#-i got only three vetted fundraisers but i still wanted to post it and not let them sit in my askbox for too long | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

vaixation · 6 years ago

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Why I've been gone for two weeks – Please note that this post is going to contain some serious content. However, this is a really important personal update from me.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: - Animal death - Suicide ideation - Depression/anxiety/dissociation - (Brief mention of abuse/trauma/C-PTSD)

Post under the Read More. - - -

I'm sure there's a lot of people who didn't even notice I haven't been online anywhere for the past two weeks considering I'm a pretty quiet individual and often keep to myself / disappear off the social radar for months at a time. However, there's a pretty specific reason this time why I haven't been around, and it's important to discuss.

At the time I am writing this, it is currently Friday, May 3, 2019. I'm writing this ahead of time because... I cannot sleep and I need to get some of these thoughts off my mind. This week has been the worst week of my entire life, without exaggeration. I'll start from the beginning.

For those that don't know, a tornado came through my area on April 19th. I would like to state right off the bat that I am fine - it missed my house, but only just barely. We can literally see the path / damage of the tornado from our house. Apparently it actually formed RIGHT THERE - the people who live just like three houses up the road from ours said they actually saw the tornado's funnel come down out of the sky. It's wild to think a tornado could come to life that close to our house. We were very fortunate to be okay.

I can't necessarily say the same for others, however. I don't know if anyone got hurt, but I did hear that one person's house was completely flattened. (Apparently there was actually someone inside, but she went down into the basement and was okay. Also concerning her welfare and loss of property - I heard there was a fundraiser that was helping their family out, and they apparently were on the TV at some point too about it all? That's just what I've heard through the grapevine - it's all second hand information so I don't know how much is accurate and I've no way to double-check right now.) (EDIT: I have double-checked for our area now that I have internet again and I can confirm no-one in our area was actually hurt. All the damage is to buildings and property, thankfully.) There's entire areas of trees that have just been wiped out. And I know there was a bus that literally got thrown up by the wind and is now just sticking out of the ground. Last time I saw it, they still haven't fixed that.

Point being, we lost power for a whole day. They managed to fix the power pretty quickly considering the damage, but the internet? At the time of writing this... I still don't have internet. And that's the primary reason I haven't been around. But it gets so much worse from here on out. For me at least.

So, my week was already really stressful for this reason (not to mention MY JOB requires the internet and I have NOT been able to do any of my work; my bosses know my situation but it's still very stressful.) We called our ISP multiple times trying to get it to work - they've sent out two technicians so far and narrowed it down to the modem router. It wasn't hooked up to a surge protector, and the power going out the way it did seems to have zapped the modem router and it no longer works. So we decided to buy a new one, and I swear we went to at least ten to fifteen different stores looking for a new modem router.

The problem is, all the new modem routers in stock are coaxial cable modem routers. Our ISP is only a VDSL / ADSL modem router (requiring a phone line), and we went through several stores looking for a DSL to coax adapter with no such luck. Apparently, an adapter / converter like that doesn't even exist. The closest thing we could find was an ethernet to coax cable, but that's not what we need obviously. Through some other connections we managed to finally just order a DSL modem router via Ebay; it's supposed to get here on Monday of this week, so... we'll see if it does by then, I guess.

(EDIT: It arrived sooner than expected. We’ve been able to get it up and running, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to post this, obviously.)

But, well. That's not really why this has been the worst week of my life. I mean, it doesn't help, but... I can live without the internet for a week or two, you know? I've gone years without it. Whatever.

The thing is...

My cat died.

And this wasn't just some random cat, okay. His name was Chip - or rather, Slavashado. (It's pronounced "sluh-VAAH-shuh-doe") You see, I modeled his name after T. S. Eliot's poem "The Naming of Cats." Within this poem, it states that a cat must have three names. One is a common, everyday, ordinary name. Chip. One is unique to him. Slavashado. And one, only he himself knows. And he took it to his grave.

Chip's been with me basically almost my entire life. He was 21 years old. I'm 26 right now; I'll be 27 in June. So he's literally been in my life since I was 6 years old. He's always been there for me. Always.

So I cannot possibly put into words how heartbroken I am that he's gone.

I love him with all my heart. And I always will. But he's gone now.

I can't even remotely describe how empty I feel. How utterly alone I am. There's a void in my soul that's so deep it feels like it's going to erode me from the inside out.

You know, I've never lost anyone close to me before. It's not that I'm a stranger to death... far from it. I'll get into that later. But... this is the first time I've ever truly lost someone I really, really, truly cared about. I've always thought grief would be a linear thing. I've seen the Kübler-Ross model of grief more times than I can count. "DABDA" for short - Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance.

It's not linear. Not for me. I feel all of these things at the same time somehow. It's not like I felt denial first, then moved onto the angry stage. No. I just feel all of them at the same time. And I'm so overwhelmed. And I'll go from one end of this spectrum to the other end and back again. It's far from linear.

The sad thing is, I feel my grip on this world unraveling each day. My world already ended with Chip... He meant everything to me. I love him more than anything else in this whole world. So... I've admittedly been having some very bad, depressive, suicidal thoughts. I'm not actively going to do something to myself, don't worry. But... I've been thinking lately, you know what? If a car runs over me, I don't care. What if the storms knock a tree over on my house and it flattens me? So what. What if I'm in a car wreck and die? I just... feel so apathetic.

It's like that song. "If the silence takes you, then I hope it takes me too."

But... I can't join him. Not yet. I still have to live a full life, you know? I can't come to you yet, sweetheart. I'm so sorry. I want to, but I can't. Not yet. I have to live a life that would make you proud of me, love.

Maybe we'll meet again in another life. Cats have nine lives after all...

But I've also just felt like I've started to really disconnect from reality, too. The other day someone said something - innocent, really - but the angry part of myself wanted to lash out and destroy and hurt. And the scariest thing was, I almost didn't care. Grief's not an excuse to lose your compassion, but I fear that I'm really losing it. It's hard to feel like anything's real, and somehow everything's all too real at the same time.

His health just... declined so rapidly in the last month. He went from being okay and active and about, to suddenly he can't jump anymore. Suddenly he's very lethargic and having a multitude of issues; he wouldn't be able to stand up without falling over. It got to the point where he wouldn't move around much anymore. I had to take care of him on a daily basis; almost 24/7 I'd watch him to make sure he was okay and wasn't having a hard time pooping/peeing and would wash him because he no longer had the strength to take care of himself or move anywhere or do much of anything.

I had to make a certain mixture of foods the vet prescribed to keep his nutrition levels up and to make it so he wouldn't be constipated, and had to monitor that he was eating / drinking enough. Eventually he stopped eating his food, so I ended up mixing it all in water and making it a liquid paste that he could drink instead, which he would gladly do. There were some glands on his throat that were swollen, so I think it was making it hard for him to eat even with the special food we had.

So... it both was and wasn't sudden. On one hand, it happened so fast? His health just plummeted and spiraled downhill within a few weeks. But on the other hand... he was just doing so badly. We took him to the vets multiple times and, there's really only so much that can be done. He was really old, you know? 21 is a long time for a cat to live. It's longer than most cats. I know he lived a long, good life, knowing he was well loved and cared for. And I truly did everything I could for him. I know I can't blame myself for anything, even though I tried to. I did my best, you know? But nothing lasts forever. All things one day die. It's the law of nature. And I'm no stranger to death. I know all too well this reality.

This isn't something I talk about a lot, but one of my parents was really abusive. She was really abusive to animals too. I've seen death. And horrible, traumatizing things too appalling to get into here. I've known from an early age that all things die. It's one reason I'm not... surprised. In a way, I accept that. I understand. I know.

It's why I'm a little obsessed with "morbid" themes, as others have put it. Death. Bones. Rot. Decay. (Plague flight on Flight Rising, anyone?) None of that is new to me. Finding an intrigue in it is a way of coping with it. Did you know that kids who deal with C-PTSD often recreate their trauma through play? Or fixate / obsess on the trauma somehow? That's why I literally relate so heavily to Henry from Fire Emblem: Awakening. He's the same way. He's seen animal death and cruelty. But he's also un-phased by blood and guts and everything. (He denies his trauma, but denial and even amnesia can be a big, big part of trauma. And the way he talks about his past almost sounds like he's dissociated from those feelings. I relate a lot to that too... I honestly find Henry to be very therapeutic to exploring my own feelings at times.) This is the reason I find horror and creepy content fascinating. And more often than not, it's hard to scare me. Fiction is so much less scary than the real thing.

My point is, I'm very aware of death. I'm aware of that finality. I'm aware of its permanence. Nothing I can do will ever bring my cat back. He's gone. So in a way, I accept that. And in a way, I also can't accept that answer. I miss him. I want him here with me.

