In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: Before the conversation, figure out when your mom is usually free. Also, think about where you would feel most comfortable talking. If you have a lot of siblings, for example, you may not want to talk in living room where your brothers usually play video games. You may, instead, want to talk in your bedroom, where there are less distractions.  Figure out a time when your mom is home and not busy. For example, maybe she usually has free time on Wednesday night just after dinner. Be a little flexible, however, as schedules are subject to change. Think of several times that you could potentially approach your mom. When you find the right time, you can start the conversation with something simple. Say something like, "Mom, can I ask you about something?" If you want your mom to trust you, she needs to believe what you say. Tell her sincerely why you want earrings. Also, be direct about this. Avoid beating around the bush and, instead, just make your case without hesitation.  State outright what you want to talk about. Say something like, "Mom, I really want to get my ears pierced and I was hoping to get your permission." From there, give an honest reason as to why you want your ears pierced. For instance, "I just think it would look really nice, and it would be a great way to expand my style and express myself more. I think I would feel a little better about myself if I could pick out earrings that show who I am." You do not want to dominate the conversation This will make you look argumentative and, therefore, immature. If you want your mom to listen, strive to hear her side too. Even if she's saying something you don't like, take the time to listen before you respond.  Your mom may have a lot of reasons for not wanting you to get your ears pierced. She may think you're too young. She may worry it's too expensive. Whatever her reason, try to listen. Tell her you understand. You want your mom to feel like you heard what she was saying. You can respond with something simple like, "I understand that you think I'm a little young for this." You can let your mom know why you disagree with her, or push for some kind of compromise. However, you should avoid outright complaining. Do not whine, beg, or argue with your mom if she says, "No" or expresses hesitance. This is unlikely to get her to agree.  For example, don't say something like, "Of course I'm old enough! All the girls in school have their ears pierced. Sarah's mom let her do it. Please!" Instead, offer a mature response. Try saying, "I get that you think I'm a little young for this, but a lot of girls my age do have their ears pierced. My friend Sarah's been pretty good at caring for her piercings, and I've been reading up on how to care for mine. I do think I could be responsible about it, even though I'm a little young."
Summary: Approach your mom at the right time. Be direct and honest. Listen to your mom's perspective. Avoid arguing or whining.

If your knees tend to collapse inward when you stand, you may need to encourage your glutes to engage more. Doing the sit-to-stand exercise with a small object between your legs can help with this. If you have a small exercise ball, or even a kid’s bouncy ball, this is ideal, but almost any small object can work. Press the ball (or other object) between your legs, and squeeze your legs together to keep the object in place as you stand. You can try using a small pillow, yoga block, stuffed animal, or book. This will throw off your balance, making it a little harder for you to rise up into a full standing position. Using a stability ball helps to strengthen your legs more effectively, and to better tone your core. For faster results, you can gradually increase the number of reps you do in each set. Try doing 3 sets of 15. If you’d still like more intensity, you can do 3 sets of 20. You can also increase the number of times you do this exercise per week. Another way to make this workout a little more intense is to hold a dumbbell in each of your hands. Try starting with 3 pound (1.4 kg) weights. If that’s not enough, move up to 5 pounds (2.3 kg).  If you can get through 15-20 reps without feeling worn out, move up to slightly larger weights. As you continue to work out, move your weights up in 2 pound (0.91 kg) increments approximately every 8 weeks.
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One-sentence summary -- Place a small object between your legs. Sit on an exercise ball instead of a chair. Increase the number of reps. Use dumbbells to add extra resistance.

Problem: Article: This is also called the "apex" of the rack. Make sure the 1-ball is at the apex, the 8-ball is in the middle of the rack, and both a stripe and solid are at the bottom corner, but line up all the other balls in random fashion. If solids and solids are together, or stripes and stripes, that's okay.  One variant of this step in amateur play is to vary the edges of the rack so that the pattern is stripe, solid, stripe, solid, etc. This will result in the two corner balls being the same, i.e. either both stripe or both solid. Another variant of this step in amateur play is to order the balls down and from left to right, according to their number. This will always result in the 1-ball being at the apex, the 11 and 15 being at the bottom corners, and the 5-ball being in the 8's customary position. The center of the first ball should be in the middle of the table at one quarter of the length.  Some tables have this spot marked with a small dot.
Summary:
Start off with the 1-ball  at the front of the rack. Place all the other balls at random. Line the apex (the first ball) up with the middle diamond on the side of the pool table.