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nyxrev · 11 months

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Just some stuff I noticed, from small to serious.

旦那 (dan'na)

K so I found it funny Black Sperm calls Saitama “dan'na” bc the term can mean different by its context, eg. an honorific for husband, patron, or master, etc. I believe it's translated to English as “Boss” which is most fit but when I first read it I automatically associated it with “master” of the more softer nuances and not the rougher casual “hey boss” sort of vibe, so I was surprised like, huh BS is unusually deferential to Saitama, esp. bc the rest of his speech pattern is fairly casual. But, makes sense bc he's seen enough to know. Also makes sense bc on one hand, rn he has to pretend to be a benign, goofy “monkey” …idk how ppl see a black teletubby n just believe it's monkey but s'ok, story logic… to get by heroes, hence the casual goofy monkey speech, but on the other, he absolutely does not want to cross Saitama, so he chooses to refer to him politely.

master (of a house, shop, etc.)

husband: can be used to refer to your own, or smb else's husband (add honorifics). Some other ways of address: 夫 otto, 主人 shujin,

sir; boss; master; governor: used to address a male patron, customer, or person of high status

patron of a mistress, geisha, bar or nightclub hostess; sugar daddy (パトロン)

alms; almsgiver: Buddhism, usually written as 檀那 for Buddhist context

As you can see, a non-exhaustive list of what it can mean. With automatic association to house -hold and patronage nuances, my mental image got mildly confused for a moment. Like can you really see an obeisant, nice little BS who humbly serves Saitama with utmost formality??

I feel myself make an uneasy face I cannot quite describe.

Also it was good to see him ask about Manako, but I do want to know if she's alive and safe.

Homewrecker? No it's (unlicensed) Demolition. Opennenoorn Get Out

^after the scene when Forte got hit, Fubuki told Saitama to go with her and said:

あなたの住処を破壊した張本人に会わせてあげる

Basically the reason she gave for their excursion was, “I'll let you meet the person responsible for the destruction of your residence.”

Whom I thought was Psykos bc at the moment, we saw parallel scenes of Tsukuyomi guy at her cell and Tatsumaki had not arrived, but Saitama doesn't know Psykos yet, so when Fubuki made her speech, Saitama confused without so much as context to who all the ppl on scene are, then Tatsumaki arrives most destructively, he must have thought it could be absolutely no other than the “chibi” who threw Genos on a wall.

Which is why Saitama went “I see, the one who destroyed my home was…(Tatsumaki) ಠ ◡ ಠ##”

But I had to wonder who did Fubuki really mean to refer to with “the person who destroyed your place”? If Fubuki meant Psykos how would Saitama react?

Fortress Haven or Death Maze?

Hige Coffee: lit. Beard Coffee (lol)

Well it's good to see Max and Shadow on break, but an emergency call cuts it short, and amidst the commotion, one of them (I assume it's Max) laments the place is so big it's easy to get lost.

What can I say, it's almost like the new HQ, with its concentrated yet puzzled pyramid structure, complete with a moat of self-isolation, remotely omniscient surveillance, a manufactured façade of paradise with luxury security atop seven hells of hidden disasters eager to be released, and so on…almost like it's a direct visual representation of HA's operation hierarchy: centralized system of power and economic monopoly, yet rife with office politics, factions at tension, dysfunctional management, corrupt unstable foundation, and unsavoury secrets to hide.

Cohesively staffed, an impregnable fortress. Yet improperly managed, an exit-less death maze.

And I say it bc the place is not only complicated and spacious but also uniform. Its grand Jenga-Lego stack of cluster structures look so similar, if not literally the same, from every angle, if you rotated it on a turntable, I couldn't tell the sides from each other nor which faced NESW at first.

Of course, part of why they got lost is, it's newly built, heroes just moved to residency, obviously, it's not out of expectation for heroes, or anyone who's never step foot there for the matter, to be unfamiliar with exact floor plan details of such a vast, complex structure, its design sleek at best and dystopian at worst.

But I must wonder, for I feel like it will become a problem later, HQ's isolated vast complexity… If it doesn't fall apart from its core first, what with overpowered resident, destructive visitors, and let's not forget the basement full of a nasty little monstrosity of pets the corrupt executives keep for cash flow they don't use to pay heroes.

Air and Blue Fire: Cyborg Surgery?

On a scale of beneficial to suspicious, question.

Notice the text right next to Air? It's an SFX.

キュイーン kyui—n (onomatopoeia): like a whirr sound effect, low sounds of machinery at work, usually small technical ones which contract or spin. For example, camera lens… how ominous, don't you think?

While Forte is eager to get out of bed and make a quick work of the noisy monsters who disturb his already bad day, blow off convenient steam, it looks like Air can't even emote natural, human facial expressions, and it unsettles me so!

If you look long enough it almost looks like he is controlled like a puppet Σ(-᷅_-᷄⁉︎)

As for BlueFire, I can't tell if it's an empty sleeve or a prosthetic arm but hopefully he got an arm with extra spicy flamethrower fingers so he can be extra terribly efficient. He'd probably max his specs to roast evildoers out of spite. I sense one step to Genos. Same age, similar personality.

Bonus: List of Every Hero Present

aka. faces you see the last moments of your life, if you happen to be a mischievous monster at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Top panel: Golden Ball, Spring Mustachio, Red Muffler, Funeral Suspenders, D-pad, bottom L hat prolly Gun Gun, Shooter, Smile Man, Skunk-Boy Gasmask, top L corner Eyelashes, Mohawk Hacker, Brass Knuckles guy, Great Philosopher, Magic Trick Man, Darkness Blade, Bones, prolly Blue Fire's back (front of Bones), All Back Man? (didn't he quit?), Butterfly DX, Kusari-Gama, Mushroom, Horse-Bone, Twin Tails, can't tell who the mop of dark hair next to her is but prolly Blizzard member, Tank-Top Al-Dente, Tank-Top Rockabilly, another two Blizzards by the suit,

Bottom: Eyelashes, Brass Knuckle, Spiked Club Blizzard, L- Max, Genji, Stinger, Tank-Top Mask, Tank-Top Racer, Crescent Eyebroll, Green, Wild Horn, Skunk Boy Gasmask, Tank-Top Al-Dente, Tank-Top Rockabilly, a sliver of Darkness Blade, Heavy Kong.

Fubuki Group? More like Mafia?

Look at how they stand. Look at how they walk. Look at their formation. If each of them were as strong as Needle Star got, fought as well as the support team cooperated, if equally valued and given opportunity to contribute their expertise, they truly would be formidable, fearsome foes, and reliable allies Fubuki can trust to hold their own and not constantly worry about. Of course part of the problem is Fubuki's own insecurities but we know she has the potential to be a great leader if she put her focus on the right path and used her power to maximum beneficial strategy

Counted around 33 members without Fubuki or Saitama. Rowdy Suit Gang. Mountain Ape n Lily stand out and you can see them from far away.

Extra Bonus: Spot the Spy 6-6

Nah cuz I really need to talk about the cursed Tsukuyomi guys. I brewed some praises n some toasty roasty jokes. I need to cook some wacky, juicy conspiracy about them. Just a little gentle speculation.

#opm #one punch man #opm manga #hero association #thoughts #saitama #overgrown rover #black sperm #tatsumaki #fubuki #forte #air #cyborg #body modification #organization #suspicious #blizzard group #traitors #among us

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beatsfortheillperth · 4 years

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Words with Twin Nemesis

The United States is the homeland of a lot of the creatives we've had words with over the years, and Soph and Sylv, the masterminds behind Twin Nemesis are just two more US beat-smiths and creatives who just so happen to be cohesively moving sound-waves over in the USA.

The girls are tweaking valleys of bass that display a musical landscape that is infused with funk and wave wonder and this duo will intrigue like the piper, tame ones head to bop and, damn feet to tap with their select but distinguishing variety of tracks.

Twin Nems sound will either have you wishing you were out in an underground nightclub, bouncing by the speakers or, chilling at home on a rainy day with a hot cuppa. It can go both ways with these talents, something that's not easy to encourage, but these beat-smiths do so in the most pleasing matter.

Keeping their minds well and in tune away from producing through their studies in University and Med School. These two are not only fuelling their minds but the minds of their listeners worldwide.

Thank you Twin Nem and please don't let the studies led to a musical disappearance, Bass needs you both to continue your relationship and we need you to stay together, for our speakers' sake.

Much love and enjoy words with these unique talents.

Listen to Twin Nemesis, Saying Hello on Spotify -https://open.spotify.com/artist/0aSDNbyGRzbragp1DE9ZKk

Hey, Twin Nemesis thank you so much for taking the time to share words. I thought we would start will a few quick questions.

Favourite Food: Sophie - Mac and Cheese Sylvie - I love food, so that's gonna be hard! I'd say sushi, vanilla berry cake, gummy candy or Thai food :). Oh, and a juicy burger and onion rings. Favourite Beverage: Sophie - Mojito ;P Sylvie - Plain and simple, water! Stay hydrated, folks! Last track you listened to: Sophie - The Suburbs- Mr Little Jeans Sylvie - Jon Casey's 20/20 mix! That part at 1:30 is insane!! A childhood memory in regards to music: Sophie - The first song I remember is Karma Police..my mom was playing it in the car when I was like a few months old and it stuck with me. I heard it again maybe when I was 14? It was like a shot of lightening. I felt this nostalgia. It was insane. It's my favorite song. Sylvie - Without a doubt, driving with my dad in the car to Sergio Mendes and the Beatles. I grew up on Bossa Nova and Classic Rock :) First Album you ever purchased: Sophie - Ok Computer Sylvie - Sheesh, I can't recall to be honest! Most likely something from Sergio Mendes. Last Album you purchased: Sophie - Don't remember tbh Sylvie - I stream on Spotify, so I haven't quite been purchasing! Views on Cheese: Sophie - Give me all the cheese, just not the weird french ones Sylvie - Cheese is godly. The music you were listening to in Middle School: Sophie - Dubstep (UKF, etc) Sylvie - In Middle School, I was a huge fan of dubstep and drum and bass! UKF releases were the bulk of my then ITunes (rip) library! Still love both genres, especially the soulfulness of liquid drum n bass! What you like to do in your downtime: Sophie - Run around, play videogames, music Sylvie - I'm almost constantly studying, to be honest. However, if I do have a moment, I'll be reading medical journals or watching operations. I want more than anything to be an Emergency Room Physician, so I'm constantly reading articles about the ER when I find good ones.

I'll also often hop on a shift to volunteer for Crisis Text Line, a truly powerful platform where you can be there for people in difficult times <3. Spreading love and reaching out is incredibly important to me. I also spend a lot of hours as well training for fencing and at the gym for cross-training... Not much "free time" I suppose, but that's exactly how I like it! I'm a busy bee. :D Your ideal feast would consist of: Sophie - Pizza, mac n cheese, nugs. Basically all the foods that will send me to the grave. Sylvie - Probably too much food to realistically procure for one feast.

Thanks for that, so I'd like to start by asking, how did you both meet? Had you known each other long before you started making music together? Sylvie - We met in fencing in middle school and instantly became best friends. We just clicked! About a year into our friendship, I mentioned in fencing practice that I produced music, and Sophie wanted to join. We learned the ropes of Maschine together, and she picked up Logic faster than I did. Sophie proved to be a natural, and things just flowed from there!

Sophie - We went to the same middle/high school but met during fencing practice! We both fenced sabre for a couple of years and bonded through that. So probably like 2-3 years before we started making music.