In a way I'm kind of thankful that our internet wasn't working. It allowed me to attend to him in his last days without any other distractions. I spent so much time with him. And that gives me so small amount of peace, knowing that.

And I think he knew, the day he died. It was April 28th, somewhere in between 9-10 PM. I can't believe it's only been five days. It feels like an eternity without him here. But, that day, he was suddenly a lot more active than he'd been in months. He was up and walking around and came over to me and crawled up behind where I was sitting and snuggled and cuddled with me. I take comfort in the fact we shared a beautiful moment that day. Just sitting there, petting him, breathing in his wonderful scent and burying my face into his soft, warm fur. The deep purring, the soothing vibrations of his noise. I wish that moment could last a lifetime. I'm so thankful for the time I had with him though. It both feels like it was the right time - that it was meant to be - and at the same time I feel like he's left me far too soon. I miss him. I miss him so, so very much.

At least I got to hold him when he passed. I stroked his fur and cried as the last of his spasms died down. I've always feared I would find him one day and he just wouldn't wake up, so seeing him actually pass... it was scary. But it was good for me too. It brings me some small amount of closure that I could be with him in his final moments. He didn't have to die alone. For that I'm so thankful.

You deserve the best of everything, love. You were my faithful friend and companion for basically my whole life. I'll never, ever forget you.

Where are you now? Are you with the stars? Are you in my dreams? Where-ever you are, I hope you're safe. And happy. And at peace. Because I love you so, so much. And I always will. Now until the end of time, when death claims me too one day.

You know, at the start of the year, on New Year's, somehow... I knew. Somehow I knew this was going to be the year. I don't know why I did, but I just... felt it. And I promised myself, no matter what happens, I am going to make this a good year. And I will. But right now, I'm hurting. I'm hurting really bad.

Nothing lasts forever.

Not even pain. I'll be okay. But right now, I'm not.

"Whenever there is a meeting, a parting is sure to follow. However, that parting need not last forever... Whether a parting be forever or merely for a short time... That is up to you." - The Happy Mask Salesman, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

We buried him amongst some of the trees growing back behind our house. I buried him with some things - that heart pendant I used to slip into my photographs to mark them as "mine," for instance. It was a really important necklace to me. So I thought it was only appropriate that he have it. My heart belongs to him, after all. I buried him with a book that was also really sentimental to me. It's called Consider Love. The last line in the book was "Consider my love for incredible you." I signed it to Chip (Slavashado), from me (my name). I love you, sweetheart. I love you so, so much. Do you know that? I'm sure you did.

And I sang him a song, one last time. I don't know how many of you know this, but... when I was a child, my parents used to sing me a song. It became really sentimental to me because of this - memories of childhood days long past, so I sang it to him too. I modified some of the lyrics though.

"You are my sunshine, My only sunshine, You make me happy When skies are gray... You never know, dear, How much I love you... Please don't take My sunshine away.

The other night, dear, As I lay sleeping, I dreamt I held you In my arms. When I awoke, dear, I was mistaken, So I hung My head and cried.

You told me once, dear, You truly loved me. And nothing else could Come between. But now you've left me, To fly to heaven, You're amongst The stars and dreams."

I wrote him a letter, drew him a little picture, and wrote down those lyrics for him too. He'll always have it with him. We put him on his bed and put all of that in a box and put that into the ground. We're planning on planting some flowers out there.

Digging a hole is so much harder than I thought it'd be. There's so many rocks and roots and the chunks of dirt can be hard to lift out of the ground. To be honest I wasn't much help though. I basically just cried the entire time. I didn't even know my face could make that shape. I've never seen my own face in such agony before, but looking in the mirror I wouldn't even recognize myself for the sorrow in my features. It's just so foreign. Alien. It's weird to me.

In a way, actually physically burying him gave me closure. In a way it just made it so much worse. I feel all sides of this grief spectrum at the same time. Acceptance. Denial. Those two things are one and the same now.

It's okay to grieve. It's normal. It's natural. But it just hurts so much.

No amount of reading about grief can really... prepare you for it.

I've cried and cried until my head hurts and my face does too. Every time I open the door to my room, it hits me all over again. There's no one here. There's no one waiting for me at home, no small face peeking at me from the top of the stairs. It's so empty here. It's so lonely. It's so unfathomably quiet. And it's just too much.

I've even gone out to visit his grave, came back inside the house, opened the room to my door, and realized - he's not here. And I was literally just at his grave. It's all the small things, you know? I miss him in so many ways, little things I've gotten used to that tell me of his existence, but that presence - it's gone. And when I'm here in this room, it's so crushingly obvious. His aura no longer flows from his position. Where he should be, there's just nothing. He's not here anymore. He never will be here again. I know that. I do. I know he's gone. But it's just... it's so weird.

He's here one day, and gone the next.

"The years now before us, Fearful and unknown. I never imagined I'd face them on my own. May these thousand winters, Swiftly pass I pray. I love you - I miss you - All these miles away..." - Lullaby for a Princess

I thought I'd have more time. I looked at the can of food I had planned to feed him the next day (and I was really excited for him to try this flavor, too) and just lost it. There's not a tomorrow. He's gone.

I found a trace of his fur on a piece of furniture, and I just started crying all over again.

I leafed through some of the few pictures I've taken of him over the years - far, far too few. And I wanted so badly to reach through the screen onto the other side, where he is. Because he's not here anymore. It's just so hard.

I want him to come back to me.

And at the same time, I don't.

It was meant to be. There's no undoing what's done. He's gone. I know that. But it doesn't change my feelings. I miss him. I love him. And I hurt. I need him. What am I going to do without you, love? You were my constant. You were always there for me, every time I've wanted to end my life. Every time I've wanted to give up. You were there. I need you. I need you so much. You've left me too soon. But I wouldn't undo a single moment. I'll cherish each one of them.

"But time is not eternal. Please make the most of your time." - The Happy Mask Salesman, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

The fact that it's not eternal is what makes life so precious. Time is what gives each and every moment and second of our lives meaning, because that's time you'll never get back.

It's time like this that I'm also thankful for all the storylines I've grown attached to. Somehow, they're really cathartic to me. And they've all taught me things that have made this easier to deal with than if I didn't have them.

Super Danganronpa 2 with its message that, to give up on life is a blasphemy unto life itself. Don't give up, or you're spitting on the beauty that life is. Even if it's hard. That's all part of what makes life beautiful and worth living.

Or Undertale. That if you could control time, rewind, redo, it'd lose all meaning. Life would be static. Unmoving. And you'd get bored. Very, very bored. You'd lose what makes you... well... you. You lose yourself.

Pandora Hearts, that undoing what's happened - even tragic - would lose the meaning of what's happening. Turning back time doesn't fix things. It destroys what you had. Be thankful for the time you have, however short. Because that's what gives each moment so much meaning.

Majora's Mask, because it teaches me that loss and grief are all a part of life. And you have to learn to move on, and let go. All things come to an end. And that's okay. When one door closes, another opens. Life moves on.

There's... well. A reason why those four storylines are my top favorite storylines. They're therapeutic to me. They help me cope with life in general, and everything I've gone through.

The day before he died, we went out to eat at a Chinese restaurant. The fortune cookie literally told me, "Opportunity is knocking on your door - answer it tomorrow."

"May be a reason why all the doors are closed So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road" - Katy Perry, "Firework"

You know that song, "Wake Me Up When September Ends" by Green Day? If I'm not mistaken, it was written after the passing of the singer's dad. And the sentiment is something I relate to. Wake me up a few months from now. I just don't want to be here right now. I'm so tired, and so very sad. There's a sorrow deep inside my soul too heavy to bear right now. I just want to sleep. I want it to be over. I don't want to deal with all of this right now. It's so much, and I'm overwhelmed.

I don't know if this factors into denial, but I've been trying to get out of the house more. Staying here just reminds me of what I've lost. I've been taking walks outside. Just anything to get my mind off of Chip. All the scents and sounds. The life that's buzzing around right now - the seasons are beginning to change into summer, and there's so many insects and birds about. Life continues on.

Somehow it's comforting to me. And somehow it's not. The more time I spend out of the house, the more I can't tell what's real anymore. The real world feels like a dream. Fake somehow. And my house just feels like a nightmare. I dread going to sleep every night. What nights haven't been restless have been filled with fear. What if I have a nightmare? What if I have a dream where he's alive? It will just break my heart all over again to wake up in the morning and realize he's not. It hits me every morning even without that, when I wake up. The sadness returns tenfold each day. I don't know how much longer I can go on like this. Hope seems like a concept far away.

"I'll see you laugh, I'll see you smile, I'll be with you... Just for a while.

But when the morning comes, And the sun begins to rise...

I will lose you.

Because it's just a dream, When I open up my eyes, I will...

Lose you...

