thank you for being so kind to me, Dela. My friend is coming now, you don’t have to worry.” Trixie thanked her, feeling embarrassed by how much of a mess she was causing.

“Don’t you feel bad at all, honey. You just remind me a lot of myself. A little lost, a little hurt. You’ll get there, don’t you worry” Dela smiled, “now how about another cup of tea?”

Twenty-eight minutes later and a frantic figure burst through the door of the quiet café, dark hair and matching dark boots and dark eyes searching for a blonde head.

“Trixie!” Danny exclaimed, running over to wrap her in a hug.

Once again Trixie burst into a fresh set of tears, cursing herself for looking like such a wreck.

“I missed you Barbie, so much” Danny whispered, “so damn much”.

Trixie just let herself cry and cry until she felt that if she cried anymore, she would break.

“I missed you too”

“Where’s all your stuff?” Danny enquired looking around for a sign of a suitcase or any luggage.

“She didn’t come with any” a voice announced from behind the counter, “I’m Dela. You must be here for my blondie”

Danny grinned back at her, “that’s me, Blondie’s taxi driver, just here to answer to her beck and call. I’m Danny.”

Trixie eventually unwrapped herself from Danny’s limbs to thank Dela and leave a fifty dollar bill on the counter, much to the older woman’s protest, promising that she would come to see her again to thank her properly, leaving hand in hand with her friend.

Sitting in Danny’s mother’s car, she couldn’t keep her knees from bouncing up and down. Her thoughts had time to race on the drive back as she ran through every single version of a conversation that could happen between herself and Katya, none of them including a  happy ending.

“Trix, she wants to see you. She needs to see you. She’s not in a good place.” Danny said.

“It’s my fault” Trixie admitted, “it’s my fucking fault.”

“No, babe, it isn’t. It really isn’t. And you can’t see that right now because you aren’t in a good place either, and you need each other.” Danny answered sympathetically, their heart breaking at the thought of what their closest friends had been put through by the people around them.

Mulling Danny’s words over in her head, she reminded herself of why she chose to come back in the first place. She was here to help Katya. And she was here to keep herself alive.

“Okay,” she said, “I trust you.”

They sat in silence for the last couple of minutes, Danny giving her space to breathe until they pulled into the driveway.

“You’ll come in with me?”

“I won’t leave until you want me too” Danny promised, taking her hand and walking up to the door, knocking quietly.

  Soft footsteps made their way to the door, pulling it open slightly to reveal a slim, tired figure.

“Trixie?”

“Hi, Mara” Trixie greeted, biting her lip nervously.

“Oh my baby” she gasped, wrapping her in a hug, “you came back home, oh my poor baby. Are you okay?”

Trixie couldn’t lie to her, “no, not really. But I think I’ll be able to work on it now I’m back home if it’s okay that I stay here?”

Taken aback by how reserved Trixie was in what Margarita considered to be her home. She hugged her again, “of course it is, this is your home baby. Do your parents know you’re here?”

Trixie’s face paled as she shook her head.

“No matter. We can discuss that later. I think there’s someone upstairs that might want to see you” Margarita smiled, squeezing the young girls hand comfortingly.

“Trix, you want me to go? I can come back whenever you need, just call. But I think you should do this next bit on your own.” Danny suggested.

Nodding slowly, Trixie knew that they were right, she needed to see Katya on her own.

“Okay. I’ll call you later though?”

“You call me whenever you need me Barbie, I’ve got your back,” Danny said, kissing her forehead gently and heading out the door.

“I’ll just be down here, baby,” Margarita said, as Trixie nervously climbed the stairs.

Standing outside Katya’s door, she felt her heart thumping hard in her chest. Pushing down all of the horrible thoughts, she knocked, one quietly, and once again when she got no answer.

A few moments passed without an answer and she opened the door slowly to reveal the back of Katya’s head facing the wall where she lay in her bed.

“Katya?” she questioned, “it’s me.”

Katya’s eyes opened at the sound of the familiar voice and she turned to face the door.

Trixie smiled shyly, hesitant to make any move for fear that she would upset her best friend.

“You came home” Katya whispered before bursting into loud, heavy sobs that wracked her entire body. She couldn’t breathe.

Rushing to kneel on her bed, Trixie wrapped her arms around Katya who let herself fall into the other girl’s lap, shoulders heaving as she cried uncontrollably.

“Hey, hey, shhh” Trixie coaxed, feeling her own tears fall, “it’s okay, it’s all going to be okay.” She sat a rubbed her best friends back for as long as it took for her to calm down and sit back up, looking into Trixie’s eyes.

“I thought I was going to die” Katya whispered.

“So did I” Trixie whispered, wearily.

“But you came home”

“I came home”

A trip worth of Birthday Grimlin

So I never wrote a bday fic for Pidge last year, I had no time, and I want to keep the YouTuber AU train going with the bday fics. So I was trying to think about what they’d do for their birthday, since a lot of my ideas have come from other video’s I’ve watched, and then I remembered in Japan, there’s a place called the Robot Restaurant in Shinjuku and I was able to find a video of one of their whole shows and I thought, “would Pidge make all their friends get on a plane and fly to see this show? Probably.” So I mixed together two different shows, this and this. The first link is more of what I described. Also these shows are from two different years so if by any chance you did want to go to this resturant, the show won't be spoiled because they have new shows each year I believe. I know there's was a new one last year. So here we go, please enjoy.

Pidge was scrolling through their twitter feed when they felt their brother lean on them. They looked up to see their vlogging camera attached to what looked like Lance’s selfie stick, extended just far enough to get them both in frame

“So Pidge, my amazing younger sibling, where are we?” Matt asked, looking down at Pidge, who smiled unapologetically back at them.

“At the airport.”

“Right and what’s coming up?”

“My birthday. I’ll finally be 21, so I can legally drink now. Even though I’ve already had beer before.”

“You hate beer though. Anyway, why exactly are we at the airport with your birthday so close?”

Pidge stared the camera down. “We’re going to Japan to go to the Robot Restaurant!”

“Now anyone who knows me knows I’d usually be pretty scyed to go to this but Pidge,” Matt asked, the smile on Pidge’s face turning from unapologetic to embarrassed, “what else did you do?”

“I might have misbooked the tickets I got everyone? Ok but seriously, the whole time zone thing confuses the hell out of me. I know Japan is 3 hours ahead of us but I somehow forgot that Japan is also a day ahead of us.”

“No joke, they were googling and texting Shiro like crazy and yet they still managed to mess up the tickets and the reservation for the Robot Café.”

“I thought we’d be getting in on the 2nd still.” Pidge tried to defend

“Pidge, it’s the fact that Shiro texted and called you to remind you about this. He’s from Japan and talks to his parents all the time. I’m extremely tempted to make you read the gigantic text Shiro sent you reminding you about this.” Matt said, as Pidge hide their face on his arm.

“Shh, I feel bad enough. the good thing is the Robot Show isn’t until 4 and we get to Tokyo at like 12 pm so we have time to go to the hotel, shower and change, maybe eat something, even though I want to buy things at the place.”

“Oh yeah, the original plan was to do one of the dinner shows but those end near closing and where the Restaurant is, can get really crowded. besides, Shiro was like, after the show, we should hang out maybe a bit long until like it’s 8 and then go to sleep because our bodies will still be like, jetlagged.”

“An 11 hour flight and some of us aren’t surviving so far.” Pidge told the camera, taking the selfie stick and fiddling with it a bit to extend it even more before turning and lifting it so the whole Voltron crew could be in shot. Keith and Lance were next to Matt and using each other as supports as they snored away, Shay was passed out on Hunk’s lap and Hunk looked like he was following. Allura and Shiro were still awake, no doubt used to what they had to do when they went to go visit Shiro’s parents in Japan. “Only 4 of us are left if Hunk gives in.” Hunk woke up more at the sound of his name and waved sleepily at the camera. “I think we’re losing him. Thankfully we have like half an hour left until boarding starts and we all have first class tickets so we can go on early and pass out. It might be hard for me because Grassbomb usually comes and purrs next to me when I’m trying to sleep but Matt suggested I record her and listen to it on the plane.” Pidge explained shortening the stick so they wouldn’t whack any other tired passengers. “I don’t really think I’ll be recording on the plane and – oh Coran!”

The orange haired man had gone to get coffee since he said even in first class, airplane coffee was abysmal. Pidge didn’t care, coffee was coffee.

“Yes number 5? Is that Lance’s selfie stick?”

“I stole it from his bag.” Matt said, not sounding sorry

“Don’t expect help when he comes after you or worse, sends Keith after you. But, yes Pidge?”

“You’ve been to the Robot Restaurant right?”

“Yes I have and I can promise you one thing, there isn’t any other kind of show like it.”

“Sweet. Well, we’ll see you guys in Japan.”

The Voltron crew was able to sleep most of the flight away. Recording Greenbomb, Pidge’s cat, purring helped the youngest member pass out, almost missing when Keith and Lance got in trouble for trying to share the same pod seat to sleep. Pidge also wasn’t sure how their brother managed it, but he got the flight attendant to announce it was Pidge’s birthday during the announcements to landing. It was 12 pm, April 3rd, which made filling out customs forms hard.

Borrowing Lance’s selfie stick, Pidge was able get them all in the shot so they could all announce to the camera, “We’re in Japan!”

“And we have our entire luggage so we need to go and find our hotel’s shuttle driver because we have to get to the hotel, possibly change if we have time and then get down to Shinjuku because we have a reservation to make. Let’s go!” Pidge explained while the others grabbed their stuff and headed out to hopefully find their ride.

Luck was on their side as the driver found them easily and after playing Tetris with everyone’s bags, they were off. Almost everyone had either their phones or cameras out to take footage of the passing scenery, Pidge testing her Japanese on the driver. They got to the hotel and into their rooms before being given a small tour by the staff. It killed time before they got changed and were able to get a taxi all the way to Shinjuku where Coran told them to look for the sparkly dinosaur.

“Um, I found it.” Keith said, as Lance videoed the sparkly dinosaur as well as two robotic women, which the Holt siblings immediately ran to. “This is gonna be a weird evening isn’t it?” Keith asked rhetorically

“Pidge told us that we were going to Japan for their birthday just because they wanted to come here. Trust me, nothing about this day will be normal.” Lance said, giving his boyfriend an answer anyway.