How did your musical relationship start and at the beginning were you both making your own music separately? How long have you been making music together? You've been releasing music on Soundcloud for 5 or so years under Twin Nemesis. Had you been making music together even before releases such as "Nocturne"? Could you share a memory from your early days making music together that has inspired you to continue creating? Sylvie - Sheesh, I would say it's been 6 years. We waited a year before releasing. We're both perfectionists. Before Twin Nemesis, I was releasing creations on my personal account. Sophie vibed with them, and before long we were producing together. In high school we would have "production nights" where we would stay up all night and produce something on one computer, one Maschine. Right after? Dance party time. These have been some of my best memories to date. Sophie - Sylvie taught me everything about how to use Logic and Maschine when we first started! I remember during fencing practice she was talking about producing beats and I thought that was so unique and interesting since I didn't know anyone who did that. We started hanging outside of fencing at her house experimenting with the Maschine and I just fell in love.

What equipment do you guys use to create your sound? Also if it applies, what musical instruments do you both play? Does knowing how to play an instrument necessarily benefit someone trying to make beats more? Sylvie - I have background in drumming, so I gravitated towards the Maschine. I'm actually a classically trained violinist, and have been playing for 16 years! I also play the bass and drums. In terms of helping beat-making, I'm not quite sure. Plenty of really legendary beat-makers don't play other instruments-- I don't think it's needed to play anything. But I like to incorporate classical or jazz elements into my music when I can. Sophie - I do not actually play any instruments but I use Maschine as well as Logic and Ableton. I wish I understood the theory behind a lot of the music being put out today but playing by ear has worked out so far. Could you share a paragraph of what Twin Nemesis represents to you individually and also what Twin Nemesis represents to you both collectively? What inspired the name Twin Nemesis? Love it. Sylvie - Its really special to be able to make music with your best friend. To me, Twin Nemesis represents a creative outlet where we can express our feelings through a medium that has no words.

We're able to pinpoint that feeling, and hone in on the sonic experience that can deliver a sense of it into our listeners. I want to be able to uplift them, be there for them, show them that they're not alone, be their shoulder to cry on, and help them if I can with our music.

To me, it's my hope that we can help heal people with the joy of music, (cheesy as it sounds). There's no greater joy than helping others, and I hope we can do that not just in our day- to-day lives, but in our music as well.

Sophie came up with Twin Nemesis actually, and it's ironic, because I'm an actual twin. We are far from nemeses, my twin is a best friend as well, and I'm extremely lucky to have her. So there's no connection there, Sophie just thought it sounded cool. She's creative as heck!

Sophie - I think I came up with the name and honestly I think it came from the fact that Sylvie and I just looked very different (blonde vs brunette), yet we're both girls so I wanted to keep that dichotomy but also, yeah, it just sounds cool haha.

For me Twin Nemesis is a great way to relax. I just finished my BS at Cornell University and am starting medical school at UCSF so my life tends to be very busy and stressful. Making music really grounds me and I found during the most stressful times of my career I tend to create the best music. Going back to your track "Nocturne" I wanted to discuss it a little further as it is Twin Nems' earliest release that I felt contrasted it's follow up release on Soundcloud delightfully. That follow-up release was "Nostalgia". Were the contrasts in these two releases intentional or are the tracks unrelated? Can you share what making Nostalgia and Nocturne was like? And what you were trying to portray with each track? Sylvie - The two of those tracks were meant to be lofi hip-hop-esque. They were meant to evoke feelings of, well, nostalgia, from two different waveforms. For these two, we busted out our Maschines, and went for something as groovy as it was soulful.

The process was relatively simple, as we were still figuring out the ropes- chop up a sample, lay down a bass-line, and of course, drum out a groovy, swinging drum pattern. That was really it, admittedly, but we felt that there was a special soulfulness in these tracks, so we released them. Sophie - Skipping, tbh don’t remember much other than I was going thru a bad breakup and these songs helped haha I just wanted to add, back in 2015 Twin Nemesis released a track called Chapel of the Devil via Bandcamp and the sounds displayed in that beat could easily nurse a rap, you guys had skill even back then, much love. What was it like for you making Chapel of the Devil and how do you feel your style has adapted over the years since? Do you feel more confident with each release over time, or do you feel you were more confident with your earlier releases? Sylvie - Mmmm. Good question! Sophie was more involved with that one. She found the sample and chopped it nicely. I can't really take much credit for that. In terms of style, I've began to shift into more bass-music, experimental types of music and have started to produce a fair amount of lo-fi hip hop.

What does making a beat do for you? Does it help you in any personal sort of way like offer an escape? What is it that you think draws more and more people into wanting to create their own beats? Sylvie - Making a beat is an outlet where I don't have anything to lose. When I'm making music, I tap into my emotions, and if not mine, my boyfriend's, my close friends', the worlds', or even my dog's (I'm obsessed with her). More and more people are gravitating towards beatmaking because it's become more culturally relevant with the rise of Soundcloud- the ability to share your creativity with the world is unique, and the fact that everyone has access to that upload button makes music production rather appealing.

We live in a world of music-- it's all over us. To be able to create your own tunes has been an ever-present drive of humanity-- it's visceral. I gotta give one of my best friends, (an extremely talented classical pianist), Phoebe some credit for coming up with a quote that sums up why music itself is so powerful, especially in times like these--

"There’s nothing like the comfort of listening to a song that gets you. And that’s why music is so powerful, it can relate to any kind of person and make him or her feel safe and understood."

People are looking to make that song that gets them, to find that exact feeling that resonates with them and express it without words, in, what my boyfriend Jackson, (a phenomenal guitarist), describes as a medium that is visceral and can touch each and every person that listens differently.

He believes some of the beauty of music is the ambiguity of the meaning as well. I had to credit these two here for their deeply insightful thoughts.

Sophie - Refer to previous question, my life is very academically stressful so I use it as an escape away from the pressures of school. Twin Nemesis is also responsible for some bass-driven mixes that are just timeless. Listened to your minimix "That Wavy College minimix" which you both made two years ago and it is still relevant, thank you! Had you both always been into mixing or was it something you picked up along the Twin Nem journey? What gets you in the mood to want to create a mix and what inspires the tracklist you curate? Sylvie - YESSSSSS BASS MUSIC :) Mixing was something we picked up on the way. It really depends on who is making the mix. If it's Soph, it will be more melodic and rap-driven usually.

If it's me, it will be all about the drums. These are pretty consistent distinctions. The track-list is based on what has me bobbing my head and making the stank face at the moment. :)

Sophie - Sylvie makes most of the mixes and I loooove listening to them, especially when I'm studying. Her music taste really vibes with mine. I've tried making mixes but have yet to post anything....maybe soon... Twin Nemesis will also be doing a beatsfortheill mix which we are super humbled about, thank you both. What can our readers and listeners expect with this up and coming mix? Sylvie - You'll see ;) Bringing the timeline forward to a year ago, we have to discuss your track snüp, one of my personal favourites by Twin Nem that I feel perfects the sound you'd want any beat to create when you're trying the lay back, much love. How did you go about creating snüp, how long did it take you guys to make and what inspired it's creation? Sylvie - It was rather simple as well! Snoop Dogg acapella + sample chopped up + infectious drum groove + bass. Done. I would say it took us about 3 days actually.

The both of us love jazz, old school hip hop, and soul music, so we wanted to integrate the sound of old school hip hop with more "new school".

Adding the vinyl-ridden sample to a Snoop Dogg vocal was a contrast that we found worked very well, so we followed through with the idea and released it.

Sophie - I'll let Sylvie answer this one You also released a track called Echoes of the Past in the same year and it was a track that showed me that you guys could tackle any genre. It's chilled, slightly romantic and soothing on a lofi lovers ears, thank you for creating this track. What inspires your shifts in sound in general from genre to genre? And on the subject of this particular track, what was it like to put together? Were you trying to share anything subtly with this release? Sylvie - Shifts in genre are because of our extremely diverse tastes in music. We listen to music spanning almost all genres, (save country, and for me, indie).

This allows us to want to produce along the gamut of vibes! When we're especially enjoying lo-fi, like we were when we were making Echoes of the Past, we'll make lo-fi. If we're inspired by left-field bass/trap, we'll make something like Hello.Jpeg. It all depends, and there really is no specific reason for why make what we make, when we make it. It just happens that way! I wish I could say that I was trying to convey something... In regards to music-making, what draws you in about a certain sound or vocal that makes you want to sample it? Sylvie - For me it's all about the groove. You know, when a groove is just *so infectious* that you can't help but bob your head and get those chills down your spine and turn the volume up higher.

I'm a sucker for creamy keys as well, like a Rhodes sample, the Korg Triton, jazz chords, 7ths. I love old soul and jazz music :)

But also, I equally enjoy warping glitches and harsh sounds. For drum samples? Drums. Must. Slap. They have to cut through the mix and be powerful and beefy, with a liberal amount of syncopation added for that off-kilter groove. Sophie - I love oldies and sampling classical music, so if I'm listening to a random track and hear a catchy melody I download it right away and create something with it. I also am drawn to sadder more melancholy melodies. Not sure why but it's always been like that. The song that introduced me to your sound was "Hello.Jpeg" and I was blown away with this track. The intro reminded of something N.E.R.D could have produced and the bass will convert any avid bass listener, thank you again. What were you going for with this release? Did it take long to put together? Also, what do you enjoy most about this track? Sylvie - Awww sheesh, thanks! We were going for my favorite musical element, bounce. For me, that's what makes a track (in bass music).

It's gotta have that bounce. We'd been listening to Jon Casey, Tsuruda, Explore, Mr. Carmack, etc. for ages, and were hoping to achieve a similar bouncy, stompy feel.

This track by far took the longest to put together-- probably upwards of 2 weeks? There were a lot of elements there. As for the last question here, I think you can tell what I'm proudest of in this track.... (hint: the bounce). Sophie - We love experimenting with different genres and Hello.Jpeg was our jump. It was extremely fun and very natural to make...we're probably going to create more of that type. Do you have any Musical Recommendations you could share? Sylvie - Ahhh, yes. I'll go by genre.

In terms of bass and future beats, the "20/20" mix by Jon Casey is impeccable. Check out that 1:30 time stamp. "Spit That" by Chee has that groove and bass that keeps me wanting to come back for more. "Neptune" by Sam Gellaitry has an incredible groove in the second part that will have you bobbing your head, with that lush bass swirling around. You really can't go wrong with Mo Vibez either. "Hammer" by Tsuruda, "Deception" by Herzeloyde, and "React" by Chromonicci have that signature bounce that I love as well, I'm always scouting for bouncy songs.

In terms of more hip-hoppy stuff, I'm gonna have to recommend Tek.lun's "Seshat". It has that bossa nova feel I've always loved, blended with hard-hitting drums.

Drum and Bass! "Progression" by Flite. Anything by Dawn Wall. It's rolling and soulful. Speaking of soulful, soul!

Tom Misch nails it every time, and I cannot recommend Gareth Donkin's track, "Catharsis" enough. It's beautiful. See for yourself. Classic rock, bossa nova... okay, should I just make a Spotify playlist for y'all?

This could be too long.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/27nkDj0eqPrzOl2CLGNikJ?si=btVmbVLST5SOFRqSgDs6Fw Sophie - I love Sasha Marie mixes. I've found so many songs and artists through her soundcloud page. Give it a listen. Any up and coming releases we should keep a lookout for? Sylvie - Again, you'll see ;)

Any Last Words? Sylvie - Yeah! An important part of my creative process and just, my life in general, are my amazing boyfriend and best friends, and my family, (yes, that includes my dog, of course).

