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T.William Wallin interviews College of the Redwoods Pelican Bay Scholars Program student Troy Swan on Thursday, May 2. | Photo by Tory Eagles
T.William Wallin interviews College of the Redwoods Pelican Bay Scholars Program student Troy Swan on Thursday, May 2. | Photo by Tory Eagles

Scholars within the walls of Pelican Bay

College of the Redwoods biology professor helps students at Pelican Bay earn their Associate Degree for Transfer

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College of the Redwoods biology professor helps students at Pelican Bay earn their Associate Degree for Transfer

On a Thursday evening a California golden-hued sunset blankets the far north Pacific coast region where Christopher Callahan tells his students to tend to their plants. His students are checking Ph levels, adding fertilizer and formulating a hypothesis for a controlled experiment.

Like any other science classroom, the walls are covered in posters with the periodic table of the elements, the genetic codon chart and a display of eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell breakdown. The only difference with Callahan’s classroom is his students are wearing light blue loose-fitting jump suits with CDCR block lettering on the back, a handful are blasted head-to-toe with tattoos and a corrections officer paces down the hall every so often. Callahan teaches inside Pelican Bay State Prison and his students are inmates enrolled in the College of the Redwoods’ Pelican Bay Scholars Program.

Christopher Callahan answers questions regarding the difference between seals and sea lions for students Marcus Benavidez and Jose Catalan. | Photo by T.William Wallin

“Teaching in this environment is going back to the basics for me,” Callahan said of what it’s like to teach inside a prison. “The [students] come with a certain engagement I don’t see in regular college classes.”

Callahan always refers to the individuals in his class as students, because that’s what they are. He said they may be in prison, but inside the classroom they are college students getting an education with a strong sense of enthusiasm.

On this particular Thursday evening Callahan is teaching Bio 1, a transferable biology class with a lab on the B yard, which is a level 4 restrictive level housing unit. It’s locked down most of the day and there is no inmate control over the locking of doors.

Having transferable biology courses on a level 4 yard is a big deal, not only for Pelican Bay but for any prison. Callahan said this is a huge accomplishment. An entire summer was spent designing the lab course and getting equipment together which had slight modifications, like replacing glass beakers with plastic ones. Everything Callahan wanted to do was approved by the warden with relative ease.

Biology professor Christopher Callahan’s Bio 1 class is exactly the same model as it is at College the Redwoods. The class items are slightly modified but students are still able to use microscopes. | Photo by T.William Wallin

“My reasoning is to start at level 4 because if you can implement it there then you can implement at level 2,” Callahan said. “Pelican Bay has a reputation as the worst of the worst and if we can do these programs there they can be done anywhere. Pelican Bay can be a model for prisons nation-wide.”

Callahan is right. Pelican Bay is the nation’s only supermax state prison. Its purpose when built in 1989 was to house California’s most violent male prisoners. It was notorious for the lowest of the low, but that’s changing.

After hunger strikes in 2011 and 2013, the Center for Constitutional Rights won a lawsuit against Pelican Bay that forced the state of California to end its unlimited isolation policy. Before the lawsuit inmates were spending decades in Solitary Housing Units, or SHU. Today half of the building that contained SHU was knocked down and re-purposed for a lower-custody level 2 housing unit where Callahan also teaches a marine mammal biology class.

In 2015 College of the Redwoods implemented a program for inmates to earn their Associate Degree for Transfer while serving time. Callahan was quick to mention most people in prison will be released at some point, so programs like the Pelican Bay Scholars Program are important because they help reduce recidivism rates.

“All of the courses we teach there are existing courses at the Eureka and Del Norte campus,” Callahan said. “Some modifications are made but we just implement whats already there. It’s as if we were teaching on a regular community college campus.”

Biology professor Christopher Callahan brings in BBC documentaries narrated by David Attenborough for his biology class at Pelican Bay State Prison. | Photo by T.William Wallin

David Nguyen, a student of Callahan’s, agrees with this and feels like he’s on a college campus when in class. Nguyen transferred to Pelican Bay from High Desert Prison in 2011 and every year requested to be sent to another prison. That was until 2015 when he joined the first pilot class of the Pelican Bay Scholars Program. Now he is one of the first students to graduate from the program and earn his Associate Degree for Transfer.

“I didn’t want to be here at all but then I started college and I requested to stay for once,” Nguyen said. “This is a real class room experience and I had to take advantage of that.”

Getting to graduate almost didn’t happen for Nguyen though. In the beginning of the semester he was supposed to be transferred to a lower level yard but instead he requested to stay at a higher secured level so he could finish school. Transferring yards would have meant his schedule would change and he couldn’t take the necessary courses to graduate.

“There was a day when I was walking through campus and forgot I was in prison,” Nguyen said. “I looked around and said to myself, ‘I’m a student right now’.”

In Nguyen’s experience the program is changing the culture of Pelican Bay. With around 300 students enrolled, different races and gangs are starting to interact with one another and even study together, something that just wasn’t possible before.

“Some people are changing their lives around,” Nguyen said. “A lot of people have been rehabilitated here.

Nguyen is one of those people. He chooses his words carefully and is meticulous in his speech. Nguyen carries with him a type of ivy league school confidence you wouldn’t expect in prison, and it shows in his writing. He recently created ‘The Pelican’ with other students, an informational newsletter that circulates within the prison’s walls.

Pelican Bay Scholars Program students test experiments on their plants during their transferable Bio 1 class. Having a biology class with a lab on level 4 yard is an accomplishment for any prison. | Photo by T.William Wallin

Nguyen glows when he talks about school. He said students grow plants, pollinate them with Q-tips, take measurements of different liquids like nitrogen and phosphate and learn about male and female reproductive systems. They even use microscopes to look at dividing cells in sperm, testes and ovaries.

“We’re learning the scientific method, how to hypothesize and see if we reject it or accept it,” Nguyen said. “I’m a science dude, I love this stuff. When we do labs most students get woke real quick.”

This is the type of feeling Callahan got when he was a student. Callahan is so invested he even scheduled this course at night because he wanted to allow his working students fit the class in their schedules.

“Biology is hands-on and for them that’s totally different because all other college classes like history or business are not hands-on,” Callahan said. “To experience this is not like any other course. Its catching momentum on the yard.”

Even though it doesn’t have a lab, his lower security level 2 D-yard marine mammal biology course is integrated with hands on activities. Callahan brings in porpoise skulls, dolphin bones, whale baleen, krill in a jar, sperm whale teeth and plenty of documentaries narrated by David Attenborough, which captivate the students and boost their engagement.

One of the students is Marcus Benavidez, who is set to be paroled in a month. Benavidez is taking with him 30 transferable credits to Riverside City College in southern California.

Like Nguyen, Benavidez has been in the program since the first semester. Benavidez has a slow drawl, faded tattoos on his forehead and a huge embracing smile. He is optimistic with the pace he set for himself and said he was “half way to the finish line.” Benavidez never imagined he would come to prison and get to earn a college degree.

Pelican Bay Scholars Program students log in the results of their experiments on their plants for Bio 1 class. | Photo by T.William Wallin

“I was in the SHU for a few years and when I was sent back I was told people in CR wanted to see if I was interested in classes they were offering,” Benavidez said. “I went to one class and was hooked. The next semester was more classes and it just kept rolling and now I’m at the half-way point.”

Benavidez said he loses interest easily but Callahan keeps his classes fresh. Benavidez went into marine mammal biology skeptical but by the end of the course, it was one of his favorites. He said Callahan was a great instructor and admitted he is a little envious about leaving because won’t be able to graduate in the program.

“I feel like a student, they treat us like students,” Benavidez said. “Once I get out of my building and come to class I am a student, it doesn’t matter that I’m in Pelican Bay.”

Always up for a challenge, Callahan is currently designing more classes for the future. He said next year there will be another biology course taught, making Pelican Bay the only prison in the CDCR system to offer three. It will be a botany course, which Callahan said was inspired by the Pelican Bay Garden Club. With the addition of this class a science exploration degree will be possible.

“The course will be Plants and People, and we will grow veggies and plants,” Callahan said. “When you go to college you take courses that are of interest to you. I always encourage my students to follow their passion.”

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  1. Cholland Cholland Wednesday, May 8, 2019

    I teach at Pelican Bay, and he’s right about the high level of engagement.

  2. Yolanda Arce Yolanda Arce Saturday, January 4, 2020

    This article is very interesting, thank you for teaching at Pelican Bay State Prison How does one apply for this class in D yard? I am going to bring it to my loved ones attention. How is it decided which classes will be offered? My loved one and other inmates would benefit from a class offered on passing the SAT test.

    Thank you,

    Yolanda Arce

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Shave your head

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We’ve all had a troubling year, that’s for sure. Probably so much so that you’d want to rip your hair out or better yet, shave it all off. I believe that everyone should shave their head at least once in their life. I can tell you from first-hand experience that shaving your head is an absolute thrill of a journey.

I never liked my hair growing up. I was the only one in my family that had kinky curls besides my aunt. No one knew how to care for my hair when I was little, especially me. My dad certainly tried, even though he left my head throbbing after putting it in tight ponytails every morning before elementary school. When I reached middle school I decided to take things into my own hands, but it was always a lot of work. I couldn’t manage it and I never knew how to properly care for it, so I’d always try to change it. From constantly straightening my hair since middle school along with using relaxers and bleach, I left my hair completely damaged over the years. I just felt like with my hair in its natural state, I never fit in, and this insecurity didn’t get any better during high school. Every day I would try to tame the beast, as a consequence I ended up being more frustrated with my head of hair. Even when I straightened it, as much as I did, it looked terrible.

