10 Plot Premises That Never Get Old

There’s a great many lists out there complaining about the worst and most overused tropes in fiction. I want to pass the mic to tropes that will never get old. The love-to-hate ones, the knife-twisting ones, the shipping fodder.

1. Killing the character who knew too much

Or, the “Maes Hughes” effect. Your story centers around a massive mystery or conspiracy and one lone character is unfortunately not genre-savvy enough to remember that the phrase “the early bird gets the worm” ends in “but the second mouse gets the cheese”.

This is the character who has unraveled the partial, if not entire truth, coming to a shocking realization moments before their untimely murder. Usually, they’re alone. Usually, this death rocks the remaining characters, sometimes for the entirety of the remaining plot (see FullMetal Alchemist). Usually, they become genre-savvy at exactly the moment they realize there’s no way out of this. Conveniently, they’re never on the phone with the right person, or there’s never any cell service. They didn’t write their findings down or didn’t hit record.

This whole entire tragedy is only a tragedy because this character made the wrong choice that is also the only choice this character would have made.

2. The enemy of my enemy

As OSP once said, anyone can be a minion, even the presumed Big Bad. Whether it’s a serialized cartoon with well established sides of good and bad or a single movie, having two entities that loathe each other reluctantly and bitterly join forces to deal with an even Bigger Bad… that’s the good stuff.

Either the villain has been minion-ed, or the good guys and the bad guys’ enduring battle of morals is interrupted by a wild card third party that insults them both or threatens the world both sides are trying to save in their own ways.

This is *not* a redemption arc. This is the temporary alliance that usually terminates once the threat is dealt with (see: Transformers Prime, or ‘Marabounta’ from Code Lyoko). Extra points if they’re age-old rivals who fight better together than the hero does with the rest of their team. Extra extra points if they both realize this and firmly deny that it happens (and even more if the villain tries to exploit the hero with this fact later on).

3. The redemption arc

***Emphasis on the word ‘arc’*** The ones that span 56 out of 61 episodes (see: you know the show). The ones that cost the redeemer their ideals, the friends they thought they had on the wrong side, maybe a limb or two. The ones that start with a villain so convinced they’re right, only to slowly question everything they’ve come to know and, without shedding their entire personality, do the right thing and still survive the process.

This is not redemption equals death. This is not a half-assed heel turn at the very last second—that’s a button mash impulsive act for shock value. This is taking a character almost all of the heroes have given up on trying to save, someone they themselves have nearly written off, and deciding to try anyway. This is a character deciding to do the right thing even if it doesn’t ever redeem them at all. This is a character whose whole life ahead of them is spent doing better than what was done before, and we love them for it.

4. The haunted ashes of a fallen empire

This one is a bit more tricky to define but think Prometheus of the Alien franchise, or Xerxes from FMAB. These are characters in the present exploring the ruins of a civilization that never should have fallen, but did due to the Big Bad they either created or tried to imprison. This is those characters looking around at what used to be, and making history repeat itself whether they’re genre-savvy or not.

These are the glaring red sign posts telling the heroes to turn around every step further in *or else* and they do it anyway. Or, these are the heroes who know exactly what happened and in their own hubris, are convinced it won’t happen this time to them.

5. The Most Dangerous Game

The originator: An island owned by a big game hunter who has evolved into hunting humans. The trope: Powerful and/or incredibly skilled character in any other situation is trapped in the confines of a dwindling clock matched up against the very antithesis of who they are and what they represent, but who is also just like them.

I just love seeing characters who are normally incredibly competent and rarely fazed, tripped up by the horror of being hunted by someone just like them who lost their humanity. So many juicy existential questions arise, so much angst. Double points if the character has a firm no-kill policy or extremely picky morals and has to wager tossing them aside to survive.

6. Stranger in a strange land

Whether it’s a character in a foreign country trying to learn and respect the ways of the people who saved them (see: Last Samurai, or Avatar '09), or an alien who crash-landed on Earth and struggles to assimilate and not get caught by the government (see any PG 13 alien adventure movie), a time traveler to the past or the future (Outlander, Back to the Future), either drama or hilarity ensues, often with a heaping helping of socio-political commentary.

It gets kind of troublesome when the writer is a white guy taking all the wrong messages from throwing his white guy protagonist into a land of the ‘savages’ (see uhhhh all variations of Pocahontas). But then you have strange lands like Wonderland, or Narnia.

7. Magical Otherworlds

Speaking of Narnia and Wonderland—magical hidden otherworlds. They can be incredibly blandly executed sometimes, but some of our most cherished stories come from living vicariously through Harry Potter or the Pevensie siblings. In this case I’m specifically talking about complete otherworlds, not hidden-in-plain-sight otherworlds (see: Percy Jackson) because of the complete freedom and creativity you have in geography, history, and world mechanics.

The possibilities are endless! Double points if the otherworld is a metaphor for childhood adventure and living without adult responsibilities (see: Peter Pan), a world in which we know, no matter how cool the world is, the protagonist was never meant to stay there. They must always inevitably, inexorably, return home and take what they’ve learned there to live a better and profound life.

8. “I know you’re in there somewhere”

Is it done to death? Yes. Is every situation different because it’s completely dependent on the relationship between the characters involved? Also yes. Tends to overlap with a redemption arc, but more often a hero-turned-temporary-villain. The drama! The angst! The shipping fodder! (see: many, many anime, too many to count)

This trope also has some uncertainty to it. You never know if the confrontation will be a success, if the character in question will commit some heinous act to wrack them with guilt later, if they even want to be saved, or if they really were saved and not just faking it. Either we get a POV of the stricken character’s battle in the mind or are left watching on the edge of our seat as unknowing as those trying to save them, and sometimes, rarely, they’re just not salvageable.

9. On the Run

The base has been discovered, the ship has been overrun, the house has burned down, the government is on the hunt. The hero team is forced apart with only the clothes on their back and what they can carry with only one or two others and loses all contact with most of their team, scattered to the wind. They leave a trail of sketchy motel rooms and diner take-away boxes, or they sleep in their car, or are forced to hide out in old bases that the villain definitely knows about but wouldn’t bother checking, built in a bygone era with a friend that’s no more.

Everything they ever knew has been called into question. The character they find themselves stuck with wasn’t their closest buddy on the hero team, but both forge a newfound respect for each other in this new unknown. Poignant conversations are had as one keeps watch in the dark so the other can sleep, and yet doesn’t, as they mourn the passing of the life both knew and vow to take it all back in their darkest hour.

10. The Thing

As in, a mysterious entity or illness has invaded the story and knowing which characters are infected and compromised is impossible. This entity either bodysnatches other characters and can be expunged, zombifies them, or kills and replicates them (see many zombie shows, iterations of The Thing, or “Croatoan” from Supernatural). This entity is a sickness slowly spreading throughout the town or the base or the ship and the heroes (or villains) realize far too late that something is very, very wrong.

This entity brings characters to their breaking point, paranoia making them do very bad things in the name of survival, killing off characters the audience knows is clean, but their murderer doesn’t, for extra knife-twisty fun. This entity brings a morally devout character near to ruin as they almost cross a line trying to do what’s right. This is an entity where, even when it’s defeated, is never really gone for certain… is it?

please tell me about I Was a Teenage Exocolonist, if you feel so inclined? i don't know much about it but your posts about it have been making me very curious! (direct references to Murderbot you say?)

Oh, I would LOVE to ramble about I Was A Teenage Colonist! 🥰 I'm on lunch at work, but otherwise I would break out PowerPoint and do a proper propaganda post because IWATXC fully deserves one. (*Correction: I was on lunch at work when I started writing this. I wrote way too much and had to finish when I got home, which should probably tell you what you're getting into. My deepest apologies.)

So, it's like 50% visual novel and 50% video game. The story is what really matters, but how that story goes is entirely dependent on your choices. There are 29 (I think) different endings you can uncover (I've only gotten 4 so far), multiple different characters you can romance if you're into that, and tons of different areas (e.g. skill levels, friendship points, etc.) that you can focus your energy on to unlock new pieces of story content about various characters.

As far as the video game component goes, it's a deck builder where the memories your player character collects become your deck of cards to use in challenges. However, if you don't want to bother with that, there's a setting that will let you turn off card challenges altogether.

BUT here's the actual juicy stuff:

So, the story opens with you as a 10 year-old kid on a colony ship that's landing on your new home planet. The ship has been traveling for 20 years, so you were born in space.

The colonists left Earth to escape the capitalist hellscape it's become, and they're all a bunch of hippies, so the Preservation vibes are very strong! It feels a little like how the founding of Preservation was described in the MB books.

Once you've landed, however, you run into some big problems. 1) All of the ship's hydroponics were destroyed because it was a rough entry. 2) Some of the planet's wildlife is NOT friendly (as Murderbot would say, something's always trying to eat the humans). 3) Some of the planet's seasons are hazardous in a variety of unpleasant ways. 4) There are signs that this planet had intelligent life once. And that it might still...👀

Once you're there, it's all hands on deck to survive! You're a kid, so you do need to finish your education, but you balance that with working in various parts of the colony and deciding what role you want to take on as your main career. You can become a farmer like the player character's parents, you can become a scientist and hang out with the colony's AI (who has some things in common with ART), you can join the survey teams (like PresAux my beloved!) and go out to explore and document the planet...the options are endless!

Now, the problem with landing on a semi-hostile planet is that the odds are high that the colony is going to lose people. And you do. A lot of people, if you aren't careful. Some of the deaths are pretty heart-wrenching.

BUT

There's something special about your player character. Ever since landing on the planet, they've had...dreams. Strange gut feelings. Knowledge that they shouldn't have. Premonitions about things that are going to happen, about people they're going to meet... Sometimes, it isn't enough to matter, but the more playthroughs you do, the more your character knows because they do gradually become aware that they're in a time loop of sorts. This gives them more options and better odds for saving the people they love, whether that's in the form of having clues about how to stop the colony's famine or knowing where you need to be to save the governor from being killed by hostile fauna! The game runs from age 10 until age 20, so you have ten years to save your colony and sort out your life.

My personal favorite things:

So many things are extremely customizable, especially in terms of preferred pronouns, gender presentation, dating (or not dating at all---choosing not to won't deprive you of anything in-game) preferences, etc.

The little in-jokes (including the direct Murderbot reference!)

The art style is GORGEOUS! It's so warm and inviting and beautiful. And for big moments, you get these extra detailed full-screen scene cards that show up to point out that you're reached a milestone.

There are no real-time time limits/constraints, so it's easy to play without getting stressed.

