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discovisiondreams · 3 years

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Top 15 First Watches of 2020

I’ve never been good at staying current on pop culture, and that became especially pronounced in 2020. A year where most of the anticipated theatrical releases were pushed to VOD (and the price nearly tripled) meant that a lot of flicks I was excited for got added to the end of the “Maybe Someday” watchlist.

But in this strange year, I did manage to watch 245 movies- and 195 of those were first-time watches. Some were new, only available on the (virtual) festival circuit. Some were Criterion mainstays, films I’m horrified to admit I hadn’t seen before. But this year, when movies cemented themself as my biggest joy, I began to really track what I watched- including a “top 5 first watches of the month” roundup for every month. These top 5s weren’t ranked, and weren’t even based on technical ability, strength of dialogue, or critical acclaim. They were just the 5 I loved the best.

So without further ado, here are my top 15 of the year- one selected from the top 5 of each month, with some bonus entries thrown in as well. As a general rule, I only included features on this list- I was fortunate enough to catch shorts that streamed at Chattanooga Film Fest, Celebration of Fantastic Fest, and more, but to add them to the running would have made writing this listicle absolutely impossible.

HONORABLE Honorable Mention: The Holiday. Inspired by the fine folks at Super Yaki, I finally watched this Nancy Meyers classic. Why is it two and a half hours long?! Why is that two and a half hours so significantly lacking in Jack Black?! The scenes that Black is in, though, really shine. This one is going to be a Christmas mainstay in the Disco household (and not just because I spent money on the DVD).

15: The Love Witch (Honorable Mention, April). This one came highly recommended to me by friends of all sorts, and like most of my 2020 first watches, I’m deeply embarrassed that it took me this long to get to it. Upon finally watching it, on a rainy Sunday, I described the movie in general (and the color palette, specifically) as “sumptuous,” which is one of the most complimentary visual descriptors I can bestow upon a movie. The plot felt a little convoluted at times, but I still found The Love Witch incredibly enjoyable and am hoping to explore more of writer-director Anna Biller’s filmography in 2021.

14: The Guest (Honorable Mention, October). The Guest is one of the few movies I watched multiple times this year- and the only one I watched twice in one week. From the sultry industrial soundtrack selections to the numerous visual nods to Halloween III: Season of the Witch, The guest was Extremely My Shit. The casting here is truly tremendous- especially Maika Monroe, who was similarly brilliant in It Follows. Also of note: Lance Reddick, one of my current favourite character actors.

13: The Fast and The Furious (Honorable Mention, May). 2 Fast 2 Furious (and its bespoke theme song, Act A Fool, by Ludacris) came out when I was in the 6th grade. Do you remember the music and movies that entered the world when you were in 6th grade? Do you have an inexplicable zealous love for them? 2F2F was the only film in the Fast Cinematic Universe I had seen for a long, long time. Then I saw Fate of the Furious. Then I bought the series box set, as a joke?? And then, slowly but then also all at once, I genuinely started to love this franchise. Some of them are truly ridiculous. Some of them are genuinely bad. But the first one? The Fast and The Furious (2001)? Timeless. Point Break updated and adapted for the early-aughts, The Fast and the Furious walked so The Italian Job (2003) could run. Without The Fast and The Furious, Paul Walker would just be “the guy from Tammy and The T-Rex” to millions of casual cinemagoers. The cultural impact of The Fast and The Furious simply cannot be denied!!

12: Come to Daddy (Top 5, July). Honestly, this is the exact flavor of bonkers bullshit I’ve grown to expect from Elijah Wood, and that is not an indictment. Wood’s genuine love for genre film is evident here, in what can only be described as an uncomfortable film of family, reunion, and redemption. The tense and abrasive first half gives way to a surprisingly relieving wave of violence and exposition in this critically-acclaimed flick.

11: The Stylist (Top 5, September). The feature-length debut of writer-director Jill Gevargizian, based off her short of the same name, is female-led horror that pays homage to genre mainstays like Maniac and Psycho while still being decidedly singular. Not only shot in Kansas City, but set in Kansas City, The Stylist made my midwestern heart happy. This is one that I really, really would have loved to see in a crowded theater auditorium, were this year a different one.

10: In The Mouth of Madness (Top 5, March). Despite being the beginning of pandemic awareness, March was a slow month for me, movie-wise (even though it’s not like I had anything else going on??). But I finally made time for this Carpenter classic, and I’m so happy I did. I’ve long been fascinated by stories about stories, and the people who find themselves trapped within those stories, and this one is truly, in the most basic sense of the word, horrifying. Sam Neill proves that he belongs in horror here, making his role in Event Horizon seem like a natural fit. Also a highlight: noted character actor David Warner, best known (to me) as “Billy Zane’s bodyguard guy in Titanic,” who never ever fails to be unsettling.

9: Profondo Rosso (Top 5, April). Before this year, my only Argento exposure was Suspiria (which is phenomenal), but Deep Red goes off the deep end in all the best ways. The score (by frequent Argento collaborators Goblin) is truly groovy. The number of twists and turns the plot takes is kind of mind-boggling, but also delightful. Daria Nicolodi (RIP) is at the top of her acting game here. This quickly became one of my beloved background movies- if I opened Shudder and Profondo Rosso was playing on one of their live-streaming channels, it stayed on while I was cleaning or cooking or paying bills. Profondo Rosso is a must-watch for those hoping to get into giallo.

8: Crimson Peak (Top 5, November). This one was definitely not what I was expecting, but it was GORGEOUS. I loved the world immediately (a Del Toro trademark, to be honest). As a longtime Pacific Rim stan, it made my heart happy to see Charlie Hunnam and Burn Gorman reunited under Guillermo Del Toro’s vision.

7: Palm Springs (Top 5, August). I am not typically a time-travel movie enthusiast- but I am a sucker for witty repartee and Andy Samberg. This one made me ugly-cry, which I should probably be a bit more ashamed to admit. August had a lot of really great first watches, but the Hulu exclusive takes the cake due to its novel premise, some truly heart-wrenching reveals, and the amazing casting (is there anything JK Simmons cant do?).

6: Scare Package (Top 5, May). Is there any format I love more than the horror anthology? While there have been so many over the years (Creepshow, All the Creatures Were Stirring), Scare Package might be my favourite of them all. A variety of fun and inventive stories combined with a genre-lovers dream of an overarching narrative make this one a must-see- in fact, it was the whole reason I bought a pass to this year’s online version of Chattanooga Film Fest. There’s a cameo here that absolutely knocked my socks off (and continued to do so even on repeat viewings). While the scares here are honestly minimal, Scare Package is a great love letter to the genre at large.

5: Do The Right Thing (Top 5, June). Yes, it took me until 2020 to watch Do The Right Thing for the first time. The palpable tension, the interwoven stories of Bed-Stuy’s residents, all seem timeless. Giancarlo Esposito is, as always, a joy to watch.

4: Knives Out (Top 5, February). “It’s a Rian Johnson whodunnit, duh,” states the SuperYaki! T-shirt famously worn by Jamie Lee Curtis, star of Knives Out (2019). This one has received worlds of critical acclaim, I truly do not know what I could even hope to add to the conversation. I want more old-school murder mystery cinema.

3: The VelociPastor (Top 5, January). It should be testimonial enough that The VelociPastor beat out Miss Americana, Netflix’s Taylor Swift documentary, as the top pick for January- but in case it isn’t, let me end 2020 the way I began it; by evangelizing the HECK out of this movie. Written and directed by up-and-coming triple-threat (Director/songwriter/prolific cat-photo-poster) Brendan Steere, The VelociPastor is a true love letter to genre cinema, complete with a big wink to the criminally underloved Miami Connection. Alyssa Kempinski shines as Carol, a doctor/lawyer/hooker with a heart of gold. The VelociPastor premiered in 2019 but gained tons of attention in 2020 (thanks in part to YouTube sensation Cody Ko)- attention that it truly deserves. A sequel is rumored to be in the works, but mark my words, anything to come from the imagination of Brendan Steere will be worth a watch.

2: Dinner in America (Top 5, October). I genuinely feel sorry for the other movies I watched in October (there were a lot) (they were all SO GOOD). Dinner in America, which I caught during the Nightstream hybrid festival, was not at all what I was expecting. While the other features were all very solidly genre flicks, this was…. A comedy? A modern love story?? I’mn honestly still not exactly sure, but I do know I loved every second of it. I laughed. I cried. I threw my hands up in the air exuberantly (in front of my laptop, looking like a true fool). I did not shut up about this movie online for weeks. I told anyone and everyone that Kyle Gallner is the most underrated actor of my generation and I still believe it! Dinner in America, the story of a punk band frontman who unwittingly takes refuge from the police in the home of his biggest fan, was an unexpectedly heartwarming tale of family, young love, and arson. Watch it as soon as you can.

1: Promising Young Woman (Top 5, December). This last-minute debut from Emerald Fennell, originally scheduled to hit theaters in April of this year, finally made its way to the big screen on Christmas Day, and became the 2020 entry on my annual “Christmas Day Trip to the Theater” list.* Carey Mulligan is an icon and deserves all of the awards for this. The soundtrack is sublime. The casting choices are truly incredible. While I have no doubt that the general themes of the movie will be polarizing, I absolutely loved this one- I sat in my car in the theater parking lot for a WHILE, considering just buying a ticket for the next showtime- that’s how badly I felt like I needed to see it again immediately. I look forward to writing its inevitable Criterion essay.

*Nobody else in rural iowa was interested in seeing this movie at noon on Christmas Day. I’m shocked.