Finally, during my second year in college, constantly hating my hair, I thought to myself, “why not shave it all off?” I remember watching countless amounts of YouTube videos of people shaving their head. Everyone that I watched had glorious big manes and waist long hair, but they too decided it was time for a change. As a result, they were truly happy with the outcome.

The day I shaved my head, I was in my living room surrounded by my closest friends and roommate. The night was filled with excitement, support, and plenty of screams were shared all around. Once one of my friends took the razor and shaved off my first chunk of hair I knew there was no going back… and I loved it. Everyone in the room took a turn shaving my head. It was possibly one of the greatest moments of my life. Each shave felt like a weight being taken off of my shoulders, literally. Once it was all done, I felt so light and free.

We all have ways of choosing to express ourselves, and hair is one of them. It’s an important part of how we show who we are and what we choose to show those around us. I didn’t learn this until shaving my head. Instead of embracing how different mine was, I always tried too hard to make it fit in.

A few things that I absolutely adored about having a shaved head is that:

1. You don’t have to spend time thinking about how you want to style it, and then spend even more time trying to get it styled that certain way. Trust me, your arms will appreciate it.

2. You spend less money on hair products because you don’t have any hair to use them. Again, trust me, your bank account will definitely appreciate somewhat of a break.

3. Showers are quick and easy. Plus, the water feels fantastic on your scalp.

4. You get to truly see your face for what it is and embrace all your little features without having to hide them behind your hair.

5. Your new growth is incredibly healthy.

6. Every phase of length is new and different. This gives you every opportunity to try out new styles that you wouldn’t have before. You get to truly express yourself in more ways than one.

7. If you are someone like me who struggled to actually like your hair, you realize that once it starts growing back. You cherish every moment each little inch starts to grow

Your hair is your own affair, you get to choose whatever you want to do with it. What shaving my hair has taught me, is that you have to take care of it, like it’s your own little plant, growing everyday with the right amount of care. Taking time to care for your hair, is like taking time to care for yourself. Most importantly, shaving my head taught me how to really love myself and my hair. It gave me the courage that I thought I never had, the confidence that I always held back, and the hope for an amazing change that I never thought possible. A lot of us desire change and new beginnings, so why not start with something extremely big yet so simple? I say, shave your head!

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About Me

Alexa, a Caucasian adult female with shoulder-length blonde wavy hair, smiles in front of a colorful bookshelf.

Hello, lymphies! My name is Alexa Ercolano, and I have primary lymphedema in my right leg.

In 2011, I created this blog as a way to cope with my diagnosis; today, it’s evolved into a means to educate, connect, and support lymphedema patients and advocates across the globe. It’s also a means of spreading awareness of lymphedema to those who maybe aren’t so aware, with the hope that one day no one will go without treatment or care simply due to lack of awareness.

My lymphedema story

I’ve had symptoms of lymphedema since I was an infant, and although my parents took me to a number of doctors and specialists, no one knew why my leg was swollen or what to do about it. This lack of information and awareness turned into almost fifteen years of my living with untreated, undiagnosed lymphedema.

Before my diagnosis (and even for a few years after), I used to think my lymphedema was secondary: I had corrective casts on my legs when I was an infant, so I assumed one had been applied too tightly, thus damaging the lymphatic system in my right leg.

Today, my lymphedema therapist believes my lymphedema may actually be primary. Because I went so long without a diagnosis, however, we just don’t know for sure how I developed my lymphedema or whether it’s primary or secondary.

The ambiguity and lack of answers are, unfortunately, a frustrating and common reality for many of us living with lymphedema. But I believe we can change that together: we are our own best advocates, after all.

If you have any questions about me or the blog, please check out my FAQ page. You can also send me an email using the contact form.

A Quick Note

Although I’m pretty knowledgeable about the feelings that come along with having this disease, I’m by no means an expert on lymphedema — I am not a doctor. If you are seeking medical advice, please consult your doctor or lymphedema therapist pronto.

Interviews, Conversations, and Presentations

Get to know me further! Check out some interviews and presentations I’ve done over the years:

The Lymphie Life® and “Stay elevated.”® are both registered trademarks of Alexa Ercolano. All rights reserved.

36 comments on “About Me

  1. Allyson Hannah

    I’m 16 and I’ve also had lymphedema since I was an infant. I was born with it in my left leg. I’m really happy to find you. I understand everything you said about how little things like finding shows turn into a big issue. I always hate when dances come around and I never go because I feel too exposed in a dress with my leg showing. I can’t talk to anyone about it. I also hate how I’m always having to explain it to people, or if I ever find a guy I really like before we go anywhere with our relationship I have to tell him about this condition that no one has even ever heard of. It’s lonely. But I’m working through it. Thats way cool that you made a blog about it. Well talk to you later :)

    • Hey, Allyson!
      I’m so glad you found the blog, and I hope you comment on it often :) I hate how lonesome and isolated this condition makes us feel, which is why I made the blog – so those of us with it can feel less lonely, and realize that there are so many of us out there and we just don’t know it!
      I’m sorry you have this condition, but hopefully we can all help each other feel a little less alone and a lot more positive about ourselves, now that we’ve found each other!
      Be well <3

  2. Amy_God's Chosen

    Hello to all who have come across this blog and suffer from lymphedema. Alexa I must say I am grateful to you for starting this and I am especially grateful to have found it. I got lymphedema when I was a sophomore in high school but was never officially diagnosed with it until I was a freshman in college. Part of what makes this so frustrating for me is that I don’t know what caused mine. I woke up one morning and BAM permanent swelling for the rest of my life. I have not had injuries or radiation from any kind of cancer so the questions still linger for me as to why and how. I can relate to the feelings of loneliness and the frustration of trying to explain to people who have never heard. I am not comfortable wearing shorts or dresses in public and it breaks my heart that I am limited because of this insecurity. I hope that one day awareness is made and we can continue this fight. and to the ones who have already expressed concerns here on this blog remember we are no longer alone! :) I hope others venture their way here and we can continue to encourage one another! Thanks for it all!

  3. Amy, what kind words! Thank you so much, and I’m glad you found the site :)

    I’m sorry that you have to deal with lymphedema – it’s something that no one should have to suffer with. The hyper-awareness it brings to ourselves and our body image is sometimes unbearable and oftentimes exhausting, especially when you feel like you’re going through it alone. However, I DO believe it makes us that much stronger. We live in a world where there is hardly any awareness of our disease – even in some medical communities! – and we have to keep fighting for ourselves and our health because there aren’t many people out there who are fighting for us.

    Be well, and come back often! <3

  4. Jim Hughson

    Hi Alexa. Nice to find your website and blog. I’m a new lymphie at 67. The lymph nodes in my right groin were removed because they were swollen and then were found to be cancerous. (I learned a new phrase: ‘excise biopsy,’ where the organ is removed first, and then the reason is determined afterwards.) So now I have lymphedema in my right leg. I was getting pretty bummed because simple management seemed to be a loosing game as the lymphedema is spreading. So I finally decided to take some action: first research, especially about nutrition. Now I am going to look into acupuncture and/or Ayurvedic medicine. Acupuncture and Chinese herbs did what Western medicine could not several years ago when I had chronic fatigue. BTW, Ayurveda is the (eastern) Indian ancient form of medicine and diet is a major part of it. I will let you know if there are any significant developments.

  5. Hello Alexa, my name is melanie, I am a 33 canadian women with primary limphedema in both of my legs. It is so refreshing to find someone like you who talks about lymphedema. We have all a story to tell and I feel that with you, here on your blog, we are not alone :) thank you for sharing all your moments with us!!!

  6. Found this like via Facebook and already don’t feel quite so alone. I am 42 and the end of last year, I was diagnosed with Lymphedema. I guess I am pretty blessed since it appear that It has been caught early as really the only signs were painless swollen ankles and constant painful feet on walking long distances and my legs looking pretty much like they had been punched constantly. Doctor said it was just bad circulation and it was only at my insistance on being looked at by the right people; that he told me the bad news. I am afraid that I broke down into tears as I saw my sexuality disappear! Thankfully, (I live in France), they make super sexy compression stockings and lol even my sister – who expected really horrible brown/biege colour, was astounded with how fantastic they look. My big issue really is the heat and I am afraid I am naughty in that I don’t wear them when too hot, but find I have to raise my feet and actually see the swelling around my ankles calm down, so really I am one of the lucky ones in that my legs look normal and can wear dresses and skirts still, but I do confess to suffering from vanity and am ashamed of the colour of my legs!!

    • I’m really glad you found the site, Suzanne! You’re never alone, despite it seeming that way. Lymphedema can be such a lonely disease – it makes you isolate away from others, and you rarely meet other people who have it. But you have now, hooray!

      It sounds like you’ve got a healthy outlook towards your legs (and your sexy compression stockings probably help that, too)! I hope you keep that up, because that’s almost as important as wearing your garments :)

    • What caused your lymphedema Suzanne?

  7. erma vance

    Hello! Alexa,

    Thank you! for starting this blog. I’m a 55yr. old African-American woman with lymphedema. I’ve had it ever since I was nine years old. It runs on my mom side of the family, she has it, her mother had it and so did my aunt. I had the dye test when I was young to find out why the swelling in my foot didn’t go down when I sprained it playing at school. It’s so nice to find others who are have lymphedema and all the information on the internet to help us with this.

    We can share all our information and finding about this disease. I find now since I’ve gained so much weight and the foods I eat make me feel sluggish. I want start a better diet especially lighter food and I will invest in that “Nutribullet” to make healthy fruit & veggie drinks. Also I join “CURVES” to helped with my circulation and health.

    • Hi, Erma!

      I’m so glad you found the Lymphie Life. It sounds like you’re being very proactive in taking care of yourself by watching your health and weight – that’s wonderful! I wish you all the best and you’re welcome to keep us posted on how things are working out for you!