The characters! There's such a broad variety, but they're so lovable (except for Vace---I can't STAND Vace). I'm especially fond of Cal and of the player character's dad (who reminds me of Ratthi in some ways).

The time-loop elements are handled so, so well. They add such a fascinating twist to the story while also fixing the replayability issue that so many games have. It gives you an incentive to start playthrough after playthrough just to get more information about that element of the PC's story!

All in all, it's my favorite game of the ones I've played this year, and a solid second-favorite of all time, right after Stardew Valley. Especially since I feel like I've barely scratched the surface of the game's content, even after four playthroughs! For anyone who enjoys gaming at all and happens to be a fan of Murderbot, of solarpunk as a concept, or of sci-fi in general, this game is a joy to play!

If you do end up giving it a shot, you know my inbox/DMs are always open if you want to come yell about it with me! Thank you for asking and for giving me a reason to infodump about it! ❤

Sometimes I feel I don't truly get comics Gamora and I desperately want to. I don't think I'd be able to characterize her the way I'd be, say, her movie or game counterparts. So I'm planning on a reread: what comics do you think actually graps who she is and what she thinks like and how she acts?

I AM SO GLAD YOU ASKED

So her intro storyline in Strange Tales/Warlock is very important and sets up a lot of her going forward. She gets to be emotional, form connections with Pip & Adam that'll be important going on, her dynamic with Thanos gets established, & her origin is told. Her personality is also allowed to shine! She's making bad jokes from the start :).

I think Avengers Annual #7 is also very important... it establishes Gamora's moral core. She makes the choice to stand against Thanos because she fundamentally disagrees with what he's going to do.

Warlock & the Infinity Watch. I know I don't shut up about this series but it is genuinely excellent, especially for Gamora. #8&9, obviously, but also #12 and the final few issues have some wonderful moments for her. Plus some of these issues have some internal narration so you get exactly what she's thinking.

Marvel Holiday Special.... very important for understanding her dynamic with Thanos.

The 90s Warlock series I actually liked more than I thought I did! It focuses more on her romantic love but is great for that.

Infinity Abyss is also another important one for her. Again, great moments between her and Thanos.

All the Nova tie-ins for Annihilation Conquest are excellent for Gamora. These are some truly underrated moments in her history.

GOTG2008. Even the first 3 issues will give one of the best Gamora moments.

Nova (2017) #4 makes me insane.

All-New Guardians of the Galaxy #3 is all about Gam! While this run fizzles out into utter shite by the end, this issue is actually really good!

Thanos (2019) is just so. one of her best modern appearances by a landslide and it's all told by Gamora.

Thanos: The Infinity Relativity brings Starlin back to Gamora & I always love how he writes her.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2020)! I initially didn't love Ewing's take on Gamora, but I've come to appreciate it to the point that he's one of my preferred writers for her.

There's also this reading guide that covers more of her appearances.

Martin??

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life 

hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would bang kiss

hogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuff eh??slytherpuff...

best quality: i love love love love LOVE that he is fundamentally a good and kind person BY DELIBERATE CHOICE TO BE KIND AND GOOD ugh CHEFS KISS

worst quality:  probably his impulse to self isolate/sacrifice. like i get it, mood, but it's not a good thing

ship them with:  J O N!!!, also listen i know they never met in canon but martingerry.....the Vibes...jonmartingerry especially..also with tim as part of an ot3....im very much Do Not Seperate with jm tbh

brotp them with: Melanie, Tim, and Sasha! I think about season 1 archival assistant besties every goddamn day

needs to stay away from: Peter lukas, obvs, but like more that peter needs to do the staying away. Simon Fairchild? yes i know simon sucks but also he's my funky evil grandpa

misc. thoughts: GOD okay a lot currently i am thinking: one of my favorite characters literally of all time he's one of like four characters then have ever felt so directly speaking to my personal soul, also i love that he has like..specific personality flaws and even just aspects that are usually attributed to idk like at least assholes and often full blown antagonists but not him!!! he's the love interest with a heart of gold but he's the love interest with a heart of gold with SO MUCH!!! Character development and complexity, and last i think both jon and martin gets into viddy gams a little post somewhere else but jon infodumps to him about the like 56 canon universes of resident evil and martin infodumps about every villager's favorite gifts in stardew and they don't fully know what the other one is talking about but they're happy to listen and be included <3

Hi i’ve been playing genshin way too much so i have some ideas for like. a genshin meets linked universe au where they all travel through teyvat and they have visions n stuff

I’m basing it off the ideals of the archon aswell as how characters with visions align with that of the chain

That being said, spoilers for genshin and all loz gams ahead!

Sky- Geo (Order/Contracts)

Odd since sky literally rode on the winds via his loftwing on his adventure, but He was already apart of this huge plan in the making set by Hylia long ago. Go defeat Demise, tailor the Master Sword, not to mention post adventure technically becoming the first king of hyrule and siring the royal line

I’d imagine his kit being Similar to albedo, with a sword and his skill being creating little floating island structures from out of the ground. His burst would be the same as his skyward slash, except after slashing it unleashes a densely controlled earthquake. The perfect support dps

Legend- Anemo (Freedom)

This was tough, but I think Anemo fits very well for him the more i think about it. Anemo is wind, and the archon himself lost someone he cherishes. Naturally everybody who possesses his vision will fall to this fate one day or another. He already has twice. First with his Uncle, second with Marin. He’s free from their ties, but never forgets.

His kit is unique. His skill is based off his wit, so dodging creates a shield that bursts when hit (similar to Beidou). His burst grants this ability for the whole team on a 3 charge basis. Very good support dps aswell and good for reactions.

Hyrule- Dendro (Wisdom)

I def see him having this since he’s very street smart (He’s a wandering traveler, no time for proper education!) and he’s already designated healer of the group. Thus he possesses a very rare element in the group, as if he didnt stand out already. 

He fights with a sword still, sure, but his genuine kit comes from him using his vision like a catalyst, with the thing swirling like a book would. Literally dendro barbara with his kit tho, Elemental skill creates a pollen feild that helps heal allies when he attacks, and his burst Is flora manifesting itself in his friends wounds to heal them for more. Healer #1

Twilight- Hydro (Justice)

From the moment of his adventure, he had a duty, it just got more furry and world saving as time went on. So, naturally his sense of right and wrong landed him with a vision he didn't even understand how to use. So he just doesn’t use it until he has to.

If he has to not use his sword, he’ll rely on making one out of water that he can hold. His burst is literally just him using his hydro sword to do everything in his power to just. kick ass. He doesn't use it that often. Would make a great physical dps tho.

Wild- Electro (Transcience/Eternity)

Tough again, but i think electro is the best for Wild for 2 reasons

His past self is different from his self now, yet they are the same. With the electro archon, she too was like this in a way. 2 different people, same alias.  Link from before represents eternity, forever fulfilling his duty as personal guard for Zelda and keeping himself quiet. His focus needed to stay forever sharp if he were to continue. Now, with little to no recollection of how he was, he can be free and live in the everlasting moment. His willing silence was just him not wanting to talk, not for his duty.

Because of Urbosa, his elemental skill sends a lightning strike down at enemies when he snaps his fingers, then attacks with his sword.  For burst, Like in HWAOC, His sword glows with purple electricity and smites whose ever in range. Combine this with all his usual shenanigans you can do in his game and it can be very deadly. very. deadly.  Good main dps

Wind- Anemo (Freedom)

This was so easy it was practically a win/win if i chose this HDHDH

Wind lost the King of Red Lions, someone he needed to travel with and bonded, and has the literal windwaker. So even outside this world he could manipulate wind to a certain extent. Likes to use it in non-battle situations, to atleast get a taste of what its like to soar like he did on the sea. Naturally hes very excited about windgliders also when he finds this out. 

Uses a sword still, but uses his actual windwaker as a catalyst. He points the baton in a certain direction, and it swirls in that spot. If he focuses long enough, he can send himself up into the air for some wild damage like venti. His burst is like the travelers, sending a small dense tornado in the direction of whatever's coming. Good for swirl effects

Time- Electro (Transience/Eternity)

Once again, easy pick, ESPECIALLY if im going with my “Fierce Deity literally lives in his head and has the option to front in time of need” Headcanon. 2 totally different people, same alias kinda. (FD kinda lives in his body now too so he has to share the name.)

Time’s elemental power is much more toned down, and really has to focus to get a good electro hit with his claymore. His burst Is like Razor’s, Manifesting FD into this electro form and fighting along side him.

If FD was in front, the power would be much more potent, perhaps on the level Baal’ has it. It’s not like his old powers, which he rather prefers, but its better than nothing. His elemental allows him to create electricity that procs on hard hits much like Baal, but his Burst sends down lightning from above like Sara. Also a good main dps

Warriors - Pyro (War)

Wars? Wars has passion. Wars has what it takes to lead an army...and set his cape on fire by accident. Especally now with his new vision which he uses...admittedly abit too much. No fire for tonight? No problem. Smithy cant bend his sword right during smithy? A little sizzle wouldn’t hurt.

It mainly comes from his sword, which drips flames like water does on a pole.  He uses his elemental skill to strike a seering blow to enemies. His burst Is much like a mix of albedo and bennetts, A slash downward sends shockwaves fo heat and flame towards enemies. Good support!

Four- Adaptive

Four, unbeknownst to the chain, has a choice between the 4. Why you might ask? Depends on whose fronting. So, to cover this up from the chain, He collectively goes with the notion that he’s “adaptive” as said by the locals, which is extremely rare.

Green- Pyro, for his dedication

Blue- Geo, for him being forced into this shit

Red- Dendro, for his sweet nature

Violet- Cryo, for his introverted mopeyness.

All of these channel into his sword for a hard hit, and all elements come together to create this powerful amalgamation of elements plummeting towards the target.

LUCY vs TIME

June 22, 1973

The publicity photos, from the movie set of Mame were unrecognizable. Unrecognizable! Why, they were unbelievable. Either somebody had shot them through six layers of soft-focus gauze - or a time machine. 

Who was this frisky redhead hoofer kicking up her heels on the distant reaches of some resplendent soundstage, cannily avoiding a camera close-up?

Who was this svelte eyed lady fluttering from beneath a fringed rug of false lashes, not a wrinkle, sag or bag, not to mention even an expression line, sporting her famous face?

Well, clearly the lady was a star. And as star of Warner Brothers' new $8 million musical version of Mame, Lucille Ball had veto rights over all still photographs.

The trouble was that obviously nobody had had the nerve to tell her that if she could order reality rubbed out of a picture with a wave of the retoucher's brush, she couldn't pull the gauze over the eyes of an interviewer ushered into the Mame set to confront the living flesh, unretouched. 