I used to believe in forever. But forever's too good to be true. I've hung a wish On every star It hasn't done much good so far.

I can only dream of you, Wherever you are..." - "Wherever You Are", Winnie the Pooh

I know things are going to be okay. But today is not the day.

What's kept me going is busying myself with as much as I can. Thoughts of what I'm going to do each day. I'm taking it one hour at a time at this point. It's all I can do. Just keep going. Just a little farther. The moment I stop to unwind and take a break is when I start to unravel and remember. My thoughts always drift back to the same place somehow. He's gone. What am I supposed to do now?

Perhaps this won't make any sense. And quite honestly I don't care if it doesn't make sense to anyone else, but. Somehow... I felt like Chip has given me one last hope. He left me with something, a feeling. The day after he died, I just... I felt something. Like he was telling me that things were going to be okay, and directed my thoughts to what I should do, now that he's gone.

I want a new kitten.

I'm not replacing Chip. I can never replace him. He's one of a kind, and always will be. But when one door closes, another one opens. I need something to hold. I need something tangible, that's real, to touch, and hug, and cradle, and care for. I need something that needs ME to anchor me to this world, and give me a reason to stay. I need something that can break me out of this cycle of dissociation and ground me. And caring for another life is therapeutic. It makes me feel needed. Like I have a purpose.

Everyone needs to be loved, and to give love.

You know what's wild? The other members of my household unanimously came to the same decision without me even discussing it with them. Somehow, it feels right. I get this weird feeling Chip actually... sort of pushed our thoughts towards this. I don't know why I think that? By all logic that wouldn't be possible but then again, I truly don't think Chip was an ordinary cat at this point. He was so much more.

Do you ever have a dream, and in that dream you just know something? Without knowing why? But you know it for a fact, in that weird dream-sense? For me, that's what it's like. I just know. Even if no-one else believes me on this, I just know.

I'm not great with people. But I love cats. I've always been really good at reading their body language. And I admittedly do like kids. Whenever I go to my family reunions, I always hang out with the kids, not the adults. Their energy is so fun and invigorating. There's so much life in kids, and it makes me just a little happier to spend time with them, even if I hardcore lack social skills. I might not be great around kids, but I really try. I think my cousin’s children like to spend time with me. Their mother keeps telling me so, at least.

Point is, I love that energy. I know a kitten is going to just be energy incarnate. But I think that's what I need in my life. Something to protect and love and spoil. Something to pour all of my affection and effort into. I often feel really restless. Like the life I'm living right now isn't enough. And I'm sure a kitten would more than keep me on my toes and keep me busy. I expect many sleepless nights. I expect to be woken up like 6-7 times per night, even. But you know what? That's okay. I don't mind at all.

I got to play with some of the cats that my relatives have last time I was there and it just reminded me... how long it's been since I've played with a cat like that. My cat was too old to want to play (and I didn't want to cause him issues, he had a heart murmur and so I also didn't want to get him too excited in his old age because oh dear), so I've missed being able to manipulate toys into being a cat's "prey" and lazer pointers and have cats go nuts after it. I've really missed that. So having a kitten that loves to play? Sign me the heck up.

There's a lot of things I wanted to do with my cat, but he was just too old.

You see, I was only 6 when I got my cat. So I was a kid. And I didn't really get to like... spend money on spoiling my cat because at that age it's not like I had money? Once I turned around 20 or so I started really wanting to buy things for my cat, and show him how much I loved him by getting him nice things and toys and a cat tree and all sorts of other things. But he didn't really... like most of what I got him. And it really made me feel frustrated and sad and disappointed because I really wanted to show him how much he meant to me. But at the same time I was afraid of getting him anything because he wouldn't use most of what I'd spent my precious money on. Money doesn't grow on trees.

I understand, he was old by the time I actually had money to do things for him with. But that's all the more reason why a kitten really excites me. That dang lazer pointer I bought? I bet a kitten would love that! (I mean dang I even... bought one that has a USB stick on the end so you can recharge it because I really wanted it to last. Chip was super apathetic to the lazer pointer for the most part.) I wonder if a kitten would like that catnip treat I bought from Jackson Galaxy's shop? (In case you don't know who Jackson Galaxy is, he's a cat behaviorist and honestly knows so much about cats and their behaviors and he very clearly has a passion and great love for feline friends.)

Also that fun little cat tunnel I got my cat. He hated it. I thought he'd really like it because he liked small spaces (I used to have little boxes set up for him because of this) and also he really liked sitting on crinkly / noise-making things like plastic bags and the inside of this tunnel was super crinkly sounding. So I thought it'd be perfect. But he hecking hated that cat tunnel to the point where I almost threw it away because he would avoid it with a passion.

But I bet a kitten would love it. And that cat tree I bought! And I'm gonna get a nice squishy soft bed for him too when I get him since we buried Chip with his bed. And just. Something colorful! And lots of little toys and things! My head fills with so many ideas and plans and things I've got to prepare for for the arrival of a new kitten. I don't have one yet, but I'll get one soon.

It's the only thing right now that fills my heart with hope, and love. I want to take a new life in with me, and care for this new life to the best of my ability, and love him with all my heart. I'm gonna spoil him in toys and fun things and shower him with as much time and affection as I can. I need this. I need something to love and hold and care for. I have some really strong protective instincts, so nurturing something else - it's really therapeutic to me on so many levels.

We're going to get another black cat, just like Chip. I'm not superstitious really, but. You know what I personally think? That black cats bring you GOOD luck instead of bad luck. You're blessed by their presence when they're in your life. It's when they LEAVE you that the bad luck comes rolling in. That's why crossing a black cat's path supposedly causes you bad luck. Because now they're gone.

Plus, cats actually purr at a frequency that's been proven to heal bones and soothe. That's why cats make a really good companion for people dealing with depression, to be honest. And heck knows I have a broken heart that needs mending.

"Everything's gonna be alright, Everything's gonna be okay. It's gonna be a good, good life." - Bebe Rexha, "I'm A Mess"

#crepuscular #personal #this is a long post #but it's important

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ijustwanttoexist · 7 years ago

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Love Isn’t Just a Walk in the Park Pt. 3

It has been brought to my attention that I included something in the last part (part two) that can be severely bad for dogs. Please be sure to wait at least an hour after feeding your dog before exercising them. Failure to do so can cause bloat or torsion, especially in bigger dogs, both of which are extremely painful and can often lead to death.

Please remember that I’m not a trained vet, nor have I ever worked with animals. As such, I might accidentally put something in here that’s bad for animals, like the exercising thing. Please let me know if this is the case, and I’ll be sure to spread the knowledge so we can keep our pets safe.

Part 1 Part 2

On a definitely less important note, someone asked me if I would be putting this fic on AO3. As of this moment, I don’t actually have an account on AO3, mostly because I never thought I would end up writing enough to bother getting one. That might change in the future, but as of now this fic, and all other fics, will only be posted on this blog. I’ll keep you guys updated on that if anything changes.

And then just one last note and I’ll be done. I’m really sorry this took so long to get out. My life kind of imploded after I posted part two, so this installment has been slow going. Hopefully the next one will come out faster! (also, I have a ko-fi now, if anyone was interested)

Pairing(s): Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin

The day after that morning is a Wednesday, so Geno spends it laying in bed on his almost comically large heating pad because even taking it slow, freight is always murder on his back. Angela and Sara help where they can, but he’s really the strongest and tallest of the three, so he ends up doing the heavy lifting.

He takes a prescription strength ibuprofen with his breakfast and props himself up on pillows with his heating pad set on high. Then he spends as much of the day as he possibly can in that spot. His laptop is in his lap for most of it, and the tv is on, but he’s not really paying attention to it. He enjoys the background noise, and his tutor says it’s supposed to be helpful with his English.

He clears out his inbox. Mostly, it’s spam from companies that make animal products wanting him to put their products in his shelter. He deletes most of them, but keeps the ones he’s actually heard of to review at a later time.

There’s one from his brother. Since long international phone calls are hell on their phone bills, this is how they keep up with the mundane details of daily life. At the end of the email, his brother asks when he’ll be able to take some time off and either come for a visit or have some visitors. Geno makes a note to check his calendar, and fills his brother in on the little things going on in his own life.

And unsurprising but definitely unwanted are emails from different teams on the Russian league about becoming a coach. He doesn’t even read these, just deletes them with extreme prejudice and continues clearing his inbox. He clears it once a week and is always unpleasantly surprised with how full it can become in such a short time.

And then Geno sees an email he would never have expected to see. He clicks on it, and reads through it, and is still not sure it’s real. Because sitting there in his inbox is an email from the front office of the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, inviting him to bring some of his animals for the annual Pens & Paws photo shoot. He blinks at it for a moment longer, but ultimately decides the best step forward would be to ask Sidney about it the next morning. He flags the email and continues on with clearing his inbox.