  8. I enjoy you because of your whole work on this blog. Gloria delights in doing investigation and it is easy to see why. Many of us hear all concerning the compelling way you offer practical guides through your blog and even welcome response from other people about this area then our own girl is becoming educated a great deal. Take pleasure in the rest of the year. You are always carrying out a useful job.

  9. I am so happy to find your blog. I, too, have lymphedema in my right leg. Mine was caused when my knee hit the dashboard in an auto accident. I have been searching for alternatives to the heavy, bulky, hot, and flat out boring compression garments they keep putting me in. So if you find anything, let me know!

  10. Theresa Ferguson

    I am a breast cancer surviver and have lymphemdema. It is so hard to find thing about it or people who even know about it. I have learned most of what I know by looking it up on the web. I wear a sleeve every night to bed in call it my oven mitt. Thanks for being here.

  11. Howdy just wanted to give you a brief heads up and let
    you know a few of the pictures aren’t loading correctly.

    I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue.
    I’ve tried it in two different internet browsers and both show the same

  12. I had a uterine cancer removed last year, and as part of that procedure, my entire right side groin lymph nodes were taken (they did not need to be! – but nobody cared to do enough research/exams/cure, and that’s what saddens me, i.e. surgeries prevail in the US over cure). So, as the result of that and a severe flu this year, I got a right side (groin- leg) lymphedema. It is not as noticeable for others, but for me is a great deal!

    Therefore, I am so happy finding you, sisters in suffering through this problem, and keeping positive. I am especially content to meet here people from different countries. I am originally from Ukraine (Donetsk, in fact!) and have been living in the US for the past 20 years now…..

    I love all of you, my lymphie- new sisters, and wish you the best of improvement in your condition!

  13. I’m a 58 yr old mom of 4 who was just diagnosed with primary lymph…just left foot and ankle. It’s been 1 year since I went through massage tx and learned to wrap and wear compression stockings. The harder thing is that my youngest child – 17 yr old Maria – was just diagnosed with the same thing. For her it’s both feet and ankles (even calves)…she hasn’t started Lymphatic massage yet (there’s only 1 OT in our area who does it and a looooong waiting list), but I feel very sad for her. No more skinny jeans, no more long jeans in general and she’s not a skirt/dress girl…she’s quiet and embarrassed about how big her feet are. Does anyone have advice on teen clothing and shoes? She will be working this summer in a clothing shop…what can she wear that will cover her legs up?
    Me – I am past all that and have no issues with the stockings…except that I would like to paint the stockings but have no idea if the material will take fabric paint. Has anyone tried it?
    Thank you for your help!!

  14. Jennifer A

    Hi there. Lived your coverage of Isa-bella! My daughter has Parkes Weber Syndrome as well, but we are unaware of any lymphedema aspects (as of yet?). Just starting this journey & have reached out to Isa-Bella as well.
    Take Care.

  15. Hi,
    I was diagnosed with Lympedrma last year. About 3 yrs ago I noticed my ankle was swollen and it lasted about 2 weeks. It would come and go and I was told that maybe it was the heat but after a few Dr visits I was finally referred to a specialist that diagnosed me with Lymphedma. I had cancer at 21 and had a hysterectomy, That was 21 yrs ago and here are the results of that now. I cried in the car after I was diagnosed because I felt like, why me???? I have to wrap my leg every night and in the mornings the swelling goes down significantly or is gone but it starts to swell during the day, especially if I have shoes with straps or even ankle socks will make it worse. No one really notices unless I point it out but sometimes I feel like EVERYONE is just focusing on my leg and it makes me feel very self conscious. I’ve tried taking vitamins but they make me feel sick, I got tired of juicing and now I soley rely on the wraps.
    Thanks for starting the blog, finally people that could relate to what I’m going through.

  16. Susan Embrey

    Hello, my name is Susan. I am 62 years old. When I was 25, I developed a myoleiosarcoma in my right leg. I underwent cobalt radiation at the City of Hope for six weeks. It left a severe burn under my right butt cheek but, otherwise, no ill effects. When I was 32, I began to develop some swelling around my right knee and ankle but, elevating my leg over above my heart would bring relief. No problems, really until I turned 48. I was always very active, skiing, scuba, golf…and on a hike, without proper shoes(!), I cut my heel on my right foot. I developed a severe case of cellulitis that put me in intensive care. My leg swelled and never really decreased much in size after this. This was the first time I heard the word lymphedema. Learning leg wrapping, getting fittings for heavy duty compression stockings and learning how to massage and exercise my leg was, truthfully, depressing. I was a high school biology teacher. I remember starting the school year, that year, (2001) with my leg all wrapped up like a huge tree trunk. But, teaching biology, I was able to turn it into a ‘teachable moment. As time went on, it felt like the muscle in my foot was shrinking. It didn’t seem to sit flat on the floor any more and I developed a small limp. Pins and needles were also aggravating. Between 2001 and 2005, I had cellulitis 4 times, once from a blister on my foot, once from a cat scratch on my leg, once from scratching a mosquito bite and, I forget what else. Over time, I began to lose balance and fall more frequently. In 2007, I slipped and broke my femur in my right leg. I had a titanium rod put in place. As a result of the radiation, the bone had osteoporosis, the nerves (fried) and muscle had atrophied and my lymphedema was more severe. In 2011, the rod in my leg became infected. It was difficult, for who knows what reason, to diagnose. After a painful year of not walking, UCLA finally diagnosed it but, by then, I needed a total hip replacement. I was very worried but, it all worked out fine. It may seem from reading the history of my journey with cancer, lymphedema, etc., that it’s been a not so happy life. But, that’s not true. I have always been most grateful that I still have my leg, that I can still walk on my own two feet and I’ll be darned if it’s going to keep me from doing what I want to do. I have a great husband, of 35 years, who is probably the main reason for that. So, I think having someone who understands you, supports you, encourages you and, is willing to listen when you’re frustrated, is a great asset. I put on my compression stocking every day, before I get out of bed. I wear it all day. I have a compression pump I use for an hour every evening. I take walks twice a day and do chair yoga 3 times a week. I used to swim 3 times a week but, stopped when I got that infection. It did help and I do plan on getting back into it. My leg does tire easily, I can’t clean my whole house in one day, anymore. And, standing in once place for more than 15 minutes is, literally, a pain. But, I guess my biggest gripe is not being able to wear shorts, skirts, leggings, etc. I could, I guess, but I won’t. My pants just don’t fit correctly, wide legs are the norm, now. But, the older you get, the more you realise almost everyone you know has something to complain about. The idea is to keep moving forward, keep putting yourself out there and try to find joy every where you can. Keep moving.

  17. Hi Alexa! I too am happy to have found this site. I’m 56 and have secondary lymph since 2006. I had a hysterectomy which involved the removal of 50 lymph nodes. I was fortunate to not have cancer. But I wasn’t fortunate enough to have a doctor who would be conservative in his removal of nodes. Especially when I had not been diagnosed with cancer. He did tell me that I might get a “puffy” leg post op. He wasn’t kidding. By 2011, my leg blew up. My family doctor knew exactly what I had, but could offer no help other than stockings. I didn’t return to the OB/Gyn as I felt he’d done enough. I found out later that he is know as “the Butcher,” in Grand Rapids. After some searching, I found a lymphedema clinic in GR! The doctor looked at me and said that I had been, “harrisonized.” He had seen this condition before, many times, from the same doctor. I only mention this as I often share with women, to be diligent in their search for knowledge about hysterectomies. Long story short, I’ve had two surgeries since then. The surgery that was successful was a lymph node transfer performed in Chicago. I have since lost over 3000ml of volume in my leg. I still remain bound by my stocking, pumps and wraps. I have been blessed with the ability to move, stand, and squat. I was also blessed with the ability to take care of my mother. You see, as I was battling my condition, she remained my greatest fan. And then, at the age of 82, she became paralyzed as the result of a hospital’s mistake. She went in for a simply laminectomy and ended up paralyzed the next day. My life changed dramatically. I now found myself driving 3 hours to see her weekly. My pump ALWAYS in tow. And every time I would pump in front of mother, she would tell me how upset she was with the doctor. She was so concerned about me and my health, and she’s sitting in a wheelchair. Her life had been ripped away. Her home, gone. Her winters in Florida, gone. Bathing on her own, dignity, gone. There was never any room in my life to complain. Life with Mother was nothing short of love, laughter and great conversations. For four years, I would continue my trek. Often times hating the packing of pump and wraps. So inconvenient and just a pain. And always at the other end, was the smile that kept me going. Mother passed away in June of 2017. Myself, my 6 sibs and and numerous nieces and nephews surrounded her, all totallying to 52 loved ones. How grateful I was to simply be able to bend my leg and sit on her bed. That I could sit with her all night and not have my leg burn and swell as the evening would turn into day. The way in which my mother handled her situation, gave me clarity into how I see mine. And how I see others. I finally went back to a new therapist who helped me get the swelling down in my groin. Four years of driving and sitting in a nursing home took a bit of a toll. My heart aches at what my mother had to endure. The small silver lining is that my condition took me out of the workforce. I was able to be there for, and with her. There just wasn’t better person than her, to share my struggles, laughs, anger, tears and joy. She was a great mentor, confidante, mother and disability buddy! To the many of you whose stories I’ve read, I wish you all the blessings of health and comfort. This lymphie this is a bitch!

