#and if i apply this thinking to my other hobbies then maybe i’ll acquire skills on par with my art

[danothan]

collection of art wisdom

sources: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

[btawizzle]

Guide to : Essentials Career Path in A nutshell

What makes the most sense to you right now for your career development? Since I’m taking a Journalism major in Uni, I really think that the most sense decision I’ve ever thought about ( right now) is being a journalist and a screenwriter. It may sound silly, “you’re a Journalism major, of course you’re going to be a journalist”, but I seriously have many other things in mind when it comes to my job ( I really wanna be in a rock band, you know. I can play the bass or be the front man, but yeah )

And the things I have to do to develop my career will be everything that is related to writing. I can write fiction, children's books, essays, travel and beauty blogs, or maybe write a news/article. Looking forward to it~

What will complement your interests, skill set and the lifestyle that you want to have?

P-r-a-c-t-i-c-e

Okay, since I really want to have an extra boujee-parisian-lifestyle, I really have to work my *ss off. I honestly have many interests in things that’ll make money such as building a business, baking, drawing and also writing, but sometimes I just have 0 interest in practicing them. ( I guess i really have to) but for the things that I’m excellent at and don't really need a polish, that’ll be public speaking and it applies for any speaking related matters, like storytelling, and also speech ( If I have the material, too lazy to do the research)

I really want to work in entertainment, being a screenwriter and producing some work there, being a news anchor or PD at a radio maybe? but then if I finally knocked some sense into me, I guess i want to be a lecturer in a university that writes cool scenarios for their drama club and bake when bored

What do you find to be the most compelling thing to explore at this moment in time?

Honestly, figuring out what I want to do with my life. Maybe practicing some of my hobbies that I wish has a relation with my future career,like how digital video and design are supposed to work (whole adobe thingy), how to write an article/novel/blog/essays, coding? The most complicated thing I know on earth, that I wish I could just understand in a blink and also think about what I am going to do if I want to move to france.

The path you choose to follow will help you develop your career and achieve your ideal job. Therefore, it’s important to explore the different approaches available before you begin. In the next step, you will start to look at some of these approaches.

Do you already have an idea of what your ideal job is?

I really think that the idea of an ideal job is something that gives you enough money to live but not really draining you out of energy. I mean, if you’re that busy you never get the fun anymore in those jobs, the money , it has to be worth the energy that you drained, you know.

People often talk about how your passion should be your source of money blah blah blah, but sometimes, we just don't get the fun anymore if everyone pushes us to make enough money for living everytime we do what is called our passion.

I’m thinking about being a teacher with ok money and then do my hobby/dreams as the side hustle ( you know, if i’m not pass out because m’too tired), that’s my ideal job

But if we’re talking about dream jobs? Oh how I just want to be in a rock band and do gigs until the day I die, or maybe marry Damiano David from Maneskin and become a housewife? Yeah, sounds good.

What do you think the path to it looks like?

Before we finally become a lecturer, we have to-at least- have a master degree. So, because it’s 21th century and the school tuition is not cheap, I plan to take a scholarship, and hopefully I can go to europe.

I plan to be the best at uni, not that ambitious, but just to make sure I graduate on time. Until then, I plan to do my best as a uni student, like joining some organisation , doing some internship, and obviously practicing my writing abilities. I plan to find a part time job that is related to journalism ( applying to a magazine/online zine/newspaper) or something like that really, anything ( photographer, make up artist for newbie models) and keep a little amount of money for future me.

After that, I’m going to take a B1 placement test on my german, and then maybe korean/french? And of course, IELTS so i can go to europeeee for my master studies

Ok then after uni, i want to work at a magazine while I’m applying to those scholarship studies. Ok then I got the scholarship, quit the job, went to Europe having my studies and living my best life. Hopefully I will be able to still work there and get my PR maybe? And then do literally what I want. Lecturing maybe, or get a job on some movie production ? become their screenwriter. yeah

Have you previously considered that there might be different approaches to your career path? Or is this a new concept for you?

Yes, and I am super open to it. I’m just going to try my best and the rest is not in my hands. Whatever happens later in the future, that’s what my work pays off, or that’s just what god wants me to have in my life. I’ll accept it with open heart ( hopefully)

#I really want to be rich and happy.

Before you explore these further, there are a few key areas you need to keep in mind:📷

Career goals

Knowledge

Skills

Personal characteristics

Experience

In order to start on the career path you want for yourself, you need to make a plan about what you’re missing in each of these areas and what you need to acquire. Identifying purpose or focus in this way is called ‘ikigai’ in Japanese. You can read more about ikigai by visiting the links in the See Also section.

Whichever approach you choose to develop your career, these are areas you will need to focus on to see what could be further developed as you build your career.

Now let’s explore five different approaches:

1. Matrix

The matrix approach is about having skill sets in different areas and bringing them together to create a profile that is distinct to you. You may have a variety of interests you want to pursue. With the matrix approach, you can explore how to combine these interests into a role which is unique to you.

For example, someone who would like to study web programming, as well as design, could look to combine these interests and become a web developer for any company or organisation with an online presence.

2. Ladder

The ladder approach is better suited for those who know exactly what career or job role they want. They have a dream job in mind or a dream company they wish to work for, so they’re willing to work their way up the ladder to get there.

For the person that aspires to work in television, that might mean starting out as a runner on set. They may then work their way up to get a role as a director or an executive producer, or whatever that ideal role might be.

3. Entrepreneurial

The entrepreneurial approach is about turning an idea into a business and learning along the way. You apply your current skill set whilst rapidly growing your capacity in all areas of business. It takes a lot of work, patience and courage, but can be deeply rewarding for anyone who finds this path to be of interest.

4. Network

The network approach is geared around building a network of contacts that will be mutually beneficial. For example, if you were at a tech networking event and you met a few founders, this would be a great opportunity for you.

What is key in the network approach is to ensure that you’ve thought through what you can offer someone, so that it’s a mutually beneficial and authentic relationship.

5. Portfolio

Creating a portfolio might be more commonly associated with jobs in photography or graphic design. However, it is both relevant and necessary across many disciplines. Many employers will want and need to have an idea of the type of work you can do, so the portfolio approach is a great way for you to demonstrate your skills.

If someone were looking to build a career in public relations, for example, they would be at an advantage if they had a portfolio of their previous coverage. This highlights not just their contacts but what type of work they are capable of doing.

A portfolio is just as valuable a commodity as your CV, so you should build one in line with the career you are interested in pursuing. It is also a great way to share your work and skills with people beyond a job application. For example, you could add it to your LinkedIn page, website or any other medium.

Summary

Choosing the best approach for your career is an essential component of your lifelong career development. There’s no guidebook or master plan for building your career. You can take a sabbatical, be a stay-at-home parent, or even move down a position.

The important thing to remember is that your approach is your own. If you find that multiple approaches like those mentioned above appeal to you, find a way to combine those to take the right approach for you.

Share your experience:

Have you already been using any of the approaches mentioned in this step?

Can you find any examples of other approaches for developing your career? Not for this moment, but I’ll definitely go with Matrix combined with a portfolio approach. I am building my portfolio in tumblr, wix and wordpress.

Why not have a go at exploring a few of these approaches further? I wish to explore more and I will do it thx.cash

[magic-and-moonlit-wings]

Becoming The Mask

Chapter 1: Discovery

I gave in and started a Trollhunters fic, in large part because nobody else I could find was writing a “Jim is a Changeling and knows about it instead of getting caught off-guard in the fic’s premise” story, (other than, arguably, the “Jim is a Changeling-human hybrid with amnesia that blocks out his early human life” series, which I do recommend but which is very different from what this is).

Changeling Jim enjoyed his cover. Human food was far better than troll food. Dr Barbara Lake was an affectionate mother, but absent often enough that his duties to the Janus Order went unnoticed. The neighbour Toby was acceptable company and kept Jim from looking suspicious for having no friends his apparent age. Once in high school, he could slip reports directly to Stricklander along with mundane homework.

And then, of course, Merlin’s Amulet just had to choose Jim as the next Trollhunter.

Also on AO3 and FFnet.

Human food was, in Jim’s opinion, exponentially better than troll food.

That didn’t stop him from eating empty cans or burnt-out lightbulbs, but it did inspire him to experiment. Today he was making French toast for his mother’s breakfast and meatloaf sandwiches for her, his, and his friend Toby’s lunches. He had some regular toast while checking the recipe, and ate the eggshells while mixing the eggs with milk and just a touch of cinnamon.

Barbara was sound asleep, glasses still on and pushed to an awkward angle by the pillow. At least she’d kicked off her shoes. He put her breakfast on the dresser and slid her glasses off, polished the lenses, and placed them by her meal. Jim tucked his mother’s blanket around her shoulders and kissed her forehead.

“I love you, Mom,” he whispered.

No, it wasn’t sentimental or weird. It was good cover. If Jim kept up the act even when there were no witnesses, he was less likely to slip up when there were witnesses.

He checked on his Familiar, Jay-Jay, while brushing his teeth. The original James Junior, unaging in his cradle, sucked his thumb and slept peacefully.

Jim had been Jim for over fifteen years and his Familiar had only been Jim for three months, and the Lake parents hadn’t even stuck with just one nickname until after Jim was planted. ‘Jay-Jay’ and ‘Jim’ and ‘Jamie’ and ‘Junior’ were all used interchangeably in the first year before gradually settling on ‘Jim’. The human might have had it first, but Jim was the Changeling’s name now.

He hadn’t had a name before this assignment.

Jim took care of the various household needs, packed up his backpack, and left for school. The trash bin was overturned. Raccoons or goblins? He huffed in annoyance.

Toby was there, worrying about being late for school. Jim tried distracting him with food. If all went as planned, Killahead Bridge should be rebuilt within a few years, maybe even this year. Jim wanted the humans he knew to enjoy life while they had the chance.