The next morning, Geno’s back feels much better. He does some of the stretches his physical therapist suggested for times when he overdoes it, and is sure to grab some extra heat packs on his way out the door. He has an uneventful drive to the shelter, and actually manages to be a few minutes early.

He goes through the usual pre-opening checklist, then sets a pot of coffee percolating and waits for Sidney to come in. The door opens to said man a few minutes later. They exchange a few pleasantries, and then Sidney is on his way.

Geno gives the animals in the shelter food while Sidney is gone, making sure to put a bowl in the pen of the little boxer mix that Sidney decided to take. Then Geno begins the tedious process of filling out the seemingly neverending pile of paperwork that owning a business generates.

When Sidney comes back into the shop, sweating and flushed, Geno takes a second to memorize the look before he moves. He’s given in to the fact that he finds the man attractive, and has decided to let himself appreciate how he looks, as long as he doesn’t make it weird.

“Good run?” Geno asks. Sidney gives him a smile.

“Yeah, this little one has a lot of energy.”

“Copper is always playing. Happiest dog,” Geno agrees as he holds a water bottle out for Sidney. He accepts it, then drinks down nearly half of the bottle, head tipped back and throat exposed. Geno swallows and looks away to the dog, petting him as he pants and wags his tail.

“Ready for picture?” Geno asks once Sidney finishes his bottle.

“Yeah, definitely.”

“After post, have a question for you,” Geno says.

“All right,” Sidney agrees as they make their way outside. Geno again takes a few pictures, and chooses the one he thinks is the best: Copper looking up at Sidney like he’s the sun, and Sidney looking down at Copper with fond adoration. Sidney helps him work out the phrasing of the tweet, and then it’s sent and Copper is back in his pen where he happily laps up water and eats his breakfast.

“You said you had a question for me?” Sidney asks.

“Yes. Got email from someone who says they are Penguins front office. Invite my shelter to bring dogs for calendar photoshoot?” He pulls up the email on the front computer, then turns the screen so Sidney can read it.

“Oh,” Sidney says, then seems to skim the email. “Yeah, I mentioned your shelter to one of the people who organize our fundraising events because one of our usual shelters couldn’t do it this year. Is that okay?” He asks, his eyebrows drawn together in concern.

“Is fine,” Geno says. “Wanted to make sure it wasn’t fake.”

“It definitely isn’t fake,” Sidney says with the grin Geno’s found he uses when he finds something funny. They stand in silence for a moment, looking into each other’s eyes, before Sidney breaks the silence. “Was that...all you wanted to ask?”

“Um, yes,” Geno says, resisting the urge to ask Sidney something he’d definitely say no to, like out on a date. “Will reply to the email, say yes, show off more of best dogs.”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Sidney says. He’s still smiling, and Geno tells himself he’s imaging that Sidney looks a little disappointed. “I’ll probably see you before then, so feel free to ask me any questions you might have.”

“Yes, have whole list of questions for you next time I see you,” Geno promises.

They bid each other goodbye, and Geno watches Sidney walk until he’s no longer in view.

Now that Geno knows the email is legitimate, he quickly types up a reply before saving it in his drafts for Sara to look over when she comes in later. He spends the rest of the day making a list of the dogs and cats he thinks might be okay with the trip and all of the attention, as well as will also be the best behaved.

When he’s closing the shelter, he finds himself almost looking forward to working the next morning before he remembers he’s not scheduled. Sara’s got the next open, and Angela sent him a text saying she’d managed to finish her project and was ready to get back to work.

Geno gnaws on his lip as disappointment wells up in his chest before he viciously shoves it down. He knows he doesn’t have a chance with someone like Sidney Crosby, face of a franchise and probably straight on top of it. And even if he wasn’t, no one wants to be the first out player in such an old-fashioned organization. And Geno could never go back into the closet, not even for someone like Sidney.

He takes the scenic way home to clear his head, and reminds himself to send a list of questions to Sara so she can ask Sidney in the morning and be the official responder to the emails from the Penguins front office.

It’s better this way, he tells himself. It’s only been two days. It’ll be good to get back to his normal schedule.

He’s almost convinced himself when he goes to bed that night.

#sidgeno #sidney crosby #evgeni malkin #I accidentally angsted?#I'm so sorry #I promise this all ends happily #and hey more penguins and pets next installment probably #and also theoretically the next installment will include a picture of Sidney with a dog #maybe even Geno if I can figure it out

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dunnystuff · 3 years ago

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Sent: Wednesday, September 01, 2021 12:04 PM

Subject: Rich's Blog

Now We know How Churchill Felt Watching Neville Chamberlain

Hi to all -

The Aftermath

I had heard that during his term, Obama would sometimes ban Biden from attending strategy meetings because his 'thinking was dangerous'. Guess even Obama knew that Biden was not a diplomat, leader or thinker. Just a political hack, easily manipulated.

Well, everyone can now watch this. Yes, Biden did meet the plane returning the bodies of our fallen. He dutifully stood there, trying to look somber, but he was clearly not there in spirit. As each of the 13 bodies was carried off the plane, Biden stopped and looked at his watch. He had someplace more important to be than honoring our soldiers. Perhaps if those coffins had been filled with cash from China, he could have spared some time. Some of the families noticed this, and said very unkind things about Biden.

Remember Hurricane Sandy? That storm devastated the coastal areas of New Jersey. Obama paid a visit to see the destruction, and in one very revealing moment, he stood amidst the ruins of a home, holding up a weeping woman, and promised her with all the sincerity a politician can muster that he would not desert them, but would be there to take care of their tragedy. Then, he looked at his watch, and literally dropped this woman, saying he had a fundraiser to go to. Later, these people were told, by mail, that they did not qualify for federal aid, just because their houses had literally been wiped off the map. One homeowner sent the bureaucrats a letter, with a photo of himself standing in the ruins of his home, and inviting them to come over for dinner, since they were not experiencing any loss, or deserving of any aid from the government.

Now that the battle is over, and there is nothing to be done, the GOP members of congress held a long presser today. Lots of hand wringing, and the usual lamenting that someone must be held accountable, etc. Easy to do, after weeks of silence. But several members got up and told angry stories - these were often vets of that war - of people they knew being executed by the Taliban. One congressman told of his interpreter having been captured by the Taliban, and having to watch them behead his wife and children, before they beheaded him.

Nancy Pelosi was asked to attend. But, Nancy, like all piss ant tyrants, is a coward, and refused to attend to hear the stories, or answer the questions, etc. Nancy can only function in the dark, or in an environment she totally controls. Daylight is as dangerous to her as it is to any vampire. She sent some poor underling who was powerless to say or do anything.

For weeks now, Nancy has forbidden any discussion in congress about the situation, and blocked every effort by others to mitigate the problems or prevent the losses. Treason? Conspiracy? Efforts to destroy America? You decide. And, there was a lot of angry emotion in the room. A group of 90 generals and admirals demanded the resignation of General Milley and General Austin (Head of the Joint Chiefs and Secretary of Defense) for their total failure in this bungled effort. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was revealed to have had detailed knowledge of the attacks on our troops in advance. He even notified medical personnel to be prepared for a 'mass casualty event' more than 1.5 hours before it happened! Dereliction of duty, anyone? In fact, our intelligence people had been presenting detailed descriptions of what was happening, and what was about to happen, when and where, to our forces on the ground. The word 'impeachment' was not mentioned. How odd.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby blithely dismissed leaving so many stranded people as 'We have people stranded all the time.' He refused to answer any questions about the botched pullout . he refused to answer why, knowing what was about to happen, he failed to warn or protect our soldiers. But what really got a lot of folks riled up was the reveal, and photos, of our service dogs being abandoned, in their kennels, on the airfield. These dogs are soldiers, too, who work and give their lives for our soldiers. There is a move to rescue them, as they are in the custody of friendly people still there.

But, if we stall questions for a short time, they will be unnecessary. The Taliban is going house to house slaughtering 'enemies of their new state'. When I said this was going to happen, Big Brother censored my story.

Biden, meanwhile, is claiming that this was a 'great victory', and dancing his victory dance. He did what no one else could do. Well, that part is correct. We have never had a traitor like this before. And, all those $82 billion worth of weapons will be on the world arms markets in days, if they are not there already. This is more weapons that many of our allied nations possess - and they will go to the highest bidder, and will soon be used against us right here - coming across our southern border. Did you see the videos? Pallets of pistols, rifles, binoculars , night vision gear, body armor, and tons of ammo. Thousands of vehicles, even aircraft.

By the way, Biden is trying to get the CDC to ban ammo sales and distribution as a health and safety issue, since he cannot do it by Executive Order. An old Obama back door approach. He also wants private companies to do what he cannot do - discriminate against manufacturers and buyers of weapons - even as our own weapons are coming to attack us.