  18. I was just diagnosed yesterday and it has been a godsend to find your blog. Like you I’ve had symptoms from birth in both legs and I have gone 26 years without diagnosis or treatment. I look forward to visiting your blog over and over as I navigate this new terrain. I’m scared to death and extremely sad but glad I’m not alone

  19. Jackie Smith

    I’ve been fighting for a diagnosis for nearly a year, my feet and legs so swollen they’re almost unrecognizable. I have a huge hard swelling at the back of my left thigh and because of where I live and the condition not being taken seriously it took me a further 3 months to attend a nhs clinic ran by just two nurses. I was given knee high compression stockings but now the swelling in the back of my left thigh is so hard and it’s enormous and so hard,I’m being offered nothing else. I have quite severe arthritis and now can’t get around at all as the extra weight on my joints make it so painful. Can anyone please help with advice as to which direction I should be heading in because I seem at a loss. Good to read the posts and know I’m not alone .

    • Patricia Sifia

      I just stumbled on this blog and was very interested in reading everybody’s condition. I have been treating lymphedema in my right leg for over 35 years and I have never met one person in all my years that had it. I have gone to many doctors vascular heart doctors and nobody seems to really know much about it 20 years ago I read about this Dr. Lerner in Princeton who Ranett clinic they did bandaging but I was never able to get there because of working conditions. So I have been using compression garments for the last 30 years trying every which one. I also have a pump that I use periodically. But I never really had anybody give me a lot of advice until recently. This summer my leg with this heat swelled a lot and I took my pump Out of a closet that had been sitting there for about for five years. I started using the pump and I Saul results than I thought with the Internet let me search and see if there is any thing that has progressed with lymphedema I found a physical therapist That specialize in lymphedema I was really very concerned watched your video is it saying that she’s dead wrapping for two weeks now I’ve been wrapping with bandages she’s getting ready to measure me for a custom garment. I have never had a custom garment I’ve only bought over the counter I didn’t realize there was such a thing I was wondering if anybody has had custom garments and do they work better than the ones we buy through Jobes or met Medi. I’ve never had to the massage drainage or the wrappings bandages I’m learning to do them myself I’m trying to find what is the best routine the garments the wrappings the Velcro anybody have any ideas on this. It’s just so good to see so much information on the Internet on lymphedema I didn’t realize there were so many people that suffer with this and there’s not enough research or doctors that really handle this

      • susan embrey

        I have always used custom compression stockings…they are expensive, about $300+, now. I usualy get 2 at a time so I can alternate. They’re suppose to be used for 6 months but, I have used mine for sometimes, up to 2 years. They are measured just for you, are a heavier weight and give more compression. I put mine on every morning before I get out of bed. I also elevate my leg every night while I sleep and, periodically throughout the day. Every evening, I use a compression pump for an hour or more. I used to wrap but, after measuring everyday for a week, I saw no discernible difference from what I was doing. However, on occasion when my leg has been more swollen then usual, wrapping will reduce it in size more rapidly. I realize I’m a little late in my response but maybe, it will help someone.

  20. Hi Alexa: I’m not sure I’m in the right place because it only happened once and without a family doctor, walk-in clinics only want to deal with simple problems happening now. Basically, I know I have an allergy to cats and dogs but had been “toughing it out” for love of my pets, until one day I reached for the litter box and boom! Before my hands actually touched it, in mid-air, every pore on the backs of both hands, stood up like little tiny mountains, hundreds of them, and they all began to “shoot” volcano-like clear fluid straight up from their little peaks. Literally an eruption and something I never imagined in my wildest dreams. Scared me silly, but later, my hands turned to almost raw meat and the skin would not heal and I had to bandage both hands and wear plastic hand bags in the shower for two solid weeks before there was any sign of healing. Never got a diagnosis, doctors didn’t seem interested in how it happened, only in treating the raw skin/meat. Trying to fnd out, I stumbled on this term Lymphorrhea and your site and heard that lymph fluid is caustic and wondered if this violent discharge could be the sort of thing they are talking about, although most people seem to describe it as a “leak”? And if it was caused by an allergic reaction? is it still the same thing, this Lymphorrhea? Obviously, I now stay away from cats, and dogs and horses and cows but wonder if this will ever lead to the “leaking” thing most people here seem to talk about.

  21. Hi Alexa, I have secondary lympedema from cancer treatments. It is in my left leg. Today in the stretching end of a water aerobics class I had an unusual experience. I was standing and felt tickling up my swollen leg. When I looked down I had little air bubbles coming out of my lower leg and as they kind of crawled up they were the tickling sensation. Lasted for a few minutes. Have you ever heard of anything like this? After having lymph edema for 25 years this is a new one for me. Thanks, Anita

  22. Having lymphe edema for almost 30 years, I search out information and treatment hints all the time. I appreciate all the work you have done here and I LOVE IT! Will be checking back regularly. Thanks Alexa! Kim

  23. Lucy Karrys

    I’m new to Lymphedema since having Lymph nodes removed during an exploratory surgery on my abdomen last fall . I seem to have it mostly in my torso but the pain is head to toe when I have a flare up . I’m on homeopathic remedies , diet, yoga walking and water aerobics and swimming 🏊 manning to start rebounding too. . Right now I’m
    Having the worst attack I’ve ever had , I’m in pain can’t sleep and have gain 5 !pounds in a few hours . Ouch !

  24. John Polites

    GOOD STUFF !!! This site is a miracle !!! And here “old Johnee8toes” thought he was the only one leaking something that at 1st looked like urine but without the smell, right out of both lower legs. (Very much from the wrong place.) I went to the “saw bones,” He gave me that look… you dumb hillbilly and educated me as to my new life as a lymphy. Thanks to all of you for sharing. And now I know the rest of the story.

  25. Phyllis Washington

    Hi Alexa
    Glad I found this blog. I have had lymphedema for years. It’s not getting any better. My legs hurt, feel warm and tight more times than I care to talk about. People think you are slow and over weight all the time. It feels like they would rather not be around you because you would cramp their style. Although I have gain a lot of weight by being inactive now. My primary care doctors keep asking me are you taking your fluid pills. I have a lymph doctor all he talks about is my compression socks not being tight enough and rushes out of the room. My lymp clinic seems like they have no idea of anything new. Are you pumping is another comment I here from them. Seem like all of my dreams are going down hill.
    This problem is just one of my medical problems that I have. I feel if I could get this one worked out some of the others wouldn’t be so hard. Sorry to vent but I’m glad there is someone that understand the problem and the tears.
    Thanks Phyllis

  26. dont eat powdered oils hidden in pastries everyone. eat fresh no avo no salmoln or lamb or nuts limit or avoid

  27. I have just found this site after over 40 years of living with primary lympedema in both legs. It showed itself around 8 years of age when my knees started to lose their shape and other kids used to comment on them. My parents had no idea there was anything wrong and I subsequently embarked on a long period of standing for shop and bar work until I was around 25 years old. This took what was a mild case to a serious case of swelling and tightness in my legs. In my twenties I finally managed to get some help from my GP but it was only in the form of compression stockings. As primary lymphedema affects 1 in 100,000 people no one really knew what to do about it. I was offered liposuction at one stage which would have made it worse. Later in life the condition worsened when I became pregnant with my two children, I would have liked to have had more children but each pregnancy resulted in a heavy risk of thrombosis and brief hospitalization for monitoring whilst pregnant. I also had difficulty wearing shoes. I am now 51 and still don’t show my legs in public. I have worn trousers for most of my life. I do have a compression machine with sleeves for both legs which is wonderful, it feels great on the legs and reduces the swelling a lot…I would recommend to anyone who does not have one. I was extremely worried that my children would inherit the condition but both are post puberty and not affected currently. We learn to live with what we have and the important thing is we are lucky to have friends, family and marriage partners that see past the condition and only see the person we are.

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text:
Shipping and Returns

The Malt Shop grew out of the desire to provide home brewers in Japan with a wider variety of ingredients and more responsive shipping than is currently available. Orders are typically shipped within two days of payment confirmation. If you have any special time or date on delivery, please include a note at checkout.

We ship by Yamato (Kuroneko). Rates vary by region:

¥630: Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Tokyo, Yamanashi, Miyagi, Yamagata, Fukushima, Niigata, Nagano, Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui, Shizuoka, Aichi, Mie, Gifu

¥700: Aomori, Akita, Iwate, Osaka, Kyoto, Shiga, Nara, Wakayama, Hyogo

¥760: Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Tottori, Shimane, Kagawa, Tokushima, Ehime, Kochi

¥880: Hokkaido, Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima

¥1060: Okinawa

COD Fee: ¥300

*Shipping prices do not include tax.

Whenever possible, we will try to reduce the shipping cost to our customers. If your order will fit into Letter Pack Light (¥370) or Letter Pack Plus (¥520) we will do so when packing your order. We will then either refund the difference to you through Paypal or by creating a coupon of that amount to use on your next order.

There is a chill surcharge on liquid yeast of ￥290 (once per order)  Liquid yeast will be sent through Yamato only. Chilled shipping applies only during warmer seasons.

Orders to remote islands may require additional charges for shipping.

We believe in recycling. The box and packaging your items arrive in may have seen another use before.

If by chance what you ordered is not right, please let us know within 7 days. We will arrange return shipping (on us) and either a refund or replacement.

themaltshop2020 (at)
Fred Wilson


text:
Topic Research: Write Blog Posts That Resonates with Your Audience Without Getting Distracted by Keyword Data

You just got back to your desk after a long Zoom meeting. You know you have to finish a blog post that is due this week. The problem is you have been constantly pulled into meetings left and right.

Now, you finally have the chance to sit and think and write.

The problem is you haven’t done any preliminary research yet. You know the topic you need to write about, but you don’t have any idea which perspective to tackle the article.

What do you do?

Most marketers will start by Googling their topic. They open the articles on separate tabs, go through each of them, and immerse themselves in the topic. You go through the links in some posts to dive deeper. All the while taking down notes and ideas of how you can use this later on.