“I can’t eat this. I’m on a diet.”

“It’s healthy. Protein, fiber, vegetables, and it’s actually got flavour.” Jim waggled the bag temptingly.

“I shouldn’t …”

“Come on, you’ve been on a diet for fourteen years. You’re fifteen!”

“Long-term goals.” Toby tucked the lunch into his backpack and got back onto his bike. “My body’s still changing.”

They rode for the first few blocks in panting silence.

Jim liked Toby. He wished he could think of some excuse why they ought to keep Toby alive when Gunmar returned to devour humanity. The boy had an interest and extensive knowledge of geology for one of his species, but nothing compared to a troll. None of Toby’s other interests or skills would be relevant in Gunmar’s world.

The closest thing to a solution Jim had come up with so far was that, if Gunmar wanted to keep eating humans long-term, then they would need to be farmed. Toby’s propensity to put on weight might make him desirable breeding stock.

But humans tended to view the ‘breeding stock’ concept as horrific and degrading and traumatizing when applied to sentients, and besides, with artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization being a thing now, that might only keep Toby alive for a few years while his sperm was harvested and preserved.

At least Jim had a reason Barbara Lake should be spared. She was a doctor. Barbara would be more useful alive, keeping the livestock humans healthy, than killed as food herself.

Stricklander said Jim had developed a sentimental attachment to his Familiar’s family. It was common for Changelings fresh out of the Darklands. Jim’s retort was that he would have no qualms at all about James Lake Senior being eaten.

“It’s eight o’clock!” cried Toby. “Late, late, late, we are so late!”

“Let’s take the canals.” Jim veered off the road into a wooded area. “It’ll save us five minutes.”

“Not the canals!”

“Live a little!”

“It’s living that I’m worried about!”

There was a pile of gravel under the bridge. Jim wouldn’t have paid attention to it if it hadn’t called his name.

“Jim … Lake …”

He slowed and circled back around.

“What up, Jimbo?” asked Toby. “Wasn’t the shortcut to save time, not waste it?”

“You go on ahead, Tobes, I’ll catch up.”

“Jim … Lake …”

“Wait, what was that?” Toby looked around the sun-drenched, empty canal and called out in challenge, “Who’s there? Who said that?”

Jim spotted a blue flash in the rubble.

Was that …? No, it couldn’t be … He got off his bike and dug it out.

“Whatcha got there?” Toby leaned over his shoulder.

“Pocket watch, maybe,” Jim invented. “Or, some kind of high-tech walkie-talkie.”

There was a loud ring.

“Final bell!” Toby gasped. “We’re so late our kids are gonna have detention!” He climbed back onto his bike and raced away. Jim followed, the Amulet of Daylight tucked in the pocket of his sweatshirt.

Thank everything holy and unholy that he had History first period.

“Jim, you seemed distracted in class today.”

“Yes! I – actually, I was hoping I could talk to you about that, at lunch, or, after school. About some,” he lit his eyes for a moment, “extra-credit work.”

Mr Strickler’s eyes shone gold and red in return. “Of course, Jim. You know my office door is always open to my students.”

Jim went to Mr Strickler’s office at lunch. He plucked the amulet from his pocket and placed it on his teacher’s desk without preamble.

“I found this on my way to school this morning.”

Stricklander went pale, then stern. “Did anyone else see you take it?”

“Tobias Domzalski, but he doesn’t know what it is. We were cutting through the canals. There were no other humans around. I didn’t see any living trolls, but if they found a dark enough shadow then I couldn’t have spotted them in this form. It was pretty sunny.”

“Mm,” said Stricklander noncommittally. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Jim. I’ll take care of it.”

A more ambitious Changeling would have argued, wanting credit for their part in any undertaking. Jim took the chance to exit, wanting nothing to do with anything that had to do with the dreaded Trollhunter.

At least, that was the plan.

With a puff of light, the amulet vanished off of Stricklander’s desk and reappeared in Jim’s hand as he reached for the door. He dropped it, startled. Both Changelings stared at the unassuming little silver trinket on the floor.

Stricklander spoke slowly and precisely.

“Is there anything else you ought to tell me about your discovery of this amulet?”

“It said my name,” he admitted. “When I was biking past – that was why I stopped and went to look and picked it up.”

Stricklander sat down and pointed to the piano stool. Jim gave the office door a dirty look for not having a lock, and left the amulet on the floor. It teleported onto his lap when he sat down.

“This suggests you have been chosen as the next Trollhunter.”

“That’s impossible.”

“So I too would have thought. And yet, here we are.”

“You really think the amulet can just pick the next Trollhunter on its own? I mean, I get that it’s magic, but still. It’s an inanimate object.” He looked at it thoughtfully. “Semi-animate at most. Some of this looks like clockwork.”

“What tomes I’ve acquired of troll lore claim that the amulet chooses the Trollhunter. There should be an incantation inscribed. Try to summon the armour and we’ll know for certain.”

“Or, if it’s really sentient like you said, it’ll kill me for being a presumptuous Impure.”

“Don’t call yourself that.”

“What, presumptuous?” Jim asked cheekily.

Jim turned the pocket watch-like device in a slow circle. The runes around the edge were trollish, of course, which he could read but not well. Literacy had not been prized as a skillset or hobby in the Darklands. There wasn’t much available to read unless one wanted to risk Dictatious’ wrath for touching his precious collection. On the second revolution, the words on the amulet helpfully translated themselves into English.

He made a face at what he would have to say. May the Pale Lady forgive him.

“For the glory of Merlin … Daylight is mine to command.”

He really should have stayed standing.

Jim floated into the air, his stool knocked back, blue light surrounding him and pushing its way into his body. Frightened, he switched forms – he wasn’t much bigger trollish than he was humanoid, but he had tougher skin that way. He crashed to the ground in oversized armor. It shrank to fit him.

“Jim! Are you alright?” Stricklander demanded.

“… Wow.” Jim examined the gauntlets; felt the breastplate; turned to examine how the armor accommodated his short tail; checked the helmet that still left his horns exposed. “I mean, I always figured Bular would kill me someday, but I thought it would be in a fit of misdirected rage, not for an actual reason.”

He tried switching back to his human form. Again, the armour adjusted itself. There were metal horns on the helmet now. They felt longer than his; maybe they were the shape his horns would be once they grew out.

“This could actually prove useful.” Stricklander twirled his pen. “If the trolls accept you as the new Trollhunter, that means we have a spy in Trollmarket and need no longer fear the Trollhunter will interfere with our plans.” He put the pen down decisively. “You leave Bular to me. I’ll find a way to make that brute cede to logic.”

“If he doesn’t just come snap me in half tonight for the bragging rights of killing two Trollhunters in twenty-four hours.”

Stricklander stood and put his hand on Jim’s shoulder. “Leave Bular to me.”

Changelings were taught to spy and lie and manipulate. Stricklander was an especially good actor when he played the role of a caring mentor. Jim knew Stricklander was a Changeling, just like him, and yet part of him still insisted that the reason Stricklander played the role so well was because it wasn’t just an act.

The armour dissipated. Jim caught the amulet as it fell from his heart.

Stricklander let go of him and spoke briskly.

“Our best option, I think, is to assume that you were seen finding the amulet and allow the trolls to believe it chose a human. The unprecedented nature of this should cover for any inconsistencies in the magic’s behaviour and your own ignorance of troll culture.”

Jim scowled at being called ignorant, glared for it being true, and felt an unpleasant twist in his stomach for how badly he wanted to change that.

Troll culture had been his culture, once upon a time, before he’d been taken and altered and become what he was.

He didn’t remember anything from before. He was too young when it happened. Every Changeling was. He certainly didn’t have enough memory scraps to truly say he missed it. But part of him still wanted it back.

Which was foolish and treasonous and beside the point in any case.

“That’ll be easier than trying to craft a troll persona and explain why they’ve never seen me around Trollmarket before, especially if I still look too young to be out on my own. Might still get me killed, but this thing’s a death sentence on its own, isn’t it?” holding up the amulet.

No, Jim didn’t know much of troll culture, but he suspected their reaction to a human Trollhunter would be only slightly better than their reaction to a Changeling Trollhunter – namely, a quick death to pass the mantle down to a real troll rather than pausing to torture him for information first.

And he also knew that Trollhunters, particularly Trollhunters living in the same city as Bular, had notoriously short lifespans compared to the average troll.

Table of Contents

Next Chapter (Blinky and AAARRRGGHH find ‘Master Jim’)

[bgtoukedu]

UK/Wales University Application Documents

Disclaimer: I am not a professional and this guide is based on my personal experience. Please double-check any important steps and keep in mind that some things may vary depending on your university of choice. Furthermore, this post assumes that you have picked courses and universities you would like to apply for.

1. Documents

Every application process starts with documents and universities are not an exception. For a standard application in a university based in UK or Wales you will need:

(Most highly dreaded) personal statement

Reference by a teacher or a tutor

Language certificate

Transcript of your predicted grades

Some of these you’ll need to provide straight away and some will be required in the process. We will go over those down below:

1.1 Personal statement

I’m guessing that this bit terrifies a solid amount of applicants, and understandably. This is your personal essay. You’re supposed to talk about yourself, your interests and achievements. This is the part where most people start considering themselves ‘boring’ and ‘quite ordinary’. Chances are, you have a ton of things you could write about. I’ve laid out ground rules and basics below:

You have 4000 symbols allowed. That is approx. 650 words and 47 lines.

You need four paragraphs: Genuine interest, Skill and Knowledge, Language skills + Experience in multicultural environment, Motivation and backing up your choice of university.

You are required to send the same personal statement to all 5 universities so refrain from including their names anywhere in your statement.

You don’t want to go way above the limit, because the admission committees might refuse to read it. I highly doubt this will happen unless someone has had a very awful day and decides to take it out on your essay, but furthermore it indicated that you’re not able to fit your arguments into a provided limit, which may present itself as an obstacle throughout your university life.