Time has not been unkind to Lucille Ball. No, beneath a billowing wine velvet and cream satin lounge suit, the svelte one-time chorus-girl's curves are still obvious. Despite a badly broken right leg from a skiing accident that had left the shooting of Mame stalled and the star in a cast for nearly a year, the shapely former showgirl's gams had now already carried her through a dozen dance routines up on top of pianos and down banisters that would have taxed a tap-dancer half her age. 

At 61, Lucille Ball could pass for a dozen years younger. But only a dozen years. 

The outrageous, outsize eyelashes now stick like pine spikes out of a swamp of tucks, puckers and bags etched around her shrewd big baby-blues. Her plastic face is a relief map of over-made-up wrinkles, the big bright red Cupid's-bow mouth lipsticked in a smile outside her own spidery upline. 

But you don't survive 22 years on TV in the top ratings, get renewed once again this season when all about Bridgets and Bernies and Dean Martins (1) are falling to the network's chop, practically bear a baby and outlast a broken real-life marriage on the TV tube, take over a foundering corporation and build it into the single most powerful independent TV production house, without it showing in your face. 

One look at Lucille Ball's face and you don't doubt it for a minute when Hal, her make-up man for 32 years, says she used to limp on to the Mame set in excruciating pain. Then, the minute the cameras clicked on, burst into a dazzling and seemingly effortless song-and-dance. 

Not that the lady would admit it for a minute. "It was excruciating pain," she dismisses the subject airily. 

But then these days she's not admitting much. It was a lesson learned the hard way. One recent fateful February day, over perhaps one too many Pouilly-Fuisses on the rocks, she was admitting so much so freely to the New York Times that the story read like a Hedda Hopper monologue. 

On Desi Arnaz Sr., the Cuban bongo (2) player-bandleader she met and married out of a chorus line in 1940 and divorced 22 years later after a marriage that was even stormier off -screen than on: "He drank too much and he couldn't stand success."

On Desi Arnaz Jr., their 20-year-old son and his much-publicized romance with actress Patty Duke: "I had my doubts if the baby was Desi's at all. I said to him, "You feel responsible? Boy, you're all of 16 1/2 years old and you want to spend the rest of your life with this neurotic person?'" 

On Liza Minnelli, then Desi's current fiancée: "They took her for over a million and a quarter more than her mother's debt. Just for beginners..." 

One mention of the story now is enough to send sparks flying. "Why, that man should be..." she sputters over the reporter, "...spanked!" 

It's a first burst of spontaneity from a lady who, once burned, is now so careful that she sounds at times as if he's dictating to the Library of Congress. 

"I never thought I'd get this far, do so much, have such beautiful children," she says, chain-smoking in her dressing-room, all the wide-eyed telephone lineman's daughter from upstate New York. She knocks on wood. 

"All I ever wanted was to get to vaudeville and I never made it." 

When she hit New York to take acting classes at 16, the school sent back her mother's money, saying. "No talent." And now, refund in hand, 81-year-old DeeDee Ball, as the whole family calls her, sits in a front-row seat for every “Here's Lucy” show, just as she has done non-stop for the last 22 years. 

Still it wasn't till 1951, when the Amazes dreamed up the “I Love Lucy” show, patterned after their own lives, as a way of keeping their marriage together and bandleader Desi home from the road, that success came. 

But when it came, it was she who stole the show. 

By two years later, 68 per cent of TV viewers in America were tuned in to see her show-by-show birth to Desi Arnaz Jr., whose arrival vied with the U.S. presidential election results for front-page space under the headline, "Lucy's $50 million baby." 

Everybody, it seemed, loved Lucy except perhaps Desi Arnaz. Despite her insistence that "the series was happy there was no fighting. It was the greatest time of my life," she admits, "the trouble came much later. Only the last five years were hard." 

Which means that the greatest time of her life lasted only a scant six years. When their marriage broke up officially in 1962 (3), friends introduced her to a stand-up comic named Gary Morton, now her producer, vice-president of Lucille Ball Productions, Inc., official show warm-up man and for 11 years now, Mr. Lucille Ball. 

As her daughter Lucie, 22, and still a performer on the show, puts it. "She may be the king of stage 12, but at home she's queen Gary's the king!" 

She indulges his passion for golf and a garage full of classic cars, but with the warning: "If he ever looks at another woman, I'll kill him."

She says she never makes a business move without him, but when she was left to head up the giant Desilu Corporation after her marriage break-up, it was she who was known as the woman shrewd enough to snap up “Mannix”, “Mission Impossible” and “Star Trek” when they were apparently doomed pilots, a comedienne who was not so comical in the executive suite. 

But as for her much-vaunted business acumen, she is all denials and femininity. 

"Me? No way. Desi did the whole thing. He was a fantastic businessman. I only took it over to build it up and sell it. I mean, there was a certain amount of building up to do." 

When she took it over from Arnaz in 1961, Desilu had lost over $600,000. When she sold it seven years later, for $17 million in Gulf and Western stock, making her the conglomerate's largest stockholder and, some say, the wealthiest woman in Hollywood, the company had grossed $30-million and made a profit of ever $800,000. 

"But everyone in the know knew I wasn't tough," she says. "No, the men I surrounded myself with were." 

Still there a flinty glint behind the false lashes, a shrewd imperious purse to the painted lips, a ring to the wise-cracking whisky voice that's used to being heard. She moves around the Mame soundstage in queenly command, dispensing Norman Vincent Peal-doms, part star, part super-mother. 

When it comes time for a scene featuring co-star Bea Arthur, she practically takes over directing from Gene Saks, Miss Arthur's husband. "Now did you tell her what side of the camera to be on?" she asks Saks, who looks like he might explode. "Now honey, toe your mark," she fusses over Bea, who grows quiet, explaining later: 

"Lucy's really a dear. But sometimes it can get a little overpowering." 

She doesn't talk to people without picking lint off their clothes, and straightening their collars, a habit that comes naturally enough to a woman who has her whole retinue, hairdresser, secretary, make-up man and driver of the last two decades - even her little picket-fenced French-provincial dressing-room trailer, with its false shutters and plastic ivy - picked up and transplanted wherever she strays from Lucy Lane where she presides at Universal Studios, year after year.

With her kids, she was, as daughter Lucie says, "Strict - and you want to believe it. We were the only kids we knew who had to work around the house for whatever money we'd get." Lucie still gets paid only scale for her mother's show. 

But Desi Jr. wasn't exactly a natural. "He'd be asleep on the sidelines and I'd be ready to smack him," Lucy says, "When he said he was interested in serious acting, I said, 'Oh, really?' But he got out and worked. He surprised me. He surprised everybody. He even surprised himself." 

Still, for all her talk about the joys of getting away to her Colorado ski lodge where she does "the cooking, the washing, the socks, the things I miss - not to mention the leg breaking - there's not much chance that Lucille Ball is going to be sitting the next round out, wallowing in domesticity, In the old rocking chair. 

#   #   #

FOOTNOTES FROM THE FUTURE

(1) “Bridget Loves Bernie” was a 1972 sitcom about a mixed marriage between a Jewish man and a Catholic woman. Like Lucy and Desi, stars Meredith Baxter and David Birney were also married in real life.  Despite excellent ratings (it was the highest-rated new show of the 1972-73 season) the show was cancelled after only one season. The official reason for its cancellation was that it was scheduled between two mega-hits, “All in the Family” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”, and its ratings weren't strong enough considering its choice position in the line-up.  

Also, that same season, the long-running “The Dean Martin Show” (1965-1974) was cancelled. Lucille Ball had made three appearances on the show, and he also appeared on hers.  

(2) Conga drums, not bongos. It is slightly dismissive to call Desi Arnaz a bongo player. 

(3) The editor makes the error of assuming that Lucy divorced Desi and Married Gary Morton the same year. She divorced Desi in April 1960, and married Gary in November 1961, a year and a half later. 

This article was published in the Leisure section of The Vancouver (BC) Sun on June 22, 1973.  The article was written by Marci McDonald and illustrated by David Annesley. 

Merlin and Luke Ship Meme

General:

·        Rate the Ship -   Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs

·        How long will they last? - Eternity

·        How quickly did/will they fall in love? - Love at awkward sleep deprived peeved librarian first sight

·        How was their first kiss? - bashful

Wedding:

·        Who proposed? - Merlin

·        Who is the best man/men? - none

·        Who is the braid’s maid(s)? - none

·        Who did the most planning? - Neither, their families

·        Who stressed the most? - No one

·        How fancy was the ceremony? - Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big.

·        Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? - Luke’s birth family

Sex:

·        Who is on top? - Luke

·        Who is the one to instigate things? - Both

·        How healthy is their sex life? - Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now

·        How kinky are they? - Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head

·        How long do they normally last? - as long as they do

·        Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? - yes

·        How rough are they in bed? - Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it.

·        How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? - No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.

Children:

·        How many children will they have naturally? - 1

·        How many children will they adopt? - Officially a few, unofficially lots

·        Who gets stuck with the most diapers? - Both

·        Who is the stricter parent? - Luke

·        Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? - Luke

·        Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? - Merlin

·        Who is the more loved parent? - Merlin

·        Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? Luke

·        Who cried the most at graduation? - Merlin

·        Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? - Luke

Cooking:

·        Who does the most cooking? - Luke out of simple paranoia Merlin isn’t offended

·        Who is the most picky in their food choice? - Niether

·        Who does the grocery shopping? - As needed by whoever

·        How often do they bake desserts? - At least once a week

·        Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? - both

·        Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? Luke

·        Who is more likely to suggest going out? - neither

·        Who is more likely to burn the house down accidently while cooking? - Merlin

Chores:

·        Who cleans the room? - It keeps itself clean

·        Who is really against chores? - Merlin

·        Who cleans up after the pets? - Luke and Merlin

·        Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - Merlin

·        Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? - Luke

·        Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? - Merlin

Misc:

·        Who takes the longer showers/baths? - Luke

·        Who takes the dog out for a walk? - Luke

·        How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? - Merlin goes all out for the holidays

·        What are their goals for the relationship? - Happy forever

·        Who is most likely to sleep till noon? - Merlin

·        Who plays the most pranks? - Merlin

Affectionate;  Holding hands | Cheek kisses | Hugs from behind | Cuddling | Hand kiss | PDA | Spooning | Shared baths | Whispers | Affectionate texts | Caressing | Stroke hair | No displays of affection

Sex;  Shower sex | Wall sex | Neck bites | Oral | Morning sex | Drunk sex | Public sex | Backseat of car | BDSM | No sex

Dates; Picnic | Cinema | Restaurant | Sports game | Hike | Coffee | Museum | Club | Bar | Beach | No dates 

Would my character…

Marry them? Yes | No  Have sex on the first date? Yes | No Confess their attraction first? Yes | No  Have children/adopt? Yes | No  Die for your character? Yes | No  Cheat on your character? Yes | No  Lie to them? Yes | No  Cuddle after sex? Yes | No 

Catherine: Full Body game review. Spoiler alert!

