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ener-chi · 9 months

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Hey Zach! I would like to request a General Reading to see if any romantic soulmates are coming my way. My name is Karishma K, my pronouns are she/her, and I have 3 little marks on my nose (idk what to call them though- sunspots?) One of my favorite memories was at the YMCA and it was chocolate day. I tried all different types of chocolate, including dark chocolate! As for an equal exchange, I'm not sure how much money to send. Is 10 or 15$ okay? Please tell me so I don't undervalue you and your services! :) Have a great day!!!

Karishma... Nice to see you again... It's been a while... Your energy has changed since I've last read you... You are the same person... But... You've matured... You still have a cheery disposition... You have a wonderful smile that people and family and friends in your life see often... But... You've gone through some life lessons... And they've been hard... Made you realize, and develop, and grow... But despite that... You are still... You... Just a little bit wiser and older... You have a zest for life... Even if you don't have as much time to explore it and do zany things as you used to...

Long dark hair... Thoughtful looks and smiles... You've been thinking a little bit more than normal lately... Not necessarily about anything in particular... I see that this retrograde has been one of more insight and going within for you... Not a bad thing at all...

They smile and look at me... Okay... The reading... Smiles... Soulmates... You have a lot of love to give in your heart... And you are excited and eager to share it...

Hm...

I see a little bit more life lessons and growing coming up for you before someone enters your life... Divine timing and all that...

The future is a bit fickle... Depending on how things go and what you do and where you end up... Your Path could cross with a few different people... There are no certainties but I will share a few of what I'm seeing...

I see... Hm... One person is... I see like a silhouette of a person that looks a bit more like a school boy... I think he's wearing a school uniform... Dark brown hair... Kind of like an eboy hair cut... With some bangs and it's a little long...

But his silhouette is shifting... And so is the energy behind it... It's hard to really pin it down... I see... I'm seeing and feeling the different people that it could be... Some are... Hm... So many options... Possibilities... Rather... It's more about...

The idea of soulmates... I find myself... Coming around to the idea... But not in the traditional sense... It's not that there is one person that you are destined to be together and are perfect for each other and will be together forever... Not that kind...

But rather... There are people that are meant to come into your life at certain times... And the reason is that they are what you need at that point in time for you in your life... To grow as a person... To learn the necessary lessons and to fulfill life contracts... To absolve karma...

Believe it or not... I'm seeing that once you start dating again... You actually will be seeing a few different guys... They will be exciting connections... Flirty... Sparks... Some spicy things... Most of them will not be serious, though... Which is not a bad thing... But you will be... Exploring yourself... And others... And connections...

There is... Some lessons... To be learned... From this... About yourself... And once those lessons are learned... That... Is when something more serious and lovely will come along... I see an older guy... Light facial hair... Very handsome... A very... Sturdy... Grounded energy... Hm... Bright eyes that are very soft... You will be in a different place, too... Longer hair... More grown and developed... In a different place in your life than where you are now... And it will be wonderful... My heart warms as I view this... Maybe even a possibility of kids...

Transition...

Back to you... She smiles and nods... That is what I see...

Interesting!! That went pretty well, I would say. Like I said, I don't see anything coming like SOON but when they do... It sounds like an exciting time in your life! Honestly I'm still breaking out of my solitary faze, but making connections is very fun and exciting and definitely rewarding. And the guy I saw at the end was... Very lovely. Definitely a keeper!

Thanks for the ask! And you can pay me however much you think would create an equal exchange of energy for the reading (: I hope this resonates!

Blessings!

#mine #asks #readings

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freudianslumber · 11 months

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Today, Tomorrow and Forever

Summary: Angel Elvis went through Hell when being falsely accused of betraying God. Eventually found true love with LAPD narcotics officer B.B. King.

Epilogue

Pairing: B.B. King x Elvis Presley (m/m)

Word count: 2.1k

Warning: 18+, smut, profanity

I will love you longer than forever Promise me that you will leave me never Here and now dear All my love I vow dear Promise me that you will leave me never I will love you longer than forever Now that we are one Clouds won't hide the sun Blue skies of Hawaii smile On this, our wedding day I do love you with all my heart

Elvis’ ocean blue eyes sparkled with love as he serenaded his groom with “The Hawaiian Wedding Song”. He and B.B. had finally tied the knot on the beautiful island of Maui over a year after the horrible car crash and ICU scare. So much had happened in the interim. B.B.’s rehab had lasted for months, but eventually he recovered fully and returned to full duty earlier than most of his colleagues had expected. It felt like a just retribution to the rejuvenated detective when he got to participate in the well-planned raid and triumphant drug bust operation at the Reapers’ East LA headquarter. Some of Mad Mac’s lieutenants were fatally shot during the shootout between the police SWAT team and the gang. A substantial number of gang members were arrested, including Mad Mac himself, who had since been incarcerated for weapons and drug trafficking offences. This effectively suppressed the criminal activities of the Reapers in the county. B.B. and Clay both received special medals for their outstanding investigative work connected to this case. In the meantime, Elvis trained tirelessly and was awarded his second-degree black belt. More importantly, he was finally officially hired by the YMCA as a martial arts instructor after B.B. somehow succeeded in getting him a social security card. Slowly but surely, the couple cleared the many hurdles in their path, earning their well-deserved and long-awaited wedding honeymoon getaway in the Aloha state.

B.B. laid his eyes on the radiant angel standing across from him, his heart was full of joy and gratitude as he prepared to reap the fruit of their love as a newlywed for the first time. Their ceremony was intimate and discreet, with the only guests being Tina, Clay and Fats. The wedding proceedings were brief but just as if not more emotional than those of any other couple. Elvis felt so grateful that B.B. spoiled him with everything he wanted for the wedding, from the white chapel to the tasty wedding cake to the scenic locale. He was hopelessly smitten with his Gunnie, all dapper in perfectly tailored black tuxedo on their big day. Their hotel room was modest but cozy, with a balcony facing the ocean beyond a sliding door. Presently, the fading sunset was casting an orange glow over the beach dotted by palm trees. B.B. walked over and closed the curtains, being more entranced by the view within the room. He then stepped closer to his other half, placed a soft kiss on his succulent lips, and proceeded to take the purple orchid lei from around his neck. An adorable lopsided smile bloomed across Elvis’ face, he unbuttoned and peeled off B.B.’s tuxedo jacket, removing the perfectly complementary orange and white lei as well. Soon Elvis’ immaculate white tuxedo joined the groom’s black one on the backs of a pair of chairs. More pieces of clothing came off as the newlyweds lovingly undressed each other, until they bared their bodies and souls once more.

“Oh Gunnie, I can’t believe we finally made it! Everything I’ve got is yours.” Elvis gushed as he fully embraced his man, taking in his pleasant scent, nipping lightly on his neck and jaw. B.B. ran a hand through that head of perfectly coiffed hair, then cupped his angel’s face and guided it up until their lips were locked as they tasted each other hungrily.

As the couple pulled away for air after the protracted kiss, B.B. whispered to Elvis: “Honey, let’s go take a shower together.” The pair of half-lidded bedroom eyes blinked a few times: “Great idea, why didn’t I think of that?” B.B. chuckled and gave in to the temptation to pinch the cheeks on that cute, dumbfounded face. He went to the bathroom and turned on the shower, then continued to make out with his baby until the water became warm enough. The sensation of warm water from the shower head hitting his fatigued muscles was so relaxing that Elvis let out a satisfied sigh. B.B. gently massaged the back of his neck and upper back, not forgetting to stroke the delicate feathers on his wing stumps making the angel moan audibly. The newlyweds then lathered each other’s hair with shampoo and each other’s bodies with shower gel. While supposedly scrubbing their backs, neither of them could resist feeling the other up and down sensually. All the passionate caresses and rubbing naturally led to excitement in the nether regions. Elvis took his husband’s half-mast cock in his hand, pumped it a few times before kneeling down and licking all along it. The organ quickly swelled to its full size as B.B. was transfixed by the sight of cerulean eyes gazing up into his own while plump lips enveloped around him. In fact, B.B. didn’t think he could ever get used to the spell Elvis seemed to cast on him during intimacy. He could feel those elegant hands holding on tightly to his hips and pulling his torso closer and closer, until that chiseled nose was practically touching his pubis. B.B. buried his hands in Elvis’ wet hair, throwing his own head back as waves of pleasure traversed his body. As his arousal grew, groans started to escape B.B.’s mouth involuntarily. They kept getting louder until turning into a shout as he bucked up forcibly and ejected his full load deep down the throat of his ready and willing spouse. Elvis licked B.B.’s cock lovingly while warm water rained down on his face, washing away the stray tears at the corners of his eyes. Still panting from his orgasm, B.B. pulled Elvis up to his feet and pressed their lips together for another round of tender kisses.