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asleepinawell · 4 years

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End Of The Year Writing Roundup

artists do their end of the year posts with highlights from each month and, since i had a really productive writing year, i wanted to do something similar for my writing

As a note, I talk about how much I wrote quite a bit because I’m very proud of the amount of content I produced, BUT I do not in any way, shape, or form think that quantity = quality or that writers who put out a lot of content are better. I judge my own writing pretty harshly to myself and a lot of my best writing is actually shorter pieces. Good to keep in mind!

Highlights of 2019:

--I broke one million words posted on ao3! (posted ever, not 1 mil in 2019 that would be nuts). 916,677 of those words were shoot fics.

--The ao3 stats list me having written 389,262 words this year, but that is inaccurate. The stat includes the full word count for every fic I added to, even if most of it was written a different year. I was too lazy to figure out exact numbers but I think it was probably closer to 280k. That’s a lot!

--Machina (a fantasy au) was the longest thing I wrote (only 3 chapters were from 2018) though sadly I did not finish it this year as I’d hoped (an unfortunate amount of vampire smut was written instead oops)

--The Lighthouse Keeper was almost definitely my favorite piece I worked on this year. I wrote it in a 2-day hyperfocused haze and I was super pleased with how it turned out. Also learned a ton of cool but probably useless facts about lighthouses. Through Dark Waters was my next fav. They have a very similar aesthetic in some ways.

Jan-March: 11 chapters of Machina

April-June: Through Dark Waters (my poi dishonored au) + 1 more chapter of Machina

July-August: Force Outcasts (my poi star wars au), Disentanglement one-shot, a chapter of Feedback Loops, The Lighthouse Keeper (lovecrafty gothic fic)

Sept-Nov : 6 more chapters of Machina, a chapter of Feedback Loops, Once Bitten Twice Gay (the first of the vampire fics)

Dec: A fic for shoot secret santa, and FOUR more vampire fics

Conclusions:

I wrote a lot of E-rated content this year wow what happened

I got fond of writing shorter (under 20k other than one exception) fics in full before posting them which is a departure from how I usually write

I started using reference materials a lot more while writing. Mostly in the form of finding pictures of places, clothes, weapons, aesthetics to help me internalize a mood or describe something better

In 2020 one of my goals is actually to write less and read more. I tend to stop reading (and doing anything else) when I’m writing a lot and when I go back and crack open a book it’s like feeling my mind stretch and wake up. I strongly believe that reading is one of the best ways to get good at writing and also my reading backlog is terrifying

Maybe also I will finally revisit Neon and Dust in 2020

I was trying to find some favorite lines I wrote but most of them make no sense out of context. nonetheless, they are almost all humor of some sort. This one may really be my favorite though:

So it’s been a great writing year and I want to say thank you to everyone who read/liked/reblogged/commented/kudoed! Here’s links to the fics I wrote this year:

Machina - shoot fantasy au (almost done i swear) Through Dark Waters - poi dishonored au Force Outcasts - poi star wars au Disentanglement - one-shot fic about root and identity Homecomings - chapter of feedback loops of shoot enthusiastically welcoming each other home Touch - chapter of feedback loops that’s basically just about how gay root’s last braincell is The Lighthouse Keeper - new england gothic/lovecrafty poi au Winter Mystery - cute one-shot for secret santa Shoot Vampire AU - series of fics with shaw as a vampire

As a side note to this, since I also do content-creation in the form of gifs and edits:

96 poi gifsets in 2019!!!!! what the FUCK

34 poi edit stills

6 poi crack posts

A smattering of gifsets for other fandoms i’m too lazy to hunt them down

The great mystery of why I’m always exhausted is becoming clearer!

#ty for indulging this moment of self-reflection and shameless self-promotion #mp #my writing #personal #the gifset number feels too high and i kind of want to double check but i'm worried it's right and i'll be even more bewildered

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moistwithgender · 5 years

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Monthly Media Roundup (April 2019)

April was a bit of a disaster month for me, and as such I didn’t get much of anything finished. Old wounds got reopened, I was sick all month, I had an unavoidably bad birthday, and a lifelong pet died. I didn’t engage with a lot of things, and mostly slept. I did play a lot of Breath of the Wild, but seeing as I didn’t finish that, I’m not including it yet. Here’s the things I did finish:

Games:

Blaster Master Zero (Switch): I actually first bought and finished this two years ago, and since the sequel has come out I decided to replay it with the Shovel Knight DLC character. While I genuinely like this game (I 100%’d it both times), I was not really in a good spot to enjoy this playthrough, and just kinda mindlessly pushed through it for nine consecutive hours, beating it in that single sitting. Playing as a DLC character removes the story, which is fine since they’re intended for replays, though I wonder if it added to my emotional disconnect. SK doesn’t receive fall damage, and so the precariousness of navigating the world outside of the highly-mobile tank doesn’t exist nearly as much, though the trade-off is that SK’s combat abilities in dungeons are hindered by an overall lack of range. The game is still rather easy, though, so I can’t say any particular level cadences or combat scenarios carved their way into my memory.

To the game’s credit, though, the things that are good about it are still good. If you have an attachment to the original NES game, or an interest in retro properties, or just want a nice, breezy platformer, it’s very good. It’s interesting in how it repurposes the altered plot of the US version of the original game (where it was its most popular), including even the plot of the little novelization that came out because Gotta Get Those Video Game Kids to Read Something. It has a fake out ending, and if you 100% the maps it unlocks a final map that is genuinely surreal enough to be the highlight of the game. Despite my sighing, it is a genuinely good time, and I’m very curious to play the new game, somewhat hilariously titled Blaster Master Zero 2.

Anime:

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: I chewed through the last four episodes of this so that I could say I finally finished the season. I didn’t watch the post-season recap episode. TenSura (the abbreviation of the Japanese title, which I will use to refer to it because satisfyingly abbreviating the english title is impossible) is not a very good show, but for about half the length of the 24-episode first season, it fascinates due to how it functions at all. TenSura is an isekai show, much like the other isekai shows, where a person dissatisfied with their life is brutally murdered (usually by a truck. USUALLY by a truck) and is reborn in a fantasy world that coincidentally gives them an absurd advantage over other people, allowing them to live out all the decadence they felt they deserved in the real world. If this sounds like the most boring kind of wish fulfillment possible to you, that’s because it is. It’s also extremely popular with consumers. Which is interesting! I think the isekai boom is indicative of how late-stage capitalism everyday people the world over, that we envision or escape to worlds where your efforts actually return appropriate reward. A bonkers concept, to be sure.

In TenSura, the formula doesn’t stray much. The main character is a man in his 30s (?) who has never fucked and gets knifed to death while HEROICALLY saving a coworker from a plot-irrelevant stabber dude who was running down the sidewalk with his knife out for no reason besides Main Character Needs an Inciting Incident Now. It’s actually pretty weirdly violent for the start to a show that is almost entirely light-hearted. Dude dies, his coworker dumps his hard drive in the bath out of respect (lol), and he wakes up in a fantasy world that works on videogame logic, including loot, skill trees, and class upgrades. He is reborn as an adorable slime a la Dragon Quest, but the personality traits he had in his previous life (and I guess his choice of dying words) scan to obscenely convenient passive abilities that ensure he’s not only invincible, but will never stop experiencing exponential power growth. Also he immediately makes friends with a final boss-level dragon and then eats him. That’s how he makes friends in this sometimes.

I’m being very cynical here, but the core narrative loop (and it IS a loop) of the series kept my interest for longer than I expected. Rimuru (the name of the reborn protagonist) goes somewhere he hasn’t been, astonishes the nearby (sometimes violent) inhabitants with his overpowered abilities, makes friends with them, and then improves their lives with community. Goblins, direwolves, orcs, demon lords. It stacks and builds upon itself to absurd degrees but it’s interesting that in a genre loaded with very problematic stories of disenchanted dudes finally getting the underage harem they’ve always wanted (aaaaAAAAAAAAA) that the main concept of this series is improving the lives of others and giving them closure for the ways life has hurt them. Even if. Sometimes that hurt was the main character’s doing? Like Rimuru absolutely decapitates a direwolf leader and then adopts the pack who from then on absolutely LOVE the dude. Also one of Rimuru’s abilities is that if he gives a monster a name, it class upgrades, which is generally and reasonably seen as a life improvement. Though, these class upgrades are almost always decidedly “less-tribal” or outright human, which smacks of some imperialist thinking. It’s also something I’m sure I never questioned in old videogames growing up. Meanwhile, there’s also a bit with a woman who came from Japan during that one really bad war, you know the one, and the closure she’s given as she’s dying is handled with actual delicacy. It’s a weird series! It’s only a shame to me that after most of the first season, there was less to talk about. Sometime after the halfway mark, you realize the show is never going to maintain tension for more than half an episode, that all problems are solvable (yes, even terminally ill children), and that the show isn’t going anywhere you can’t predict. It’s a checklist show, and the plot points are a list of achievements being checked off one episode at a time.

I don’t think I would actually recommend the show to most people, despite how popular it is. It’s not a great show, but it does weird enough things for a while that it generates conversations. Which is honestly pretty okay. It’s a pretty okay show. Also, Rimuru is effectively nonbinary (with he pronouns), and that’s… somethin’! (24 episodes, finished 4/17/19, Crunchyroll (Funimation also now has the dub I think? Clips I saw were pretty weird, Rimuru seemed to be characterized differently.))

Manga:

Nejimaki Kagyu Vol 1: You would think a manga that immediately starts with a reference to Phantom Blood would be, well, at least interesting.