Catherine: Full Body is a recreation of the original game Catherine made in 2011 by the game company Atlus, the same creators of the Persona games. It's a very story oriented platform puzzle game and follows the story of a man who's questioning his life and relationships.

Plot

So the story follows a man named Vincent Brooks, age 32, as he struggles with his hesitancy to commit to his girlfriend of 5 years Katherine and with the terrifying nightmares that plague him. At the very start of the game we meet Rin, formaly known as Qatherine, as she's running from her stalker in the streets. Vincent saves her and finding that she has amnesia and doesnt know anything about herself, she gets a job at the Stray Sheep playing piano, she is also Vincent's new neighbor.

2nd, we meet Catherine, a young, sexual blonde who comes into the Stray Sheep and has a drink with our protag. Vincent gets drunk out of his mind and in the morning he wakes up with Catherine naked beside him. He freaks the fuck out and here starts the love square as he struggles to hide his infidelity from both Katherine and Catherine while dealing with his growing affections for Rin.

Gameplay

The real meat of this game is in the nightmare segments. Every night you're transported to a world where you have to climb a tower of cubes before they fall out from under you and you become a heaping plate of sheep meat. And what they don't tell you about the puzzles is THEY ARE HARD, OH MY GAWD! If you play on hard or even normal be ready to throw your controller out the goddamn window and question your life choices bc if puzzles aren't for you then you're gonna have a bad time.

The game's puzzle segments have improved greatly with an additional difficulty setting called Safety where it's impossible for you to die, there's no timer so the floor doesn't fall out from under you, and you have an auto play and skip options so if you're feeling lazy you can have the game play its self or just skip the puzzle entirely. There's also a back camera so if you need to climb to the back of the puzzle you can actually see what you're doing instead of scrambling around like a sheep with its head cut off. The trap blocks are also disabled in Safety mode. After you get to the top of each block tower you'll come to a platform where you can save, talk to people and buy items that help you climb (they bring down your score of you use them fyi.) After that you'll get into a confessioanal booth where you'll be asked a question where you'll have to answer either 1 extreme or the other. This is the main thing that will determine the outcome of the game. This game has multiple endings and depending on what you choose that will decide the ending that you get and the paths you take. There's a total of 14 endings in this game including alternate endings that are exclusive to Catherine: Full Body so this game makes up for its relatively short play time by having high replay value. They've also added new questions to the game so it won't be the same questions that you answered if you played the original Catherine.

There's an option called Remix where there's entirety new kinds of blocks in the puzzles to deal with, I didn't play that but it looked intersting.

Other than the nightmare parts of the game, you spend you're time at the Stray Sheep drinking, talking to you're friends, bar patrons and Rin. You freqently get txts on your phone from all 3 of the girls and unlike the original game you get phone calls now and pics from all of the women, not just Catherine 😈😈. The best thing about the bar is that it's entirely optional. There's no extra fluff you need to slog through. You can just skip entirely passed it if you don't feeling like drinking or talking but it's all so atmospheric that you'll want to do it. Plus drinking more helps you move faster during the puzzles so bottoms up, bitches. 🍸🍺🍻🍷🍹🍶

Character's

I'm only gonna cover the love intrests bc they're the only ones who matter really.

Qatherine (Rin)

Oh. My. God. I can't even begin to tell you how good her story is. Her genuine innocence, kindness and sincerity help Vincent greatly as he deals with the traumatic nightmares and his relationship problems. Early on we can really feel the affection that he has for her and it seems completely natural that they would fall in love. In fact later in the game he kind of admits that he did fall in love with her. This is how good it was, when I messed up and didn't give the right answers for her path to be unlocked I was so pissed off when the cutscene finally came that I would have shouted at my screen if my dad hadn't been sleeping next door to me. Rin also has a unique place in the game. Unlike the other 2, she actually appears in the nightmares and helps you by playing her piano. That added comfort she gives Vincent really adds to her relevance and pefectly supports the way to a loving relationship should you choose to persue one. She's the most fulfilling love option. She's also not human. Or a girl.

Katherine

Katherine is already your long time steady gf when the game begins. Mature and sensible, she almost resembles a mothering role with the protag. She's always worried about him and his drinking habbits and how clean his apartment is. But she's not without her soft side either. She brings him cake and wants to persue a deeper commitment with him. She's very smart and ambitious but also quite understanding when it comes to Vincent's bumbling clumsiness. She truely wants the best for him and their relationship. This is expanded by the memories that are shown to you about their early relationship when they first fell in love. Which didn't happen in the original game. She represents the security and familiarity that comes with having a long time relationship.

Catherine

Catherine isn't actually a human at all. She's a succubus who was brought to specifically temp the protag into a steamy affair. She's described as "his dream girl" and represents the fantasy and freedom that people secretly crave. She's appears unassuming and innocent on the outside but is actually very shrewd and aggressive as shown when she beats the shit out of Vincent in the bathroom of the bar if you choose to break up with her. She also threatens to kill you early on if you cheat on her. She's very emotionally vulnerable and actually falls in love with the protag as the game progresses. If you break up with her she'll beg to stay with you, stateing that "I just wanna be your girl." And that she's ok with you marrying some one else. Then she cries. Then beats you up. It's all very hilarious and strange. Also no one else can see her except Vincent which leads to chaos near the end of the game. Her endings are actually pretty nice so give her some consideration.

Graphics

As this is a ps4 game, it goes without saying that the graphics are better than the original. The cematics really have the polished Persona 5 look to them. The colors are super bright and vibrant it's like a feast for your eyeballs, I just love it. When you do get a loading screen, which isn't often, you get blasted with that signature vibrant pink and the title screen has a whole new look to it. The style is there and I am here for it.

Interesting stuff

These are just things I personally found awesome.

In the begining, the hostess Trisha (she explains the whole story and presents it to you as a soap opera) aknowleges that this game is the new better version of the first.

The cubes with faces on them open their eyes when you stand in front of them.

When you reply to txts in the bar, you don't have to cycle through options anymore, just scroll and select.

There's Persona music on the bars jukebox including the opening song to Persona 5

There's Persona 5 Easter eggs. Just look around. 😉

There's a rich Muslim dude who you get to talk to on the platform after you climb the puzzles so if you're concerned about "representation" it's there.

Overview 8.5/10

Catherine: Full Body is an intersting, unique and stylish game that brings a fresh new concept to gaming and I really recommend it. It's strange and it does what it does and it does it well bc it's not trying to please or pander to anyone. The story is good and the style is showy and I love it.

I hope that you enjoyed this review and that your gamming experience is a little better.

100 Favorite Idol Songs of 2019

(via Medium)

One of the most exciting developments of the idol scene this decade has been the evolution of what an idol song can sound like. Many groups have brought their own idol-pop take on metal, punk, rap, trance, emo, math rock, jazz, shoegaze — or multiple of these genres at once. Dance-pop idols expanded their list of influences too, borrowing from retro styles like city pop and disco but also current trends like future-bass. All the while, the twinkling synths and strings of more traditional groups have yet to wane in popularity.

That genre dive, however, has also become the norm. A strategy of juxtaposition no longer feels impressive with so many combinations of personality and sound that have already been done. An interesting sound won’t necessarily guarantee a long run of success either. A group still needs the tried-and-true idol-group foundations of a drawing narrative and a line-up of likeable members.

That’s if they want to stick around for long. Many acts will continue to be a flash in the pan, and that’s fine: I still think idol groups aren’t designed to last a decade, or even half of that time, and it takes a lot of resources, perseverance and luck to go on for even half of that time. But this decade, we’ve also seen the lifespan of an act grow a little longer. It has not necessarily become easier to navigate — in fact, it might be even harder now with so many around — but the scene has proven to be more established with more potential markets if you can get a little creative.

Adapting to change and tracking that growth has been a key element to idols this decade. Following the evolution of the group’s music has been exciting, but also witnessing individual idols find their own identity in real time has been the most rewarding. This won’t change going into the next decade, and perhaps more crucial, especially as it becomes harder to introduce a sense of novelty: it’s going to be more important to convince others to follow the ride than try to be the next big thing right away.

I wonder what next thing will sound or look like in the coming years as we go forward to a new decade. Will idols need to be a jack of all trades, a master of a different style from single to single? Will they include a multimedia facet to their work, so a song also feels like a video and a live show all at once? Or will their stubbornness to buy into this everything-at-once vision bring a new lane where strictly following a single style has been the right choice all along? It can go any way, and some groups in this list hint at each possibility.

You can check out my 100 favorite idol songs of 2019 over at Medium. Here is a Spotify playlist and a YouTube playlist of the 100 (or what is available). If you want the full YouTube archive of every single I kept tabs on, here it is as well. Below is a text list of the feature piece. Hope you find something new!