Once they got enough pictures with the moving woman robots, they headed inside the narrow hallway and went down the stairs with strange and crazy themes for each floor, the bedazzled elevator being the groups favourite. They finally reached the front desk, where Shiro got them signed in and they were directed to get their drinks before being lead into the stage area to get their seats. Pidge was willing to admit they spoiled things a bit by looking at videos but they wanted to figure out the best place to sit. They got most of the whole third row on one of the sides reserved for them and while most stayed to save the seats, others went back to where they got their drinks to get bento boxes for everyone.

“Ok, so ready?” Matt asked, Pidge’s video camera in his hands, pointing it at his younger sibling.

“The mic is on right?” the room wasn’t fully packed but it was already loud from the excitement. At Matt’s nod, Pidge focused on the camera and waved. “Hey guys, so we’re finally here at the Robot Restaurant. Getting down here was weird because of all the crazy themes they have for each of the floors, not really up my ally but I was warned that there’s no other place like this, except for maybe the Monster Café Matt wants to go to.”

“It looks so cool!” Matt said from behind the camera

“Well, we’re here for a week, so we have time. Anyway, coming here gets you a free drink and if you wanted to, you could book tickets that also get you access into restaurants who work with this place, which was the original plan, but they’re mostly for dinner shows and Shiro suggested an early night, so most of the others are getting us bento boxes so we can eat. They do have a gift shop that we’re gonna visit later because I told everyone I want them to buy me something each from there.”

“There’s 8 of us here and only about 10 items I remember from the website, you’re just getting the whole store.” Matt said, Pidge not even looking the slightest bit concerned.

Pidge and Matt had set up cameras to film the whole thing and no have to worry about constantly messing with it while they watched.

Finally the show started, first with clown hype men getting the crowd excited while the master of ceremonies welcomed everyone and explained the rules. Pidge was glad they didn’t reserve front row tickets since those in the front row had to practise leaning back to avoid any passing robots. Soon the stage was clear and Pidge could see two moving stages come onto main stage and they started bouncing in their seat as the taiko drummers started their performance, the stages lighting up and moving as the drummers got very into their performance, the separate person on drums and percussion also rocking out before they were joined by a yokai dressed guitar player.

“Having fun?” Matt asked, watching the huge smile on Pidge’s face

“This is the coolest birthday ever!”

Before they knew it the stage was filled with performers and the performance was over as all but one stage of taiko drummers went off stage before they were joined by dancing fan girls, yokai dressed warriors and ninjas, who fought as the music surrounded them before the master of ceremonies invited new floats and robots to parade in front of the audience, the floats seeming to become filled with each round they made before a large silver robot with outstretched hands joined. Pidge did notice the floats seemed to all be pushed along by men in black with strange looking hats that covered their face. They leaned around their brother to poke Shiro, who sat next to Matt.

“Who are the guys in black?”

“They’re called kuorko, servants who hid in the shadows. They’re kinda like the backstage crew that moves stuff in the dark.”

After the performance, they were once again joined by the clown hype men who danced for the audience before announcing they were giving away a free popcorn to a lucky winner. Pidge stared at the screen, hoping their seat number would be picked. They had finished their bento and half of Matt’s but they were still hungry. The winner turned out to be Shay, who poured some in her empty bento box and passed it down for the others to do the same, but it never made its way back up once Pidge got a hold of it.

“Are you going to be able to eat dinner after this?” Allura asked as the lights were dimmed and the sound of chains filled the room.

“I don’t know. I didn’t eat anything yesterday because I was editing all day.” Pidge said stuffing more popcorn in their mouth.

“Pidge!” Allura scolded, to which Pidge shrugged

“I got busy. Besides that McDonalds breakfast from wasn’t exactly filling.”

The next show was a battle royal between robots, though Pidge could tell there were just costumes, it made them even more excited to see the one that actually looked more like robots. They show wasn’t as entertaining as the others and when it ended, they were given an intermission to go to the bathroom. Matt used it as an excuse to grab food and also somehow get the master of ceremonies to know it was Pidge’s birthday.

When he got back and the master of ceremonies came back to the stage, they first made sure everyone had been given a light stick and introduced the performers. Pidge had been focused on eating that they didn’t pay much attention to the start of the happy birthday song until their name was called.

“Happy birthday Pidge!” Pidge looked up, a piece of tempura hanging from their mouth as the master of ceremonies was able to get to the stairs to get to Pidge. They looked over to see a line of vlogging cameras capturing the moment.

“What did you do?” they demanded to know, but wasn’t given an answer as they were handed one of the robot plushes from the Restaurant’s store.

Once that was over, it was announced that the last show was about to start before LED lighted people came out on skates, segways and the coolest circular motorcycle Keith ever saw.

“No you can’t get one.” Lance teased seeing the look on his boyfriend’s face.

“Screw that, I’m making one!” Pidge announced

The stage was soon filled with two DJing dressed robots as they danced along while two robots, similar to the once that Matt and Pidge darted to at the entrance came moving on with bikini clad girls cheering on them. It was like a rave on steroids. When the rave ended, the one thing Pidge had been waiting for finally walked or in some cases was rolled onto the stage, the people in the more robotic looking costumes.

“Do you think we can make this?” Pidge asked their brother as the music started and the robots started dancing as the dancers came out to join them.

“As long as mom and dad don’t find out.” Matt replied

“Don’t encourage them!” Shiro said, already seeing the plans forming in the Holt sibling’s minds.

The last part of the show involved a plane that was covered in bikini clad girls, who’d switch with the girls on the LED tank that came towards them on the opposite side, a girl on a Tron looking bike and two other girls on barrel shaped robots making their rounds around them.

It all seemed like it ended too soon for Pidge but the whole crew of dancers and performers came on the stage one last time before disappearing into the wings. With their skill of putting video equipment away quickly, the group was able to gather their things and start exiting early so the store wasn’t as crowded as it would be once everyone was out. When they were finally on the street again, Pidge sat themself’s down on the robot again so their brother could film them.

“So what can you say about the show?” Matt asked, knowing the look from Pidge’s face had to tell the audience all

“Like Coran said, can’t find a show like it. Guys, I did record this, but watching the recording and seeing it for yourself are two different things. Trust me, if you have the chance, book a ticket and get down here! Now we need to get food because I couldn’t book the dinner combo tickets without it dragging on too late. I think I might end it here. Thanks everyone for your birthday wishes I would have read by the time this video goes up. We’re getting on a train in the morning to get to a prefecture that has a dog amusement park, because why not love both cats and dogs? This is your HackingGrimlin signing off and I’ll see you later, bye!”

Pidge didn’t survive the trip back to the hotel though. For the first time since getting their cat, the rush of adrenaline knocked Pidge out without the need for purring. Matt had to piggy back them back to their room, where they slept until 1 am and had to kindly ask the front desk if they could still order room service, since no one left after that.

Pidge was right about one thing, this had been their coolest birthday ever. It did make the others just slightly concerned with what Pidge no doubt had planned for the next year.

Libraries as Vaccine Centers

This is an opinion piece, mostly meant to outline the reasons why a library is not a good place to act as a vaccination center. So if you’re a Board person, a manager, or someone who thinks this is a great idea, please read on. If you’re someone who is trying to make the case against, hope this helps.

Just because I feel like our world requires this: I would love to have a vaccine and will get one as soon as the opportunity presents itself, and it’s my deep hope and expectation that everyone who can get one will, and that all of us will work together to make this vaccine accessible. 

The Case For It

Let’s get this out of the way: I can definitely see some scenarios where the library as vaccination center makes sense. Mostly, in a small, rural community where there perhaps isn’t a good community gathering place, it might make sense to use the library this way, just from a logistics standpoint. I think you’d still be likely to find other options, such as rec centers, but maybe you have a REALLY small community that doesn’t have such things. In that case, I think the library fills in where the church maybe used to, being a place the community knows, is comfortable with, and can get to. 

But honestly, that’s about it. 

The Bad Case for It

I think the worst case I’ve seen in favor of this is the idea that people who are unwilling or unable to be in a doctor’s office might come to the library. The consideration we need to keep in mind, we’re talking about someone who is A) Willing to get a vaccine and B) Unwilling to go to a medical facility. I think this Venn diagram has a pretty small slice of people in the crossover. 

Realistically, I think we have a lot more people who are willing to get a vaccine regardless of location, and a lot of people who are, unfortunately, unwilling to get a vaccine, and the location in which that vaccine is administered is not the deciding factor. 

It��s not that I think this segment of the population, being small, doesn’t matter. But I think at this juncture, the first step is vaccinating as many willing people as possible. We’re looking at perhaps summer before we’ll even be able to vaccinate everyone who is willing. I think convincing the unconvinced comes after that. 

I would argue, when we come to that stage, that rather than using the library as neutral ground, vaccinations be made available in places where these folks feel comfortable. So maybe we’re talking about shelters, food distribution locations, and things like that. If we’re trying to convince them that this is okay and safe, and that they won’t get a bill, I think going to them is more effective than a mutual meetup spot. 

Anyway, the reason this is a bad case is because the library as vaccination spot will primarily be serving people who are willing to be vaccinated wherever, certainly for the next several months, so I don’t see a reason to augment the library to be a vaccination facility, provided there are other facilities that are better equipped and staffed to handle such things. Certainly for the period of mass vaccination, the library is unlikely to be a great location. 

If You Do It

If you’re going for it, I think you need to consider a few things.

First, your entire staff needs to be vaccinated before the public can begin vaccination. Your staff now works in a vaccination center, and if there’s ANYONE who should be vaccinated, it’s people in a vaccination center. Even though they’re not directly handling patients, they’re breathing the same air, touching the same surfaces, and generally increasing their exposure. It’s unreasonable to have a vaccination center where the staff isn’t vaccinated.

Second, you need to evaluate whether you can safely and reasonably operate as a library and a vaccination center at the same time. Maybe you can open the doors, but it’s doubtful that you can do so reasonably and safely. Being a vaccination center might mean you need to no longer be a library for a bit. 

Third, you need to consider some changes. What time do you open now, and what time do you close? Can you stop providing library services at times when vaccinations are still happening, and if that’s part of the plan, how will you enforce this? Remember, a vaccination center should have as close to 24/7 availability as possible, and you need to consider whether you’re able to stretch your hours. You do not want your hours to hold back the vaccination hours, and it’s critical that people be able to come in after work, on the weekend, and in the early morning. 

Are You A Good Fit?

I don’t want to speak for the medical community, but I think you need a few things to be a good fit for a vaccination center.

A loading dock would be extremely helpful. 

A place where people can wait and be 6 feet apart.

A spot where the medical team can take breaks and use restrooms. 