Let’s dissect that paragraphs:

Genuine Interest

This is a short introduction of your letter and a chance for you to tell them why you’re interested in the course, how you discovered it, any touching stories related to your interest etc. I opened my personal statement with a story about a very inspiring robotics teacher that I had at the time and how he motivated me to pursue robotics further. I know people like to talk about books, quotes, siblings, family situations and circumstances that pushed them towards the chosen course. My advice for this section is to start putting things on paper. No one’s first draft looks good or tidy. Chances are by the time you have finished your statement it will look nothing like your first draft anyway. Don’t be afraid to start your first sentence with cliche phrases - they will evolve at a later stage anyway. Here, it is important that you put emotion so your passion transcends through the paper.

Skills and knowledge

This section is quite important as experience is always valued - regardless if you’re applying for university or a job opening. Most people choose to talk about their high school years and emphasise on extra curricular activities they were involved in. Any unconventional volunteering experiences and hobbies are welcome. Being a tiny bit different in this case makes you memorable - universities often tend to prefer diverse environment. If you can’t think of anything you would like to put in this section, you should probably go back to the basics and put a twist - for example how the typical, repetitive high school subjects gave you interesting insights and unlocked skills? Whatever you chose to focus on in this section, remember that it’s not about the experience itself but rather the skills and qualities you gained from it. In order words, saying that you have enhanced problem-solving skills due to a particular volunteering activity gives a better impression than simply pointing out that you were involved in volunteering. 

Foreign Languages and Multicultural Environments

I wrote my statement 3 years ago and I really don’t remember why this section was highly desired from a personal statement. It is important to indicate in some way that you wouldn’t struggle in an academic setting and you have the ability to navigate university life in multicultural environment. For most people this means talking about languages they know and how they use them or mentioning experiences in foreign countries. You might want to mention any other skills you think will help you to excel at university.

What makes you think that this is the right institution for you

This paragraph is the least personal - here you want to show them that you did your research. As mentioned above you are required to send the same statement to all 5 universities, so you can’t really go into details. Don’t be afraid to mention things that you really liked, even if not all 5 universities have them - if you’re really keen on taking that YI (Year in Industry) mention that. You want to conclude that you’d be an asset to the institution and express your excitement.

A word on plagiarism: Obviously you’re trying to write your own piece, but plagiarism might ban you from the application process. Looking at statements for inspiration is absolutely fine as long as you don’t copy them word for word. The UK/Wales institutions have plagiarism software which has access to hundreds of databases and if you’ve copied some work the copied sentences are painted in (very throw up-y looking) green.

1.2 Ze Reference

If you have the ability to go up to a teacher/tutor and kindly ask for a reference and they are willing to write it for you - good for you! Teachers who write their own references are the best. But some of us don’t have that luck - either because our teachers are busy or because they don’t know how. For those of you:

Your reference is typically one, one a half page at most. Your reference resembles you personal statement just a tiny bit. So you’d want to go in the same direction. A technique that works once you’ve asked a teacher to sign your reference is to track which classes you had/have with them and what skills you acquired through them. Briefly ask them what are the first 3 words they associate with you. Feel free to spice your reference up, after all, you’re the one writing it - as long as it sounds realistic. Keep a basic paragraph structure and focus on different modules or activities led by the teacher. Finish up by saying that ‘You know that this student will be an excellent addition to the aspiring community of young academics in any institution’.

1.3 Language Certificate

Before we begin on this, there are ways in which you can avoid taking the test and paying for a language certificate. You will need to check with your university, but you maybe could:

Take the national state English exam (матура) with an average of 5.50 or above

Take the entrance exams (not all universities have them, Aberystwyth University does). By getting above 50% you might be able to escape the certificate.

They just don’t care. Good universities do care though.

The point of a certificate is to prove that you can speak English just enough to be able to keep up with academic work. There are three types that I know of. The IELTS, The TOEFL, and The Cambridge.

Ultimately, Cambridge is valid for 50 years but it covers more material and it focuses on both academic practices and general grammar. Usually people aim to get their Cambridge certificate a year before applying for universities as it relieves the stress and gives them the opportunity to retake it if failed.

TOEFL is valid for two years and it is computer based, with a duration of 4 hours. It eliminates face to face communication and the score system is 0 to 120. I have no experience with TOEFL or Cambridge examinations.

IELTS Academic is the certificate I went for, due to not being aware of the options to prove my knowledge in a different way as outlined above. The purpose of IELTS Academic isn’t to teach basic grammar but rather to imitate the format of academic assignments. It focuses on crafting complex arguments and tying together a bit of grammar and specific writing style. I’ll link up my post and a list of resources on passing an IELTS examination asap.

1.4 Transcript

This is by far the easiest bit of your application. Going to the administration office of your high school and requesting a transcript is something you can do early on in the process of the application. It usually summarises your achieved grades for the past few years and has some predicted grades based on current averages which, combined, make you overall average.

2. Submitting documents

A lot of universities allow individual submission through their webpages, however, the universal way to apply is through UCAS. This is a platform which conveniently provides the option to submit your documents to 5 different institutions in a secure way, with provided tracking option. Don’t be shy, visit the link and click around to get acquainted. :) I will be breaking down the UCAS pages in a future post, which I will make sure to link below real soon.

[vesperlionheart]

Pompeii 37

His hair was getting longer and now he was having to do things with it. Sakura had offered to cut it, but Yamato had said he preferred it longer now that he had the option of growing it out. It felt better to be a little more rugged and a little more wild.

Of course Sakura teased him about turning into a wild bearded man before he reached out to try and smack her, complaining about how ‘she knew he had issues growing facial hair’ or something like that.

“It’s a little messy today. Don’t you want to put it up?” she asked, eyeing it critically.

His hair was lovely in its texture, and it made her envious, but Yamato was still learning how to take care of it.

He reached for his hair and started to pull it up with his hands, combing through with the nails of his fingers before letting it all fall back down. Behind him the radio was on with old songs plucked out on a banjo and old box drum about the fey in the wilds and the heroes who went after them. Sakura recognized the tune.

“I guess it would be nice to have it off my neck a little more,” Yamato muttered.

Sakura pulled a hair tie off her wrist, one that was bright yellow and matched the floral design of her tank top and ballet flats.

Yamato eyed the hair tie before leaning into her. When Sakura didn’t do anything, he but her with his head and grunted, pointing to his hair.

“Big baby,” Sakura muttered.

She reached for his hair and combed through it much like he had earlier, taking care not to scratch him with her longer nails. She checked to make sure she didn’t miss anything before tying it all up in a low ponytail that she ended up folding into a bun.  

“There, now you should feel a little cooler when you’re outside. Where have you been, recently? I haven’t seen you about as much these days.”

Yamato shrugged before walking over to a part of the living room and reaching for something behind the couch. Sakura thought it might have been a guitar, but it was the wrong shape for it. It looked handmade apart from the strings she recognized as his last Amazon Prime order-the one he needed her account for.

“I’ve been trying to teach myself how to play.”

“You like to play?”

Yamato sat down and settled the instrument that was too short and too fat to be a guitar over his knee. He didn’t pluck, but he did start to move his hand up and down the neck of it.

“Maybe? I don’t know until I try it out some more. I’ve never had the opportunity to see for myself what sorts of hobbies I should gravitate towards. But, I know I like music, I always have, so this seemed like a safe thing to try.”

Sakura felt her heart swell with warm pride.

“Play something for me?”

He looked up and grinned. There was something that twinkled in his eyes, something meant and reserved solely for her.

“Because it’s you...alright.”

Sakura looked down at the resume on her lap and then back up at Sai. She tried not to, but the sigh slipped out and was noticed.

“I need to make improvements,” Sai said.

“No, I...honey, I don’t think the issue is with this resume. You’ve done a good job crafting it. But I’m a little confused about the choice. You want to work at the grocery store? They have customers...you need to….interact with.”

Sakura hated how her words came out sounding like they were directed at someone far more inexperienced or younger than her.She didn’t want to do that to Sai after he worked so hard to get where he was.

It hadn’t been that long ago that she felt the pressure from others to reform herself and fix her bedside manner. Oddly enough, the way she remained nonplussed and unshaken by patient needs turned out being the thing that made her such a perfect fit for Pompeii. But Sai wasn’t Sakura and Sakura wasn’t Sai.  

“Maybe the grocer is not the ideal career opportunity for my unique skills, however, they are short of staff and acquiring the job would be less challenging than others.”

“Still, the customer service aspect seemed to trouble you last time.”

Sai’s expression doesn’t change and Sakura knows he hasn’t taken offense.

“We were out of that size so the only other option was to lose weight. I was trying to be helpful.”

“Babe,” Sakura tossed the paper back to his lap and sagged down in her seat. “What are we going to do with you?”

“Make me cookies?”

Sakura couldn’t hold back a snort or a smile. “My cookies have not been coming out that great, lately.”

“You’re worried about something?”

She rose from her seat and stretched her arms behind her back, lifting her face to the roof of her apartment room and watching the pattern of the plaster flicker from the simulated fire coming out of her television. It had been raining a lot more recently with the onset of the monsoon season and it made her want to cuddle in slippers and blankets in front of a fire. She didn’t have a fire, so she compromised with the next best thing.

“I’m not going to be worried about anything,” Sakura sighed like she was making a decision. “Help me get the ingredients. I needed to bake something for Ino’s party, it might as well be cookies. If they come out terrible we can stop at the grocery to drop off that resume and pick up treats worth eating.”

“I always like eating what you make,” Sai commented in a matter of fact tone that was so painfully Sai it made Sakura warm.