1. BiSH: "I am me." 2. Dempagumi.Inc: "Taiyoukei Kansatsuchuu Seimeitai" 3. GuGu-Lulu: "Picked" 4. Atarashii Gakkou No Leaders: "Koi Geba" 5. The Dance for Philosophy: "Hueristic City" 6. Angerme: "Yume Mita Fifteen" 7. Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku: "Donten" 8. Lyrical School: "Tokyo Burning" 9. Hinatazaka46: "Kyun" 10. Burst Girl: "Nancy" 11. Necronomidol: "Salem" 12. Migma Shelter: "69" 13. BEYOOOONDS: "Nippon No DNA" 14. M!LK: "My Treasure" 15. Juice=Juice: "Potsurito" 16. Maison Book Girl: "Yamiiro No Asa" 17. Keyakizaka48: "Nobody" 18. Kai: "Moonlight Tokyo" 19. EMPiRE: "Pierce" 20. AKB48/Rino Sashihara: "Watashidatte Idol!" 21. Passcode: "Projection" 22. Sakura Ebis: "Nee, Loafer" 23. Yufu Terashima: "Last Cinderella" 24. ZOC: "Chu Pre" 25. Sora Tob Sakana: "Knock! Knock!" 26. CY8ER: "Spotlight Theory" 27. Yukueshirezu Tsure Zure: "Odd Eye" 28. Zenbu Kimi No Seida: "Romancesect" 29. Gang Parade: "Last" 30. Koutei Camera Girl Drei: "Changes" 31. Flower: "Kurenai No Dress" 32. Super Dragon: "Don't Let Me Down" 33. Mellow Mellow: "Dear My Star" 34. Tsubaki Factory: "Sankaime No Date Shinwa" 35. E-girls: "Cinderella Fit" 36. Yanakoto Sotto Mute: "Cry Out" 37. Morning Musume '19: "Seishun Night" 38. NMB48: "Yakebokkui" 39. Ototoy Friday: "Spring Fever" 40. Negicco: "I Love Your Love" 41. Rukatama A Go Go: "Runaway Girl" 42. Kaede: "Kaede No Enkyori Renai" 43. Gunjo No Sekai: "Nonstop" 44. CYNHN: "Wire" 45. Emiri Kanou: "Just a Feeling" 46. Carry Loose: "Carry Loose" 47. RAY: "Butterfly Effect" 48. Blacknazarene: "Obsidian" 49. Toricago: "Kuchibashi" 50. Kamiyado: "Zenshin Zenrei Rhapsody" 51. Hamidasystem: “Sonzai Shinai Zonzai Na Ai” 52. Momoiro Clover Z: “The Diamond Four” 53. Team Shachi (ft. MCU): “Rocket Queen” 54. Kindan No Tasuketsu: “Flashing Light -Neubaten Time-” 55. Uijin: “Gold” 56. RYUTist: “Never Let Me Back” 57. Nogizaka46: “Yoakemade Tsuyogaranakutemoii” 58. Sayonara Ponytail: “Sora Tobu Koguma, Junreisu” 59. Jewel: “Mae-e” 60. One Chance: “I Want You Back” 61. Billie Idle: “Bokura Mada Chipokkena Koro No Hanashi” 62. Melon Batake A Go Go: “Ikasuze Idol” 63. Ringo Musume: “Kimi Dake” 64. Qumali Depart: “Goku Love Jodo” 65. Tiptoe.: “The Curtain Rises” 66. DISH//: “Henteko” 67. Transfer Girls: “Catch Me (If You Can)” 68. Kyushuu Girls Wing: “Flow of Red” 69. Geiin Wa Jibun Ni Aru: “Geiin Wa Jibun Ni Aru” 70. Shuu Cream Rockets: “Akuma No Deal” 71. WILL-O’: “Sparking” 72. Tacoyaki Rainbow: “Watashi, Tada Koi Wo Shiteiru” 73. Monster Girlfriend: “GAM” 74. WHY@DOLL: “Que Sera, Sera” 75. PRIZMAX: “Dance” 76. Colorful Scream: “Innocent Galileo” 77. Oyasumi Hologram: “Plan” 78. SKE48: “Frustration” 79. Gomaten: “Kakurekko” 80. The Banana Monkeys: “How Many Times Honesty” 81. Hitomi Arai: “Delicate Ni Sukinishite” 82. Happy3days: “Walk On” 83. IDOLATER: “Swipin’ Flickin’” 84. Farewell, My L.U.V.: “Gloomy Girl” 85. =LOVE: “Zuruiyo, Zuruine” 86. Bullet Train: “On & On” 87. CUBERS: “Mousou Romance” 88. Mushuuuuup!!!: “Tsukai Refrain” 89. OBP: “Progress” 90. Flowlight: “Flower” 91. Watashi Mugendai: “Neo Anarchism” 92. Pure White Canvas: “Persavior” 93. Run Girls, Run!: “Share the Light” 94. Earphones: “Churata Churaha” 95. Bury: "Break Your Wall" 96. Seireki13ya: “Yocto Asterism” 97. Q-pitch: “Nanikashiyou” 98. NILKLY: “Odyssey” 99. Tokimeki Sendenbu: “Koi No Shapeup” 100. Hashiyasume Atsuko: “A La Mode”

I tried working out every morning for a week—here`s what I learned

You could call me the opposite of a morning individual: I hit snooze a minimum of 4 times (to awaken at the really eleventh hour feasible and afterwards thrill to prepare), can not work up until I have my almond milk latte, and am an overall grump till my system's up as well as running. The suggestion of a pre-work health and fitness regular never ever felt feasible.

But, in the name of interesting journalism, I volunteered myself (surrendered my body, instead) to function out in the a.m. for an entire week. That's not to state my choice was made purely in the name of torment-- there are reputedly severe benefits that include exercising initial thing.

' Exercising in the morning burns a lot more fat than later on in the day.'

For beginners, 'if you exercise in the early morning after not eating all night, you're mosting likely to shed the carbohydrates and sugars kept in your muscle mass and liver,' states George Welch, MD, a cardiologist with Manhattan Cardiology. 'When you're done shedding that up, you melt fat-- that's why exercising in the morning burns more fat than later in the day.'

Studies have actually likewise shown that the a.m. sweat sesh can increase your metabolic rate-- which is constantly a welcome benefit. Once I recognized the science, the only inquiries that continued to be were: Could I actually fit in my favored intense health and fitness courses prior to workplace hours? And-- most importantly-- would certainly it offer me a lot more power throughout the day? I determined to learn.

Keep analysis to see what occurred during my week of a.m. exercises-- and also what I learned by the time it was over.

Getting into the groove

My week begins with a bang: Barry's Bootcamp, Monday, 7:10 a.m. (Can't question my dedication, right?)

Of program, given that my eyes practically never ever open before 8 o'clock in the early morning (except to strike the snooze switch), it seems like a Sisyphean task to get up—let alone do sprints on an incline and also a bunch of weight job-- at this shocking hr. One thing that aids? Having a close friend satisfy me there.

I make it to the treadmill-- albeit in a drowsy daze-- and also really feel as if my legs won't be able to sustain the crazy periods that are regarding to be asked of me. After the workout, I rapidly make my method into the very first sprint-- 8 mph, mind you-- and also I'm fully awake (emergency room, my body is, at the very least).

It most definitely really feels more challenging to relocate my legs than usual.

Compared to my typical workout time, it absolutely really feels more difficult to relocate my legs than normal. And I figure out from Dr. Welch that my sluggish begin isn't uncommon. Morning workouts may be excellent for your metabolic process, but they aren't peak performance time for other parts of your body: 'You're least likely to injure yourself later on in the day since your muscle mass are a lot more accommodated,' he informs me. 'Your body's at its most effective between 3 as well as 6 p.m., as your temperature rises [and] your muscle mass heat up.' Makes feeling, considering my gams looked like cement.

They obtain me through the course though, and also I actually feel like a million bucks for the remainder of the day. When I obtain home, I leisurely stroll my canines via the park, which is a nice adjustment: Normally, I'm hurrying to the fitness center and can not invest as much quality time with my puppies or my S.O. (so significant rewards there).

The following early morning, I decide to run in Central Park on my very own-- which implies there's no paid-for class or exercise pal holding me responsible. When my alarm system goes off, I really want to miss working out for more sleep-- yet I get up for this story. (I guess I had something counting on me—hi, editor!)

I knock out about 3 miles and also really feel half-asleep the entire time. I likewise discover that my speed is quite slow-moving (at the very least, contrasted to what it got on the treadmill the other day). Yet I rejoice I obtain it over with. Having a studio course scheduled is a lot more encouraging in terms of awakening, so although the exercise is harder, I seem like Barry's is more effective in really getting me out of bed.

The struggle is real

On Wednesday, I mix it up with a 7:30 a.m. HIIT workout: The Fhitting Space, which is infamously among NYC's most difficult workouts (along with Barry's). I'm tired and don't really wish to stand up early again for a significant sweat sesh, however the danger of shedding $38 draws my body to the workshop in spite of my grogginess. And, much to my utmost horror, the workout starts with high knees. I'm awake in no time.

It constantly mystifies me to leave a difficult fitness class at the time I'm typically presenting of my comfy sleep, but it additionally makes me seem like an absolute superwoman. I suggest, I just did a lots of burpees as well as jump squats when, initially, my body was informing me to keep sleeping-- it's a wonder. Or is it simply my hormones?

Even though I'm waking up earlier than common, I'm not drowsy after working out.

' It obtains sprayed a lot that your endorphins are greater previously in the early morning,' states Veronica Jaw, an MD at One Medical. Though there hasn't been much research to back this up, I can prove that my post-sweat high is pretty strong. I'm likewise stunned regarding my energy degrees thus far throughout the week-- even though I'm waking up earlier than normal, I'm not sleepy after exercising, and also the afternoon slump doesn't strike me as hard. I also remain up a little later-- typically I'm asleep by 11 p.m.

But just when I assumed my conversion was an inevitable verdict, the struggle set in. Thursday occurs, I completely intend on doing something much more chill-- Also Known As yoga exercise-- once my alarm goes off, I essentially can not get up. My legs are eliminating me, I'm so tired, as well as I feel physically unable of an additional workout. I rest this out as well as obtain an extra hour of sleep instead. There's some guilt in my mind, yet I need to pay attention to my body (happily).

Throughout the day, I realize that skipping workout is a fantastic choice-- I most definitely need the healing time. (It's important, besides.) I book a hot yoga exercise course for the complying with day. It goes to 7 a.m., which is extra early, IMO, however I recognize I can make use of the ultra-sweaty stretching that comes with vinyasa circulation. In a wobbly state, I make it to Y7 on Friday-- take care of to also knock senseless a crow posture-- as well as feel terrific after that. Oh, as well as two times as so because the week mores than.

Am I now a morning workout person?

Real talk: This previous week was among one of the most difficult points I have actually carried out in my entire life. I turned my whole schedule upside down in the name of physical fitness-- and also my body really feels incredible, I'm exceptionally proud, and was able to actually relax as well as have even more of a social life after work.

Is this mosting likely to be my life currently? Has a week of a.m. workouts turned me right into an up-and-at-em exercise girl? Well, below's the thing: I reserve Barry's Bootcamp for the complying with Monday at 7:10 in the morning. My alarm goes off at 6:45-- as well as my body informs me 'no many thanks.' I terminate rather, recognizing that I can completely sleep for an additional hr. The purpose was there! But does this suggest my rise-and-grind days are over?

"Do what feels good to you."

TBD. For now, Dr. Jaw states, 'It makes good sense to do what really feels good to you-- some individuals truly can not obtain out of bed, and also I do not believe they ought to change their habits to get in some kind of advantages. What you're mosting likely to stick with as well as what deal with your routine-- whatever turns it right into a behavior-- functions ideal.' Believe I'll comply with medical professional's orders on this one.