Then, since you are also familiar with SEO, you plug this into your tool to look at search volume, keyword difficulty, the number of backlinks for those articles you read, and other relevant metrics.

Then you realized it’s the end of the day.

You learned a lot about the topic and the search engine competitors, but you haven’t started with your own. You got stuck in analysis paralysis. A day passed by without you writing a single word.

As you’re saving all your work and powering down your laptop, you closed your eyes, took a deep breath, and told yourself, “there’s got to be a better way.”

And there is.

You can easily research and write blog posts without getting lost in the weeds. You can use Semrush’s Topic Research tool to avoid analysis paralysis. It’s part of their Content Marketing Toolkit which helps marketers like you research, create, audit, and improve your content at scale.

What Is the Topic Research Tool?

The Topic Research tool helps you get a full picture of what your readers need. It streamlines the research and creation process.

One of the biggest pain points of marketers is generating content ideas. Deciding on a topic or keyword is easy. That’s usually dictated by the industry or niche you’re in. But within that, everything’s mostly a blur.

Experienced SEOs and content marketers will have a content strategy in place where they have a workflow from in-depth keyword research, competitive research to the actual creation of high-quality content.

But for most, tackling each blog one-by-one is often the common route.

The Topic Research tool by Semrush helps you breeze through that process without getting lost in the weeds.

Topic Research Basics

Before that, here’s a quick walk-through of the different sections or parts of the Topic Research tool.

Accessing Topic Research

You can access the topic research tool in two ways. You can get started when you head on to the content marketing platform:

SEMRush Content Marketing Platform

Or under the specific topic research link:

Getting Started with Topic Research

Either one works. To get started, you simply enter your topic or keyword, choose a country or location, the click on the big green button to get content ideas.

Multiple Views to Spark Ideas

Once you enter a chosen topic, you will be greeted with something that looks like this. Here, you’ll see four different ways you can organize your data.

Different views of the Topic Research tool

1. Cards

Cards the are default view. These represent different subtopics you can look into. Using the example for remote work trends, you’ll see that there are multiple subtopics under it like office spaces or AI. Click on any of the cards to expand the details.

View details of the cards inside the Topic Research tool

2. Explorer

The explorer tab gives you a quick glance of each subtopic’s most popular article using social signals. This is a good indicator of a blog post’s ability to perform on social media and on search engines.

Topic Research Explorer View

3. Overview

If you’re really pressed for time, you can simply head to the overview tab and use the information there to get everything you need for your content.

This tab removes all other information and presents you with the most popular headlines by backlinks and questions asked. It also removes all other cards or subtopics and only shows you the top 3 for your chosen topic.

Overview tab of the Topic Research Tool

4. Mind Map

Lastly, if cards aren’t your thing, you can try to use the mind map to see if it spark some ideas.

Topic Research Tool - Mind Map

Benefits of Using Topic Research

The main benefit of using Semrush’s Topic Research tool is it helps speed up the brainstorming and creating content.

Its artificial intelligence (AI) breaks down the topic into subtopics. Using the multiple views, you can easily discover the most popular headlines and questions that will have a high chance of resonating with your audience.

You can also decide whether to follow the trend with a simple toggle of a button. You can also decide whether you want to look at search volume, difficulty, or efficiency without having to dive into each keyword metric.

Trending subtopics are the most popular subtopics over the last 60 days across the internet. This means that the number of articles on these subtopics is growing and it could be a great opportunity for you to follow a trend.

7 Tips to Use Topic Research

Below are some tips you can use when you get started with topic research. Use these to get ideas so you can easily finish your content plan.

1. View Different Cards to Trigger New Ideas

I cannot stress this enough. The multiple views certainly does help with triggering new content ideas. This is especially true if you’re more of a visual person. The mind map will be your best friend.

In my case, since I work with multiple clients, I often find myself in the overview tab. But in case you’re a social media marketer, you might find the explorer tab more useful then toggle the trending button.

It really depends on your situation.

2. Go for Topic Efficiency

When using Topic Research, you have the option to prioritize the cards and subtopics by the following:

  1. Greatest search volume
  2. Easiest to rank for (low keyword difficulty)
  3. Topic efficiency—a combination of the two
Prioritize by volume, difficulty, or topic efficiency inside the Topic Research tool

3. Use the Color-Coded Icons to Your Advantage

Did you notice the color-coded icons? Those are indicators of resonance with the audience. Green indicates a high resonance while the blue has different levels. Grey means low resonance.

Generally speaking, this indicates how popular the article is and how the audience is receiving the blog post.

Topic has a high resonance with audience

4. Easily Spy on Your Competitor for a Quick Content Gap Analysis

Let’s say you want to find out content gaps between you and your competitor. Simply enter their domain in the area provided then click on Get Content Ideas.

What you’ll notice is the cards will turn up green if their domain is ranking for it. In the example below, I’m researching for “ideas for content” and used to see how they are performing in that topic.

Obviously, HubSpot ranks for a lot of subtopics because they have a ton of content on this topic. So your research may or may not look like this.

Topic Research Tool with Domain Search

Note: you can also use this for your own domain so you can see whether you have posts for the topic you searched for.

5. Use the Popular Questions as Section in Your Post

This is one of my favorite tip.

When browsing through the cards, make sure you look at the popular questions and toggle through the different interrogative questions.

What I typically do is match the search intent of the blog post I’m writing about with the questions. This means if I’m writing about a beginner post, I’ll include questions that beginners might ask. This would typically be the “what” questions. If I’m writing an advanced or a tutorial article, I’ll focus more on the “how” questions.

Toggling through questions in the topic research tool

6. Shortlist Your Favorites

As you’re browsing through the cards and questions, and find something that you think you can use it later on, you can click the icon to the right side in order to add it to your favorites.

You can do this for both headlines and questions. After adding them, they will change to a green color indicating it has been added to your favorite ideas.

Favorite ideas and questions in the Topic Research Tool

7. Create an SEO Content Template

After you finished your research process and shortlisted some ideas, you can head over to the favorite ideas tab. It will automatically group your favorites into the different subtopics.

If everything seems okay here, you can click on the button to quickly create an SEO Content Template. Think of these as content briefs filled with all the necessary information you need (or your writers) to create blog posts that has a high chance of ranking on search engines.

One-click button to create an SEO Content Template

Semrush’s Topic Research is an excellent tool to help you with your content plan. Using it can easily help you with your content research and creation process.

By using the different views, you can find different angles you can use to approach your blog post.

You can toggle your views depending on your priority—whether you’re looking for search volume, ease of ranking, or efficiency.

You can also look at popular headlines and questions per subtopic and add them to your shortlist of ideas. From there, you can easily create a content brief that you can use to get started.

Remember, you need to have at least a guru plan in order to take advantage of the Content Marketing Toolkit. Take a look at this comparison of the different plans of Semrush here. In that post, I also shared some tips and criteria you should be using to decide on what SEO tool to invest in.

Use the Topic Research tool to help speed up your content creation process. Have questions? Let me know in the comments below.

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text:
BMRCL Signs 1st MoU to Fund ORR Line with Embassy Group

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd on Friday signed its first memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Embassy Group to fund the construction of its new 17 km Outer Ring Road Line between Silk Board and KR Puram. Rs 100 crores from this tie-up will be used to directly fund the Kadubeesanahalli Station’s construction which is planned to come up right in front of the Embassy Tech Village.

The line’s Detailed Project Report was prepared by BMRCL in 2016 who estimates its construction & system procurement to cost Rs 4202 crores. Instead of relying on foreign lenders, the BMRCL plans to fund this line through what it calls an ‘innovative financing model’ in which private entities are currently being engaged to pitch in anywhere from 25% to 50% of the line’s construction cost and in return be granted exclusive advertising and leasing rights within the stations to monetize on their investment.

Kadubeesanahalli Station’s proposed location identified in the DPR versus satellite view –

Location of Kadubeesanahalli Station

13 stations on this route are planned at KR Puram (interchange with the upcoming Purple Line’s extension to Whitefield), Mahadevpura, DRDO Sports Complex, Doddanakundi, ISRO, Marathahalli, Kodbisanahalli, Kadubeesanahalli, Bellandur, Ibbalur, Agara Lake, HSR Layout and Silk Board (interchange with the upcoming RV Road – Bommasandra line).

Here’s the mid section of the line which includes Kadubeesanahalli Station –

To see the exact locations of other stations along the route, see the DPR and comments section of this post.

As per the TOI

Embassy will maintain Kadubeesanahalli Metro Station including housekeeping and maintenance along with all the equipment as per specifications laid by the corporation. There will be a ramp access directly to the Metro station from Embassy TechVillage, and a dedicated access from the exit point of the station. The private stakeholder will be entitled to utilize the pre-determined spaces for advertisements. Embassy can also use the leasable retail space measuring approximately 3000 sq.ft at the metro station and have the advantage of leveraging the linear zone of 250 m around the Kadubeesanahalli metro station. The construction will be done in accordance with the facade designs and specifications approved by BMRCL. Embassy has agreed to pay the amount in installments. The period of concession and permission granted to the real estate company for 30 years starting from the date of commencement of commercial operations and could be extended further on mutual terms.

A MoU is essentially a non-binding agreement, but this is a good start for a funding model that has never been tested to this extent in the past. If this commitment materializes, then the BMRCL will still need to secure another Rs. 1000 to 2000 crores. Here’s a table from the DPR which lists out different funding scenarios –

For more updates, check out the Bangalore section of The Metro Rail Guy!

written by

Global traveler who prefers mass rapid transit

42 Responses to "BMRCL Signs 1st MoU to Fund ORR Line with Embassy Group"

  1. Shashidharv says:

    Excellent Move.
    More Companies should come forward and adopt the stations which would provide exclusive entrance to their premises

    • Sangamesh Bulla says:

      Yeah, I agree in the Silk Board to KR Puram lines, there are many IT companies tech parks and High Profile Business Groups. They Should fund towards the growth which indirectly helping their employess

  2. chandan says:

    Really very good plan huge traffic will be reduced ….

