#like. i straight up do not have the energy to to work 8hr days 5 days a week.

[dragongirlbunny]

all of these psa's and shit about self care and knowing your limits and all that ring real fuckin' hollow when working your required hours and not a second more is already pushing yourself past your limits

[miss-pearlescent]

LIFE UPDATE (lol)

Hello, this is going to be a long-winded life update because I simply want to just talk about things that have been going on and why I don’t update on a consistent basis :)

One of the reasons is above! Last week (two weeks ago??) I covered Naughty with a friend! Please check it out :D Honestly, this didn’t take away from my writing at all because I do random covers all the time, but I just want the views lmao HUMOUR ME! (I’m the one in white). Oh, and please don’t comment anything about my writing/fanfiction/tumblr on that video! I keep this blog pretty private.

Anyway, what did take away from my writing is A WRITING COURSE! Can you believe :) the :) irony :) I signed up for this writing course because I’ve always really wanted to publish a book aka basically give birth. As a teenager, I followed a few YA authors like they were gods, and when I attended signings, I was starstruck! I’d be like, “Girl, your mind!” So there I was, looking up how to publish a goddamn book and realizing that there were so many things to it other than just writing. It was discouraging to say the least! Then two years ago, I mentioned my hobby to my therapist and she suggested taking a writing course.

She (bless her heart) even searched up local colleges for me and opened my eyes to the fact that educational institutions held entire courses dedicated to romance writing. Wow. Of course, I rejected her idea because of the kind of person I am.

I’m kidding.

I’m not.

LOL ok so I was like “I don’t want to take a writing course because I don’t want people to judge my writing and tell me to write romance a certain way or else it doesn’t feel organic. And what if I lose my interest in it? Then what will I do with my free time? And what if people find my shit really fucking weird? etc”

I put the idea off for a year and finally came back to it last year when I found myself taking frequent trips to the library to write for a whole day. I would buy a Booster Juice, some sushi or Subway, and then I would park my ass on a plastic library chair for 5-8hrs straight. Come Fall/Winter, with the knowledge that I had some basic self-discipline (lmao), I looked into writing courses. I decided to take an online romance writing course that would start February 2020.

Guess when my country began seeing COVID cases? February 2020. Oh boy!

So my lifestyle changed, my work changed, and then I have school work?!?! My dumb ass hasn’t touched anything school related in three years. I was like “you know what? I’m going to try! I’m going to want to learn, and I’m going to put in effort.” Holy shit!!!!! I’ve learned that school still stresses me out lol it doesn’t matter that my grades literally don’t matter in this course. I’m still stressed.

That’s not to say I didn’t like this course. I really enjoyed it because I actually did learn a lot. My instructor (professor???) was also really...ELOQUENT LMAO Her lecture notes would spill mad tea but in the most polite way possible. I have yet to see any of my marks or read any of her comments (due to my fragile ego) but I am excited to do so.

One example of her brilliance in getting her message across is this little section about active vs passive verbs. We’ve all done this lesson hundreds of times in high school, but OMG the line that she uses at the end really solidifies the difference! After reading that, I decided not to skip any of the other readings lmao home girl had my respect.

OK ANYWAY! Back to me stressing! I was very stressed with every assignment. It was nice to be challenged to write differently (creating better mood, fleshing out characters more) because the end products were all...”nice”. But that shit took so much energy that I couldn’t write anymore! I couldn’t think of new plots that I was interested in :( It also didn’t help that I was going through other personal issues, and my libido was nonexistent. As a result, I have so many intros to stories because I’ve had to force myself to think of something for this course, but I never was truly interested in them to actually write it all out from start to finish. Not to mention, I have not written a sex scene since February lol

Then came the final assignment that I just submitted two days ago. OMG. It was a straight up publisher’s package. You had to have a 20pg manuscript. You had to write a query letter/cover letter. You had to research which publisher you would submit to. IT WAS SO SCARY.

I was going to write a whole new story for this manuscript but after writing 4k words, literally nothing was happening in the story and I was so bored. So I scrapped it all and took one of my most recent stories (Universal Differences, but in third person lmfaooo) and tried to tweak it. It was soooo difficult!!! Of course, I also procrastinated this whole thing because procrastination is one of my character traits. On the last three days, I pulled 8-10hrs non-stop everyday to finish it (unrelated, but I watched the SuperM 100 MV after one of these days, and I had to close my laptop immediately after the video because I felt like the MV was attacking me to stay awake LOL). There were so many times where I legit hated myself and my writing and nearly cried because I would think back on all the love that you guys gave to that story and then I’d be like “THE STORY (and, in turn, me as a person) IS SO UNDESERVING OF ANY LOVE AT ALL.”