Increased janitorial/sanitizing capacity with better knowledge of hazmat procedures and sharps disposal (I know most libraries have some sharps disposal, but this is going to be a very big increase). 

My understanding is that these vaccines need to be kept very cold, and it’s a problem even in some pharmacies to have enough cold storage for them (or cold enough storage). So you need to check what the requirements are for this, electrically, and whether you can A) Manage that power demand, and B) Pay for the bill. 

Is your staff prepared to work as crowd control, and if not, what’s the crowd control plan? 

This is NOT the Time to Promote The Library

I get it, everyone’s got this big idea about making the library more than just books. A community gathering place. A third space. I get it, it makes sense.

It’s very appealing to think of the headlines.

But thinking in terms of what would best serve the library isn’t right. We need to think of what best serves our patients (ahem, excuse me) PATRONS.

I know libraries are in a bit of an identity crisis right now. I don’t think this is the way out. 

We Can Be Good, But Are We The Best?

I love that libraries want to help, and sometimes I think we forget that it’s not our duty or calling to DO everything. Sometimes we serve best by referring patrons to the right person for the job.

To make an analogy, sometimes I think we get involved in business development in ways that we shouldn’t. We should be referring people to our local Small Business Development Center because they have the expertise, and they can better guide someone. Sometimes I think we feel we can handle Resume Workshops, but now that I’ve learned more about those, they really should be handled by experts who are up to date and know more about different industries.

When someone comes in and needs a resume today, right now, our help is certainly better than nothing. But when someone needs more in-depth resume advice that borders on career counseling? We’re not the best at it. We might be good, but we’re not the best.

It takes a little something to admit when you’re not the best at something, a humility that’s not always easy. But it’s a big part of being a librarian. You have to recognize that you’re not the expert in most things. We live in the gap between disservice and expert service on a lot of things. We probably won’t hurt someone’s chances of getting a job with our resume advice, but we won’t help them as much as a pro. 

I’m arguing that in this case, the best service is important. It matters. I think our patrons are better served in a vaccination center that is sterile, typically used for medical procedures, well-ventilated, has highly-specialized waste management, provides some privacy to recipients of treatment, and has staff familiar with the legal, financial, and psychological side of things. What’s best for people is a dangerous thing to talk about. Nobody likes to hear it. But this is the sort of decision we make all the time.

Voting

I worked in a library that was a polling place, usually just for the elections every 4 years when we picked a president.

My experience with this is that it was a nice thing in some ways, but it was also messy. There are lots of requirements for polling places that libraries aren’t suited for because they weren’t designed with polling in mind. It’s not that libraries are badly designed or that polling has unreasonable demands. It’s just that libraries were desiged with different goals than are required by polling. 

The Biggest Requirement

What’s required here is honesty. Be honest with yourself. Are we the only option? If not, are we the best option, and why? If we make this change, what other changes should we prepare to make? Can we accept that, at least temporarily, some of our offerings and options may change drastically? What are the likely risks, and what will we plan to mitigate them? What is the timeline we’d like, the timeline we can manage, and the timeline we can enforce? 

Just as a final plea: Don’t say yes to being a vaccine outlet. Say “Tell me more about what’s required, and let’s discuss what this might look like.” Ask lots of good questions. Consult with other libraries serving populations similar to yours. Consult with medical professionals. I know this might sound like a wild idea, but do your research. With vaccines not yet plentiful, the right answer is more important than the “right now” answer.

Day 15 (6/2)

I’m running out of introductory sentences for these entries, but my oh my what a great day!!! It started early, at 7:30 when I woke up naturally and decided to stay awake. At 8:30, Ndoli, our cab driver, arrived at the apartment to pick us up. Today is car-free Sunday in Kigali, so we needed to leave the apartment early to ensure that we would have enough time to find a route around the closed roads to get to the Marriott Hotel. Car-free day happens once a month, and shuts down the major streets in Kigali for a few hours in the morning, during which there are organized gatherings to run, play soccer, walk, do anything active. It’s an initiative started by the current government, and it’s meant to bring awareness not to air pollution, but to exercise and health!! The idea is that during those hours people will all run, and if there are any illnesses that they didn’t know they had, the symptoms will show themselves after running for a few hours. Anyways we were going to the Marriott Hotel because the founder of possibly Kigali’s most well-known tour company went to Yale, and he offered us a 50% discount on a day-long tour!! At the Marriott we met our tour guide, Eric, and the other 5 people in our tour in a gift shop with incredibly beautiful but incredibly expensive goods handmade by women around Rwanda. Our tour group consisted of us three, an older man from Germany and his friend from Singapore, a Harvard grad student named Stella working on a degree in international development, a Stanford medical resident named Andrea (both of them also working in Kigali), and an older woman named Jan from England. At 9:30 we all boarded onto the bus and we were off! Our very first stop was a wall featuring murals from artists commissioned by the government to depict Rwanda post-genocide. Eric walked us through what each mural meant, from “Thinking outside the box” to gender equality. As we were walking slowly along the wall, which was the wall of a primary school playground, the children of the primary school would come running up to us in small groups, waving, high fiving, giggling, they were so damn cute it hurt. At the end of wall at the top of the hill our tour bus met us and we got back in to go to our next destination – A MARKET!!!!!! This market made me ABSOLUTELY elated. Not only did it remind me of the medinah where I lived in Morocco, but everyone’s smiles when I said “Murakoze!!” (Thank you!!) warmed my heart. And the walk through the market ended with Eric purchasing, washing, cutting up, and serving us locally grown bananas, passion fruit, tree tomatoes, and mandarin oranges, which we ate huddled together in the middle of the market, with more adorable children surrounding us again. Also inside the market we got to smell and guess the contents of different containers holding spices, help a woman empty out her pea pods, and taste sorghum used for making beer. Our next destination was a milk bar, something that’s very popular in Rwanda. We grouped around a small table and were each served a glass of first fresh naturally sweet whole milk, and then a glass of fermented milk which was somewhere between buttermilk and greek yogurt. Both types of milk were distinct from each other, and the smell of the sweet whole milk made me realize that all of Kigali smells like milk. After the milk bar, which was in the Muslim neighborhood of Kigali, we went to a mosque where I was PUMPED to hear the PRAYER CALL!!!!! It sounded ENTIRELY different from the one that I heard 5 times a day in Morocco, it was much more sing-songy, and of course the accent was different, but it made me so happy. We didn’t go inside the mosque, only stood outside between the mosque and a soccer field where what looked like a high school game was going on. Then we got back in the bus and went to Mount Kigali!!!!! We drove to the top of it (somehow) and only walked a couple hundred meters from where we parked to a beautiful clearing that offered a near-perfect view of hilly Rwanda. Unfortunately it was very cloudy today, which is why I say near-perfect. But Eric told us that on clear days you can see volcanoes from the top of Mount Kigali. We took plenty of pictures, with the younger people in the group (us three) standing on the rock at the very edge for pictures, and then started back towards the bus. On our way back we saw a group of young adults in the woods dressed in traditional Rwandan attire, dancing to music for what I think was some type of video project. They told us that the theme of the project was “Peace” and dressed Zodi, Ananya, Stella, Andrea, and me up in their outfits. Eric was happy to indulge and let us experience such a rare opportunity, but eventually we needed to get back to the bus because we had a lunch reservation, and the dancers were upset that we couldn’t stay. Of course I don’t speak Kinyarwanda, but I think that they wanted us to be a part of their project, and said that Eric didn’t believe in peace if he didn’t let us be a part of their project. Anyways we did have to go, so we got back in the bus and went to a restaurant that I’ve forgotten the name of, and said goodbye to the two tourists from Germany and Singapore who were only doing the half-day tour. The rest of us went to the restaurant, and I had my first traditional Rwandan meal!!!!!!!!!!!! The main thing I was SO excited for is called Ubugali, and I’ve been wanting to try it since we arrived. It’s cassava flour and sorghum flour mashed together and formed into a very malleable texture that you use as a spoon sort of for the vegetables, meats, stews, etc, on the table. The dishes that we used the ubugali for included stewed bananas and peas, tilapia, beans, potatoes, and a ground-up leafy vegetable whose name I forget. Also a very spicy chili sauce called “chili secret”. After lunch we went to Question Coffee which made Ananya, Zodi, and me very happy, and made us feel super cool being recognized by the employees like the true locals that we are. We all got coffee and were able to sit down for a while which was nice after eating such a filling meal on a hot day. I got, of course, cold brew. While everyone was ordering, Eric and I talked about coffee in Rwanda, and he recommended some other cafés that Ananya and I have yet to try out. Then, once we were all sitting, Eric filled us all in on the history of the social enterprise funded by Michael Bloomberg that became Question Coffee. Once we were finished with our drinks, we got back in our trusty bus and went to Nyabarango river, a small river that flows into the Nile. At this river there are boats for people who are denied access onto public buses because they have too much luggage, so they cross the river in a small boat. We all boarded on one of these boats for a blissful two minutes before we were already at the other side. Once on the other side we started a steep ascent up a hill, and oH MY GOD SO MANY LITTLE TINY CHILDREN RAN UP AND HUGGED MY LEGS AND I HAD TO STOP AND HUG EVERY SINGLE ONE AND I THINK I’M OVULATING OR SOMETHING BECAUSE WOW THESE KIDS WERE SOMETHING ELSE. The hugs made my ascent a little bit slower, but we did finally get to the top and finally walked on level ground to get back in our bus. On the way to the bus MORE kids (equally adorable but older) followed us and waved and giggled, even chasing our bus once we were inside. It was a quick bus ride after that to our last stop, the Rwanda Genocide Memorial. Here, Eric left us to have an hour in the memorial before meeting our bus driver to go home, because he had to go to a meeting back at the Marriott. The memorial was of course intense. I don’t know if I’m willing to or capable of explaining it in this blog, but I will say that anyone who wants to spend any time in Rwanda should be required to visit RGM. There’s only one way to go through the memorial, so we were all kind of together, but going at our own paces. After a very quiet hour of reading and watching, we reconvened in the parking lot and led the bus driver to our various stops. We all exchanged numbers and created a WhatsApp group to exchange pictures, and Andrea said that she wanted to meet us for a wine night at Judith’s place, Flute! Once at the apartment we gave Anita our laundry, Ananya and Zodi went to the convention center, and I took a moto taxi to Java House, where I am now. When I got here I was warmly greeted by the waiters and the manager, and I sat down at a table outside to read for about an hour, until Benny (one of the waiters) told me that a booth cleared up inside. The manager even offered me a drink on the house tonight!!! So I’m currently drinking a large green tea with honey, just read for about two hours, and I’ll read again after posting this blog and photos.

