#the same way for example sudoku does sometimes

[horngryeyes]

thinking about all the shows im gonna watch once i get my second monitor installed (i will be able to watch something and do something else at the same time which will result in me actually watching the show and not biting my nails because my hands need to be occupied at all times)

[c2istar]

Orenji 오렌지

“Looking up, most ATCs see responsibilities. I see resources.”

Age: 36    

Species: Red squirrel    

Handedness: Right

Personality: An absurdly calm, polite, and impulsive quick thinker who doesn’t think of consequences. He always smiles warmly but speaks in perfect soulless monotonous voice, he tends to uphold multiple conversations at once and is almost always seen conducting ATCs. He is very talented at multitasking and if there’re nothing to do he would play 3 board of chess while filling up 3 sheets of sudoku and solving multiple equations at the same time in his head.

Like: Whiskey, Cream soup, Coffee with too much milk and sugar, Aircraft spotting, Radio, Sunrise

Dislike: Beer, Coffee without milk and sugar, using public toilet, Stubborn pilots, Unorganized airspace

Occupations: Combat controller, Avionic engineer, Flight dispatcher

Story: A civilian area controller who got invited into CCT unit, he later performs an unauthorized tradecraft to save his teammate which backfires in a purge that wipes out his family and his entire unit. After Seoltang helped him escape execution, he now devoted his life as a mercenary and prostitute to reach his donation goal of 9,000,000,000 Wons for the victims of the purge. During the journey to reach his goal where he crashed airliners for hired, he became more and more desensitized toward conducting unlawful interference as genocides became daily things for him. He does feel guilty but that doesn’t stop him. After all, he will feel better after he reaches his donation goal. No matter how many hundred thousand people he kills if he can please these couple thousand people. It doesn’t matter that he’s redeeming himself at the expense of other people. He will feel like a good person again. Beagcha couldn’t stand it and as promised to Orenji when he first notices the change in himself. Beagcha is dead set on killing Orenji before he could become an even worse person than when he starts.

Skills examples:

As a first generation CCT, he can provide ATS service both civil and military. Which allow him to: Ground jack aircraft, request air drop item, request lift from aircraft and provide air navigation aid.

He is an expert in all things flight operations both civil and military, which allow him to: Established forward air control and performed TACP and JTAC, sabotage national airspace, send aircraft to do his bidding, sabotage aircraft, and operate AWACS and AFTN.

Is a very capable analog modulation engineer and mechanic.

He has Tiltrotor PPL license, specifically V280 Valor.

Is capable of extreme multitasking, which allows him to keep track of many things at once.

Is a talented flight dispatcher who can do a very effective route design and fuel calculation.

His experience as a prostitute let him flirt his way out of some situations.

He’s very quick in navigating his way through the aeronautical chart.

He can jam the frequency and pretend to be the controller that the pilot’s supposed to communicate with to guide that aircraft to their demise or to hold them hostage in the airspace above a very populated city.

Note:

Has a Paruresis due to his urolagnia and has a chronic urinal tract infection which resulted from his Paruresis, peed blood and passing out from high fever mid work is not off brand for his service.

As a side effect of having his head cracked open by Beagcha. If he’s hit in the head, he will regress back to his 28 years old self. Sometimes he would inflict this on himself to escape reality. The only way to revert him back is using clozapine and by doing so will kill the alter that he created.

While his left and right-hand function normally, Huchu confirmed that Orenji’s corpus callosum was completely severed and destroyed which might explain current Orenji’s multitasking talent.

Has a touch starved tendency and will cling to physical contact. This is due to having to live in the wood, isolating himself from everyone for a few years when he first escapes the execution.

First generation CCT camp will always mess him up good especially the big one near his home, if you bring him inside, he’s going to lose composure and attempt to escape reality.

His lotion smells like fresh orange in the summer, the scent that Baegcha said suited him most.

[jupiteronic]

hi, i have pisces mars, how can i develop it? i suck

don’t do the whole “i suck” thing for starters. It’s hard ik especially for those of us who are mentally ill and/or went through trauma and have conditioned thoughts like these, but also it can be helpful to remind yourself that your thoughts do not define you and to redirect your thoughts rather than bully them away or blame yourself for them (let me know if you want resources on this!) so as to diminish later blowups/ guilt-tripping behaviours. a lot of Pisces mars people very much are willing to change their ways/ listen to other perspectives like you! telling people you suck doesn’t really come across as taking responsibility though, a lot of people will take offense to that - rightfully so - and think you’re being manipulative or simply looking for validation, acceptance or forgiveness. probably wasn’t your intention, it’s just important to think about how others would interpret our behavior. 

accept that feeling bad isn’t an excuse to avoid preemptively thinking about how your actions impact others, it takes practice but make a conscious effort and you’ll be surprised how much good you can do despite overwhelming emotions! in a similar vein though, do NOT ignore or repress or minimize your emotions for the sake of others. if anything that will lead to more uncontrolled anger, manipulative behavior, and self-pitying feelings/thoughts which further reinforce the unhealthy behaviours you’re trying to rid yourself of

BEWARE OF WHO YOU SURROUND YOURSELF WITH

if you can, avoid fixating on what you did wrong and feeling shame + guilt for it. focus on how you can improve or eliminate the behaviours you don’t like & more importantly how you can make it up to anyone you hurt - especially if that person is yourself. easier said than done, especially for the obsessive types, but again i find that redirecting thoughts makes this easier than blaming yourself for fixating on your guilt. it can be an endless cycle really. how do you apologise to others + how do you apologise to yourself? if you don’t do either of those much, start working from there

get feedback from others where appropriate but take the feedback with a grain of salt until you have multiple perspectives

watch self regulation skills vids or read about it or... cant believe i’m saying this.. listen to a p*dcast. whatever helps you absorb information the fastest. ideally you would learn about this through written/ spoken word of both your own and others, through audio, visually, artistically etc to master self-regulation but that’s obviously not realistic or convenient for everyone so start small with what seems most realistic to you!!! I know especially Pisces mars can get quickly lose interest or motivation when it comes to things involving thorough detail lol. the next point expands on this but what works for me is pretending I’m my own parent. in a way we all are our own parents, but emotionally investing myself in that fantasy helped me apply my energy to things I’d rather not do (like doing assignments is still very hard for me, and to avoid discouraging myself from doing them, i kind of have a conversation with myself about it and kind of take on the role of child + parent. this is just an example - sometimes it just helps to use your traits to your own advantage, like Pisces mars being more interested in fantasies/emotionally engaging things than boring menial tasks; i used an emotionally engaging fantasy to motivate myself to do work, be creative <3). avoid relying on others for regulation & discipline. this can be very difficult for some of us + i understand and empathize with this. the point here is to be as independent as you can be.  also something going wrong does not necessarily mean it’s a sign from the universe to stop trying i promise

on the note of independence, take steps to becoming your own cheerleader. motivate & encourage yourself through positive self talk. in times where you feel demotivated, helpless or worthless, and say encouraging things to yourself. be aware that this will often seem silly and a waste of energy and u know how much Pisces mars like to save their energy at all costs lmao so this is definitely a common, normal reaction but every time this discourages you, remind yourself that IT IS worth trying and YOU are worth trying for yourself. sometimes I literally have to say cheesy shit like “you can do this” out loud repeatedly until I convince myself. it’s tiring & maybe embarrassing but recovering from chronic self-pity is even more tiring and embarrassing. avoid relying on others to uplift you & make you feel better. not to say that people shouldn’t help people, but just so you’re able to have your own back as much as possible

be more intellectually present oh my god 🤡 I beg of you. this can be very difficult especially for people who deal with adhd/mental illness(es)/trauma/learning disorders/developmental disorders etc. I don’t have all the answers for that but one thing most of us can do is engage in activities that nurture our intellectual health more frequently ; whether that’s reading (nonfiction preferrably), doing newspaper puzzles, crosswords/sudoku apps, problem-solving activities that don’t involve emotional appeal, etc just do it often. we all know how emotionally attentive Pisces mars can be but engage your intellectual side gamers (i.e. don’t game). I say this as a Pisces mars myself lolz please this is literally self-care

ik this is a snooze point but physical stimulation especially exercise can be really good for emotional wellbeing/ release. otherwise find literally any form of release - healthy forms I cannot stress this enough

wrt anger, bitterness, feelings of defeat: Pisces placements often have an external locus of control and thrive when they consider/have faith in something bigger than them. could be astrology, spirituality, religion, art, community, culture, all of the above, whatever makes u feel connected.

question your own intentions (but don’t overdo this); why am i acting this way or feeling this way? am I fishing for attention? if so, is there anything I can do to give myself the same warm feeling attention/validation from others would give me? am I acting like this because I feel hurt or taken advantage of? if so, is it possible for me to have a safe, healthy conversation about this with the source of the problem? WHAT is the source of the problem? what can i do about it? write this down if you can somewhere private and read it back to yourself later, notice any cognitive distortions in your thinking and make adjustments. this will help you practice using your intellectual side in distressing moments but there’s less point in using your thinking if it’s warped if you feel that’s the case for you. so google cognitive distortions & how to deal with them to get examples! try to make the adjustments next time you feel overwhelmed or have heightened emotions/senses

be firmer with your boundaries. with others AND yourself. the less you resist against boundaries the more your life will know peace because you are more careful with the people and/or behaviours you allow into YOUR life. do *not* ease up on your boundaries for the sake of other people. betraying yourself for others or immediate gratification is rarely a good idea in the long run. I’ve done the mistake of betraying my values for others many times and it’s caused unnecessary conflict which we are notorious for avoiding. that is until the evil puppeteer living in our brains snaps their fingers and commands us to go ham

[watchdogg]

A Guide: Raw Feeding for Dogs

Don’t have time to make BARF? Not sold on it? If you want to know what dry foods are best check this out.

What’s on the menu? BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food). This recipe is based off of Dr. Ian Billinghurst’s own recipe provided in his book Give Your Dog a Bone. Great read, would recommend.

However, there are a couple ingredients he discusses which have been recently proven as poor dietry choices for dogs. For example, he speaks of the inclusion of milk and garlic which have been discovered, through scientific study, to make dogs quite ill. Therefore the recipe I have written below excludes any ingredients I have found research on that are detrimental to your dog’s health.

BARF is essentially everything you would find in a grain-free dry dog food, but fresh!

BARF = 50% green mix + 50% meat (30% mince + 20% offal)!

DAILY INTAKE = 60% BARF + 40% meaty bone

I DO NOT APPROVE of the Canine Ancestral Diet or Prey Model diet, which is 80% meat. I have a seperate blog post discussing why (click here to find out more)!

EVERYTHING YOU MAKE MUST BE BLENDED TOGETHER INTO A CONSOLIDATED MUSH! Your dog has to eat everything, you must not give it the choice to pick certain things out of their bowl, it all has to go in their tummy! This is how we get to deficiencies!

I will post a seperate description of my exact routine, and how I measure out everything my girl needs as an example so you have something to compare to.

DISCLAIMER: If your vet has told you that your pet MUST eat a prescription diet due to health condition/allergy, please listen to them. Every health issue has causes and triggers, there are many, and I cannot possibly cover all of them in this post. Does this mean there aren't raw options for dogs with health issues or allegeries? No. There certainly are. For example, if your dog is allergic to wheat they can go on a wheat-free dry food OR BARF. But I cannot be responsible for your failings in proper research. SO, this means that if you have a dog with congenital issues, like kidney problems, please research into what that means before going against a prescription dry or wet food diet.

Appropriate vegetables include:

- Silver beet

- Bok choy

- Celery

- Carrots

- Sugar beet

Appropriate fruits include:

- Apples

- Oranges

- Blueberries

- Pears

REMINDER: you absolutely MUST vitamise fruits and vegetables. Your dog does not have molars like that of a horse for example, they cannot grind fibre, they use their molars for snapping large food items into smaller chunks. Herbivores chew for a reason. Plant cells are surrounded by a cellulose, and most guts do not have the enzymes required to dissolve cell walls, hence chewing. DOGS ALSO CANNOT DIGEST CELLULOSE, and they do not have the mechanics required to break down plant matter into a digestible form. I learned the function of teeth during my studies into paleontology, where dental analysis is vital. (1)

SUPPLEMENTS: TO BE BLENDED INTO YOUR BARF MIX 

the listed supplements contain the vitamins and omegas your dog needs to thrive. These vitamins already naturally exist in the vegatables and meats listed. HOWEVER, if your dog is not eating some kind of fish every day for example, then they need to be digesting at least flaxseed oil to make up for this. This is just one example. It is important to fill in any possible gaps, and these supplements make sure there aren’t any ;)

If you are feeding your dog fish oil you MUST also feed vitamin E oil, the dog’s body will use up stores of Vitamin E to process fish oil which oxidises very easily! If you are using one of the below supplements, you do not need to use fish oil. If you are using a supplement like megaderm or Omega blend, follow the directions on the bottle! So, this means don’t go adding it when you are making BARF, add upon feeding it to your dog.

SUPPLEMENTS INCLUDE:

- Megaderm (CONTAINS: vitamin B7, B6, A, E, omega 6&3) dosage instructions on bottle (can be bought on PetCircle)

OR

- Vets All Natural Omega Blend (CONTAINS: flaxseed oil (omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids), shark liver oil (omega-3 and vitamin A), sunflower oil (omega-6) and wheat germ oil (omega-3)) (can be bought on PetCircle)

OR

- just straight flaxseed oil (human-grade is the same stuff) 2 or 3 desert spoons

OTHER SUPPLEMENTS:

- Kelp powder (2-3 tsp) (contains: 60 different minerals and vitamins and 21 amino acids)

- Green tripe (contains: probiotics, essential fatty acids and digestive enzymes)

- Sardines (great for coat health)

- Tongue (fatty, good for active dogs)

- Green lipped muscle (aimed towards joint health, good for large breeds)

- Liver (contains vitamin A, B vitamins, iron, copper, zinc, essential fatty acids) 2 tblsp per day is recommended amount for medium dogs (I buy a pack of chicken livers (500g) and chuck it into the barf mix. This works out to be 17g perday)

DO NOT OVER FEED FATTY ACID SUPPLEMENTATION, keep to the recommended dose! Large quantities can cause Seborrhea oleosa (bad dandruff). It is possible to have too much of a good thing.

It is really important you do not overdose on any supplement. For example, glucosamine is great for old joints but it is also rated a top poison for dogs because of its potential for overdosing. (2)

WHAT MEAT AND ORGANS ARE BEST?

MEAT SHOULD NOT BE COOKED when fed to dogs. This decreases protein digestability and destroys essential amino acids such as lysine and methionine. That being said, meat is NOT a complete food, it is deficient in a lot of vitamins dogs need! So veggies are still a must.

Mince is great, but if you can find mince with ground bone included that would be even better. If you are living in Melbourne, The Saltiest Dog (in Thornbury) is a great store to visit to purchase such a thing. Try to stay away from ‘pet meats’, like those sold in Woolworths or Coles. They contain harmful preservatives (3). The cleaner/more human grade the better. Research into local raw food stores around you and ask about the meat they get in/what if any preservatives are in their meat.

Kangaroo is an environmentally friendly choice! They do not rely on the production of grain to survive, and they are indigenous to the land (their feet don’t compact soil and turn it infertile). It is the most humane way of harvesting red meat if you think about their lives up until the point of death.

The leaner the meat the better! Kangaroo is very lean! Turkey is another great option, but if you are afraid of salmonella, stay away from poultry. Variability of protein is not as important as what parts of the body you are feeding your dog. They need muscle, bone, and offal (tongue, heart, liver, etc.)!

I generally go by: 30% mince+bone & 20% offal.

BONES:

NEVER FEED COOKED BONES! They will splinter and cause internal injury.

Is it dangerous to feed raw bones? NO!

It is imperitive in the BARF diet that your dog is getting some kind of whole bone to eat EVERY DAY. But don’t be silly about it, think about your dog’s size. If you have a mini poodle, you should be giving it chicken necks, not beef weight bearing bones. The bones you give should be soft enough so that they don’t chip your dog’s teeth. This also means NO weight bearing bones till the dog is over 6 months old.

I have talked to customers at Petbarn who just happen to have silly dogs who won’t chew bones at all, and instead swallow them whole. If this is the case, please stick to turkey/duck/chicken necks. These are harder to choke on beause the bones are so tiny. Once again, if you fear potential bacteria or worm risks, freeze your meat before feeding (this will kill a lot of what you are scared of). DO NOT GIVE YOUR DOG FROZEN BONES, they will chip a tooth.

Bones act like fibre. They help everything move along in their intestines. They also contain vitamins and proteins they need. You can learn more about bone benefits in Dr. Ian Billinghurst’s book Give Your Dog a Bone.

I give my dogs a bone of some description every morning. Generally, it is a chicken carcass and once a week they get a roo rib or beef vertebrae (you can buy a bag of 'broth bones' from Woolworths which are great) to really get their teeth into.

It is really important that your dog is chewing on something every day. Whether it be a bone or a Kong/dental toy. It is imperitive for mental and dental health. The action of chewing for a dog is the equivelant of a human doing a sudoku or crossword.

HOW MUCH TO FEED:

This model is based off of the Raw&Fresh model which you can find on their website (https://rawandfresh.com.au/collections/treats), this also happens to be where I buy my bones from.

Essentially, you pick whether to feed 2-5% based on your dogs age and activity level. For example, senior dogs need to be eating more protein and fat because they lose muscle mass faster. A dog who has a high activity level needs more energy and a dog who is overweight should be fed less.

Generally, they should be getting 2-3%.

Whatever you decide on, this should be split into two meals. You'll find that two meals per day reduces their scavenging behaviour. I tend to feed the bone proportion in the morning and the patty mix at night.