Another far off boom of thunder echoed outside and the pair looked to the window of her balcony where the first few drops were starting to come down. It had been raining almost every other day for the past week or so. More than one person wanted to blame Pein for it, but Sakura heard some of her patients say that cursing the handsome god would only be taken as prayers and payment for rain, so it was better to keep your mouth shut about it all and hope he stays off wherever he is spinning storms out of prayers.

He hadn’t been back in weeks, and the car she returned hadn’t been touched or seen since. She wanted to feel anxious about it, but now that she knew where he was, she didn’t. Even apart, it felt no different.

“Was I invited to this party?” Sai asked her.

Sakura blinked, tearing her eyes away from the rain streaks. Sai had one hand inside the flour jar, grasping for the measuring cup buried at the bottom. Sakura always forgot to take them out.

“Shouldn’t you know that?” Sakura asked before batting his hand away to reach in and remove the cup.

“I am not sure. I received no communication about this event, but Ino mentioned leaving that up to Naruto, so it is possible he forgot about me. He’s been...absent.”

“There’s a bug going around that’s heartier than the common cold. Naruto’s had it off and on the worst out of everyone I know. That’s not a secret or patient confidentiality, by the way. I don’t want you to think that-”

Sai waved her words away. “You were only saying what I already knew. He’s been absent so often at the grocery store, which is why I am applying. He was out all last week, but fine the week before that. He might be there at the party tonight.”

Sakura felt her stomach roll. “I hope he stays home and gets some rest. There’s only so much I can do and it’s frustrating when you reach the end of your usefulness.”

“None of us are useful for everything always. For all of us there is an end of our usefulness. What do we do when we reach that point? What do other do with us when we reach that point? I think about this more than I would like to admit.”

He took the measuring cup out of her hand and used it to count out the number of cups of flour the recipe needed. Sakura let him mix the first few dry ingredients before slumping forward to drape her arms over his shoulders and stop him where he stood. He made an irritated sound, unable to move as freely, but Sakura just hugged tighter.

He complained to her about trying to work and eventually she let go of him to sit back and watch him put the ingredients together. It was a while before he noticed she wasn’t helping, only watching.

“Is it me bringing the treats, or you?”

He handed her a dripping spatula she had to cup to keep her floor from getting dirty with batter. He dragged his index finger through the end of the spatula and then licked it clean before turning back to the work.

He hummed as he worked and ten minutes later the cookies were in the oven and Sai was cleaning his hands and complaining about the texture of cookie batter not being as good as the taste. She didn’t feel the need to comment, but Sakura couldn’t help but laugh, and it’s almost as bad as a comment judging by Sai’s reaction.

The cookies ended in something less than a disaster, pleasing Sakura greatly. Sai declared her baking funk was over and submitted an informal request for lemon bars.

“I’ll make you your lemon bars if you help me with my hair and makeup. You did such an amazing job last time,” Sakura said.

“It’s only because it’s on you. I don’t like working with others.”

Sakura rolleld her eyes and remembered the disaster that was the beauty salon. Ino had never looked closer to murdering someone. At this rate, Sakura was fearful for Sai’s life if he flubbed any more job opportunities. One of them was going to end up in blood or bruises, at the very least.

The party was to watch a livestream of a solar eclipse or something close to that, Sakura wasn’t really sure. Ino seemed ready to host a party for any odd reason and so Sakura didn’t question it when she was invited.

If Sakura considered it, she realized she had been separated from some of her friends a lot more recently. That might have been because she was no longer a hot new commodity, being the ‘new girl in town,’ or it could have been because of something else. Maybe something in the forest. Maybe something less drastic.

Even the Uchiha raven and crows were scarce these days, or if they were around, they were far off watching from a distance. She tried to pretend that didn’t give her anxiety, but it was hard. Sai and Yamato were balms to her soul. She didn’t know what she would do or feel if they hadn’t been there.

Sakura scribbled a note on her nightstand to make a call to the Uchiha and check in on Izuna to see if he needed another treatment. His lungs were coming along great and she missed the visits, to be honest. Just….after Itachi…

Sakura let the pen roll off her nightstand, leaving the note blank.

She changed out of her casual wear and stepped into a pair of dark blue straight leg ankle biters and strap heel sandals. It was a party after all, so she put some care into choosing a dressy top that complemented the curves she had and imagined the curves she didn’t.

She was going through her collection of cheap earrings when Sai let himself in.

“Let me do your hair first,” he said, lightly smacking her hands away from the bangles.

“I want something that hangs.”

“That would be smart since this is an off the shoulder top, good eye.”

Sakura beamed at the praise before her chin was roughly yanked up and her hair was pulled into his fingers. Sakura kept her mouth and eyes shut, already trusting his choices. He tugged at her hair tight and then pinned it back before weaving fingers under the strands and teasing them out. Sakura opened her eyes and looked in the mirror as he finished and smiled at the messy, low bun that had been too artfully crafted to be truly that messy.  

He moved in front of her and touched the skin under her eyes before starting to smear cream there. Sakura winced at the cold feel, but let him paint her as he liked. Sai was good with his hands and had an eye for art. It was such a shame he couldn’t find a fit in a field where those traits were valued. His personality was too rough for a beauty salon.  

“Sai!” Sakura gasped, eyes flying open.

“Shut them,” he commanded sternly.

Sakura did as she was told but didn’t settle her lips the same way. “I want your resume. I’m going to drop it off somewhere else. Forget about the grocery store.”

“What are you thinking?”

“Trust me.”

He clicked his tongue, but a few seconds later his brushes left her face and she heard him move. When she saw herself in the mirror she knew her suspicions were sure.

She grabbed a clutch and the pair left together. Sakura made Sai stop outside the tattoo parlor and dropped off his resume as well as a few sketches she had of his laying around. Sai stayed outside, staring up at the sign while Sakura put in the good word.

A handful of minutes later she had secured an interview on Thursday 4:30PM.

The whole rest of the way she was smirking like the cat that got the cream.

They were actually meeting it what looked like a renovated firehouse that Shikamaru was living in along with his buddy Choji. The pair split their time there and at the family homes. There were a few families hoping that wasn’t a trend that would catch on with their sons and daughters. Family was a big deal in Pompeii.

A few faces looked up and greeted Sakura with enthusiasm but then slid to Sai and then stiffly back to Sakura.

Ino cut through the crown to kiss the side of Sakura’s face and then tug the plate of cookies out of her hands.

“Come on, let’s get you something to drink, drink.”

Sakura could smell the booze and it was almost like highschool all over again, only this time they were supposed to all be adults. “Ino, it’s one in the afternoon.”

“What? It’s our happy hour.”

Her eyes were too wide and too blue to not be innocent. Sakura felt she couldn’t be surprised anymore by anything Ino said anymore.

“It’s good to see you too, Sai. You’ve been as elusive as ever. Sorry about the job not working out. Still friends?” the blonde cooed.

Sai nodded but seemed at a loss for words, which was okay because Ino just launched herself into the next thing she had planned on saying. In typical Ino fashion, all was forgiven and forgotten.

Something about Gaara doing this, Temari doing that, the Hyuga this, the Uchiha that. Sakura was glad for how much easier it was to keep up with the news and how much more impactful things seemed. These weren't just names anymore. She knew most of these people.

“Where are Shikamaru and Choji, anyway? I should see them and thank them for hosting this party,” Sakura said, looking out into the room where two dozen or so people were gathered to lounge on couch arms and turned round chairs. The television was on showing the eclipse as it happened across the country. Sai took up a spot in front of the television.

“Where do you think the lazy snore hound would be? He’s sleeping on the roof again. He says the monsoon clouds are some of his favorite to watch and that he’ll come back in if it starts to rain again. I think Sasuke went up there, actually. A good bet if you’re looking for that Uchiha is to search for the high places.” Ino shrugged. “It must be a bird thing.”

Sakura accepted the drink put into her hands and sniffed once before sipping at the rim. She looked up when she noticed Ino was waiting patiently for a comment or reaction.  

“Is this...cider?” Sakura asked. “I thought the season was still a month or two off.”

“Funny about that, ‘cause it’s imported stuff. We’re bringing a lot of stuff in from the outside because our own stuff is on the down low, but just for a season. It’s great for variety. Sip, sip, I think you’ll like it.”

Sakura did like it and told Ino as much.

Ino moved on, taking a drink over to Gaara and encouraging him with a laugh like a bell to ‘enjoy himself’ a bit more. Moments later she was moving on to someone else, trying her best to make sure everyone was enjoying themselves like a good host would.

Sakura took Ino’s occupied space and sat down next to Gaara. Thankfully he seemed to perk up at the sight of her and not stiffen like he had around Ino.

“You look like you’re having fun,” Sakura lightly tease. “How have you been?”

“Better since seeing you. It’s been a...while?”

Sakura nodded, trying to remember the last time they had seen each other. “Not that long, though? What would you consider a long time?”

“It matters how much I want something, I suppose.” He sniffed at his drink and set it aside with a worried expression. “But it’s not just you. More families have become more busy with the summer season, that’s how it is every year I think. I’ve not seen Naruto in a couple weeks either.”

“Have you been sleeping, lately?” Sakura asked, reaching to brush hair out of his eyes without thinking. She paused only after her hand had made contact, realizing how inappropriate the contact might be since she hadn’t asked permission. “Sorry, bad doctor habit.”

Gaara managed a shy smile and shook his head. “No. Good doctor habit.” He looked up at all the edges of him seemed to melt around her. “It’s nice seeing you again here like this. You look nice.”

“Thanks, but I can’t take credit. I had help with my hair and makeup. I was never good at those things growing up when I was supposed to be learning such things.”

“We all have shortcomings, nothing to be embarrassed of.” He shrugged his shoulders and averted his eyes. “Also, you don’t really need...to be good at something like that. You look pretty no matter what you do.”  

Sakura opened her mouth to say something back but the door to the front opened and she hear the conversation that made her head turn along with Gaara.

“Naruto! You made it, brat.”