    Instead of relying on foreign lenders private company can fund and take advantage of the station … like Embassy more MNC company should come forward…

    The Only way to reduce TRAFFIC in Bangalore …….

  3. KRISHNAN says:

    ORR road has maximum traffic , nearly 10 lakh vehicles a day. The Metro train is certainly needed here.
    Do you think work can start in Jan 2018 or earlier .?
    As the entire stretch is elevated with very less land acquisition , probably it can be build with in 3 years itself.Even bringing huge pre fabricated pieces from other places is easy as roads are 6 lane wide.

    • Akshay Mathur says:

      I don’t think that work can start before 2020. There are a lot of hurdles to be crossed. However, if BMRCL has learned its lessons (and sign are that it has), then it is a good thing that they will start construction in 2020. This means that they have cleared all the legal and technical hurdles BEFORE starting construction and then getting stuck.

    • TMRG says:

      Krishnan – Jan 2018 is impossible due to the tendering process, but work can definitely start in 2018 if the state government somehow agrees to kickstart work without achieving financial closure. At this point, I haven’t seen any indications they’ll do that though. I believe they’d like to secure a certain amount of external funding before inviting bids.

  4. Manjunath says:

    Embassy tech village is owned by KJ George who is the current bangalore development minister so by easily they got the proposal & i wish other real estate agencies to com forward the funding where there is no political involvement which is good for BMRCL.

  5. Karthik Kanniyappan says:

    Its an excellent move towards public and private partnership .. There are so many innovative ways.. Every Malls and Big Office spaces connected through Metro services.. Metro offering free land for commercials purposes for these in place of Big fundings .. May be we will never fall short of funds for bringing more metro services to the city .

  6. Abboy Shankar E L says:

    First and last mile connectivity can be ensured by a unique cycle hiring method also, upon subscription and payment of a deposit of value of one cycle which is refundable in full without any deduction or addition, every subscriber should get a e-card which he deposits to hire a cycle, this can be with him or her till return and collecting the e-card, one can take the metro while going to office, get down in the station near to his office, take cycle by depositing the e-card and go to office, in the return direction he surrenders the cycle collects the card and in the station near to his house he again collects the cycle to get back home and come back to use the metro next day, all cycles should be uniform type and maintenance by metro for routine problems, eco friendly and healthy for the user

  7. Mahesh Holla says:

    Is it possible to get user funded programme,like it happens in religious places construction once completed bmrcl can give funders complimentary metro pass or other way of paying back the money or name would be carved in station as patrons.Looks good we have seen movies,religious places construction funded by public.Some people might say we are paying tax but we dont know where would our tax exactly goes in scheme of things, but these kind of funding would be really good fund raiser with tax benefit…

    • TMRG says:

      Quite possible. The idea of floating tax-free bonds has been discussed for Delhi’s metro system. The other option is the IPO route, but I’m not sure how successful that would be.

  8. Santosh says:

    They have stopped phase2 project and started this. Phase 2 would have eased the traffic a lot. The roads are narrow in phase2 section. This would have been a relief.

  9. George Jacob says:

    Any initiative
    that would further the reach of Metro should be explored and supported….But can we have some good architecture for these stations please….Not the badly engineered and detailed and built shabby ones we have so far

  10. Soumith says:

    When will the construction of yellow line start ??

  11. krishnan says:

    Hi TMRG
    I went to see the new line today (26.6.2017)and want to share the below observations

    1. if one person gets down at Majestic , it is very difficult to locate the Metro station .We have to walk about half Km to reach the station.If we have a over bridge at majestic then easily one more lakh people will start using Metro. Basically one side of metro station is like half done.The entrance near KSRC has lot of pending work. A few more signage are needed near BMRC to show the way
    BMRCL was running trains today at 15 min gap . This was creating huge crowed near Majestic

    Lot of women and small children are traveling to see the metro .They are getting crushed in the crowd

    2. In KR Market ,

    Again some out side work is pending , we don’t have clear directions outside the station. I wanted to walk to KR market bus stop but had to relay on google map instead.

    I hope these will get sorted out in 6 months ,once all the pending work of phase 1 is done and we get some 6 coaches trains .

    • TMRG says:

      Thanks for the ground report 🙂

      Life would be so much easier if the authorities build proper walkways around stations or even FoBs outside BYP Station or Alandur Station in Chennai etc, but operators often forget that station access is an important part of the overall travel experience.

      Displaying signage leading to other transport options is a basic transit requirement, but then again the operators don’t give a damn.

      Do report back in 6 months. I’d like to know what happens.

  12. Parthasarathy S says:

    Good start. Long way to go!

  13. Harish says:

    Hi TMRG,

    Do we have any updates regarding the Metro line from Silk board to Bommasandra ?

    I can see few dug-ups done between Ecity junction and Hosa Road junction. But I’m not sure if that is for the pillars as the dug-ups seems similar to the ones that was done for soil testing (not sure why soil testing being done again if it is the case). Also it is done very close to electric lines.

    • Gyan Roy says:

      Near White Feather, opposite PES College, they are digging the earth using drill machines. I don’t think that drill machines will be used for soil testing purposes. Also, saw a lot of cranes were trying to flatten the land near Electronic City phase-2 for the metro. Small areas are being dug near d-mart and infosys, which either is a place holder for pillars or for soil testing. All, in all looks like construction work has started in Hosa Road Bommasandra section.

      • TMRG says:

        Gyan – If you saw a tripod (like shown here and here) and those are for soil testing. To answer Harish’s question – contractors often perform their own soil testing to re-validate the operator’s findings.

        If you saw a bigger machine (like shown here and here), then that’s definitely for piling work – in order to build a strong foundation for each pier.

  14. Manikantan says:

    Excellent work by the Karnataka Govt

  15. Manikantan says:

    Traffic mess will drastically come down

  16. Syed Khaja says:

    Hi TMRG, “approval information” needs to be corrected in your Bangalore metro’s information page. For ORR metro.

    • TMRG says:

      Hi, I just updated it.
      Operational – PH1
      U/C – R1A/B + R2A/B + R3C + R4B + R5-P1/2
      Approved – R5-P3 + R6 (elevated) + UG(P1/2/3/4) + ORR Line
      Proposed – 102 km minus 17 km ORR line

  17. Aakanksha A says:

    Hi TMRG,

    Is there any update on metro near Brookfield area. I have seen they are diverting the traffic, but not sure about the progress.

    • TMRG says:

      For the ORR Line? Bidding for its construction hasn’t started yet.
      For the Purple Line’s extension – mostly demolition and barricading is underway in that area.

  18. PradeepPrakash says:

    TMRG, Can you please clarify where exactly is the Mahadevapura station coming up? A station soon after KR Puram interchange is that needed?

    • TMRG says:

      I’ve mapped out its exact location, based on BMRCL’s documents, over here. I don’t see an issue with its proximity to KR Puram.

      • PradeepPrakash says:

        Thanks a lot. When you think the work would most likely to start? Next year?

        • TMRG says:

          Depends on when they have a certain amount of funding in place. Since this 1st MoU in June, they haven’t’ signed up with any other firm. Talks are on.

  19. Syed Khaja says:

    Hi TMRG. Can we get to know the estimate numbers of approvals/clearances to start metro civil work? i.e ph2A ORR(Silk Board-KRPuram) or ph2A (Nagawara – airport) metro?

    • TMRG says:

      Phase 2A has the state govt’s approval. They just need to secure funds. As of Sept 1, so far only 1 MoU has been signed (the one above) for Rs.100 with another Rs. 1000-2000 to go.

      Phase 2B’s DPR first has to be created. Then it’ll require the state govt’s cabinet approval. If they need central assistance, then they’ll need to get PPP and other mobility plans in place as stated in the new metro rail policy.

  20. Parikhit says:

    I remember reading the deadline for ORR Metro is 2020 and truth be told I do not see any work going on except at Silk Board which I think is the yellow line to E-City and at K R Puram for purple line till Whitefield. Is BMRCL’s plan to complete the ORR Metro by 2020 far-fetched? Could it be a typo error (2030 and not 2020!)

    Given the current state of affairs 3 years is whimsical and with the complexity of ORR with its network of flyovers, underpasses I do not think so a proper study was undertaken. The flyover at Mahadevpura is not yet complete and it has been more than 2 years that the construction commenced. At this pace can the citizens be optimistic about the 2020 deadline?

  21. Hemant says:

    They should have more stations on ORR line, even if they are nearer by metro standards. It will benefit IT park workers and also keep the ORR and sidewalk free of too much crowd. RMZ and BMRC should tie up to provide metro station at RMZ ecospace+ ecoworld + Intel. A direct entry exit ramp too. I am sure the 30 odd companies in this tech park will also be able to contribute something. This will zero out traffic mess on main road with vehicles and pedestrians everywhere. Also one station at the prestige tech park and one at bagmane park. ORR metro should be prioritized over say BIEC extension. This line will be cash cow for BMRC

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The Blog Post That Has No Name

January 29, 2013 | 1 book mentioned

“She was furious about the way the female college students of the next generation had been programmed to regard getting an MRS. degree as the be-all and end-all of their experience in higher education. She was enraged by the way the psychiatric profession regarded housewives’ unhappiness as a symptom of an out-of-whack libido. She was angry at the way the economy appeared to see her entire sex as simple consumption machines who built national prosperity by buying new appliances for the kitchen and searching madly for the perfect laundry detergent.” Betty Friedan’s second wave classic The Feminine Mystique turns fifty.

is an intern for The Millions. She is a writer and recent graduate of Smith College living in Cambridge, MA. She blogs at

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Valentine’s Day Gift Guide for Stylish Women

Valentines Day Gift Stylish Women

 A Valentine’s Day Gift Guide for Stylish Women

Choosing the right present for that special someone is not only hard but close to impossible. Especially when you have to choose a gift for an elegant and sophisticated lady, who either has it all, knows all the branded products, or who can simply have a refined style. Well, there is no need to dwell much about it, because gift-giving is only as complicated as you make it. For a stylish woman, you should aim to choose a gift that will both swoop her off her feet, even though she might have a similar product and the one that she will surely use. Here are gifts for stylish women that can never go out of fashion, and that is a fabulous Valentine’s Day choice.