Before the shower water had a chance to turn lukewarm, the inseparable pair shut it off and opened the sliding door. They quickly toweled each other dry, and Elvis was about to tie a piece of linen around his waist and walk over to bed when a nudge from behind sent him forward towards the sinks: “Honey, look in the mirror. Want me to take you from behind here?” Elvis looked in front of him as he was told and saw a sizable mirror just above the side-by-side double sinks. Through the slowly vanishing steam, he could see the reflection of B.B.’s possessive arms caging him in against the vanity top and sultry lips grazing over his ear lobe. Elvis blushed: “Sure Gunnie, you can take me however you want.” B.B. felt his member getting harder again hearing such obedient response from his angel. “Stay.” He commanded as he walked to the other room to retrieve a tube of lubricant. Once returned, B.B. coated his fingers with copious amount of clear gel and patiently stretched Elvis out. The angel accommodated his husband by bending partially forward and supported his upper body by pushing against the countertop. It didn’t take much for B.B.’s cock to perk up fully again, and with a grunt he entered the raven-haired beauty from behind. He enjoyed the view of flushing skin across that angelic face and how it spread down to the chest from arousal. B.B. then lifted one of Elvis’ long and perfectly proportioned legs over the vanity top, allowing more access to his thrusting. The different angle intensified the stimulation and pleasure that much more for Elvis, he made a breathy whimper and reached back for a kiss while B.B. caressed his neck down to his chest with one hand. Their tongues entangled while their torsos remained joined, grinding against each other in perfect harmony. Once their lips parted, B.B. picked up the pace and intensity of his lovemaking. Concurrently, Elvis' breaths grew more and more uneven from the overwhelming sensation of fiery bliss. From the mirror’s reflection, B.B. admired the alluring view of his angel lost in lust and pleasure, with his back arching and eyes closed, long lashes casting a shadow against his cheeks. B.B. made Elvis gasp when he slid one hand down the soft and smooth skin over his baby’s lower abdomen and took a firm hold of his erection. As the large and warm hand stroked the member vigorously, making use of precum and residual lube on the fingers, Elvis sobbed out: “Please Gunnie! I can’t hold it no more!” B.B. used one arm to clench Elvis against his chest, while the other hand kept pumping faster: “Baby, don’t hold back, just come for me!” Hardly a minute later, the young man shuddered and pearly white essence sprayed across his chest and belly.

B.B. thrusted for a bit longer as Elvis came down from his climax. When the young man started to slump against the unyielding grip that was holding him up from behind, B.B. pulled out his member and turned Elvis around, allowing him to rest on the vanity top for a brief minute. Elvis leaned back against the mirror, catching his breath as his other half quickly wiped away the spent from his trunk with a damp towel. B.B. pulled Elvis into an embrace, letting the young man circle both arms around his neck and legs around his back. His hands squeezed those plump and peachy buttocks, slipping under them to find purchase: “Hang on tight honey, I’m carrying you over to bed.” As B.B. started to straighten up, Elvis tightened his hold instinctively and wrapped around his husband like a python around a tree, gently reminding him: “Careful Gunnie, don’t hurt your back!”.

“Believe me honey, I ain’t that old yet!” B.B. joked as he swooped up his baby and walked over to bed. Elvis let out a shriek as he was thrown onto the sheets and bounced amongst some pillows. B.B. wasted no time to pounce on his delicious meal, pulling him to the edge of the bed. He stood over Elvis, holding his feet up in the air, spreading his legs wide apart, then inserted his cock and picked up where he left off. Looking up at his man, robust muscles covered with a thin layer of shiny sweat, descending upon him like some ancient hedonistic deity, Elvis had to hold back happy tears as he took everything he was given. All the while B.B. was living out his dreams, kissing his angel on the calves and inner thighs between intense pounding sessions. Finally he was overtaken by a tide of ecstasy as he stuttered to a stop with a loud grunt, burying deep inside his sweet lover. Elvis pulled his man down into a tight hug as he relished in the sensation of seeds spilling within.

The newlyweds stayed in the same position for a while, catching their breaths, cherishing their deep physical and spiritual connection together. Then they parted briefly to scoot up the bed and cuddle more comfortably. “That was incredible!” Elvis marveled, “later tonight you can wake me up and we can go again!” B.B. burst out laughing: “Hey babe, no rush. We’ve got plenty of time!” To hide his blush the angel responded by peppering B.B.’s chest with kisses. Silently B.B. stroked the young man’s soft hair, then all of a sudden he asked: “Elvis honey, why did you give up eternal life for me?” Caught unprepared, the angel stammered for an answer: “I, I… Gunnie I didn’t mean to keep it from you…” B.B. cupped the strikingly handsome face and looked Elvis in the eyes: “So it’s true then. I suspected it but wasn’t sure, I found some gray hairs on you recently.” Elvis admitted after a pause: “Gunnie, I had to. I couldn’t lose you. I’d always take a lifetime of lovin’ over an eternity of loneliness for sure!” “What about the demons?” B.B. grabbed Elvis on his shoulders and shook them a little, “Have you thought about those fuckers still scheming to catch you and harm you? You suffered a lot during your past life, I don’t want you to go through that again and go to an early grave!” Unfazed, the corners of Elvis’ mouth started to pull up into that good-natured lopsided smile again: “Don’t worry darlin’. My goal is to be with you from today until forever, God granted that to me and that’s all I need. During my past life I felt responsible for too many people, parents, relatives, friends, fans. I never found the one true love. In this life I found you, my mission is complete. I’ll devote this life and beyond to you alone.” Tears started to track down B.B.’s face as he hugged his sweetheart again: “You silly bean, I don’t know what to do with you! But I’ll promise you this, I’ll live this life and the next for you just as you will for me…” A flurry of kisses drowned out his vows as the lovebirds locked their lips again and again.

#elvis presley #m/m #angel au

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creatureshrieks · 2 years

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Assorted Headcanons ; Steve Harrington

According to Steve, he was a lifeguard. Lifeguards, even in the 80s, needed to pass a variety of basic training even for public pools (These were provided in 1983 by the Red Cross and in 1986, the YMCA began to provide their own courses in their gyms). In order to be an actual lifeguard, Steve must have passed a test on CPR and basic first aid, as well as tell for the starting signs of emergencies due to drowning, heart attacks, stroke, asthma, diabetes, or seizures.

Steve was also a boy scout, so he very much knows after proper safety. Something he ends up taking notice of and pointing out (lack of fire exits, etc.).

Steve has undiagnosed ADHD - He gets easily distracted when he genuinely has no interest in something (school), will forget where he’s placed things (constantly slightly dehydrated due to forgetting where he’s placed his drink), and is genuinely good at things he finds interested (basketball, swimming, anything active). He attaches to ‘unnecessary’ details (remembering the music in the background of Dustin’s recording and being able to remember where it came from) and his brain forms connections between things that make sense to him, but wouldn’t make sense to an outside viewer (When he wrote his essay for college and connected him playing sports to his grandfather in the war. It makes sense to HIM. He’s not stupid, he just has difficulty explaining his thoughts. Also, he very easily gets embarrassed when he looks ‘stupid’). Unfortunately, it wasn’t even until 1987 where ADHD began to actually be called ADHD, and for Steve’s parents the idea that anything could be wrong with their son was unthinkable. Steve failed in a lot of his classes, not only due to his general disregard for his classes but also due to his ADHD. His parents, however, thought he was either just lazy or stupid for not being able to pass these courses and Steve ended up thinking the same.

Steve likes music. He tends to pick up beats quickly and memorizes and recognizes tunes just as fast (ADHD whoo). When he’s left alone with nothing to do or he’s just bored, he often just taps out songs he likes or just that are stuck in his head. He’d pick up certain instruments pretty quickly if given the chance to learn.

Steve gets restless if he sits still for too long, hence the hand tapping and the desire to play sports. He likes to be active.

Steve smokes weed. He gets the worst munchies when he’s high.