Just wanna give them a shoutout here. They're always cheering me on, and I'm absolutely so blessed to have them in my life. I cannot thank them enough. Sophie - Thanks so much for all this, truly blessed to be interviewed! Support Twin Nemesis Here: Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/twinnemesismusicofficial

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/0aSDNbyGRzbragp1DE9ZKk

Bandcamp - https://twinnemesis.bandcamp.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/twinnemesismusic/?hl=en

#beatsfortheill #soundcloud #twinnemesis #interview

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moogsthewriter · 5 years

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Thoughts on Avengers: End Game

Put below a cut for spoilers, but the spoiler-free tl;dr is that I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about it because there’s things I liked, things I don’t like, and things I’m not sure if I should accept.

Let’s be blunt: Pulling off Endgame in a way that satisfies everyone, makes logical sense using reality-bending stones, and ties up 10+ years of movies was pretty much impossible. Obviously there’s a lot of debate, and I’m probably not adding anything new to the discourse, but I keep losing sleep and/or having weird dreams, so I clearly need to get it off my chest so to speak to try and ease my mind. So I’ll just touch on a few key topics:

The Timeline: This I know is getting a lot of hot debate, and it’s actually caused my husband and I to raise our voices at each other over it (which is honestly not surprising – the biggest conflict in our marriage thus far has been that he’s pro-Cap and I’m pro-Iron Man, lol). The most helpful explanation to me has been this reddit thread that essentially compares the timeline to an operating system and that essentially, by Cap returning the stones to their original times, it “rebooted” the main timeline from those points on (though the events still happened for the future characters because of the whole “the past becomes your future which can’t change your past” thing). This – in theory – helps explain why it doesn’t blow up the GOTG timeline to have past!Thanos + army come and be killed in 2023 or whatever year it was. I admit, I’m still a bit skeptical about this, primarily because of the Old Cap ending. The reset works for everyone except him in that case, and I know that Peggy Carter was a badass and could keep a lot of secrets, but I just don’t see it being possible for Steve to hide out and not impact the timeline… I also think it will be telling to see what happens in GOTG 3, because clearly Peter was searching for Gamora, and if this “system reboot” theory holds true, then she should not appear at all in that film, other than in recordings/flashbacks/etc. (unless they try and do something with the Soul Stone, which is a whole other kettle of fish). So I think the timeline can sort of work logically, but that leads into two other key points…

Steve’s Ending: Honestly, this was the worst note for me to end on and is the biggest source of contention between me and my husband on our perspectives of this film. We both agree that it’s totally in character for MCU!Steve to do something like this – husband thinks it’s good to let Steve have the happy ending he wants after everything, but I view it as yet another instance of Steve literally NEVER practicing what he preaches. To me, “getting a life” and having a happy ending that also shows ACTUAL character growth would be Steve finally accepting that he is in the future and it is time for him to move on AND THAT HE DOESN’T NEED ROMANCE TO BE HAPPY. But again… having such an ending would be antithetical to everything they’ve done with Cap since Winter Soldier, let’s be honest, so as much as I hated it (and think it throws the timeline thing into question, as mentioned above), I do think it fits the character.

Morgan Stark: As much as I loved seeing more of dad!Tony, there wasn’t much point to have Morgan as a character in the film unless it was setting it up for Tony to have to decide between the reality with his daughter and the reality with his spiderson everyone else, which is an excellent point that I know others have raised all over social media. HOWEVER, I also think that this isn’t so much a desire for a plot point for Tony as it is to be a... IDK, a consolation prize, I guess, for Pepper – yes, she loses Tony, but she gets their daughter, whereas if they reset the timeline like we all thought they would, she probably wouldn’t have gotten either (more on that in a sec). And THAT idea stems from the general problem of…

The female character story lines: It is very clear to me that the writers really had no idea what to do with the story arcs for the female characters in this film. For a character like Captain Marvel, it kind of makes sense, since apparently the script was finalized a few years ago (aka before the CM movie came out). But they’ve NEVER known what to do with Natasha’s arc, clearly, or with Pepper, either (at least not since the early Iron Man films, if even then), and so to me, the Morgan Stark thing ties more broadly into that. Basically, a bunch of dudes thinking through this problem with apparently little/no input from women (if the writing credits are accurate).

Natasha’s ending: Speaking of Natasha’s arc, this is the character death that is honestly bothering me the most out of the entire film. As much as I love Jeremy Renner and the Hawkeye of the comics, there has never been much compelling about his character (mostly because the writers have never done anything to make him to be compelling, let’s be real) – everything I (and I think a lot of the fandom) love about MCU!Clint is directly tied to his relationship to Natasha. I get that they were trying to not screw him over completely and do… something with him (very clearly not much, because he doesn’t really do much after Vormir????), but if he had been able to succeed in the sacrifice, that actually would’ve given both a point to his weird arc in this film AND would have set up even greater conflict/character development for Nat in a future film. Plus, it was hard to actually mourn Nat’s death because other than those REALLY SHORT scenes at the lake, it’s like it never happened or something. (I do wonder if there’s a bit more of that kind of content in the deleted scenes, but that would also speak to decisions of treatment of women in this film.)

Thor’s arc: There’s a LOT I could say about this, but I’ll keep it short-ish because this is already getting ridiculously long. Overall, I think it’s actually an interesting direction for Thor to go as a character (I can see where some think it’s backsliding from Ragnarok but I don’t necessarily think so… I can go more into that if people want), but it was really difficult to see his PTSD get treated so lightly. This is again where it makes sense for the characters involved – most of his screentime was with Rocket, who is probably the literal worst at dealing with past traumas in a positive way within the MCU, and other than Iron Man 3 and parts of Winter Soldier, no MCU film has really even touched the issue of PTSD well, especially in these later phases – so it makes sense on one level that it was the way it was, but… yeah, still. (Trauma is also why I really didn’t like Tony’s interaction with Howard, but I’m not even going to touch that because then we’ll be here forever.) But yeah, that’s another thing that will be interesting to see if they explore in GOTG 3.

Tony’s arc: This was obviously one of the hardest things for me to deal with, as a Tony fan, but I also was absolutely convinced he was going to die once Stephen traded the time stone to save Tony’s life in Infinity War, so to me it was a matter of figuring out how he was going to die. And honestly? I actually thought it was one of the better ways for Tony to go out. Why do I say that? Two things. One – the “I am Iron Man” line was perfect, even with – honestly, perhaps because of – its raspy croakiness. To me, that summed up Tony perfectly – he is the man in control of and behind the design the suit and thus the true hero (because the suit HE DESIGNED was able to work out getting the stones/gauntlet off Thanos’ hand), and even when he’s at the very end of his rope, he never gives up when it comes to trying to do the right thing (even if he goes about it in the wrong ways and is often his own worst enemy). So yeah, it felt like pure Tony Stark to me. Two – the fact that he went out with his real family by his side. One of my fave moments was him finally laying into Steve and the rest of the team at the start of the film, and I think his closing moments mirrored that well. Yes, he can be on cordial terms with the rest of the Avengers, but they were never his true family – his real family was the ones with him at the very end, and I was honestly so relieved that there was no bullshit last-words exchange between him and Cap that tried to cement some mythical bond that was never really present in MCU in the first place (comics, yes; cinematic universe, hell no) that that overruled everything else I feel about his death. (Though I could obviously go much more into that but again… this is hella long so I’ll stop now.)

Anyway, IDK if anyone made it to the end of this thing, but I feel like I’ve gotten a weight off my chest, so… mission accomplished, I guess? Lord knows I could write an entire novel about my feels as a result of this movie – I didn’t even touch treatment of the Wakandans, Captain Marvel’s non-appearance in the film, or other “implied but never confirmed/denied” elements of the plot. But I’m probably close to Tumblr’s bs limits anyway, so. Congrats to you if you made it this far lol.

#endgame #endgame spoilers #avengers endgame spoilers #commentary #endgame commentary

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funkymbtifiction · 7 years

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Can you give me some concrete differences between ENFP and ENTP?

(Gif: not related and you don’t care anyway.)

Concrete? Well, if you have read all the other times I have answered this question and not found the answer yet, probably no. ;)

Go watch Serendipity. He’s ENTP. She’s ENFP. Notice their focus.

TiFe: seeks to build a system of abstract understanding (Ti). This means the Ti user is trying to constantly categorize everything it encounters, in an effort to build an internal framework of knowledge. In an NTP, this means often bypassing reality for abstract theory.

Often, what I hear from my ENTP friend is: “PEOPLE ARE SO NONSENSICAL, WHY DO THEY HAVE TO BE SO NONSENSICAL?” He’s having trouble with their irrational emotional outbursts not correlating with his own Ti processing, which prefers logic, and finds human beings difficult to separate from the rest of reality, which operates on a sense of primal… logic. Animals kill to eat. Humans kill because they can. How is that logical? A girl likes you, but ignores you, so you will like her more, but instead you think she’s not interested and move on and she’s upset. HOW IS THAT LOGICAL?!?!?

I suspect deep down ENTPs are searching for the magic bullet, one thing to help them explain the entirety of humanity in a way that satisfies themselves and ensures they can deal with human beings as an entire race and as individuals without going insane from their irrational collective thinking. My ENTP brother always has a hopeful look on his face when he comes up to ask me a question that basically “categorizes” a lot of people into a slot. This is his Ti “trying to figure people out.” I hate to bust his bubble but: you can’t.

This is why Stephen Hawking searched for “the theory of everything.” He wanted to find one theory to explain the vast nuances of the universe; he wanted to strip everything down to its basic logical central truth and expand from that… which is, in a nutshell, Ti.

Also being Fe they usually share their feelings, talk about what they are feeling as it is happening, seek others when they feel uncertain about themselves and feel uplifted when offered encouragement from others, because generally Fe goes “whew, okay, I’m fine,” when people go, “You did a great job!”

(Gif: if you do not recognize it, we can’t be friends)

FiTe: literally does not give a damn about a magic bullet. It does not really want to categorize, because that’s shoving people into boxes and high Fi (unless the person using it has not developed it very well) instinctively understands emotions, what drives people, what will resonate with them, and what things mean to them on an emotional level. They operate on terms of: fairness, right and wrong, what they believe is ethical or immoral, their strong feelings for or against people / places / events / theories / principles / everything. They make decisions based on emotions. Theirs. Other people’s. Cat’s feelings, even.

I pronounce immediate moral judgment, whereas ENTP pronounces immediate rational judgment. Take the new show Genius. It opens on an adulterous sex scene where the scientist goes on to justify his adultery by explaining to his secretary in detached Ti terms it’s illogical to be faithful. (He’s an INTP, btw.) I have not watched another episode. That opening scene triggered my Fi disgust, not only that he would cheat on his wife (my Fi says: NOPE, asshole) but then justify it with some BS theory.

Meanwhile, ENTP friend laughed and said, “Look how this Ti is rationalizing his adultery WITH Ti!”

“Yeah,” I said. “I noticed.”

ENTP shot back: “I can smell the judgment from here.”

Yeah, you can.

Does that mean I’ll never finish Genius? Maybe, maybe not. My immediate judgments tend to get less harsh when I get to know people better, and then I find more compassion for them or understand them better, even though I never agree with their behaviors that I believe are wrong.

Also, I have Te. I don’t care HOW that damn thing works, or the process that went into creating it, or what the dude thought about when he invented it, I just want it to do its job. If it doesn’t do its job, it’s junk and I have no time for it. I am here to GET THINGS DONE, all right?

Te is also real good at “state the obvious” and “WELL, NO SH!T, SHERLOCK.”

Like the other day, when I said, “The Weasley twins will be at Comic Con.”

Other person: “Are they still tall and thin?”