Do you remember what Ike did as he was about to launch D-Day? Chances were not so great that it would succeed. So, Ike prepared two statements. One, to give if the landings were successful, and another if they were not. In the second case, Ike said that the failure was his, and his alone. There are no Ike's in the Biden White House. Only whining finger pointers.

Teachers Union

President Cecily Myart-Cruz noted that kids are not doing well, and says that lockdowns that have kept so many out of class for nearly a year and a half is no problem at all. Just because they do not know their multiplication tables, or how to read, or spell, or write their own names, that does not mean they are not educated. Not at all. After all, she said, they have learned resilience. And, they know all about riots, protests, and insurrection. That is more important than basic functional skills, right?

General Flynn

He is still hated and feared by the left. He just posted a letter he received from Chase Bank - which caused quite a stir. The letter said "We decided to close your credit cards on September 18, 2021, because continuing the relationship creates possible reputational risk to our company." Well, such blatant discrimination got a lot of folks up in arms, and Chase had to issue a retraction, claiming 'it was an error'. No, it was not. It was an attempt to punish a man because of his political beliefs.

To put this in perspective, Chase just agreed to a $920 million settlement with the DOJ for conspiring to defraud the markets for precious metals and Treasury Bonds . If the settlement is nearly a billion dollars, just how big was this fraud?

New Orleans

Well, they are getting into action for the aftermath of storm Ida. The looting is already in progress, so the head of law enforcement made the announcement that this would not be tolerated, and that looting was a felony, and anyone arrested would be treated as a felon. Some have already been arrested. Compare to Katrina.

Years back, I lived in a small town with a very corrupt local government. It had been a family fiefdom for years. The Judge was family with the sheriff, and all other officials were on the take. Cops would raid one drug gang, and then sell the drugs from their police cars while on patrol. There were organized theft gangs, hitting up to 100 homes per week. No one ever saw their goods again. Except for one. When the gang hit the home of the judge, he complained to the sheriff that his wife's silver and furs had been taken, and by the most amazing coincidence, the sheriff found those items the very next day, and returned them to the judge.

Finally, the feds had enough, and swooped in and arrested everyone above the rank of meter maid. The mayor ran for reelection from his jail cell! Well, a new crop of folks took over, and one of the first things they did was institute a new law for the holidays. See, business robberies were an everyday occurrence during the holiday season (your Christmas shoplifting), as I knew first hand from being on the receiving end of an armed robbery, with daytime raids and nighttime break ins. So, there was an announcement that in any case of questionable behavior, police would shoot first, ask questions later. It was not long before two incidents brought this policy to light. A young man tried to rob a convenience store, and was shot dead as he exited the building. Another young man was discovered climbing out of a basement window of a business, with what looked like a weapon, but turned out to be the screwdriver he used to break in with, and he was also shot dead. When these two stories were reported on the news, robberies and other crime dropped by 90%, and never returned to former levels. Even crooks have a risk limit.

War of 1912

During this war, the British sent a force up the river to seize control of an important American post. A man on the riverbank yelled at the British "If Washington were still president, he would not let you do this !" The British officer responded "If Washington were still president, we would not even try." Teddy Roosevelt expressed this well, when he said "Speak softly, and carry a big stick". When people know you mean it - they will leave you alone.

China

They are concerned over how much time young people spend on video games. So, now all video games must be registered with the state, using real names and personal ID card numbers. All games will be monitored by the state, and youth will be allowed no more than three hours weekly to play games. One hour daily on weekends, and one hour on holidays. Kids and game makers are not happy, but this is China, and you have no say in your own life in China. Look for similar things to come here.

Rich

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renfys · 7 years ago

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Everything Happens In Threes

weird roadtip ft…l

So, the last week has been a bit hectic. I like to post twice a week at least – it keeps me writing and keeps this place active and you all something to read. I’ve managed to keep up the twice-weekly posts for a while now, thanks to writing ahead and guest posts and things like the Monthly Entertainment posts. So it’s odd for me to miss a post – with Monday’s being what I call a ‘light’ post and Thursday having no post at all – I thought I should write about what happened this week.

So the week started on Thursday night when my sister called.

My Dad

So my sister called to say my dad was in the hospital but we didn’t know why. And the police had called her because they couldn’t find him before they’d found him unconscious in his house after he’d walked out of A&E. And that’s all we knew. My cousin is an A&E nurse and was there at the time but once he’d left she wasn’t sure what had happened and we couldn’t get any information from the hospital because they can’t give any out on the phone. All they could say was that he was stable and comfortable.

Plus my dad had lost his phone.

In the end, my sister decided on Saturday night that she was going to drive to Coventry to find out what was going on. I knew she shouldn’t have to go and deal with this alone so on Sunday morning we headed on the weirdest road trip ever. We always have fun together and I made some CDs so we laughed and talked and drove 142 miles (stopping off to buy dad some pyjamas and toiletries).

When we got there we got a few answers from the nurses as my dad couldn’t really remember much and wasn’t interested in talking about it either. On Monday we spoke to the doctor and got a fuller picture of what happened, what he was being treated for and what the long-term plan is.

My dad’s wall of fundraising achievements for Parkinson’s UK.

Basically, on Wednesday night/Thursday morning my dad was blind drunk and suicidal and went to A&E for help. Cause he was drunk he walked off and went home and took an overdose. The police found him and took him back to the hospital where they started putting him through a detox. On top of that, he said he doesn’t think he has Parkinson’s, and that the shaking is all alcohol-related. On top of the state his house was in, he hadn’t been taking his medication for his Parkinsons or his epilepsy. I found two full boxes of two different medication.

We left on Monday afternoon, as I had already taken a day off work and my niece and nephew needed their mum back home. We got home around 9 pm having hit the rush hour traffic on the M6 and all the fog in the world on the mountain. Dad was in the hospital until Friday as they were unsure of his physical health – he wasn’t walking very steadily when we were there and was a fall risk.

He’s better now, but definitely not okay. He has carers coming out to encourage him to take his medication and so forth. Hopefully, social services will get more involved and he’ll be seeing a Parkinson’s nurse which will hopefully explain to him why and how he was diagnosed with Parkison’s.

So that was the weekend.

My Son

Not feeling very well.

Snappy really missed me Sunday night and didn’t understand where I was and wouldn’t settle down to sleep. I was so late home that my wife had to put him to bed a second time. Mostly he was confused this time, but he wouldn’t listen to his story. When we went up to bed and he woke up and I just sat with him for a little bit to reassure him I was home again. We’ve only been apart overnight once before and even though he was home with my wife it was harder because of everything going on with my dad and I had my wife with me for comfort.

By the time we’d gotten back into his routine and he was going to bed at his normal time and sleeping a little better he got the sickness bug.

He woke up from his nap on Thursday (my day off) covered in sick and then couldn’t keep anything down for the rest of the afternoon. This included water. We both went through three sets of clothes and a lot of towels and wipes. He was in good spirits when he wasn’t throwing up and by time bedtime had passed he was mostly tired and had kept down some water finally.

He was fine all Friday; clingy and really wanting to know where I’d gone, but keeping everything down (he ate little though), only to throw up on me when I got home. I cuddled him for a bit and when I was sure he wasn’t going to throw up again put him to bed. Yesterday he was fine all day again and eating and went to bed at his normal time.

Feeling better.

Then he woke up in the night having thrown up. Which then meant I had to strip his cot, strip him, sort that out. And then give his Peebles and quick but thorough clean with some baby wipes; He wouldn’t sleep without her and then he wouldn’t sleep with her because her hair was damp. So we just sat in the dark for twenty minutes until he fell asleep in my lap.

He’s okay today, so far. His stomach is still bad; luckily we used cloth nappies most of the time. The washing machine has been going non-stop all week though so I’m probably cancelling out all the good we’re doing to the environment with cloth nappies.

Hopefully, he won’t throw up again. I can do snot and crap and pee and food coming out of his mouth. And spit up. I can even do spit up but not sick. I don’t have the stomach for it and I can’t stand the smell.

Tonight is bath night. For everyone.

My Cat

Another day sleeping.

To top off the trifecta of illness Reb Brown is also sick this weekend. Yesterday he wouldn’t eat his breakfast and spent all day in bed. He’s getting old now, he was about 8 or 9 when we got him four years ago so he’s about 13 now. He’s lost some weight recently and shuddered and pauses when he jumps down from the kitchen counters. So he’s definitely getting arthritis, but he’s never been off his food before.

This is how things started when Mickey died. He was off his food Friday and by the time we got to the vets Monday he died there.