And what feels excellent to me is moving my body after resting at my desk all the time. While it's wonderful to obtain my sweat sesh over with in the morning, resting in is also so enjoyable. I'll possibly simply blend it up regularly-- as well as never under-appreciate weekends, when I supervise of my very own schedule.

Yandere Gam would be amazing paired with Karkat or Sollux, but that's just my two cents. ^^ I could probably work on a script though, if people were that interested!

I would be 100% on-board with that sorta pairing dynamic, and personally would love to receive a script from you if you feel like it would be fun to write~!!! It’s totally your choice~

How to Quickly Free up Additional Storage Space on Your Kindle

Let’s find out how do I free up space on my Amazon Fire Tablet

Amazon Fire tablets transport with 8GB to 64GB of interior storage. At the lower end, a person is confined to the furthest reaches of gadget except if there is utilization of some extra storage through the micro SD opening.

To exacerbate things, the Android-based Fire OS doesn’t completely bolster extended capacity. The outcome is a tablet with an enormous all out capacity appearing to immediately run out that the working framework can't consistently get to the micro SD card.

So how would you discover the information that is topping off Amazon Fire tablet? Here it is

In case there is Kindle fire storage problems on Amazon Fire tablet, anyone should manage it. Luckily, doing so is clear.

How to deal with Kindle fire storage problems

To deal with Amazon Fire tablet stockpiling successfully, an individual has to work through the accompanying advances:

1.   Check storage

2.   Erase undesirable applications and games

3.   Delete the applications/game reserve

4.   Utilize the 1-Tap Archive

5.   Move information to the cloud

How about taking a gander at each of these thus

1. Verify Amazon Fire Storage

Fire tablet interior stockpiling tally

Simply hit the Storage button on the error message, or open Settings > Storage to look out for gadget's storage.

This may require significant time to stack if the tablet installed stockpiling is full.

Amid various circumstance, anyone can experience that Apps and Gams covers a normal part of internal storage.

This is basic to locate some other source of gigabytes gobbled up by non-display of Miscellaneous

2. Erase or Move Unwanted Apps and Games

Amazon Fire move applications to SD card

Next, you ought to deal with the space eaten up by applications and games. At this point, there will be clear details on how much space this product takes up. For deleting a single game, simply choose its icon located at home screen, reaching that simply choose uninstall

In any case, to oversee games in mass, go to Settings > Storage and tap Apps and Games. As a matter of course, these show arranged by name. The presence of micro SD card, modify to the SD card adaptable showcase for affirming if game are issued on external capacity

For removing a game, click it from the grid and just hit Uninstall

When you've done this, move any good applications and games to your micro SD card. Apply this in Settings > Storage, operating the Move Apps to SD Card alternative. 

3. Utilize the 1-Tap Archive

Utilize the 1-Tap file to spare space on Amazon Fire tablets

This may require to erase applications and games in case if subscription is paid for them. However, this truly is nothing to stress over, as advanced buy spare to the cloud. This implies anyone can download them to tablet again in the wake of uninstalling, without cost.

Your kindle Fire lets you effectively chronicle these things to the cloud for re-downloading later. Swipe to Settings > Storage and hit display Content.

This element overlooks late applications. Rather, it bunches the applications and games you haven't utilized for some time, allowing you to Archive them for some time in the future.

4. Erase Unwanted Game and App Caches

Fire tablet clear application information

Next, take a gander at the reserves for applications and games a person needs to keep. Regularly, games hold a specific measure of information on the tablet's storage. This even occurs with games introduced to the micro SD card.

Prior to continuing, comprehend that doing so will possibly bring about loss of game updates and even spare documents.

Open Settings > Storage > Apps and games and trust that the rundown will incorporate.

At the point when prepared, peruse the games, each, in turn, to see which are taking enormous pieces of information on your tablet storage. All things considered, a few games are adding to low storage. Tap the Clear Data choice to start cancellation, at that point OK to affirm.

Check the Data on Device esteem. This should drop, and a person will see an increment in storage capacity.

5. Move Data to the Amazon Cloud

Amazon Drive cloud information

By consistently making content on your Amazon Fire, at that point there's a decent possibility this is taking storage. This is the place the Amazon cloud can help.

Nearly all that one can purchase or expend on Amazon is additionally accessible in the cloud reflection of account, so don't stress over losing applications or games. It frequently holds game advancement as well.

Since photographs and recordings consequently match up to the Amazon cloud, one shouldn't have to move any information around.

Final Thoughts These were some of the fastest ways for solving issues to get storage in your kindle devices but in case you are still getting storage problems and not able to fix them then getting in touch with our superior kindle fire customer support will surely assist you in solving your queries within a short time frame period.

Material things don’t define happiness, so why are we obsessed with money?

Book excerpt: In Melissa Leong’s latest book, Happy Go Money, the former Financial Post reporter challenges everyone to revamp their relationship with money. Here’s where to start.

“If I only had a little more money, I’d be happier.”

When was the last time that you had this thought? Every day, we make choices based on the idea that joy can be bought and that more money makes everything better. We take the new job with the extra hour in traffic because it pays more. We put a coat on credit because it’s designer. We buy the big house because it has a yard for our future kids and a kitchen island that’s “an entertainer’s dream.”

To be fair, scientifically speaking, when we see something we want, a new pair of shoes or a gadget, we do feel joy; it triggers a patch of tissue in the brain, the nucleus accumbens, the so-called sex and money area. It gets activated when humans receive a reward, whether drugs, money or food. Then when we buy something, we get a delicious burst of dopamine in the brain.

That sounds sexy and yummy and all, but the euphoria doesn’t last. Then we just need more stuff. All that crap we buy loses its lustre. When the novelty wears off and the shopping high from the endorphin and dopamine dump dissipates, we’re left with a void and possibly regret.

More people are going broke in Canada as interest rates rise

Tax tips to kickstart 2019 for every age group, from teens to seniors

All the frugality in the world won't let this millennial retire at 45

“Why did I spend money on this?!?” we ask. Because I need it. Because I deserve it. Because I had a rough day. Because I have no willpower. Because it was on sale. Because it’s a habit. Because it was a whim, a knee-jerk reaction. But when you get down to it? Because I want to be happy.

So, what do we actually need to be happy? Let’s break down our thoughts on the subject and rebuild. This is me swinging on a wrecking ball (fully clothed) to help.

The magic number

We all need a certain amount of money to be happy. But how much?

For those of us who are on the verge of losing our homes, who fret about feeding our children, who cringe when the phone rings because debt collectors may be calling, without question, more money will make us happier. But for the rest of us, before connecting cash with joy, we need to talk about what we mean by “happy.”

Scientists in neuroeconomics (the study of how we make economic decisions) break happiness into two types:

1. Life satisfaction: an evaluation of your well-being as a whole (the kind of happy where you’re pleased with life in general). 2. Day-to-day mood: the highs and lows; the joy, stress, sadness, anger and affection that you experience from one moment to the next — how you feel today, how you felt yesterday. (The kind of happy that most of us relate to — the right now happiness.)

With life satisfaction, the richer people got, the more satisfied they were with their lives. In worldwide studies, people in richer countries reported higher life satisfaction than those in poorer countries. (We should also consider that wealthier countries are more politically stable, more peaceful and less oppressive — which affects well-being.) But according to a 2018 Purdue University study, there was a limit: $95,000 U.S. (pre-tax, per single-family household). Above that, more money didn’t mean that you were more satisfied. With day-to-day happiness, the threshold is $60,000 to $75,000 per household, according to various studies. The 2018 study showed that after these salaries are met, life satisfaction and day-to-day happiness actually slightly decrease with more money.

( function() { pnLoadVideo( "videos", "OF6AG33YZlg", "pn_video_800872", "", "", {"controls":1,"autoplay":0,"is_mobile":""} ); } )();

What the what?

Well, apparently, when all of our basic needs are met, we become driven by other desires such as chasing after more material stuff and comparing ourselves to others, which make us unhappy. Also, high incomes can come with high demands (more working hours, more stress and less time with family and for leisure).

This doesn’t mean that we should all go out and try to make exactly $75,000 a year — our so-called feel-good financial sweet spot. The studies are averages, and we all need different things to be happy. But all of us find joy in some simple things — kisses, laughter, getting ID’d over the age of 25.

Marketing professor Hal Hershfield once told me, “Even if I have an amazing car in my driveway, a huge house and a big fat income, that doesn’t necessarily mean that I’ll be happier on a day-by-day basis, because the types of things that influence happiness are who I interact with, how I spend my time and the things that I do.”

Think of some of your happiest times in the past week. Were you spending it with people? Were you taking time to enjoy an activity, going for a run or catching up with a good friend? Would a wad of cash have made those moments that much better?

Probably not. If you answered “yes” to the latter question, how much more do you need to be happy? Read on.

Your magic number is probably wrong

Let’s do an exercise together.

How happy are you on a scale of one to ten?

Now think about how much money you have in the bank, your salary. How much more money would you need to be a perfect 10?

Michael Norton, who teaches at Harvard Business School and co-authored Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending, surveyed average-income earners and high-net-worth Britons (with a net worth of more than $1 million), and he asked them those questions. “Everybody said two to three times as much money,” Norton told me.

“Why is that a problem?” I asked, estimating the same for myself.

“That’s a problem because people at $1 million said, ‘If I had $3 million, I’d be a perfect 10. Except that people who had $3 million said, ‘If I had $9 million, I’d be a perfect 10.’”

Basically, happiness is on a sliding scale. Think about how much this sucks. No matter what you have, you’ll always want more. Even if you have millions. When you find the gold at the end of the rainbow, the pot is just too damn small, and then you’re off again, chasing more rainbows.

It’s like a curse really. It also takes the fun out of my childhood dream of winning a million-dollar lottery. That was the very first fantasy I ever had: winning a jackpot and marrying one of the New Kids on the Block (anyone but Danny). I’d have fancy clothes and we’d eat at Red Lobster every weekend. (Still my idea of a hot date today.)

But despite what we may think, winning the lottery doesn’t buy you a one-way ticket to Euphoria Town. Take this famous study from 1978 where researchers asked two very different groups about their happiness: recent Illinois State Lottery winners who scored $50,000 to $1 million and recent victims of catastrophic accidents who were now paraplegic or quadriplegic. They asked the lottery winners and the accident victims to rate how happy they were at that stage of their lives, how happy they were before the life-altering event and how happy they expected to be in a few years. They asked them to rate how pleasant they found simple activities (talking with a friend, watching TV, eating breakfast, buying clothes, getting a compliment, etc.).