Okay maybe invoking a beloved work doesn’t actually mean anything. I just wanted to share this blatant callback. Nejimaki Kagyu is a seinen manga about a highschool teacher whose tragically cursed to, uh, have all teenage girls fall in love with him. And the highschool-age childhood friend of his who has spent her whole life obsessed with him and learning super martial arts to defend his chastity. Her supers make her clothes explode.

…

I take no joy in this travesty.

Anyway, uh. The biggest tragedy here is that the art is actually really good, though the paneling is regularly squished around to hilarious degree. Let’s look at some pages and then forget this manga exists forever.

That horror face is how I feel the entire series should be portraying itself. The manga has a distinct lack of self-awareness.

The fan translation for this series appears to have dropped off halfway through and hasn’t been picked up for years, and based on reviews I saw on MAL talking about the directionlessness of the later volumes, I wonder if the translator got fed up with the series. Oh well!

Kyou no Asuka Show Vol 1: Oh god damn it I just got done with talking about a series about ogling the youth.

BLEASE STOP

Okay so. Kyou no Asuka Show, or “Today’s Asuka Show” is an older slice of life manga by the same author I mentioned previously who is doing an edutainment series about people working in a condom factory. Innocently-minded women in comedically lewdish situations appears to be his whole bag. I think Asuka is pretty charming, but I also know she’s designed to appeal to my monkey male gaze. Obliviously sexy is very much a mood, and in a more adult context I would be all for it. There have been a few chapters where I find myself at odds with the wisdom the author is attempting to impart, sometimes through Asuka’s father, who works as an adult photographer, and doesn’t want his daughter involved in anything that could cause her to be ogled. Like, that’s already something that requires a lot of unpacking in the modern day. Aforementioned wisdom sometimes takes the form of Asuka doing something stupid and innocent and ripe for objectifying, like wearing a school swimsuit in a rainstorm. Or she’ll work a job as a cute girl courier and inadvertently turn a shut-ins life around. Situations where, if it were in real life, I’d think “wow that’s weird and charming,” but by being a work of intentional authorship, it inherently loses some of that innocence, and becomes something well-meaning but problematic. Is that the second time I’ve used the word “problematic” in this post? Is this 2014?

I may continue reading this, but I really can’t recommend it to most people I know in 2019 without several disclaimers and also without probably getting some side eye. I think it’s worth a couple chapters to feel out what its doing before you decide whether you can siphon the charm from it, or would rather move on to something else.

Me enjoying myself when this manga tries to suddenly get up to some shit.

Blue Period Vol 1: This is the last thing on my list, because I don’t want to expand this list beyond the three mediums I’ve already assigned to it. Also, I actually finished this May 1st, but I wanted to talk about it now.

If I had the power to actually get people to engage with a specific work once per month, Blue Period would easily be the one I pick. That doesn’t mean as much when all the other things I finished this month were conflicted experiences, but I really think everyone would benefit from this series. Or at least anyone with even a passing interest in visual arts.

Blue Period (named for Picasso’s Blue Period) is about a highschool delinquent who has a knack for studying, a safe social life, and no interests in pretty much anything. He’s on the road to do fine in his life, and he doesn’t question it much, but that’s it, until he discovers art and realizes it’s the only way he’s ever been able to truly communicate his feelings. It changes everything about him, for more emotionally satisfying reasons, but also riskier ones. He only has one year of highschool to go to decide what he’s doing with his life, and Japan has a very strict education system. You’re not really allowed to just “get around” to things.

Apologies in advance if you’re tired of me spamming full pages but I really do wanna show this off. This is another series with an educational angle to it, though the emphasis is definitely more rooted in a personal narrative of growth. The explanations of art practice and the functionality of exercises and tools are both very informative and relevant to the characters, never feeling like the story is taking a backseat to explain. The characters are, hilariously, everyone I’ve ever met in an art class. There’s the kid who would rather exclusively draw the things they like, there’s the kid who likes art as a hobby but haaaates being given a project, etc etc. There are students who have an innate grasp on how to draw but haven’t internalized the Why of the exercises, and students who are receptive to the lessons but don’t have the ability to match. The narrative is extremely even-handed towards all of these different levels of skills, and places a lot more importance on why, emotionally, you should totally care about drawing apples and water pitchers for five hours at a time. It’s GREAT and I want to force it on every creative I’ve ever known.

Another thing I appreciate about this series so far is that while there has been something resembling sexual/romantic tension, it’s kind of not like that at all? In the first volume I haven’t been able to pinpoint where a potential relationship subplot would go, if at all. Two possibilities are this girl:

...who is a very likable character but surprisingly doesn’t fit into that box of “standard love interest”. The protag’s interactions with her have been exclusively respectful and admiring, which doesn’t even necessarily imply a romantic subplot, but would be pretty cool if it did? And the other girl:

...who is featured in decidedly more sexual tension-y contexts, is actually TRANS. The manga actually portrays them so uncompromisingly feminine that I didn’t realize they were crossdressing (the term used in the text) until the author’s notes at the end of the volume. I will partially blame this on me being out of it this month, since I just went back to their introduction and yep, they got misgendered and contested it. Given how the character is regularly framed (confident, attractive, skilled, nonstereotypical), I’m… pretty okay with this! If a romance blooms between a delinquent boy and a trans girl, that’s amazing.

I hope y’all understand where I’m coming from in expecting a shoehorned romantic subplot. I’m not hoping for one, I just know the product by now. And if it happens, the options are considerably more interesting than usual.

These are pretty good kids.

Manga licensing is a lot better nowadays than it ever was before, with lots of obscure series being picked up, old series getting re-localized, and translations being better than ever. I really really want this series to get licensed so someone can be compensated for it, and so more people might read it. Until then, I think you should look up the fan work.

---

So that’s all for April. If these posts included live-action movies, I’d have talked about Endgame, but I also don’t want to go spoiling anything for someone who still wants to go see that (it’s probably one of my favorite MCU movies, though). I read most of 1970-71 in Marvel comics, or at least most of the issues on my reading list, but I semi-liveblog about those, so you can just search my “curry reads comics” tag for that. Here’s hoping I have more interesting, more positive things to say about May in a month. I expect to finish Breath of the Wild by then, so I’ll finally talk about that. Thanks for reading, if you made it this far! Go check out Blue Period.

#curry reads manga #curry watches anime #curry plays games

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evannalily · 5 years

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Gold Frame Earrings from Newlook

Good Afternoon everyone and a very Happy New Year to you all! I hope you all had a wonderful night full of fun, joy and surrounded by family and friends to ring in the new year! I myself was laid up in bed with the flu for most of it so mine could have been that little bit better but otherwise I was just thankful to actually be out of bed and able to eat on actual new years night so it could have also have been worse but Im on the mend now! Todays post is the first post of 2019 and one I haven’t done in a while which is on one of my own looks that I had for a night out in December and if I’m being really honest that night was the first in a long time that I actually 100% happy with how I looked on a night out and felt really confident in myself which I think is a feeling I will be bringing with me in 2019!

My 2018 ended with a good few memories as I had a pretty sociable December . Including myself and Éimear going to the INEC in Killarney to go see Hozier and Gavin James who were unreal! For anyone who doesn’t know who Hozier is he’s an Irish singer/songwriter from Wicklow and I would definitely recommend going to see him because he is just amazing live! I always love going to see singers live and have them sound the exact same as they do in audio instead of them sounding a bit different because the voices are enhanced on the audio to sound better. Definitely check out his music because he is genuinely just so good! Gavin James is also an Irish singer from Galway who is also really good to go and see!

Myself and Éimear also went on our glam girls night out where we also met up with Himself and a couple of his work buddies and it was this night that I am honestly so happy with my look.

Look of The Night

https://www.newlook.com/row/womens/clothing/tops/black-one-hundred-percent-slogan-t-shirt-/p/616789201

https://www.newlook.com/row/womens/clothing/skirts/black-cotton-mix-mini-tube-skirt-/p/506885901?comp=Search

https://www.newlook.com/row/womens/accessories/jewellery/gold-textured-rectangle-earrings-/p/614185393?comp=Browse

https://www.prettylittlething.com/black-pu-pointed-ankle-sock-boots.html

https://www.newlook.com/row/womens/accessories/belts/black-leather-look-circle-buckle-hip-belt/p/591190501?comp=Browse

The look its self was pretty simple and was my classic all black colour scheme (another thing I’m going to start changing in 2019) and was just perfect. I love when you just throw something on last minute and it ends up being you’re favourite look of all time. The t-shirt is pretty basic and you can find slogan t-shirts in virtually any high street store at the moment as they are really trendy still and it was also long enough on me that I kind of created another layer under the skirt which is always handy just incase like me you have a little fear of things being a bit transparent. The skirt is actually another one that I had at home but I have included a link to a similar one here for you but its just a basic black tube skirt as I like my skirts to be a bit higher around the waist as I just feel they suit me better. You can’t see the boots in this photo but I do have a picture of them up on my Instagram and they are literally the exact type I was searching for for ages! I have another suede high stiletto pair that I have had for years and they are starting to get on a bit now and have seen a fair share of nights out so it was time to start getting their replacement ready and these are amazing. They literally tick every box height (which is scary high to look at but I love the height without a platform sole) , style, colour, comfort and of course are pointed toe. The earrings are again really trendy at the minute and are relatively easy to find but it does depend on the size you like. Usually these square frames are on the larger side but these ones are actually a mini version available from Newlook as well as the bigger size too. They are lightweight as well which is always a bonus as heavy earrings are a curse on your ears after a while. I just finished this look with a plain black leather jacket (more black I know) and thats it. A simple look for nights out without the fuss.