Me: “Well, it’s not like they’re gonna get shorter.” *

Sorry. That sort of tert-Te BLUNT comes out of my mouth all the time IRL. :P

- ENFP Mod

#entp #enfp #enfp x entp #entp x enfp #mbti #question

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creationfluxuation · 7 years

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This is about hair.

This is long because it's about a something I hear that really irritates me. I'm getting it off my chest. And it's not open for a debate:

Having different hair types does not make one hair type weaker.[Yes I'm talking about this BS theory by people who 4C hair saying 4C hair is the weakest and driest hair type when it's natural---which is not true and baseless considering you can't some "science proven" alleged statement about something you don't care about, won't research beyond proving your point, and have a ingrained bias toward so starting off to a swell beginning.] Using "science" to attempt to justify hair type "superiority" is faulty science. Because that was the same science that says I don't have emotions and that by nature I'm either a scary monster, and alien, or a disposable super mammy. That was the same science that claimed I have a high pain tolerance to the asinine point of not feeling pain at all thus making my body optimal for all kinds of horrid, torturous experimentation. That was the same science that says my identity is not human and only defined by my genitalia thus justified to be seen, and treated as a grown adult if I can so much as stand up instead of crawl--any growth progress before said point, this same science justifies my treatment as fodder, animal bait, or an animal itself. This is the same science that says I'm predisposed to be angry, irrational, and stupid, yet fully responsible for anything and everything that happens to myself and also anyone else, making me predisposed to bear the unimaginable weight of said consequences or judgement to ANY type of incident.. So. If you are using this same logic and science to justify why my hair---or anyone's hair that is like my hair--is weaker then you and your science are full of shit. And there is no actual science that defends or calls for me to even entertain that conjecture as a truth. Just because my hair is the Guggenheim and not the Gherkin doesn't mean it's any weaker and it doesn't mean straight hair is "stronger". We have different hair for different purposes and mine is designed not only to be multi-functional in its ability to perform in various forms for any weather condition while still being able to bounce back to its normal state but, to perform just as optimally in it's regular loose state; which is intrinsically designed for moisture retention and highest UV ray protection, intense heat and 6-moth long rainy seasons, so my scalp doesn't burn, overheat, be weighed down/damaged by high amounts of moisture (or allow that moisture to cause me sicknesses in cooler conditions when on my scalp), or dry out to the point of intense breakage. My hair--just like my skin, eyes, bones and organs--is designed from biological intelligence from eons ago passed down to me. And I think that intelligence knows what it's doing a hell of a lot more than what your racist science thinks it knows. My hair is DIFFERENT. That does not make it WEAK. That's all that REAL science tells me about my hair. If you actually love it learn why it's designed the way it is and for the regions its dominant in. Hair is one of the LAST mutations to happen micro evolution. It starts being affected after everything has already gone haywire so don't talk to me about whats stronger without telling me what conditions you're constantly in or how far from the equator you are, or how much sunlight you get a day, or what pre-existing medical conditions you have and and lack of vitamin supplements you have, or if you live in an arid or humid place, or if you have oily skin (which effects your scalp and natural sebum secretions) and what parts are more oily than others (because you body and skin needs are a monolith either)--until you factor all of that including your family genealogy and where the bulk of them traveled from and where they settled and for how long and who they married and where THOSE people are from and where THEY settled and for how long. Do NOT DARE compare my hair type to something you don't even have enough scientific analytical data on to make a proper comparison. Especially when that comparison is faulty at in what it wants to even compare. You don't stand a metal spiral next to a wooden spire and put them on a seashore and talk about which one is the "strongest". You don't see a Tueplo growing in the middle of a Cedar forest. Things are designed DIFFERENTLY. FOR DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS AND PURPOSES. Find out what operates best in what environment and for what purpose. You don't just grab something from left field and call it weak for not doing something it was never designed for. Be knowledgeable about why things grow where they grow, can flourish and have longevity where they are. Then maybe you can start taking better care of what you have and stop justifying stupidity, dehumanization, and self abuse/hatred with highly bias imperial sciences.

#hair #hairtypes #personal rant

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saint-ambrosef · 7 years

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I've always been a conservative and, personally, I'm proud of it. But some days people (especially on this website) make me feel like I'm wrong and I'm a bad person for it. It bothers me because I know I'm a good person and I think logically about things. But the "sjws" on this site really mess with my head sometimes. "White is bad." "Cis is bad." "Straight is bad." I mean, I'm not even straight yet they make me feel this way! Sorry, I just needed to vent to someone who might understand!

That comes from the fundamental foundations of both sides. The conservative ideology is built upon logical reasoning, whereas progressiveness is based on emotions. It makes sense that their accusations/beliefs would therefore affect your emotions on a more personal level, because that’s the whole point of their platform. Appeal to emotions. Make people feel guilty so they’ll be generous. Make them angry over trivial issues. That’s how they operate.

Honestly, the best thing you can do it cut out any blogs that spew far-left bs like that. There are rational, reasonable liberals out there and it’s good to hear their perspective every now and then. But if they’re talking garbage like “white/cis/hetero is evil” then they’re far beyond rationality and reasoning. You don’t need to listen to them.

Story time. My original blog was made around ‘12. Even though it was meant to be purely fandom, SJW crud leaked onto my dashboard all the time. And after awhile, you start to believe it (esp naive 14 yro me). Because nobody bothers to question it. After awhile there was a little niggling in the back of my conscious, whispering doubts, “Is that really true?” I want to say it was a combination of finding proudblackconservative and patron-saint-of-smart-asses’ blogs that kinda snapped me out of it. Eventually I made this blog, and it’s been my main for years.

The point is, you gotta surround yourself with sensible people. Otherwise you start to catch the plague known as Tumblrina Social Justice. You start to pick it up after awhile. Don’t be afraid to cut those people out.

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theexistentialistdancer · 5 years

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For the Love of the Dance

Last year, I danced 5 shows on the Nile, during Ramadan. This is highly illegal. First, I have no papers yet, so I am not allowed to work AT ALL as a dancer under normal circumstances. Oh well, I still dance sometimes with no real problems. The venue I performed on is a good boat with a great reputation and an excellent band so it’s not really that risky. However, add the fact that it’s operating during Ramadan with dancing, and you have a volatile mix.

Okay, so I accepted the risks. I know dancers get arrested, but they don’t get deported. In my head, the very worst that could happen is that I would spend some time in jail…not my favorite, but that’s worse case scenario. My poor guy, on the other hand, was full on freaking out.

There were rules for Ramadan: all galabeyas for all shows, leggings, no excess skin showing. No dancing while we were docked and all costumes had to be changed out of before we docked at the end of the sail. The tanoura guy would go last during the second show so there was no chance I would be seen dancing through the windows while we approached Nile Corniche.

Oh, and with 48 hours to go, the boat hired an saidi guy who will also dance eskandarani. By the way, the show now includes eskanderani with melaya…and it’s now duets. To live music. With no information as to what songs will be played. The dancer I was covering for was a doll and let me borrow her eskandarni dress.

The band is expert at playing oriental classics, but folkloric is not their normal musical style, so I truly had no idea how this will turn out.

I arrived on the boat at 4 PM, as instructed. The first sail of the night suddenly had only 1 show instead of 2, so we all relaxed until around 5 PM. Our tanoura guy worked his tanoura magic with his partner, who is a little person. Then suddenly it was my turn to go, so I went out with a melaya to a surprise mejance. So I danced my mejance with melaya, which I’m sure caused the folkloric gods of Egypt to die a little bit. Then it transitioned to eskanderani, and my partner Saidi Guy showed up but we have never danced before so that was a big hot mess but still fun. We both finished our interesting duet and went to change.

He went out first to do a saidi solo. I finished changing into my saidi costume and went out to join him and we had some fun with our canes…until he abruptly threw his down and stormed offstage. I finished the song by myself, thanking God I did cane on the regular at Journal Square. I can BS the shit out of saidi style hahaha.

Afterwards I discovered that he was mad at the band, so thank goodness I didn’t hit him without knowing. He told me my saidi is too masculine and asked me to be more flirty. No problem for me.

Now for Sail #2, show #2: everyone told me to stay in my saidi dress, but then I ended up doing eskanderani in saidi dress, which once again, probably offended the gods of folklore. Since that happened, I got stuck doing the opposite for the end of the second sail. I’m covered in pink glitter, the short choreography me and Saidi Guy attempted to create went wayyy out the window, and we have both resorted to Old Faithful: audience participation. I also didn’t dance for a long time because the boat didn’t move from the dock, and I couldn’t dance until we were out on the Nile. I was told to wait and hide about 5 times.

Show #3 went similarly. At this point though, Saidi Guy and I have kinda figured it out. I wore proper costumes and we had a great time with my melaya. My guy is still freaking out because in the middle of show #3, during my interesting mejance, the police showed up for iftar (breaking fast) on a nearby boat. The manager of the boat asked about my papers, and we had a fantastic, impressive story that I was only in Cairo visiting and the normal dancer asked me to cover because she was sick. I’m really quite impressed at how quickly he came up with that one. That show was also interesting because Saidi Guy was going to pull me off stage to hide from the police, but it was a false alarm.

Sail #3, show #4: no issues, great time. Still weird costumes but now who cares, the Chinese tourists don’t know what saidi versus eskanderani is anyway and they are having a blast. At this point, we were all just having a lot of fun. It was also super humid, and I have peeled my costumes on and off so many times I’m shocked they aren’t just soaking wet.

Show #5: police are still not coming, I’m relaxing and just having fun. Saidi Guy and I have both figured out a flow, and I’m sad we won’t perform together again. My poor guy is having a meltdown of stress because the boat reassured him using the following logic:

1. Don’t worry, if she is arrested we will all be arrested because none of this is legal

2. Saidi Guy will cover her up from the window with his galabeya, so no one will get a clear view and know who she is (all I can imagine is Saidi Guy smashed up against the window trying to make his outfit cover the whole thing like a curtain)

3. If the police come, she can just change really fast and go sit in the restaurant so no one will know she was the dancer

None of these helped my poor dude relax. I have a job to do, so I just follow instructions and do whatever I need to do, but he is just sitting and driving himself mad with worry. I legit feel bad, but at the same time, it was the most ridiculous, incredible, crazy experience I’ve every had. No one knew what they were doing, we all just acted silly, and it was totally a spontaneous show. I’m grateful for many things, and one is that I can be flexible. So flexible I can go into a 5 show marathon doing eskandarani and saidi with a partner on the Nile to live music and walk away saying, well, that was a hell of a lot of fun!

There are times to be a perfectionist with dancing, and then there are times to just go and do some crazy shit. I am personally more in favor of the last one. Live life, be crazy, and take a risk once in a while.