The majestic shoes

Everybody loves shoes. Actually, there is no single woman that will tell you she doesn’t want or need shoes, and if she happens to say that, it will certainly be a lie. Okay, it might be tricky to choose the right shoes, since many ladies can be rather picky or have a distinctive taste. Firstly, nowadays you can easily return and exchange anything you have bought, so if the shoes don’t fit, you can change the size the next day without any problems. Secondly, Manolo Blahnik’s shoes will melt any woman’s heart, so if you buy any pair of designer shoes, you won’t have to worry because stylish women go crazy about them. Shoes are ladies’ best friend, so the more they have it, the happier they get, and this is a proven fact. So, if the lady follows the latest runways, getting her a pair of designer shoes is surely leave her speechless.

The brilliant jewelry

Shiny, elegant and exquisite. Jewelry is simply timeless. Any woman who knows her fashion, and has a specific style will know how to majestically wear jewelry. Whether you opt for a necklace, earrings or a bracelet, you can never make a mistake with that kind of a gift. What is more, diamonds truly are (stylish) girls’ best friend, and with that in mind, you should get some fantastic Moon Magic Jewelry. Italians really know how to implement their unique style with luxury and quality. So, you should follow their trend and get, for instance, a rose gold pendant or a ring with some special engravings such as “with love”, or “my one and only”. A girl will definitely be swept off her feet, and if she truly appreciates fashion she would know how to perfectly blend in that piece of jewelry with any clothing.

A swank purse

Another quite contemporary gift for posh women who know their taste. In order to select the best purse or a handbag, you had better do a thorough investigation because this might be a tricky thing to buy. Ladies like to match their bags with shoes, so it would be a good idea to take a peek at the closet to see what kind of shoes she wears. Once you have scanned her shoe preference, you can explain to the shop assistant at the accessory store and together choose the best purse. Stylish women also like to change the bags more frequently, so don’t get disappointed if after a month you see a completely different purse in her hand. However, if you buy the right bag, be assured that a real ritzy woman will know how to appreciate and wear that bag with a style and with any combo.

A visit to a fashion museum

Something that every chic woman likes is to attend and follow the top fashion around the globe. You will make her eyes glow by giving her a unique gift that combines all of her favorite things. Fashion, style, travel, and glamor. A trip to a fashion museum abroad will totally make her feel flabbergasted. The romantic getaway is a Valentine’s Day symbol anyway, and why not combine it with a visit to a fashion museum. If you are in Italy, go to the Gucci Museum in Florence where you will be able to see mesmerizing creations dating from 1921. Or, if you pop up to France, you must visit Cristian Dior Museum and Garden in Granville where you will see exquisite creations of this renowned designer.

One-of-a-kind lingerie

Even if it might sound too cheesy, every stylish woman likes to be well treated from the inside-out. Having that in mind, she only wears elegant and sophisticated lingerie. Many brands show their fabulous collection for Valentine’s Day with lace and fine satin. Whether you opt for an elegant black-laced underwired bra, or classic but exquisite embroidered basque, you won’t make a mistake. There doesn’t have to be any hidden message if you buy a woman some wonderful piece of quality lingerie, actually, a true stylish lady will wear it with grace.

Don’t wait for Valentine’s Day to surprise a woman with a perfect gift. Make Valentine’s Day every week, because every stylish girl deserves it.

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Sadc states scared of terrorist retaliation over deployment

THE threat of terrorist reprisals on Sadc member states has emerged as a major stumbling block to the regional grouping’s efforts to muster consensus on how best to tackle Mozambique’s deadly insurgency.

According to a leaked strategy report compiled by a special Sadc technical assessment team, regional heads of state were expected to consider the immediate deployment of 2 916 military personnel, the bulk of which should be ground forces, including 140 special forces troops.

The special forces were expected to go in first to “conduct targeted operations” in tandem with naval assets to “eliminate maritime crime in the area of operation”.

The deployment has now been put on ice after the regional bloc postponed a crucial Sadc organ troika meeting initially scheduled for yesterday after two key regional leaders had urgent commitments.

But an underlying fear of terrorist backlash over Mozambican intervention has emerged as a major issue for Sadc leaders.

“The team also couched the threat posed by insurgents as regional. Evaluating likely insurgent courses of action, the team predicted that the group would pursue ‘terror activities in the identified countries that are seen to be supporting Mozambique’. The insurgency’s goal, the team assessed, is to ‘expand the caliphate in Cabo Delgado and to the Sadc region’,” the report says.

This comes as civilians in Palma town remained under threat last week, with insurgents returning to the town and clashes between insurgents and government troops forcing more people to flee for the Tanzanian border, according to Cabo Ligado weekly newsletter.

On 19 April, civilians discovered the bodies of three young men who had been killed in the town.
Locals said the men were likely killed by government forces, who have been conducting violent sweeps of the town in an attempt to root out insurgents.

“Increased fears of insurgent activity in Pemba resulted in tragedy on 22 April, when government forces killed a young trader as he rode on a moto taxi past a security force checkpoint,” the Cabo Ligado says.

“The taxi did not stop at the checkpoint as a result of a misunderstanding. Government troops fired at it as it passed, killing the passenger and wounding the driver.

“Terrified, the driver continued driving all the way to Pemba hospital, but the passenger was dead by the time he arrived.”

It continues: “On the evening of 23 April, an attack believed by sources on the ground to have been perpetrated by insurgents resulted in at least five civilian deaths and seven homes burned in Palma’s Expansão neighborhood.

“Civilians displaced at Quitunda who asked government troops about the attack received no response, increasing fears that insurgents will target Quitunda directly.”

On 25 April, fighting erupted again in Palma town. Civilians in the town reported hearing heavy gunfire and explosions.

Many people who had been staying in the town left, heading north towards Tanzania in hopes of being transported to the Negomano border post in Mueda district, from which they can travel to Mueda town or Pemba.

Others joined the over 20 000 displaced people still stranded at Quitunda, from which there is little hope of evacuation in the near term.

The government has increased its estimate of the number of insurgents killed in the battle for Palma at the end of March to 41.

Military spokesman Chongo Vidigal told reporters that government forces found four insurgent corpses buried together on 15 April, increasing the count of insurgents killed from the previous estimate of 37.

Vidigal also said that insurgents kidnapped 150 youth during their raid on Palma, of whom three were able to escape.

To address the perceived regional threat, the Sadc team presented two plans. The first is a deployment of Sadc forces (at a level the report describes as “minimal”) to Cabo Delgado to “support [the Mozambican military] to neutralise the terrorists in the area of operation.”

The second is a training and logistical support package that would keep foreign troops out of the combat zone in Mozambique. The team recommended pursuing both plans simultaneously, bringing in foreign troops to help with the fighting, while standing up the training mission.

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Date Suggestion Kit

The Date Suggestion Kit is a great way for guests at the bridal shower to have fun. This game is the perfect way to jot down date ideas and memorable love quotes.

Contains (5) instruction cards — one for each price range and one color key and 12 sticks of each color

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Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.


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Jose Mourinho tells Adnan Januzaj he has no Manchester United future – report

by Tanveer Arayan

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has recently met with Adnan Januzaj and told him he would not play a part of his first-team plans at Old Trafford, according to reports.

Januzaj is allegedly not interested in a loan deal as he is concerned he won’t be given many opportunities under the Portuguese boss.

Sunderland and Serie A side Lazio are said to be interested in signing the Belgian midfielder and can expect to pay out around £10 million to land his services this summer.

He broke into Man United’s first-team three years ago under David Moyes and made his mark at Old Trafford, but has struggled for form over the past two seasons.

Januzaj spent the last season on loan at Borussia Dortmund and wasn’t able reignite his spark, resulting in him returning early to Man United under Louis van Gaal.

Lazio winger Antonio Candreva has completed his transfer to Inter Milan and has left manager Simone Inzaghi needing a replacement – and he sees Januzaj as a viable option.

Sunderland’s new manager, Moyes, is said to be interested in a reunion with Januzaj at the Stadium of Light as he makes his return to the Premier League.

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So, who do I think I am?

Writers are a fickle bunch. And I don’t mean authors, authors are a whole other beast.  I’m talking about You. Or me. Or anyone who picks up a pen (or pencil if you’re into that sort of thing) and makes a mark. The physical act of writing is so subjective, it’s almost irrelevant what one blogger might have to say about a writing instrument compared to another. Unless, of course, the reader has a frame of reference for those opinions. My goal today is to create that frame of reference for my readers. To give you some insight into how and where I write in the hopes that it will help you formulate your own opinions and make informed decision when the time comes to make a purchase.

So, who am I? At the time of this article, I am a late 20s office worker whose professional paper trail exists almost solely in the digital realm. I keep an analog daily planner for basic to-do list style notes and task lists, and I carry a standard craft Field Notes Brand book for quick on-the-spot notes, thoughts, and doodles. My writing style can best be described as hastily-scrawled, but I’ll make it legible for writing samples and the like. And yes, I am right handed.