Steve likes cars, but mostly just in a “this car looks sick as hell and I NEED to ride it”. He appreciates the classics. He doesn’t really know how to fix them or anything, outside of maybe changing a tire.

Steve can sing (Yeah stealing from the fact Joe Keery sings under the name Djo. Check out his Youtube, his songs are pretty cool).

Steve suffers from a variety of insecurities, namely from failing to meet the expectations of his family and completely changing his ‘persona’ in high school after meeting Nancy. He feels insecure about not being able to get into college, for being bad at subjects, and his inability to get girls after leaving high school made him wonder just what was wrong with him.

Steve is bisexual, but he genuinely doesn’t. Know it for awhile. When he figures it out, Robin would be the first person he told. wlw/mlm solidarity.

Steve is very good at making split-second decisions, adapting to the moment, and improvising. Even if that ‘improvisation’ is screaming at a Russian soldier and beating the shit out of him.

Steve can cook basic things, like eggs or pancakes. Hamburgers on the stove and more ‘simple’ meals, but if he gets distracted they tend to end up a little burnt.

Steve can’t really handle anything too spicy.

#steve headcanon tbt

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cyarsk52-20 · 6 months

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WORKIN' GIRL

Careers In Sex And Intimacy - xoNecole: Women's Interest, Love, Wellness, Beauty

Janell HazelwoodMar 20, 2023 07:00 AM EST

Oftentimes, sex is discussed in a way that's limited to relationships, drama, medical research, or shame. And we all know there's more to sex, especially when we're talking about something that is so important to not only the survival of mankind but to our thriving in existence as women.

And with something so important, there's certainly a need for more of us to serve as leaders in empowering ourselves and one another. We can use our voices, intelligence, and savvy for professional fulfillment in a way that informs, serves, and forges much-needed progress toward a more healthy, sex-positive world.

If you're down for all of that, here are a few career paths to consider in the realms of sex and intimacy:

Romance Writer

If you're great at storytelling and always wanted to write about sex and intimacy, romance writing might be the perfect job for you. And it doesn't have to be 2,000-page books. You could write freelance stories for publications, scripts for films and TV shows, or copy for brands. The salary can be as much as $100,000 a year depending on the nature of the writing and the project.

Intimacy Coach

Not to be confused with a sex therapist, this job is for people who want to coach others who seek to learn more about themselves or their partners when it comes to intimate connections (which go well beyond the physical act of sex). It explores issues including emotional connection and can involve activities and insights that focus more on the mental aspect of sexual attraction than the physical.

Being an intimacy coach can also include coverage of topics like self-awareness, self-love, self-pleasuring, and types of sexuality cues that can lead to healthy sex. Average yearly salaries start at $54,000, and can range based on experience, education, certifications, and training.

Sex Therapist

This is a job that requires a master's degree and licensing. If you're into counseling and want to work with reputable organizations (or start your own practice), the educational route is the most ideal. You could serve single women and men, couples, families, or organizations through this job, and the average salary starts at about $84,000.

Pole Dance Fitness Instructor

This is sexy, sultry, and fun, all while ensuring your clients or participants stay fit. Whether you teach classes at a local YMCA or other gym franchise or teach your own classes from the comfort of your home or private gym, this is a great flex option where you could earn more than $60,000 a year.Not only has pole dance fitness been found to help women tap into intimacy and confidence, but it's a great precursor to spicing up anybody's time in the bedroom with their bae.

Relationship & Sex Columnist

Similar to the romance writer gig, this is something you could do if you already have experience writing or if you're a lover of all things sex education. Publications are always looking for fresh, intelligent, and unique voices on topics like sex and relationships, especially since that sort of content, while taboo in some circles, can be a huge draw (in the form of traffic and ad dollars) and can open up much-needed dialogue their audiences are craving. The average yearly salary for a relationship and sex columinist can start at $62,000and goes up depending on your experience, the audience you can bring to the table, and the reach of the publication.

Human Sexuality Researcher

If you geek out when studying and observing all that encompasses sex, from the mind to the body, a role as a human sexuality researcher is your best shot. Researchers of this kind can find work within almost any company or organization in the areas of tech, healthcare, education, and nonprofits, and you can earn a starting annual salary of $57,000and on up into six figures. This is a great opportunity for advocacy and balancing the scales with more solid, balanced, up-to-date, and reputable research to affect legislation, medical practices, medical theory, and consumer marketing, especially related to minority and underserved communities.

Sexual Health Nurse

You can earn $72,000 a year or more as a sexual health nurse, and it's perfect for nurses who are passionate about advocating for patients and creating safe spaces when it comes to reproductive, maternal, and sexual health. (And as Black women, we need more of us in these spaces, especially with the unfair, biased, and discriminatory disparities we face in the healthcare system as it relates to our wombs and sex lives.)

Sex Education Professor

You'll need a master's degree or Ph.D. to be a sex education professor, and it's awesome if you're into molding and shaping minds when it comes to sexual health, theory, and research. You can also earn more than $62,000 a year at this gig, working for universities or private institutions. You could take this a bit further into consulting and offer your insights, training, or expertise to school systems and other large institutions.

Sex Toy Tester

This job seems like a wild card, but it does, indeed, exist. Salaries for testing vibrators, swings, and other sex toys have ranged from upwards of $36,000, and some pay by the hour. It might be more of a part-time or flex option, but if you can get multiple gigs, it's definitely something to consider, especially if you have quite a bit of downtime and are open to trying the latest gadgets.

Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.

Featured image by Peathegee Inc/Getty Images

Sent from my iPhone

Top-Paying Jobs That Put Sex And Intimacy At The Forefront

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maya-burke · 7 months

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settler society must be stopped::

:: or else we are all definitely going to be cooked

at this juncture in the calamity of colonially induced climate collapse most of us are going to get cooked anyways

and the question remains - what is still yet possible, what can be protected, what can be imagined, as the inevitable becomes closer and closer to the doormats of the oligarchs

there is no escaping the absurdity of this violence, and even, and I'd say especially! here at the brink of the end of it all, we are witnessing a doubling, tripling, quadrupling down of colonial logics. a re-commitment and extravagant re-investment in eco-fascist tactics. there is a level of disconnection from power and the ground that is truly staggering to try and comprehend, and yet here we are, in the muck and in the tunnels - still trying to hold together our solidarity, our resistance to domination

what is left for us to fight for

well, love no? love, love it has always been love -- and not in the fully commodified romance sense of the word not this dating bullshit and all the hook up apps and white racist polyamorists too tepid to step into actually revolutionary praxis we are talking about the love it takes to set a machete to the plantation crops the love it takes to bomb a chemical factory during vietnam going full out to the wall for this shit because you HAVE done the math and you DO not what is at stake it is our connection to each other as much as the planet that is at stake here

if a bunch of breathing bodies are left with no skills to love we have already lost and can give up the ghost then

settler society is run rampant and it is time for the mess to end

the mess should have never left pandora's box, and the disease should have never spread out from europe

all the medicine keepers, the patriarchal rape culture run rampant

the empire games and the psychosis of hierarchy

collectively we are gaining more connected conscious awareness of these patterns, but i do often feel wary about the ecollective capacity to activate effective responses, effective intervention s

courage,

there is a severe lack of courage, as it has been beaten and conditioned out of us at gun point

they have all the guns, all the food, they have your children in their schools what is that you can do

what is that we can do other than socially die

the colonized feminized world has been the source of vital energy and life since time immemorium. we exist beyond and before these confines, and what is at stake here is whether we exist after them

after their imminent collapse

will we all be collapsing within these structures, these violent dinosaurs of labor extraction

what does it take to say no

enough

and i am not afraid of the gun ---- it is an awareness that we are dead already

we are socially dead, our cutlures are extra curricular activities, down at the YMCA on saturday nights -OH - buffy said

that's where you can be an indian

at the show or the club meeting or in the classroom

our life is relegated to the affininty group industrial complex

not on the land, not anymore

----

these ecosystems have been at their brink for so long, is it not a wonder any of us are still here?

if we're going to have any windows of possibilty, for radical transformation, for growth, for bare minimum harm reduction

then settler society must end. it must be stopped. there is no choice here, there is only courage or fear. In fear there is a choice and that is violent control, and there is silence in observance of it -- but we should all know by now that there are no neutral observers.

we must all be active participants in the deconstruction of settler society or else, there will be no planet left for us to make our homes.