See, this is why I went to a therapist a few years back loooool I had to rewire my brain to dissociate my writing from myself. I had to keep reminding myself that even if my prof didn’t like it, I would still get good feedback at the end of the day and none of that feedback would reflect me as a person. That even if she told me that I was never going to be able to ever publish anything, there are many writers who were told the same thing and came out of it alive and prosperous because they continued to work hard. I have a whole ass template now of what to send to a publisher/agent. If I wanted to, I would have the skill base to take a story and know where to direct it for publication.

And I would have the confidence to do that!!! Because I’ve already done it once!!!

Something cute my prof said when one of the students said they were overwhelmed:

[ I think it can help if you just think of it as the business processes of that industry - and not you laying your heart and soul out in front of some stranger to judge. :)]

;____________;

OK that is all for now, I think! Since I have submitted my final assignment, my imagination has come free of its reigns so I hope to get more stories out to you guys! Thank you for the requests too! The wilder they are, they more they get my brain going hehehehehehehhehe have a good week everyone~

[casiestewart]

My Fitness Journey (So Far)

Let me start this by staying I felt like complete shit for a lot of last year. Behind the many smiling selfies, I was in pain, depressed, and trying to ignore nerve damage in half of my face. I had been treating my body like garbage with alcohol, bad food, no sleep, and something had to change. I gained a bunch of weight and after being small my whole life, I wasn’t happy. I couldn’t live like that anymore.

For a lot of 2009-2019 I went to multiple events a week, sometimes several per night. I was always on the go. I ate like crap and drank multiple times a week. When I hit my 30’s, my body changed, I gained weight, then I had a breast reduction, nearly broke my back w/ two cracked back ribs, and closed out the decade with a fractured my collarbone. A lot of good things happened in the last decade too but I’ve already shared that stuff.

For years I dreamed of being a better me, one who ate healthier, felt good in a bathing suit, had longer hair, and genuine happiness that shined out of her face. That’s who I wanted to be so I started doing things differently. From September to January, I lost 20+Lbs and man does it ever make a difference. I’m saving time every day by not stressing over my clothes not fitting. I feel mentally and physically stronger. I have more energy and I’m happier. Here’s the low down on how I get here and I feel confident that I will stick to it this time because I love the way I feel.

Fasting

August 2019 I started intermittent fasting, 8hrs eating window (noon-8pm) and fasting the rest of the day. I started to feel healthier, more energized, and leaner (slowly). This doesn’t work for everyone but I like it. I recently started using an app called Zero that tracks your fast. Some days I stick to my 16:8 goal, some days I go longer, sometimes I don’t. I try to do what feels good.

Working Out

When daylight saving time kicked in October 2019, I stuck to my same sleep schedule (early riser) and used that extra hour to go to the gym. I started with 10min a day on the treadmill. I already had a membership at LA Fitness and after not going for most of the year, I was ready to put it to work.

I didn’t post about working out and I didn’t really talk about it until recently. I did it for me, that’s the only person I had to show up for. Since then, I have learned to love working out. I keep my gym clothes beside my bed and almost every morning, I make coffee, get into my gear, and go straight there. I like the treadmill and Nike apps for the gym (NTC, NRC), and Asana Rebel or YouTube for home workouts.

I attempted and failed at working out MANY times. This time I was motivated by the end of the decade and becoming a better version of myself by the time 2020 arrived. Over the past few months, I worked out no matter where I was and if I didn’t make the gym I did something else (walk, weights).

I usually go to the gym at 6:30-7am when it’s not too busy. I also wear a lot of the same clothes, I don’t stress about what to wear. You’ll find me in cropped cannabis t-shirts and Lulu’s or Joe Fresh leggings (they’re the best!). FYI if you are shopping at joefresh.com, use Sasha’s code SASHA25 for 25% off. These are my fav ones and they’re two years old.

Hey hey, it’s 2020 me!

Slimwave

In November 2019, I did five sessions of Slimwave at The Lash Pro Studio. I was invited to try it by their PR Team and there was no chance I was saying no to that. It’s about $700 for 5 sessions.

The treatment uses an electro stimulating machine to work your muscles for 45 minutes, which works out to over 600 sit-ups. You are also wrapped in an infrared blanket that makes you sweat A LOT.

Infrared treatments warm your muscles during the Slimwave treatment, improving the blood circulation and lymph drainage, reducing swelling and improving the appearance of cellulite.

After my first session, I noticed a difference, maybe it was water weight, but I felt energized. My treatments were twice a week spaced out over three weeks.