The key to feeding your dog a raw diet is to WATCH. Watch your dog's weight. It is as simple as that. Watch how they put on weight, if they are becoming too skinny or overweight. Watch and adjust accordingly.

KEEP THIS FORUMLA IN MIND:

BARF = 50% green mix + 50% meat (30% mince + 20% offal)!

DAILY INTAKE = 60% BARF + 40% meaty bone

FEEDING LARGE BREEDS:

- BARF = time and money. Sometimes it can be unrealistic when you have a large breed.

- It can be a lot preparing a batch of food for a large breed, which can potentially be up to 2kg per day depending on how big the dog is. Ideally you would want to be making a batch that lasts the month, which we can individually pack and freeze. But with larger breeds that can get difficult when you are busy or you have a tiny freezer.

- Luckily their daily intake is not 100% BARF

- My GSD, Juni, requires 600g per day as a 30kg dog with a medium activity level. That means I'd need to make 18kg of BARF to last her a month. Yikes.

- I have found two ways around this:

- First of all, 600g is her daily intake, which means a bit of that (around 250g) can be meaty bone.

- I also cut some of her food with Ziwi Peak. This is an air-dried (NOT BAKED) dog food. Once the bone has been eaten, that leaves ~350g left to go.

- Her weight requires 350g of Ziwi Peak per day according to their feeding guide. Therefore, she gets 150g of Ziwi Peak and 150g of BARF

- I increase her BARF intake depending on the bone she gets

- The end result is I only have to make 4.6kg for the month if my life is turning out to be hectic and busy. Not to mention freezer space being an issue.

- When I find I have more time, this increases to 9kg and I don't need to feed Ziwi Peak at all.

1. You can learn more about dental function in mammals here:Smith, Kathleen, Wall, Christine. (2005). Ingestion in Mammals. In Encyclopedia of Life Sciences (Vol. 10, pp. 272-277). John Wiley Sons, Ltd. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Ingestion-in-Mammals-Wall-Smith/596099f8125d6ee16f40c858fe144613a225ae14

2. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/42594946_Accidental_overdosage_of_ joint_supplements_in_dogs

Nobles IJ, Khan S. Multiorgan dysfunction syndrome secondary to joint supplement overdosage in a dog. Can Vet J. 2015;56(4):361-364. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4357907/

3. https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/are-preservatives-in-pet-food-products-a-concern/

[readingsbylibramc]

birth chart reading for @im-sleepwalkingg

hello! welcome to your reading. I’m gonna give you a quick overview of what I’m going to analyze about your natal chart. feel free to ask me anything if something isn’t clear, of course. you’ll find out your dominants’ influence on your persona, your physical appearance, impression on others and the way you approach the world; your ego, identity, the real you; your reactions, your desires, inner emotions; your way of expressing your feelings, your mind and ideas; your desires and approach to love; your energy tank, instincts and temperament; in-depth analysis of each house with their rulers and analysis of heavy aspects; love life + soulmates/karmic partners interpretation; your relationship with your friends; your family life; your approach to career and work in general + possible jobs suggestion; your style, fashion sense analysis; life purpose and past life description; basic transits’ analysis to describe your current mood and, last but not least, your secret skills, how to make the most out of your soul and manifest what you desire based on your birth chart.

🦋 chart shape, dominants

your chart is a splay shape, meaning that your planets are located randomly in different groups in your chart. people with this type of chart are usually very talented at different things. they can focus their attention on different matters, from family, to work, to love. everything is important for you, and you try to live your life to the fullest. you may be particularly talented at things that require action, it doesn’t matter whether it’s physical or mental. you may be very good at sports, dancing… or maybe you’re good at leading, you could easily be the boss on your work place. since you’re interested in so many things, you could easily be skilled at all of them to be honest. my advice would be to pick the hobby that is most important for you and care about it more than the others. that’s because people with this chart usually tend to do so many things that they may lack precision. it’s better to give all of yourself to what’s important for you.

your dominant planets are saturn, venus and the sun. you're an hard-working and ambitious person. you probably know what you want in life, you have strong beliefs, but you also know how to relax and have fun. you're most likely extremely artistic and creative, you're very imaginative, and thanks to your saturn dominance you know how to balance duties and hobbies.

your dominant sign is taurus. you're a chill person, you prefer staying at home instead of going out and partying. you are quite stubborn, but that's because you're passionate about your ideas and beliefs. you prefer trying and take action, even if you risk to hurt yourself, instead of just standing still and observing. you find comfort helping others; it's a way to feel satisfied both with others and yourself, as you like proving your skills and talents.

your dominant element is earth. you're a loyal and stable individual. you value longevity in your relationships, and that makes you quite picky. you can easily appear as cold, as opening up to someone you don't know well is too much of a risk for you. once you do, though, you'll stay forever. money and material possessions are important for you, as you understand that financial stability is one of the main qualifications in life.

🌎 ascendant in leo, 2° / 1st decan ruled by the sun

you’re an extremely confident and bright person, or at least you have a very strong aura around you that makes you look like you are. you have exceptional charisma and presence, in fact this is usually a celebrity placement! you surely don’t go overlooked. you naturally always try your best to make people feel at ease, and you mostly succeed thanks to your warmth, which makes you even more attractive. you probably like being recognized, and you may want to be famous. in fact, you like being in the spotlight and loaded with compliments and appreciation, they incredibly boost your self-confidence. your charisma may sometimes be too noticeable, resulting a bit dramatic; you may gesticulate a lot, imitate voices… basically, you would do amazing at acting, for example. in fact, most actors have a leo rising, or leo placements of any sort. you’re very playful, you most likely look younger than you are for your personality. you may also be a savage, and you’re most likely good at jokes of any kind. you appear as a very bubbly and outgoing person, yet you may be quite secretive. you don’t open up easily, especially about family / private matters. especially with your virgo influence, you’re very picky when it comes to trusting people. in addition, you’re a perfectionist; you care a lot about everything that revolves around you, from physical appearance to your job, you want it all to be perfect. that can cause you a lot of stress, as you always want to seem at your best state, you despise being seen as weak or unprepared. physically, all leos have beautiful hair. you may have curly, perhaps red or dark hair, or at least it’s very thick. you may also get tanned easily, you could an olive skin tone or any kind of warm undertones to your skin. you may have full, plump lips, or at least they have a defined cupid’s bow. you may also have doe, almond-shaped eyes, and all of your facial features are quite feminine. you may also have naturally silky hair and perhaps pale skin with some warm undertones to it.

🌞 sun in taurus, 23° / 3rd decan ruled by venus and saturn

you’re more sharp-witted and pragmatic than the typical taurus. you value stability in both romance and in your day-to-day life, like at work. you take care of your body and style in any sort of way, as your leo ascendant confirms. after all, the 3rd decan of taurus is a great balance of beauty and brain. I imagine that you're not very extroverted, you prefer staying in, but I repeat that you still probably have nice social skills that could take a while to develop. or at least, they're your secret skills. you like keeping your mind active everyday, especially by following your passions. if you’re the logical type, you might enjoy playing sudoku or things like that. on the other hand, if you’re more philosophical you might enjoy reading, writing etc. you have a great sense of duty, that makes you want to excel in whatever you do. in addition to this, you’re also very stubborn. you probably get in arguments with others because you don’t accept their advices/criticism and prefer going your own way. you may also tend to overindulge a bit, and become a bit lazy. you're also very attached to food, and since your sun is also conjunct jupiter you may have the tendency to overeat. yet, since you have a strong earth dominance, you probably don't gain weight easily. you enjoy the finer things in life, but you might struggle with jealousy because of that. you have the tendency to look at other people’s achievements and get disappointed about yours.

taurus sun conjunct taurus mercury: you express your ego and identity through your words and ideas. you’re very opinionated and you protect strongly your beliefs. after all, you probably came up with your ideals after thinking deeply about them, you were too precise to be wrong. you’re also probably an avid reader, and you could do well in writing yourself, as you’re able to properly convey your ideals with your words. in fact, with your mercury being conjunct your gemini mars and your virgo moon, you'd do well as a writer of any kind, especially of adventure books. your mind is very active, and you feel comfortable letting all your thoughts out. it’s actually a way to relieve stress. you also have a wide vocabulary, and you’re capable of making a formal speech if you have to. you have a memorable way of speaking, as your words are very sharp. it’s hard for you to be ignored for your intellect.

taurus sun conjunct taurus venus: you enjoy peace and harmony. you want your surroundings to look all neat and clean, and the same goes for the people you surround yourself with. you wish people saw you as easy to approach, even though you may struggle with your image. you try to be as formal and kind as possible with people you don’t know well, unless they start getting on your nerves by disagreeing with your opinions or being too bossy. you’re very feminine, not only in your looks and manners but also in the way you dress. you’re quite romantic too, and dream of having a perfect marriage. the downside to this aspect is that because you take so much care of yourself, people may mistake your self-love for vanity, especially with your ascendant being in leo. also, your self-esteem may depend too much on others’ opinion of you; you may start thinking you’re ugly and unworthy of love just because someone told you you’re not their type, to sum up.

taurus sun conjunct taurus jupiter: this placement makes you more easy-going and kind-hearted than the typical taurus sun. you have a warm personality. even though you may not be the most extroverted person based on your other placements, I imagine that, once you get to know people, you become very outgoing. you always try to make people feel comfortable and, matched with your virgo moon, this placement makes you particularly considerate of others. you have a knack for religion, spirituality and just knowledge in general. you have strong beliefs, and you're most probably very open-minded as well. the negative side of this mostly-beneficial placement is that you may be subconsciously too confident in yourself or skills, resulting arrogant or selfish. it's alright to praise yourself of course, but you may start to look down on people who don't share your same interests, opinions etc. you can't repress this side of yourself of course, but try not to show it with people around you if it causes you problems.

taurus sun square aquarius uranus: this aspect makes you crave independency. you like doing things your own way, especially since it’s backed up by your fixed dominance. you’re really creative and intelligent, yet this may be misunderstood by those who surround you. you stand out for the way you think and your interests, and some may even perceive you as ‘weird’. I honestly think that, if well-devolped and paired with a good use of words, this aspect can be highly beneficial for your growth. a lot of successful people, like bill gates and stephen king, have this aspect, as it gives one the ability to imagine unordinary things that can impact society in a good way.

🌙 moon in virgo, 28° / 3rd decan ruled by mercury and venus

this is the truest virgo decan. you want to have everything under control, you can't bear not being organized. you most probably write down your appointments and stuff on an agenda, or perhaps even in the notes app of your phone. you're extremely precise, you want everything to be perfect. mixed with your leo rising, you probably care a lot about your appearance; you most likely have a skincare routine, workout... just anything that makes you feel healthy. you love taking care of yourself, especially of your hygiene. you also put a lot of effort in your outfits, you fear not being at your best state. you're a perfectionist, after all. this also project in your home environment; you may clean your house thoroughly, it's most likely all neat. in addition, this mania of yours of being perfect makes you have high standards; in fact, you need people in your life that try as much as you do. you despise lazy people. you probably have a reputation for always being calm and elegant, as you try to avoid conflicts as much as possible. you're very smart and insightful, and you strive for perfection; you want to prove your power to yourself, as it helps you boosting your self-esteem. in fact, it depends a lot on your achievements; if you don't meet your expectations, you start going through a hard time of insecurity and struggles. you love communicating, but you may struggle to find the right words, especially with your mercury being conjunct mars. your eyes talk for you, though. you're also very introspective, and you're fond of art and creativity in general. you're very critical, both of yourself and of others. you don't do it with malice, though, but as I've already mentioned you want to frequent people that try to be at their best all the time, just like you after all.

🗣 mercury in taurus, 28° / 3rd decan ruled by venus and saturn

this is the most quiet taurus decan, yet also the most precise and analytical. you care a lot about grammar, you don't want to make any mistakes. looking ridiculous is your biggest fear, hence you end up overworking to prove yourself that you're capable to do anything you want. you have a slow way of thinking and speaking. your voice may sound really calm and pleasant to hear, yet still strict and ambitious. you’re probably a good singer, or at least have the potential to become one. you tend to overthink a lot, but you eventually get to a conclusion and stick to it. no one is gonna change your mind. you enjoy learning and working in creative ways; you might enjoy using powerpoints, flashcards or maybe study with your friends, or listening to music. you also probably have a nice, aesthetic handwriting and you like organizing your agenda. your voice is probably very soft and youthful.

taurus mercury conjunct gemini mars: this placement makes you slightly more aggressive, or at least loud with your words. in fact, it makes you look more assertive and almost bossy. you could often attack people with words when you get angry, and you can get quite provocative too, but I don't see you raising your voice. while you are quick-minded and it's hard for you to be tricked, you have a very sharp tongue that could hurt others. other people may not understand your sense of humor for example, and they could get offended. you love debates and expressing your opinions, as you take a lot of pride in your thoughts. yet, may also take things very personally, you get defensive extremely easily, and that makes it hard to have a healthy discussion with you as you're very fiery. you could often get into arguments too.

taurus mercury conjunct taurus saturn: this placement, on the other hand, could delay your communication skills. you may find it hard for you to express your thoughts and opinions in a clear, understandable way. you may be too shy to speak your mind, for example, and hence you end up sounding very insecure in your speech. you may even end up stuttering, for example. on the other hand, you're very mature and well-mannered, which is a positive thing considering that your taurus is also conjunct mars. yet, you could be extremely pessimistic, you never allow yourself to think for the best. ironically, in this way you may actually attract bad luck to you. you could be the type to say 'I am so ugly', 'nobody loves me' and other things like that, and at a certain point you'll just start believing in it, and that obviously damages your self-esteem. you should definitely stop with this behaviour, start being more optimistic, even though you may be skeptical at first. you'll naturally attract positivity to you after a while, and you'll feel much better.

❤️ venus in taurus, 15° / 2nd decan ruled by venus and mercury

you seek long-lasting relationships. you're very romantic, and this fixed influence gives you high standards for your partner, you stay back from players. you look for someone you can always count on, and that is willing to support you through thick and thin. it may take you a while to find someone worth to be your lover, but once you find them, you'll always be loyal to them as long as they're respectful. they're your most precious possession, hence you're very jealous and protective of them. if it becomes unhealthy for both you and your partner, it's surely an issue you have to solve, maybe together. you're also the type who likes to be spoiled by their lover, and wants to make lovely gifts as well. these gifts don't have to be expensive, even homemade things are fine. for example, you may melt at the thought of your significant other to take their time and do something exclusively for you, like baking a cake or writing a poem. little gestures that show you their love. in a potential partner, you also care about how they present themselves. I'm not necessarily talking about conventional beauty, but more on a self-care side. you like people who smell good, have a nice fashion sense and maybe people that are quite conceited too (obviously not to the point of narcissism).

taurus venus conjunct taurus jupiter: this placement makes you extremely likeable, and it's particularly beneficial considering that your leo rising could make you appear kind of snug. you're probably quite popular, or at least you're very appreciated wherever you go. not only you're physically attractive, but you're also very friendly and charismatic, which makes it impossible not to notice you. you despise conflicts and chaotic situations in general, you're very peaceful. perhaps, to have fun you prefer using creative and artistic outlets rather than going out. I also find this an extremely beneficial placement for you, as you have a scorpio 5th house that makes you attract obsessive and / or problematic partners. with venus being conjunct to jupiter, this energy may not be as prominent as usual, as you tend to attract more positivity in your life.

taurus venus conjunct taurus saturn: as I've already mentioned above, you're a very affecionate and loyal partner. yet, due to this placement, there could be some insecurity around your love affairs. you may be too cold in relationships, it could be that you have troubles showing your love and affection for others. or perhaps, you're afraid of being in a relationship, and hence you may directly avoid them or break up all of a sudden. you could literally jump into relationships, resulting in you getting hurt from time to time. because of this, with this placement marriage is usually delayed. it could be hard for you to find your true love, but it'll surely come. you could possibly date people more dominant / older than you, and I'd recommend you to get married after your saturn return, which is around your 27/28s. little side-note, you may often date karmic partners, aka partners from your past lives, so you may often experience this 'I’ve already seen you before’-vibe in your new encounters and relationships, and you’ll always learn something from all your relationships.

☄️ mars in gemini, 6° / 1st decan ruled by mercury

you’re driven by the sense of intelligence. your intellect is your greatest strenght, it’s your energy tank. you’re interested in a bunch of things, and hence you may have troubles staying focused on one thing at the time. you probably have tons of hobbies, and you may end up not being much precise since you have tons of things that you have and want to do. you can’t stand boredom, you need your day-to-day life to be exciting and, above all, offer you something new to learn and / or experience. usually, gemini mars individuals tend to be very physically active, but I personally don't think it's your case. you could be into fitness and health for example, but you're not the type to go out and party for example, you're way more chill. also, you’re extremely witty and curious, and you want to live your life to the fullest. you may often change your style, your opinions, maybe even your personality, and that could make you seem confusing and / or unreliable.

gemini mars opposite sagittarius pluto: with this placement, I assume that when you were younger you were some sort of victim. you could have been bullied, for example, you used to be insecure about the way you looked and were. you could have felt different from others, and they took advantage of that to make you feel even more insecure. or maybe, it was a parent, or every authoritative figure in your life, that restricted you from following your own ideals. because of that, now you constantly feel the need to prove yourself. you probably tend to accumulate a lot of anger all together, which you need to let all out or you could explode. you could find comfort in physical ways to relieve stress, like punching bags, slamming doors, etc. or perhaps, when you're angry you just get overwhelmed by all of your emotions. you may cry, scream, even throw up in certain cases. on the other hand, you are extremely magnetic and attractive to others, you naturally draw people towards you. you're also extremely passionate in whatever you do, you put your whole heart in doing things you love. you're very hard-working and determined to achieve your goals, and I find this beneficial considering that your gemini energy tends to make one superficial. with this aspect, you're probably more dedicated than the common gemini.