Seriously? Who’s happier, the person cruising in the wheelchair or in the Lamborghini?

Yes, the lottery winners were happier in the moment. The winners reported feeling more present happiness. But the people with disabilities rated their future happiness higher. They also enjoyed the simple things in life more: they had more appreciation for the mundane pleasures of things such as hearing a joke or reading a magazine. Actually, research shows a link between high income and a reduced ability to savour small pleasures. Experts blame it on hedonic adaptation — our tendency to just get used to whatever we have. Even a dramatic life improvement eventually becomes the new normal. You don’t smell the roses because they’re everywhere, any time of the day. And research has shown that our inner thermostats are set some-where between happiness and sadness: they can rise and fall depending on circumstance, but they generally return to that baseline. So, if you were a miserable moaner before hitting the jackpot, you’ll likely just be a rich miserable moaner.

In another real-life example, Markus Persson, who created Minecraft and sold it to Microsoft for $2.5 billion in 2014, reportedly bought a $70-million mansion, complete with a candy wall, vodka and tequila bars, designer fire extinguishers (because safety first, fashion second) and 15 bathrooms equipped with $5,000 remote-control operated toilets with air deodorizers and heated seats. But in 2015, he tweeted, “Hanging out in Ibiza with a bunch of friends and partying with famous people, able to do whatever I want, and I’ve never felt more isolated.” In another tweet, he said, “The problem with getting everything is you run out of reasons to keep trying, and human interaction becomes impossible due to imbalance.”

Now this could be super depressing to you. For me, it’s reassuring. It tells me that no single event or any material thing or external factor ultimately defines my happiness. Human beings are adaptable. A million dollars or a misfortune, over time, can become the new normal. Sure, with money, you’ll enjoy stylishly fighting fire with your Louis Vuitton extinguisher, but the riches may also make old pleasures seem less enjoyable.

So remember, there’s a better use of your money than playing the lottery. The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot prize are 1 in 292 million — and odds are that more money won’t guarantee that your days will be happier anyway.

Your happy money to-do list

If you find yourself thinking, “If I only had [insert anything], I’d be happy,” challenge it. Ask your partner or co-worker or friend to poke you (lovingly) if they ever hear you say that phrase. It’ll be like that awful baby shower game where you can’t say “baby” — but for your life.

If you’re relying on something (or someone) to make you happy, you’re wasting your time and energy. If affirmations are your jam, write this down and stick it somewhere: “I control my own happiness.”

Name three big things that make you happy regardless of money (good health or a loving partner). Now name three very specific things (sleeping in on the weekend, your jam on repeat). Repeat the exercise every time you feel crappy about your financial situation — or any situation.

Stop playing the lottery. Now. Next time you want to play the lottery, buy someone a coffee or put the money into a donation box instead for a guaranteed happiness payoff.

Money talks

If you think more money would make you happier, how much more?

How would your life be better with more money?

Think of a time when you made less money. Were you unhappier then? How much?

Think of some of your happiest moments from the last week. Would more money have made those moments better?

Excerpted and adapted from Happy Go Money by Melissa Leong. © 2019 by Melissa Leong. All rights reserved. Published by ECW Press Ltd. http://www.ecwpress.com

  from Financial Post http://bit.ly/2ADhzza via IFTTT Blogger Mortgage Tumblr Mortgage Evernote Mortgage Wordpress Mortgage href="https://www.diigo.com/user/gelsi11">Diigo Mortgage

This Is How To Dress For Your Favorite Body Feature

New Post has been published on https://kidsviral.info/this-is-how-to-dress-for-your-favorite-body-feature/

This Is How To Dress For Your Favorite Body Feature

If you got it, flaunt it.

1. It’s easy to search for the next “miracle suit” that will hide all your trouble areas, or look to blogs and magazines for ways to strategically camouflage your body. Instead, we decided to find a way to dress for our favorite features.

View this image ›

Candace Lowry / BuzzFeed, Macey J. Foronda / BuzzFeed

3. Marie Denee, otherwise known as “The Curvy Fashionista,” gave us pointers on how to dress and flaunt your favorite features.

View this image ›

mariedenee.com

Marie told BuzzFeed, “When it comes to dressing for your favorite parts of your body, there are lots of ‘dont’s’ out there. I say ignore those because they can hold you back from putting your best curve forward. Step out of your own box, experiment, and play with new silhouettes and colors to accentuate your assets!”

  Macey J. Foronda / BuzzFeed

  Lara: I love my arms because they have always been there for me. When I need to hug people, they are here. When I need to push people away, they are also here. When I need to reach into the bag of Cheetos, my arms provide. These arms were shaped from years of playing tennis and shucking sweet corn. They remind me of my home in Indiana, and the freckles remind me of my trips to Florida. At the end of the day, my arms will always be there to hug me…even if no one else is. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Kirsten: I may not have the biggest booty, and it might not break the internet anytime soon, but it’s cute and I like it. I don’t have the best coordination, so it’s great to have my butt to cushion my semi-frequent falls; it’s really always been there for me. I think we all have a responsibility to love our bodies, no matter what shape or size, so damn right I love my butt.

Candace: I’ve always had more of an athletic figure my whole life, so I’m on the more muscular side. Although I’m no Chrissy Teigen, I love my legs, not because of their length, but because they’re reminders that I have muscle definition that is hard to get. They’re firm and LUSCIOUS and they remind me of how strong I am. Soccer thighs are the best thighs, even though they can scare the shit out of people…

Allison: I think I was drawn to clothing with different or interesting back cutouts before I really learned to love my back. But after accumulating a bunch of backless stuff, I came to realize that I really love that part of my body. I don’t have very large “gazongas,” so tops with low fronts make me feel kind of frumpy and flat. But backless clothing makes me feel like a POWERFUL WOMAN. Plus, it allows for great ventilation.

Kristin: I think having boobs is a lot like having a dog. Yes, they take a lot of energy, and can drive you crazy, and if they’re not properly restrained, they can jump out at people. But for me, they’re pretty darn cute and a lot of fun. Plus, it’s like the only body part I’ve ever had where I was excited to go up a size.

Sheridan: I’m not an idiot. I know I’m plus-size and I know that many people might not look at my waist and shout, “So jealous!” But here’s the thing: I freaking love it. It may not be the tiniest or covered in those defined ab things, but sometimes I’ll look in the mirror and feel like Jessica Rabbit. The waist is a magical thing, y’all. You can have a belly, you can have “thunder thighs,” and your back can roll over your bra, but the second you define your waist you feel like a million bucks.

6. When you love your arms:

Macey J. Foronda / BuzzFeed

  Marie: If you love your arms, sleeveless and strapless is the obvious choice to go, but there is more! Play with mixed-media sleeves (think leather and wool, lace and sheer, and various textures), one shoulder (which is a major spring trend), and strategic cutouts!

Lara: When I first saw the cutout-shoulder crop top I was like, “Um, hell no.” But then I put it on. And my body involuntarily started dancing. I felt like a new woman. And my shoulders were so happy to be poking free. I put on the green dress and my shoulders were like, “Don’t ever hide me again, Lara!” I guess I never thought to to wear the clothes with cutouts because I never liked geometry. But hey, now I do. I guess Mrs. Rausch was onto something all along.

7. When your butt is everything:

Macey J. Foronda / BuzzFeed

  Marie: For the bum, there is nothing better than a great pair of jeans to show the glutes off! I prefer my skinny jeans, but whatever the style, a great fit does wonders to the bum! In addition to denim I would also suggest fitted and tailored midi skirts too!

Kirsten: The suggestions weren’t very far off from my normal sense of style, so I felt pretty good in all of the outfits. I think women are constantly being told how they can dress to hide their “flaws,” but it was nice to focus on accentuating the things I was proud of…or should I say, ass-centuate… ha-ha (I had to).

8. When you want to flaunt your legs:

Macey J. Foronda / BuzzFeed

  Marie: If you love your legs, honey, then I am all for this season’s shirtdress trend to show off the gams! While an obvious choice would be to rock a mini or play in shorts, I suggest skirts and dresses with up-to-there slits! Also, the envelope or tulip skirts are fun and give you a bit of interest around your legs!

Candace: I LOVE envelope skirts, because it’s like special delivery to Hot Town: Awesome Legs… (sorry), and my go-to dresses are usually shirtdresses because they’re so damn comfortable, and it’s an excuse to not wear pants. I feel great in these clothes and they’re super easy to get. I guess I should be thankful I live in L.A., because I can show off my legs almost every day without looking like I don’t understand weather. Your legs don’t need to be a certain size, as long as YOU love them.

9. When you want to show off your back:

Macey J. Foronda / BuzzFeed

  Marie: If you love your back, pick items that make just as much of an exit as an entrance! Sheer and lace-back tops and dresses as well as those with bold open and deep plunging backs do the trick here! Just make sure that the “girls” are supported!

Allison: I definitely own a lot of this type of clothing, although I’ve never thought about the fact that it makes quite an exit! Maybe that’s because my favorite part of the night is going home to bed? I can’t wait to turn around on these fools!

10. When you want to show off your flawless bust:

Macey J. Foronda / BuzzFeed

  Marie: If you love the girls, I suggest FIRST finding the perfect-fitting bra (they say we should be measured at least twice a year or every six months — I know, right?), but I would def play with deep V tops and dresses, but also wrap tops and dresses along with playful prints up top! I would also opt for fitted tops along with A-line silhouettes!

Kristin: I’ve not going to lie, v-neck tops and I do not historically have the best relationship. I am definitely Team Full Coverage Bra; plunge bras can make my boobs feel like an escaping boulder in an Indiana Jones movie. So I was definitely worried that these photos would be the type that would threaten any future I might have in politics. But I wanted to keep both of these dresses forever — I felt like these looks were a good compromise between Cleavage Town and Comfort City. I know a lot of people are reluctant, but I encourage you to GIVE V’s A CHANCE, Y’ALL.

11. When you can’t get enough of your waist:

Macey J. Foronda / BuzzFeed

  Marie: Playing up the waist, you have a few options here. One of the most popular and on-trend items are crop tops. I prefer a looser-fit crop, BUT this is an option to show off your waistline. In addition, I would definitely say wrap dresses and tops are your besties! Peplums, strategic color-blocked dresses and tops are fun to play in here… Depending on your comfort level, I do love a great bodycon here too!

Sheridan: Amen! I chose this jumpsuit because the print is fun (who says plus-size girls can only wear black?) and the belt ties in my waist pretty well. And the dress makes me feel like an even sexier Olivia Pope. Like, if she was trying to give Fitz a lap dance or something. I’m all for wrap dresses and even some bodycon dresses. My only problem is crop tops. Since fate (and genetics) left me with these ginormous ladies I call my boobs, it’s very hard for me to pull off a crop top. It’s all good though — I get to rock a trillion other items.