Reb spent yesterday asleep but came down to eat his dinner before coming back to bed and sleeping with us all night. Fortunately, he’s doing better today, he came down for his breakfast and has been working on it bit by bit over the door and is currently outside in the sun. Hopefully, he just ate something that disagreed with him, Kitten was a little off her food too. There is a toxic bug that gets in the house that they like to eat and then throw up around this time of year; it was probably just that and at his age, he was unable to get it out of his system as quickly as whoever threw up on my sofa and rug in the week. (Lot of sick this week).,

So, as well as that finishing two articles for a freelance job, work and trying to get more jobs, QLF was put on the back burner for a week. No blog, no promotion, no link ups and commenting.

Hopefully, back on track this week but who knows, life is unpredictable like that. Especially our lives.

The post Everything Happens In Threes appeared first on Queer Little Family.

from WordPress http://ift.tt/2EVds5x via IFTTT

#IFTTT #WordPress #lgbt family

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thisdaynews · 5 years ago

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‘It sure feels like Buttigieg and Klobuchar have wind in their sails’

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/it-sure-feels-like-buttigieg-and-klobuchar-have-wind-in-their-sails/

‘It sure feels like Buttigieg and Klobuchar have wind in their sails’

“If you want the left-most possible candidate, you’ve got a clear choice. If you want the candidate with the most years in Washington, you’ve got a clear choice. For everybody else, I just might be your person,” Buttigieg said after an event at the University of Chicago, where he spoke with David Axelrod, former President Barack Obama’s chief strategist. “I think we saw that space opening up.”

A new poll out Monday morning showed Buttigieg in third place in Iowa with one of his best showings ever, 13 percent, behind only Biden and Warren. Klobuchar was bunched with four other candidates at 3 percent support, but with strong marks for her debate performance that indicate potential room to grow in the coming days.

Klobuchar, speaking aboard her bright green campaign bus in Iowa — and joking that she was happy to be able to pay to wrap her logo around it after her post-debate fundraising boomlet — said her scraps with Sanders and Warren showed a focus on the swing voters who will decide the 2020 election, particularly in the Midwest.

Klobuchar chided Warren during the debate that “the difference between a plan and a pipe dream is something you can actually get done.” Earlier, Buttigieg had told the Massachusetts senator that her “signature” is “to have a plan for everything, except” health care.

Warren and Sanders “say, we are brave because these are our ideas, and you’re not because you don’t share our ideas,” Klobuchar said in an interview. “Of course, I’ve been thinking about that a lot, and I said, no, I think it’s actually brave to bring up that you should pay for things in our party. I think it’s brave to acknowledge that we should bring in independents and moderate Republicans.”

In Waterloo, Iowa, Klobuchar told the 100-person crowd at Single Speed Brewing that the campaign raised $1.5 million in the 36 hours following the debate, a “huge amount of momentum,” she said to cheers, “and it gave me the chance to say a few more words than I got to in past debates from my perch up there on the side.”

Still, other 2020 candidates, like Kamala Harris and Julian Castro, bounced off of big moments in past debates but watched the attention fizzle out, without translating into lasting gains for their campaigns.

The new round of attention for both Midwesterners comes at a key moment: Klobuchar has yet to qualify for the November debate stage, while Buttigieg faced new questions about his campaign’s attention to racial issues. And both of them still have significant ground to make up in the polls.

“It sure feels like Buttgieg and Klobuchar have wind in their sails,” said Jeff Link, an Iowa-based Democratic strategist. But it is “open question is whether they have the organizational capacity to take advantage of it.”

Based on money and staff footprint, Buttigieg is better positioned: He ended September with $23.4 million in his campaign account — third in the Democratic field — while Klobuchar has $3.7 million to spend. She’s only reached 3 percent in one early-state poll, and she needs three more to qualify for the November debate. On the ground in Iowa, Buttigieg’s staff is about double the size of Klobuchar’s. Both candidates are currently airing TV ads in Iowa.

“She’s not been able to raise money online to the same extent as Buttigieg, which increases the pressure on debate performances and big moments,” Link said. “It’s a challenge to get coverage, to get attention if you’re not on stage … You’ve got to be there.”

But Klobuchar, who rolled out a pair of Iowa state legislative endorsements this week, said that her campaign has been building, “slowly, but surely,” and preparing to seize on the right moment. A “moment in a debate [is] pretty short-lived,” Klobuchar acknowledged. Those new endorsers “didn’t just go, ‘oh, we liked you in the debate!’ We had those in hand.”

“There’s room for people to know who I am now,” Klobuchar said. On Thursday, her campaign released a digital ad touting her track record of bipartisan successes.

A former Biden backer in the crowd for Klobuchar’s stop in Mason City Saturday agreed. Mary Lu Barnekow, a 79-year-old Democratic caucus-goer, said age was an important factor for her, and she “was for Biden” before deciding his age was “a concern.” Buttigieg, meanwhile, is “too young.”

Instead, Barnekow, clutching Klobuchar lawn signs and stickers, decided to caucus for Klobuchar after seeing her in person this weekend coming off last week’s debate.

“Biden is afraid to make waves, and since they have similar platforms, Amy will say what Biden is afraid to say,” said Bert Lange, a 49-year-old voter from Garner, Iowa, who said he was supportive of the senator. “I definitely felt like she did that in the debate.”

Buttigieg echoed Klobuchar’s commitment to building in-state infrastructure, calling his ground game “the biggest thing that we’ve got to do” to “back up a message that is resonating,” noting that his campaign boasts the most field offices in the state. He held a 900-person rally in Ames, Iowa last week.

But Buttigieg, who has continued to creep up in Iowa polling, also spent last week pushing back on criticism of tweets from 2018 showing him pledging support for Medicare for All, the policy he criticized vigorously in the debate.

Buttigieg defended his comments on CNN’s “State of the Union,” saying: “Somewhere along the line this year, politicians started saying that it’s only Medicare for All if you eliminate all private coverage, which is why I now talk about my plan with the language of Medicare for all who want it.”

Buttigieg also faced criticism for planning to attend a fundraiser co-sponsored by Steve Patton, a former Chicago city attorney who led the effort to block the release of video showing the shooting of Laquan McDonald, a black teenager who was killed by police officers.

Buttigieg called the misstep “frustrating,” adding, “I’m going to figure out how it happened and make sure it doesn’t happen again.” Buttigieg returned Patton’s campaign contribution and removed him as a co-sponsor for the Chicago fundraiser.

Axelrod, who interviewed Buttigieg on stage at the University of Chicago, advised the candidate to take more care. “Hire one more” staffer, the Obama campaign veteran warned, and “put them on vetting.”

#Foreign #Klobuchar #Politics #sails

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jessicakehoe · 6 years ago

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All the Celebrities the Roses Have Name-Dropped on Schitt’s Creek

There are several ways to discern that the Rose family, before they washed up on the shores of Schitt’s Creek, was mega-rich. One, they remind us constantly. Two, their combined wardrobe contains enough luxury designer threads—Wang! Owens! McQueen! Marant!—to fill a massive concept store, or at the very least, “a boutique in Prague that’s only open Sunday nights.” Three, they’re forever dropping breadcrumbs about their former lives, offering us little peeks at the Roses of yore.

By now we know that Johnny and Moira have partied with the Castros (and the Clintons and the Schwarzeneggers), David’s got some not-so-fond memories with Anderson Cooper and Nate Berkus in his past, and Alexis… well, US Weekly once described her as “up for anything,” and so far we know that includes a blind date with Leonardo DiCaprio, a tryst with an unnamed Saudi prince, and a relationship with a Sultan’s nephew that lasted “like, half a regime change.”

Read on for every celebrity encounter the Roses have revealed to us so far.

Season 1

Episode 1 Alexis: “Stavros is flying in to get me, I told you that.” David: “What do you mean Stavros is com… What do you mean? When? When is he doing that?” Alexis: “Like, whenever stupid Mary-Kate stops hogging his plane.  ”

Alexis: “I actually think this place is kinda cute.” Moira: “Did you say cute? No Alexis, Martha Stewart’s Hampton home is cute.  ”

Alexis: “Stavros just texted me. And he ended it, he’s not coming! He said he doesn’t have time to come and get me, because he already RSVP’d to Diddy’s White Party, and doesn’t have time to do both! But I was supposed to be his date to the White Party!  ”

Episode 7 David: “Are you sure you wanna be travelling so far out of town with a person you just met?” Alexis: “I went on a blind date to Bali with Leo, so… I’m pretty sure I’m gonna be fine.  ”

Ronnie: “You ever killed before?” David: “Have I ever killed before? No. Elton John used to have an annual hunt at his place in Windsor, but that was more about the lunch.”

via GIPHY

Episode 12 Johnny: “You didn’t think your mother would get involved in planning a fundraiser? My God, she had Hillary shaking last year at the Clinton Foundation dinner.”