🏡 houses, interceptions

your 1st house is in leo. with this placement, you care a lot about your persona, both physically and also mentally too. yet, you may start feeling like you need to be perfect at all costs to be accepted, especially during your early years. for example, you may be the type to follow fashion trends to look cool, and you may subconsciously force yourself to like them. you need to understand that you should enhance your individuality, and ask yourself who you are. it’s not all about who you are outside, the inside matters even more. you’re free to stand out, but make sure that you do it in a comfortable way for you, or it will start becoming toxic as time goes by. the ruler of the 1st house is in the 10th house: you have big goals for your future, you may even want to be famous. they’re basically the centre of your life, it revolves around your goals and achievements and you want a successful. you’re naturally charismatic, you may have lots of friends or at least it’s easy for you to get known in your community, even though these results may be delayed due to saturn in your 10th house. you may also care a lot about your reputation.

your 2nd house is in leo again. your self-esteem depends on matters like money, possessions, as well as your influence on others. you may feel confident when you're praised and spoiled with compliments and material things, you may enjoy being in the spotlight as it increases your self-confidence, even though you're quite shy so you don't feel very at ease. you feel confident when you're able to earn money and you're financially stable, and hence you probably felt guilty as a child to ask your parents for money for example. you probably love luxury, you aspire to become very wealthy, live in the house of your dreams, etc. you could also dream of becoming famous. and actually, with this placement, you could make money from leo-related matters, and hence being in the spotlight, creativity (especially theatre / drama), comedy, etc.

your 3rd house is in virgo. you're very precise and polite in the way you express your thoughts. you're probably very careful to grammar, vocabulary etc... you love looking and being knowledgeable. you're more a logical type rather than an intuitive person, you hardly ever do something only out of curiosity. you're very cautious about the decisions you make, and hence it could take you a time to finally choose something, but that's because you just don't want to regret anything. you think deeply about your choices, and most of the time they turn out to be right. you're strongly opinionated, but you may be a bit too harsh when you express your ideas. sometimes you could even hurt someone, as you're extremely honest. you don't like sugar-coating your words. you're also very intelligent and hard-working, and you can't stand messy things. you're probably very neat, you like having schedules and you may even keep an agenda / diary where you keep track of your appointments and other things you have to do. you also have the moon placed in this house: it's hard for you to hide your feelings, as you express them through your words. you may also be the type to let your feelings out through writing, and hence you may write very personal poetry, books, etc. your emotions are directly connected to your speech.

your 4th house is in libra. your home environment was probably very pleasant and beautiful, both physically and emotionally. you may have a conventionally beautiful family, or at least they're particularly attractive and charming. your house may also be very well-designed and elegant, doesn't matter how big it is. you probably see your parents as ideal, they are your role models and you look up to them, even though they could have been a bit strict from time to time. it could be that you didn't argue often, probably because you weren't much rebel as a teen, or even if you discussed there was hardly ever shouting or even violence. the ruler of the 4th house is placed in the 10th house: you may have a reputation for being very nurturing, like a sort of mother to others, a benevolent leader. also, your future career may include 4th house matters; that means that you could follow your parents' steps and work in their same field, for example, or maybe even follow their studies. you could possibly work with families, e.g as a counselor, or perhaps in real estate. you could possibly even become an interior designer, or you could be particularly talented at cooking, you'd make a great chef or maybe a baker too.

your 5th house is in scorpio. you're not really the type to hang out and attend parties. actually, you most likely prefer spending your spare time alone. you're extremely passionate about your hobbies, especially since pluto is also placed in this house, enhancing this scorpio energy. you may dedicate all of yourself to them, to the point that you could actually develop an obsession to be great at them. yet, you could struggle to show your creativity, you most likely keep all of your artistic and creative works for yourself. probably, this is linked to the fact that your moon is in the 3rd house; you create very personal art, and since you're very secretive you don't to show your emotions to people you don't trust, and hence same goes for your hobbies. because of that, you may often feel different or out of place, and that may interfer with your relationships with other people.

your 6th house is in capricorn. usually, people with a capricorn 6th house are very responsible and work-oriented. they generally don’t leave much space to fun and amusement, you have a strong sense of duty and you may end up overworking yourself, especially with your stellium in the 10th house. on the other hand, this placement could make you an amazing leader, especially in your work environment. you can easily work alone, you can handle it. when it comes to health, you may suffer from problems to your bones, and hence you could wear braces, you may have diseases to your back, etc. the ruler of the 6th house is in the 10th house: you could pursue a career that involves healing, possibly medicine. you could be a therapist of any kind, a doctor, a nurse… even a vet. also, this placement indicates that you’ll communicate something through your career. it doesn’t necessarily have to be with words, you may also communicate in a graphic way, hence you could be an actress, an artist, a photographer etc.

your 7th house is in aquarius. you do like the idea of marriage and love, yet you need your space as well. you don’t want to feel committed in a relationship, it would be suffocating for you. that could make you appear as emotionally cold or detached, when you’re really not. you just care a lot about your personal growth. you also have uranus and neptune placed in this house. perhaps, you could even attract mentally unstable partners, they could be a bit moody for example. you probably dream of a love like those you hear about in fairytales; you're not only looking for a partner, you literally want a prince, who's willing to give their all to you. you find yourself daydreaming often about love, and it may also be your source of inspiration for creativity and art in general. probably, you may idealize people too much; that is, you may create a version of others that only exists in your head. hence, once you get to know someone better, they turn out to be the exact opposite of what you thought. this causes you to be sort of naive when it comes to relationships, so pay extra attention to this problem now that you're aware of it. last but not least, you may meet your future spouse in an unexpected situation.

your 8th house is in aquarius. you're secretly quite rebellious, or at least you have a few unconventional ideals that you struggle to let out to the world. you are extremely open-minded and you have a strong sense of justice, you're always ready to defend others, especially if they're your friends. yet, while this placement makes you extremely open-minded and supportive of others, there are also some bad sides about it. in fact, you may often find yourself being afraid of being unconventional, you tend to conform to others out of fear. you could give up on your own freedom and comfort since you struggle to achieve your independency, you probably care too much about what others think of you. you have troubles stepping out of your comfort-zone, and paired up with your virgo moon, you can't improvise, you're way too logical and you base your routine and actions too much on a schedule. you could also come across some hardships regarding your friends, you may often attract people that could hurt you deeply. yet, these experiences will allow you to learn something grow up in order to become the best version of you.

your 9th house is in pisces. this is definitely a nice placement! the result is that you're probably extremely open-minded and imaginative. you hardly ever have have prejudices, you judge people way less than the typical leo rising. you're extremely opinionated, and combined with your virgo 3rd house you're constantly looking for the truth. you hate it when people say something wrong for example, you can't help but correct them. you could also be religious and believe in a god. philosophy, literature and poetry are also a part of your many interests. in addition, you're most likely also into foreign languages and cultures. you could travel a lot, or perhaps with your pisces in the house cusp you like travelling with your mind. you probably literally create stories in your head, you're extremely imaginative. a good advice would be not to waste this talent of yours; you could actually make your fantasies concrete and express them through creative outlets: books, drawings, songs, choreographies... basically, it would be a waste to only keep them for you.

your 10th house is in aries, with also a big stellium involving venus as your most elevated planet, saturn, jupiter and the sun. with your 10th house cusp in the energetic sign of aries, you need a career that allows you to be independent, you probably prefer working alone than in groups. or perhaps, you actually aspire to become a boss, a ceo, someone people look up to, and if you work hard you may actually become an influential person in your work place / field. in fact, with saturn placed here, at first you may struggle to find the job that is right for you. you may be indecisive about it, or perhaps you could come across some hardships regarding bosses or even payments. yet, this will naturally get better with time, as you grow up and make new experiences. your jupiter here points out that you'll be able to earn lots of wisdorm thanks to your career, and hence you'd probably make a perfect leader, or even teacher for example. with also the sun placed here, your career is basically the focus of your life. you aspire to be successful, as you're quite materialistic. you like spoiling yourself and even your loved ones, you're probably fond of shopping of any kind, and you want to be wealthy thanks to yourself only. last but not least, venus is also placed in this house and it's your most elevated planet. that means that your life, and hence your career too, will revolve around artistic outlets, it's a natural talent of yours. you could become a singer, a dancer, an actress, an artist, a stylist, etc. also, you may often date people from your work place, and you could even find your future spouse there.

your 11th house is in taurus, with also mercury and mars placed in this house. you are probably very possessive of your friends, you hate it when they don't spend much time with you. you don't do it out of malice of course, you're just afraid of not being enough, deep down. you could attract some possibly harmful people in your friendships, but any hardship will just help you to grow up. overall, your relationship with your friends will be very stable after growing up and becoming more mature. the 11th house is also about long-term goals, and hence you may also aspire to become wealthy and earn a great income. in fact, since mars is also placed in this house, you're highly motivated to achieve these goals of yours. also, your friends are your energy tank, they literally help you to recharge, and they're probably the ones to comfort you when you feel down. last but not least, with mercury you're extremely curious about people and the future of the world in general. you may be into conspiracy theories for example, or even into topics like psychology, criminology, history, etc. that help you understand more about people and the whole world. you could also be very impatient to achieve your goals, and a downside to this is that you may give up halfway if you don't see improvements.

your 12th house is in cancer. you’re an extremely spiritual and intuitive person. you may be attracted to dreams, religion, astrology, spirituality… anything that can wake you up, spiritually speaking. you may also be particularly talented at reading birth charts, tarots, even talking to spirits. you may have prophetic dreams, or you could even have deja-vus. the 12th house is also the house of fears, so having cancer here indicates that you may be afraid of your childhood, emotions, past memories. perhaps, even of your home environment or directly of your parents. it’s a part of your life that you’d rather keep secret. you may also have some escapism tendencies, such as oversleeping, overeating… or perhaps, you could easily develop addictions, so be careful to that, as you’re particularly sensitive to drugs, alcohol etc.

❤️ love life, soulmates

in love, you attract aquarius, sagittarius, pisces, scorpio and taurus. your future spouse will most likely have scorpio and taurus traits or placements, maybe also some pisces too. they’ll be very similiar to you: secretive and hard-working, but also with a warm, loyal heart and a hidden insecurity to them. you may meet them at work, or in any place where you go to have fun. it may be a party, a bar... literally any place you attend where you can meet other people. possibly, even abroad or in vacation. your children will most likely have strong scorpio, sagittarius or pisces traits: they’ll be very daring and brave, but also very funny and warm. also, they’ll be extremely intelligent and more mature as time goes by. they'll also have a tender side to them, but that is often overshadowed by their playfulness. they could also get easily very possessive and jealous.

👶🏻 family life

your father is a very fiery, impulsive person, with a short-temper. he could have even been quite violent with you during your childhood, and he might have a few childish behaviours. deep down, he's actually kind of insecure with his role as a father, but he may hate to admit it. he may have aries, capricorn, libra, taurus, leo, sagittarius, pisces or scorpio placements in his chart. your mother, on the other hand, is slighly more submissive. she's mostly a peaceful and emotional person, even though she most probably has a passive-aggressive behaviour. she might've been a bit strict or overprotective. nonetheless, you could actually have a better relationship with her rather than with your father, or at least she understands your needs better. she may have libra, or taurus placements in her chart. if you have siblings, they're probably very peaceful, affectionate and intelligent. they may also be very kind, as well as organized. their rooms probably look immaculate. they could have virgo, cancer or gemini placements in their charts.

📊 career

honestly, your chart points out that you'd do great at a bunch of things! from working alone or even in groups, you'll be able to be successful in any path you choose. in fact, there are many indicators in your chart that indicate that, if you work hard, you'll be able to achieve a great fortune thanks to your job. for me, the best career for you would be teaching. I can see you being an amazing teacher, as you have the knowledge, open-mindness and calm to lead people and let them understand different matters, without forcing your opinions. you could also work abroad, perhaps with different languages, or maybe with children, and hence you could be a primary school teacher or a foreign languages teacher. otherwise, you could also do well at jobs that involve arts and creativity. what matters the most is that you're able to achieve a great position, you want people to look up to you. that's the only way for you to feel satisfied and accomplished.

👚 fashion sense, style analysis

with your heavy venus presence, I'm sure you're very elegant. even if you're just wearing a sweatshirt with pants, you still manage to make it look so expensive and particular. you may like pastel, light colours, or even earthy shades like kaki, brown etc. you prefer using comfortable clothes, but you definitely know how to dress up when you have to. you might also be very fond of accessories, like jewellery and bags. you may also enjoy buying designer clothes, but even if they're cheaper, you want them to be of a nice quality. you may also enjoy going thrift shopping, as you may like wearing 'timeless' items, such as white shirts, blazers, coats, classic heels... basically, versatile clothes that are a must in your wardrobe, as they've always been trendy. you could also love oversized fits, as well as 80s/90s aesthetic.

👁 past life, life purpose

in your past lifetime, you used to put your spirituality aside for a while to focus on finding out your identity here on the earth. you learned how to be responsible, healthy and stable on the earth. you know your values, and they’re already very grounded, you’re very mature from this point of view. in this lifetime, you now need to get more in touch with your spirituality. you need to get close to your higher self, and you may actually be quite skilled at it; probably you may interpret your dreams, you could be interested in religion, what’s beyond the world, and you’re most likely also interested in astrology and other occult matters. you’ll finally be able to reach happiness and fulfill your soul when you start having awareness of your soul’s purpose. since you’ve booked a reading, I’m sure you’re already on the right path, so keep going this way.

🤔 major transits analysis / september 21st

this year your focus is mostly on your career, work environment. you may undergo different changes in your routine, probably unexpected situations at work. yet, you’ll get out stronger and with more knowledge with you, which will help you gain more maturity and awareness when it comes to jobs. also, your focus may also be on your health and / or fitness. you may possibly get rid of a disease or anything that made you feel unhealthy, like a bad diet for example, or any unhealthy habit of yours.

🧿 manifest what you want, secret skills

your secret skills revolve around finances and just security in general. with a positive attitude, you may attract material luck: money, clothes, houses… everything that you desire. since you’re a logical person, I assume the most efficient way for you to manifest through the LOA is writing! take a notebook and just write down positive affirmations, such as 'I have the car of my dreams’ etc. you may also write them on post-its and glue them around your house, so that you can accelerate the progress. you can also try to idealize your wish before trying to manifest it. for example, if you want a new sweatshirt, try to imagine yourself wearing it. you could also go into a shop and actually try that sweatshirt it on; being in contact with it will boost the law of attraction even more.

thank you again for booking a reading! hope it resonated with you :)

[marginalgloss]

There is no doubt that the elegant formulation of a clue for a cryptic crossword has a poetry about it. They are simultaneously so much more and so much less complicated than the words suggest. They are an intensely serious form of play; a test of will between a setter, invariably concealed behind some mysterious codename, and their audience, who are sometimes far more like a community than one might assume. 

The problem is that I find crosswords intensely interesting in the abstract, but I have never been any good at solving them. There is a part of me which resists the whole exercise in the same way that I once resisted my maths homework. Often when reading the explanation for a clue I’m tempted to fling the whole puzzle across the room. Too often I feel like I’ve been tricked, as if by sleight-of-hand. I can see that the answer must be hidden somewhere, and I’m vaguely aware of how it has been done, but perhaps I just don’t have the patience to work it out by myself? 

Except that a patient, attentive, methodological approach often isn’t enough either, because cryptic crosswords aren’t like mathematics. Many clues rely on a certain kind of lateral associative thinking which is difficult to teach, let alone learn via reverse engineering. Like most people I can get perhaps halfway through a ‘quick’ crossword (where the definitions are essentially literal, and you either know them or you don’t) but I am left utterly stumped by the strange verse of the classic cryptic still beloved of the British broadsheet papers.

I think I was expecting Two Girls, One On Each Knee by Alan Connor to be something more like a guide to solving these puzzles for the general reader. This isn’t what it is at all; it does devote a chapter to introducing some of the typical forms of clues and how to approach them, but this feels somewhat rushed and general. As we will later find out there isn’t really any single formula that one can adopt when tackling a clue. Veteran solvers will notice signs and signifiers everywhere, but even if one has a basic idea of what to do, many clues require a considerable leaps in deductive reasoning, not to mention a dash of humour. (Incidentally, the answer to the clue that is the title of the book is ‘PATELLA’; as in the bone found ‘on’ each knee; and as in ‘Pat’ and ‘Ella’, two names for girls. Of course! Of course.)

For the most part this is a book about the history and cultural importance of crosswords, aimed at the general reader. Famous setters and solvers both real and fictional, media depictions from Brief Encounter onwards, the role of crosswords in espionage, the various crazes for crosswords and social concerns this brought up. The book even touches upon the different approaches and personalities of some of the most prolific setters, and it offers plenty of clever and amusing clues that demonstrate different facets of the setter’s skill. Some are rigorous in terms of the ‘rules’ at work, with no word nor punctuation wasted; others are freewheeling, anarchic, and sometimes extremely rude (even I can tell that much from the crossword in the back pages of Private Eye magazine). The answers to all the clues in the book are given in an appendix in the back, but I still found myself mystified as to how many of the solutions had been reached from the clues on offer. 