No two writers are the same. Ultimately it comes down to your unique experience to determine the value of an item. Hopefully this shines some light on my state of mind as you are reading these posts and rants about various writing instruments and stationery platforms.

2 thoughts on “So, who do I think I am?

  1. I’m a decade or so older but I am also a pen & stationery addict. Have you tried the bullet journal technique? How does the Field Notes hold up? I haven’t tried those yet.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hello! I haven’t tried the bullet journal system yet, but I think that’s the next step in analog task management. The Field Notes is showing signs of wear, I’ll get some info posted soon. I’m purposefully staying way from the special editions, I don’t need to start another collection right now. The standard “craft” sets are $10 for 3 so you absolutely get what you pay for. I’ve also looked at the Word. brand notebooks which are the exact same size and price as Field Notes, but have an interior format similar to the Bullet Journal system.

      Thanks for the comment!

      – The Poor Penman

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WOD – Thursday 5/16

Spend 2 minutes in Z1
Then, 4 min AMRAP
Rounds of “Cindy”
3/6/9 – pull-ups, push-ups, air squats

Full on mobility extravaganza

Skill session
Warm-up for the WOD and work on the efficiency of movements
So looking below we have a number of movements to warm up and some skills we can work on getting better. Take some time to warm up to the weight on the bar and get some practice with the higher skill movements. But most importantly, work through your planned progressions and find a scaling option that works best for you.

The pistol and the pull-up play a big role in the workout, as do the barbell movements. Like anything we do in this gym, a little focused energy can help you be more efficient. So spend some time working on and warming up the movements that need the most attention.

“Rolling Stones”
With a partner complete as many rounds of possible in 24 min of
Mary and DT
*partner 1 does 1 round of “Mary” then partner 2 does 1 round of “Mary”. Partner 1 then does a round of “DT” then partner 2 does a round of “DT”
So one round of “Mary” is
5 HSPU’s
10t pistols
15 pull-ups

And one round of “DT” is
12 deadlifts (155/105#)
9 hang cleans
6 S2OH

This one will be fun. Each named WOD is so different, you get an enormous scope of movement, from gymnastics to the barbell. Something for everyone. Partner 1 will do an entire round of Mary, so 5 HSPU’s, 10 total pistols alternating legs, and then 15 pull-ups. Partner 2 completes their round of Mary and then you move over to DT. Partner 1 completes 12 deadlifts, 9 hang cleans and 6 shoulder to overhead before tagging in partner 2. Back and forth until the clock reaches 0:00.

The most important part is that you pick the most challenging scaling option for the pistols and pull-ups. Start with the easiest movement and walk yourself through each step. For the pistols begin with air squats and move towards more and more difficult options; reverse lunges – box step-ups – box pistols – pistols with a band – pistols using the rig – Rx pistols

Form is everything with pistols. As you get tired and form breaks down, the knee will start to come over the toes, and we all know that isn’t the way it should be. Be smart but hold yourself accountable, if you really start to lose your good form, simply scale the movement so you stay safe.

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Tuesday, 21 June 2011

sponsor number 3 and other news

so ive moved out of london for a while i thought it would be a good idea anyway me snelling jono coote dan and egon skated this amazing pool the other day and im telling anyone where it is buts its so good its real hard to skate about a foot of tranny with about 5 foot of vert no joke i just got on altar skate shop you should support your local skate shop as we will all loose www.altarskateshop.co.uk

ive just printed a load more road kill shirts shirts so hurry as ther going like fucking hot cakes and im working on some other good stuff as we speak....well im not im siting at this shit computer on the floor in slince

Thursday, 9 June 2011

fucking hell fos post of madness

the other day i was at fos house i was looking through his board boxes and found some classics i got a signed j jesse an og keith meek slasher a g and s ken fillen and some other stuff a swell as about 300 old stickers old copies of thrasher couple of old videos and 3 books it like fucking christmas

heroin board

Craig Questions
What Can I say about Craig Questions? I first met him at the premier at "Live from Antarctica" where he proceeded to chew my ear off about 80's skateboarding and hasn't stopped since, and that was bloody 6 years ago. He's one of my favourite people and there's never a dull moment with him around. Craig lives and breathes skateboarding and if you don't like him, I can't imagine that he gives a fuck. What you see if what you get, from cutting the heads off dead animals for his skull collection to getting numbers off the hottest girls, Craig is a force of nature and I'm stoked to have his shitty artwork on the bottom of my board.

its taken a while but im fucking stoked fos has always been a very big idol to me and when he aksed me to do a graphic for his board it was an honour its strange to think when i was 14 it was dream to be any part of heroin or even just know fos but now ive done his graphic is a dream come try thanks brother

Wednesday, 1 June 2011

ive been working along side some others organising work for this show i have shirt and zines for sale it should be a really good evening so stop by

the shop is at the amazing ryantown
126 Columbia Road
E2 7RG

hope to see you there


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Sketch by author

The Five Best Mullets in Film

In the late ’80s/early ’90s, the mullet reigned supreme. A hairstyle that embraced both work and pleasure, its appeal spread far and wide. It seemed to be the pinnacle of hair fashion — until it suddenly wasn’t. Somewhere along the lines, someone deemed the hairstyle “lame” and “trashy.” This new opinion spread like wildfire, until the mullet was banished to small, rural areas known as “redneck country.” However, in its glory days, the mullet was modeled by the finest talents in entertainment. From action heroes to rock gods, comedians to rebel teenagers, the mullet was a hairstyle fit for both kings and peasants. Read on for five of the mullet’s most glorious moments.

Image via The Movie Database

The mullet is most recognized as being a distinctly ’80s hairstyle, with most people seeming to forget that it lasted into the ’90s with the help of a few cinematic badasses. One such badass was Jean-Claude Van Damme, who rocked the mullet in the 1993 action movie Hard Target (1993). Weirdly, this is the only movie in which Van Damme adopts the “business up front, party in the back” look for which he is associated, but it continues to be one of his most well-known looks. His current IMDb profile picture boasts the iconic hairstyle, if you need any further proof of this. It begs the question, why did Van Damme end it after just one movie?Honestly, how cool would it have been to see him bring it back for The Expendables 2?

Image via IMDb

In Chuck Russell’s remake of the ’50s classic, Kevin Dillon takes the reigns from Steve McQueen as the teen none of the adults believe. In place of the clean cut McQueen, the remake updates the central character, turning him into a rebel with a motorcycle and — you guessed it — a glorious mullet. In this case, the mullet is a solid creative decision, highlighting the contrast and conflict between the youthful and rebellious Dillon and the authority figures who insist he’s nothing but a delinquent. Now, I’m not saying that The Blob is only a good movie because of the mullet at the center of it all. But it sure does help.

Image via IMDb

What is there to say about Dana Carvey that hasn’t already been said? The man is a comedy legend, and he’s at his best as Garth Algar, the loveably oblivious sidekick to the titular Wayne (Mike Meyers). There’s a lot to love in Garth, from his social awkwardness to his goofy smile. And yet, Garth is simply not Garth without his mullet. While Garth is awkward and reserved, his hair is the opposite: big, loud, and iconic. I dare you to find a character more fitting to the “business up front, party in the back” ideal as Garth Algar.

Image via IMDb

The late great rockstar David Bowie was known for a wide variety of hairstyles, and even a variety of mullets. But the best of his many looks is that of Jareth the Goblin King in the ‘80s cult classic Labyrinth. Rocking a big, bold mullet that more than likely took gallons of hairspray to maintain, Jareth is a villain for the ages, singing and dancing with all the raw sex appeal that a rockstar in his prime should have. Dance, Magic, Dance would not be the iconic musical number it is without that mullet — or the baby-tossing, but that’s a whole different article…

Image via IMDb

As a kid walking through the local video store, one of the most intriguing movie covers was that of The Lost Boys, Joel Shumacher’s campy vampire classic. But my eyes always went past leading man Jason Patric and straight to Kiefer Sutherland’s leering face, which was surrounded with the most glorious head of hair I’ve ever seen in my life. Equal parts spiky, flowing, and awesome, Sutherland’s character David made an impact on me long before I ever actually watched The Lost Boys. Everything about David is amazing, and his mullet adds to the raw magnetism that’s integral to the character. Cool hair, cool bike, cool vibe… it’s no wonder Michael (Patric) falls prey to his charms. David is one of the best horror villains of all time, and that mullet is a key ingredient to the character’s success.

With ’80s and ’90s nostalgia making waves in entertainment and fashion, perhaps the mullet will make a glorious return. Netflix series Stranger Things has already proven that the mullet can still be fashionable, placing it on fan favorite characters like Steve “The Hair” Harrington and Billy Hargrove. I for one, long for the day in which I see mullets peppering a crowd that isn’t gathered for a stockcar race or on the head of actors named David Spade. What ’80s trend would you like to see make a comeback? Do you think mullet culture could make a comeback? Only time will tell, I suppose.

For more movie thoughts:

A film critic with a taste for genre fare, living in Sioux Falls, SD. If you love movies, we’ll get along just fine.

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Cosmic Groove ~ Bracelet

  • Sale
  • Regular price $25.00

A dance known throughout the stars. Embrace peace, love and galactic moves. Get in tune with the cosmic groove as you dance your way to the moon. Take flight and stay high in the sky as you vibe to the rhythm of the night. Get wild star child! Live life free and with ease. Do whatever your heart needs! It's your mission to follow your dreams.

Includes one stretch bracelet, description card and burlap bag. Need a different size? Enter custom fit at checkout.