Government Hates Crypto Because It Empowers the People, Not Because It’s Used for Crime

New Post has been published on https://coinmakers.tech/news/government-hates-crypto-because-it-empowers-the-people-not-because-it-s-used-for-crime

Government Hates Crypto Because It Empowers the People, Not Because It’s Used for Crime

Government Hates Crypto Because It Empowers the People, Not Because It’s Used for Crime

A recent article from MIT Technology Review has leveraged a somewhat sensationalist headline to stir up fear about bitcoin and crypto. The article, written about a “hidden” government weapon to be deployed against Bitcoin, references September 3 senate subcommittee testimony by Washington D.C. consulting firm Financial Integrity Network. In the testimony, Vice President of the firm David Murray calls for the Bank Secrecy Act to be expanded to include regulating bitcoin miners as traditional financial institutions. With the U.S. dollar already backing most crime worldwide, one is left to wonder why so much focus is directed at crypto, and so little at the largest perpetrators of violence on earth — governments.

Sordid Affairs at MIT

While the MIT publication drums up fear of unfeasible regulation of bitcoin miners via an almost 50-years-old “hidden weapon,” things at the crypto-involved Massachusetts Institute of Technology aren’t looking so regulated, either. Last week’s resignation of head of the MIT Media Lab, Joi Ito, follows the revelation that he had been secretly accepting huge donations from then-convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who was arrested for additional charges of sex trafficking of minors in July, and reportedly killed himself in a Manhattan jail cell on August 10.

MIT is conducting an internal review of the Epstein matter, which could be connected to donations from such influential tech-savvy billionaires as Bill Gates. The school has a history of taking underhanded jabs at disruptive and subversive tech like Bitcoin, and remaining tellingly silent when human rights activists are put on the spit of government persecution, or when ties with brutal, U.S.-supported dictatorial regimes like Saudi Arabia are concerned. In a joint-authored MIT Media Lab-connected piece published to The Atlantic in 2016, the writers state:

The [bitcoin] cryptocurrency is a powerful tool for early adopters and middle-class entrepreneurs, but it may not provide the opportunities in the developing world that its advocates claim.

That’s fair enough, and at face value a pretty innocuous and possibly substantial claim. But the Bitcoin critical hint-drops continue throughout the piece, suggesting to readers that they “dig into the ways mobile money is embedded in new, networked systems of control and value enclosure, as opposed to being a purely grassroots phenomenon for social inclusion.”

Tellingly, the url for the piece includes the word “hype” and the original title, prior to being edited, was “The New Bitcoin Myth.” For anyone that can read between the lines here, The Atlantic piece is an attempted attack on the utility of crypto and its revolutionary potential, coming from a massively government-funded university. According to a 2017 letter from MIT president L. Rafael Reif:

Congress will shape the final terms. But because we rely on federal funding for 66% of our campus research support, we must take this “blueprint” seriously, for both what it says and what it signals.

The Atlantic has since changed the title of the 2016 MIT-penned crypto hit piece to “Can Bitcoin Be Used for Good?”

Indeed, the block size limitation critiques made in the article are valid, but that was 2016, prior to the BCH fork remedying this issue. Even the sometimes lagging transactions of that time didn’t make legacy services truly better, anyway, and for someone looking to escape the anvil-heavy shackles of the fiat banking racket, BTC still held great utility. The MIT/Atlantic piece promotes fiat transfer services over crypto alternatives, and takes aim at so-called “Bitcoin do-gooders.” At the end of the day, it reads a lot like any other crypto faux intelligentsia screed.

True Power Through P2P

In the crypto space, seeing which altruist can shout the loudest about adoption and inclusion is the norm. But prattling on about government regulation helping to mainstream crypto, or stablecoins like USDC helping to “bank the unbanked” is largely fruitless when it comes to real world application. One voice is noticeably underrepresented here: that of the simple peer-to-peer trader.

What the aforementioned MIT secret weapon piece fails to note is that crypto can indeed already help anyone. If the banks would get out of the way, and with them, the state. Thanks to ever-increasing regulations designed by global groups like the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), tax agencies like the IRS, and government talking heads or financial regulators, the “unbanked” still cannot access these revolutionary technologies freely.

News.Bitcoin.com pointed out in a recent article on stablecoins that even access to the services supposedly tailor-made for the unbanked can require bank account information. A simple wallet, internet connection, and willing market is all that is truly required. So why do governments seek to complicate crypto? Maybe they’re not so much concerned with human trafficking and terrorism, after all, but more with maintaining control of the global money supply.

The Crypto Revolution Is Now

If politicians and lawmakers of the world truly want to help abused children, impoverished people, and victims of all sorts of other crimes and violations of humanity, they should turn the camera — and the handcuffs — back on themselves. Demanding that the unbanked and financially struggling of the world first pass through impossible KYC drawbridges, treating everyday P2P traders of crypto as criminals, and gaslighting an entire movement based on actions the government itself is more guilty of than anyone else — like murder, sex abuse, trafficking, and terrorism — perhaps it’s time to let the free market and local communities regulate themselves. This can be, and is currently being done in spite of the prevailing evil paradigm, via the understanding of individual self-ownership and economic sovereignty.

Eat BCH is a bitcoin cash initiative helping to feed people in Venezuela and Africa.

Wonderful charities and aid initiatives for helping the underprivileged of the world directly, already exist. Eatbch, for example, is a “Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash-to-Food System” that collects BCH donations to feed hungry people in economically struggling regions of the world. A member of the South Sudanese team reported to Bitcoinafrica.io:

We started the charity part-time on weekends in the capital, Juba, in our neighbourhood and then expanded to some of the most affected areas by the conflict, such as the town of Yei or Bor. There, we were able to feed over 500 internally displaced people, mostly elderly and children. We were able to do that through our colleagues whom we trained after coming back from the blockchain conference.

Other notable crypto-friendly initiatives include Airdropvenezuela, Coins 4 Clothes, and EFF. Beyond organized efforts, though, the real revolution of peer-to-peer electronic cash is individual financial sovereignty. The more wealth everyday individuals can build, the better they can help themselves, their communities, and grow their visions for making the world a better, more free and humane place. This is something no centralized government can ever do, as the intimate, one-on-one relationships and knowledge held by private individuals in community with one another can not be “processed” or formalized by monolithic, inefficient, violence-based institutions like the state.

The reason that so many crypto regulations are being introduced while governments evade scrutiny for the very same crimes is simple: their money is not sound. Not even conceptually. Bitcoin is. If critical mass is reached, and everyday folks realize that economic sovereignty is possible, it’s game over. The Monopoly board will have to be folded up, and the sulking bullies sent home. It’s highly unlikely they’ll go without a fight.

Source: news.bitcoin

Summer Reset: 30 Days, 30 Actions (Plus a 21-Day Staff Challenge AND Giveaway!)

At the onset of our annual 21-Day Challenge this past January, I offered up a post that proposed thinking small—“41 Primal Action Items and Individual Experiments for Success in 2017.” The idea here wasn’t shrinking our scope to the exclusion of big visioning, but homing in on the day to day aims we can set for ourselves that make the big changes happen.

I think June is a good time to revisit that premise—and to host another 21-Day experience for those more inspired in the summer months. 

For several weeks now, we’ve all seen the calls for “swimsuit season.” And while that’s not a bad motivation in and of itself to make positive changes, it’s hardly the only reason to feel spurred to a Primal reset.

In January, it’s easy to get caught up in the stir to turn over a new leaf. “This year is the year I’m turning my entire life around.” And maybe it is. But for some people, that aim ends up feeling too big and distant, and their ambition is short-lived.

This time of year, however, (at least for me) it’s easier to think about a Challenge in more immediate terms. I’ve honestly seen people more inspired by the closer-in question, “What kind of summer do I want to enjoy?” There’s an automatic framework implied here. It’s not about what one should do but what one wants to do. It’s less about living a healthy life than living up the good life…summer’s specialty.

So, what kind of summer do you want for yourself? Take a moment and really ask. What activities do I want to enjoy? What seasonal foods do I want to take advantage of? What do I want to have the energy to take on? Where can I build more leisure into my week? How can I be outside as much as possible? In summer, the means and the end can often feel more potently one in the same.  

Likewise, it’s easier to stay in the scope of daily choice if your goal is to relish the season one day at a time. Grill the best meats you can get your hands on? That’s dinner tonight! Use the freshest produce in new ways? There’s your salad to go with said meats. How about a walk after dinner to take in the extra light and balmy evening? Early light makes a few sprints in the morning sound pretty good with time for coffee on the deck afterward. You’re always looking for the next thing to enjoy, which sounds like the perfect way to live a great Primal life to me.

Personally, I like mini-challenges as an overlay to the larger endeavor anyway. There’s an instantaneous kick-back. No long arcs of progress to get vague about. Do the action today and bask in the benefit. Uncomplicated achievement. Immediate gratification…

In that spirit, I’m offering 30 actions for the 30 days of the month. Pick all or as many as you feel inspired to do. Let them prompt other ideas. Use them to get the momentum going. Claim your summer, and don’t let any of it slide by unappreciated.

30 Days, 30 Actions

June 1st: First things first. Commit to the most resonant elements of slow living this summer. Make clear intentions to keep your schedule and pace in check. Because, really, does anyone want a hectic summer?

June 2nd: Write down everything you eat in a day and how you feel afterward. Clarity is a good starting point, no matter what level of change you’re looking to make.

June 3rd: Practice some cold water immersion in a larger lake or river that’s still cool this time of year.

June 4th: Unplug today (or maybe one day every week).

June 5th: Join my staff in taking on a summer Primal Blueprint Challenge. Yup, no need to wait until New Year’s for the support and fanfare of a group endeavor. We won’t be giving away any cows this time of year, but you’ll be in excellent company with tips, recipes, and stories from some of my Worker Bees. (See below for more details!)

June 6th: Assess your true fitness level.

June 7th: Meditate today (or try an alternative to sitting meditation).

June 8th: Feed your microbiome with some fermented delicacies, and spend some time in the dirt.

June 9th: Find a favorite Primal recipe on MDA.

June 10th: Hit your local farmers market (or take a day trip to one nearby). Enjoy the vibe and the collect as many recipes as you can.

June 11th: Take a nap…preferably outside.

June 12th: Experiment with a supplemental food that’s new to you.

June 13th: Spend the whole day barefoot.