#bellydance #dance #gig #cairo #nile #lovelife #orientaldance #performance

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sapphicsurveys · 6 years

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Is popularity a social disease? It depends. With politicians and such, it can become a disease. A disease that costs us all. Would you want to be a hippie? Yes!!! I’m really open-minded and I love reggae and different colours...I’ve thought about retreating into the hippie lifestyle before, not gonna lie... In college, were you ever given exams with extremely broad and deep questions such as, 'Why?' or 'What is truth?' I’m in college right now. I had a philosophy class, but I had to withdraw from it, so...yeah... Have you knowingly destroyed an endangered plant or animal? No. Actually, I don’t know which plants are endangered, so maybe unknowingly for plants... Did your parents bronze your first pair of baby shoes? I have no clue. Do you check for a train when crossing tracks in your car even though the arms aren't down? I don’t drive. Is there gossip going around about you right now? As always, there’s a bunch of fandom tea. I don’t really pay attention to the drama of people IRL, probably because I prefer to keep my circle small anyway. How many comic strips do you read daily: None (and I CANNOT get into manga.) If you were hiding from a burglar, would you hide in the closet or under the bed? Under the bed would be more logical, but I couldn’t fit under there. What do you most commonly use milk for: drinking or cooking? Drinking. Who should provide the condoms in a relationship: the man or the woman? The man. His dick, his issue. His responsibility if she gets pregnant, not hers. That’s how an ideal world would work. Are you ever afraid that people hate you and they're just acting like they don't? I mean, it’s true, so, LMAO. When you're crossing the street with other people, do you ever feel a need to get to the other side first? No, I take my time, because I don’t wanna get hit by a car. Should people be able to go to college without a high school diploma if they score high enough on entrance tests? No, it would fuck up your life cycle. You learn a lot about yourself through high school. High school was never about learning about subjects anyway. Would you be embarrassed if people could hear you talking to your pets? No, everyone does it. If elephants were bred to a smaller size and sold as house pets, would you want one? Sure! Do you refer to people as 'dude'? When I’m annoyed at someone and trying to make my point. Do you remember the last time you wrote a 'snail mail' letter? Does my voting application count? Do you think beards/mustaches make men look older than they actually are? Depends on the man... Are you usually the one to initiate sex with your significant other? No, I prefer masturbation to sex, TBH. When I’m dating a girl when she wants sex I usually just want to cuddle LOL. I want to fantasize about her and pleasure myself to that but not actually do it with her...??? That wouldn’t make me asexual, IDK WTF it would make me. When you're having trouble burping when you feel like you need to, does patting yourself on the chest seem to help? I don’t have trouble burping. Do you have your wallet with you right now? No, it’s in my bag by my bed. If it ever came down to a final battle between good and evil and you knew that evil was going to win, who would you fight for? Evil, because if I fought for good, it would be pointless since it lost anyway, and evil would have a grudge against me so it might send me to a prison camp or something. But if I fight on evil’s side, maybe I can be pimpin’. Do you feel guilty when you borrow money from your parents? I don’t really borrow money from them. Do you constantly have times where you have no money and then earn a lot of money and you don't know what to do with it? No. Do you always see yourself as the protagonist in the story of your life? Obviously. I’m the protagonist of MY life....of course, not the world’s though... Can you drive by a car accident without staring? I’m not the one driving ever, so I can stare without feeling guilty, I guess. Do you find it a challenge to congratulate your opponent who just beat you in a game or competition? Yes. I’m super competitive and salty. Do you think that no matter how cold or heartless someone seems there is always at least one thing in the world that they love? Yes. Sociopaths may not love people, but they sure can love things. Who is worse: Someone who doesn't repay a loan or someone that steals your CDs? I don’t know all this adulting BS. HELLPPPP. Why do you think so many homosexual men still go without condoms: because they don't know of the dangers, or because they don't care? It’s like a “fuck it” moment, probably. They’re like, “I’m horny, and at least no-one here can get pregnant, I probably won’t catch an STD, anyway.” Which is...wrong, a lot of the time, LOL. When you think about morality, do you think more in terms of good/bad people, or good/bad actions? Actions, 100%. Which of these female comedians is funnier: Ellen Degeneres or Margaret Cho? I’ve only heard of the second girl and not heard her jokes, but I don’t find Ellen really that funny. Are you scared of dying alone? I’m just scared of dying lol [2]. Are you most comfortable being treated by a doctor of the same sex as you? Of course, I don’t ever want to let a male get that intimate with me, LOL. Do you take daily walks? Yes, taking walks and listening to music is one of my favourite pastimes. Are there some slang terms you refuse to use? I don’t like a lot of the Gen Z’rs slang...I usually find myself using it anyway. Do you have a favorite pen that you use all the time? I wish I could have an aesthetic high-quality pen collection, it’s like my dream, but unfortunately I only have average ones. Have you ever changed an adult's diaper? WTF?? Do you think it's dangerous or a good thing when two very depressed people start to date each other? Dangerous. Y’all need to love yourselves before you love each other. Or else it’s just gonna be a constant flow of negativity. Do you know a game that is very stupid, yet very addicting? A lot of those dumb phone app games that make you pay for upgrades. Do you plan on having your children Christened/Baptised? I don’t want kids. Would regularly seeing videos of you interacting with people significantly improve your overall human effectiveness? That would be sooo much fun, but nothing I’d see would really surprise me. Have you ever misspelled 'misspell'? Nope. Have you ever stayed up for more than 24 hours to study for an exam? I’m not sure if I’ve ever even stayed up for that long. Have you ever been in the back of a moving truck? Nope. When you were young, did you know some pop stars were gay? Yeah. Do you have control over how much peace there is in your mind? Sometimes I can zone it out listening to ASMR videos. If you got a backstage pass at a concert, would you feel better than everyone else? Yeah, of course. Not gonna lie. Is your microwave any other color besides white? It’s black. Would you prefer a bagel or an entire breakfast in the morning? Full breakfast, baby. Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day. You can’t go wrong with it. Do you think that couples that elope have a better chance of staying together? The opposite. Do you know of a frozen dinner that tastes good? TBH, they all suck, but they’re still super convenient. I guess those Delimex Taquitos, if they count.. Will public restrooms no longer be separated by gender in the near future? Perhaps. If you do not eat red meat but eat fish are you a vegetarian? There’s a term. Pescatarian. When you discard a piece of paper, which of the following are you more likely to do: rip it apart in pieces or crumple it? Rip it apart. Do you wear your pants and shorts above or below your waist line? Above, but I always have to pull them up because none of my clothes fucking fit me right. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a sex change operation? I want one. SOOOO BAD. In an ideal world I could become a man. I have huge dysphoria. But it ain’t gonna happen. Do you call margarine 'butter,' even though you know the difference? They’re very different, and that would be offensive to butter. Do you bathe less when you are depressed? I bathe more. Should the ASPCA and RSPCA ban the practice of kidney transplants in cats, since cats can't give consent for the surgery? ???? Would you ever drink from a bowl or cup made out of human bones? Yeah, why not? Does your car normally smell good? I don’t have a car. Do you think 9/11 will be the worst thing you will see in your life? Nah, crimes and attacks are happening day by day, who knows when the next huge one will be. Do you tend to do more research for school or papers at the library or on the internet? Internet. Don’t think anyone uses the library for that anymore. Do you have an outfit you wear that makes you feel like a star? No, but I have some graphic Tees that I’m pretty proud of. You are working at McDonald's frying meat. Your manager is being a jerk and you are ticked. A customer comes in and orders a 20-piece box of nuggets. Out of anger towards your manager, would you pack 20 or more, or 19 or less in that box? 20 or more. Give the people what they want. Once you've made up your mind about the kind of person someone is, can anything they say or do change it? Probably not. Is there a single person whose whole existence you might be interested in studying? Yeah, a few celebrities would pique my interest. Do you think that cuddling with a member of the opposite sex, with no intention of sexual relations, is cheating? No way. Sometimes we all need a little cuddle. Which would you be willing to give up the internet for: world peace or immortality? Neither. I wouldn’t give up the internet for anything. Are you a redneck? No, the farthest thing from it. Do you think by 2050 there will be flying cars? Yeah. Should politicians be allowed to have a private life? I mean, obviously?? Everyone deserves that. Do you avoid going over to other people's houses because it makes you feel uncomfortable or out of place? Yeah, more like I avoid hanging out with people in general, LOL. If someone you don't know too well puts you in the buddy list of his or her profile, would you be suspicious, or would it be OK that he or she did that? I’d love it. Do you have a trash can in every room of your home? Nope. Who said "I love you" first: you, or your partner? I’m single. Do you ever lay down and watch a movie, only to fall asleep in the very beginning and wake up when the movie is over? No, but this happens with YouTube videos sometimes. Do you say 'thank you' before leaving a store, even though you may not have purchased anything? Yeah. Would you approve if your significant other wanted to have a nude painting done? Sure. Art is art. If there were nine guilty people and one innocent, and they all had to be together, would you put them all in jail or set them all free? What was the crime they were guilty for? Is your pet also your best friend? The best friend I’ll ever have. She loves me absolutely unconditionally. When the toilet backs up, do you call someone to fix it or do you do it yourself? I call my dad to fix it. Have you ever recited a love poem to your significant other? I used to write poems and stories for my ex. It kinda makes me wanna vomit thinking back on it. Would you rather be 'all head and no heart' or 'all heart and no head'? Nope. Nope. This is too hard. I refuse. Are your teeth discolored? A lil’ bit. When you were a child, did you make or buy your Halloween costumes? Buy. Have you ever seen a movie and liked it but upon further viewing come to like it a lot less? Don’t think so. But this happens with a lot of songs. If your father was a minister, would you want him to preside over your wedding ceremony? No. Would you prefer to watch porn or a really good comedy? Depends on the mood I’m in. How long did your longest phone conversation ever last? Maybe 4 hours. Do you put your initials on everything you own? No, that’s lame. Do you like or dislike people based on who else likes or dislikes them? Not at all. Do you have a friend who you hang out with only when there is nothing else to do? No. Which is harder: calculus or trigonometry? Fuck, I can’t do either whatsoever. Do you often find yourself correcting your parents? All the time, correcting my mom. I’m smarter than her in a lot of ways. If you could stop aging at a certain age, do you know what that age would be? I have to experience more ages in order to decide that. Do you more often eat off of real plates or paper plates? Ideally, paper plates. I’m a huge germaphobe. When I move out I’ll only purchase paper and plastic ware. Have you ever had tape over your mouth? Yeah. If you encountered someone you totally didn't know and he or she seemed to tell you the solutions to your uniquely specific problems without having been told what they were, would you be more thankful or freaked out? I’d probably develop feelings for them on the spot. Would you rather eat a raw egg or a scoop of raw hamburger? Raw egg sounds tasty. Do shy kids tend to grow up to be freaks? No. Unless...they’re sociopaths. But maybe sociopaths aren’t freaks either, just another type of person. When you put on a shirt, do you button up or down? I can’t wear shirts with buttons, since I have such a big bust, it completely flops every time. Do you scent your letters when you write to a special someone? Yeah...it’s sexy. Is punk influenced more by music or attitude? Music. Did you ever start a thread that got at least 40 posts? Yeah. Can you recall the ending of the last story you read? No. Have you ever had your head stuck in an unusual place? I don’t recall. Do you have any weird or funny local slang? IDK, does “Boca Bitch” count? People don’t really use it that often but it’s true and it’s a well-known term. When you come online, is there always one person you look for? Yeah...well, a few people. Do lava lamps make you sick looking at them? No, they’re aesthetic af, I want one, I always have. Will Hollywood ever run out of ideas for movies? It’s not that they’ve run out of ideas, they’re just lazy and only care about making money. Does P. Diddy telling everyone that he is the new Frank Sinatra make you want to roll your eyes? He was probably kidding. Do you think the state of the global environment will be better or worse in 50 years? Worse, of course. Global warming..and oil drilling. Endangered species. Do you eat dinner in the dining room or in the living room? In my bedroom. Which Mike Judge cartoon do you prefer: Beavis and Butthead or King of the Hill? King of the Hill. Have you ever fallen off your chair in public? Yeah. When sleeping, do you face the doorway or have your back to it? I sleep on my side. Do you find poetry that expresses pain and suffering to be more intriguing than other types? I don’t find poetry intriguing at all. Do you only pretend looks don't matter because you're ugly yourself? Looks do matter, though. Do you find limericks to be funny and clever or annoying? Again, not a poem fan. Do you think you'd be capable of representing yourself in court rather than hiring an attorney to do it for you? Maybe.. When you flirt with someone, is it obvious or more subtle? Obvious and awkward. Which character do you think weighs more: Jabba the Hutt or Fat Bastard? What? Do you think couples break up mainly because of differences they can't resolve or because they have found someone new? They get tired of each other. Do you reread things that are written well? Yes. What hurts more: getting poked in the eye or biting your tongue? Getting poked in the eye. Do you prefer merry-go-rounds or ferris wheels? Ferris wheels. You get to look at all the scenery, be intimate, and hang in the air. Which do you prefer: original or flavored Tootsie Rolls? Original. Chocolate is better than fruit flavouring. If you had three children, would you rather have two boys and a girl, or two girls and a boy? I don’t want kids. Is having a threesome basically approved cheating? It’s approved polyamory. Is it a turn off to you if the woman has a deep, manly voice or if the man has a high, pre-pubescent voice? No, I love it. Have you copied (or “ripped”) your entire CD collection onto your computer? When I was younger and had an iPod Nano. Do you have buns of steel? No. Did you use floaties on your arms when you were learning to swim? Yeah, and I still have trouble swimming even now. Did your first ever snog involve French kissing? Yes. Do you know a person who is physically unattractive and yet a flirt? Yeah, me. LOL. Are there a lot of programs on your computer that you don't know how to use? Adobe Audition af. I pretty much only use it to make instrumentals and have no idea how to do anything else with it. Do you live in an uncomfortable environment, such as where you feel you cannot be yourself? No, not really. If you had discovered a body on the side of the road would you see if it was still alive? Yes, and then call 911. Does punishing everyone for the actions of the few get us closer to utopia? Of course not. Can you finish an entire 2-liter bottle of soda by yourself in a single sitting? No. Have your parents ever forbidden you to play a certain type of music in their house? No. Since you reached dating age, have you been single for more than three years? Nope, but I suspect that will happen soon. When buying shampoo or soap, do you choose one because of what they put in it, or because you like the smell? What they put in it for shampoo -- I need dandruff control due to my psoriasis. Have you ever had writer's block? All the time. *** Have you given anything up for Lent? I’m not Catholic. Who was the last person you went shopping with? Myself, if you count online shopping. Are you planning on dyeing your hair any time soon? No. Who was the last person you saw that you haven’t seen in a while? Annalisa. Do you sing in front of people or only when you’re alone? Both. What kind of car do you have? I don’t have one. When was the last time you left your cell phone somewhere? Never. I’m super conscientious of where I put it. Are your nails manicured right now? They never are. Do you prefer fake tanning or real tanning? Neither. Are you more of a summer person or a winter person? Neither, I love spring the most. Would you rather go to a rock concert or a rap concert? Rock by FAAARRR. Have you ever dated someone that was a different race than you? Yeah, my ex was black. Do your parents ever tell you weird things you did as a kid? A lot. It interests me. How old is your best friend? What constitutes a best friend? What does your favorite necklace look like? I don’t wear jewelry. Are you keeping a secret from anyone? Yeah. Is there anything with stripes on it in the room you’re in? Probably. Too lazy to check. Can you count how many vacations you’ve been on in your lifetime? No. Would you take a million dollars if it meant you had to die a month later? Of course not. Do you have cold hands or are you generally a warm person? Cold hands. People are always telling me how cold my body is. Do you keep any type of diary or journal? Used to. I can never stick to it, though. What was the last thing that made you really happy? Hmm...don’t remember. Can you remember what you dreamed about last night? I did when I woke up, not anymore. Have you ever gotten kicked out of a class for being disruptive? OMG, all the time. What was the last thing someone bought for you? Something from my mom, don’t remember what. Do you have a good friend of the opposite sex that is not a boy/girlfriend? Yeah. Would you rather read a book or watch the movie? Watch the movie. I need the sensual experience and the visuals. Are you a visual, audio, or kinesthetic learner? Auditory x10000. Cover songs or the original song? The original. Are you where you want to be in life at this point in time? I’m on the way. *** Do you put your name on your food coverings? No. What is something you have acquired with age? Maturity, self-knowledge, musical taste, culture. When it comes to clothing, are you the conservative type? Yes and no. I love businesswear, but I also love crazy T-shirts. Would you ever go out in public sporting pajamas? 100%. Would be fun. Do you enjoy eating? Yeah, a little too much. Have you ever ridden in a race car? Go-Karts at Boomers, LOL! Do you enjoy making people laugh? Yeah, I’m a pretty funny person. Do you go out of your way to impress the opposite gender? I’m gay. What is something that would make you happy right now? Sleep. I’m tired af but am determined to finish this survey. Are you a hygiene nut? No, but I am hygienic. Are you open-minded? Completely. Are you mathematically inclined? NOOO, it’s my worst subject. I’m linguistically inclined. What is something for which you have no patience? Technological issues and hypocrisy. Are you too concerned/worried with your appearance? No, I’m way too UNconcerned. Do you tend to be a jealous person? Yeah, but I’ve been getting a bit better about that...I think...OK, not really. Do you enjoy history? Nope, unless I’m learning about a place I’m traveling to and the history of the sites I visit/activities I do. Are you a pajama person or do you stay dressed all day? Pajamas, unless I’m going out and feel funky. Do you value looks or personality more? Both. Have you ever changed religions? Not really. I was raised a culturally Jewish atheist, and I’ve stayed that way. Do you have a high tolerance for people? Yeah, unless they’re hypocrites or homophobes/transphobes. Is there anyone to whom you are afraid to stand up? No. Do people interest you? Totally. *** Category One: Clothing I wear Converse. I wear plain black skate shoes. I really love dresses. I wear a lot of band t-shirts. I wear a lot of black. I like wearing skirts and dresses with Converse. People at my school often copy my style. I love jeans. I dress the way I want to, I don’t care what anyone thinks about my style. Wearing clothes I like gives me a lot more confidence. I don’t really look to anyone else for style ideas. Category Two: General Appearance Something about my appearance is very unique and distinct. I have more than one birth mark. I have very tanned skin. I tan extremely easily in the summer. I am skinny. But I have curves. I wear glasses. I have my father’s eyes. My self-esteem has been getting much better. People have told me straight up that they are jealous of my body - and it feels good to get compliments like that. I don’t spend a lot of time getting ready - I basically look the way I do when I wake up. Category Three: Annoyances I hate when people are overly cocky and arrogant. I hate when people make assumptions - they’re normally totally off. When I’m standing in line at a cash or something, I hate when people stand practically on top of me. It doesn’t make the line move any faster! I strongly dislike when I get excess lotion or water in between my fingers, and I don’t really understand why. If someone pisses me off enough, I’m not shy to tell them off. If someone is asked to stop doing something more than once, I feel it’s okay to start yelling at them. I hate hypocrites - but I can be a hypocrite myself sometimes. I hate people who act like know-it-alls. And I hate it even more when it’s a subject I know more about than them. I absolutely hate when people try to drag me into their pathetic drama. My number one pet peeve is when someone has too many pet peeves. Category Four: Surveys I find it stupid when people take the tags off surveys, but survey makers who go as far as making a “hate list” for all those who do it are just assholes themselves. I think I may have a serious addiction to surveys… Oh well! If you’re going to insult me directly more than once while taking a survey I made, then don’t even bother taking my survey. In a way I’m a hypocrite for saying that, because if there’s no tag on the survey, then I will call the survey maker an idiot and whatnot, if I seriously feel they are and if I’m in that bad of a mood. (*rolls eyes*) I’d be a millionaire if I got paid to do this! Why do survey makers insist on having a certain number of comments and subscribers before they make another survey? This is for fun, it isn’t a business, and you aren’t making money off of it, so why are you being so anal about communication with your survey-takers? I don’t see the point in lying on surveys. Why take them if you aren’t going to tell the truth? Category Five: Things I Seriously Love Coffee, and caffeine in general. The show Pawn Stars. Feeling good about myself. Encouraging other people to stay positive and be strong. Tattoos and piercings. Anthropology, sociology, and psychology. Making and taking surveys. Dreadlocks. Rain and thunderstorms. Music, of course. Random, interesting facts. Category Six: Music I can play piano. I can play bass. I can sort of play guitar. I listen to music every day. I own at least three instruments. I still buy CDs. I really want to learn to play drums. I wouldn’t mind learning to play the violin as well. Practically everyone in my family can play some sort of instrument. I used to take dance lessons. Category Seven: Photography I own a FujiFilm camera. I take walks so I can take pictures. I have a folder on my computer of pictures I’ve taken. I love taking pictures of fireworks. I also love taking pictures of nature. One of my favorite settings on my camera is macro. I have a blink detector on my camera. My camera takes amazing, bright, vivid photos. I want to make a photo album of pictures that I’ve taken. I wouldn’t mind being a photographer. I don’t know what I would do without my (phone) camera. Category Eight: Relationships & Friendships I have serious trouble keeping lasting friendships. But I have no trouble keeping a lasting romantic relationship. Those two don’t directly relate to each other - I don’t ditch my friends for my partner, ever. I have been in a relationship for almost two and a half years. It is my first relationship. I have only ever kissed one person. My partner and I have been in a band together. In my opinion, friends are for socializing, not relying on for rough times. I love going out with friends. I have been in a band with all my best friends before. I have been verbally and psychologically abused by friends before. I have punched one of my friends in the face.