“Don’t call me a brat, Kiba.”

Naruto and his twin were in the doorway but something was wrong about the way the blonde was standing, hands buried in the pockets of his windbreaker and smile wan. His skin wasn’t healthy with the usual tan, and his eyes seemed agitated.

Menma muttered something Sakura couldn’t hear from the distance, but guessed it to be something chastising based of both boy’s body language. Something like, ‘you really shouldn’t be here, Naruto.’

Sakura couldn’t help but agree when the doctor in her screamed at all the symptoms of an ill person that was pushing himself. Her eyes were wide, soaking all of him in with horror.

As if feeling it, his eyes met hers and the wan smile stretched wide.

“Sakura!” his hands slipped out of his pockets and he made a beeline for her. He looked so happy even if his brother was a vision of worry.

Sakura felt her heart stop when Naruto didn’t even make it halfway across the floor, but staggered and collapsed in a sick, sliding smile, and dizzy eyes.

Several voices shouted at once.

All Sakura could feel was dread.

[zackhormanundefeted-blog]

Yoga

the USA Yoga Federation West Coast Regionals Adult 50+ Gold Medalist, began practicing yoga on a regular basis in 1977, using Richard Hittleman's Introduction to Yoga.  Just before his 59th birthday six years ago, he stopped by the local Hot Yoga studio in Scottsdale, Arizona as “a gift to myself.  I had been curious about hot yoga, stopped in, and have been going ever since,” he reminisced. Mike practices at The Foundry Yoga in Paradise Valley and Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona, training with coach Heidi-Jo Klingman. Despite his very demanding full-time job as a burn surgeon, he prepares for competition in three ways: practicing the classic 90-minute class at least three times a week; taking advantage of other classes (Pilates, HIIT, barre, power yoga) to help build strength and endurance; and taking private lessons with teachers and working on the homework they give him. Mike has been competing for three years. Why did he first get interested? “I did it the first time because I appreciated the challenge and also because I got a lot of encouragement from my teachers,” he explains. “I went to my first regional competition about three years ago.  I fell out of standing bow but found the preparation for the event really helped my focus and my practice.” Other benefits of training? “Not only was I now more focused on the postures in my routine, but I was also conscious of more attention to form and detail on the rest of the 90-minute sequence,” he says.  “Plus, it's a great group of people who compete!” To stay fit, he starts most days with a cup of hot water and lemon juice followed by a Jamba Juice large Greens and Ginger.  He eats a light salad for lunch, and “then I come home and eat whatever my wife puts on the table for dinner.” He has mostly eliminated caffeine and reduced his intake of starches.  He drinks 3 liters of water a day. Other hobbies include hiking and skiing. Mike has worked at burn centers all over the country, including Seattle, Cincinnati, Miami, and Chapel Hill, and have been in Phoenix for the last 10 years. He and his wife have three adult children. “My daughter practices Hot Yoga off and on,” Mike says.  “My youngest son (who is 27) came once.  Unfortunately, I neglected to prepare him for class, and he had a cheeseburger for lunch -- that didn't go so well!”   His advice for yogis considering competition in the 50+ Division? “Try it--there is nothing to lose, and it's a great experience!”

Mara Scaramella: Continually Challenging Herself

by:

Lisa Pafe

Category:

Adult 50+

yogisageless

usayoga

senioryogis

yoga champion

May23

Mara Scaramella has a lot on her plate, but she still finds time to practice and compete, achieving the first-place medal for Arizona Adult 50+ Women for the past three years. Mara is one of the USA Yoga Federation scholarship winners for the 2018 Nationals and is looking forward to the competition in Madison, WI.

“I enjoy going to the competitions – the whole community is really nice and really fun,” she says. “I’m really looking forward to it and am really excited that there are so many Adult 50+ female competitors this year!”

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Cori Crawford Van Oss: A Beautiful Practice

by:

Lisa Pafe

Category:

Adult 50+

yoga champion

usayoga

yogisageless

Apr30

Cori Crawford Van Oss, the Adult 50+ Women’s Gold Medalist for the Southern States Regionals, is looking forward to her first USA Yoga Nationals competition. Age 54, she has practiced yoga for 12 years and is now ready to showcase her skills. “For me, the competition gives me a goal to work for so I’m taking my body as far as it can go in a healthy way,” Cori says.

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Mo Fathelbab: Being Healthy and Living Longer is a Conscious Decision

by:

Lisa Pafe

Category:

Adult 50+

yogisageless

usayoga

senioryogis

Apr16

Mo Fathelbab, the 2018 USA Yoga Mid-West Regionals Virginia champion for the Adult 50+ Men’s Division, is a focused, passionate entrepreneur and devoted yogi. He has practiced for 20 years, primarily Hot 90 style, but considers himself a seasonal yogi.

If the weather is nice, you will find Mo paddle boarding down the Potomac River or outside enjoying nature. If it is snowing, he might be skiing with his wife and son. No matter what though, he practices his competition routine daily to prepare for Nationals.

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For Lisa Pafe, Competition is About Showing Your Perfection

by:

Clara McGrail

Category:

Adult 50+

yogisageless

usayoga

senioryogis

yogaeverydamnday

Apr10

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April Penland

by:

The USA Yoga Team

Category:

Athlete Interviews

yogaathletes

yogacompetition

yogasport

youthyoga

usayoga

yoga champion

Apr02

April Penland went from teaching high school Latin to teaching yoga. On stage April manages to find stillness and grace, attributes she’s acquired through a decade-long, consistent yoga practice. This consistent practice is what earned her first place in this year’s Midwest Regionals. We caught up with her as she traveled to Mexico, Austin, and back to Virginia to teach class and lead workshops.

How did you become involved in yoga? My now husband brought me to my first Bikram yoga class when I was stressed out in college. What year did you start teaching? Officially 2016, though I led advanced classes, competition training, “homework” sessions, and workshops before that. As a teacher, what’s advice you try to give to your students? Try everything without any preconceived beliefs of can and can't, but accept wherever you are.  You're stronger than you think.  You can do anything with practice, time, and patience.  So do more yoga.  Also, remember you don't have to touch your head to your butt to get the therapeutic benefits of the posture.   You also teach youth yogis, particularly for competition. Why do you think yoga is important for children and teens? In my opinion yoga fosters a sense of optimism, teaches calm and patience, and is good for one’s physical (as well as emotional and spiritual) health. How did you become involved with USA Yoga?   About two months after taking my first advanced class, Garland Hume (my former coach, studio owner, teacher, and now-President of USA Yoga) said something to the effect of:  “Hey, we all do this competition thing.  It's so fun.  You should do it.” And I didn't know enough to consider any option other than, “ok.” I discovered she was right though, and I've done competition ever since. Did you see a change in your mindset or approach going from teaching yoga to being a yoga competitor? Hmmm, well I was a competitor first and then a teacher.  I've learned a lot though from being competition oriented about alignment and the kinds of corrections/suggestions that help people progress in both beginner and advanced postures.  One thing that I learned quickly when I first started teaching is that some people don't care about progressing in the postures (they just want to feel better), and in my opinion there is nothing wrong with that.  I'll happily share what I know but respect when students, barring doing something that will cause them to hurt themselves, decide not to listen (it's their class). April, you’re known (at least on my Facebook feed) for your impressive handstands where you push up from a prone position. How did you start doing that? How long has it taken you to get to the point you’re at now? I started with kicking up onto the wall and then eventually took it off and could do a banana back handstand in the middle of the room with a few attempts.  Then I found Adrian McCavitt, saw his handstands, and started going to every class he was teaching here in Richmond, Virginia, that I could—hand-balance and otherwise.  I was straddle pressing within six months, consistently within a year, pike pressing within a year though not consistent at all, and now I can do so pretty consistently.   I taught myself a lot of the crazy shapes and lowering down to various poses (because once you know the technique you just apply it to the new stuff you want to work on).  He is an excellent teacher (I've learned and continue to learn so much), but as he says, your handstand progress is directly proportional to your lack of social life.  I consistently worked on it for a long time everyday over that period of time.  That's the road map. How many years have you competed? Since 2012 I believe, so 6. From all your years of competing, what’s something you would offer as advice to new competitors and what would you offer as advice to people who have been doing it for a few years? New Competitors:  I was lucky to have a coach who emphasized how wonderful and awesome it was just to get up and share your practice.  No matter what happens on that stage, you’re an inspiration to those who witness you. Seasoned Competitors:  Don't take things too seriously.  I've run the whole gambit of placing (I've been first, second-to-last, and all over in between) and at the end of the day it doesn't really matter.  Just get up there and show what you've learned and have fun.  Also I'm of the mindset that I like to see people do well.  So if someone asks me about technique or how I trained something, and I can help them, I tell them.  Maybe this makes me a bad “competitor,” but I'm ok with that because first and foremost I'm a teacher.  Besides, if I ever win first internationally I want it to be because I had the best present moment on stage, not because I stifled someone else's growth.   How often do you do the advanced, 84-posture series? Twice a week. Would you recommend that other competitors vary their practice? Hmmm, depends.  I only did Bikram class for the first 8 years of my practice.  I found vinyasa because I found a teacher I liked and respected.  If something comes up organically that resonates with you and is beneficial, add it.  But don't ever lose your foundation, your “maintenance” practice.  It's most important.  I personally practice a lot and lots of different styles because I like to practice. Is there any type of exercise outside of yoga that you would recommend to people who are competing? Depends.  I do calisthenics and handbalance classes.  I'm considering adding ballet (never too old right) to help with lines, splits, and toe point.  Add what you want if it makes you feel good and is beneficial.   How has yoga enriched your life, what has it brought to you? I'm an introvert and it's really given me a community I can connect with.  It's helped me learn that I can do anything (seriously, anything).  It's helped me manage my anxiety.  It's led to me being a healthier person.  It's taught me to be kind to myself and to take care of myself.  It's lifted my mood.  It's offered me a career I find satisfying, rewarding, and fun.