June 14th: Do one (or more) of the awesome workouts featured in our guest posts lately:

June 15th: Get a retreat on the calendar ASAP.

June 16th: Go keto for the remaining two weeks. We’ll have recipes for it all summer long in addition to informative articles (including a definitive guide next week).

June 17th: Hike a new trail or park in your area, or devote the day to an urban hike.

June 18th: Skip the commercial kits for a “summer detox” and try safe and genuine forms of detoxification support.

June 19th: Relish summer the old school way.

June 20th: Bike to work.

June 21st: Invest in collagen for health—with the rich quality bone broth or a high quality supplement.

June 22nd: Upgrade your morning coffee routine.

June 23rd: Give some serious thought to activities and people who drain you. Give yourself permission to take a break from them for 21 days (or as many days as possible) if you can. Just maybe this is a gift you should’ve given yourself a long time ago…?

June 24th: June is National Camping Month. Whether it’s a solo adventure or a full-family endeavor, commit to one night under the stars this month as one of the great Primal joys (with added benefits of course). The National Wildlife Federation every year sponsors the Great American Campout event. They’re taking pledges and even hosting a contest with some fun prizes, so take advantage.

June 25th: While you’re at it, try your hand at some Primal survival skills. Pick at least one, and set out to master it in the wilds.

June 26th: Expand your Primal eating into a new international cuisine.

June 27th: Encourage someone in their health journey (e.g. friends, family, MDA comment board/forum), or submit your success story to MDA to offer the ultimate inspiration to others.

June 28th: Try a sweet meat of some kind—grilled, braised, slow-cooked, sautéed, open-fire roasted…whatever sounds most appealing. This usually isn’t the first thing Primal newcomers do, but it’s a tasty threshold to cross. Order it from a clean eating restaurant if you’re not ready to cook up the innards yourself.

June 29th: Envision something big for your Primal lifestyle and commitment to the good life (whatever that means for you) in July—and make a plan for it.

June 30th: Don’t forget to chase down more awe, pleasure, and euphoria this summer.

The Summer, Staff-Led 21-Day Challenge

Join several members of the Mark’s Daily Apple, Primal Blueprint, and Primal Kitchen staff as they kick off summer with a 21-Day Primal Blueprint Challenge reset.

Follow along on the Vimify app (accessible from your desktop computer or iOS-compatible device – iPhone or iPad) for Challenge prompts and progress, and see more of the staff’s tips, recipes, and stories on the PRIMAL KITCHEN®, Primal Blueprint and Mark’s Daily Apple Instagram pages. 

The Staff 21-Day Challenge kicks off on Monday, June 5th, so get set for next week with these preparation ideas. And for more guidance and tools, check out the 21-Day Transformation Challenge Packages—for the ultimate reset support.

The Giveaway…

And now I want to hear from you…. Which challenge are you willing to take this month? Will you be joining the staff on their 21-day reset? Choosing something (or several) from the full list here? A new idea entirely?

Share your answer on the comment board, and I’ll select one random comment for a PRIMAL KITCHEN® gift package that includes:

A canister of my new PRIMAL KITCHEN® Collagen Fuel (Vanilla Coconut or Chocolate Coconut)

A 6-pack of PRIMAL KITCHEN® Coconut-Cashew Bars

The full collection of PRIMAL KITCHEN® Dressings: 

The Deadline: Midnight tonight PDT

Who’s Eligible? Everyone. We’ll ship this prize package anywhere in the world!

Thanks for stopping by today, everyone. I’m excited for this summer. Are you? Offer up your Challenge commitments, and good luck!

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Top 10 Games I played in 2017 [so far]

May was a busy month for me, and I didn’t realize until recently that I neglected this blog and forgot to write something. As a way to make up for it, I wrote 2 blog posts. Both entries this time are a list-like format, but since I’m playing Breath of the Wild right now, I’d really like to write something more detailed about open worlds for July.

The first half of the year is almost over, and boy, has it been great. There have been so many great games released during the first half of this year alone that making a Game of the Year list at the end of 2017 will be remarkably difficult, more so than most other years. At the end of the year, 2 things will be certain: 1) a fair amount of games I enjoyed will be left out of the top 10, and 2) games I played in this year that were released early than 2017 will be left out. As a result, I wanted to create a list of the top 10 games I played this year regardless of their actual release date. This year I played a fair amount of games from previous years, and some of them are so good it’d be a shame to not give them their 60 seconds of fame here. Even though the list is mostly of 2017 games anyway, the order may not necessarily be the same come December.

10. Snipperclips: Cut it out, together!

Snipperclips is one of the best games you could include in a potential “Nintendo Switch starter pack.” Although playable by a single player, the game shines in cooperative play, and through this method of play, you can experience the vision of the Switch hardware. The game is a blast regardless of whether you are playing it in TV or tabletop mode. Everything from the quick load time of the game software and OS to the snappy gameflow of Snipperclips perfectly exemplifies the mission statement of the Nintendo Switch hardware. The puzzles are well-crafted with a good amount of variety and rely on both players to work together. As you and your partner discover the solutions to the puzzles, you will undoubtedly find yourselves come across moments of laughter, which makes the game all the more memorable. The additional modes are welcomed, whether they be the competitive sports and battle mode or the 4 player puzzles. Overall, it’s a game with more content than you would expect, making it a fantastic launch game and a perfect introduction to the Switch hardware.

 9. ARMS

ARMS is a unique game, and even though the product on release is a little skimpy on the content, I’m really enjoying it. The motion controls are very intuitive, to the point where I haven’t even tried the Pro Controller. And although the mechanics appear simple on paper, there’s a lot of depth, and the skill ceiling is quite high; even the AI can be brutally difficult. I’m still barely above the skill floor, or at least the AI makes it seem that way at times, but I’m looking forward to playing more of ARMS as time goes on and seeing where my abilities peak. The great art direction, character design especially, makes the game very welcoming to all players. It’s really something to see the Mario Kart 8 team branch out of their comfort zone and create their own take on a fighting game.

8. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

How I perceive the Fire Emblem series has changed a lot over time. My first experience with the series was playing the Sacred Stones on the Gameboy Advance. I wasn’t particularly good at it, Advance Wars with its disposable units was more my style, but I did make it to the credits at the expense of many casualties during the endgame. I hadn’t played another game in the series since Awakening, and Awakening’s accessibility and the lack of Advance Wars games made me see the series in a new light. I’m proud to declare that I beat Fire Emblem: Fates on Hard, redeeming my poor play in the Sacred Stones, and although I haven’t beaten Echoes yet, I’m really enjoying it. The game is different in just the right amount of ways so that things feel fresh, and the writing is so well-done that I don’t feel like I’m missing the self-insert characters from the original 3DS entries. When it comes to sound, the amount of voicework in the game is nothing short of impressive and the soundtrack is as incredible as one should expect from the Fire Emblem series. Overall, Intelligent Systems did an excellent job taking an entry that not many people responded well to in the past and turning it into an excellent one.

 7. Steins;Gate

Are visual novels games? Let’s not go down that rabbit hole. For now, I just want to say that Steins;Gate is great and should be experienced by anyone who likes visual novels or science fiction. I haven’t seen the anime, so beyond the elevator pitch of “kids create a microwave that sends emails to the past,” I had no idea what to expect. But when the game was available for $2.99 on PSN during the Golden Week sale, I bit, and I’m glad I did. Although the True Ending is a little contrived, the journey there is one that shouldn’t be missed. The characters are very well-written and mechanics behind time travel are well-thought out; Naotaka Hayashi did his best to make the underlying pseudoscience as believable as possible. Anyone familiar with anonymous message boards, otaku culture, and chuuni will find the script hilarious. Also, Miyano Mamoru, my personal favorite VA ever since his great job as Takuto Tsunashi in Star Driver, does an amazing job voicing Okabe.

 6. NieR: Automata

NieR: Automata is a really unique game when it comes to aesthetic; the art direction and music are a combination that is so unique it’s worth playing for that alone. The story is really interesting as well, and it’s probably of the best game localizations of all time, with its amazing English dub. The actual game design has a more tried-and-true approach, but that’s not solely detractive. The Bayonetta-like combat is solid and responsive, and the genre shifts whether it be 9S’s hacking minigames or twinstick shooter segments are fun ways to shake up the monotony. However, the open world of the game is somewhat empty and boring, even if it is that way for narrative purposes. And although the ending of the game disappointed me (it felt like getting off a rollercoaster right when it reached the summit), it was still one of the best games released in 2017, and a PS4 classic without a doubt. I was completely engaged from beginning to end, and I would love to see Yoko Taro and Platinum Games collaborate on another project in the future.

 5. Xenoblade Chronicles X

Xenoblade Chronicles X may be the closest thing we’ll ever get to an open world Gundam game. Although the first third of the game is somewhat dull, and the amount of systems they throw at you can be overwhelming, once you stick with it and get your Skell license the game becomes magnitudes better. The Skell’s vehicle mode and flight mode offer you so much freedom in how to tackle obstacles and where to explore. Upon obtaining the Skell, I couldn’t put the game down, and was addicted to exploring every nook and cranny, ignoring most of the main storyline until I felt my collection of mecha were fully decked-out. Xenoblade Chronicles X isn’t a perfect game by any means, most of the character models are kind of ugly, the story has more low points than high points, and the battle system isn’t exactly my cup of tea, but the exploration component of the game brought me so much satisfaction I was more than willing to look over the flaws.

 4. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

This latest entry in the Legend of Zelda franchise is a large departure from the norm. Breath of the Wild is the kind of game that gives back the more you invest into it. If you just go from point A to B completing only the tasks and shrines associated with the main quest, you probably won’t enjoy the game. But if you’re the type of person who is willing to put off the main quest and head in a random direction, unlocking as many shrines and watchtowers along the way as possible, you’ll have a tremendous amount of fun. The game’s world as well as its physics and chemistry engines gives you a variety of ways to accomplish your goals, and the focus on shorter dungeons with well thought-out puzzles makes the game perfect for the Switch. The need to craft elixirs or food for adventuring in areas of extreme cold and heat are the only negatives I’ve encountered thus far. It just seems contradictory to place those kinds of limits on a player in a game about exploring. But Breath of the Wild is still one of Link’s best outings, and I can’t wait to see what the next Zelda game will look like.

3. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

Last year I had the chance to play Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past, and really enjoyed it. Ever since I finished VII, I was heavily anticipating VIII, eager to return to the old-school RPG worlds of Dragon Quest, and this game did not disappoint, but instead, exceeded by expectations. Similar to Final Fantasy IV, my favorite in that franchise, the game gives you party members whose roles are initially static, but the ability to denote skill points into several categories allows you to experiment with and specialize them. The story is a well-written mix of vignettes tied to an overall plotline, and the cast of the game, especially your party members, is just incredible. The battle system remains the classic turn-based system you want out of a Dragon Quest game, but benefits from the speed-up feature included in this 3DS port and the addition of the Tension system. Upon beating the final boss, the game isn’t quite over, and the segments that follow make one of the most memorable ending sequences of all time. When you play Dragon Quest VIII it doesn’t feel like just an old game, it feels like an eternal classic.

 2. Persona 5

Although Persona 3 is still my favorite game of the post-Persona 2 trilogy, I really enjoyed this entry. The new additions to the battle system work incredibly well alongside its stylish UI, which makes full use of the controller’s buttons to minimize the inputs needed for every action you may want to perform. And the addition of new elements such as Nuclear and Psychic ensure that all of your party members are viable in different areas of the game, something I felt the series struggled with in the past. The cast is appealing, revamped social link system is fantastic, and although the first third of the story is the strongest part, it remains enjoyable for the entire duration of the game. Fusing Personas remains as engaging as ever, although the filtering systems in place aren’t as robust as those in the Shin Megami Tensei 4 duology. The game has one of the strongest and most focused aesthetics I’ve ever seen. Everything from the soundtrack to the UI elements just screams “Phantom Thieves.” Upon beating it, I was already planning my second playthrough, which I’ll be sure to do before summer is over.

 1. Monster Strike

Monster Strike has no right being as good as it is. It takes the gameplay of the successful mobile game, removes the microtransactions, and turns it into a full-blown RPG with a challenging post-game, resulting in something that’s really amazing. The process of creating your team of monsters has a tremendous amount of depth. Not only do you need to consider the elemental strengths of weaknesses of your crew versus your enemies, but you need to take into account the passives of each monster, such as erasing mines or immunity to walls that inflict damage, as well the type of combo attacks they expel, such as X-shaped laser beams or explosions. Once the billiards-like battles begin, you need to carefully aim your monsters, adjusting the angle so that you can maximize damage to the enemy by bumping into them and setting off Friend Combos by bumping into your allies. The graphics are impressive for a 3DS title, and the story is predictable, but enjoyable. The end result is a game with the level of decision-making typically reserved for series like Shin Megami Tensei or Bravely Default. It’s an incredibly unique and well-made RPG, and is without a doubt one of my favorite titles on the 3DS.

Summer Reset: 30 Days, 30 Actions (Plus a 21-Day Staff Challenge AND Giveaway!)

At the onset of our annual 21-Day Challenge this past January, I offered up a post that proposed thinking small—“41 Primal Action Items and Individual Experiments for Success in 2017.” The idea here wasn’t shrinking our scope to the exclusion of big visioning, but homing in on the day to day aims we can set for ourselves that make the big changes happen.

I think June is a good time to revisit that premise—and to host another 21-Day experience for those more inspired in the summer months. 

For several weeks now, we’ve all seen the calls for “swimsuit season.” And while that’s not a bad motivation in and of itself to make positive changes, it’s hardly the only reason to feel spurred to a Primal reset.

In January, it’s easy to get caught up in the stir around turning over a new leaf. This year is the year I’m turning my entire life around. And maybe it is. But for some people, that aim ends up feeling too big and distant, and their ambition is short-lived.

This time of year, however, (at least for me) it’s easier to think about a Challenge in more immediate terms. I’ve honestly seen people more inspired by the closer-in question, “What kind of summer do I want to enjoy?” There’s an automatic framework implied here. It’s not about what one should do but what one wants to do. It’s less about living a healthy life than living up the good life…summer’s specialty.

So, what kind of summer do you want for yourself? Take a moment and really ask. What activities do I want to enjoy? What seasonal foods do I want to take advantage of? What do I want to have the energy to take on? Where can I build more leisure into my week? How can I be outside as much as possible? In summer, the means and the end can often feel more potently one in the same.  

Likewise, it’s easier to stay in the scope of daily choice if your goal is to relish the season one day at a time. Grill the best meats you can get your hands on? That’s dinner tonight! Use the freshest produce in new ways? There’s your salad to go with said meats. How about a walk after dinner to take in the extra light and balmy evening? Early light makes a few sprints in the morning sound pretty good with time for coffee on the deck afterward. You’re always looking for the next thing to enjoy, which sounds like the perfect way to live a great Primal life to me.

Personally, I like mini-challenges as an overlay to the larger endeavor anyway. There’s an instantaneous kick-back. No long arcs of progress to get vague about. Do the action today and bask in the benefit. Uncomplicated achievement. Immediate gratification.

In that spirit, I’m offering 30 actions for the 30 days of the month. Pick all or as many as you feel inspired to do. Let them prompt other ideas. Use them to get the momentum going. Claim your summer, and don’t let any of it slide by unappreciated.

30 Days, 30 Actions

June 1st: First things first. Commit to the most resonant elements of slow living this summer. Make clear intentions to keep your schedule and pace in check. Because, really, does anyone want a hectic summer?

June 2nd: Write down everything you eat in a day and how you feel afterward. Clarity is a good starting point, no matter what level of change you’re looking to make.

June 3rd: Practice some cold water immersion in a larger lake or river that’s still cool this time of year.

June 4th: Unplug today (or maybe one day every week).

June 5th: Join my staff in taking on a summer Primal Blueprint Challenge. Yup, no need to wait until New Year’s for the support and fanfare of a group endeavor. We won’t be giving away any cows this time of year, but you’ll be in excellent company with tips, recipes, and stories from some of my Worker Bees. (See below for more details!)

June 6th: Assess your true fitness level.

June 10th: Hit your local farmers market (or take a day trip to one nearby). Enjoy the vibe and the collect as many recipes as you can.

June 11th: Take a nap…preferably outside.

June 12th: Experiment with a supplemental food that’s new to you.

June 13th: Spend the whole day barefoot.

June 14th: Do one (or more) of the awesome workouts featured in our guest posts lately:

Give Some Love to Your Hips

The Secret to Athletic Longevity Movement Assessment

How to Build Strength and Muscle with Progressive Calisthenics

20 Easy Bodyweight Exercises to Build Functional Arm Strength

June 15th: Get a retreat on the calendar ASAP.

June 16th: Go keto for the remaining two weeks. We’ll have recipes for it all summer long in addition to informative articles (including a definitive guide next week).

June 17th: Hike a new trail or park in your area, or devote the day to an urban hike.

June 18th: Skip the commercial kits for a “summer detox” and try safe and genuine forms of detoxification support.

June 19th: Relish summer the old school way.

June 20th: Bike to work.

June 21st: Invest in collagen for health—with the rich quality bone broth or a high quality supplement.

June 22nd: Upgrade your morning coffee routine.

June 23rd: Give some serious thought to activities and people who drain you. Give yourself permission to take a break from them for 21 days (or as many days as possible) if you can. Just maybe this is a gift you should’ve given yourself a long time ago…?

June 24th: June is National Camping Month. Whether it’s a solo adventure or a full-family endeavor, commit to one night under the stars this month as one of the great Primal joys (with added benefits of course). The National Wildlife Federation every year sponsors the Great American Campout event. They’re taking pledges and even hosting a contest with some fun prizes, so take advantage.

June 25th: While you’re at it, try your hand at some Primal survival skills. Pick at least one, and set out to master it in the wilds.

June 26th: Expand your Primal eating into a new international cuisine.

June 27th: Encourage someone in their health journey (e.g. friends, family, MDA comment board/forum), or submit your success story to MDA to offer the ultimate inspiration to others.

June 28th: Try a sweet meat of some kind—grilled, braised, slow-cooked, sautéed, open-fire roasted…whatever sounds most appealing. This usually isn’t the first thing Primal newcomers do, but it’s a tasty threshold to cross. Order it from a clean eating restaurant if you’re not ready to cook up the innards yourself.

June 29th: Envision something big for your Primal lifestyle and commitment to the good life (whatever that means for you) in July—and make a plan for it.

June 30th: Don’t forget to chase down more awe, pleasure, and euphoria this summer.

The Summer, Staff-Led 21-Day Challenge

Join several members of the Mark’s Daily Apple, Primal Blueprint, and Primal Kitchen staff as they kick off summer with a 21-Day Primal Blueprint Challenge reset.

Follow along on the Vimify app (accessible from your desktop computer or iOS-compatible device – iPhone or iPad) for Challenge prompts and progress, and see more of the staff’s tips, recipes, and stories on the PRIMAL KITCHEN®, Primal Blueprint and Mark’s Daily Apple Instagram pages. 

The Staff 21-Day Challenge kicks off on Monday, June 5th, so get set for next week with these preparation ideas. And for more guidance and tools, check out the 21-Day Transformation Challenge Packages—for the ultimate reset support.

The Giveaway…

And now I want to hear from you…. Which challenge are you willing to take this month? Will you be joining the staff on their 21-day reset? Choosing something (or several) from the full list here? A new idea entirely?

Share your answer on the comment board, and I’ll select one random comment for a PRIMAL KITCHEN® gift package that includes:

A canister of my new PRIMAL KITCHEN® Collagen Fuel (Vanilla Coconut or Chocolate Coconut)

A 6-pack of PRIMAL KITCHEN® Coconut-Cashew Bars

The full collection of PRIMAL KITCHEN® Dressings: 

Green Goddess

Caesar

Ranch

Greek

Honey Mustard

The Deadline: Midnight tonight PDT

Who’s Eligible? Everyone. We’ll ship this prize package anywhere in the world!

Thanks for stopping by today, everyone. I’m excited for this summer. Are you? Offer up your Challenge commitments, and good luck!

Summer Reset: 30 Days, 30 Actions (Plus a 21-Day Staff Challenge AND Giveaway!)

At the onset of our annual 21-Day Challenge this past January, I offered up a post that proposed thinking small—“41 Primal Action Items and Individual Experiments for Success in 2017.” The idea here wasn’t shrinking our scope to the exclusion of big visioning, but homing in on the day to day aims we can set for ourselves that make the big changes happen.

I think June is a good time to revisit that premise—and to host another 21-Day experience for those more inspired in the summer months. 

For several weeks now, we’ve all seen the calls for “swimsuit season.” And while that’s not a bad motivation in and of itself to make positive changes, it’s hardly the only reason to feel spurred to a Primal reset.