Episode 13 Johnny: “Hey, that’s a good coat. I outbid Richard Branson for it at the Kaminski Auction.”

via GIPHY

Season 2

Episode 1 Alexis: “Do I have to remind you of the time that I was taken hostage on David Geffen’s yacht by Somali pirates for a week, and nobody answered my texts?!”

Alexis: “You told me that Diane Sawyer gave you that bag, and that it was fake.” Moira: “I didn’t want you taking it.” Alexis: “Okay, because I have told a lot of people that Diane Sawyer sells fake bags on the down-low.”

Episode 5 David: “Do you like this sweater? Jared Leto gave it to me and I’ve always been on the fence about it.” Alexis: “I don’t know.” David: “What do you mean, you don’t know? You either like it, or you don’t like it.” Alexis: “I mean, I like it ’cause Jared Leto gave it to you, and he was my first kiss, but I don’t know if I like, like it, like it.”

via GIPHY

Episode 6 Moira: “Do you remember what Goldie Hawn told us at that AmFar dinner? ‘You are the life that you accept for yourself.’ Those are Goldie’s words. Or something someone said to her in India. Or perhaps she read it. In any case it has always stayed with me.”

David: “Scent is a really important factor in defining a brand. Alexander Wang once fired my friend over the smell of his cologne. To Alex’s credit, Curve Pour Hommes hasn’t been the look since 1997.”

Ronnie: “Usually these council decisions, they take weeks.” Moira: “Oh I won’t wait for anyone’s decision. I once got Winnie Mandela to RSVP to an Artists Against Eczema benefit within the hour.”

Episode 9 Moira: “I did a series of very tasteful nudes with Richard Avedon in the ’70s.” Stevie: “I see. Um… This is really not in my job description so…” Moira: “Why aren’t they coming up?”

Episode 10 Moira: “Needless to say, that was the last time I played charades with Fran Lebowitz.”

Episode 12 Alexis: “I know that we just met but if Prince Harry trusted me with his life, then I think you can too.”

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Season 3

Episode 6 Moira: “John and I used to attend Eyes Wide Shut parties at the Castros’. Though… I’m guessing your evening’s activities might be somewhat different.”

Alexis: “I can’t go to college, yet. Because I didn’t finish high school.” Ted: “Oh.” Alexis: “I know. It’s so embarrassing, and I never should’ve taken that semester off. But I did meet Beyonce in Mykonos, so it was almost worth it.”

Episode 7 Jocelyn: “So here’s the thing about Marie Antoinette. Even though I love to eat cake, I think I’d be pretty annoyed with her myself. I do see your hand up Alexis, it’s just that you probably haven’t had a chance to catch up.” Alexis: “Okay, it’s just that she never actually said “let them eat cake.”” Jocelyn: “Um well, that depends on who you ask.” Alexis: “Hmm, well, I asked Kirsten Dunst, who played her in the movie. Um, that line was actually written years before Marie Antoinette allegedly said it. And um, Kirsten also told me at the premiere that she was jealous of my bangs.” Jocelyn: “Thank you for that contribution to the discussion, now…” Alexis: “My friends used to call me Marie, and that was mainly because I was casually seeing Prince Harry, so there was the whole like, is she gonna be a princess thing, um, but it’s also because we were going through this very dark phase where we were just like, partying too hard.”

Alexis: “I stole this dress from Ashlee Simpson. Or like, she stole it from me, and then I stole it back.”

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Season 4

Episode 3 Moira: “I know all about being left in the lurch for a fundraiser. Eva Longoria and I were supposed to perform our ventriloquist act for the Everybody Nose benefit for juvenile rhinoplasty, when she suddenly drops out due to exhaustion. I had to be both puppet, and puppeteer.”

David: “You didn’t even play Patty, though.” Moira: “You know I did! The night Patricia LuPone ate that pre-show shawarma, and I was asked to step in. I’ve always wanted to reprise the role.”

Episode 5 Moira: “This is not… not how I imagined my resurrection news to break! ‘Impeccably dressed woman wanders out of Podunk motel.’ No, that’s not the headline!” Stevie: “Okay, well I actually own this Podunk motel, and I don’t know what choice you have.” Moira: “Well, we have to think of something. After all my fans have endured? No, I can’t let them see me like this. It would kill Sir Tony Geary.”

Episode 7 Alexis: “I used to text Zac Efron just, like, a question mark whenever I wanted a booty call.  Poor thing would be, like, buzzing my apartment before I even pressed send.”

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Episode 8 A: “Ted can’t know about this, David. Miguel’s the only other vet in town, and they have this, like, dumb rivalry.” D: “When has that ever stopped you? I remember that summer you dated all three Hanson brothers.”

Episode 11 Moira: “There was that summer that Jimmy Smits stole my heart onstage in a workshop-only production of Officer and a Gentleman. I suppose that might be called emotional embezzlement.”

Christmas Special Patrick: “Are we supposed to be doing anything for this party?” David: “Um, yes, decorations, but even if we could still afford Nate Berkus, I’d burned that bridge in Ibiza.”

Johnny: “You know, in the old days, I stood by your side no matter how you wanted to spend the holidays. Whether it was heading to Miami for Puff Daddy’s Poolside White Party, or that uncomfortable tree trimming at Arnold and Maria’s. How ’bout the night you wore your fur coat to the PETA Christmas Fundraiser?” Moira: “I heard Peter Fundraiser! Bogdanovich loved a mink.”

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Season 5

Episode 1 Patrick: “Why would he agree do this when he’s afraid of heights?” Alexi: “He’s not afraid of heights, he’s afraid of moths and butterflies.” Ted: “And businesswomen in sneakers.” Patrick: “And also heights, something to do with him being broken up with while he was…” Alexis: “Parasailing in the Seychelles! He and Anderson Cooper were stuck up there for like, three hours, until the wind died down!”

Episode 2 Alexis: “I have a toe ring that would look so cute on you!” Twyla: “We’re not allowed to wear open-toed shoes, but um maybe I could take that bracelet?” Alexis: “Yes! Um, I actually got this in a swap with Sienna Miller. And by that I mean it fell off her wrist at a Halloween party, and I kept it.”

Episode 3 Alexis: “Um did I leave a Q-tip in or did you just tell me that you guys are getting an apartment together?” David: “We’re just going to look.” Alexis: “Yeah and Adam Levine and I just went for bubble tea.”

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Episode 6 Moira: “Oh I’m not above a naughty night of debauchery. When Condi Rice and Sharon Stone and I used to make our annual casino sojourn to Ho Chi Minh City… well lets just say toi khong bao gio thua.”

David: “I think it’s important for Patrick to experience other people in order to realize how good he has it with me.” Alexis: “What if he doesn’t come to that realization? Every time I did that with a boyfriend, I’d send them off with someone who, like, wasn’t a threat, like Pippa Middleton or Rihanna.”

Alexis: “This is why you have ground rules, David. Josh Groban has a thick leather-bound binder full of them.”

Moira: “I’m thinking of a particular night in Monaco with Maggie Trudeau and The Rolling Stones.” Jocelyn: “You rocked out with the Stones?” Moira: “All except Charlie but every party has a pooper.”

Episode 7 Ted: “That was fun but maybe we can start telling some stories about someone else who was naked and crying.” Alexis: “Okay fine but I think everyone here has already heard about my Vin Diesel adventure.”

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mikemortgage · 6 years ago

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AP FACT CHECK: Trump’s twists on Russia, shutdown, vets

WASHINGTON — It was a week of half-truths, changed stories and outright fabrications in President Donald Trump’s Washington.

Trump assailed Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., for playing on the beach in Puerto Rico, though she never went. His vice-president echoed Trump’s declaration of victory against the Islamic State group despite a deadly suicide bombing for which the militants claimed responsibility. Trump overstated what he’s done for veterans.

A look at some of the rhetoric from Trump and his team as the president faced intensifying pressure over the partial government shutdown and scrutiny from Democrats over his dealings with Russia:

THE SHUTDOWN

TRUMP: “Nancy Pelosi’s in Hawaii over the holidays, now she’s in Puerto Rico with a bunch of Democrats and lobbyists, you know, enjoying the sun and partying down there.” — Fox News interview on Jan. 12.

TRUMP: “I’d rather see the Democrats come back from their vacation and act. … I’m in the White House, and most of them are in different locations. They’re watching a certain musical in a very nice location.” — Fox News interview.

TRUMP: “A lot of the Democrats were in Puerto Rico celebrating something. I don’t know, maybe they’re celebrating the shutdown.” — comments Monday.

THE FACTS: Far from “enjoying the sun” in Puerto Rico, Pelosi stayed in Washington, which got a big snowfall. She spent that weekend working at the Capitol, said Drew Hammill, her deputy chief of staff.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer did not go to Puerto Rico, either. The senator from New York spent that weekend in New York, said spokesman Justin Goodman.