Nahoko Nakayama: Getting Older Means Getting Stronger

by:

Lisa Pafe

Category:

Adult 50+

yogisageless

usayoga

senioryogis

yoga champion

Mar13

Nahoko Nakayama, Gold Medalist in the Adult Women’s 50+ Division for the Mid-West Regionals, uses age to her advantage. At age 63, her daily yoga practice provides a firm (and flexible) foundation for her success as a yoga competitor.

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USA Yoga Fundraiser: The YogaWorks Fairfax Team Rocks the House

by:

Ainslie Faust

Category:

Fundraisers

yoga champion

usayoga

yogisageless

Feb12

The YogaWorks Team

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Caty Cook: All Things Are Possible

by:

Lisa Pafe

Category:

Athlete Interviews

usayoga

yoga champion

Jan29

After a break last year to relocate from Richmond, VA to Pennsylvania to be closer to family, Caty Cook will be competing once again this year in the Adult 50+ Division. Currently retired from her business career, she teaches and trains with Roxanne Janecki at BYB Binghamton, NY studio, and also works part-time in merchandising at Home Depot.

Why is she competing? “It’s important for me to keep setting goals and competition is a good way to do that,” she says. At age 58, she knows it is important just to keep moving. One of the many benefits of competing is that “you learn from other people that all things are possible and you don’t define yourself by your limitations. You are more accepting of yourself and others.”

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Interview with Bel Carpenter

by:

Ainslie Faust

Category:

Champion Interviews

yoga champion

usayoga

yogasport

yogacompetition

yogaathletes

Jan22

Bel Carpenter has been practicing yoga and meditation since he was a young child. After years of studying asana, pranayama, and meditation, Bel became a yoga instructor in 1996 and opened the first yoga studio in Aspen, Basalt and Glenwood Springs Colorado. He competed every year for the first 10 years of the USA Yoga competition, and International Ghosh Cup. He placed 3rd in the world in 2005 and 2010. Tell me about yourself. I have been teaching yoga, training teachers, and managing one to three yoga studios for 21 years. I have two amazing children, who are the pride and joy of my life. My daughter, Juliana, is 13, and my son, Soren, is 10 and. In 2013 I founded Vimana Yoga, which offers six distinct styles of yoga, from fast paced Vinyasa classes all the way to Yin Yoga, in an integrated system with my ex-wife, Emily. I currently operate White Horse Yoga in Carbondale Colorado, and lead Vimana Yoga Teacher Training intensive‘s around the United States and Canada. How did you become involved in yoga? Swami Satchidananda blessed me at my home when I was a few months old in Boulder, Colorado. I spent a few days at his workshops over the years when I was growing up. He had a special children’s program. I remember being a rowdy kid, sitting there and thinking, “What are all of these people doing, sitting here all day?” But when I met him personally as a seven-year-old, it changed me forever. Were your parents involved in yoga? They were a little involved in it, but my mom’s best friend who was my second mother was a chef for Swami Satchidananda. Growing up in the strong Buddhist and yogic community, Boulder Colorado I was surrounded by enlightening new age practices. When did you start your physical practice? When I was a child, we had a children’s yoga book that was called “Be a frog, a bird, or a tree.” I would stretch and do yoga with both of my parents; my dad more so than my mom because my mom worked so much as a family physician. I loved lotus pose. It was one of those things that I have always practiced. My dad used to take me to the sauna at the University of Colorado’s rec center and he taught me to stretch, and massage my legs. What year did you start teaching? Emily and I attended Bikram’s fourth teacher training in 1996 together, and started teaching right away after that with Radha Garcia.  She told us that it might be Bikram’s last training in the United States, so we had to go, and we did. So, in 1996 you were training and then 2013 you begin your yoga brand; when did you open your first yoga studio? We taught for six months at Radha’s studio in Boulder and then opened our first studio March 15, 1997 in Basalt, Colorado. Emily’s run the studio in Basalt, and I run White Horse Yoga in Carbondale, which opened on July 7, 2007. Wow, a very auspicious date for that! Yes, but the practice of yoga is bigger than numerology. How did you become involved with USA Yoga? It was at the advanced retreat in Maui, in 2003, when I first learned about the competition. Rajashree [Choudhury] asked if we would compete. That was the year that men and women had to compete against each other. Not a good idea to do with your partner! That year I went on with Esak [Garcia] as first and second from the state of Colorado. Did you see a change in your mindset or approach going from teaching yoga to being a yoga competitor? Absolutely. I had a steady practice, but it definitely motivated me to challenge my practice and see what I could do, and be more diligent about it. Whereas earlier, some days I would say, “Yeah, I could go for a hike, go climbing or skiing, or I could look on my practice.” When I started competing, more often than not I would choose to do yoga training. How many years did you compete? About ten years. I think I’ve done about 45 competitions, if you include all the regionals, semi-finals, and finals. How are you affiliated with USA Yoga now? Vimana Yoga has been a business sponsor The last several years, and I have done a few booth at nationals and the super-regionals promoting our teacher trainings and Vimana Yoga. I am excited after a few years off to compete again this year. Have you considered judging or coaching given your vast knowledge of yoga? I would, certainly, but it’s not my thing. If there were a big community of people interested in competing I could be a coach. But I would be too harsh of a judge. Everybody would get zeros! Ha,ha,ha! I’m just kidding. I like to be in the action. From all your years of competing, what’s something you would offer as advice to new competitors and what would you offer as advice to people who have been doing it for a few years? I think just to not take it too seriously. Have fun with it. Use it to motivate your practice and yourself without being too competitive about it. Was there a year when that advice served you particularly well? I always tried to keep it pretty light, and not be too serious about it. In 2008 my son was a month old when I went out for the competition. That year another competitor purposefully distracted me during my routine. I could not believe it. He was on deck right after me in the finals and he stood exactly where my focal point was but he was moving around while I was doing my routine. But, having a baby at home put it all in perspective. I thought, “I’m a dad. I have kids. If it’s not fun, then there’s no point in doing it.” Speaking of your children, do they practice yoga? Oh yeah. The heat is tough for them but they both came and did class two Sundays ago. I teach a stretch class which is a slower gentle flow with some Yin Yoga. Would you ever want to see them get involved in teaching yoga or being competitors? I could see them teaching for sure. We’ve already talked about it actually. My daughter is super into ballet so she dances 10 to 12 hours a week. The cross over is really prevalent, but she needs to work on her upper body and core strength, as well as maintaining alignment in her legs. How often do you do the advanced, 84-posture series? I practice advanced class a few times a year. I am just super into dynamic Vinyasa Flow, Vimana, and our Hot Stretch restorative classes. Would you recommend that other competitors vary their practice? Absolutely. You try to get to the top of the mountain from many different approaches. We tend to get so one-dimensional. I just saw so many injuries after 17 years of people practicing a constant repetition and not having room to explore and to feel their practice. I really learned a lot about how not to do yoga from that. Is there any type of exercise outside of yoga that you would recommend to people who are competing? I think walking and swimming are so important, that we move our body in those natural ways. It is so important and healthy to get out and walk every day. Swimming is really good for the hips and shoulders as well as decompressing and elongating the spine. I also think weight training is really good too if you can focus on specific yoga movements. I offer a Yoga Sculpt teacher training which trains yoga teachers how to integrate high intensity interval training and light weights with yoga philosophy and movements. Using weight is really helpful to get stronger. We need it. My passion is really being outside rock climbing, hiking, camping, skiing, kayaking, or paddle boarding. If I’m working on something in yoga, I want it to be something that will help my life in some way. I want it to be something that contributes to my mind, my passions, or my sleep. It shouldn’t just be, “Oh, I can do this cool pose!” You have to ask yourself, “How does that help my life, and make the world a better place make the world a better place.” How has yoga enriched your life, what has it brought to you? It’s really given me a sense of purpose; having a whole set of really powerful tools to share with people to help them to heal, and be happier and healthier. Having that sense of purpose and being able to be of service to people and the planet is number one. Through the competition I have made so many friends from around the world. Like-minded people who are into yoga, fitness, and health. It is exciting when young people get into the competition. It opens so many positive doors for them. We live in a harsh world right now; we need more tools and more practice creating peace, and overcoming fear.

Leslie Heywood: Professor, Yogi and Life-Long Competitor

by:

Lisa Pafe

Category:

Adult 50+

yoga champion

usayoga

yogisageless

Adult50+

yogasport

yogacompetition

yogaathletes

Jan01

I’ve seen Leslie Heywood compete in the USA Yoga 50+ Division and have marveled at her strength. But until recently, I never knew she is both an academic and a life-long competitive athlete.

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Special Message from our President

by:

Ainslie Faust

Category:

Regional News

yogaathletes

yogacompetition

yogasport

usayoga

Dec22Would you help me change lives this year? As the new president of USA Yoga, I am spending my volunteer time and my personal giving to help people help themselves in a positive way that is accessible to anyone. With your gift this holiday season, you can change the track of a young life, or re-energize someone who has experienced physical or emotional trauma, sadness or poor health.

I know how a dedicated practice can change a life. I experienced renewed purpose and health when I dedicated myself to a regular practice.

But, there are barriers you can take away with your support. Last season, a promising young yogi from New England trained for months to participate in the regional championship.  Because he had difficultly with finances and lost his job, he had to withdraw.

You can give to a fund at USA Yoga that provides scholarships to get committed yogis with need to the championships. You could also provide support for most needed priorities that I will be working on in the year ahead.

Thank you for considering a gift of $50, $100, $125 or $250.

Donate

I deeply appreciate your help.