In January, it’s easy to get caught up in the stir around turning over a new leaf. This year is the year I’m turning my entire life around. And maybe it is. But for some people, that aim ends up feeling too big and distant, and their ambition is short-lived.

This time of year, however, (at least for me) it’s easier to think about a Challenge in more immediate terms. I’ve honestly seen people more inspired by the closer-in question, “What kind of summer do I want to enjoy?” There’s an automatic framework implied here. It’s not about what one should do but what one wants to do. It’s less about living a healthy life than living up the good life…summer’s specialty.

So, what kind of summer do you want for yourself? Take a moment and really ask. What activities do I want to enjoy? What seasonal foods do I want to take advantage of? What do I want to have the energy to take on? Where can I build more leisure into my week? How can I be outside as much as possible? In summer, the means and the end can often feel more potently one in the same.  

Likewise, it’s easier to stay in the scope of daily choice if your goal is to relish the season one day at a time. Grill the best meats you can get your hands on? That’s dinner tonight! Use the freshest produce in new ways? There’s your salad to go with said meats. How about a walk after dinner to take in the extra light and balmy evening? Early light makes a few sprints in the morning sound pretty good with time for coffee on the deck afterward. You’re always looking for the next thing to enjoy, which sounds like the perfect way to live a great Primal life to me.

Personally, I like mini-challenges as an overlay to the larger endeavor anyway. There’s an instantaneous kick-back. No long arcs of progress to get vague about. Do the action today and bask in the benefit. Uncomplicated achievement. Immediate gratification.

In that spirit, I’m offering 30 actions for the 30 days of the month. Pick all or as many as you feel inspired to do. Let them prompt other ideas. Use them to get the momentum going. Claim your summer, and don’t let any of it slide by unappreciated.

30 Days, 30 Actions

June 1st: First things first. Commit to the most resonant elements of slow living this summer. Make clear intentions to keep your schedule and pace in check. Because, really, does anyone want a hectic summer?

June 2nd: Write down everything you eat in a day and how you feel afterward. Clarity is a good starting point, no matter what level of change you’re looking to make.

June 3rd: Practice some cold water immersion in a larger lake or river that’s still cool this time of year.

June 4th: Unplug today (or maybe one day every week).

June 5th: Join my staff in taking on a summer Primal Blueprint Challenge. Yup, no need to wait until New Year’s for the support and fanfare of a group endeavor. We won’t be giving away any cows this time of year, but you’ll be in excellent company with tips, recipes, and stories from some of my Worker Bees. (See below for more details!)

June 6th: Assess your true fitness level.

June 10th: Hit your local farmers market (or take a day trip to one nearby). Enjoy the vibe and the collect as many recipes as you can.

June 11th: Take a nap…preferably outside.

June 12th: Experiment with a supplemental food that’s new to you.

June 13th: Spend the whole day barefoot.

June 14th: Do one (or more) of the awesome workouts featured in our guest posts lately:

Give Some Love to Your Hips

The Secret to Athletic Longevity Movement Assessment

How to Build Strength and Muscle with Progressive Calisthenics

20 Easy Bodyweight Exercises to Build Functional Arm Strength

June 15th: Get a retreat on the calendar ASAP.

June 16th: Go keto for the remaining two weeks. We’ll have recipes for it all summer long in addition to informative articles (including a definitive guide next week).

June 17th: Hike a new trail or park in your area, or devote the day to an urban hike.

June 18th: Skip the commercial kits for a “summer detox” and try safe and genuine forms of detoxification support.

June 19th: Relish summer the old school way.

June 20th: Bike to work.

June 21st: Invest in collagen for health—with the rich quality bone broth or a high quality supplement.

June 22nd: Upgrade your morning coffee routine.

June 23rd: Give some serious thought to activities and people who drain you. Give yourself permission to take a break from them for 21 days (or as many days as possible) if you can. Just maybe this is a gift you should’ve given yourself a long time ago…?

June 24th: June is National Camping Month. Whether it’s a solo adventure or a full-family endeavor, commit to one night under the stars this month as one of the great Primal joys (with added benefits of course). The National Wildlife Federation every year sponsors the Great American Campout event. They’re taking pledges and even hosting a contest with some fun prizes, so take advantage.

June 25th: While you’re at it, try your hand at some Primal survival skills. Pick at least one, and set out to master it in the wilds.

June 26th: Expand your Primal eating into a new international cuisine.

June 27th: Encourage someone in their health journey (e.g. friends, family, MDA comment board/forum), or submit your success story to MDA to offer the ultimate inspiration to others.

June 28th: Try a sweet meat of some kind—grilled, braised, slow-cooked, sautéed, open-fire roasted…whatever sounds most appealing. This usually isn’t the first thing Primal newcomers do, but it’s a tasty threshold to cross. Order it from a clean eating restaurant if you’re not ready to cook up the innards yourself.

June 29th: Envision something big for your Primal lifestyle and commitment to the good life (whatever that means for you) in July—and make a plan for it.

June 30th: Don’t forget to chase down more awe, pleasure, and euphoria this summer.

The Summer, Staff-Led 21-Day Challenge

Join several members of the Mark’s Daily Apple, Primal Blueprint, and Primal Kitchen staff as they kick off summer with a 21-Day Primal Blueprint Challenge reset.

Follow along on the Vimify app (accessible from your desktop computer or iOS-compatible device – iPhone or iPad) for Challenge prompts and progress, and see more of the staff’s tips, recipes, and stories on the PRIMAL KITCHEN®, Primal Blueprint and Mark’s Daily Apple Instagram pages. 

The Staff 21-Day Challenge kicks off on Monday, June 5th, so get set for next week with these preparation ideas. And for more guidance and tools, check out the 21-Day Transformation Challenge Packages—for the ultimate reset support.

The Giveaway…

And now I want to hear from you…. Which challenge are you willing to take this month? Will you be joining the staff on their 21-day reset? Choosing something (or several) from the full list here? A new idea entirely?

Share your answer on the comment board, and I’ll select one random comment for a PRIMAL KITCHEN® gift package that includes:

A canister of my new PRIMAL KITCHEN® Collagen Fuel (Vanilla Coconut or Chocolate Coconut)

A 6-pack of PRIMAL KITCHEN® Coconut-Cashew Bars

The full collection of PRIMAL KITCHEN® Dressings: 

Green Goddess

Caesar

Ranch

Greek

Honey Mustard

The Deadline: Midnight tonight PDT

Who’s Eligible? Everyone. We’ll ship this prize package anywhere in the world!

Thanks for stopping by today, everyone. I’m excited for this summer. Are you? Offer up your Challenge commitments, and good luck!

Summer Reset: 30 Days, 30 Actions (Plus a 21-Day Staff Challenge AND Giveaway!)

At the onset of our annual 21-Day Challenge this past January, I offered up a post that proposed thinking small—“41 Primal Action Items and Individual Experiments for Success in 2017.” The idea here wasn’t shrinking our scope to the exclusion of big visioning, but homing in on the day to day aims we can set for ourselves that make the big changes happen.

I think June is a good time to revisit that premise—and to host another 21-Day experience for those more inspired in the summer months. 

For several weeks now, we’ve all seen the calls for “swimsuit season.” And while that’s not a bad motivation in and of itself to make positive changes, it’s hardly the only reason to feel spurred to a Primal reset.

In January, it’s easy to get caught up in the stir around turning over a new leaf. This year is the year I’m turning my entire life around. And maybe it is. But for some people, that aim ends up feeling too big and distant, and their ambition is short-lived.

This time of year, however, (at least for me) it’s easier to think about a Challenge in more immediate terms. I’ve honestly seen people more inspired by the closer-in question, “What kind of summer do I want to enjoy?” There’s an automatic framework implied here. It’s not about what one should do but what one wants to do. It’s less about living a healthy life than living up the good life…summer’s specialty.

So, what kind of summer do you want for yourself? Take a moment and really ask. What activities do I want to enjoy? What seasonal foods do I want to take advantage of? What do I want to have the energy to take on? Where can I build more leisure into my week? How can I be outside as much as possible? In summer, the means and the end can often feel more potently one in the same.  

Likewise, it’s easier to stay in the scope of daily choice if your goal is to relish the season one day at a time. Grill the best meats you can get your hands on? That’s dinner tonight! Use the freshest produce in new ways? There’s your salad to go with said meats. How about a walk after dinner to take in the extra light and balmy evening? Early light makes a few sprints in the morning sound pretty good with time for coffee on the deck afterward. You’re always looking for the next thing to enjoy, which sounds like the perfect way to live a great Primal life to me.

Personally, I like mini-challenges as an overlay to the larger endeavor anyway. There’s an instantaneous kick-back. No long arcs of progress to get vague about. Do the action today and bask in the benefit. Uncomplicated achievement. Immediate gratification.

In that spirit, I’m offering 30 actions for the 30 days of the month. Pick all or as many as you feel inspired to do. Let them prompt other ideas. Use them to get the momentum going. Claim your summer, and don’t let any of it slide by unappreciated.

30 Days, 30 Actions

June 1st: First things first. Commit to the most resonant elements of slow living this summer. Make clear intentions to keep your schedule and pace in check. Because, really, does anyone want a hectic summer?

June 2nd: Write down everything you eat in a day and how you feel afterward. Clarity is a good starting point, no matter what level of change you’re looking to make.

June 3rd: Practice some cold water immersion in a larger lake or river that’s still cool this time of year.

June 4th: Unplug today (or maybe one day every week).

June 5th: Join my staff in taking on a summer Primal Blueprint Challenge. Yup, no need to wait until New Year’s for the support and fanfare of a group endeavor. We won’t be giving away any cows this time of year, but you’ll be in excellent company with tips, recipes, and stories from some of my Worker Bees. (See below for more details!)

June 6th: Assess your true fitness level.

June 10th: Hit your local farmers market (or take a day trip to one nearby). Enjoy the vibe and the collect as many recipes as you can.

June 11th: Take a nap…preferably outside.

June 12th: Experiment with a supplemental food that’s new to you.

June 13th: Spend the whole day barefoot.

June 14th: Do one (or more) of the awesome workouts featured in our guest posts lately:

Give Some Love to Your Hips

The Secret to Athletic Longevity Movement Assessment

How to Build Strength and Muscle with Progressive Calisthenics

20 Easy Bodyweight Exercises to Build Functional Arm Strength

June 15th: Get a retreat on the calendar ASAP.

June 16th: Go keto for the remaining two weeks. We’ll have recipes for it all summer long in addition to informative articles (including a definitive guide next week).

June 17th: Hike a new trail or park in your area, or devote the day to an urban hike.