2018 : A Year In Pictures

As we are now in the new year 2019 I have decided to share some of my photos month by month from last year 2018 on some of my highlights from the year gone by. I definitely had a year filled with ups and downs, changes and trips but these photos are a reflection of all the good times from last year and if you can I would make an album on your phone or in a scrap book that you can look back on in years to come so that you can remind yourself when you’re feeling a bit low or in a sticky situation that life hasn’t been all bad and that you have had some great times in your life even if it is something as simple as just watching movies with friends. Heres a breakdown of my 2018!

February – Éimear and I travelled up to Dublin to go see Dermot Kennedy in the Olympia Theatre and I will honestly never forget it. It was the best concert I have ever been to because his music is so emotional, touching, beautiful and mesmerising. We are going to see him this year as well which I cannot wait to do again!

April – Himself and I went on our kind of annual holiday to Portugal to Albufiera where we have been before but this time we did do a few new things one of which I have definitely never done before and that was a Fish Pedicure. If you don’t know what that is its basically these tiny little fish that eat away at dead skin cells so you soak your feet in the water with them and they basically just clean your dead skin cells away. Don’t worry they are tiny fish so you don’t actually feel anything except maybe a slight tickle which is more of a funny sensation than scary (unless your Kim Kardashian West in that clip where she completely freaks out at the tickle feeling of a fish pedicure).

June��– Himself and I went over to England for just under two weeks to mind my aunties house for her and as he had never been to London before I was excited to show him all the touristy things like Buckingham Palace, The London Eye and the Natural History Museum. We did one thing I had never done before (that I can recall anyway as I may have gone as a very small child) and that was go to the London Aquarium. It was really cool in there and they do have really interesting things to see so I would recommend going there if you are in London! On our way to the Natural History Museum we did see a few lamborghinis being driven around for demonstrations too which he was only delighted to see.

September – In September Himself and I attended a wedding in Tralee which was a civil ceremony as they didn’t want a church wedding and it was honestly one of the nicest wedding I have been to. As much as I respect peoples religious choices of a church wedding it was just really nice to not have the same prayers and routines and to see them have their children involved, have their own readings and quotes spoken and it was just a really nice romantic wedding. I did however end up spending two days getting broken glass out of my hands from an unfortunate table breakage but we won’t talk too much about that!

December – The whole month of December was one of my highlights to be honest. I started with our annual staff party which was really fun as we went for dinner and then just made a night out of it. Next up was my birthday which I didn’t actually do anything for it but Himself did have roses delivered to me at work for it which was a nice surprise even though I had a feeling he was going to do that as he was being a bit sneaky in town the day before and he did the same for my 21st birthday a couple years ago but it was still a lovely surprise! After that came came the Hozier show which was amazing as he just has such a great voice and is amazing to see live. Then literally two days after that myself and Éimear went out for our glam girls night and met up with himself and couple of his friends as they were on a staff night out too. Then obviously there was Christmas which was our usual family tradition of dinner with my grandparents, lots of food and a movie. Then a few days after Christmas myself and Éimear headed out to the INEC again to go see Gavin James perform and literally about two days after this I ended up in bed ill for nearly two days and was only just up an about on new years eve and able to eat so I literally have not one photo from the night but I did discover my 88 year old granddad is a fan of George Ezra’s Shotgun and my nan is in love with Michael Bublé

February – Dermot Kennedy Olympia Theatre Dublin

March – Myself and Eimear on St. Patricks Night

March – Snowy house bound days with Cookie

April – Albufeira, Portugal with himself

May – Finally bought a new car

June – England with Himself

August – Got my first set of the prettiest Ombre gels at NailsbyErika

August – Was reunited with an old school friend at a wedding

September – At wedding with himself

October – Halloween Costume Party in The Grand with Gillian

December – Christmas Staff Party

December – Himself had flowers delivered to me at work for my birthday

December – Hozier with Eimear

December – Out on the town with Eimear

December – Holly waiting for her gifts from Santa on Christmas morning

Decemeber – Gavin James with Eimear

Well thats my 2018 summed up so lets see what 2019 brings! Speak to you soon!

Ever yours

Lily

December Roundup : Last Look At 2018 Good Afternoon everyone and a very Happy New Year to you all! I hope you all had a wonderful night full of fun, joy and surrounded by family and friends to ring in the new year!

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theantibridezilla · 6 years

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Pre-Summer ‘18 Beauty Game Changers

Okay, so it’s absolutely no secret that I’ve been a tad scarce around these parts. What can I say except, adjusting to motherhood means sometimes my little bundle of joy kicks my websites out of the priority seat! Anywho, I’m back with a much needed beauty story. Between last month and this one I’ve had a TON of beauty deliveries and also attended The Makeup Show’s press preview day. So, I will most definitely be giving a highlight on some of the cool products we were given - including a full sized Pat McGrath palette!!!

To get back into the swing of things, I’m kicking off my return to TAB with a beauty roundup of game changing items I’ve been using since mid April. As usual, I’ll let you know which items were gifted by the brand and which were bought by me. And yeah, I’ve been that busy for the last two months that most of these items were gifted by the brand. But as usual, my reviews are honest - even if I’m a brand ambassador. A big focus this time is skincare because thanks to postpartum hormones and a general neglect of my regular skincare regimen, my skin has been in sad shape recently.

1. Shea Terra Organics African Black Soap (gifted)

If you’re unfamiliar with African black soap, it’s often used to even out skin tone, help reduce excess oil and can be used as part of an exfoliation routine. So, one thing I’ve been dealing with for the past four months has been what feels like an excess of dry skin which leads to dull patches that come through even under makeup. What I love about Shea Terra’s version of African black soap is that it’s a powder that you can mix to the consistency level that you want. I can add a minimal amount of water to create more of a paste and strategically place it on areas that need more attention. Or, I can add water to turn it into more of a liquid traditional foamy soap for an all over wash.

2. Pixi Beauty x Weylie Hoang Dimensional Eye Creator 2-in-1 Liner (gifted)

Now this liner is actually part of an entire kit, but I’m only talking about the liner. Anyone who reads TAB regularly knows that I tend to be really critical of felt tipped “liquid” liners because I often don’t feel that they stand up to the same inky blackness and longevity of my tried and true liquid liner, Wet ‘n Wild megaliner in black. So, I went into this being skeptical and was profoundly and happily surprised. This is a dual ended liner that offers a fab inky black felt tip on one side for precise lines and a soft creamy kohl on the other for smoky eyes or smudged liner effects. I don’t really bother with the kohl side because often times creamy liners have a way of shifting and feathering out over the course of a day. But that ink liner...yes ma’am I’m in love! Although the finished look has a bit of a shine instead of the overall matte liner I prefer, I think Pixi hit it out of the park with this liner.

3. The Makeup Mitty & Mitty Blackout (gifted)

Now makeup removing cloths aren’t necessarily new anymore, but I love the shape and functionality of these particular cloths. The Makeup Mitty (blue) is shaped in a tear drop form so that you can use the rounded side to remove larger swaths of makeup say on your overall face or cheeks. Meanwhile the pointed end gets in for fine cleaning around the eyes. And if you’re heavy on eye makeup, The Mitty Blackout (black) is specifically just for taking off stubborn eye makeup. What I love is that these Mitties are specifically made to be used with your preferred cleanser, which is the only way I use makeup cloths these days as I find it gives me a more total cleansing experience.

4. IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Makeup 3-in-1 Wipes (gifted)

Whereas The Makeup Mitty is great for when I’m home and have all my cleansers with me, these wipes are ideal for when I’m on the road and am trying to minimize the amount of stuff I’m bringing with me. Although I don’t think these give me as thorough a cleansing as when I use a cleanser + cloth (mainly because I wear a full face of makeup and normally do a 2 step cleanse, so that’s a lot of damage to put on one disposable cloth), I do like that it can take off stubborn eyeliner and matte liquid lipsticks - which can be hard for traditional cleansing cloths to do. Also, my skin doesn’t feel dry and chafed afterwards.

5. Nature Republic Super Aqua Max Soft Peeling Gel (purchased)

If you’re a long time TAB reader, you know my holy grail of exfoliators is Cure Aqua Gel. But, over the last year I have been branching out to other brands, and Nature Republic does a great job of creating a less visual version of a top notch exfoliator. And by that I mean, you don’t get the gross white beads of skin. Whereas Cure’s exfoliator is a bit more liquid based, Nature Republic’s has a granular texture and is truly a stiffer gel. But most importantly, I instantly feel the results on my skin after washing it off. The only thing I don’t love is that this definitely has fragrance in it. It’s not intense, but if you prefer scent free skincare, this isn’t for you.

6. Erborian Waterlock Bamboo Moisture Mask (gifted)

I love that this mask can pull double duty as either an everyday moisturizer or as a moisture pack depending on how much you apply. I’ve definitely used this moisturizer as a traditional moisturizer after the cleansing step as well as a sleep pack where I add other light oils like my rose oil to give it a bit more longevity. What I love is that this gel, although lightweight, has some serious staying power. And although the packaging doesn’t say, I strongly suspect that the soft gel consistency is due to a healthy amount of aloe vera (plus it smells heavily of aloe).

7. Kevyn Aucoin Neo-Blush (gifted)

Now, it’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Kevyn Aucoin. But I do love this Neo-Blush which are basically ombre blushes with a hint of shimmer. The team at KA sent me their entire Neo-Blush collection but my personal favorite is the Sunset shade. (And P.S. if KA’s Neo-Blush is outside of your budget, NYX Cosmetics’ ombre blush is a great budget friendly dupe) The KA blush is perfectly milled and doesn’t settle into fine lines. Meanwhile, the color payoff is fantastic and lasts all day.