every warning about the 11th hour coming has long since passed, the clock is past broken, the time loops of faux linear history are collapsing in on themeselves on one last and final crusade, the first in a new era of post-hypo-hypo-manic-techno-philic-deathcult-post-post-post-capitalist hellscape

is it not a wonder we are still here, and that even within these calamties, people are raising their consciousness and working together to fight for the world we need and deserve.

we cannot imagine what life beyond settler colonial, and capitalist imperial domination can ever look like, we cannot imagine it and especially can not move towards it until we unseat the core wound of patriarchy suffocating almost every inch of the land and sea

lately I have been listening to ouree's impermanence mix, and feeling deep gratitude for the air, the medium between our breath and these waters and the land -- if there is wisdom to be followed and change to be made, I believe it is in acceptance of impermanence, and with trust in the movement of spirit, and the winds of true freedom blowing through these cursed and dead infrastcutures

we can do it

we can we have to believe that we can at least tear them down, give the future generations of youth that more of an inch to fight for

we have to we have to and we must

settler colonial patriarchal shrimp dick society it is on fucking site, no more pleasantries and no more propriety

fuck all it's past 11:59pm y'all can catch these trans-historical solidarity linked HANDS

♓️👁♈️

11202023

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sunmarketing · 1 year

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Point Loma, San Diego

This is Dr. Travelbest's Guide

In this episode: FAQ is: Who sets the standards for airline seats?

Today’s Destination is: Point Loma, San Diego

Today’s Lesson Learned- I forgot the tent poles.

Travel Advice: Join the US STEP program if you plan to travel out of the country in the next year.

FAQ: Rebecca asks, Do the airline seats seem to be getting smaller these days? Am I the only one who sees or feels this happening? I would like to know. Also, please give me information on how much space should be on a plane for my seat. I’m struggling with this issue now. Who sets the standards for airline seats?

Answer: Dear Rebecca, You are being heard. I’m so glad you asked. I’ve wondered the same thing. In the USA, The Federal Aviation Administration is looking at a rule for minimum amounts for the width of airplane seats and the distance between the front of one seat and the back of the seat ahead. They are gathering public comments on the issue now. Their concern is safety. If seats are too small, it can hurt evacuations in an emergency. How is your legroom? We want to hear from you now, so contact the FAA to give them your concerns.

Today’s destination: Point Loma, San Diego

Point Loma is a land mass that sticks out in the Pacific Ocean, a large peninsula; on the water, you can’t go from Downtown San Diego without bumping into this point. So it was one of the first places to land for settlers in the land.

Why visit Point Loma? The National Park, Cabrillo National Monument, and the lighthouse are the most famous places to visit as a traveler. This is one best viewpoints for the entire city and region. You will want to spend a half day exploring nature and the visitor center. You can see inside the lighthouse and climb the stairs to see what it was like to live there hundreds of years ago. I highly recommend this destination.

You can see Mexico, downtown, and a lot of ocean from here.

Tonight, I met a couple from Lexington, Kentucky, and they visited the lighthouse today. They raved about the experience of being in the home that was a lighthouse and being able to see afar.

The tidepools are also worth seeing. If you have never been to a tidepool, it’s when the ocean tides recede, and you can see the small sea creatures like starfish and crabs among the nooks and crannies of the rocks on the beach, walking carefully not to disturb wildlife.

My favorite place to eat fresh seafood locally is Point Loma Seafoods. My favorite Coffee shop is Peet’s. My favorite YMCA is Ryan Family Y. My Favorite thrift store is Goodwill San Diego.

Point Loma has Sunset Cliffs Blvd, which has great views and sunsets. You can swim here, too, if you can navigate the hike safely. However, it’s not meant for the faint of heart, as swimming here is not as safe. It’s better to head north to the public beaches. You’ll also see beaches just for dogs, and dozens of them running around the sandy beach.

You’ll be in Ocean Beach, which is a community next door, almost connected.

My first visit was in 1982, as I was relocating from Chicago. Little did I know how this part of the region would impact my life when I prayed in my car that day. I said out loud, “Lord, if it is meant to be, find my subsequent work and life in this city. So I prayed in my car, parked on Cornish Drive, a block from where I lived a few months later. Yes, the same street, about a block from where this prayer happened.

And it turned out great for the past several, well, 40 years, it’s been.

Today’s Mistake- Forgot the tent poles

I was camping in Nevada along a beautiful river. I brought my tent but forgot to bring the tent poles. So, I slept under the stars. It was decent weather that night, so pretty good. Don’t forget your tent poles as I did.

Today’s Travel Advice-Join the US STEP program if you plan to travel out of the country in the next year.

I joined the US STEP program in 2023, and they will inform me when I travel abroad and see a problem in a country I visit. Also, they will have my information if I need to contact them, making it easier to find and help me.

They help people with problems. I hope I don’t need to contact them, but better safe than sorry.

Check out this Dr Travelbest episode!

#travel #women #dr travelbest #best travel

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trustsolution · 2 years

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Trae young stts

Trae young stts full#

The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. This report was generated using the SHARE link located just above the stat tables on the site. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Trae Young Stats : Advanced generated by a site user. (0-0, 1st place in NBA Eastern Conference) Next Game: Wednesday, Oct. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". More Trae Young pages at Sports Reference. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. If he struggles once again, Young can fully expect even more hate to come his way. If the Hawks want to try and take home a victory in Game 2, Young will need to do a 180 from Sunday’s performance. Young let everyone down in a major way and he’s hearing all about it right now. If anything, NBA fans out there were probably expecting Young to ball out in this one and have Atlanta in a position to try and record an upset win late in the action. For him to only connect on one field goal in a playoff game is something no one saw coming. He just couldn’t do much of anything against Miami, which no one was expecting. This was easily one of the worst games of Young’s career. I’m supposed to respect Trae Young when his team just got packed up by this MF’er? 😭 /bBSdxTigT0 Without a doubt one of the worst playoff performances of all time by a Star player. “TRAE YOUNG IS AN ELITE PLAYOFF RISER” 😭😭😭😭💀… /2w6rUsvQdm Trae Young got outscored by Kevin Knox in a playoff game 💀 That’s the kind of shooting performance you’d see during a YMCA game, not in the playoffs from one of the best shooters around. On Sunday, Young finished with a lowly eight points, going 1-of-12 from the floor. Trae Young was downright terrible in Game 1 vs. For Young, he had a game to forget and people are blasting him for it on social media. The opposite was the case, as Miami cruised to a 115-91 victory. 8 seed, fans were hopeful that Young would be able to lead the squad to an upset win. It all starts in a little less than a month from now when players and coaches will report to Golden 1 Center for training camp.There’s choking in primetime and then there’s what Trae Young did in Game 1 for the Atlanta Hawks going up against the Miami Heat. If Fox and Sabonis can stay on the floor for a majority of Sacramento’s 82 games this season, you have to feel good about the idea of this team making a push for the Western Conference Play-In.

Trae young stts full#

With two-time All-Star center Domantas Sabonis in the fold for a full season and noted perimeter threats Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter on the roster, Fox has the tools around him to lead this team on a run in 2022-23.įollowing Sacramento’s stunning February trade that sent second-year guard Tyrese Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers in return for Sabonis, Fox went on a tear during his final 16 appearances of the regular season: If Fox wants to receive the respect and recognition that the players on this list get around the basketball landscape, the young guard will have to will his team to a successful season for the first time in nearly two decades. Only 8 players have done so more during that timespan:įox’s numbers align with some of the best players in the league, but of course, winning is what sets these players aside from the Kings’ franchise guard. Since the beginning of the 2020-21 season, De'Aaron Fox has posted 30+ PTS & 5+ AST in a game 28 times. Only eight other players have done so more in that period, and there are likely some names that you will recognize on this list: Over Fox’s past two seasons (117 games), the 24-year-old is averaging 24.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 1.3 steals per game on 47 percent shooting from the field and 31 percent shooting from beyond the three-point arc.Īlthough Fox hasn’t been named to an All-Star team during his five-year career, the speedy guard is playing his way into the discussion by placing himself among some impressive names in the NBA landscape.įox has scored 30 or more points and dished out five or more assists in a single game on 28 occasions since the opening night of the 2020-21 season. Since the beginning of the 2020-21 season, Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox has proven that he possesses the ability to become an All-Star in the very near future.