June 18th: Skip the commercial kits for a “summer detox” and try safe and genuine forms of detoxification support.

June 19th: Relish summer the old school way.

June 20th: Bike to work.

June 21st: Invest in collagen for health—with the rich quality bone broth or a high quality supplement.

June 22nd: Upgrade your morning coffee routine.

June 23rd: Give some serious thought to activities and people who drain you. Give yourself permission to take a break from them for 21 days (or as many days as possible) if you can. Just maybe this is a gift you should’ve given yourself a long time ago…?

June 24th: June is National Camping Month. Whether it’s a solo adventure or a full-family endeavor, commit to one night under the stars this month as one of the great Primal joys (with added benefits of course). The National Wildlife Federation every year sponsors the Great American Campout event. They’re taking pledges and even hosting a contest with some fun prizes, so take advantage.

June 25th: While you’re at it, try your hand at some Primal survival skills. Pick at least one, and set out to master it in the wilds.

June 26th: Expand your Primal eating into a new international cuisine.

June 27th: Encourage someone in their health journey (e.g. friends, family, MDA comment board/forum), or submit your success story to MDA to offer the ultimate inspiration to others.

June 28th: Try a sweet meat of some kind—grilled, braised, slow-cooked, sautéed, open-fire roasted…whatever sounds most appealing. This usually isn’t the first thing Primal newcomers do, but it’s a tasty threshold to cross. Order it from a clean eating restaurant if you’re not ready to cook up the innards yourself.

June 29th: Envision something big for your Primal lifestyle and commitment to the good life (whatever that means for you) in July—and make a plan for it.

June 30th: Don’t forget to chase down more awe, pleasure, and euphoria this summer.

The Summer, Staff-Led 21-Day Challenge

Join several members of the Mark’s Daily Apple, Primal Blueprint, and Primal Kitchen staff as they kick off summer with a 21-Day Primal Blueprint Challenge reset.

Follow along on the Vimify app (accessible from your desktop computer or iOS-compatible device – iPhone or iPad) for Challenge prompts and progress, and see more of the staff’s tips, recipes, and stories on the PRIMAL KITCHEN®, Primal Blueprint and Mark’s Daily Apple Instagram pages. 

The Staff 21-Day Challenge kicks off on Monday, June 5th, so get set for next week with these preparation ideas. And for more guidance and tools, check out the 21-Day Transformation Challenge Packages—for the ultimate reset support.

The Giveaway…

And now I want to hear from you…. Which challenge are you willing to take this month? Will you be joining the staff on their 21-day reset? Choosing something (or several) from the full list here? A new idea entirely?

Share your answer on the comment board, and I’ll select one random comment for a PRIMAL KITCHEN® gift package that includes:

A canister of my new PRIMAL KITCHEN® Collagen Fuel (Vanilla Coconut or Chocolate Coconut)

A 6-pack of PRIMAL KITCHEN® Coconut-Cashew Bars

The full collection of PRIMAL KITCHEN® Dressings: 

Green Goddess

Caesar

Ranch

Greek

Honey Mustard

The Deadline: Midnight tonight PDT

Who’s Eligible? Everyone. We’ll ship this prize package anywhere in the world!

Thanks for stopping by today, everyone. I’m excited for this summer. Are you? Offer up your Challenge commitments, and good luck!

Summer Reset: 30 Days, 30 Actions (Plus a 21-Day Staff Challenge AND Giveaway!)

At the onset of our annual 21-Day Challenge this past January, I offered up a post that proposed thinking small—“41 Primal Action Items and Individual Experiments for Success in 2017.” The idea here wasn’t shrinking our scope to the exclusion of big visioning, but homing in on the day to day aims we can set for ourselves that make the big changes happen.

I think June is a good time to revisit that premise—and to host another 21-Day experience for those more inspired in the summer months. 

For several weeks now, we’ve all seen the calls for “swimsuit season.” And while that’s not a bad motivation in and of itself to make positive changes, it’s hardly the only reason to feel spurred to a Primal reset.

In January, it’s easy to get caught up in the stir around turning over a new leaf. This year is the year I’m turning my entire life around. And maybe it is. But for some people, that aim ends up feeling too big and distant, and their ambition is short-lived.

This time of year, however, (at least for me) it’s easier to think about a Challenge in more immediate terms. I’ve honestly seen people more inspired by the closer-in question, “What kind of summer do I want to enjoy?” There’s an automatic framework implied here. It’s not about what one should do but what one wants to do. It’s less about living a healthy life than living up the good life…summer’s specialty.

So, what kind of summer do you want for yourself? Take a moment and really ask. What activities do I want to enjoy? What seasonal foods do I want to take advantage of? What do I want to have the energy to take on? Where can I build more leisure into my week? How can I be outside as much as possible? In summer, the means and the end can often feel more potently one in the same.  

Likewise, it’s easier to stay in the scope of daily choice if your goal is to relish the season one day at a time. Grill the best meats you can get your hands on? That’s dinner tonight! Use the freshest produce in new ways? There’s your salad to go with said meats. How about a walk after dinner to take in the extra light and balmy evening? Early light makes a few sprints in the morning sound pretty good with time for coffee on the deck afterward. You’re always looking for the next thing to enjoy, which sounds like the perfect way to live a great Primal life to me.

Personally, I like mini-challenges as an overlay to the larger endeavor anyway. There’s an instantaneous kick-back. No long arcs of progress to get vague about. Do the action today and bask in the benefit. Uncomplicated achievement. Immediate gratification.

In that spirit, I’m offering 30 actions for the 30 days of the month. Pick all or as many as you feel inspired to do. Let them prompt other ideas. Use them to get the momentum going. Claim your summer, and don’t let any of it slide by unappreciated.

30 Days, 30 Actions

June 1st: First things first. Commit to the most resonant elements of slow living this summer. Make clear intentions to keep your schedule and pace in check. Because, really, does anyone want a hectic summer?

June 2nd: Write down everything you eat in a day and how you feel afterward. Clarity is a good starting point, no matter what level of change you’re looking to make.

June 3rd: Practice some cold water immersion in a larger lake or river that’s still cool this time of year.

June 4th: Unplug today (or maybe one day every week).

June 5th: Join my staff in taking on a summer Primal Blueprint Challenge. Yup, no need to wait until New Year’s for the support and fanfare of a group endeavor. We won’t be giving away any cows this time of year, but you’ll be in excellent company with tips, recipes, and stories from some of my Worker Bees. (See below for more details!)

June 6th: Assess your true fitness level.

June 10th: Hit your local farmers market (or take a day trip to one nearby). Enjoy the vibe and the collect as many recipes as you can.

June 11th: Take a nap…preferably outside.

June 12th: Experiment with a supplemental food that’s new to you.

June 13th: Spend the whole day barefoot.

June 14th: Do one (or more) of the awesome workouts featured in our guest posts lately:

Give Some Love to Your Hips

The Secret to Athletic Longevity Movement Assessment

How to Build Strength and Muscle with Progressive Calisthenics

20 Easy Bodyweight Exercises to Build Functional Arm Strength

June 15th: Get a retreat on the calendar ASAP.

June 16th: Go keto for the remaining two weeks. We’ll have recipes for it all summer long in addition to informative articles (including a definitive guide next week).

June 17th: Hike a new trail or park in your area, or devote the day to an urban hike.

June 18th: Skip the commercial kits for a “summer detox” and try safe and genuine forms of detoxification support.

June 19th: Relish summer the old school way.

June 20th: Bike to work.

June 21st: Invest in collagen for health—with the rich quality bone broth or a high quality supplement.

June 22nd: Upgrade your morning coffee routine.

June 23rd: Give some serious thought to activities and people who drain you. Give yourself permission to take a break from them for 21 days (or as many days as possible) if you can. Just maybe this is a gift you should’ve given yourself a long time ago…?

June 24th: June is National Camping Month. Whether it’s a solo adventure or a full-family endeavor, commit to one night under the stars this month as one of the great Primal joys (with added benefits of course). The National Wildlife Federation every year sponsors the Great American Campout event. They’re taking pledges and even hosting a contest with some fun prizes, so take advantage.

June 25th: While you’re at it, try your hand at some Primal survival skills. Pick at least one, and set out to master it in the wilds.

June 26th: Expand your Primal eating into a new international cuisine.

June 27th: Encourage someone in their health journey (e.g. friends, family, MDA comment board/forum), or submit your success story to MDA to offer the ultimate inspiration to others.

June 28th: Try a sweet meat of some kind—grilled, braised, slow-cooked, sautéed, open-fire roasted…whatever sounds most appealing. This usually isn’t the first thing Primal newcomers do, but it’s a tasty threshold to cross. Order it from a clean eating restaurant if you’re not ready to cook up the innards yourself.

June 29th: Envision something big for your Primal lifestyle and commitment to the good life (whatever that means for you) in July—and make a plan for it.

June 30th: Don’t forget to chase down more awe, pleasure, and euphoria this summer.

The Summer, Staff-Led 21-Day Challenge

Join several members of the Mark’s Daily Apple, Primal Blueprint, and Primal Kitchen staff as they kick off summer with a 21-Day Primal Blueprint Challenge reset.

Follow along on the Vimify app (accessible from your desktop computer or iOS-compatible device – iPhone or iPad) for Challenge prompts and progress, and see more of the staff’s tips, recipes, and stories on the PRIMAL KITCHEN®, Primal Blueprint and Mark’s Daily Apple Instagram pages. 

The Staff 21-Day Challenge kicks off on Monday, June 5th, so get set for next week with these preparation ideas. And for more guidance and tools, check out the 21-Day Transformation Challenge Packages—for the ultimate reset support.

The Giveaway…

And now I want to hear from you…. Which challenge are you willing to take this month? Will you be joining the staff on their 21-day reset? Choosing something (or several) from the full list here? A new idea entirely?

Share your answer on the comment board, and I’ll select one random comment for a PRIMAL KITCHEN® gift package that includes:

A canister of my new PRIMAL KITCHEN® Collagen Fuel (Vanilla Coconut or Chocolate Coconut)

A 6-pack of PRIMAL KITCHEN® Coconut-Cashew Bars

The full collection of PRIMAL KITCHEN® Dressings: 

Green Goddess

Caesar

Ranch

Greek

Honey Mustard

The Deadline: Midnight tonight PDT

Who’s Eligible? Everyone. We’ll ship this prize package anywhere in the world!

Thanks for stopping by today, everyone. I’m excited for this summer. Are you? Offer up your Challenge commitments, and good luck!