8. Kevyn Aucoin Neo-Elixir Weightless Beauty Oil (gifted)

Now this tri-layer beauty oil is a serious game changer whether you use it for just a skincare tool or as a pre or post makeup application tool - it seriously pulls double duty. I love that this oil is a lightweight and scent friendly castor oil based concoction. If you’ve stayed away from castor oil because of its heaviness and strong scent, you’ve got to try the Neo-Elixir. Unlike straight castor oil which can be too heavy for daytime use, this one is mixed with other oils that creates a durable oil that lasts all day without feeling greasy. Now, the website suggests you can use it as a post-makeup step to give yourself a dewy look - I don’t do that. I use it as a regular skincare oil and on occasion if my skin is super dry, as a pre-makeup step. I just don’t do “dewy” because it’s easy to err and mistakenly end up in greasy territory.

9. IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Foundation Tinted Moisturizer in Deep (gifted)

Now everyone knows that my current favorite foundation is NYX Cosmetics Total Control Drop Foundation in Deep Sable. I’ve been using it for over a year now almost exclusively. But when the weather gets really warm, a strong foundation isn’t always high on my list of must haves. And it ended up that a few weeks ago I was in North Carolina during an early pre-summer heat wave. Every day was 90+ degrees. So, I had to find something that would help to even out some skin tone issues I’m having while not being too heavy. The tinted moisturizer does the trick in that department. Another bonus is that even though this contains SPF 50, it doesn’t stink. Full disclosure, I’m not 100% in love with this tinted moisturizer for the following reasons:

This moisturizer can easily verge on a greasy finish if you don’t use a setting powder. The amount of shine you get on this moisturizer from the minute you apply if you don’t know how to finesse it can be a turn off for some people. When I use this foundation, I have to use my Laura Mercier setting powder to tone down the shine otherwise I look like I’ve been sweating.

IT Cosmetics often falls into the brown foundation pitfalls of veering on orangish tones. In my case, it works out because for super warm weather it compliments my inevitable tan. But in the winter months I’d be hard pressed to want to use this because it’s so orange.

Deep is the darkest shade they offer so anyone darker than me has sadly been ignored in the shade range.

10. ELF Cosmetics Beauty Shield Daily Defense Makeup Spray (gifted)

So, this was also something I’ve come to love when I’m traveling. For me, this spray pulls double duty. Normally when I’m home, I spritz my foundation and concealer brushes before applying product so that I can create a soft touch flawless finish. But the spray I normally use is in a huge container and isn’t practical for when I’m traveling. So, this smaller alternative is ideal to keep the flawless finish without taking up too much space in my travel makeup kit. I love that the spray is even and not too forceful. Additionally, it is a great spritz for when I’m done with my makeup. Now in a head to head with my Skindinavia makeup setting spray, no this will not be as intense as that because ELF focuses more on hydration whereas Skindinavia ends with a slight sticky finish to lock in the makeup. But again, I took this with me to North Carolina a few weeks ago and my makeup stayed in place during the heat wave.

Full disclosure: I’m a brand ambassador for Kevyn Aucoin, IT Cosmetics, Pixi Beauty, Erborian and ELF Cosmetics. Occasionally I post affiliate links so I may receive compensation on some of my posts.

#tab beauty #beauty must haves #beauty roundup #skindinavia #elf cosmetics #NYX COSMETICS #kevyn aucoin #it cosmetics #pixi beauty #erborian #the makeup mitty #nature republic #beauty review #product review #shea terra organics #african black soap

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mememe-posts · 7 years

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Just some of the reasons ME sufferers suffer so much… As Jenn Brea, the creator of Unrest, has stated, if she lived in the U.K., without access to the drugs that allow her to function on some level most days (whilst still being ill) she would still be bedridden with ME years later.

Last week, Unrest, a brilliant, powerful portrayal of ME, was shown to MPs and members of the Department of Work and Pensions and other organisations involved with ME. The Unrest film’s team were joined by long-time advocates of ME patients, including the Countess of Mar, the ME Association and other heavyweight campaigners and specialists who have fought for justice for patients for many years in the U.K.

http://www.meassociation.org.uk/2017/10/me-association-review-of-unrest-in-parliament-i-cannot-recall-a-parliamentary-meeting-where-we-have-had-so-much-genuine-interest-in-mecfs-26-october-2017/

It’s significant for ME to be depicted because for those wishing to support sufferers, it may bring more understanding. The reality of ME, a disease more prevalent than MS, which can be ‘more debilitating than most medical problems in the world, including cancer, late stage AIDS (until two weeks before death)’ is that it has been ignored and its sufferers have been left untreated.

And I’ve been lying here thinking about what happens next.

There is momentum with Unrest and many other voices and campaigns to see change and justice for the ‘millions missing’.

In particular, in the U.K. there is a call for a public enquiry regarding the decades of abuse and neglect of ME sufferers being requested by Dr Myhill via MAIMES.

And as I’ve sat thinking about that momentum and what needs to happen, I’ve thought of the great minefield it is trying to understand why this is such a big deal and I’m frustrated at how bewildering it still seems to so many.

How can the public even begin to grasp this mistreatment if they’ve only ever been exposed to the trivilsation and dismissing reports of mainstream media?

Why have people been left to suffer?

Why are seriously sick people sometimes so disbelieved and abandoned even by loved ones?

How can it be possible that there is no real treatment, when key research 30 years ago explained at least part of the pathology of ME and yet has been ignored?

So, I decided to create a summary of some of what I know, some of the information I’ve gathered,some of my lists of words over the last few months (in this particular severe relapse) in an attempt to paint the bigger picture. There is much politics and complexities of years of ignorance surrounding ME. And this just touches the surface of it all. It’s by no means the definitive guide. There are so many articles and blogs already excellently representing this information by more knowledgeable people than me and I’m grateful for what I’ve learnt from many others. Especially other sufferers. But I just wanted to be able to just see all these facts together with my own thoughts and ponderings. For my own brain and hopefully for others too, who are wanting to understand.

It is ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL to understand the background story of ME to fight for yourself as a sufferer or to advocate as a supporter.

I think this is a comprehensive summary that may take 20 minutes to read but will allow readers to grasp the complex situation of the world of ME.

People often ask how to help. I’m too ill to accept cups of tea and offers to clean and other lovely things but reading this will be the best support ever.

1. THE REALITY OF ME VERSUS THE STIGMA

“All diseases are cruel but some have a refined brutality all their own. One such is ME..It is a monster, often hidden in plain sight; the suffering it inflicts is limitless” Llewellyn King

ME sufferers have faced decades of disbelief, ignorance, humiliation and no real treatment, despite being incredibly sick and despite 8000 papers detailing the biomedical findings of research.

Here is a great conclusion documenting some of these findings so far:

https://medium.com/@rochellejoslyn/me-cfs-research-roundup-brief-highlights-of-biomedical-research-to-date-9249f17f291

It is far from the often repeated ‘mystery’.

It is being purposely and systematically ignored across the world.

It is not the ‘just tired’ illness.

It is not fatigue.

It is not the high achiever’s illness or the malingerer’s (although you are often accused of causing your disease by somehow simultaneously being both.)

It is not manageable, psychosomatic or imagined.

It is the near-death, life-consuming, unpredictable, bone-crushing, unrespecting, devastating multi-system, multi-organ disease.

“ME is a disease that is “often more debilitating than most other medical problems in the world, including MS, cancer, undergoing chemotherapy or HIV (until last two weeks before death).”

Taken from The Clinical Case Definition and Guidelines for Medical Practitioners for ME.

And yet it remains untreated.

2. ME IS NOT CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME

“Separation of classic ME from CFS MUST happen..We will then lose the heterogeneity confounding research and treatment” Jane Colby , www.tymestrust.org (ME Children’s Charity)

ME is still classified as a neurological disease by the World Health Organisation and was once being treated and investigated seriously in the UK. It is very similar in its neurological make up to Multiple Sclerosis.

ME or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (meaning pain and inflammation of the brain and spinal cord) was relabelled as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome -a somatic illness or functional (emotional) disorder without any scientific evidence.

And in total abandonment of solid evidence of significant physiological impairment.

The unhelpful CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) label since the 90’s has been used to further dismiss patients for their ‘fake illness’.

As author, ME sufferer and advocate, Nasim Jafry states in her blog below, having been diagnosed in 1984 and witnessing this huge shift:

“The biopsychosocial narrative is so embedded, it will take a juggernaut to shift it [the hijacking and reframing of the illness as ‘chronic fatigue’, the ignoring of robust science, the toxic influence worldwide of the psychological framework]”

http://velo-gubbed-legs.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/my-thoughts-on-unrest-2017.html

CFS, at least in the UK, is now used broadly for all kinds of fatiguing illnesses originating from very differing causes. The name changed, it seems, specifically to avoid financial implications*, both in correct, more expensive physical medical treatment and in paying out benefits and insurance. This was triggered by epidemics of the disease in the 1980’s, when insurance companies, particularly in the US, faced huge payouts.

It allowed already established ME research, showing likely origins, physical abnormalities in patients, with detailed, highly specific diagnostic criteria by the likes of Dr Melvin Ramsay, to be brushed aside as unrelated.

Hence the new biopsychosocial model took hold. ‘It’s all in your head’ became the response of doctors, the media and onlookers.