#Trae young stts

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ailittle99 · 2 years

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I Tracked a Fitness Behavior for 30 days Using Google Fit, Here is my Experience

1) Introduction

Trying to develop a new healthy routine is often a very challenging process; while maintaining all of the current routines and obligations you have, you are simultaneously trying to better yourself by developing more beneficial habits. This can be especially difficult with the influence of factors outside your control, such as peer pressure or other obligations like work or school. Technology, depending on how you view it, can be a blessing or a curse with respect to this idea. While many applications have been developed to try to aid in developing new habits, such as fitness or meal apps (or even dedicated technologies like FitBit), having pictures of your favorite sweets spoon fed to your Instagram page can serve as a malicious temptation against your goal of eating better, and technology is the only one to blame for this.

My goals did not center around eating better, but rather exercising. I have been physically active most of my life, constantly involved in extracurricular physical activities since I was very young, but as one grows up and moves on from certain hobbies, it becomes more difficult (and also more important) to maintain a strong fitness regimen in order to ensure a healthy future. When it comes to physical activities one can do on their own time, I think running is one of the easiest to pick up. Although it is definitely harder on your body in the long term than activities like swimming, the overhead commitment to engage in the activity is often very low. All I need to do is put on my clothes and running shoes and step outside; no need to drive to the YMCA or find a gym to workout in or a tennis court to use. I have been somewhat involved in running since high school, although never as a serious sport or commitment. I have thus taken this as an opportunity to try to develop some habits around running and see if the use of a fitness app, in this case Google Fit (downloaded through the Google Play Store), will further motivate me to complete these activities, or whether its interface may be a hindrance in some cases.

Here is what I did: I set a goal to run an approximately 1.7 mile loop at least three times a week, tracking my runs on Google Fit using what data they include (more about the app will be discussed later). I hoped that my time for the loop would decrease as I continued to run, but as long as I ended the run exhausted and kept my goal of running three times a week, I would be satisfied. I also wanted to track my water consumption throughout the 4-week period allocated for this project. I am an avid water drinker, but I have never tracked my water consumption before, so I was both simply curious to see what it looked like and also wondered if the amount of water I drank would be elevated on days in which I worked out. Finally, I would like to model my experience using a behavior change model, specifically the Transtheoretical Model, which is a behavior theory that describes behavior change and maintaining new habits. I want to discuss my experience and how it fits into this model, and how apps like Google Fit may also play a role in this.

2) My Fitness Experience

I should note one more thing before diving into my running experience. I also have a 7-year old Black Labrador who loves nothing more than to go outside and run. So while my initial intention was to do these runs on my own, I ended up doing many of them with my dog. This modified the results / data so much that I have put these runs into their own category (which produced some very entertaining data comparisons!), and put my solo runs into another for better comparison. In particular, of my three runs per week, two of them were often with my dog and the last was on my own.

The circuit I used for running was an approximate 1.7 mile loop which connected to my house. This made it very easy to commit to running for reasons discussed above. While the loop was primarily flat and paved, there were two spots in which I had to cross the street without a crosswalk which gave some variation to the data in most cases. A screenshot from Google Fit’s tracking data is included below showing the route and some relevant stats from my final solo run. (Heart Points will be discussed later on)

Importantly, this location tracking depends on your phone’s location data. For the first few runs I had my phone on Battery Saver mode which apparently limits the location tracking data, producing some less accurate but maybe more entertaining location approximations such as this:

Or, even this:

Although I may have been running with my dog in the last one, we certainly kept a better pace than 0.84 miles in 26 minutes, not to mention cutting through the yards of several neighbors! Technology aside, time was the primary metric I was tracking. Over the course of the project, and my time allocation for solo vs. accompanied runs discussed above, the data from my runs is as listed below:

Runs with Dog Solo Runs

8/30, 26:05 9/1, 13:31

9/4: 22:45 9/8: 12:54

9/6: 25:49 9/9: 12:55

9/11: 21:46 9/16: 13:31

9/18: 21:01 9/25: 12:42

9/23: 23:49

For the observant reader, you may notice that there are two five day periods (9/11 to 9/16 and 9/18 to 9/23 respectively) where no runs were logged. While I did run on 9/13 and 9/20 with my dog, appropriately filling in these gaps, these runs took a slightly shorter route so I chose not to include them with the other data.

One thing I did enjoy about using Google Fit is that it collects several different types of data while you’re running. Step count, pace per mile (which is constantly tracked), relative intensity, and more. For a more streamlined analysis of the data, the averages of each group can be observed below. My average solo time came in at 13:06, and my average run time with my dog at a longer 23:32.

One thing I did not expect when completing my runs alone was that I would have four of my five runs that were within one second of another run. I expected a bit more variation, but I’m happy to see my times were fairly consistent! I was expecting quite a lot more variation when running with my dog compared to my solo runs, and I was not surprised to see that was in fact the case.

Since there were so few data points, and due to the nature of the data, I don’t think it is necessary to give further statistics (median, mode, etc) on the above data. However, Google Fit tracks some other metrics while you run as well, like step count and pace. While I don’t feel the need to list these out in much detail, my step count was around 2k to 2.1k on a typical solo run, and more when running with my dog. I did want to highlight a funny contrast between running with my dog and running on my own in terms of pace. See if you can tell which of the next two pictures is my pace on my own, and which is my pace with my dog. These are sample data taken at random from each category.

If you ever wanted to quantify what it felt like to go on a run and take a dog who likes to stop and sniff things every 30 seconds, here is an appropriate visualization for that :)

2.1) Water Consumption Tracking

As stated, I also tracked my water consumption throughout this period. My main source of water was from 17 oz bottles (really 16.9 oz, but rounding up for ease), as it was my favorite source of water but also provided for easy measurement. Here is the data collected from the project.

From this data, we yield an average of 3.09 bottles drank per day, which would equate to about 52.5 oz of water per day. The median and mode of this data are both 3, but the range was 4 (I somehow managed to only drink one bottle of water on a given day, which also happened to be a workout day). One day, 9/12, is missing here. Although I know I drank at least one bottle of water that day, the data somehow was not logged in my notes for tracking, so I decided to exclude that data point. I was curious how these statistics compared to days in which I exercised. Here is the water consumption data taken from exercise days.

While the average was slightly higher at 3.19, the median and mode stayed the same. I found it interesting that my lowest daily consumption of water occurred on a day in which I also ran. 9/20 was also a Tuesday, which was a day I had class. I always take a bottle of water with me to class, so this would mean I drank no more water for the rest of the day, which is surprising.

Fitness Summary

My main goal for my fitness was simply to stick to my original goal of running three times per week. While sometimes I ran more (two solo days back-to-back on 9/10 and 9/11), I did manage to meet this goal. As for the times of the runs, there are many other variables that could account for the variation including temperature, weather (which was almost a non-factor, thankfully) and diet during the given days, so tracking and accounting for those variables would be a way to deepen the analysis of the data.

When it comes to tracking water consumption, my main strategy was to log each bottle once I had finished it, but there were many times in which I had to go back in and retroactively log data or try to remember how many bottles I had drank so far on a given day. Going out to eat or drinking water from other sources required me to estimate a bit since no measurements were available in some cases. Although on some days I drank less water than I would have expected if I were not tracking, at no point did I ever feel dehydrated. I am fortunate to have constant access to clean drinking water, and I make full use of that. Since water is my main drink of choice, I’m guessing I simply substituted some drinks for other choices on those days.

According to Mayo Clinic, an adequate daily fluid intake for men is about 3.7 liters, although this is certainly subject to variation based on metrics such as weight and height. (Mayo Clinic, 2020) The bottles from which I drank held 500 ml each, which would mean that even when drinking 5 bottles of water per day, I was still more than two bottles short of the expected healthy intake. They do stress that not all of the fluid toward your intake comes from liquids, and that drinking other fluids is also acceptable, but this is still a higher daily amount than I expected, since I pretty much always drink fluids when I feel thirsty.

3) Google Fit: How I Used it for Running

3.1) Onboarding

My application of choice for tracking my running was Google Fit. I don’t have much experience (actually, I had no prior experience) with fitness apps, so this was chosen somewhat arbitrarily over other popular apps such as FitBit. However, after using it for 30 days, I can say that I do not have too many complaints. Overall, the UI was fairly intuitive after a small learning curve, and the statistics usually gave enough information to detail what they were tracking if it was not immediately apparent.