There’s a certain tendency here to wave away the difficulty of some of the most infuriating clues with the suggestion that this is all part of the mystery and magic of the game. And it is. But at times it’s difficult to avoid the sense of being swindled. To take a random example, at one point the book deigns to explain the clue ‘Relaxed when lying in grass (topless) (5)’ — we are asked to remove the ‘top’ letter of ‘reed’ and insert ‘as’ for ‘when’ to make the answer: EASED. But this only reads like half of an explanation. (Where has ‘reed’ come from, again?) There’s a sense throughout of ‘it’s easy when you know how’ that anyone aspiring to actually learn the art of solving is likely to find frustrating. 

And this, I think, says something about the contradiction that underlies the nature of the cryptic crossword. Because they are more about wordplay than general knowledge, in theory anyone can learn to do them. It’s no longer the case that a classical education is a prerequisite for the average clue. And yet for the most part they remain something of an exclusive pastime. In fiction, they are still a signifier of genius. To an extent the format preserves its own rarified status, in that the average serious crossword offers little to nothing to the reader who isn’t prepared to put in the hours to study its arcane art. This being the case, I wonder how many more years we can expect to see them in the media; to some extent they have already been overtaken in popularity by number games like Sudoku (and digital variants like Picross). 

But those games operate according to rigorous, specific rules, the nature of which is always clear to every player. Solving them is simply a matter of completing an equation, parts of which are already known. The charm of the cryptic crossword is that it resists this kind of straightforward processing. It is, as far as I can tell, an entirely unique form of art that has no close relatives in gaming or literature. That being the case, I suspect the nature of clue-writing will endure, even if it has to move to a different kind of puzzle altogether.

[youswiminmywater]

reflections on past jobs, for no particular reason

for the past few days, i’ve been trying to shake off a funk, a slump, one of those holes you can fall into if you’re the depressed type. where you spend entire days in bed, or crawl out at 2pm to eat a pile of leftover mashed potatoes between a mindless barrage of youtube videos or sudoku puzzles. just drowning yourself in distractions until you finally get fed up with it and start down that familiar path of Self-Care, which is probably a little different for everybody. for me, it involves leaving the house (which i’m convinced has some paranormal draining effect on my soul, or perhaps just dust, mold, cat pee, dandruff around the house intensifies my doldrums on a base physical level), going out to eat or sitting around in a coffee shop to read. reading is always my touchstone for “getting better,” like i’m flexing some intellectual muscles that i’d been neglecting for the past few weeks, or even months. i’ve said before that i’m a terrible english major, and have a lot of trouble starting books let alone finishing them, but i just think it’s a habit that needs developing, a habit that can replace the easier, mindless ones like scrolling through tumblr or playing through a game i’ve played through a thousand times. 

a friend of mine suggested the other day that reading is equally a waste of time as playing a video game, though, a comment that really kind of fucked me up and made me feel embarrassed for trying to use it to cheer myself up. i think i’ve come to a point now where i can disagree, heartily, with that comment. no video game inspires this much thought in myself, or makes me want to write. maybe it has to do with the TV screen itself. i’ve read that the blue light TVs have sort of a trance effect on you, like how the fluorescents at the supermarket make you want to browse around and lose focus, or how phone screens trick your brain into staying awake because it’s the same kind of light that comes from the sun. it does feel like a trap sometimes, an addiction. and some video games really do manipulate you to play them as much as possible, some are just designed that way. i’m not ashamed to say i’d throw video games out of my life entirely if i could, they never have made me feel better about myself. they’ve never inspired me. maybe i’ve just had some poor experiences with them, skipping homework to play games, staying up too late, getting angry at certain levels, forgetting to eat or go to the bathroom. they just command too much attention and force me to forget about myself entirely, don’t allow me to think about anything other than the game itself. the only real positive influence they’ve had on my life is that it’s something to do with other people if i can’t physically be with them. like virtual worlds to hang out in with your friends. even then, though, it’s more about spending time with people i care about in a setting that’s comfortable for me, not about the games themselves. ANYWAY that’s my argument for THAT

like i was saying, shaking off a funk. i was at this coffee shop today, maybe been there three or four times. i don’t really drink coffee, and coffee shops have never really been my scene, but they’re great places to just sit for a couple of hours to read and write, and nobody even bats an eye at you. can’t really do that at a sit down restaurant, it’s too easy to feel self-conscious, especially if there’s a waitress depending on flipping your table as efficiently as possible. 

but the point of this story is to talk about the doughnuts they were selling at this particular coffee shop. big, fat doughnuts, a few with outlandish glazes, strawberry glaze, for example. one was just entirely purple. and when i say fat doughnuts, i mean like, when you see it, it’s golden brown on both sides, and then it has that pale ring around the outside that the oil just never got to when they flipped ‘em in the fryer. that ring is the sexiest part of the doughnut, it’s like a stretch mark to show you how plump and decadent that particular doughnut is gonna be. not all doughnuts have those rings either; if you go to kroger or something, their old-fashioned doughnuts? just dry brown rings. probably a lot of factory doughnuts lack that pale ring, now that i’m thinking about it. it’s really a sign of some gourmet shit happening behind the scenes, somebody hand-cut that doughnut and fried it themselves. that’s how you know you’re eating something nice. probably worth the $3.50 i paid for it. well, maybe, that’s still kinda steep. 

my imagination was going like this the entire time i was at the coffee shop. i had seen them when i came in, and resolved to get out only on my way out, maybe two hours later. should i ask the cashier where they got those doughnuts from? would he even know? maybe they even made them in house, i thought. now THAT would be exciting! they did have a few food options on their menu. i think one lady next to me had some fried plantains or something. that would suggest they had a fryer, right? but then i figured, there’s no way, a coffee shop this size just wants to deal with a few baristas and that’s it, any fancy gourmet stuff would be brought in. it would be such a hassle to hire a pastry chef just to make doughnuts and scones, i don’t think the sales at a place this size would justify a batch of anything. i did daydream a little, however. made me want to work there so that i could figure out the secrets behind the counter. maybe there’s a real master doughnut-maker back there, and i could pick up at least that juicy little talent from working there, if nothing else.

this is what sent me down into a spiral. flipping through all of my past jobs, half regretful, wondering what exactly i took with me when i left. the job i have right now is the only one i’ve ever formally considered to be a real skill builder, a real job that actually means something. yet that doesn’t mean i’ve just been wasting all my career-building opportunities up until this point, does it? i always imagined that jobs through high school college were just, in general, real time wasters, real whatevers. you could literally have whatever job you wanted and not feel a tinge of regret about it, as long as it paid something. internships were for rich kids, kids that had their parents plan out their careers for them and finance it all the way through. retail jobs, cashier jobs, delivery jobs, these were there for kids who were gonna figure it all out later. normal people. looking back on it now, though, i really would do it differently. i would at least like, have a theme to the kinds of jobs i was going for, you know? jobs that logically led from one to the other, building up tips and tricks that would make you way more impressive to your coworkers down the line. this is probably also a false regret too, because there are those people that change their career paths like, really late in their lives. like they were a nurse for 30 years and now they wanna learn how to be a real estate agent, just from scratch. it’s brave, and i’m sure they sometimes wish they could have gone back and done things differently too, just started with the thing they loved before they knew they loved it. or maybe not, maybe they needed to hate something before they learned what they love...who knows.

what did i learn from my jobs then? i just wanted to go down the list and put together little stories, or sketches, rather. i know this isn’t exactly the most readable thing, and i don’t really expect anybody to read it. it’s entirely biographical and probably entirely boring, but it’s a fun exercise for me, at any rate. if you’re the kind of person that enjoys this sort of thing, i’m beaming on the inside for the both of us. anyway, here we go!

1. Goodwill Associate. Cashier, stock guy, master of all trades. Or at least the shitty ones this was my first ever job, I guess when I was 18 the summer out of high school. I had a couple of school-sanctioned volunteer roles when I was younger, but I don’t really consider those as anything in a career sense. Just an extension of school. My first actual job was here in retail, and kind of like really on the bottom of the totem pole, retail-wise. It was minimum wage. There wasn’t any real structure to the product, no departments, no red tape, no security wires on the expensive stuff. It was just bare bones, donated stuff, a little bit of a Wild West vibe, if i’m being honest. prices were determined by managers in the back. they’d just write the prices on everything in marker. anything without a price tag like that, like most of the clothing, the cashiers would just guess at what products were being handed to them and ring them up like that. looks like a unisex shirt, 1.99. pants with women’s sizes on the back tag, 3.99. customers sometimes would try to haggle, and sometimes they’d succeed! you can’t do that at sears. people would just buy fake stuff knowing it was fake and not be bothered by it. the main purpose of the employees was just to clean up the mess, and make everything look somewhat organized, keep stuff off the floor.

there were a couple of roles you could take working at a place like this. first off, everybody was a cashier, but you weren’t supposed to linger at the cash register. the primary thing you’d do is run clothes, which meant, rolling out a rack from the back full of clothes that had been already “processed” and just transfer them onto the racks out on the store floor. basically until the racks on the floor were jam-packed and you couldn’t do anymore. this was my least favorite thing, and to be honest i don’t remember doing it much. the rolling racks in the back were called “z-racks,” because the bottoms of them were held together with metal  shaped like z’s. probably my first brush with industry-specific terminology. they have z-racks in culinary too, but they’re something different, still with the same z-shape on the top and bottom holding them together. 

then there was “housewares,” which meant basically that you wandered around the housewares department all day, making an attempt to organize everything within reason. put everything upright with the price clearly visible. this was a real nightmare job, but a relatively stress-free one. sometimes a haitian family would stroll through and ruin your entire day’s work. the kids really just did whatever they wanted and left every toy in the middle of the floor, the parents paying absolutely no attention. it was a real thankless job, akin to hanging out in tartarus rolling rocks up a hill over and over again just to see it roll back down the next day.

cashier was the most rewarding part, i think, just because it’s the only aspect that forced interaction with the customers. that’s still my favorite part of most jobs i’ve had, i think, the opportunity to meet people and interact with someone new. of course, at a place like goodwill, you weren’t really all that excited about most of the clientele, but you could definitely walk out of there with a few stories. i was pretty young back then too, so i was prone to developing crushes on a few regulars, even attempting to flirt now and then, which became mostly nonexistent in my later jobs because it’s just, i don’t know. inappropriate, i guess. crass. unprofessional. and, in this day and age, a little creepy. but cashiering was an easy way to pick up at least a few social skills, whether you’re arguing your way through a stubborn customer who’s trying to save a dollar on some kid shoes, or shooing away a 35 year old gay man who, for whatever reason, has the hots for you. it was a nice exposure, though certainly removed from most retail experiences, just given the nature of the place. 

i never worked retail behind the counter again after that, especially after i started working in a couple of malls, because ACTUAL retail cashiers, the ones who make commission on their sales and have quotas for how many credit cards they get people to sign up for, they always seemed like real prisoners to the system. that notion always scared me, and kept me looking towards the background areas, the stock rooms and employee-only hallways. when you got into REAL retail, i didn’t want to be a part of it.

2. Von Maur, “Stock and Housekeeping,” stay in my department? this whole damn place is my department!

this job was a nice one, i stayed for a whole year before moving on. that doesn’t sound like much, but i’m pretty sure it’s my second or third longest running job out of all the ones i’ve had. von maur was a department store at one of the malls around here, a store they call an “anchor” because it’s on the edge of the mall complex. malls are usually designed to have multiple anchors, big stores for general shopping like macy’s and sears, with a bunch of little stores all scattered throughout, stores with more specialized targets. you often have to walk through the anchor stores to get in and out of the mall to one of the parking lots, so they’re usually stores with multiple departments, something for everybody.

von maur is considered kind of a high-end store, more expensive than macy’s, more upscale brands, but it’s not like walking straight into a coach store. it has a very old-fashioned customer service feel to it. the cashiers are all required to dress in formal wear, suits and dresses, clean-shaven. very strict dress code. the customer service section is a long desk in the back of the store with multiple ladies there to help, tables right behind them for gift-wrapping, especially during the holiday season. the clothing racks are all shoulder height or lower, you can see every department from any part of the store, and each department has gilded gold lettering above each register area, with different colors of carpets indicating when you were leaving one section from the other. and each department had a special name too, not just “men’s” or “women’s.” it was Juniors. Traditional. Contemporary. Gifts. very classy categorizations that made you feel a certain way just standing there, albeit sometimes they were kind of arbitrary.

it seems silly to even point out these kinds of things, but i’ve grown an immense fondness for this clean kind of layout now that i’ve spent some time in a few other department stores. most places make no fucking sense whatsoever, they’re designed like mazes to get lost in. pillars everywhere, obstructions going all the way up to the ceiling, no way to determine exactly how big the entire store is or where your next stop should be. pay attention next time you go to a jc penny. it’s a real shitshow. even the employees seem like they’re just stranded and forgotten about on little islands, and only the real savvy ones know their way back to the stock rooms without getting lost. at von maur, you could wave to your pal in the “Better Sportswear” department without having to step a foot outside of your designated carpet area (which you actually weren’t allowed to do, unless you were going to the bathroom).

i did not work in any of these departments. i was in charge of cleaning the place, bathrooms and dock areas, sweeping the vast floors, spot removal, light bulbs. you name it. all the custodial stuff. i worked nights, so i had minimal involvement with the trucks, but i did collect transfers to other stores at the end of the night, and pack up trucks with this product. it was the first job i had where you could really get in hurt, or in trouble, if you didn’t follow procedures properly. had to lock up the truck a certain way. had to fill out the paperwork just right. had to get the million pound brick of cardboard out of the bale machine without getting crushed. had to make sure the trash compactor didn’t get all fucked up, had to make sure you were using the right chemicals on the carpets, had to learn the most efficient ways to clean all four bathrooms before any customer even noticed you closed them down. it was a very self-reliant, self-sufficient job. managers stayed out of your face because they didn’t really know what all it was you were responsible for. you carried a radio because you could be anywhere in the store at any given time, even on the roof. you were completely unfettered, you could run errands for the feeble sales associates who couldn’t leave their sections, but only if you really liked them that day. 

it was great, and the organization of the store itself helped shape your own daily routines. i worked with a few assholes, and the pay was still minimum wage, but i had a couple of pals that i looked forward to seeing every day. it was behind the scenes, but not too behind the scenes. you didn’t have to be responsible for any of the customers because your uniform said hey, i just clean the toilets lady, buzz off. the only areas of the store that really interested me were the areas i wasn’t allowed to access, which would irk anybody who has almost complete access to any room, see rooms that most managers wouldn’t even ever see. the “other” behind the scenes groups. the alterations department. the loss prevention room. there was one room called like “display” or something, which just had all of the various props and baubles they used to decorate the store with year round. they even had an entire staff dedicated to that job, but i’d see them around pretty rarely. it fascinated me seeing people who were even more hidden away than i was, and i was the guy doing shit people just took for granted. like polishing the water fountains, or cleaning the employee lunchroom microwaves.

in the end, though, it was basically a dead-end job, i mean there’s only so much you can learn about glass cleaner before you feel like it’s time to move on. some people stay at those jobs for years, whole lives, and that just doesn’t make sense to me.

3. Pizza Delivery Guy, the famous Two-Dayer

there isn’t a whole lot to say about this one. this was when i was “between colleges,” and the first time i ever tried to have a job on college campus, a school that i was not going to and had no familiarity with. it was also my only ever “spite job.” here’s the scenario leading up to it:

i was probably like twenty years old, or 19. i was involved with this high school girl i had met through??? facebook maybe, she was a quick friend of mine. her family was a real Business Starter type family, her dad and uncle had a string of restaurants that they had tried to start up here and there, with varying success. i met her around the same time i started first cooking for myself, and it was something that brought me enjoyment, so the prospect of going to business with these guys was something that began to grow on me. her uncle had just started up a new place on campus, i think it was called Fito’s, named after her grandpa. this peruvian joint with authentic peruvian street food. the first place i had ever eaten yuca fries, and i think they had an award winning salsa at some point. anyway, the plan was for me to work there as one of the cooks, which was exciting to me! because i would have a mentor and i’d be getting into a new field that i was at least partly interested in, and i’d be developing a skill that i could apply to everyday life. i was gonna be a cook. i would pop in here and there all the time, before they actually got the place up and running, having small meetings with her dad, her uncle. i wasn’t really as involved as all that, i mean, i was still just a kid.

long story short, they hired this other guy to be the cook. whatever. i didn’t have experience anyway. they wanted me to do delivery instead. i said fine, at least i get to be involved with a place i actually kind of care about. walked me through where the delivery area was going to begin and end. hadn’t quite worked out all the kinks. come back for another meeting. i’d show up for another meeting, they weren’t there, come back tomorrow. not there again, having work done. come back later. the restaurant opens. still working on setting up the whole delivery thing, just wait on it. at some point, i got really frustrated with getting yanked around by the dick all the time, so after one failed meeting, i walked two doors down the street and landed a job as a driver at this place called New York Pizza Department the very same day. job search done, you can always find an easy job in the city. i think i even started work that very same day.

the trick to the story? never trust a place that hires you the same day they meet you. if they’re that desperate to fill the role, the role probably sucks ass. and it did. my first day was on saint patrick’s day, and i did a 12 hour shift from 6pm to 6am. i was expected to learn register and some minimal oven work, but mostly do garbage work like sweeping the floors, folding boxes, yada yada. it was all kind of vague. nobody in particular trained me. i was told to just stand over somebody’s shoulder and learn how the ordering works, which didn’t do anything for me. nobody explained a damn thing. i spilled ice all over the floor trying to refill the machine, nobody had taught me the trick to it. it was a really frustrating experience because i expected to like, shadow someone, at least for like an hour or something, but there was no guidance whatsoever. i mostly sat out by the back door and pretended like i smoked. i was never introduced to the chefs, they were all mexicans that didn’t really speak english, as far as i could tell, yet i was expected to ask them for stuff. my car was parked in a mud pit in the back, and i would ruin my pants every time i climbed in. i got two parking tickets. i used my gps for everything (the days before i had a smartphone), which was unreliable, especially when some asshole student wanted a pizza in one of the address-less school buildings. it was a real mess.

i felt kinda ashamed, especially after my second day when i delivered a pizza like 2 hours late because i couldn’t find the damn place. my dad had been a delivery guy for years, and it felt really dumb that i couldn’t pick up the job for myself. it felt like i was really, really wasting my time, and the dumb place was not worth it to begin with. i only got the job to make the other guys jealous, i think. my third shift was supposed to be a 19-hour day, so i skedaddled with my sub 100 buck paycheck, where my name was misspelled. both the peruvian place and that pizza place are gone now, replaced by something else.

honorable mention: Graeter’s Ice Cream, stealing jobs from children

barely even remember this one, but i did do an ice cream kiosk at the mall for like two weeks. i quit because scooping ice cream was making my wrist hurt pretty severely, and i wasn’t aware at the time that eventually the pain stops if you just keep at it. all of my coworkers were high school kids, even the two or three people that outranked me, and it was half humiliating, half hilarious. a lot of people there were very specific with training me properly, i think teenagers love telling older people what to do, but they all said different things. i don’t think any of them actually knew the exact details of their job duties, they were all just kind of winging it. they gossiped a lot about boys at their school, which i’m pretty sure was some isolated suburb school outside of the city proper. i was 22 or 23 at the time and had very little to contribute. i don’t think i ever took the job that seriously, and pretty much quit on a whim. it was a little bittersweet, though; the day before i left, they were just about to get a real hardass old lady manager that was about to whip the place back into shape. i regret not being around for that so that i could actually figure out what i was meant to be doing, but you can’t pretend to be a kid forever, no matter how cute and young you look with your little hat and name tag.