#survey

0 notes

sandranelsonuk · 7 years

Text

I Had The Depressing Realization That I Got Fat… So I Fixed It

So, I had a speaking engagement. And I had a big problem.

I went to button my blazer and the button popped off…

“*#@(@(&#$”

So I settled for my second favorite blazer, and then it got worse.

I was speaking at an event for personal trainers. As I walked in front of the crowd, everything became crystal clear: Everyone was fit. Except me. I had gotten fat. And I looked like a meatball. A big. Fat. Meatball.

I know.

I’m being harsh.

But it was bad.

I Gained More Than 30 Pounds…

I had gained more than 30 pounds. My doctor told me my blood pressure was on the high-end of normal. And I really had no excuse. I had a heart condition that they luckily cured, and there I was… playing with fire…

What happened!?

Am I lazy?

Am I stupid?

Do I just not care about living a long, healthy life?

No.

It’s none of those things.

…Because I Focused On Everything But Health

Entrepreneurs and business owners get caught up in their own heads. They let their health slide because… “WORK! WORK! WORK!”

Parents do the same thing. They let their health slide because… “KIDS! KIDS! KIDS!”

And I told myself I just didn’t have the time.

“The gym? It’s 20 minutes to get there. It’s an hour to work out. It’s 20 minutes to get back. Then I have to shower. UGH! I got a business to build.”

We focus so much on our business, we forget about ourselves.

We focus so much on our kids, we forget about ourselves.

We focus so much on everything else and we forget about ourselves.

But You Can’t Accomplish Anything In Life If You’re Dead

I knew this.

Logically.

And yet, I did nothing about it.

If anything… I did the exact opposite of everything I knew I should do.

And no joke: just a few months before this event, I went to the doctor and asked for a blood test. I kept thinking, something MUST be wrong with me.

And I was right. When I got the test results, I got horrible news. Something was wrong with me. Not biologically wrong.

It was worse.

I Had Gained Weight And It Was 100% My Fault

UGH!

I desperately wanted the doctor to tell me, “Well, Derek. You passed 30 years old. Metabolism slows down.”

I wanted him to then go on, “This is so strange. You have a hormone problem. That’s why you’re gaining weight.”

And as horrible as this sounds…

I even hoped he’d tell me something like, “You have some incurable condition and that’s why you’re fat.”