When launching the app for the first time, you will be prompted to connect it to a Google account. I am a frequent Google user, so I had no issues with this as it makes sense in order to keep track of workout history etc. The onboarding process is quite simple: the app only requests some physical information for workout tracking, permission to track workout activity, and permission to track location. A screenshot of one of these screens is provided below.

For first time users, it also asks you to set daily and weekly goals, which are either measured in calories burned or Heart Points. Heart Points are probably the most confusing system of this app for first time users, but it is essentially a measure of workout intensity. Based on the intensity of the workout (I’m not sure exactly how this is calculated, but there could be several methods) you generate more Heart Points. My runs by myself would generate about 25, for example. After that, the app takes you to the main screen where it displays a lot of information. Here is what mine looks like when I launch the app:

3.2) App Overview

The green and blue bars are measurements of daily heart points and steps taken relative to the goals you set before. Most of the information on the rest of the page is intuitive for a fitness app: it shows a step count, calories burned, your input weight, and also your goals input from the onboard process. It also shows your previous workout if applicable, and includes a few external links to other health resources for things such as sleep.

There are many other features of this app that I did not touch for this project, including things like tracking vitals (heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, etc), tracking nutrition and hydration (I wish I had known about this before tracking my water!), and even tracking your sleep, but the main one that I did use was the workout tracker. By clicking the google-colored “+” seen in the bottom right, you bring up a menu where you can track your workout. There is a very extensive list of activities to choose from on the list, so it’s likely you will find one supporting your type of workout. An example screenshot is given below.

I only experimented with the “Running” activity since it was relevant to my goals, but I’m sure that the information tracked for each sport is different based on the activity. After selecting Running, you would simply be presented with a “start” button which would give you a countdown before starting your workout. Details such as pace and distance are shown on that screen during your workout. When complete, you would simply hit the pause or stop buttons which now take the place of the play button on the screen.

As stated previously, the app works through Google accounts, which most people already have. One feature that I think would make a very cool addition to this app would be the ability to connect with other people and share your physical activity in a social-media type way. Many people already form groups to discuss healthy habits like eating and exercise, so integrating something like that through one’s Google account would be a very neat addition. The app does mention connecting it with companion apps, so although this may be possible through one of those, integration through the main app would be the best way to expose the feature and make use of it. The best way I can think of to integrate this feature would be to add another button to the taskbar of the main screen (where now you have Home, Journal, Browse, and Profile). This would be a very minor UI change but add a lot of functionality to the app.

Application Summary

Overall, I was very pleased with my experience using the application. Although I would consider myself pretty tech literate, after a small learning curve the app was pretty easy to pick up and use without much experience. Much of the information on the main screen is immediately interactable and so easy to find. Additionally, the menu screens only seem to go a couple menus deep in any direction, so you need not navigate through a chain of menus to find something you’re looking for. If I were to get more serious about tracking fitness and health in the future, I see no reason not to use this app.

4) The Transtheoretical Model as a Model for Behavior Change

I’ve talked a lot about my fitness journey and the tools that I have used, but what is the point of setting goals if you are not able to follow up with them? Can the process of setting goals and working toward them be more formally defined? This is where the Transtheoretical Model comes in. As daunting as the name sounds, the model itself is quite straightforward. The model seeks to define the stages of change for attaining a new behavior. These stages span the whole spectrum from precontemplation (not even thinking about the new behavior) to termination. (the behavior is so routine that it becomes permanent) A picture is given below, where the final stage, the “Termination” stage, would follow after Maintenance.

Source: Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundations

The arrow in the middle should be noted as well. This is not a linear diagram, so at any point it is possible to move in the opposite direction, away from the “next” stage of the sequence.

I found this model especially relevant to my journey as it is often the latter stages that are harder to progress through if you’re trying to fit real-world behavior into these stages. It is easy to tell yourself you’re going to do something like eating healthy or exercising every morning, but actually doing the activity each day is what often proves to be the most difficult. Those are precisely the stages I was hoping to move through with this project, with the hope of habituating my running (I’m not sure that happened, but more on that later).

When seeking out tools to assist your new-to-be healthy habits, it’s likely that you are already in the preparation or action stages of this diagram. It shows you are already taking action towards your behavior, which is required for interacting with apps such as Google Fit, since it expects you to already be exercising (or that that would be your next step) based on the way the app is designed. While there are almost certainly apps that serve to help someone in the earlier stages of behavior change, that is not the primary focus of Google Fit.

5) Conclusion

I enjoyed my experience tracking my fitness using Google Fit. It should be noted that I am no stranger to physical exercise, so maintaining my original goals may have been slightly easier for me than it may be for someone just picking up a physical activity. Since running was not a new activity for me, I expected I would be able to see my original goals through to the end of the project (barring things like injury or weather complications), and I am happy that I was able to without injury!

As much as I would like my 3-times-a-week running expectation to become routine, I don’t think that was the case within the scope of this assignment. Although I have made a habit out of taking my dog out every morning, the commitment to that is much less (and also much less intense of a workout). Things like weather, mood, diet, etc, are all factors to consider before an intense workout, as I sought out mine to be. I tend to use running as a mood-booster, and get a sense of accomplishment out of running. If I make a routine out of running, I think it may start to feel more like an obligation than a conscious choice, which would modify the way I would think about it. Although I did enjoy seeing my solo time decrease (on average) over the duration of this project, I think after this project I will continue to run semi-regularly (once or twice per week), with the added motivation of taking my dog out to run since he enjoys it so much!

Quite frankly, the most annoying part of this project was actually tracking my water consumption. Here several days after ending my tracking period I still find myself retroactively thinking about how much water I’ve had in a day each time I go to open the fridge for a new bottle. Since I found myself drinking water in many different contexts (school, leisure, exercise, social gatherings, etc.), trying to remember to log each time I finished a bottle was an annoyance, so I have a lot of sympathy for those that are trying to meal track, since that can’t be any better!

Although I think applications like Google Fit are great tools to support healthy activities, sometimes I feel they are only getting in the way. The little bit of time required to launch the app and find the right activity before starting my run became a little bit annoying when all I wanted to do was get out there and start running. The app attempts to track a lot of data, but it’s important to remember it can only track that data when you have your phone on you. If you’re doing something like Wakeboarding (an activity listed on Google Fit’s list), it’s less likely you may want your phone on you in that context. The app may have integration with things such as smart watches which would make this less of an issue, but the point remains that the calories burned and steps taken that are shown on the app do not tell the whole story.

There have been a couple times in my life where I have tried to make physical exercise habits, but they always seem to fall through. Whether it was lack of motivation or eventual lack of reason, (I feel fine/I’m happy with the way I am, so why bother?) I have never been able to make working out intensely a routine. The use of apps like Google Fit can be excellent tools for this goal, quantifying your goals in a visual format and tracking your progress for you, leaving you to only focus on the exercise. Being able to model these experiences through things like the Transtheoretical Model serve to help you better understand your experience and any troubles you may be facing at a given stage.

For those of you looking to start working on a physical habit, I encourage you to utilize all of the tools at your disposal! Apps like Google Fit serve to be your all-in-one resource for the matter, so you’re only doing yourself a disservice if you don’t spend at least a little time looking for tools to help support your journey.

References:

“Transtheoretical Model.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Aug. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transtheoretical_model.

Mayo Clinic Staff. “How Much Water Do You Need to Stay Healthy?” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 14 Oct. 2020, https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256.

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thebuckblogimo · 2 years

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Respect for elders, living in skin and the American dream.

September 29, 2022

There are several topics I've considered writing about of late, but none that seem to warrant an entire essay. So, as I sit near the window of a funky little Chicago coffee shop, The Worm Hole, listening to the store's Spotify playlist on killer speakers, and watching the hipsters walk by on the street, I've decided to write three "shorts" about things that have been tumbling about in my head:

Respect for elders. At age 75, you could rightly call me an elder, but, frankly, I don't feel like one. My mother-in-law, however, at age 93, is undeniably an elder. She's frail. She uses a cane. Sometimes she uses a walker. She's forgetful. And she has a tendency to repeat herself. With that as background, she spent two weeks at our home recently, and during that time she met with three of our four children (her grandchildren) and connected with our two grandkids (her great grandchildren).