*This financial saving however is still very short sighted as the economical impact of people out of work with ME in the UK alone was approximately £3.5 billion last year, due to lost productivity, taxation and benefits* which far outweighs the cost of proper research, treatment or investigations that could be implemented, as stated by the Countess of Mar last week. *source: ME Association link above

In the UK, not everyone now diagnosed with CFS has ME, due to CFS’s broader, watered down, decreased symptom inclusion. The predominant feature of ME, Post Exertional Malaise, does not have to be evident to be diagnosed with CFS. Post Exertional Malaise (PEM) means a severe intolerance to physical or cognitive activity, which causes an increase of symptoms, resulting sometimes in weeks or months of recovery (or never recovering).

Everyone with ME however will now be lumped under CFS, meaning more serious, sometimes degenerative symptoms of classic ME, such as PEM, are simply ignored. And those patients with no knowledge of these inconsistencies are put in ever- harmful positions of incorrect management of the illness.

(I personally *detest* the Chronic Fatigue label and will never use it for the pain, laughability and abuse it has encouraged and allowed both in my own life since I was 14 and in millions of other cases. Others use it to mean classic ME, including renowned scientists, film makers, other sufferers etc. and I respect them but please don’t use it on me. I was diagnosed with ME in 1993, just as the name was being changed and just as the stigma started to be further established, purposely by those in power. I fit Ramsay’s criteria succinctly and unsurprisingly, not the CFS criteria, even though I now have to fight the CFS title, as ME is not acknowledged.)

3. INCORRECT TREATMENTS AS THE ONLY OPTIONS FOR ME

Considering we are talking about a disease that has been studied for at least a quarter of a century, and remembering it can be one of the most debilitating diseases in the world, affecting millions, it is deeply troubling and outrageously neglectful that there is such a void in terms of treatment.

In the UK, and elsewhere, the medical community stubbornly hold onto the psychosomatic model and the treatments outlined in the deeply flawed, now debunked PACE trial, namely CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, adapted specifically for CFS) and Graded Exercise, a therapy designed to increase activity in patients. These treatments are now the dominant treatment plans offered via Fatigue Clinics across the UK.

(If you don’t live near to a Fatigue Clinic, there is nothing.)

The PACE trial and its theories form the basis for the NICE guidelines which the NHS follows to administer treatment.

This means you will also not be offered further investigations, tests or referrals for concerning symptoms (more on this below). http://me-pedia.org/wiki/PACE_trial

Patients and advocates who have protested the NICE guidelines since 2007 when they were last reviewed, already knew how dangerous the treatments were, especially considering the harm caused when graded exercise is inflicted on those with PEM.

However, more recent sufferers will not be given this information and in total desperation, facing unrelentless long term illness and not even contemplating that this advice could be incorrect (and crucially, not being informed that this is a psychosomatic model), they enter into these treatments.

Fatigue clinics, run by clinical psychologists, continue the treatment of our ‘false illness beliefs’ and thereby, however implicitly, blame and shame the patients when they don’t recover from incorrect treatment. Patients are not told of the biomedical causes of their illnesses and they are pushed into ignoring symptoms.

It is much like an example Jenn Brea gives of giving diabetics sweets as treatment and then blaming them when they get worse.

Treatments aren’t just unhelpful; they are potentially permanently disabling, as has been the case for hundreds and hundreds of patients.

People with severe ME who can’t attend these clinics or their doctor’s surgeries are told there is no treatment.

Severe/ Very Severe ME means permanently housebound or bedbound; severely limited, sometimes living completely in darkness, tube fed and void of all life. This free 1-hour film depicts this state of illness very powerfully. (Use code VOICES for free access)

http://voicesfromtheshadowsfilm.co.uk/http://voicesfromtheshadowsfilm.co.uk/

By the time many less severely affected people realise this treatment is actually incredibly ill-advised and making them worse, it’s often too late and they too have become severely limited and affected, often becoming housebound or bedridden indefinitely by these programmes, with a whole heap of added shame and confusion piled onto them as they wonder why they ‘failed’ at these ‘proven’ treatments. https://www.buzzfeed.com/camillamaxted/this-is-why-i-quit-exercise-therapy

Fatigue Clinics continue to give misleading outcomes of successful treatment by excluding those in their data who either couldn’t attend or failed to continue the programme. And remember, clinics are treating people with CFS- which could and does include other conditions that may benefit from increasing activity, such as depression (which often causes severe fatigue).

Still the U.K. continues to endorse these treatments, as well as harmful treatments such as the Lightning Process, which was recently hailed as a ‘huge success’ specifically for children with CFS across mainstream media. However, it’s results have never been fully published by Esther Crawley and Bristol University, its criteria for patient inclusion was wide and vague and the treatment involves:

*Being told to never say you’re ill again

*Being told you have chosen to have ME and you choose if you remain ill

*Only being allowed to report positive outcomes.

So, a highly manipulative, very scary, confusing, extremely traumatizing experience for sick children who are made to believe it’s their fault and pushed beyond their physical limits, making them more ill.

And therefore, a far cry from a scientific success.

But the media still published it, without any investigation, causing potential further harm to patients and adding further weight to the ‘it’s all in your mind’ narrative.

Here is one woman’s story of the Lightning Process that has left her bedbound, unable to speak, sit up or swallow since 2008:

http://www.jkrowbory.co.uk/2017/09/when-you-beckon-lightning-and-invite-it-in-for-tea/

http://www.meassociation.org.uk/2017/09/me-association-statement-lightning-process-and-smile-trial-in-young-people-with-mecfs-19-september-2017/

Interestingly, treatment comprising of Graded Exercise have now been quietly removed from US health guidelines, as they’ve recognised that they are inappropriate and harmful.

4. PROVE YOURSELF WORTHY OF BEING BELIEVED

Imagine being so terribly ill and being told you’re lying or having to prove that something is wrong. This is ME.

Due to what is briefly outlined above, getting help and support, medically, financially, even relationally can often be another huge battle facing those already battling serious ill health.

Those in establishment, namely renowned psychiatrists, who have been most keen to keep ME labelled as CFS and as a psychosomatic or emotional disorder, have long since overruled all other voices to form the very defiant ceiling of dismissal around ME, meaning access to any non-psychological treatment is slim or has to be literally begged for.

The NICE guidelines state use of drugs, such as anti-virals don’t work (proved otherwise across the world in trials and in the minority of patients who can access them) nor is there any point testing extensively for abnormalities in the body.

Other advisory material given to medical professionals regarding ME encourage doctors not to refer their patients even with serious developing additional symptoms, causing many cases where cancer, heart disease, thyroid problems etc. are not tested for, acknowledged or treated in time.

GPs are encouraged to accept what the patient says but not to encourage ‘illness beliefs’ i.e., don’t engage proactively with their concerns. A+E guidelines for diseases such as ME are simply not to take the patient seriously (even in a common seizure/paralysis/breathing difficulty scenario) and to assume symptoms are somatic and to not waste resources on them.

Patients who are severely ill and housebound or bedbound are routinely ignored and denied access to medical care. Even if requests are granted, the stigma of ME runs so far and wide that even further referrals will often end in further shame and another discharge.

It must be said that there are some doctors willing to listen, to be educated by their patients and refer on but they are few and far between.

80% of housebound patients are refused home visits from their GP and 65% of patients felt they had been offered no advice on how to proceed after diagnosis. (2001 report for Action for ME)

And it must also be said that most doctors just do not understand. They are simply not trained in ME in medical school. They are not educated in physical abnormalities and established research of ME and are simply following the guidelines put in place.

Refusal to participate in harmful treatment programmes can mean the refusal of any further offers of help or financial help via DWP. There are cases of people refusing Graded Exercise, knowing how harmful it is and being told they do not want to be well and therefore do not qualify. Indeed, very few people with ME are granted benefits without appealing because of the Psychosomatic, ‘non-illness’ label.

And at the extreme end, refusal of treatment can lead to being sectioned or removed from a family home (more on this below). http://www.sophiaandme.org.uk/sophia%20&%20m.e.%20her%20story.html

This all means many patients give up begging for medical help, due to repeated malignment, humiliation and genuine fear as to how they will be assessed. I personally am terrified of doctors from my own experiences and each interaction trying to get any help is daunting and exhausting, involves pages of print outs to plead with someone to take me seriously and still is usually highly unproductive.

This void of information and training is leaving many suffering alone for years or decades, totally neglected and unaccounted for.

And it also leaves open a wide window of opportunity for money-makers, quack therapies and secretive, expensive treatments as desperate people without help search for their recovery. This often leads to more financial pressure, emotionally draining experiences and further disappointment as miracle cures prove unmiraculous.

A handful of ME specialists around the world offer more hope but still have no cure.

It is hard to place enough emphasis on the effects of not being believed or treated; of continued disbelief and trivializing of such serious illness. Many sufferers agree that the stigma and helplessness they feel from being left to cope alone is as painful as the illness itself.

The NICE guidelines are not due to be changed until 2020.

And who indeed will be reviewing those guidelines? It must include patient groups, recognised researchers, doctors who have had success treating patients. Not a repeat of the current fiasco.

We find it hard to believe that in the U.K., where we are privileged to receive outstanding healthcare via the NHS, that this could be the case. Mistreatment is much slicker and more implicit these days, after years of enforcing the lies, but it is still inexcusably cruel and unacceptable, even when delivered by unknowing professionals.

5. THE POWER IN THE WRONG HANDS HAS LED TO UNJUST TREATMENT AND ABUSE OF PATIENTS AND HARRASSMENT OF GENUINELY COMPASSIONATE DOCTORS AND SUCCESSFUL RESEARCHERS.