But it was none of those things.

I had gained weight and it was my fault.

My doctor told me to go on a diet and start working out.

But I didn’t listen.

And It Began Hurting My Business

You may have noticed that I didn’t do many videos in 2016. If I’m being honest, it’s at least partly due to the fact that I got fat. I launched a new course in January and remember thinking “man, I look horrible.” And then I stopped doing videos.

We still had a great year for business. We launched two new courses: Seven Figure Courses and Sales Page that Converts. We also released the Zippy Courses SAAS into beta. But the regular videos were gone. Which is weird. I like doing video. Many people found me because of these videos and I stopped doing them.

And what’s MOST interesting is this:

I can start and grow a business. And I can help people do the same exact thing. But when it came to my health, it was almost as if I had the mental capacity of a toddler.

So, I Knew I Had To Make A Change

What could I do?

I had a lot of excuses.

A LOT OF THEM!

“I don’t have the time.”

“This isn’t my priority right now.”

“It’s not the right time.”

And the list went on.

And that’s when I knew I couldn’t do this alone.

I needed help.

And believe me, this was a tough pill to swallow.

I’m a successful entrepreneur!

I run a great business!

I launched 3 products this year!!!

I DON’T NEED HELP!

But I did.

I needed to get out of my own way and make fitness and health a commitment.

…And That’s When I Met Christopher Coulson

Chris was in the navy for 10 years, and he had finally gotten out about a year prior. Now he was a personal trainer and he told me he could whip me into shape.

I said, “Okay. But I hate cardio.” And he laughed. “So do I.”

So, what happened?

Step 1: He Made Me A Meal Plan…

Chris made me a meal plan with food suggestions.

It was an easy meal plan to follow, too.

As an example…

For breakfast, I’d get to eat a delicious egg omelette with chicken and spinach. I’d also get a half a bagel with peanut butter.

I was shocked. “Dude!?!? A bagel!?!?”

He told me, “Yea man. That’s so you keep your sanity.”

It made complete sense. He knows that dieting is mentally taxing and he even accounted for it by working in what he calls SANITY FOOD. Sanity food is food that you like so that you don’t feel deprived while getting healthy.

Now if I’m being completely honest, it wasn’t 100% easy. Sometimes I’d feel hungry. Real hungry. After all, I was eating far less calories than I was used to eating…

…and he’d fire back. “Eat a cucumber.”

“A CUCUMBER?”

Apparently cucumbers have almost no calories. And they’re quite filling. So I became “cucumber man.”

Step 2: Chris then gave me a workout routine.

And the best part?

No cardio.

He focused on doing a specific set of exercises to help me get leaner and more toned. And then he’d throw in some circuits so that I could burn extra calories.

Now I won’t lie to you. At first, it was challenging. I had a shoulder injury and a lower back injury, but my doctor told me I was “good to go to workout.”

I was out of shape, but I was determined.

It was operation make Derek fit again and Chris was the leader.

Step 3: He Then Held Me Accountable

This is the most important part.

ACCOUNTABILITY.

I needed someone to call me on my BS.

I needed someone to “report to” about my results or else I would just stop going to the gym like so many other times in the past.

And That’s When I Finally Noticed Changes…

As weeks passed, I saw the fat melting off my body. As months passed, that’s when other people began to notice it, too.

It felt good. I could finally wear my clothes again. I didn’t have a double chin. And I felt great both physically and mentally.

Total weight loss? I went from 190 pounds down to 161.8 in about 4 months.

And that’s when my friends started asking me about my success. “How did you do it?”

I always gave Chris all the credit.

Then my friends started signing up with him. And he got so booked that he now no longer accepts private clients.

Then, I Had An Interesting Idea…

I was talking to Chris. I told him, “You changed my life and I think we need to get your expertise out into the world. We need to take your skills online.”

He was down.

I wanted to create a one-on-one online fitness coaching program with Chris as the leader. I wanted him to help other entrepreneurs get fit again like he did for me.

I also wanted him to create some content specifically for entrepreneurs and business owners who want to make health a priority.

So, if you have any interest in learning more…

…just fill out this survey right now.

It’s short.

Now Let Me Tell You Everything I Learned…

Survey aside, I learned a lot throughout this fitness journey.

Thing #1: Here’s Why Everyone Posts Workout Photos On Social Media

Before I made fitness a priority, I’d always laugh at people who posted workout pictures. “What’s wrong with these people? We get it. YOU’RE FIT.”

Well…

When I started to get fit, I did the same exact thing.

“What gives?”

I’ll tell you what gives.

When you make a commitment to health and fitness, you begin to feel great about yourself. And you can’t help but want to share it.

Now I didn’t go “full” “workout share mode.”

Now that I go to the gym, I'm supposed to show everyone how hard I work out, right? #lookhowgreatmylifeis

A post shared by Derek Halpern (@derekhalpern) on Apr 26, 2017 at 3:16pm PDT

I just made fun of myself.

But I totally understand why people do it.

Focusing on fitness and health makes you feel great and you want to share it.

Thing #2: You May Never Like Exercising

I’ve been working out consistently since for about 9 months or so now. And let me tell you this: I still don’t like it.

Everyday I have to go to the gym I come up with an excuse as to why I shouldn’t go.

Every. Single. Day.

This is why having someone hold me accountable has been so important for my success (and my health).

I’m not sure why I don’t like it…

…but let me tell you this:

I love sending text messages like this to the lady:

So, everyone who works out posts pictures of themselves on social media. I did one the other day! But I'm taking it a step further. I'll bother my lady while she's at work for no reason whatsoever… because I work out now.

A post shared by Derek Halpern (@derekhalpern) on May 2, 2017 at 8:39am PDT

I know. It’s silly. But it makes me laugh. It makes the lady laugh too.

So even though I don’t like the process, I sure as heck love the results. I also love the dumb cheesy jokes I can bring to my relationship.

Thing #3: Cutting Calories Sucks

When people see how much weight I lost, they always say, “Wow! You look great. And how do you feel?”

I’ll tell you how I feel.

I FEEL HUNGRY.

ALL THE TIME.

Well, not really.

What I learned about food was this: sometimes I would think I was hungry when I was actually feeling something else.

Sometimes I’d be bored… and I’d think I was hungry.

Sometimes I’d be frustrated… and I’d think I was hungry.

Sometimes I’d be tired… and I’d think I was hungry.

It’s weird.

I’ve always had good control over how I felt when it came to business stuff. But when it came to better understanding how I felt about hunger, things were backwards.

And That Brings Me Full Circle…

Hi, I’m Derek Halpern.

I’m an entrepreneur.

I’m a business owner.

And I finally made a commitment to my health and fitness.

Thank you Chris!

And if you’re curious about how you could potentially work with Chris too.

…just fill out this survey right now.

It’s short.

Then… Leave a comment on this blog post.

What has your journey for health and fitness looked like?

Did you fall off the wagon like I did?

Have you been committed for years?

Share it all in the comments.

from Julia Garza Social Media Tips http://feeds.socialtriggers.com/~r/SocialTriggers/~3/Yg-VkpVdjZQ/

0 notes

laurendcameron · 7 years

Text

I Had The Depressing Realization That I Got Fat… So I Fixed It

So, I had a speaking engagement. And I had a big problem.

I went to button my blazer and the button popped off…

“*#@(@(&#$”

So I settled for my second favorite blazer, and then it got worse.

I know.

I’m being harsh.

But it was bad.

I Gained More Than 30 Pounds…

What happened!?

Am I lazy?

Am I stupid?

Do I just not care about living a long, healthy life?

No.

It’s none of those things.

…Because I Focused On Everything But Health

Entrepreneurs and business owners get caught up in their own heads. They let their health slide because… “WORK! WORK! WORK!”

Parents do the same thing. They let their health slide because… “KIDS! KIDS! KIDS!”

And I told myself I just didn’t have the time.

“The gym? It’s 20 minutes to get there. It’s an hour to work out. It’s 20 minutes to get back. Then I have to shower. UGH! I got a business to build.”

We focus so much on our business, we forget about ourselves.

We focus so much on our kids, we forget about ourselves.

We focus so much on everything else and we forget about ourselves.

But You Can’t Accomplish Anything In Life If You’re Dead

I knew this.

Logically.

And yet, I did nothing about it.

If anything… I did the exact opposite of everything I knew I should do.

And no joke: just a few months before this event, I went to the doctor and asked for a blood test. I kept thinking, something MUST be wrong with me.

And I was right. When I got the test results, I got horrible news. Something was wrong with me. Not biologically wrong.

It was worse.

I Had Gained Weight And It Was 100% My Fault

UGH!

I desperately wanted the doctor to tell me, “Well, Derek. You passed 30 years old. Metabolism slows down.”

I wanted him to then go on, “This is so strange. You have a hormone problem. That’s why you’re gaining weight.”

And as horrible as this sounds…

I even hoped he’d tell me something like, “You have some incurable condition and that’s why you’re fat.”

But it was none of those things.

I had gained weight and it was my fault.

My doctor told me to go on a diet and start working out.

But I didn’t listen.

And It Began Hurting My Business

And what’s MOST interesting is this:

I can start and grow a business. And I can help people do the same exact thing. But when it came to my health, it was almost as if I had the mental capacity of a toddler.

So, I Knew I Had To Make A Change

What could I do?

I had a lot of excuses.

A LOT OF THEM!

“I don’t have the time.”

“This isn’t my priority right now.”

“It’s not the right time.”

And the list went on.

And that’s when I knew I couldn’t do this alone.

I needed help.

And believe me, this was a tough pill to swallow.

I’m a successful entrepreneur!

I run a great business!

I launched 3 products this year!!!

I DON’T NEED HELP!

But I did.

I needed to get out of my own way and make fitness and health a commitment.

…And That’s When I Met Christopher Coulson

Chris was in the navy for 10 years, and he had finally gotten out about a year prior. Now he was a personal trainer and he told me he could whip me into shape.

I said, “Okay. But I hate cardio.” And he laughed. “So do I.”

So, what happened?

Step 1: He Made Me A Meal Plan…

Chris made me a meal plan with food suggestions.

It was an easy meal plan to follow, too.

As an example…

For breakfast, I’d get to eat a delicious egg omelette with chicken and spinach. I’d also get a half a bagel with peanut butter.

I was shocked. “Dude!?!? A bagel!?!?”

He told me, “Yea man. That’s so you keep your sanity.”

Now if I’m being completely honest, it wasn’t 100% easy. Sometimes I’d feel hungry. Real hungry. After all, I was eating far less calories than I was used to eating…

…and he’d fire back. “Eat a cucumber.”

“A CUCUMBER?”

Apparently cucumbers have almost no calories. And they’re quite filling. So I became “cucumber man.”

Step 2: Chris then gave me a workout routine.

And the best part?

No cardio.

He focused on doing a specific set of exercises to help me get leaner and more toned. And then he’d throw in some circuits so that I could burn extra calories.

Now I won’t lie to you. At first, it was challenging. I had a shoulder injury and a lower back injury, but my doctor told me I was “good to go to workout.”

I was out of shape, but I was determined.

It was operation make Derek fit again and Chris was the leader.

Step 3: He Then Held Me Accountable

This is the most important part.

ACCOUNTABILITY.

I needed someone to call me on my BS.

I needed someone to “report to” about my results or else I would just stop going to the gym like so many other times in the past.

And That’s When I Finally Noticed Changes…

As weeks passed, I saw the fat melting off my body. As months passed, that’s when other people began to notice it, too.

It felt good. I could finally wear my clothes again. I didn’t have a double chin. And I felt great both physically and mentally.