Warm regards,

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Yoko Jackson: Dedication Pays Off

by:

Lisa Pafe

Category:

Adult 50+

usayoga

yogisageless

Adult50+

Dec04

Look out Adult 50+ Women’s Division! YogaWorks Pure Om Fairfax’s competition team has a new competitor this year who has a beautiful and strong routine. Yoko Jackson has only been practicing yoga for three years, but she brings the commitment and dedication of a true competitor. She is a true demonstration of the old adage that its never too late to start your practice and see real results.

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Inspiring Others

by:

Lisa Pafe

Category:

Regional News

Adult50+

yogisageless

usayoga

yoga champion

Nov07

Paul Moore is a USA Yoga Adult 50+ champion and competitor with a mission. After successfully winning medals in three Nationals and the Gold medal in the 2016 International competition, he is now the man behind the Yogi Road Show, traveling to different studios to inspire others of all ages to compete. Paul has been practicing for more than eight years. He started because of knee pain from an old leg injury due to a car accident. Two weeks of Hot yoga classes made a big difference, so he continued.  “What really keeps me going are the mental benefits - better calmness, life is brighter,” he said. “More recently my practice has started to provide a sense of purpose. Sharing my practice, inspiring others to do the same, gives deeper meaning.” At age 65, he works hard at his day job as a Software Engineer with IBM, but heads to the Hot Yoga Mira Mesa studio every weekday evening at 6:30 PM to practice. On the weekends, he leads an open Advanced Series class on Saturdays, and then takes an Advanced Series class on Sundays. He also takes an occasional Yin class. Paul is a dedicated yogi who rarely takes a day off. Watching and participating in yoga competitions over the past five years has provided a major source of inspiration for his practice.  He enjoys watching the competition routines as well as meeting the yogis and learning of their dedication He has found that competitors work incredibly hard to develop their routines, and that some have had to overcome physical limitations. “It's not just youth and great genetics!” he says. He also studies yoga and recently finished "Yoga, Karma and Rebirth" by Stephen Phillips. One of his favorite yoga books is "Don't Lose Your Mind, Lose Your Weight" by Rujuta Diwekar.  He is taking the author’s advice about mindful eating, incorporating more fruits and vegetables in his diet. He avoids foods that prevent peak performance, though he still enjoys a slice of pizza now and then!

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From Athlete to Judge: Kim Tang

by:

The USA Yoga Team

Category:

Judge's Profiles

usayoga

yoga champion

Oct31

Kim Tang has participated in yoga sport as an athlete, coach, and judge. Here’s why she thinks judging is most important for “giving back.” Kim Tang was no stranger to yoga sport when she began judging competitions in 2015. She felt like her time as a competitor had given her a clear understanding of the rules as they evolved throughout the growth of USA Yoga.  She further refined this knowledge as a coach, and felt compelled that judging would give her an outlet to “give back” to the USA Yoga community through a consistent, fair, and comprehensive understanding of the rules and scoring. As she explains, “I love the event, I love witnessing the essence and personal growth of each competitor in the execution of their routines, and I love the idea that they feel supported and upheld by a familiar face whom they know has personally experienced each aspect of the event.” The knowledge Tang has gained from her time on stage well-positions her to give advice to competitors. For both first-time and long-time athletes, her advice is the same: “Enjoy this! Whether you know it yet or not, it can be deeply  transformational in the scheme of your life regardless of the outcome.” However, she also offers more actionable advice to competitors trying to maintain their balance on stage: Before executing a balance posture like standing head to knee, standing bow, or dancer on stage, athletes should first lock their knee and set their gaze! Also, Tang reminds athletes hoping to compete in Regionals that the fullest execution of a lower difficulty-level posture may yield a higher score than lesser execution of a higher difficulty-level posture. Chose proficiency and mastery: “Select postures that you have nailed down. If you fashion a routine that demonstrates postures you are quite proficient in, not only will you feel more confident and less nervous on stage, but you are far more likely to deliver a clean routine, advancing to the next level!” While Tang is known for her own deep backbends, Goodbye Pose, One Arm Bow Legged Peacock and Bow Legged Mountain, which is why they hold  a special place in her heart, she is hopeful that she will see someone attempt One Legged Chakrasana, a pose she says she has yet to witness being held in stillness on stage. Tang also caught up with us about the video qualifier submission deadlines that are approaching for athletes. Tang explains that video submissions are a great way for athletes to gain experience with their routines, but to make sure they practice their routines in front of an audience many times before the live regional event.

Jamieson Greene: Youth Champion

by:

The USA Yoga Team

Category:

Regional News

yoga champion

usayoga

yogisageless

youthyoga

Oct24

Jamieson (Jamie) Greene, USA Yoga’s 2017 Youth Champion, took home the gold in her first year competing. It’s an impressive showing given the fact that her first competition was in November 2016. Jamie began practicing yoga as an alternative to the traditional team sports that she had been playing for school. She found that she had a natural passion for yoga, and competition seemed like a good outlet for her to continue to improve her practice and share her love of yoga with a wider community. The close-knit yoga community, for Jamie, is what makes yoga sport unique from other athletics. As she explains, “Unlike other sports, everyone [in the yoga community] is very supportive of each other, and while they work to do their personal best, they also want their competition to do their best.” Jamie says that she felt relaxed and calm on stage because she was relieved that, after a buildup of stress and practice, her three minutes to perform had arrived. She does, however, admit that she stays focused on avoiding falling out of her final pose during her routine while she’s on stage. After Jamie competed at regionals, she wanted to try to incorporate Dancer Pose into her Nationals routine. Although she found the pose challenging, particularly in avoiding hyperextending her leg and maintain her balance, she continued to devote practice time to the pose, eventually mastering it for her routine. While Nationals have concluded, Jamie is excited to continue her daily practice and looks forward to competing next year. She also aspires to become a yoga instructor within the next year, bringing her passion for yoga to an even wider community.

Wayne Campbell: Men’s 50+ Champion

by:

The USA Yoga Team

Category:

Champion Interviews

yogisageless

usayoga

yoga champion

Oct16

Two months before Wayne Campbell’s first yoga competition, the 2014-2015 Texas Yoga Asana Championship, he found himself inspired by the five yoga athletes taking the same 84 Advanced Yoga Series Class as him. Seeing their energy, focus, and ambition made him want to compete that year. His fast training paid off when he advanced to the 2014-2015 USA National Yoga Asana Championship that same year. After a few years of competition, Wayne continues to compete to train his body every day and progress further into more advanced yoga poses. This daily practice, however, is something Wayne had to pause in the weeks leading up to the 2017 USA National Yoga Championship. Five weeks before nationals, Wayne strained his Rhomboid muscle, which made it difficult to perform one of his competition poses: Finger Stand. Wayne focused on healing, and paused his yoga practice and training to have chiropractic massages three times a week, and acupuncture and cupping every other week. Additionally, Wayne decided to change Finger Stand Pose for another advanced pose: One Legged Peacock Pose.   Through yoga competition, Wayne has learned the importance of stillness and slow breathing, which helps calm his nervous system, quiets his mind, and keeps his adrenaline low. This stillness is behind Wayne’s perspective on the seconds leading up to taking the stage at Nationals: he considers them calm and beautiful moments. After Internationals, Wayne plans to continue to fine tune his training and prepare for the next year’s Yoga Champion season. He also plans to continue to spend time at home with his girlfriend, Moji, and their Jack Russell Terrier, Max.

Catherine McCauley: Women’s 50+ Champion

by:

The USA Yoga Team

Category:

Champion Interviews

yogisageless

usayoga

yoga champion

Oct09

Catherine McCauley began practicing yoga in 2005 as an alternative to running.  Before long, yoga became part of her. For the past 12 years, her yoga studio in north Texas, run by Stacey Stier Herndon, has been a welcoming community and a haven of support. Catherine started competing in 2008 as a way to dive deeper into the details of the postures. Almost a decade later, competition continues to offer this deeper focus. However, Catherine admits that her own mind is a challenge to overcome through competition. In order to stay focused, she keeps a three-step mantra. First, she focuses on being present. As she explains “I only have this moment; I choose to be here, and I am excited to share her love.” Second, she stays grateful for her body, its abilities, and for her life. Finally, she tries to feel, know, and trust the love of the universe as present at all times.   Through competition, Catherine has been pleasantly surprised to experience what she considers very sincere love, support, and encouragement from her fellow competitors. As she says, “[Competition] really is a beautiful experience and their love and support is such a great example to me, it helps to calm me, realizing it is not about ‘winning,’ it’s about sharing the experience, encouraging others, and doing your best, whatever that is, today. Additionally, through competition Catherine has also learned how much her mind and thinking can impact her performance. It’s a lesson that carries through to other aspects of her personal life. Cautions against coming “from a place of ego,” which can make one fearful and negative. Instead, she promotes coming “from a place of love,” to allow that pure love to shine through.

Adult 50+ Competitor Roxanne Armstrong: No Limitations

by:

Lisa Pafe

Category:

Adult 50+

yogisageless

usayoga

yoga champion

Oct03

Women’s Adult 50+ Bronze medalist Roxanne Armstrong sees getting older as an opportunity, not a limitation. The devoted yogi, Bikram yoga teacher and yoga competitor practices and teaches at Hot Yoga Pasadena, where she learns from both students and teachers such as Jeff Rangel, a former USA Yoga Federation champion.