4. Macy’s fulfillment center, dissociation at it’s finest

this job was during a kind of sad point in my life, and it was largely a desperation move on my part. i think i had just graduated college, sent out hundreds of applications for jobs “in my field,” and heard back from none of them. i had bills piling up, from somewhere, and i really needed to get back in the saddle. malls are always reliable places to get jobs, if you ever need one quick and easy, and i just wanted to get back out into the world again. i wasn’t meeting new people anymore, didn’t have any classes to look forward to, and my education was proving to be rather useless. getting back into the mall system was kind of an eye roll at this point, but i knew it was something i could do, back of the store stock work.

this time around, i was exclusively a morning man, which comes with its own requirements and adaptions. we unloaded trucks three days a week, processed damages and transfers and returns and whatnot all the other days. broke down cardboard. the entire job was basically opening up boxes, removing plastic from copies of the same coat in multiple sizes, tearing styrofoam off of handbags, clipping security rings on the expensive stuff, and calling it a day. separate everything by department and run it out onto the floor before the store opens. usually by the time the store opens, it’s time to go home. michael kors was a bad word to us stock guys, because all of his handbags had like seventeen separate pieces of plastic, tape, and styrofoam around all the various pieces of each purse, protecting every part of the bag’s anatomy from damage, dust, whatever. it was ridiculous. there were mummification jokes somewhere in there. in any case, it was a job any idiot could do. i think i was marked as a “seasonal” employee too, so i really wasn’t given a whole lot to do, or very many hours. i did eventually get a few more duties as time went on and the dock manager grew more trustworthy of me. he was this big bald guy that listened to a lot of rock music, and didn’t put up with bullshit. he had me go around the store changing the lightbulbs a few times, which is not something you just let a dummy do. at von maur, i had to maneuver this massive industrial ladder and bring a dozen different bulbs with me, know how to mark lights that had bulbs changed and needed new ballasts, knew how to remove things from various sockets, open up skylights and reach through ceiling tiles, all while not falling to my death or getting shocked. that’s how i knew this guy trusted me.

this coincided with what i would consider a mini “internship” with the duties on the second floor, where the fulfillment offices were located. fulfillment means dealing with online orders, pulling specific products and getting them processed for delivery. and by “office” i mean a room with two computers, scanners, printers a shit ton of different sized boxes and bags, bubble wrap, packing tape, and apparently a whole lot of stress. there was a single dude working up there, and during christmas time, he was overwhelmed like crazy. i think he was actually going kind of crazy, to be honest. he knew the system pretty well, but still struggled with a lot of stuff, complained like a motherfucker, sang along to the radio but made up his own lyrics because he thought it was funnier. he was annoying but i liked having him around because he knew all the secrets to this job. like a gatekeeper. i could go to any other manager in the store and they wouldn’t really know what the fuck was going on in that office, couldn’t make sense of how or why orders showed up on those computers, couldn’t navigate them without calling another store to guide them through it, which they never did. it was really weird seeing what i thought was a polished corporate system so damn shaky beneath the foundation.

anyway, the dude quit that job before things really ramped up for the season. i was the only one in the department for a long time after that, and i barely knew what i was doing. he was the gatekeeper, and he left go back to his job at the waffle house pretty much overnight. i struggled for a while. most things got sent out ok, but i had a few “express” and “two day priority” packages that sat around for a few weeks through christmas because they required some special wizardry to get those specific labels to print off the computers. basically at the beginning of each day, you’d have a list of items to collect, and would spend the rest of the time hunting for those pieces out on the store floor, bring them back to the office, bag and box them up, and process the correct labels and gift cards for each and every one. and it was a real ball ache sometimes because certain items were just impossible to find, especially if they were returns that we didn’t normally carry in the store, clearance items, fucking women’s shoes, comforters with specific thread counts, dresses with the wrong picture, or no picture at all...

i took charge, though. i stuck around, i made uncomfortable phone calls to post offices, i got down a technique for folding and packaging shirts and dresses and all kinds of random stuff, got better at finding items that would normally be lost to the void. i could find shit in departments that people who actually worked those departments could not find. i became the epitome of efficiency. i was the new gatekeeper. at the end of every day, i’d have a blank order list, because everything would be accounted for, or passed on to another store. no bullshit. definitely the most involved i had ever been at any job. nobody at that store knew how that system worked better than me.

long story short, i was still the “seasonal” guy, and i think my bosses expected i didn’t plan on working there very long. they kept replacing the fulfillment manager with other people who barely knew what they were doing, essentially requiring me, the gatekeeper, to train my bosses, which to me was just absurd. after a few months, outraged, i quit to work at a cafe, and told my manager why i was upset that i was being shafted, not given the responsibility, the hours, the sweet sweet full-time position. she was surprised, apparently, and told me she absolutely would have given it to me if she knew i was interested. a missed communication. it was too late.

i’m glad i didn’t get promoted there, anyway, or else i would probably still be stuck there. i think that position got phased out of the system (along with the entire store, eventually), replaced by having the department managers coming in like, an hour early to pick all the orders out of their separate departments. probably more efficient. and in the end, i was really only interested in the complete and total power, not in the job itself. it’s still only retail

5. The Cornerstone Cafe, welcome to the family

this was my first actual job in the food service industry, at a cafe that i frequented pretty regularly, and this was also the first place where i properly ascended “through the ranks,” as they say. my longest lasting job to date, spanned about two and a half years, i think. it was owned by this married couple from indonesia, and i was hired on to replace one of their drivers. obviously i had to fudge the details of my previous driving gig to get this one, and i still kind of lacked confidence that i was really up to the task, but at least it was in a neighborhood that i was vaguely familiar with. i was also finally working at a place where i really cared whether or not they were successful. at someplace like macy’s, graeter’s, you’re just a cog, and not a very special one. at this place, they had maybe 5 or 6 employees in total on any given day, including one or both of the owners, and each of you had to be versatile, knowledgeable, and basically on top of your shit at all times. 

even as a delivery driver, i was informed and trained on at least 3 or 4 different roles. here’s how to be a cashier. here’s how to wash the dishes in a 3 compartment sink. here’s how i need you to sweep the floors, run food to the customers, here’s how to make this drink and that drink, here’s the size of the small salad, here’s the size of the regular salad, and when you fuck up, you can be sure as hell we’re gonna get on you for it until you do it the right way. no funny business. it was the kind of direction i enjoyed, something that makes you feel secure and stable when you get it down. i memorized the menu fully in maybe two weeks, which was no small feat. on the driving side, i picked up a lot of info about how streets are laid out, which ways were east and west, which side of the street certain numbers were on, which houses tipped and which houses didn’t, which addresses were businesses, which were apartments, etc etc. every customer has a different expectation and the job trains you to adapt. think quickly. work quickly. multitask and do a dozen jobs at once. this was not a slow restaurant, folks, and if you spent too long trying to learn something, you were dead weight. a lot of dead weight got fired. a lot of dumbasses got hired, snorted coke in the bathroom, and got fired because they weren’t paying attention. even people who had been there for a few years struggled sometimes, or at least got flustered. it was hard work and really shaped my work ethic, moreso than all the nothing jobs i had before.

also the most money i’d ever made up to that point, and i felt like i was almost making like, a living? of course, i wasn’t, i just happened to be in possession of a lot of cash, like some drug dealer. delivery drivers carry a lot of cash, tips mostly, or ways to break twenties and stuff like that, and that’s what makes delivery driving one of the most dangerous jobs out there! that’s what i read, anyway. i never got mugged or anything, but i’m pretty sure i was working in a pretty pussy neighborhood. driving was the easiest part, it was easy money compared to the madness of the dish room, the front counter, the kitchen line.

it was also an intensely intimate work relationship. it was a family business. i knew every single person that worked there. i was pals with all of them. i was out of school so i could work any shift, every shift, every position. i got trained to work in the kitchen, picked it up quick. learned a lot of prep work, picked up a few dozen different ways to cut an onion or a pepper. cooked batches of hard boiled eggs like they were nothing. made sandwiches like a madman, smacked people on the hands for trying to steal a french fry, threw cashiers out of the kitchen if they were getting in my way, and made my mark as a pillar of the establishment. they really grew to depend on me, which had its positives and negatives. 

the relationships grew very personal too, which also had positives and negatives. sometimes people really grated on me, personality-wise, and i endured them the same way you would an annoying uncle. others trusted me with stuff they really shouldn’t have, became incredibly comfortable giving me their secrets. i gave rides to people. took people grocery shopping, to do their laundry, mailed packages for people, made phone calls for people who weren’t confident with their english. more than once, i’ve had to drive home the guy who makes the chinese food because he would come into work mad drunk, and he only spoke spanish, so i would have to drop him off at a kroger nearby where i thought he lived. i knew a few people pretty personally, even the owners who still cheer and recognize me to this day, still let me go in the back and make my own food if there are no objections. i’m permanently a part of that family, and i worked my way into it fair and square. they still ask me to come back and work a weekend every now and then, and i always refuse.

it was one of those jobs where eventually, you just learn how to do everything, because at some point, you gotta do everything. there were days when i would both be the sandwich chef and the driver, a really sketchy balance. days when i would be covering three people at once. there is such a thing as being too dependable, too good at your job, because then people start taking advantage of you. people calling off for nothing knowing you could probably cover for them. your boss asking you to work an extra 5 hours on any given day. the head cook quitting for a month, forcing you to do his job when you really had no interest in firing fifteen dozen bagels at six in the morning, seven days a week. and being in a position like that makes it a lot harder to leave, even when you know you have to move on to bigger and better things, when you’ve learned everything and don’t want to be stuck in one place. that was really the hard part about that place, leaving your family to figure it out for themselves. in the end, though, it’s not really your family, it’s only business. i was starting to get this idea in my head about becoming a pastry chef at the time, and i was getting antsy about being stuck there.

i quit the job on the excuse that i was going back to school to study culinary, came back a few months later anyway to work 20 hour weeks. eventually made a connection or two in college that landed me a job on the pastry team at the convention center downtown, where i work now. but i think those stories are best saved for a time when i’m not like, employed by them. i’m still looking ahead, though, and again growing anxious about moving on to develop more skills.

probably why i was thinking about those damn doughnuts at that coffee place. i feel like there’s still a lot of pastry-related stuff i need to learn, stuff that i could have picked up on along the way before getting into The Big Leagues. bakeries and cafes and grocery stores i could have worked in. tricks of the trade i missed out on. granted, i am getting a lot of that now, but the job i’m currently holding is much more suited for somebody who already had a wealth of knowledge to build off of. maybe that’s why i’m taking this weird sojourn into “well, what have i actually learned so far?” trying to work at a bakery at this point feels like i’m going backwards, settling for less money to pick up skills i should already know. the next logical would be, i don’t know, a country club i guess? people always ask about starting my own bakery, and i know i’m not ready for that. sometimes i feel like i still don’t know a damn thing about food creation, how flavors go together. the more difficult techniques, decorating cakes and sugar work. even with simple techniques i’m sure i could use some refinement. and i’m always worthless when my boss comes to me for help with writing a menu. i don’t have tricks in my back pocket beyond what i’ve learned there, and i’m not as studious as i should be with trying new recipes in my personal time. depression gets in the way of that pretty regularly.

anyway, that’s all i can think to write for now. i know it’s a pretty worthless read, but sometimes you just gotta write for writing’s sake.

[bisexual-in-every-gender]

survey

Approx. Time you began this survey: 10:03 AM

Describe your mood right now: Bored and slightly anxious

Spell your first name without vowels: Bln

Age you will be on your next birthday: 29

Zodiac Sign: Gemini

Do you believe what your horoscope says about your sign? No, most of the time it’s bang wrong. I resemble a Pisces much more than I do a Gemini.

What state/region do you live in? I live in Guangzhou, China but will soon move to Madrid, Spain

Height: About 150 cm

Do you smoke? No

Do you drink? Sometimes. Not very often though as I don’t like how it makes me feel.

What's your ethnic background? White/German

What's your religious background? I’m a Christian and was also raised that way.I do still consider myself a Christian and believe in God and Jesus but I am much more liberal in my views than the majority of the people I grew up with (for example, I’m queer and obviously support the queer community and I’m pro-choice).

What's your natural hair color? blonde

What;s your natural eye color? Dark green

Do you have any bad habits you want to break? Overthinking and worrying

Name a few of your positive habits: I’m diligent if I have a task and do it early (for example I already have my uni assignment finished although its due date is the 20th May), I tell my wife I love her every day, I try to eat healthy and to not drink too many sweet drinks

Have you ever lived in a foreign country? Yes. I’m living in one now. I was born and raised in Germany but moved to China for my job 4 years ago. This year, we’ll move to Spain.

Did you vote in the Nov. 6 2012 presidential election? I’m not American, but I did vote in the last election we had here --> same

Are you even eligible to vote? Yeah, I’ve been since I turned 18

Are you right handed or left handed? I’m right-handed

When you write, is your penmanship usually neat or do you tend to scribble? I think it’s neat but I have been told otherwise xD

Have you ever experienced an accident? (of any type): Does falling out of bed and breaking your toe in the process count as an accident? I also snapped my tendon on the other foot a week after xD

Do you have/want children? Definitely! Since I struggle to become pregnant naturally, my wife and I will be starting IVF-treatment in Spain.

Are you environmentally conscious? I try to be.

What's your favorite mode of transportation? Cars

Do you prefer 80's - 90's music compared to today's music? 80′s all the way!

Are you more of an introvert (quiet/shy), or extrovert (social butterfly)? I’m definitely an introvert

What's your favorite emoticon? the one surrounded by little hearts

Do you miss the good old days of hand-written letters? I do like a handwritten card or letter but I don’t condemn technology either

Do you enjoy receiving or giving more? I like both, but giving makes me feel happier because I love seeing other people happy because of what I gave them --> same

Are you good at keeping secrets? I’d think so.

Do you take or give advice more often? I give advice more often than I ask for it, usually. But that’s also because I tend to internalize stuff and I talk about it to people only if they ask first.... --> honestly, is the person that answered this survey before me myself??? SAME!

Do you have your driver's license? No.

Would you rather be poor & happy or rich but miserable? Poor & happy I guess but I probably wouldn’t be miserable if I was rich xD

Have you ever had a pregnancy scare? Once but then when I turned out not to be pregnant, we actually cried a lot because it didn’t happen... ever since then, I’ve wanted children really badly.

Have you ever blocked someone on Facebook? Yes

Do you think recreational marijuana should be nationally legalized? Yeah, especially because it would help fight illegal traffics --> I agree

Describe your perfect first date: Going out for coffee and lunch and just talk about everything.

Have you ever been high? No

Have you ever watched a NC-17 rated film? What is that?

If you ever become reincarnated as an animal, what would you want it to be? A bird or a dolphin

Do you remember where you were/what you were doing on September 11, 2001? I was 9 but I still don’t remember what exactly I was doing

Do you ever wish you were of a different nationality/religion? I sometimes wish I wasn’t German, yeah, because of all the shit that we get associated with. I do agree that the Nazi regime was horrible. At the same time, I would say that we Germans learned a lot from that and have become an open and mostly tolerant nation and I would like that to be recognised more.

Are you more of a junk food addict or health nut? Neither. I don’t eat much junk food, but I’m also not obsessed with eating healthy --> same

Do you believe Antarctica should be considered the 7th world continent? I actually thought it’s already considered a continent, according to what I was taught in school --> so did I

Describe your own sense of humor in 1 word: Dumb xD

Have you ever quoted the Bible (or any other Holy Book)? Yes, I have. Mostly to other Christians.

Have you ever completed a Sudoku puzzle? Yes.

Would you rather be a nuclear physicist or marine biologist? Marine biologist. It actually was my profession of choice when I was a teenager. I love the sea and its creatures.

Do you have a deep, dark secret you're hiding from every one? Nah

Would you rather be able to soar like an eagle or swim like a dolphin? I already can swim, so I’d rather be able to fly --> totally!