Total weight loss? I went from 190 pounds down to 161.8 in about 4 months.

And that’s when my friends started asking me about my success. “How did you do it?”

I always gave Chris all the credit.

Then my friends started signing up with him. And he got so booked that he now no longer accepts private clients.

Then, I Had An Interesting Idea…

I was talking to Chris. I told him, “You changed my life and I think we need to get your expertise out into the world. We need to take your skills online.”

He was down.

I wanted to create a one-on-one online fitness coaching program with Chris as the leader. I wanted him to help other entrepreneurs get fit again like he did for me.

I also wanted him to create some content specifically for entrepreneurs and business owners who want to make health a priority.

So, if you have any interest in learning more…

…just fill out this survey right now.

It’s short.

Now Let Me Tell You Everything I Learned…

Survey aside, I learned a lot throughout this fitness journey.

Thing #1: Here’s Why Everyone Posts Workout Photos On Social Media

Before I made fitness a priority, I’d always laugh at people who posted workout pictures. “What’s wrong with these people? We get it. YOU’RE FIT.”

Well…

When I started to get fit, I did the same exact thing.

“What gives?”

I’ll tell you what gives.

When you make a commitment to health and fitness, you begin to feel great about yourself. And you can’t help but want to share it.

Now I didn’t go “full” “workout share mode.”

Now that I go to the gym, I'm supposed to show everyone how hard I work out, right? #lookhowgreatmylifeis

A post shared by Derek Halpern (@derekhalpern) on Apr 26, 2017 at 3:16pm PDT

I just made fun of myself.

But I totally understand why people do it.

Focusing on fitness and health makes you feel great and you want to share it.

Thing #2: You May Never Like Exercising

I’ve been working out consistently since for about 9 months or so now. And let me tell you this: I still don’t like it.

Everyday I have to go to the gym I come up with an excuse as to why I shouldn’t go.

Every. Single. Day.

This is why having someone hold me accountable has been so important for my success (and my health).

I’m not sure why I don’t like it…

…but let me tell you this:

I love sending text messages like this to the lady:

A post shared by Derek Halpern (@derekhalpern) on May 2, 2017 at 8:39am PDT

I know. It’s silly. But it makes me laugh. It makes the lady laugh too.

So even though I don’t like the process, I sure as heck love the results. I also love the dumb cheesy jokes I can bring to my relationship.

Thing #3: Cutting Calories Sucks

When people see how much weight I lost, they always say, “Wow! You look great. And how do you feel?”

I’ll tell you how I feel.

I FEEL HUNGRY.

ALL THE TIME.

Well, not really.

What I learned about food was this: sometimes I would think I was hungry when I was actually feeling something else.

Sometimes I’d be bored… and I’d think I was hungry.

Sometimes I’d be frustrated… and I’d think I was hungry.

Sometimes I’d be tired… and I’d think I was hungry.

It’s weird.

I’ve always had good control over how I felt when it came to business stuff. But when it came to better understanding how I felt about hunger, things were backwards.

And That Brings Me Full Circle…

Hi, I’m Derek Halpern.

I’m an entrepreneur.

I’m a business owner.

And I finally made a commitment to my health and fitness.

Thank you Chris!

And if you’re curious about how you could potentially work with Chris too.

…just fill out this survey right now.

It’s short.

Then… Leave a comment on this blog post.

What has your journey for health and fitness looked like?

Did you fall off the wagon like I did?

Have you been committed for years?

Share it all in the comments.

from Lauren Cameron Updates http://feeds.socialtriggers.com/~r/SocialTriggers/~3/Yg-VkpVdjZQ/

0 notes

felixdgreen · 7 years

Text

I Had The Depressing Realization That I Got Fat… So I Fixed It

So, I had a speaking engagement. And I had a big problem.

I went to button my blazer and the button popped off…

“*#@(@(&#$”

So I settled for my second favorite blazer, and then it got worse.

I know.

I’m being harsh.

But it was bad.

I Gained More Than 30 Pounds…

What happened!?

Am I lazy?

Am I stupid?

Do I just not care about living a long, healthy life?

No.

It’s none of those things.

…Because I Focused On Everything But Health

Entrepreneurs and business owners get caught up in their own heads. They let their health slide because… “WORK! WORK! WORK!”

Parents do the same thing. They let their health slide because… “KIDS! KIDS! KIDS!”

And I told myself I just didn’t have the time.

“The gym? It’s 20 minutes to get there. It’s an hour to work out. It’s 20 minutes to get back. Then I have to shower. UGH! I got a business to build.”

We focus so much on our business, we forget about ourselves.

We focus so much on our kids, we forget about ourselves.

We focus so much on everything else and we forget about ourselves.

But You Can’t Accomplish Anything In Life If You’re Dead

I knew this.

Logically.

And yet, I did nothing about it.

If anything… I did the exact opposite of everything I knew I should do.

And no joke: just a few months before this event, I went to the doctor and asked for a blood test. I kept thinking, something MUST be wrong with me.

And I was right. When I got the test results, I got horrible news. Something was wrong with me. Not biologically wrong.

It was worse.

I Had Gained Weight And It Was 100% My Fault

UGH!

I desperately wanted the doctor to tell me, “Well, Derek. You passed 30 years old. Metabolism slows down.”

I wanted him to then go on, “This is so strange. You have a hormone problem. That’s why you’re gaining weight.”

And as horrible as this sounds…

I even hoped he’d tell me something like, “You have some incurable condition and that’s why you’re fat.”

But it was none of those things.

I had gained weight and it was my fault.

My doctor told me to go on a diet and start working out.

But I didn’t listen.

And It Began Hurting My Business

And what’s MOST interesting is this:

I can start and grow a business. And I can help people do the same exact thing. But when it came to my health, it was almost as if I had the mental capacity of a toddler.

So, I Knew I Had To Make A Change

What could I do?

I had a lot of excuses.

A LOT OF THEM!

“I don’t have the time.”

“This isn’t my priority right now.”

“It’s not the right time.”

And the list went on.

And that’s when I knew I couldn’t do this alone.

I needed help.

And believe me, this was a tough pill to swallow.

I’m a successful entrepreneur!

I run a great business!

I launched 3 products this year!!!

I DON’T NEED HELP!

But I did.

I needed to get out of my own way and make fitness and health a commitment.

…And That’s When I Met Christopher Coulson

Chris was in the navy for 10 years, and he had finally gotten out about a year prior. Now he was a personal trainer and he told me he could whip me into shape.

I said, “Okay. But I hate cardio.” And he laughed. “So do I.”

So, what happened?

Step 1: He Made Me A Meal Plan…

Chris made me a meal plan with food suggestions.

It was an easy meal plan to follow, too.

As an example…

For breakfast, I’d get to eat a delicious egg omelette with chicken and spinach. I’d also get a half a bagel with peanut butter.

I was shocked. “Dude!?!? A bagel!?!?”

He told me, “Yea man. That’s so you keep your sanity.”

Now if I’m being completely honest, it wasn’t 100% easy. Sometimes I’d feel hungry. Real hungry. After all, I was eating far less calories than I was used to eating…

…and he’d fire back. “Eat a cucumber.”

“A CUCUMBER?”

Apparently cucumbers have almost no calories. And they’re quite filling. So I became “cucumber man.”

Step 2: Chris then gave me a workout routine.

And the best part?

No cardio.

He focused on doing a specific set of exercises to help me get leaner and more toned. And then he’d throw in some circuits so that I could burn extra calories.

Now I won’t lie to you. At first, it was challenging. I had a shoulder injury and a lower back injury, but my doctor told me I was “good to go to workout.”

I was out of shape, but I was determined.

It was operation make Derek fit again and Chris was the leader.

Step 3: He Then Held Me Accountable

This is the most important part.

ACCOUNTABILITY.

I needed someone to call me on my BS.

I needed someone to “report to” about my results or else I would just stop going to the gym like so many other times in the past.

And That’s When I Finally Noticed Changes…

As weeks passed, I saw the fat melting off my body. As months passed, that’s when other people began to notice it, too.

It felt good. I could finally wear my clothes again. I didn’t have a double chin. And I felt great both physically and mentally.

Total weight loss? I went from 190 pounds down to 161.8 in about 4 months.

And that’s when my friends started asking me about my success. “How did you do it?”

I always gave Chris all the credit.

Then my friends started signing up with him. And he got so booked that he now no longer accepts private clients.

Then, I Had An Interesting Idea…

I was talking to Chris. I told him, “You changed my life and I think we need to get your expertise out into the world. We need to take your skills online.”

He was down.

I wanted to create a one-on-one online fitness coaching program with Chris as the leader. I wanted him to help other entrepreneurs get fit again like he did for me.

I also wanted him to create some content specifically for entrepreneurs and business owners who want to make health a priority.

So, if you have any interest in learning more…

…just fill out this survey right now.

It’s short.

Now Let Me Tell You Everything I Learned…

Survey aside, I learned a lot throughout this fitness journey.

Thing #1: Here’s Why Everyone Posts Workout Photos On Social Media

Before I made fitness a priority, I’d always laugh at people who posted workout pictures. “What’s wrong with these people? We get it. YOU’RE FIT.”

Well…

When I started to get fit, I did the same exact thing.

“What gives?”

I’ll tell you what gives.

When you make a commitment to health and fitness, you begin to feel great about yourself. And you can’t help but want to share it.

Now I didn’t go “full” “workout share mode.”

Now that I go to the gym, I'm supposed to show everyone how hard I work out, right? #lookhowgreatmylifeis

A post shared by Derek Halpern (@derekhalpern) on Apr 26, 2017 at 3:16pm PDT

I just made fun of myself.

But I totally understand why people do it.

Focusing on fitness and health makes you feel great and you want to share it.

Thing #2: You May Never Like Exercising

I’ve been working out consistently since for about 9 months or so now. And let me tell you this: I still don’t like it.

Everyday I have to go to the gym I come up with an excuse as to why I shouldn’t go.

Every. Single. Day.

This is why having someone hold me accountable has been so important for my success (and my health).

I’m not sure why I don’t like it…

…but let me tell you this:

I love sending text messages like this to the lady:

A post shared by Derek Halpern (@derekhalpern) on May 2, 2017 at 8:39am PDT

I know. It’s silly. But it makes me laugh. It makes the lady laugh too.

So even though I don’t like the process, I sure as heck love the results. I also love the dumb cheesy jokes I can bring to my relationship.

Thing #3: Cutting Calories Sucks

When people see how much weight I lost, they always say, “Wow! You look great. And how do you feel?”

I’ll tell you how I feel.

I FEEL HUNGRY.

ALL THE TIME.

Well, not really.

What I learned about food was this: sometimes I would think I was hungry when I was actually feeling something else.

Sometimes I’d be bored… and I’d think I was hungry.

Sometimes I’d be frustrated… and I’d think I was hungry.

Sometimes I’d be tired… and I’d think I was hungry.

It’s weird.

I’ve always had good control over how I felt when it came to business stuff. But when it came to better understanding how I felt about hunger, things were backwards.

And That Brings Me Full Circle…

Hi, I’m Derek Halpern.

I’m an entrepreneur.

I’m a business owner.

And I finally made a commitment to my health and fitness.

Thank you Chris!

And if you’re curious about how you could potentially work with Chris too.

…just fill out this survey right now.

It’s short.

Then… Leave a comment on this blog post.

What has your journey for health and fitness looked like?

Did you fall off the wagon like I did?

Have you been committed for years?

Share it all in the comments.

from IM News And Tips http://feeds.socialtriggers.com/~r/SocialTriggers/~3/Yg-VkpVdjZQ/

0 notes