The psychiatrists who rule the ME narrative are part of the medical establishment and have so far been deemed untouchable in this debate. (Simon Wesley of Kings College London has even been chosen by Theresa May to lead an independent review of the Mental Health Act, received with much criticism by many professionals both in and outside of the ME community. ://www.thecanary.co/discovery/2017/10/18/dozens-leading-professionals-just-slammed-theresa-mays-controversial-new-mental-health-guru-letter/ )

This group of psychiatrists have also gained financially from advising the Department of Work and Pensions and insurance companies in how to treat ME sufferers (in summary, it’s not real, they can work if they choose, no benefits or insurance needed)

The DWP (who save millions with the help of this ‘fake illness’ standpoint) in return funded the psychiatrists’ £5million, highly flawed PACE trial, continuing a circle of gratuitous back scratching and neglect of sufferers.

They also have profound influence over the Science Media Centre, controlling the ongoing media trivialisation and the unhelpful, repeated ‘It may be real after all!’ headline, fueling the question mark over sufferers’ mental health for years and years, keeping the true devastation of ME hidden.

“They keep on recommending harmful treatments, based on manipulated trials, conducted by people with a conflict of interest” (Brenda Vreeswijk)

That’s why another project, the MAIMES campaign (Medical Abuse in ME sufferers) is so important. It is calling for a public enquiry to address this.

https://youtu.be/LasPOnRx1Ek

Here is a 10-minute clip by Dr Myhill, one of a handful of doctors in U.K., who has practiced outside “the narrow confines of conventional medicine” re ME, to “diagnose properly, establish underlying mechanisms and treat patients”. She’s been investigated more times than other any doctor, had her work sabotaged and eventually went into private practice, to allow her to continue to try to be effective in this field.

The Establishment’s main concern of Dr Myhill’s work was that “all of the patients appear to be improving and none are likely to complain about their treatment” * (internal GMC memo, 2006), which is really very illuminating!

Her refusal to abide by the non-successful, incorrect, gaslighting, psychological treatment guidelines caused much anger.

(* From Diagnosis and treatment of CFS and ME: it’s mitochondria, not hypochondria: Sarah Myhill)

Other doctors trying to help their ME patients, by following biomedical research and treating ME rightly as a physical disease, are often harassed, taken to court and/or have their licenses revoked.

Researchers have had their work shut down when they discover considerable evidence. The film ‘Forgotten Plague’ documents part of this story well. http://www.forgottenplague.com/

Grants applied for in the area of ME or CFS are routinely turned down and some of those who have been part of uncovering the PACE trial debacle were threatened not to report their findings by the medical establishment.

In order to see improvement in the treatment of ME, the current guidelines and most influential voices need to be removed from the very top, to make way for believing, scientifically based, concise responses.

Significant change will not happen any other way.

6. RESEARCH PROVES THE PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESS OF ME AND NEEDS MORE FUNDING

As stated above, there are over 8000 papers detailing the causes or abnormalities in ME. Some of these papers are decades old. As Nancy Klimas, from the Institute of Neuro-Immune Medicine, quotes in Unrest, very blatant signs of acquired immune deficiency were found in patients all the way back in the 1980’s. The evidence has always been there.

Other research is relatively new and still painfully underfunded.

Problems in energy production, inflammation, increased lactic acid production, ongoing infection, brain abnormalities or signs of brain injury, decreased blood volume, central nervous system dysfunction, cerebrospinal altercations, low cardiac output have all been found and that is a much shortened list.

So far, this research is side swept or too small, due to the lack of funding. Contrary to the Establishment’s psychiatrists who claim that ‘militant, angry, uncooperative patients’ scare researchers away, it is in fact the case that the biggest funds for ME/CFS research goes predominantly towards their own biopsychosocial model of work (with Esther Crawley apparently receiving the biggest grants for therapy trials such as the Lightning Process).

A lot of biomedical research is funded by patients themselves or fundraisers as they involve themselves in attempts to find answers.

Recently, the NIH has awarded four ME research centres in the U.S $7 million to further coordinate research. This is still a tiny amount considering the scale and severity of illness, but it is heading in the right direction. Sadly, it means noteworthy scientists such as Ron Davis still receive no grants for their potentially enlightening projects, which could lead to diagnostic tools and treatments. (Ron Davis now receives funding only via The Open Medicine Foundation, see link below) p>

https://www.healthrising.org/blog/2017/09/30/three-nih-funded-mecfs-research-centers-controversy/

There’s also been a 2.1 million investment from the US into UK research, looking at immune changes and genetic profiles.

More research is desperately, desperately needed to find the cause and to treat and cure ME.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/a-disease-that-cries-out-for-research-as-many-suffer_us_59970401e4b033e0fbdec35a

7. THE TRAGEDY OF ME OFTEN ENDS IN DEATH AND IS SHROUDED IN SECRECY

People do die from ME, either from organ failure, being left untreated, secondary causes that go unnoticed in the lack of care or from suicide.

Suicide is often the last resort of those left abandoned, without hope, stigmatised and destitute and has little to do with mental health. Many spend their life feeling they may die at any point. http://www.shoutoutaboutme.com/ab out-me/7293/

There are no official figures for deaths from ME, which in itself speaks of the neglect and disregard for human suffering in ME.

Carers of deceased ME sufferers have been threatened with action if they publicise biopsy results. Probably because they show the amount of physical suffering, infection, inflammation etc. etc. that is really present in ME. And that show some people die prematurely from ME without treatment.

http://www.ncf-net.org/forum/Autopsy.htm

On the same note, ME sufferers are not allowed to give blood, which is strange if I only think I’m ill due to my incorrect beliefs! Surely my blood is fine? This is likely due to there being much secrecy around outbreaks of ME, with links to possible airborne viruses or serious blood infections. You see, the truth about ME is really known at government level and has been buried for a long, long time in a huge and financially convenient cover up.

8. FAMILIES ARE TORN APART

Children with ME have been and still often are placed on child protection registers or removed from their homes due to the biopsychosocial model of ME. They are not believed, not heard and often damaged further, receiving little support as agencies, schools etc. are not taught how seriously ill they are. Parents are led to believe their child is lying or alternatively the parent is blamed for their perceived ill health.

There are hundreds of these cases. Jane Colby of the Tymes Trust explains the current challenges and specific mistreatment of children here: http://www.tymestrust.org/pdfs/childprotectionissues.pdf Adults have died after being forcibly removed, from their homes and sectioned into mental health institutions, where conditions and accusations exacerbate frail ME bodies.

Children have been bullied and abused, thrown into swimming pools to prove they’re faking illness, verbally insulted, hurled out of wheelchairs etc. etc. etc.

http://voicesfromtheshadowsfilm.co.uk/welcome/reflections/

9. THE PRICE OF ADVOCACY AND THE NEED FOR SUPPORT

Most advocacy is still done by ME sufferers themselves. For example, films like Unrest are funded by ME sufferers, petitions are organized by sufferers and research is often, at least in part, funded by them,

One key example is the Freedom of Information pursuits re the PACE trial which were initially undertaken by an M.E. sufferer, Allem Matthees, now bedridden still months and months later, due to the over exertion of attempting to see truth exposed. That act of advocacy saw much opposition to releasing the flawed data and has only been brought to light because of the initial request of that one courageous man (and followed by many other advocates) , leading to the NICE guidelines now being reviewed.

These are people desperate to live, trying to survive and be well, heard and no longer mistreated. They are not the abusive militants or the lazy miserable victims, refusing help that are so often depicted.

They, we, need other voices and other people who understand ME.

Who see the injustice and speak out and support their efforts.

There are people who have campaigned for years and years and years from their beds; people who have never recovered who keep fighting or who have tragically died in their 30’s and beyond, leaving behind legacies of fighting for their fellow sufferers; sufferers who used every last drop of strength to try to educate and help people and fellow sufferers understand the illness.

Jodi Bassett (http://www.hfme.org/abouthfme.htm ) and Emily Collinridge (http://www.severeme.info/about-emily.htm) are two such incredibly ill but brave,dedicated advocates, who both died in their 30’s and left behind valuable wealths of information.

10. IT REALLY IS TIME FOR UNREST

So many thousands of sufferers have lived through everything mentioned above.

And it is unacceptable and horrific to think of future generations suffering in the same way.

Indeed, if this was the case for another serious illness we understood better, it would have caused an outcry long, long ago. But that is historically how illnesses and diseases are treated until they’re understood.

This lack of recognition, this very suffocating, enforced encroaching of defiant dismissal, leaves patients without access to medical help-a very scary factor when you feel like you are totally obliterated; it leaves them isolated from society; it leaves sufferers so fragile they cannot see friends or tolerate life.

It depletes already sick bodies with piled-on blame, shame, constant explanations, constant appeals for medical help and worry. And it creates an ongoing exhausting, often non-sensical battle to try to somehow live, whilst simultaneously being told they don’t want to get well or didn’t try hard enough.

There are just Inexpressible amounts of grief, frustration, sorrow, loneliness and desperation in dealing with ME.

It will be a marvellous day when decades of advocacy taken on by ME sufferers themselves sparks a change; when it is recognised and treated so patients no longer must live through what is rightly called abuse and neglect.

When sufferers of ME can just use their little energy to just get well rather than fight for care because others have been exposed to the truth and fight on their behalf.

I think there is momentum right now to see this injustice smashed apart. But it still needs lots of information, educating and support.