Slimwave is a non-invasive and painless transformation alternative to liposuction, plastic surgery or cool sculpting.

Slimwave Technologies Canada

I definitely saw results from 5 sessions. It was a GREAT motivator to kickstart working out & eating well. I would love to do a few more sessions to target harder areas like stomach and thighs.

Idk why I wore this outfit for my photos so this is a bit embarrassing to share. You can definitely see my waist and ribcage are smaller, stomach a bit more toned. We couldn’t target the lower abs because I have an IUD but I would love to do that another time.

Before / After

On my most recent trip to Cuba, it was the FIRST TIME I felt good in a bathing suit in over 15 years. My whole life I had huge boobs so it was always a struggle to find a bathing suit to fit them that didn’t look weird. I don’t normally post sexy or revealing photos but I wanted to remember this moment.

A bunch of people asked about how I got started and the Slimwave process. Sharing this in a blog post so I can go back to it when I feel down or perhaps reading this will inspire someone else. Also, feel free to invite me to a workout class anytime!

If you have any questions about Slimwave, finding motivation, or just getting started, reach out anytime. I’m always here for you.

Original article: My Fitness Journey (So Far)

©2020 CASIE STEWART. All Rights Reserved.

from WordPress https://casiestewart.com/my-fitness-journey-so-far/

[kangals]

I was thinking about setting up a betta tank and I was wondering if you had any advice? Like, how big, what kind of filter and heater, how often do you change the water/clean the tank. etc.? Are live plants better than fake, or is the extra effort to keep them alive not worth the fuss? Is it advisable to keep other safe fish in the same tank (not other bettas or cold water species, like goldfish, obviously) or would it just stress them all out? Thanks in advance!

I adore keeping bettas, I think they’re probably one of my favorite fish, so it’s exciting to hear you’re considering one as well!

Full disclosure that I’ve only been keeping fish for a few years so I’ll link these care sheets for Bettas for better info: One Two Three

Tank size: 5 gallons is typically recommended as the minimum. 2.5g is debatable as the minimum, but in my experience Bettas are active fish which appreciate the space, plus a 2.5g tank and a 5g tank has almost the exact same footprint, so I’d go with 5g or 10g, personally. Bettas do like warm water so a heater is neccessary, for a 5g tank something 25-50w will work fine, you want the water around 78-80 degrees. You’ll also want a filter, either a hang-on back type or a sponge filter. You can also get a tank kit like the Fluval Spec which comes with the light and filter together, I really like this tank IMO and once you baffle the filter it’s very betta-friendly. Another option.

Tank maintenance: Buy this kit. Make sure you understand how to cycle a tank (very confusing, I know, but important). Or, you can try asking your local fish store if they have any pre-cycled filter media they can sell you to jumpstart the process. Once your tank is cycled - aka, the bacteria in the water converts fish waste (ammonia) straight into nitrates - typically you just need to do water changes once a week, normally 10-20%. Use a gravel vacuum to help your water changes, and an additive like Prime to dechlorinate the fresh water you put back in. Rinse your filter media out every 3-4 weeks in your old tank water while doing your water changes. Assuming your filter is clean and your tank is cycled, that should be all the maintenance needed - you shouldn’t need to do a “deep clean” unless you specifically want to, or something goes terribly wrong.

Plants: You can do either live or fake. If fake, use silk plants or soft plastic - anything that wouldn’t snag on tissue paper if you dragged it across them. Bettas have very delicate fins, so you don’t want anything sharp in there that could shred them. If live, plants like Anubias, water wisteria, or marimo balls are very low-maintenance and tend to grow quickly, regardless of what type of light or substrate you use. Live plants can seem a bit daunting, but IME low-tech tanks are really easy and typically don’t involve much care other than “light is on for 6-8hrs a day.” But the choice is up to you, the fish won’t mind either way!

Tankmates: Some bettas are fine with tankmates, some are not. In a 5-10g tank, I wouldn’t do anything other than maybe a snail or a few shrimp, which your betta may or may not eat. If you do want to do other fish, I would recommend at least a 15g+ tank, and the other fish will need to be smaller (but not so small as to be eaten), not nippy (they can chew at the betta’s fins), and share the same temperature range, so not something like a goldfish, as you mentioned. Some fish may be too territorial to share their tank, so for starting out I’d suggest sticking to something like a nerite snail, if anything.

It’s lots of info, but that just means you are doing things the right way! You will spend the most time and energy setting things up, but once you have your fish in and the water cycled it’s basically no further cost, 1-2 minutes per day of feeding, and 15m once a week to change water. Bettas are super personable fish IME, and very rewarding to keep!