12. Finally, regardless of your size, shape, or fav body feature, here are a few MUST-FOLLOW tips from Marie:

View this image ›

Macey J Foronda / BuzzFeed

1. Fit is key, no matter what your dress size is. Items should lay comfortably over your clothes, should not ride up when walking, pull across the bustline, or create stress lines at the seams! When you are comfortable, you are confident!

2. Everyone is a critic, so go ahead and dress for YOU. Find a rule and break it. Explore your own personal style and have fun with it!

3. A tailor is your best friend. Next to fit, this is key. You would be surprised how much a stitch can transform your look!

4. Do not be afraid to play with patterns to accentuate and camouflage! As a tip, the larger the print, the more attention that is drawn to that body part!

13. To find out more about The Curvy Fashionista, you can find Marie’s website here.

Read more: http://www.buzzfeed.com/candacelowry/how-to-dress-for-your-body-type

Hosiery Inventory: The Preacher’s Gams

It’s that time of year, kids. For those of us who live in four-season country, it’s time to bring out the socks and hosiery again. *sob*

Let’s start with pantyhose, tights and leggings. Just kidding, of COURSE we’ll discuss leggings! They’re JUST NOT PANTS. Remember that. Leggings are never, ever pants. They are HOSIERY, which is UNDERWEAR. Gather ’round, Scouts! Hike with me to the hosiery drawers! You’ll be so glad you did on that busy morning or afternoon when you need to dress quickly for that funeral or important meeting.

Take an inventory and see what you have. Unroll the goods and inspect them. Turn all your hose the right way out and check for runs and ripped up crotches. Take it from Auntie PeaceBang, it feels really good to throw out ripped up hose. Throw them out or repurpose them.

There are fashion trends in hosiery just as there are with every other kind of garment. Sheer flesh tones are your best bet for dressy occasions. Off-black on white skin is dated and frumpy. Opaque tights may be appropriate depending on your ensemble, but not with flat shoes — too girlish. Bare legs are in but inappropriate for conservative crowds, which the Church is by default. You may serve a liberal denomination, but do remember that religious leadership is a conservative profession.

Do not consider showing up for formal occasions with bare legs. It’s highly unprofessional. That said, I do not personally consider coffee hour after church a formal occasion, so I preach in skirts with bare legs because my legs are covered by vestments during worship and I wear close-toed shoes. My legs are always shaved and moisturized. You may find this to be oppressive and a concession to the patriarchy. I consider it part of grooming and find furry legs on women to be distracting. Assess your own context and make good choices.

1. Throw all the ancient, dreaded pantyhose somewhere you can get a look at them. Throw out all the wretched orange tones. No one is that orange. Make sure you have at least a few pairs of sheer hose in whatever tones you need on hand. You’ll thank yourself later.

2. I wear a lot of opaque tights in shades of black and grey with boots in the chilly months. I decided to give them their own little drawer.

3. More opaque tights from Sock Dreams, which carries a huge inventory of fabulous colors.

Next up: SOCKS!

Share This

Hide Sites

$$('div.d14902').each( function(e) { e.visualEffect('slide_up',{duration:0.5}) });

Infant feeding is always a buzz topic. Especially at the moment, during National Breastfeeding Month (yes. A whole month…) conversations on infant feeding are everywhere.

With Eden being almost two (ridiculous!), I wanted to look back on ten things that I wish people had told me about feeding our baby. I’m going to be fairly “bottles and formula” heavy because that’s what I know.

10. Read Information From Credible Sources

Don’t just read the information that your midwife or OBGYN gives you – especially if you’re registered at a hospital that is accredited under the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative. Get online. Read. Don’t just read blogs, though. Read studies. Read scientific investigations and articles. Get the most up to date information from the most reliable sources. Unfortunately there are some incredibly unreliable sources online, so make sure you back up what you read with scientific studies.

9. Breastfeeding is not easy. 

I haven’t breastfed, but here’s what I’ve gleamed from people around me. Breastfeeding isn’t easy. It isn’t “always in plentiful supply” and it’s often not the fairytale made out by the brochures in the early days. BUT that’s normal. It’s new. You’re learning and your baby is learning too. Like any new skill, you have to learn it to perfect it. Which leads me to the next point…

8. There is not enough Support/Information around breastfeeding.

When it comes to support and information about feeding your baby, there is plenty of support (for breastfeeding at least) before your baby is born. Once baby is here and you run into problems, you might as well kiss support goodbye. Doctors are well known to say “just formula feed” and lactation consultants often span from the militant type who encourage breastfeeding at all costs and end up causing baby health issues, to the “not that bothered” type. If you need support, push for it. Push for unbiased support who will not push breast above everything else. We need real support that recognises when to supplement and recognises when the end of a breastfeeding journey has been reached.

7. There is NO helpful support or information around formula.

The only information I was given antenatally about formula was a leaflet entitled “The Risks of Artificial Feeding”, promising me that if I fed “artificially” my baby would be fat, stupid, diabetic and would probably die before they were a year old. This was stuffed in amongst a whole booklet about “breast is best” and how breastfeeding is “natural, easy and always in plentiful supply”. Lots of misinformation. Nothing about how to safely prepare a bottle feed. Nothing about how much baby should eat in the first days of life. Just “breast is best” and “the risks of artificial feeding”. I often think that if the time spent berating formula feeding mothers who are doing just fine was spent helping breastfeeding mothers with problems, we wouldn’t have such a support vacuum.

6. Healthcare Professionals Will Say Stupid Things.

Sometimes healthcare professionals don’t know best. Sometimes they say silly things that haven’t been proven. For example, when Eden had her newborn hearing screen her right ear was a bit gammed up – probably from the swan dive she did out of me – and the audiologist asked if I was breastfeeding. I said no and she told me “that’s a shame. You have lovely big breasts. Why not share them?” Inappropriate at best, but from someone that it absolutely did not concern, this was rude. When Eden was five days old I asked a midwife how much she should be drinking and if it was possible to overfeed her. She told me “just feed her until she throws up. Then you know she’s had enough.” Again, dreadful and dangerous advice. At five months old I was told to put breast milk on Eden’s chicken pox, even though that has absolutely no scientific proof of helping in any way at all. It was “suggested” to me by a nurse. I carried on with calamine cream rather than put food on her spots…

5. The First Option Might Not Work.

This goes for breastfeeding, obviously, but it also goes for formula. I pretty much thought all bottles were created equal – turns out they are not! It took us going through a few different brands until we found a bottle that Eden could drink from easily. It also took us a few attempts to find the right formula for her. It’s always good to have a back up, however you choose to feed.

4. Mother’s Instinct is Often Right.

If you are not sure about something, seek medical advice. If you’re not happy with the advice or don’t feel that you’ve been taken seriously, seek a second opinion. We were sure Eden had reflux. I spoke to the health visitor about it and she told me “no no. If she doesn’t projectile vomit, it’s not reflux” and didn’t help in any way. After another time of getting covered in sick – AGAIN – we tried the dr’s suggestion of the anti-reflux formula that was available. It worked like a charm. Had we followed the first advice given, we would have spent our whole time getting covered in sick and Eden’s life would have been a whole lot more uncomfortable while she struggled with something so easily solved. Similarly, you hear a lot of stories about babies who don’t feed well and mum is just told to “keep feeding”. It’s later found that baby wasn’t getting much or anything in terms of nutrition. Healthcare professionals shouldn’t be letting families down like this and as patients we must insist on being listened to.

3.Militant Lactivism is real.

No matter what you do, people will have opinions. Militant lactivism is rife online and in the real world, but so are anti-breastfeeding opinions. In hospital, we had breastfeeding shoved down our throat repeatedly – not so much where Eden was born but definitely at the hospital where she was admitted with jaundice. By not breastfeeding, we were automatically bad mothers. Mothers who didn’t care. Mothers who put their own convenience above their child’s health. We were never asked why we weren’t breastfeeding, just told we were wrong to feed formula. I’ve been told (online) that I shouldn’t have had a baby if I wasn’t going to breastfeed. I’ve been told I’m selfish and I’m depriving her of her human rights by feeding her formula. It really is everywhere you go and some people are AWFUL in the things they say. There is a huge difference between advocating for breastfeeding and demonising formula. There’s a massive difference between talking about the differences between breast and formula feeding, and making mums feel like crap for no real reason.

2. You are important too.

As parents, we are often so wrapped up in the baby that we forget self care. Even before the baby, we are handed certain information in a certain way to ascertain a certain outcome. Before birth, my mental health was important. After birth? Well it fell by the wayside, didn’t it? Everything was about what was perceived to be “best” for Eden. One commenter on my blog told me I should “reclaim my breasts” in order to breastfeed Eden and combat my PTSD. Surely, if it was as easy as “reclaiming”, there would be no such thing as PTSD? “Oh yes, I’ll just reclaim my brain” – that’s not how this works!Remember that you are important too. Your mental and physical health as a parent is as important as your baby’s mental and physical health. Happy parent means a happy baby, after all.

And Finally…

FED IS BEST 

I genuinely cannot push this message hard enough. FED IS BEST. Feed your baby however you need to. If you want to breastfeed, you should have all the support you need to succeed. Similarly if you can’t breastfeed or – and here’s the kicker – if you just do not want to breastfeed – your choice should be respected and you too should be offered support and education regarding your chosen (or necessary) feeding method. To clarify, by “education” I don’t mean “the dangers of artificial feeding”, I mean things like how to make a bottle, how to warm a bottle and the fact that all formula brands are basically the same quality. I don’t mean “you should breastfeed”, I mean talking a pumping mother through cleaning her pump and making sure a parent who tube feeds their baby knows all about that tube and what to do if something goes wrong.

Honestly, it would have saved a lot of heartache if someone had said early on “hey, fed is best! You’re doing a great job.”

Let’s empower parents. Let’s respect one another for our choices. Let’s not assume that somebody isn’t educated just because of the way they feed their baby. Let’s not project our own personal insecurities onto others. Let’s stand up for one another and be counted. If you see someone giving abuse to a breastfeeding mum – speak up – regardless of how you feed your own baby. Similarly for a bottle feeding mum – speak up – show that you care about your fellow human and your fellow parent. Because honestly, when there are babies dying of starvation in the world, no mum should be made to feel bad for feeding her baby.

Because regardless of how we feed, we’re all in the same boat really…