If you wanted to learn a foreign language, what would it be? Japanese, Greek, Hindi and Icelandic

Are you bi-curious? I’m fully bisexual --> as am I

Did you watch the Disney Channel or Nickelodeon more as a kid? Nickelodeon since you had to pay for Disney Channel.

Name 5 films that were made the year you were born: Disney’s Aladdin, Bodyguard, Pet Sematary II, Basic Instinct, The Crying Game

Did you have a lot of friends in high school? Not many but I had this weirdo (I mean it in an affectionate way!): @umnachtung

Do you rely more on the newspaper, Internet or TV as your news source? Newspaper on the phone.

True or false: Bigger is better. I need more contextto answer this question.

Do you think religion is the primary cause of war? No. It can be but a lot of it these days is about economic gain

What's your favorite pizza topping? Tuna or just plain cheese

Think of your wardrobe. What color do you wear the most? Black.

Have you ever been to a planetarium? Yes

Do you feel like you connect more with animals or other people? Animals. They don’t judge you.

Do you feel like sometimes you have to lie in order to protect yourself? Not really.

How often do you exercise? Twice a week

Can you swear in a different language? Yeah, in a few languages

Do you think teachers/doctors deserve to get paid more than pro athletes? To be honest: Yes. Because I think that athletes provide entertainment and that’s great but doctors save lives.

From a scale of 1- 5, you would rate this survey: I liked it, I’ll give it a 4

Do you think most of these questions were more original or more ordinary? A mix of the two

Approx. time you completed this survey: 10:22 AM

[keytosuccessinlife-blog]

5 Keys For a Successful Life

Through all the obstacles in life, the main thing people seek is how to have a successful life in all four of the major areas: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Anyone who can get these four areas right and in balance will be well on the way to empowering themselves to a successful life.

1. One of the best ways to maintain your wellbeing is to keep physically fit. If you think about it, physical wellbeing is the most important aspect of a successful life - without it we would not be able to appreciate and enjoy life fully.

Exercising by taking a walk for 20-30 minutes a day and drinking at least one litre of water a day can be a substantial boost to the physical side of a successful life. Eating in moderation can also help. Keep to a ratio of around 80% fruits and vegetables, and 20% of other food in your diet. A successful life does not mean that you need to cut out the little treats that you enjoy because people don't usually feel very "successful" after that! Instead, limit your intake of treats such as chocolates and use them to reward yourself when you attain a goal.

2. Another way of empowering your physical and mental wellbeing is to have variety in your day, from the foods that you eat to the way that you go to work. For example, you could ride your bike to work on one day, and have a healthy stir-fry instead of driving your car and eating your traditional lunch. This can help your body to look forward to every day and ultimately lead a successful life. Routines are good but sometimes can become tedious and cause you to lose sight of your goals in life, which is certainly not something you want if you're working towards a successful lifestyle!

3. To stay mentally sharp, you can use brain training exercises. These are simple exercises whose main goals are to keep your mind sharp and focussed. This is essential for a successful life - it keeps you from forgetting things and losing sight of your goals. So brain training will help you to lead a successful life.

There are several ways that you can do this from online sites to handheld devices and things like crossword puzzles and sudoku puzzles in newspapers.

4. Spiritually detach yourself from past experiences you might not be so proud of. Write a list of past mistakes and failings on a piece of paper, and focus on them, flushing them out of your mind. Then, take a candle and burn the paper, burning those memories and experiences from your body forever. This is a great way to spiritually cleanse yourself in order to maintain a successful life.

Then determine that you will live a better life in the future and not repeat the same mistakes. To help you to do that read a portion of a religious book, such as the Bible, each day for inspiration. For example, the Book of Proverbs, was written by King Solomon, reputedly the wisest, richest man who ever lived, who wrote it for his son to teach him how to have a successful life.

Additionally, if anyone has hurt you in the past then forgive them. Forgiveness is a huge spiritual release that is so much better for you, emotionally, than harbouring grudges and resentment.

5. Be open to new opportunities. There are always things that can come up in life which can be of great help to you- but only if you open your eyes to see it and grab it! To successfully live your life, you must understand that opportunities are everywhere, and taking them can mean a great sense of fulfilment, which is a basic principle of successful living.

Conclusion

These 5 steps are essential to successful living and to ultimately leading a fulfilling and successful life. Life is a gift that has been given to you, so make the most of it and enjoy the empowerment that a successful life brings!

Roy Savery is Author of "The Successful Living Handbook" in which he describes the principles that helped him to become a top salesman, member of the Million Dollar Round Table, an International speaker, an athlete and a Personal Development Coach.

[figjelly]

On grammar: if rules are arbitrary, why follow them?

Welcome to this week’s addition of Advice Nobody Asked For (ANAF). Every Monday I’ll post something regarding writing work I’m doing and some advice I have regarding my current experiences. It’s been a hot minute since the last ANAF because my life changed drastically so my time comes at a high premium (more so than before). This morning, I was editing a new chapter to send off to my editor and realized a new, small something about grammar and what makes writing “correct.” Long post under the cut:

I am not a licensed “expert” on communication and language, but I’d like to think I’m better than an expert because being rabidly fanatic about “facts” comes part and parcel with being an expert. I am, of course, speaking from my time in academia. But I suspect most people would consider experts as having a great deal of formal education from an institution. I’m not a zealot when it comes to disciplines. I’m discerning and critical. Unrelated to this ANAF, I probably made a lot of people hate me in academia for the same reason I’m not religious: I don’t have what it takes to blindly follow and be part of an assembly line. That is neither here nor there. All you need to know is, I’ve got a crap ton of formal education and applicable experience when it comes to writing. Anyway, you probably had at least one language arts teacher during your education who was hard on grading when it came to grammar. Maybe they knew a lot. Maybe they knew like one or two rules that they were really intent on making sure you fixed. Some of these rules might have looked like:

Don’t split infinitives.

“Ain’t“ is not a word because it breaks down into “are is not”

Never start a sentence with “but.”

These are popular adages that I grew up with anyway. I’m really pleased to see tumblr engaging with the ideas of descriptive vs prescriptive language. Just take a moment to at least read the brief descriptions of those wiki pages because it’ll become important for the rest of this ANAF. I am a hardcore descriptionist. Anytime something involves telling me how things should happen, I’m immediately skeptical and want to know, “Okay, why should X happen?” A great deal of “shoulds” in life end up being social norms that are trying to wash out the richness of variation in human behavior. Communication is a human behavior. Language is a type of communication; therefore, it is a type of human behavior. Did you notice that pretentious semicolon I threw into that previous sentence? It would have be equally intelligible as “Language is communication so it’s a behavior too.” That, my friends, is what I like to call Ash’s Law of If You Can Understand What the Hell was Just Communicated to You, It’s All Good. Language is a living, dynamic tool. That is what it is. I’ve spent over a decade studying language from sociolinguistics to ethology to cognitive neuroscience. To me, if it works then congrats, it counts. But how does all of this pertain to writing? My editor @nuwanders is probably the most talented and patient person I know. Why? Because the amount of TED Talks I give when commenting on her edits would drive any other person mad by this point. Over the years, I’ve become more aware that without great characters and characterization, complicated plots are just Sudoku puzzles and, man, do I hate Sudoku. That’s not to say Sudoku is awful--it’s just not how I want to spend my time. I’m the same way about crossword puzzles. I like the idea of how small details can be put into such complicated but richly ordered puzzles. I just sorta, kinda hate being patient with them. So, characters is where I land for how to start a story. I often write in first-person POV. Sometimes I’ll opt for third-person, limited POV. It’s easier for me to engage with my own work. My editor and I will often go back and forth on these issues:

Character dialogue isn’t grammatically correct.

Story that is not dialogue isn’t grammatically correct.

Somewhere I completely fucked things up and the back and forth is me going, “oh shit, so sorry, yes you are completely right ugh why did I make such a simple mistake???”

Okay, okay, #3 happens but it still embarrasses me to slip into wrong verb tenses (I often flip between present and past tense because my brain is usually in five different places on a good day and who knows why I do things). I know all sorts of verb tenses. I know the difference between present perfect and future perfect conditional. INSERT PLUG ABOUT HOW LEARNING OTHER LANGUAGES HELPS YOU BE A BETTER WRITER HERE. That all-caps plug was intentional btw. #1 is usually a short conversation where I explain that character A isn’t as formally educated as character B or that character C just “doesn’t talk like that.” It’s easier to make a descriptive case for a descriptive instance. #2 is more complicated. Let’s say there exists a character named Lita. She is clever although lacks a formal education beyond primary schooling. She reads a lot, works at a grocery store, and enjoys participating in community theater. If I had to tell a story about Lita, regardless of plot and her objectives, those small, background details need more fleshing out. Why? Because the details of those smaller, inconsequential items informs me how I need to report Lita’s story to an audience. Lita only exists in my head. I am trying to communicate to people a whole new world that exists only in my thoughts. That doesn’t mean that some of the thoughts won’t be easier to communicate. We all know what reading is. I don’t have to explain that process. But it does matter what type of reader Lita is. Fleshing out this detail will tell ME as the writer how I need to report Lita’s thoughts to you. If I write in first-person: “I picked up the book, read a few chapters, and then went to bed.” This tells me that Lita is a casual reader who probably isn’t too invested in critical theory of literature. I’d have a hard time convincing someone with that sentence alone that Lita was reading a hard science fiction novel. I’d have an easier time convincing you that it was a romance novel. If I wrote: “I picked up the book, got a few chapters read and then finally made the decision to go to bed.” There’s kinda a problem here. It communicates the same information as the first example, but the grammar and structure of the sentence--the way I’ve decided to report to you how Lita reports her information to me--that kinda makes that sentence a little harder to swallow. (Not really the point but I can explain if anyone asks why I’d say that). Having a name for a rule is a language “hot key” for being able to point out when something seems off. To be quite honest, it took me longer to write sentence #2 than it did sentence #1 because breaking the rule is hard for me now. Parallel structure in a sentence with a list of items simply makes the information parse easier for me. It’s a case of X, Y, Z that I’m then able to use to create a voice for my character. I just need to be able to keep X, Y, Z in mind. And that’s really why knowing the rules helps you break them: it helps create a louder voice for your character, really allows them to shine through so the story isn’t just the writer’s report of what the character is doing in their particular environment. Let’s see if I can’t make Lita a little more real:

“I picked up the book, gently sliding the bookmark from between two page to place it on my nightstand. Deciding to read a few chapters, I sat up straight and felt myself smiling at title of the next section. Lost Love. These sorts of chapters were my favorite. That moment when two lovers reconnected, their emotions so complicated that the only thing they can say to one another is, ‘You’re looking well. How’ve things been?’ But after three hours of getting sucked in, I realized how late it was and finally made the decision to go to bed.”

There’s a little mix and matching going on here, but knowing the rule of parallel structure helps me as a writer focus on something more important (i.e. the basics) so I can break it apart to make it more interesting. It’s easier on me to organize and plan if I use rules so I can help make the report of a fictional character’s thoughts easier to communicate. Sometimes fictional characters don’t report to us in grammatical ways because we, as writers, are privy to their stream of consciousness (which is decidedly not grammatical). Our thoughts come to us in stranger ways than language. Lita might only report to me that dealing with an angry customer in ways that are 0% words--frustration, heat (body temp), and the need to get away from a situation. That’s not a great way to report things. An example: “Hot. I’m hot. Idiot. I know the rules. Yelling, heart races, pound pound. Leave leave leave idiot need to be doing other things idiot stop yelling.” That is a very hard report of an internal world to follow. BUT depending on the character, it might be effective to break rules of punctuation and clarity of action. You might have a character whose self-report breaks down so much that you, as the writer, are simply forced to transcribe and little else. It’d be effective for creating a character who might dissociate in stressful situations or whose suffered an injury so severe the pain sort of takes over all organization. I can’t tell you when or what when it comes to using such a strategy but I can use rules (again, language hot keys to quickly point out something that is different from expectations) in order to try and figure out why or how using or breaking a rule is effective. In that stream example above, I can say that lack of punctuation makes me feel uneasy. Punctuation is a rule we use in writing to help organize and transition thoughts. I know how to use punctuation to sound pretentious (see: that semicolon above). I know how to limit how many words might occur between punctuation in order to create quick actions (short, choppy, active voice sentences are good here). But, more importantly, when I know the rules and have really internalized them as second-nature, I don’t spend as much time worrying about how to apply the rules. Instead, I can work on figuring out when and why I should or should not use a rule. Rules are arbitrary in the way that social rules are arbitrary--they’re pretty meaningless devoid of context. We follow rules because we don’t live in vacuums. Deviations from rules come with consequences, effects. Following rules also has consequences, effects. Knowing the rules allows you to become good at examining the effects of following the rules. When you deviate from rules, it gives you an opportunity to then compare and contrast the effects.  So, what if you don’t know a rule? Imagine a social situation where the rules are much different than what you’re comfortable with. You might try different things based on what you do know, but without having the internalize, first-hand experience, it’s going to be rocky. You’ll probably have difficulties pointing to exactly why things seem so hard, why you can’t improve (improvement being individualized, of course).  Then, imagine some at this particular social situation says, “You tend to show your teeth a lot while smiling. It’s unnerving.” Et voila! (Yes, I’m too lazy to get the accent mark, excuse the rule-breaking). Now you know to smile without showing so much teeth! Things are a bit smoother now! And guess what? Now that you know that people find the whole “smiling with teeth” thing unnerving, guess what you have? If you wanna tell a story about a strange encounter you had with someone, you can smile with teeth to report that you were unnerved while dealing with the stranger! Example: “So, the entire time, this guy is just staring at me so I’m just like, please please go away.” And then you smile with some teeth to show nervousness, unease. BAM! New Hot Key Unlocked! Grammar and writing work much in the same way. Grammar is a fancy way of saying “language hot keys.” Poetry is a really good example of how knowing rules allows you to break it into interesting ways because poetry is concerned with how things sound as well. There are rules for the sounds our mouths make, what’s pleasing to hear (consonance) and what’s not (dissonance). But poetry also has interesting grammatical rules as well. Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass is a great example of how breaking well-known rules can produce something distinct and unique. So, I’ve rambled quite a bit. I’ll leave it at that for now but I’m always happy to field questions.

[everygame]

Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (Nintendo DS)

Developed/Published by: Chunsoft / Aksys Games Released: 16th December, 2010 Completed: 22nd December, 2016 Completion: Got the safe ending, got the axe ending, and then got the true ending! Trophies / Achievements: n/a

Alright, look. There’s one discussion that I basically think that we should never have when it comes to video games—actually, two, because “are games art” is a burst couch by now—and it’s the whole “but is it a game?” question. I can’t think of anything more stupefying than trying to declare what is and what isn’t a game. I don’t give a shit.

What I do find interesting, however, is the question “what value interactivity?”. Because sometimes you’re going to play games that are, say, so heavily story-led, or that feature play that is so disconnected from the story, that you have to ask why you were playing it rather than just, you know, reading it, or watching it or whatever, because you just didn’t get very much out of the bits where you play it.

(Or even if you did, but it wasn’t in any way that related to or aided the story that the developer seemed to be more interested in than anything else.)

I can already see the kinds of people that I might have talked about this kind of thing about with going “interactivity matters, even if it doesn’t reach this particular bar you’ve set” and I’m like “listen mate, I’ve set the bar, so I don’t think it does.” And if you’re struggling with the concept, pretty much imagine having to, say, solve a random sudoku every time you want to read the next chapter of a book—does that make the book interactive?

(“yes”—someone tiresome.)

So, you might think I’m setting up to give Chunsoft’s generally beloved visual novel Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors a kicking here. But actually, I’m not (even though, honestly, you could consider the game the most elaborate set-up to eventually doing an actual sudoku you could possibly imagine.) Yes, Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors is a visual novel, and—honestly—it’s not the most fantastically-written thing you’re ever going to read. It’s choking with unnecessary waffle, re-stating the same things over and over (it repeatedly commits that crime where the reader will know what the characters should do/know aaages before the characters do, too) and thanks to a intentionally casual localisation there are jokes and references that are honestly awful*

*I’m not some kind of a “translations should be direct” weaboo here, but I’m at least slightly against when writers make jokes that the character wouldn’t, or rather wouldn’t understand they were making (well, if the game is serious, anyway.) In Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors the main character Junpei makes a bizarre reference to “throwing a hotdog down a hallway” that’s a total non-sequitur, and it’s hard not to be bothered by it!**

**I’ve just started playing the sequel, Virtue’s Last Reward, though, and I can see why some weaboos are all about that direct translation, though. Because I can understand some spoken Japanese, playing it in English with Japanese voices can be a bit confusing, as I hear a character say one thing and then read something that isn’t a translation but a localisation that could more or less be something entirely different. However, I’m also a grown-up and know that the localisation is better for the general audience so I don’t piss my wee pants over it, and I read fast so I’m skipping through it.

ANYWAY

Dodgy-ish moment-to-moment writing aside, Nine Hours, Nine Doors, Nine Persons is the pretty-interesting story of a group of nine characters (“duh”—readers) who have to pass nine doors (“are you taking the piss here”—readers”) within nine—(“shut up”—readers) ok look basically you play Junpei a wee guy who’s woken up on a boat, he solves a puzzle and finds this bird he fancies and some other people and they discover they’re in a life-or-death game that, you know, he wants to survive, but obviously they have to work together to make it happen.

It’s all very “Saw franchise” if you’ve seen any of those films—most particularly comparable to, uh, two or… five? There might be another one where Jigsaw or… one of the other antagonists... makes a point of making a group take a bunch of trials, but I can’t remember (look, I watched all the films in a single day this year and while I highly enjoyed it they all sort of blurred into one big weird insane movie, ok) to the point where it has to be a direct influence. It’s a good setting! It works!