I cracked jokes for her that she didn't often get. Sometimes I challenged her to "think" and to answer--for herself--the simplest types of questions she asked--to which she often knew the answers. And I coached her to "move it or lose it." I also observed how my kids interacted with her. In each case, they sat very close to her. They let her touch them. They were patient with her, allowed for her forgetfulness and answered some of her repeated questions in slightly different ways.

Understand, I don't disrespect my elderly mother-in-law. I do everything she asks of me, without complaint. But I got to thinking: Do I pay sufficient respect to a woman who has witnessed almost an entire century of change on planet Earth? So one day, while Debbie was preparing dinner, I endeavored to spend an entire hour with her in one-on-one conversation on the porch. I was amazed at the depth of some of the hypothetical questions she asked me. It was the best hour I've spent with her in a long, long time. I hope she sensed my respect for her.

Living in skin. I'm not quite sure I even understand the meaning of that term. During the height of my advertising career, I knew a young account executive who was very much into music and played in a band called Living in Skin. When I inquired about the meaning of the group's name he explained its derivation, but I have no recollection of his answer.

A short time after that, I recall reading a quote in a magazine by some rock star who stated his feeling that we Americans spend so much time on our electronic devices, so much time racing around in traffic, so much time doing the "things we have to do," that we don't have time to call a friend, or stop along the way to have a conversation, or to take half an hour to just "live in our own skin."

A few weeks ago I took a ride on my motor scooter through the local cemetery in Grand Haven for the first time. I was stunned by the beauty of the property--rolling hills, an expanse of woods near a sand dune, and an atmosphere so quiet that when I stopped to sit on a bench for a while, the only thing I could hear was the chirping of birds and the waves of Lake Michigan off in the distance. For about half an hour I just sat there and meditated about stuff. The experience was damn near transcendent. I suspect I was living in my own skin. And it was good.

The American dream? I go to the local YMCA most mornings to work out. It's a popular, very vibrant "Y." Whether going in or coming out, I invariably see dozens of attractive-looking young mothers wearing colorful athletic gear, either delivering or picking up their young ones for swimming lessons, youth camp, day care, etc. Sometimes they push strollers, often they carry backpacks filled with who-knows-what, always they arrive or depart in their shiny SUVs.

When I see them I imagine that they must live in nice homes, that they and/or their husbands have good jobs, that they are living comfortable, middle-class lives. But I don't know that for sure. I am simply making assumptions about them. Just as they probably make assumptions about me.

I just hope they don't take the good lives I suspect they lead for granted. I hope that they, at one time or another, have been exposed to some of the countless unfortunate people who live in our country, and throughout the world--the kind of people who experience hunger, pain, poverty and suffering every day. I do my best not to take my life for granted. I hope the beautiful young families who belong to the Y do the same.

The end.

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lovelyyy-luna · 3 years

Text

study break

pairing: (fezco x fem!reader)

fandom: euphoria

type: smut

warning: 18+ fingering (fem receive), praising, blow job, choking.

request: anon: can you do a fex x reader where he’s being kinda clingy and it ends in smut but like kinda rough

word count: 1226

a/n: the reader is in high school but is 18 :)

date: march 26, 2021

masterlist

This last month was vastly busy for you. Senior finals were coming up and you needed to do at least okay on them if you wanted to graduate on time.

You were watching the shop while you were studying and your boyfriend Fez was dealing in the back.

You didn’t know if it was because you were busy but Fez has been very clingy lately. Every time one of his customers came in the back and left he would walk out with them and wrap his arms around you. And like clockwork someone would come in interrupting his time with you.

You didn’t mind him just hanging around you but he would try to distract you from your studying so you did your best to ignore him. You would give him little kisses but be mainly focused on your work and not him.

He didn’t have anyone coming by the shop for at least an hour so he decided to take advantage of that. He locked the front door and made his way to behind you, nuzzling his face into your neck giving you little pecks up and down.

“Fez, baby, I know you want to have fun but I really need to study.”

“I know. Why don't I just take control and you just focus on your studying?” his lips trailed up your neck and bit your earlobe.

“That's not fair,” you start losing your train of thought when his tongue swirled around your neck, “you know all my weak spots and i-” you were cut off by his hands sliding up your shirt and pinching your nipples, “and I don't even know what I was about to say.”

He laughs lightly against your skin. “How about while I have my fun with you, you read out loud what you are studying? Sounds like a plan?”

You nod just wanting his mouth back on your sweet spot. “Okay honey, read your study guide.”

You were always puddy in his hands when he called you that, “honey, you need to study,” he then resumed his work on your neck.

You try to read the paper but you felt his hands trail back down to the button of your pants and stopped. “Read it,” he said sternly and resumed sliding your pants off leaving you in your shirt and underwear.

With a nervousness to your voice, you read aloud one of the questions, “what happened in Chicago in 18-” you moaned as he slowly rubbed your clit over your underwear, “86 that led to the killing of 8 people?”

You wanted him to go faster and as if he was a mind reader, “I’ll go faster if you answer the question correctly.” he whispered and kissed the side of your head.

“Um, it was,” he started to pick up pace, “the uh Haymarket Riot.”

“Good job honey,” his praise made you even wetter. “Read another.”

“Please baby,” you looked back at him wanting him to just take you already.

“No, you said you needed to study, and I'm helping you. Read another, now.”

You look back at the paper and read the next one, “what um, groups were the uh, result of the, fuck,” Fez’ moved your underwear to the side and slide one finger in and started to move painstakingly slow.

“Honey I dont think the word fuck is on that paper,” he chuckled in your love-bitten bruised neck.

“What groups were the result of the social gospel?” you couldn’t handle what he was doing to you.

“What was it, baby? I know you can do it.”

His praise made you moan, “the salvation army, oh god,” he started to go faster causing you to press your ass closer to him, “and um the YMCA.” with the other part of your answer correct he adds two other fingers in you.

Your chest was on top of the counter and your whole back half was exposed for him.

“One more honey?” he cooed.

You shook your head violently just wanting him to fill you.

“Do you wanna take a little study break?”

All you could do was nod your head, “you sure?”

“Fez please just fuck me!” you snap back to him.

He chuckles and with his three fingers still in you he uses his other hand to rub your clit. You squirm at his touch and you knew you were close and he knew that too. He kept at a steady pace but applied pressure whenever he could.

You couldn’t hold it any longer and with the last pump of his fingers curled up in you, you came all over his hand.

“Such a good girl,” he said, wiping the hair stuck to your face by your sweat.

“Do you think you can go another round for me, honey?”

You nod your head and his lips crash into yours, “good because when I did with you, you aren’t even going to remember your own name.”

His tongue then swirls with yours and with a swift motion he picks you up and places you on the stool that was behind the counter.

You get yourself situated and he starts to undo his pants, you see his hardon pressed violently against his jeans, and when he unleashed you could tell he wanted to fuck you for a while. He whimpered at the touch of your thumb rubbing his pre-cum down his shaft and then you lubed it up more with your spit.

When you bent down to put him in your mouth you heard him moan and that really got you going. With your hand wrapped around him and you bobbing your head, he was starting to become undone.

As much as he loved seeing you like this he wanted to be fucking your brain out.

He grabbed you by your hair and pulled you off him, and a line of spit from your mouth connected you to him. You wiped the spit off of you and wrapped it around him and gave him one last deep stroke making him grip your hair harder.

“Fuck baby you are going to the death of me.”

You get back on the stool, prop your arms on the counter. He centered himself in front of you, he moved his tip and spread your lips. He did this a few times to gather your wetness around him.

He slipped it in and waited for you to get used to him again.

You tell him to move faster and he happily obliged.

He was pounding into you, rubbing your clit. His other hand snaked up to your neck lightly choking you.

Your eyes rolled in the back of your head in pleasure.

Your moans and his grunting filled the shop.

You could feel another orgasm coming and his pace was increasing. You grab the arm that was choking you and forcefully pull him close to you. With his face being inches away from you his pace became slow and deep but his attention to your clit continued at a blinding speed that you screamed but quickly buried your face into his neck stifling it.

You both came down from your high and he places kisses on your forehead.

“Did you have fun, honey?”

You nod still in a state of shock and he could tell that he ruined you in the best way.

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isshebreathing · 3 years

Text

Sharing my first resus story, please be kind:

Bringing up our child pt: 1

We sat together on the sofa trying to avoid the heat. Both sprawled out in nothing but a tank top and underwear, her bulging belly mounted in the center of her body like a rapidly growing hill to climb.