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Kabir’s Kids Yoga

by:

Kabir Samlal

Category:

Champion Interviews

youthyoga

usayoga

yoga champion

Sep25Kabir’s Kids Yoga

By Kabir Samlal

My personal yoga story starts at the age of five when I had my first yoga lesson in Singapore together with other children. I remember how surprised I was that my body could do so many things, and how enjoyable it was. The teacher let me “fly” in the bow pose and I tried a hand stand. When we moved to India, we did yoga in school, and yoga became something normal to me, something that was part of life. Whenever I was upset or tensed, I took a deep breath. If I wanted to stretch my body, I did so through yoga exercise. Yoga teaches you to understand your body better, and I soon became more aware of my body. For example, it helped me how to avoid injuries for my soccer practice. Also, as a child, I was able to focus and concentrate. Was that on the account of yoga? Who knows, but it definitely contributed to it. Back in Holland I joined my mom in practicing yoga and quickly got into the International yoga competition. Practicing for competition and championships was great fun, and I got to experience great adventures. Especially championships were highly motivating because it was a continuous challenge, and you were working very hard towards a specific goal. I made friends with people from all over the world, many of whom I am still in touch with. However, there were no other children, I was the only one. That was something I would like to have seen differently. Other kids were always curious about my yoga and asked many questions. That gave me the idea to write on kids yoga. It had to be in book format with many illustrations or drawings to make it accessible for young children. I made up a story that was composed of the yoga poses that were my favorites when I was young. With my younger brothers and some of their friends, I tried it on them, and came up with a self-developed flow. In 2014 we moved to the US where yoga is much more present than in Holland; yoga is a real business in the US. You can find a yoga studio on every corner of the street, at least, in the major cities. But also here, you will rarely find children who actively practice yoga. I started teaching yoga to kids, and used my own developed flow, which I named “Kabir’s kids yoga”. Meanwhile, I was also certified to teach yoga. I was only fourteen when I got certified which is very young for a yoga teacher. But at the same time, I did notice that children enjoyed having me as their teacher, exactly for the reason that I was a child myself. Meanwhile, I worked with a graphic illustrator who made drawings from photos of my yoga poses. We worked closely together because I was eager to have the drawings capture what I felt and what I experienced when practicing those specific yoga poses. It was a lot of work consuming much time. At the end, the drawings were restyled to make them more presentable and smooth. I got in touch with a design agency who helped me with the design of the book. I had a clear image of how I wanted the end product to look like. The agency was just on the edge of getting freaked out by my stubbornness (….), but I was very firm on the details. The words and pictures should convey a very specific feeling to the reader with every single pose. Then, in the summer of 2016 –after almost two years- the final version of the book was there! I gave the very first copy to Dev Kapil in Singapore where I got my teacher certification, and he also wrote the foreword. My yoga book has been published in Asia first and was well received. It also received a nice review from the Singapore yoga journal. In the US, there was also some demand for my book. I did a book presentation and the book is now available at various yoga studios. I hope that the book will inspire parents to try out the yoga flow together with their kids, or the other way round. I am now a member of the Youth Committee for USA Yoga with the goal to promote yoga for children. Hopefully, my book will contribute in achieving that goal! One can practice the poses and exercise yoga together with their children by following the flow in the book, thereby inspiring your kids to attend yoga classes. Children cannot go to yoga class on their own, it is the parents who should value yoga and give it priority. From my own experience I can say that I can recall very little from the many times my parents were watching my soccer games from the side line, but I remember vividly when they joined me on the mat to practice yoga!

[mutualperceptions]

Craigslist Ad

It is with great joy that we (Micah and I (Bryce), yon bachelors, each in his early-thirties) usher Phil, our roommate of these past years out into the world. Well, okay, not out into the world, but into a new apartment which he will share with his lovely girlfriend Amy. They are good people. Hooray! With the lease on our apartment coming to a close at the end of April, Micah and I have been entertaining options of where to go and what to do next. One such option, and the reason for this advert, is to simply stay put and find a replacement for Phil; Phil Too if you like. So if there are any Phil's looking for housing come April 1 or May 1, please give a shout. Unfortunately, as we are looking for a like-for-like replacement, only Phil's will be considered: Katies, Gregs, Desdemonas, Nics, both with a "C" and a "K", Johns, Chucks, Lucindas, Heathers, Audreys, and Williams need not apply. I suppose we could make a few limited exceptions; if say Heather Locklear replies to this ad, or William Hurt for that matter, I would definitely entertain living a year with either of them. We would of course have to clear it with Micah first. Granted they both probably have better things to do than peruse Denver Craigslist ads in search of a flatshare, but still, I would consider making such non-Phil exceptions. As long as they are clean. Oh, and if they have like a SAG code to watch Oscar nom movies this time next year in our living room. That would be nice too. So calling all Phils in search of a place to live. Our flatshare just might be the place for you. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . 

I'm sure you can tell by now that I am having far too much fun writing this ad, but its a lazy Sunday evening and I'm just going to keep on going. Might have to have Micah make an alternative ad that isn't so longwinded. 

About Me: When the going smooth, I am relaxed, motivated, active, generous, thoughtful, and kind. When things are aslant, I withdraw from relationship and connection and huddle inward instead. Things that keep me from going aslant? Routines that sustain me: Journaling, if even just a little bit at night, getting my weekly running miles in, reading at night, drinking in moderation, and getting enough sleep. Probably a Nine on the enneagram if you are into that. I have a great job downtown. I work 7:30-5:30 and bike in most days (we are only 1.9 miles from downtown). Hobbies include the aforementioned running and reading. I'm on a "Read the Russians" kick lately and there is much to enjoy. We've geeked out pretty hard on boardgames as of late. You should see this closet we have going. I spent a couple years acquiring far too many liquor bottles and far too many books in the pursuit of cocktail making. Micah and I are both pretty damn good at it. I also have a pretty formidible whisky/scotch/stout beer collection going. Drams are best shared. I'd say I have eclectic music taste with most of my top ten albums of the year would track with Pitchfork's. Upcoming concerts I already have tickets for: Deafheaven, Cloud Nothings, Ryan Adams, Sylvan Esso. Oh, I also have season tickets to the Colorado Shakespeare Fest. 

 I love soccer and used to play up until a season ago. I gave it up as I kept pulling those damn leg muscles and I'm just damn tired of pulling my damn muscles. I watch the EPL on Saturday mornings and root for the great and majestic Tottenham Hotspur. COYS! Originally from TX, which means I do like to tune into the Cowboys. Overall not too much of an NFL fan otherwise. For example, say if the Broncos and Cowboys both go 2-6 to start next season, I will probably find myself doing something else than religiously watching busted seasons. Fair-weather? Maybe. NFL is just not one of my top priorities. All that to say, I do love watching soccer and limited NFL games, but if one finds me watching terribly mindless and long college football games all day on a Saturday, chances are I'm withdrawing and not engaging in life like I intend. Of course we all need lazy days every now and then though. Everything belongs. Influences/Values: Although I am in my thirties, I still feel like I am continuing to develop a foundation from which to contribute to the greater good with my passions and skills. I think for the longest time I have kept questions about passion or contributing to the world theoretical and heady and bookish so as to avoid really having to commit to a life lived for others. One of my main focuses for this year is to better live in the direction of my values. On that front it has been a good year thus far. Oh, and what are those values? I like intentionality. As you can see from this ad, I'm deliberate about trying to find the right possible future roommate, probably at the risk of over-sharing and giving key clues into all of my internet passwords (Don't try COYS!123. Don't you dare). I feel most alive when engaging in "serious play," you know, when life feels heavy with meaning. In those moments time is very deep and my personal response to those moments is a welling up of gratitude and thankfulness. What does it for me? Conversations requiring vulnerability, a great hike or a great mountain bike ride, an excellent view with an excellent cup of coffee, quiet mornings with good natural light, a good book, a great song, a tasty dram, and the occasional immoderation and moderation among friends. Alright, I think you have a grasp of who and what I might be about by now. About You: I don't expect or even particularly am looking for a person who would simply reinforce my echo-chamber of influences and hobbies. Viva la difference of course. But I am open to the possibility that we all might hit it off and enjoy each other's company as more than just a flatmate's obligatory communication--shared meals, hanging out, enjoying each other's friends, etc. In that vein, you being someone in a similar lifestage and age would probably be helpful. I wouldn't assume gender matters, but I've never had a non-SO female as a housemate. So if we fail to become fast friends, no sweat, but of course life with other people, even if only within the relationship of flatmates is difficult. It just is. Some of the hardship can be assuaged with clear expectations for all parties involved. I'd prefer a baseline of "clean" within common spaces. We've never had to resort to a chore chart or the like, but I'd like us all to be on board about expectations so we can attain a certain level of responsibility. Fingers crossed I'm the not the weak link. About Micah: He's gonna have to fill you in, albeit I will tell you that I have known him for almost 15 years and I haven't killed him yet. Granted, I have been slowly poisoning him a la that creepy mom in the Sixth Sense. He keeps asking why I'm always coming home from the store with Draino. What a sucker. But seriously, he's great. About the House: It is a large condo. It is three floors and a 4 bed 4 bath place running into the several thousands of square feet. We live off of 18th and Gaylord right by City Park. Fantastic location for sure. Phil is leaving with a lot of the downstairs furniture. I'm plowing some moderate funds into refurnishing it. I just picked up a set of four absolutely beautiful Jens Risom mid-century modern armchairs. V excited. If you have stuff to bring that would fill the common space, we can probably accommodate it unless it is ugly or if I've already purchased everything. I'll try and hold out for a little bit. About your Room: Phil is moving out of the Master on the second floor. Micah and I currently live in the top two bedrooms on the third floor so you would basically have the run of the second floor. The pictures will show you that it is quite spacious with its own bath. The setup really does suit non-related housemates in so far as we are not all up in each other's business. The rent would be $875 for the master. If you wanted to go cheaper you could move up to the third floor for $50 bucks less and share a Jack and Jill bathroom with Micah. I know, not ideal, but whatever. It is being managed by one of those soulless property management companies so you would have to apply through them. They haven't been bad at all, but I would prefer a more personal relationship to my landlord. If any of this sounds of interest to you, let's arrange a time so we can all hang and discuss further. And, if you've made it all the way to the end of this post? Way to go! I hope you enjoyed it and it was worth your time. Bryce Respond via email or to Text Read Between the Xs: 7XXX1XXX3XXX3XXX0X03X8XX1XXXXXX3X0