Thanks for reading and supporting the cause. You can follow my ME ME ME Facebook page for more thoughts, stories and information here: https://m.facebook.com/MEMEMEwords/ And twitter: caro_gblom p>

More information and ways to support can be found here:

http://www.meaction.net/

http://www.meassociation.org.uk/

http://www.tymestrust.org/ (supporting children and their families with ME)

http://www.meresearch.org.uk/

www.investinme.org http://www.omf.ngo“>www.omf.ngo

#myalgicencephalomyelitis #ME #myalgicE #chronic illness #PACEtrial #MAIMES

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bizmediaweb · 5 years

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6 Ways to Boost Your Blog Traffic in the New Year

The post 6 Ways to Boost Your Blog Traffic in the New Year appeared first on ProBlogger.

This post is based on Episode 177 of the ProBlogger podcast.

Did your blog have a bit of a holiday slump?

Many bloggers find they lose momentum with their traffic in January. So if it happened to you, you’re not alone.

Your readers were probably online less than usual. A lot of my fellow Aussie bloggers struggle at this time of year because their readers are enjoying the beach or off on vacation.

You may have taken some time away from blogging as well to spend time with friends and family.

But now you’re back at your desk, and want to start working on your blog in earnest.

Today, we’ll be looking at six things you can do to boost your traffic and get it back to where it was (or perhaps even higher).

Tip #1: Focus on Creating Shareable Content

Head to BuzzSumo.com and type in your URL. You’ll discover what content from your site was shared the most during the previous year.

Look at the top three or four posts and ask yourself, “Could I repurpose that content into a different medium?”

Maybe you could turn a blog post into a video or a SlideShare presentation. Perhaps it could even become a podcast.

If something’s been shared a lot as a blog post, and you repurpose it into another type of content, chances are the new version will be shared a lot too.

Another question to ask is, “Could I update this?” Perhaps you could do a second post with a fresh take on that topic for the new year.

You could also ask yourself, “How could I apply this format to a new topic?” For instance, on Digital Photography School posts such as “21 Mistakes that Wedding Photographers Make” always do well. A post like that could be repurposed for a different part of our audience. How about “21 Mistakes that Travel Photographers Make”, for instance, or “21 Mistakes that Portrait Photographers Make”?

Other options are to do a roundup post (where you link to other people’s content on the topic, as well as your own), or even interview influencers in your niche about that topic.

Tip #2: Create a Highly Valuable ‘Mega Post’

On Digital Photography School, we sometimes publish what we call ‘mega posts’. These are long, in-depth posts that are often titled “The Ultimate Guide to…”

Here are a couple of examples:

The Ultimate Guide to Nature and Outdoor Photography

The dPS Ultimate Guide to Landscape Photography

With these posts we choose one of our categories (e.g. “landscape photography”) and put together a 5,000–7,000-word post that covers the area in depth. They take a lot of time and effort, but they get shared a lot.

Along with the post, we normally create an email opt-in where readers can enter their email address to get a downloadable version of the post. So these posts also help us grow our email list.

To make the most of the time you invest in creating mega posts, you might also want to turn them into an autoresponder series or a free online course. You could also repurpose the content for SlideShare or for videos.

Tip #3: Create a Series of Blog Posts

Another great way to build momentum is to run some kind of event or project on your site. An ongoing series of blog posts – particularly one that addresses a core problem your readers want to tackle or a goal they want to reach – can really build excitement and anticipation.

Announce the series to your readers, and explain what’s coming up. This gives them a reason to subscribe and keep coming back to your blog.

You might even want to build some sort of challenge into your series. This gets your readers not just reading your content but also taking some action. I first did this with the “31 Days to Build a Better Blog” series, which gave readers a little bit of homework each day.

Getting readers to engage and participate can really build a sense of energy around your blog. And it can help you grow your traffic a lot.

During the series, you may want to publish content more frequently than usual. When I ran the “Find Your Blogging Groove Challenge” on the ProBlogger podcast, I did a week of daily shows (instead of publishing two shows a week). Each day there was a little bit of teaching and a challenge. This resulted in a huge increase to our download numbers during that week. And even when I returned to the normal frequency, the numbers were still higher than they were beforehand.

Tip #4: Create Guest Content in Other Places Online

You’ve probably come across the idea of “guest blogging” before. But guest content can encompass a lot more than just blog posts (though those are still well worth doing).

Your guest content could include:

Being interviewed as a guest on someone else’s podcast. (Here are some tips on how to pitch yourself as a guest.)

Taking part in an organised Twitter chat, perhaps as a guest or the main interviewee.

With all of these, you’re adding value to someone else’s blog or podcast. And in return you get to borrow their audience and profile.

You can find more about these ideas and others in Episode 37 of the ProBlogger podcast.

Tip #5: Warm Up Your Email List

Sometimes our traffic drops off because our email list activity has also dropped off. If you haven’t sent an email to your list recently (or you’ve only been sending promotional emails), send them something useful.

For example, you could answer some frequently asked questions you get. Or you could write a short article that tackles a particular problem your readers may have.

Another good thing to do here is to update your autoresponder sequence (a sequence of emails that go out automatically to new subscribers). They can easily become dated over time, and refreshing them to highlight your best recent content can really help drive traffic.

You can learn more about autoresponders in Episode 70 of the podcast.

Tip #6: Pick a Fight (Yes, Really!)

Name something big you want to attack as a community, and announce it to your readers.

I’m not suggesting you pick a fight with another person, or that you pick a fight for the sake of being controversial. Instead, choose something you’re going to be passionate about during the next few weeks or months. Something you want to take a stand on.

It might be tied in with a series of posts you’re writing. For instance, I was talking to a blogger who writes about fashion for mums, and she’d decided to write a post each month on the topic of body image to help readers think more positively about it.

Fights can be positive. By giving your readers something to rally around, something to believe in, you can really build momentum on your site.

Any one of these things could get your traffic out of a slump. And if you can do several of them, you’ll hopefully give your site a real boost, creating energy and anticipation among your readers.

If you try any of these – or something else completely – to grow your traffic, leave a comment below to tell us how you got on.

Image Credit: SpaceX

The post 6 Ways to Boost Your Blog Traffic in the New Year appeared first on ProBlogger.

6 Ways to Boost Your Blog Traffic in the New Year published first on https://themarketingheaven.tumblr.com/

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simplemlmsponsoring · 5 years

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6 Ways to Boost Your Blog Traffic in the New Year

The post 6 Ways to Boost Your Blog Traffic in the New Year appeared first on ProBlogger.

This post is based on Episode 177 of the ProBlogger podcast.

Did your blog have a bit of a holiday slump?

Many bloggers find they lose momentum with their traffic in January. So if it happened to you, you’re not alone.

Your readers were probably online less than usual. A lot of my fellow Aussie bloggers struggle at this time of year because their readers are enjoying the beach or off on vacation.

You may have taken some time away from blogging as well to spend time with friends and family.

But now you’re back at your desk, and want to start working on your blog in earnest.

Today, we’ll be looking at six things you can do to boost your traffic and get it back to where it was (or perhaps even higher).

Tip #1: Focus on Creating Shareable Content

Head to BuzzSumo.com and type in your URL. You’ll discover what content from your site was shared the most during the previous year.

Look at the top three or four posts and ask yourself, “Could I repurpose that content into a different medium?”

Maybe you could turn a blog post into a video or a SlideShare presentation. Perhaps it could even become a podcast.

If something’s been shared a lot as a blog post, and you repurpose it into another type of content, chances are the new version will be shared a lot too.

Another question to ask is, “Could I update this?” Perhaps you could do a second post with a fresh take on that topic for the new year.

Other options are to do a roundup post (where you link to other people’s content on the topic, as well as your own), or even interview influencers in your niche about that topic.

Tip #2: Create a Highly Valuable ‘Mega Post’

On Digital Photography School, we sometimes publish what we call ‘mega posts’. These are long, in-depth posts that are often titled “The Ultimate Guide to…”

Here are a couple of examples:

The Ultimate Guide to Nature and Outdoor Photography The dPS Ultimate Guide to Landscape Photography

Along with the post, we normally create an email opt-in where readers can enter their email address to get a downloadable version of the post. So these posts also help us grow our email list.

Tip #3: Create a Series of Blog Posts

Announce the series to your readers, and explain what’s coming up. This gives them a reason to subscribe and keep coming back to your blog.

Getting readers to engage and participate can really build a sense of energy around your blog. And it can help you grow your traffic a lot.

Tip #4: Create Guest Content in Other Places Online

You’ve probably come across the idea of “guest blogging” before. But guest content can encompass a lot more than just blog posts (though those are still well worth doing).

Your guest content could include:

Answering questions in Facebook groups relevant to your blog (without spamming or being overly self-promotional). People in the group will see how useful your answers are, and this will naturally drive traffic to your site. Being interviewed as a guest on someone else’s podcast. (Here are some tips on how to pitch yourself as a guest.) Taking part in an organised Twitter chat, perhaps as a guest or the main interviewee.

With all of these, you’re adding value to someone else’s blog or podcast. And in return you get to borrow their audience and profile.

You can find more about these ideas and others in Episode 37 of the ProBlogger podcast.

Tip #5: Warm Up Your Email List

For example, you could answer some frequently asked questions you get. Or you could write a short article that tackles a particular problem your readers may have.

You can learn more about autoresponders in Episode 70 of the podcast.

Tip #6: Pick a Fight (Yes, Really!)

Name something big you want to attack as a community, and announce it to your readers.

Fights can be positive. By giving your readers something to rally around, something to believe in, you can really build momentum on your site.

Any one of these things could get your traffic out of a slump. And if you can do several of them, you’ll hopefully give your site a real boost, creating energy and anticipation among your readers.

If you try any of these – or something else completely – to grow your traffic, leave a comment below to tell us how you got on.

Image Credit: SpaceX

The post 6 Ways to Boost Your Blog Traffic in the New Year appeared first on ProBlogger.