I was the one who wanted to give birth to a child, she would have been perfectly fine with adoption, but I was so desperate to experience a pregnancy my weak heart could never support that she agreed to carry our child.

Pregnancy had been awful for Lizzy, I knew it but she never complained, she would never complain because she loved me that much. She sat up suddenly and asked for antacids, it wasn’t uncommon so we’d started keeping them all around the house like little candy jars. She chews two and sits up to get more comfortable, despite siting directly in front of the air conditioner and a fan I notice beads of sweat forming on her forehead. These hot flashes had been happening at night, she’d wake up covered in sweat, make her way to the bathroom and take a cold shower, then make her way back, to bed I’d sit with her in the bathroom and offer to get her ice or a cold washcloth but she always declined, “just need to wash the sweat off” she’d say.

She was usually so reluctant to accept help, which was why I was surprised when she asked me to get her a cold washcloth and some ice.

As soon as I got back panic began to rise in my throat, she had shifted from the sofa to the floor on all fours, panting as her body started to drip with sweat. “Call for help,” she said weakly, “I can’t get up.”

“911 can you please give me your address?”

“1217 east main st, my wife is pregnant and something is wrong, please send someone to help, she looks really bad, she can’t get up and she’s dripping with sweat.”

“Okay ma’am I need you to stay calm, is you wife breathing?”

“Yes she is, she’s on the floor on her hands and knees, she can’t get up, she’s breathing really heavily”

Lizzy looks up at me with pleading in her eyes and doesn’t try to reassure me, I know something must really be wrong.

“Ma’am I need you to give me this info okay”

My mind snaps back into the phone call as I realize the dispatcher is trying to get information from me.

“How far along is she?”

“Six months, she’s due in September, she hasn’t had anything like this happen before, please hurry, I have a heart condition and I cannot help her up”

“Ma’am they are coming as fast as they can…”

I panic further as Lizzy’s eyes roll back in her head and she face plants into the floor, letting out a horrific groan and violently seizing

“Oh my god send help now she’s having a seizure”

“Okay ma’am you’re going to have to be calm to help her okay,”

“Don’t tell me go calm down bitch, my wife and child are seizing uncontrollably on the floor, I will freak out as much as I can thank you.” I think to myself.

“Is she still seizing?”

“Yes.” I snap back, “Oh fuck how long has it been”

“Okay I need you to roll her on her side and make sure there’s nothing in her mouth that she can choke on.”

I grab her back under her bloated belly and heave her onto her left side, she continues shaking and gasping in a horrific noise, I pry her mouth open and sweep my finger through it as a sickeningly pale foam gorges out.

The seizing slows but she continues to gasp horrible breaths, desperate for air. Her body goes limp as she desperately tries to pull air into her lungs one last time. Her eyes glaze over as she stares off into something that I cannot see.

I push my two fingers to the side of her throat to confirm my worst fear, her heart has stopped.

“Fuck she’s in cardiac arrest, send someone now!” I scream to the dispatcher as I rush to the front closet to get the “just in case” kit that Lizzy put there after one of my episodes. “Unlock the front door” a large note says on top, reminding me to open the house for the paramedics that I pray would be here soon. A wave of appreciation for my wife’s continuing fear that I would suddenly drop dead washed over me.

I rush back to her and I see her lying there sickingly still and with a blank stare as her body rapidly turns a horrifying gray/blue color.

“Ma’am can you hear me? What is happening now?”

I realize I haven’t responded to the dispatcher since screaming about Lizzy going into cardiac arrest.

“She’s in cardiac arrest, we have a defibrillator and a breathing kit, I have a very weak heart, I need help now”

“Ma’am they’re coming as fast as they safely can, what is happening now”

I flip Lizzy on her back and try to stay calm as the mound of her belly turns the same sickingly gray/blue color as the rest of her body. I rip off her top and have a bashful moment as her milk swollen breasts flop off to the sides, distracted for a moment by how beautiful my wife’s full and soft body was. I put one AED pad in between her breasts and lifting her up gently to place one between her shoulder blades. Putting one on her side like is usually advised would risk the shock jumping over to the baby and forcing the fetal heart rate out of control. The shock had to go directly into Lizzy’s heart to try and convince it to start.

“Analyzing rhythm, do not touch patient.”

The wait seems like hours before it says “shock advised”

I hesitate before pushing the flashing button, a shock goes through Lizzy jolting her limbs in an unnatural form as the mound in her belly shakes.

“Check pulse, if no pulse continue CPR”

I stick my fingers below her chin and feel nothing.

“Fuck please send someone now, I have a very weak heart I can’t do much CPR”

The dispatcher replies but I don’t comprehend what she says as I lock both of my hands over her chest and push down as hard and as fast as my weak and pathetic body will allow me to.

“One and two and three and four…” I count to myself, it’s the only thing from my YMCA CPR class that has stuck. I get to thirty and I swipe my finger through her mouth again removing more yellowish foam that I now notice has red streaks in it.

I tilt her head back and pinch her nose shut, I can feel my heart weakly pounding as I cover her mouth with mine and weakly breathing into her as her chest rises, I repeat the action again, then frantically comtinue compressions “one and two and three and four and…”

The defibrillator pipes up with its computerized voice again, “analyzing rhythm, do not touch patient.” I feel weirdly comforted that I have this sentient machine by my side.

Another agonizing few seconds pass before the machine says “shock advised” as the machine is powering up I look in the orange bag my wife diligently packed never expecting it to be used to sustain her own life, I see an ambu bag attached to a mouthpiece and another little bag with a hose attached and a note that says “O2 concentrator” I connect the tube to my oxygen concentrator and turn it on I hear the loud air intake noise as I push “shock” again.

The shock is stronger this time, Lizzy’s body contorts again in an unnatural surge. I push my fingers into her corroded again and feel nothing. I stick the plastic piece into her mouth to keep her tongue out of the way and slip it into the mask, and then squeeze the bag as two deep oxygenated breaths make her chest rise more than my pathetic weak lungs could ever imagine.

I lock my hands in the center of her chest again and start compressions “one and two and three and four and…” I can feel my heart start to murmur and skip from the strain.”

“Somebody please help” I scream in desperation, the thought of losing both my wife and child slips through my mind as I pump her chest harder, fully prepared to kill myself in order to save them.

My head starts to spin as I fill her lungs with another breath from the ambu bag. There’s a ringing in my ears as I start my weak compressions again “one and two and three and four and…” I feel my body weaken knowing it will never be enough. “I’m so sorry Lizzy” I thought as I failed to keep her heart beating for either her or our child.

I feel a hand on my shoulder pull me back as a hand puts an oxygen mask over my face as I gasp to fill my useless lungs with air. Someone shoves a nitroglycerin tablet into my mouth and slips a pulse ox meter on my finger.

“That’s it honey, deep breaths, just like that” they say.

I weakly try to remove the oxygen mask and choke out the words “no, her, baby”

“They’re on it” the woman moves aside to reveal three paramedics surrounding Lizzy and working in a perfectly choreographed dance.

One woman pounds on Lizzy’s chest so hard her breasts and belly cave in as a sicking “huf huf huf” sound escapes her mouth with each compression.

Another man kneels buy her feet with a stethoscope to her belly.

“We have a fetal heartbeat, holding steady at about 100, baby’s very stressed though.

I am suddenly terrified for the life of my child. “Please stay alive baby,” I thought, “I will give my weakly beating heart to keep you alive”

I continue to suck up oxygen through the mask as I feel my chest start to open and my heart return to a normal pace. I notice Lizzy’s feet bending inward with each intense compression as they rock her whole body. I see another medic tilt Lizzy’s head back and slip a metal hook into it to force her jaw open and insert a plastic tube. She suctions up the blood and foam that had been blocking Lizzy’s throat, then hooked up an ambu bag and forced precious air into her lungs.

“STAND CLEAR” someone yells and I see them blast another shock through her heart. This one was stronger than the others and her body jolted and then hit the ground flopping uselessly like a rag doll.

I watch in a haze until the words “we have a sinus rhythm, let’s pack up for transport.” snap me back into reality.

The paramedic kneeling next to me says”we have your wife and baby back but they’re still in a lot of danger, we are going to take them to the hospital now. You are going to follow them, your heart rate is very high and your pulse ox is very low.

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