But to get back to my point, Nine Hours, Nine Doors, Nine Persons may largely split up the “play” from the “narrative” by slicing out the “escape the room” puzzles from the story pretty much entirely, but it’s still the kind of thing where when you come to the end you see that it was interactive for a reason. For example! It’s a game where you can’t get the true ending until you’ve seen a bad ending, and that matters in a clever way. And at least when played on Nintendo DS there’s a even deeper meaning to what the player is doing when solving puzzles that’s revealed at the end of the game, and it really does work the same way a systemic twist like the end of Memento (or whatever) does to make you cast your mind over everything that already happened.

Of course, Nine Hours, Nine Doors, Nine Persons has some moments that don’t work—most notably the ability to lock yourself from certain endings with single prompts. I was using a “cheat sheet”—just telling me which doors to select during the game to get the endings—but of course managed to get the “axe ending” because I said the wrong thing at one point, requiring me to play through three quarters of the game all over again (thank god for the text fast-forward.) The good news, of course, is that Nine Hours, Nine Doors, Nine Persons is being re-mastered, and they’re probably going to let you skip all around the game in the remastered version, so this likely doesn’t matter at all now. Hurrah for more interactivity!

Will I ever play it again? I doubt it.

Final Thought: OK, after all that, you’re probably confused as to what my actual opinion of this game was, and I’m basically going to say… I enjoyed it. However—and this is from the position of someone who has yet to finish Virtue’s Last Reward—it doesn’t feel particularly essential that I ask you to play it (well, unless you are going to go on to play the sequel, which I haven’t recommended yet either.) I think my main issue is that, sure, the story does come together to make the interaction make sense, whether or not it actually does totally make sense is… up in the air. There’s a hell of a lot of moving parts, and at least one piece of characterisation that doesn’t make any sense to me (at this point.)

However, of course, whose to say that once I’ve finished Virtue’s Last Reward I won’t consider them both utterly essential?

[isaiahrippinus]

A Day in the Life of a NYC Wine Bar Director Includes Stand-up Comedy

Inside a Greenwich Village comedy club on a sweaty Wednesday evening in July 2019, Sam Mushman takes the stage. He starts out his seven-minute set talking about one of his obvious physical features: his height. He’s 6-foot-6 and describes to the audience how women he’s dated believe his stature makes him a good fighter. He disagrees.

“Let’s be honest. I have bad knees and soft hands. I’m no more useful than a giraffe.” The audience laughs. “During the day,” Mushman goes on, “I’m a sommelier. If you don’t know what that word means, its French for self-righteous prick.”

Mushman is a Level 2 Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers and he’s the beverage director at Arthouse Wine Bar on the Upper West Side. But his 9-to-5 (or 12-to-7, depending on the day) gig is not as glamorous as it may sound. While Mushman’s day job revolves around wine, his duties are more focused on managerial tasks — managing people, inventory, and operations. His day-to-day work largely consists of booking rooftop events, making the staff schedule, and overseeing payroll. And the office where he spends most of his time is in the basement of the Arthouse Hotel, where the approximately seven-foot ceilings are only just tall enough for the ex-college basketball player.

Arthouse Wine Bar’s beverage director, Sam Mushman. Photos courtesy of Arthouse Hotel New York City.

Earlier, on the day of his comedy show, Mushman’s schedule at the Arthouse Wine Bar was packed. He spent the morning dealing with paperwork and staring at a computer screen, organizing the scheduling for his staff of seven, making sure they all got their requested days off. That part, he said, is like trying to solve a sudoku puzzle. At 2 p.m., he met with a wine sales representative and tasted through a flight of nine wines. Listening to him speak with the rep was like listening to a conversation in a foreign language.

“Oh, it’s got a little funk to it,” said Mushman, describing the first wine. “Can you send me the case drop on that?”

“The structure is so nice,” the sales rep added.

“This is like roasted red pepper all day.”

“Great mineral complexity.”

“[Sommeliers] are dissecting [wine] on such a psychotic level,” Mushman explained. “We can sometimes get caught up in all of the ‘Is this more roasted red pepper or is this more new oak?’ That’s our lingo.”

Later, when deciding which wines to put on Arthouse’s menu, Mushman went ahead and translated his winespeak into layman’s terms for his customers. On the menu, he prefers to use short, simple phrases to describe the wines. One Sauvignon Blanc, for example, is listed as “crisp, citrus, grassy, minerally.” A Zinfandel is identified with notes like “jammy, oaky vanilla, cedar, chocolate.”

Mushman is an easygoing guy in a profession that’s sometimes intimidating to people who don’t know a lot about wine, and part of his job is to help make the confusing world of wine approachable to all of the people visiting the wine bar.

Arthouse Wine Bar and Arthouse Hotel lobby. Photos courtesy of Arthouse Hotel New York City.

One way he does this is by making the wine list prices as approachable as possible. “I try to pick wines that are off the beaten path that don’t cost as much,” Mushman said. For instance, he had a Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre in France’s Loire Valley on his by-the-glass menu. But since Sancerre’s prices tend to be on the higher side, Mushman selected one of the sales rep’s other Sauvignon Blancs from a producer farther down the Loire River outside the Sancerre appellation. “It’s [grown] in the same soil,” Mushman pointed out. “Now I can offer what tastes to me like a bad-ass Sancerre for $12 or $13 — and people can experience it.”

After the meeting with the sales rep, Mushman went to work moving bottles around and unpacking boxes filled with booze. Walking between the narrow shelves, he bent down to check the bottles, turning a few to make sure the labels were facing out.

It’s hard to imagine that this is what a man who talks openly about his role-playing sex life on stage does all day. But Mushman says that comedians and sommeliers share a number of similarities. “Sommeliers are almost like comedians in a way,” he said. “You think comedians [and sommeliers] are these egotistical, loud, abrasive, crazy people. When, really, we’re all just emotionally crippled, overly self-deprecating and usually pretty self-aware.”

Mushman fell in love with comedy even before he fell in love with wine. While attending Holy Family University in Philadelphia, he wanted something to take his mind off the pressure of tough basketball games, so he started listening to comedy albums.

“I thought it was such a cool art form,” he said. “I thought some of these guys were rock stars, so I looked up some open mics in Philly.”

After graduating with his degree in communications in 2012, Mushman made the move to New York to pursue comedy, and it was there that he also found wine. Between unpaid comedy gigs and his then-desk job selling TV ads, Mushman started hanging out at Willow Creek Winery in Cape May, N.J.

He became so fascinated with wine that he quit his desk job and took a job at Willow Creek in 2014 managing guest services. From there, he earned his introductory sommelier certification, and he’s since gone on to hold several other positions in the service industry, including wine director at Public, an Ian Schrager hotel in downtown Manhattan.

The rest of Mushman’s afternoon at Arthouse was taken up by meetings. He met with an Italian winemaker, a potential DJ for the weekly Rosé on the Roof program, and then did a walkthrough of the Art Hotel’s rooftop space with a potential client interested in renting it for a party.

Mushman’s latest venture is an hour-long comedy special called “Vino-Comic” that he’s performing in the tri-state area. It showcases both of his loves — wine and humor — in one hour-long segment. In it, he talks about wine culture and somms, and he concludes the show with an interactive wine tasting, in which he assesses wines from the wineries that host him. He says his show is meant for wine lovers who don’t take themselves too seriously. That is certainly sommelier and comedian Sam Mushman.

The article A Day in the Life of a NYC Wine Bar Director Includes Stand-up Comedy appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/beverage-director-day-in-life-nyc-wine-bar/ source https://vinology1.tumblr.com/post/190273143104

[johnboothus]

A Day in the Life of a NYC Wine Bar Director Includes Stand-up Comedy

Inside a Greenwich Village comedy club on a sweaty Wednesday evening in July 2019, Sam Mushman takes the stage. He starts out his seven-minute set talking about one of his obvious physical features: his height. He’s 6-foot-6 and describes to the audience how women he’s dated believe his stature makes him a good fighter. He disagrees.

“Let’s be honest. I have bad knees and soft hands. I’m no more useful than a giraffe.” The audience laughs. “During the day,” Mushman goes on, “I’m a sommelier. If you don’t know what that word means, its French for self-righteous prick.”

Mushman is a Level 2 Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers and he’s the beverage director at Arthouse Wine Bar on the Upper West Side. But his 9-to-5 (or 12-to-7, depending on the day) gig is not as glamorous as it may sound. While Mushman’s day job revolves around wine, his duties are more focused on managerial tasks — managing people, inventory, and operations. His day-to-day work largely consists of booking rooftop events, making the staff schedule, and overseeing payroll. And the office where he spends most of his time is in the basement of the Arthouse Hotel, where the approximately seven-foot ceilings are only just tall enough for the ex-college basketball player.

Arthouse Wine Bar’s beverage director, Sam Mushman. Photos courtesy of Arthouse Hotel New York City.

Earlier, on the day of his comedy show, Mushman’s schedule at the Arthouse Wine Bar was packed. He spent the morning dealing with paperwork and staring at a computer screen, organizing the scheduling for his staff of seven, making sure they all got their requested days off. That part, he said, is like trying to solve a sudoku puzzle. At 2 p.m., he met with a wine sales representative and tasted through a flight of nine wines. Listening to him speak with the rep was like listening to a conversation in a foreign language.

“Oh, it’s got a little funk to it,” said Mushman, describing the first wine. “Can you send me the case drop on that?”

“The structure is so nice,” the sales rep added.

“This is like roasted red pepper all day.”

“Great mineral complexity.”

“[Sommeliers] are dissecting [wine] on such a psychotic level,” Mushman explained. “We can sometimes get caught up in all of the ‘Is this more roasted red pepper or is this more new oak?’ That’s our lingo.”

Later, when deciding which wines to put on Arthouse’s menu, Mushman went ahead and translated his winespeak into layman’s terms for his customers. On the menu, he prefers to use short, simple phrases to describe the wines. One Sauvignon Blanc, for example, is listed as “crisp, citrus, grassy, minerally.” A Zinfandel is identified with notes like “jammy, oaky vanilla, cedar, chocolate.”

Mushman is an easygoing guy in a profession that’s sometimes intimidating to people who don’t know a lot about wine, and part of his job is to help make the confusing world of wine approachable to all of the people visiting the wine bar.

Arthouse Wine Bar and Arthouse Hotel lobby. Photos courtesy of Arthouse Hotel New York City.

One way he does this is by making the wine list prices as approachable as possible. “I try to pick wines that are off the beaten path that don’t cost as much,” Mushman said. For instance, he had a Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre in France’s Loire Valley on his by-the-glass menu. But since Sancerre’s prices tend to be on the higher side, Mushman selected one of the sales rep’s other Sauvignon Blancs from a producer farther down the Loire River outside the Sancerre appellation. “It’s [grown] in the same soil,” Mushman pointed out. “Now I can offer what tastes to me like a bad-ass Sancerre for $12 or $13 — and people can experience it.”

After the meeting with the sales rep, Mushman went to work moving bottles around and unpacking boxes filled with booze. Walking between the narrow shelves, he bent down to check the bottles, turning a few to make sure the labels were facing out.

It’s hard to imagine that this is what a man who talks openly about his role-playing sex life on stage does all day. But Mushman says that comedians and sommeliers share a number of similarities. “Sommeliers are almost like comedians in a way,” he said. “You think comedians [and sommeliers] are these egotistical, loud, abrasive, crazy people. When, really, we’re all just emotionally crippled, overly self-deprecating and usually pretty self-aware.”

Mushman fell in love with comedy even before he fell in love with wine. While attending Holy Family University in Philadelphia, he wanted something to take his mind off the pressure of tough basketball games, so he started listening to comedy albums.

“I thought it was such a cool art form,” he said. “I thought some of these guys were rock stars, so I looked up some open mics in Philly.”

After graduating with his degree in communications in 2012, Mushman made the move to New York to pursue comedy, and it was there that he also found wine. Between unpaid comedy gigs and his then-desk job selling TV ads, Mushman started hanging out at Willow Creek Winery in Cape May, N.J.

He became so fascinated with wine that he quit his desk job and took a job at Willow Creek in 2014 managing guest services. From there, he earned his introductory sommelier certification, and he’s since gone on to hold several other positions in the service industry, including wine director at Public, an Ian Schrager hotel in downtown Manhattan.

The rest of Mushman’s afternoon at Arthouse was taken up by meetings. He met with an Italian winemaker, a potential DJ for the weekly Rosé on the Roof program, and then did a walkthrough of the Art Hotel’s rooftop space with a potential client interested in renting it for a party.

Mushman’s latest venture is an hour-long comedy special called “Vino-Comic” that he’s performing in the tri-state area. It showcases both of his loves — wine and humor — in one hour-long segment. In it, he talks about wine culture and somms, and he concludes the show with an interactive wine tasting, in which he assesses wines from the wineries that host him. He says his show is meant for wine lovers who don’t take themselves too seriously. That is certainly sommelier and comedian Sam Mushman.

The article A Day in the Life of a NYC Wine Bar Director Includes Stand-up Comedy appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/beverage-director-day-in-life-nyc-wine-bar/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-nyc-wine-bar-director-includes-stand-up-comedy

[faucetdress75-blog]

How to believe like a programmer — lessons in issue resolving

kotisivujen suunnittelu helsinki You almost certainly also questioned what does it mean, precisely, to think like a programmer? And how do you do it?? Basically, it is all about a a lot more powerful way for difficulty solving. In this publish, my objective is to educate you that way. By the end of it, you’ll know precisely what measures to get to be a better dilemma-solver. Why is this critical? Issue fixing is the meta-talent. We all have difficulties. Massive and modest. How we deal with them is sometimes, well…pretty random. Except if you have a program, this is probably how you “solve” difficulties (which is what I did when I commenced coding): 1.Try out a remedy. 2.If that doesn’t function, attempt yet another a single. three.If that doesn’t perform, repeat phase two until finally you luck out. Seem, at times you luck out. But that is the worst way to solve troubles! And it is a huge, huge squander of time. The greatest way entails a) having a framework and b) working towards it. “Almost all employers prioritize issue-fixing abilities 1st. Issue-solving capabilities are nearly unanimously the most essential qualification that employers seem for….more than programming languages proficiency, debugging, and method design. Demonstrating computational pondering or the potential to split down huge, intricate problems is just as useful (if not a lot more so) than the baseline technological abilities required for a job.” — Hacker Rank (2018 Developer Expertise Report) Have a framework It led me to job interview two truly amazing men and women: C. Jordan Ball (rated 1st or 2nd out of sixty five,000+ consumers on Coderbyte), and V. Anton Spraul (creator of the book “Think Like a Programmer: An Introduction to Imaginative Problem Solving”). I questioned them the very same questions, and guess what? Their solutions ended up quite similar! Before long, you too will know them. Sidenote: this does not suggest they did every thing the identical way. Every person is distinct. You are going to be various. But if you commence with rules we all agree are excellent, you will get a great deal additional a whole lot more quickly. So, what should you do when you come across a new difficulty? Right here are the actions: 1. Comprehend Know specifically what is becoming requested. Most tough problems are challenging since you really do not realize them (hence why this is the first action). How to know when you realize a dilemma? When you can describe it in basic English. Do you don't forget being trapped on a issue, you begin describing it, and you instantly see holes in the logic you did not see prior to? Most programmers know this sensation. This is why you ought to create down your dilemma, doodle a diagram, or tell an individual else about it (or thing… some men and women use a rubber duck). two. Strategy Do not dive right into fixing with out a prepare (and in some way hope you can muddle your way by way of). Strategy your answer! Absolutely nothing can assist you if you simply cannot publish down the actual methods. In programming, this means do not start off hacking straight away. Give your brain time to analyze the dilemma and procedure the data. To get a great strategy, solution this issue: “Given enter X, what are the steps essential to return output Y?” Sidenote: Programmers have a fantastic tool to assist them with this… Remarks! 3. Divide Pay focus. This is the most crucial action of all. Do not attempt to solve one particular huge dilemma. You will cry. Rather, split it into sub-troubles. These sub-difficulties are a lot simpler to resolve. Then, solve every sub-problem 1 by 1. Commence with the easiest. Most basic implies you know the reply (or are closer to that answer). Following that, most straightforward implies this sub-issue being solved doesn’t rely on other people being solved. After you solved each sub-problem, join the dots. Connecting all your “sub-solutions” will give you the resolution to the authentic issue. Congratulations! This strategy is a cornerstone of issue-resolving. Don't forget it (read through this step once more, if you have to). 4. Trapped? By now, you are almost certainly sitting there thinking “Hey Richard... Which is great and all, but what if I’m caught and can not even resolve a sub-dilemma??” First off, get a deep breath. 2nd, that is fair. Really do not fear although, pal. This occurs to everybody! The big difference is the ideal programmers/dilemma-solvers are a lot more curious about bugs/errors than irritated. In fact, below are three issues to attempt when facing a whammy: • Debug: Go stage by stage by means of your solution trying to locate in which you went incorrect. Programmers call this debugging (in fact, this is all a debugger does). • Reassess: Get a action again. Appear at the dilemma from an additional perspective. Is there everything that can be abstracted to a far more standard method? Sidenote: An additional way of reassessing is beginning anew. Delete every little thing and start once again with fresh eyes. I’m serious. You are going to be dumbfounded at how efficient this is. • Research: Ahh, good ol’ Google. You read through that proper. No matter what difficulty you have, a person has possibly solved it. Locate that man or woman/ remedy. In fact, do this even if you solved the difficulty! (You can find out a whole lot from other people’s answers). Caveat: Do not seem for a remedy to the massive dilemma. Only seem for options to sub-difficulties. Why? Since until you wrestle (even a small little bit), you won’t learn anything. If you don’t learn everything, you wasted your time. Follow Really don't count on to be wonderful right after just one 7 days. If you want to be a excellent issue-solver, remedy a great deal of difficulties! Apply. Practice. Apply. It’ll only be a issue of time before you identify that “this dilemma could simply be solved with .” How to exercise? There are choices out the wazoo! Chess puzzles, math difficulties, Sudoku, Go, Monopoly, online video-video games, cryptokitties, bla… bla… bla…. In fact, a common sample amongst productive people is their habit of working towards “micro dilemma-solving.” For example, Peter Thiel plays chess, and Elon Musk plays video-game titles. Does this imply you ought to just perform video clip-online games? Not at all. But what are video-online games all about? Which is correct, issue-fixing! So, what you should do is discover an outlet to exercise. Anything that enables you to fix several micro-problems (preferably, some thing you enjoy). For case in point, I take pleasure in coding issues. Each and every working day, I consider to solve at least one particular challenge (usually on Coderbyte). Like I said, all problems share equivalent patterns. Conclusion That’s all people! Now, you know far better what it indicates to “think like a programmer.” You also know that difficulty-solving is an extraordinary skill to cultivate (the meta-ability). As if that wasn’t enough, notice how you also know what to do to follow your dilemma-solving capabilities! Phew… Rather amazing correct? Ultimately, I wish you experience numerous difficulties. You go through that correct. At least now you know how to solve them! (also, you are going to discover that with every answer, you improve). Now, go remedy some troubles! And greatest of luck 🙂

[janes-tech-review]

http://ift.tt/2AOLXW1

Technology

As our life expectancy continues to rise, so does our exposure to mental deterioration. Diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s affect more and more people and the medical community has lifestyle advice for us to reduce our chances of such maladies. As one would expect, physical exercise comes as an important recommendation as does eating certain foods which have been linked to other health improvements – like spinach, blueberries and nuts.

One other activity that is increasingly being proved to be helpful in the prevention of mental diseases is engaging in mentally challenging exercises. This makes sense when you view the brain as a muscle that gets stronger when used but atrophies with inactivity. There are many ways to improve cerebral fitness, and since people are spending more and more time on their smartphones, we thought we would suggest some ways to pump up your grey matter on the phone.

Here’s some interesting news; gamers have been found to be better at learning new tasks than non-gamers. Action video games get your synapses firing and improve mental reaction time, memory, spatial intelligence and an improved ability to learn new tasks. So don’t feel too bad about playing your favourite games on the morning commute. That said, not everyone likes to play those kinds of games – or at least not the small screen of a smartphone – so for those folks, here are some other options.

City Building Sims 

You probably have at least one friend who was/still is hooked on playing Farmville on Facebook, which is just one of many city-builder games that cover a broad range of themes. There are agriculture centred games like Farmville and Gardenscapes which require you to plant, tend to and harvest a variety of crops and flowers. More commonly, the template for the city-builder is to start with a blank space of land and to gradually build it up to a functional virtual society.

You are basically in a godlike position to create a city with homes for citizens, a functioning economy, transportation systems, health and security, etc. The best of these would include Megapolis and Virtual City Playground. Other city-builders are set in a historical context and require the player to erect industries more suitable to the time (coal mines, blacksmiths, olive oil presses, etc) and sometimes even to build armies and strategize wars. Excellent examples of this genre would include Game of War: Fire Age and Knights and Dragons. Transport Tycoon is another option that tests the player’s abilities to make transportation infrastructure like railways, tunnels, bridges and airports for their city.

Another excellent option in the city-building genre is The Simpsons: Tapped Out, where the aim is to recreate the city of Springfield and interact with all the inhabitants. As expected, the creativity level is extremely high and also provides humourous interactions with all your favourite characters. City-builders offer players challenges in memory, multi-tasking and planning and give a great sense of pride when done well.

Source: The Simpsons: Tapped Out via Facebook

Trivia Games

These are excellent for your daily mental workout and come in wide variety of options. For general trivia, it’s tough to do better than Trivia Crack. It has six categories and allows head-to-head play in a format reminiscent of Trivial Pursuit. You can also collect coins, hearts and diamonds to purchase additional features. Also in the realm of general trivia is Quiz Up which has questions from a larger range of narrower categories. Quizoid and Feetwit are two others worth a look as is the app for the iconic TV trivia game show Jeopardy. Unlike the show, answers are selected in a multiple choice format, and the app is offered in a sport-specific version as well.

Psych is a trivia game with a twist. Similar to Balderdash, players come up with plausible incorrect answers to mislead their opponents. There are music-themed trivia games out the as well such as SongPop, Guess the Song and Rock On. In these games, obviously, players compete to name songs and artists across a wide range of musical genres. Guess the Song even has a feature that allows head-to-head games on the same phone so you can play against a friend.

For those who might disdain games that may have obscure or difficult categories (history, science, arts and literature are the usual suspects here) there is another specific themed game called Pixduel. This game is targeted at Millennials and challenges their knowledge of pop culture.

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Back to general trivia, there is also an app version of the addictive website Sporcle. For those who aren’t familiar with the site, you don’t play head-to-head on it like most of the other mentioned games. In Sporcle, you can find trivia questions on almost any subject, sometimes extremely specific to challenge and expand your knowledge specifically tailored to your desire. In general trivia, it’s tough to do better than Trivia Crack. It has six categories and allows head-to-head play in a format reminiscent of Trivial Pursuit. You can also collect coins, hearts and diamonds to purchase additional features. Also in the realm of general trivia is Quiz Up which has questions from a larger range of more specific categories.

It’s not just action games or city builders or trivia games that help boost your smarts; it’s also possible that casino games, especially those with a cerebral component, can help improve your analytical and predictive powers. Online casino review websites list sign-up bonuses available on online casinos such as Betfred and explain the options and gameplay at top sites, many of which have a skill element or require mental acuity – such as poker, baccarat, blackjack and bingo.

Source: Trivia Crack via Facebook

There is also the Spot the Difference genre – This is a classic. A split screen is given with two very similar pictures. They could be pictures of a dog, a skyline, a famous painting, anything. Your observational skills are put to the test to find the differences between the two. Spot the difference can be played at all skill levels and with or without a clock. If you’re interested, you can look at apps such as Find Differences 5 and Spot the Diff or Star Spot which uses photos of the most famous celebrities.

Hidden Object Games

Another test of observational powers is the genre that involves hidden object puzzles. With these, the player is shown an image with numerous objects and is required to scour the picture to find specific objects. Just as with spot the difference games, hidden object games are available in all skill levels, and different apps will have different features like time allowances, hints, etc. There are many on offer, but two of the top apps in this category are Criminal Case, in which you find clues to solve crimes and The Secret Society which has added puzzles and mini-games as well as an overarching mystery to be solved.

Source: Criminal Case via Facebook

Old School

These are simply modern-day versions of some of the most famous brain puzzles. Sudoku is a great option and should not only be played by those who have an aptitude for numbers. People who are arithmetically challenged would be well served by playing this Japanese number-cruncher at easier levels. Andoku Sudoku and Sudoku Free (AI Factory Limited) are two great options that offer all difficulty levels and great optional features Sudoku (SwanApps) which allows users to write numbers easily with their fingers. Scrabble is a classic board game you can play against 1-3 opponents and build your vocabulary.

The ancient Chinese tile game Mahjong also has a variety of apps offering different varieties of play; check out Mahjong!!, Mahjong Worlds or Amazing Mahjong: Zen. And of course, you can use all the knowledge acquired from your trivia games to tackle the humble crossword. The world famous NYTimes Crossword is one of many apps on offer and Puzzazz Crossword, Cryptic, Logic & Other Puzzles, as the name suggests, provides many variations of crosswords and games like word finds.

Just like with physical activities like yoga, jogging, sport or weights, we all have our preference for our favourite modes of mental exercise. The important thing is to do it every day!

The post Getting Smart From Your Smartphone appeared first on GadgTecs.

via GadgTecs

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Mercury-Mars Aspects: The Motor Mouth

Mercury-Mars Aspects: The Motor MouthIf you have Mercury conjunct, square, opposite, sextile, or trine your Mars sign, then you’ve probably got quite a motor mouth on you. The reason being that Mercury is the planet that rules how we think and communicate, while Mars symbolizes how we take action and assert ourselves. So, talking is a way of truly asserting yourself, much more than most. The typical Mercury-Mars person speaks in a way that makes others sit straight up and take notice. There are some with these aspects who might be quieter and more retiring, but they’re not going to genuinely enjoy playing this role. In fact, these people usually have some unresolved issues around communicating or asserting themselves that they need to work out. A healthy, confident Mercury-Mars person is just not going to be able to play that whole soft-spoken act for very long. 

Mars is a masculine planet. It’s passionate, forceful, and gets directly to the heart of the matter. This is why, as a Mercury-Mars person, you probably aren’t too delicate in speech, which is something that might get you into trouble, at times. People can be taken back by the utter directness and force of your words. Mars is all about a mission. Hooked up with Mercury, the mission becomes to express thoughts and opinions. So, with this aspect, you have a take-no-prisoners approach to your conversations. You probably don’t hold back and in our society, that’s so conditioned toward niceties and manners, this can be rather startling to some people. Some might find it refreshing but others might find themselves offended by what they deem your lack of tact or civility. Those kinds of reactions can make a Mercury-Mars person crawl into their shell, so to speak. This is especially because you usually don’t mean to offend people and can be just as surprised by their responses to you. So, you might go through a phase where you end up just biting your tongue, not wanting to piss people off or be misunderstood. However, you’ll regret living this way. Whenever our Mars energy is repressed, we become depressed. Mars is our sense of purpose, it’s what gives us drive. So, not expressing your Mars sign and aspects will make you feel deeply unhappy and empty. Not speaking your mind freely and boldly, therefore, is just depressing to you. It can get to the point where it makes you either distinctly unsociable or painfully awkward and self-conscious in social situations, as you’re either too afraid to “go there” or you’re so disconnected from this desire that you don’t see the point of socializing anymore.

But, we must give our Mars full expression (as well as our Mercury, obviously). Fully acting on our Mars is what gives us courage, passion, and the feeling like we can conquer the world. So, as a Mercury-Mars individual, you’re meant to communicate with vigor and unpretentious candor. This is really how you find your courage in life. So many people are so afraid to speak their mind but you’re in the position to develop an admirable fearlessness in regards to simply “telling it like it is.” Everyone else in the room will be hemming and hawing, beating around the bush about what they really think, and you can amazingly sweep right in and just call that spade a spade. You’re a fast talker, as well, who knows how to tell the most animated stories. You really get into it, allowing the people around you to be riveted and entertained. You'd make a dynamic public speaker. You’re most likely a firecracker: fascinating, feisty, anything but dull. You’re even more admirable in the fact that, as this level of expression, you don’t back down from what you believe or think. Mars is independent and does its own thing. So, you’re the kind of person to truly think (Mercury) for yourself (Mars). Not only are you fiercely independent-minded but you’re capable of acting as a shining example for others to be the same. This is the mode of operating that gets your juices flowing and makes you feel alive. In fact, many people with this position fully enjoy being the one person who thinks differently than everyone else. You don’t flinch in the face of a certain amount of mental opposition from others. It’s only an opportunity to show them that you’ve got your own mind and that they can’t control the way that you think. You can come up with wonderfully original ideas, insights, and observations because of this. You’re not scared to mentally go out on a limb.

Your Mercury sign is fired-up by its aspect to Mars. If you happen to have the conjunction, square, or opposition, then there’s a particularly intense charge to the way your brain operates. There’s just no stopping it. Your internal monologue could rival the characters in a Shakespeare play. Thoughts are constantly bouncing around in your head and you have a knack for following these intellectual currents wherever they take you. This, after all, is where a great deal of your drive comes from. Mercury-Mars has the potential to be a true intellectual, just so long as you develop the patience for those studies. But, you really get off on absorbing information. Anything that challenges your intellect is bound to be an avid hobby. Reading and writing are obvious choices, but you can also really love things like crossword puzzles, Sudoku, and the most random trivia (usually in a specialized area).

Yet, because your thoughts are so infused with passion, you can end up burning people with words if you’re not careful. Some Mercury-Mars people, especially those with the conjunction, can appear to be angry when they’re not or can make people angry when they were just joking around or stating their opinions. Having Mercury in aspect to Mars can give you a confrontational edge. If you don’t openly express this, then you can just obsessively have inner dialogues with the person that you haven’t found the courage to stand up to yet. People with these aspects are often either one or the other: terrified of confrontation or so unflinching toward confrontation that it might intimidate others. The latter are total masters at telling people off, with a remarkable ability to put someone in their place, shutting them down completely. The other person won’t even be able to defend themselves against such an aggressive verbal smack-down. Most men with this aspect, in particular, can effectively fight back and defend themselves solely through words, not needing to lift a finger to firmly deal with that obnoxious guy in the bar.

The key thing to watch for, however, with a Mercury-Mars aspect is being the kind of person to pick these verbal fights on a regular basis. You might do this to test the person you’re with, to dominate or bully them, or simply out of sheer boredom. This is the dark side of this aspect that needs to be controlled. If not, you can display a certain brutality in conversations that can border on verbal abuse. When angry, you’re apt to hit the offender with a devastating insult, sometimes without even intending to. Mercury-Mars people can verbalize their thoughts so readily and powerfully that they end up saying something cruel and hurtful before they realize it. You might also have to watch for a distinct tendency to ride roughshod over people in conversations. Most people with these aspects don’t have patience for those who they feel can’t keep up with them intellectually and verbally. So, you might grab the reins of the discourse and not let go, either not allowing the other person to get a word in edgewise or discarding the importance of what they have to say. Learning the art of truly listening may be your challenge.

Still, Mercury-Mars folks do need someone who can hold their own in a conversation. You’re invigorated by those who you feel are as lively, passionate, and candid as you are. You don’t have much tolerance for talking to dull, bland people, as well as people who talks in circles or sugarcoat things. Your driving motivation is to simply communicate but you much prefer to do so with people who are just as straight-up and exciting as you are. But, it’s your straight-up, exciting quality that people find so refreshing. Your sense of humor is a reflection of your bluntness, as it tends to be bawdy and bold. It takes some balls for you to say many of the funny things you do. As a result, you can be unintentionally hilarious, at times, as the sheer honesty of your speech gets more laughs than you set out to gain. Most Mercury-Mars people have especially foul mouths and not just in the sense of you frequently accentuating your vocabulary with colorful curse words. Your wit dwells in a rather vulgar place, where you can cut through the decorum and just say whatever is on your mind. In fact, you might be a serial over-sharer because of this. There are some who might find this crass or uncalled for. But, you probably don’t care about them.

At the end of the day, you’ve got a ferocious intelligence that people should not underestimate. Mars is an expression of our masculine side. So, men and women with these aspects can assert their masculinity by not only letting everyone know that they’ve got a brain but by not holding back their intelligence, due to fear that it might be intimidating or threatening to others. Some females, in particular, with Mercury-Mars aspects might have to frequently remind themselves of this, due to cultural conditioning that tells them to dumb themselves down, in some way. The healthiest, strongest expression of a Mercury-Mars is something who refuses to dilute the expression of their intelligence, even if they get called snobbish or nerdy for it. This is quite an act of social courage in and of itself, as our society’s fear of intelligent people goes all the way back to grade school. If you’re a Mercury-Mars person and were called a nerd growing up, it might be more difficult for you to fully own and express this part of yourself, without fear. But, doing so will allow you to find a true source of inner strength and confidence.

With this placement, intelligence is a big dynamic in the bedroom, as well, as Mars represents how we have sex. So, you’re driven wild with passion by someone who’s definitely got a brain in there and who knows how to connect with yours. The ideal sexual partner for Mercury-Mars is not only someone with a sharp, original mind but someone who’s amazingly witty, as well. This is apt to rile you up in bed way more than that conventionally attractive person with the so-called perfect body. It’s a cliché but people you find really funny and interesting are much sexier to you in the long run, significantly more than the next person. You’re probably the kind of sexual partner who’s very flexible and up for anything as well as one who loves all of the mental foreplay leading up to it as much as the actual act. You’ll be especially hooked on someone who can nail the fine art of talking during sex. It’s like the icing on the cake for you. As sex is never far from your highly active mind, you’re probably quite skilled at this yourself.

Mercury conjunct Mars: With the conjunction, you’re probably the ballsiest talker of the bunch. Your say-anything style packs a powerful punch, either making you a controversial presence or an endearingly blunt personality. Even if you polish yourself up some, with maturity and self-awareness, you’re still not going to be an overly refined communicator. You don’t want to censor yourself too much and, at the end of the day, you shouldn’t. Your mind is as quick as a fox’s and you have a knack for “getting it” almost instantly, often two steps ahead of the others.

Mercury square or opposite Mars: Having the square and the opposition means that you have the hardest time toning down whatever’s coming out of your mouth. In fact, the more people try and get you to soften your tone, the more aggressive and offensive you might become. But, this can be a chipped-shoulder attitude of them being against you when you don’t realize you’re the one picking the fight. Finding a balance between being honest and being rude is what makes you more palatable, allowing others to truly understand your passion and directness.

Mercury sextile or trine Mars: The sextile or the trine gives you the ability to learn the fine balance between candor and rudeness more easily than those with the conjunction, square, or opposition. You are more aware of how your words are affecting others and have better control over your speech. But, you are always going to be honest and you still display that lack of patience for social fakery and pretense. You’re just able to charm others with your brash tongue, for the most part, but you might skate by on this too often and expect to always get away with it. 

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