Most Democratic lawmakers were somewhere other than Puerto Rico. Most who went are members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. They attended the annual winter retreat of the caucus’s political and fundraising arm.

Some attended “Hamilton” as the musical opened a two-week run in Puerto Rico expected to raise millions of dollars for artists and cultural groups struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Referring to Democrats at the fundraising performance in his Fox News interview, Trump called it “frankly, ridiculous.”

During the trip, lawmakers indeed met political contributors but also made several visits to local and federal institutions, said Marieli Padro, spokeswoman for Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez. Last Saturday, a small group visited the veterans’ hospital to learn about its needs post-hurricane, while another group met U.S. Coast Guard officials.

Trump is correct that Pelosi visited Hawaii over the Christmas holiday.

——

KEVIN HASSETT, Trump economic adviser: “You know as soon as it’s resolved, then people get their paychecks and the government will go back to acting normal and the economy will go back to the 3 per cent growth that President Trump’s policies have delivered.” — interview Tuesday with Fox Business Network.

THE FACTS: It’s true the economy probably will get a boost once the shutdown ends, but few independent economists think that boost will be sustained. The economy is facing other headwinds that make it unlikely growth will return to 2018’s pace. Before the shutdown, most independent economists already were forecasting that growth would slow this year as the impact of President Trump’s tax credit fades and trade tensions and slowing global growth take a toll.

Even if the government shutdown ends up being a wash in economic terms, with strong growth in the second quarter offsetting weakness in the first, the economy is likely to be weaker this year than last. Scott Anderson, an economist at Bank of the West, expects last year’s stock market drop will cause many wealthier households to pull back on spending, a drag on growth this year.

He’s not alone. A group of 15 economists at major U.S. banks earlier this month projected that growth would slow to just a 2.1 per cent pace in 2019, down from roughly 3 per cent in 2018.

The economy’s current health is difficult to gauge because the partial shutdown means many economic statistics aren’t being released. Recent signs are mixed: The job market is strong, with few layoffs in sight, and manufacturing output rose in December. But higher interest rates have also caused home prices and sales to fall.

——

TRUMP: “We need strong barriers and walls. Nothing else is going to work.” — remarks Thursday at the Pentagon.

TRUMP: “You can have all the people you want dressed in military. You can have ICE. You can have Border Patrol. If you don’t have that barrier, there’s not a thing you can do. You know, they all say, ‘We like technology.’ I like technology, too. But we can have all the drones in the world flying around; we can have all the sensors in the world, but if you don’t have a strong steel or concrete barrier, there’s no way you’re going to stop these people from rushing.” — remarks Monday in New Orleans.

THE FACTS: The evidence is inconclusive on the effectiveness of border walls or other barriers.

Congress’ main watchdog reported in 2017 that the government does not have a way to measure how well barriers work to deter immigrants crossing illegally from Mexico. Despite $2.3 billion spent by the government on such construction from 2007 to 2015, the Government Accountability Office found that authorities “cannot measure the contribution of fencing to border security operations along the southwest border because it has not developed metrics for this assessment.”

Few people dispute that fences contributed to a sharp drop in crossings in cities such as San Diego and El Paso, Texas. Before fences were built in San Diego, crossers played soccer on U.S. soil as vendors hawked tamales, waiting until night fell to overwhelm agents. But those barriers also pushed people into more remote and less-patrolled areas such as in Arizona, where thousands of migrants have perished in extreme heat.

When barriers were built in the Border Patrol’s Yuma, Arizona, sector in the mid-2000s, arrests for illegal crossings plummeted 94 per cent in three years to 8,363 from 138,438. When barriers were built in San Diego in the 1990s and early 2000s, arrests fell 80 per cent over seven years from 524,231 in 1995 to 100,681 in 2002. But both areas also saw sharp increases in Border Patrol staffing during that time, making it difficult to pinpoint why illegal crossings fell so dramatically.

——

SYRIA

PENCE: “The caliphate has crumbled, and ISIS has been defeated.” — remarks Wednesday at State Department.

THE FACTS: Trump’s remark followed the deadly suicide bombing claimed by IS, which demonstrated the extremist group, however weakened, has not been vanquished. The bombing underscored Pentagon assertions that IS is still a threat and capable of deadly attacks.

The attack killed at least 16 people in Syria, including two U.S. service members and two American civilians. It was the deadliest assault on U.S. troops in Syria since American forces went into the country in 2015.

A tweet Wednesday morning by Pence’s press secretary, Alyssa Farah, indicated the vice-president had been briefed on the attacks before he delivered his remarks claiming the defeat of IS. Pence later released a statement acknowledging the fatalities and IS “remnants” but reaffirming Trump’s plan to withdraw troops.

“We will never allow the remnants of ISIS to re-establish their evil and murderous caliphate,” he said.

Trump, in a Dec. 19 tweet, announced the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria. He said: “We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.” He said the troops would begin coming home “now.” That plan triggered immediate pushback from military leaders and the resignation of Defence Secretary Jim Mattis.

Over the past month, however, Trump and others have appeared to adjust the timeline, and U.S. officials have suggested it will probably take several months to withdraw American forces from Syria safely.

——

RUSSIA INVESTIGATION

RUDY GIULIANI: Trump’s lawyer: “I never said there was no collusion between the campaign (and Russia).” — interview Wednesday with CNN.

THE FACTS: Actually, he did deny in the past that there was any collusion between the Trump campaign and Russians.

Asked by Fox News in July if that was his position, he said, “Correct.” Giuliani has previously called the idea of the Trump campaign’s collusion with Russia “total fake news.” “No collusion,” he also said.

Giuliani continued to deny that Trump himself was involved any collusion, whatever others in his campaign may or may not have done.

He sought to clarify his remarks after, saying he had no knowledge of collusion “by any of the thousands of people who worked on the campaign.”

Evidence so far points to a broad range of Trump associates who had Russia-related contacts during the 2016 presidential campaign and transition period, and some have been caught lying about it.

——

VETERANS

TRUMP: “Just announced that Veterans unemployment has reached an 18 year low, really good news for our Vets and their families. Will soon be an all time low! Do you think the media will report on this and all of the other great economic news? — tweet Tuesday.

THE FACTS: Trump is wrong in terms of up-to-date monthly data, right when measuring veterans’ unemployment over a longer term.

It is true that the average veterans’ unemployment rate for 2018 was 3.5 per cent, the lowest annual figure since 2000, when it was 2.9 per cent.

On a monthly basis, the rate is more volatile. The lowest vets’ unemployment rate under Trump was 2.7 per cent in October 2017, and it has risen a bit since then to 3.2 per cent in December, the latest data available. In the 18 years that the government has tracked veterans’ unemployment data, the lowest monthly rate was 2.3 per cent in May 2000.

Veterans’ unemployment has fallen mostly for the same reasons that joblessness has dropped generally: strong hiring and steady economic growth for the past eight years.

——

TRUMP: “We got Veterans Choice. We got Veterans Choice approved, which is pretty amazing. They’ve been trying to get that for years and years — decades and decades.” — remarks Monday in New Orleans.

THE FACTS: No, he is not the first president in “decades and decades” to get Congress to pass a private-sector health program for veterans. Congress first approved the Veterans Choice program in 2014 during the Obama administration.

The program was approved after some veterans died while waiting months for appointments at the Phoenix VA medical centre. It allows veterans to see doctors outside the VA system if they must wait more than 30 days for an appointment or drive more than 40 miles to a VA facility.

Trump did sign legislation in June to expand the Choice program, part of his campaign promise to give veterans greater access to private care at government expense. The exact scope of that new program will be subject to yet-to-be-completed rules that will determine veterans’ eligibility as well as federal funding. The VA has yet to resolve long-term financing due to congressional budget caps that could put money for VA or other domestic programs at risk later this year.

——

Associated Press writers Eric Tucker and Christopher Rugaber in Washington and Danica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico, contributed to this report.

——

Find AP Fact Checks at http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd

Follow https://twitter.com/APFactCheck

EDITOR’S NOTE — A look at the veracity of claims by political figures

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fashiontrendin-blog · 7 years ago

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A Veteran Activist on Why She Enlisted and What She’s Fighting For Now

http://fashion-trendin.com/a-veteran-activist-on-why-she-enlisted-and-what-shes-fighting-for-now-2/

A Veteran Activist on Why She Enlisted and What She’s Fighting For Now

This Memorial Day I wanted to re-share three stories of current and former service members and military spouses. First up, this interview with Allison Jaslow, a veteran and activist. – Nora Taylor

In an effort to learn more about what it means to be a veteran today, Haley spoke with one who understands it inside and out. Not only is Allison Jaslow a veteran herself — she’s a former Army Captain who served two combat deployments in Iraq — but she’s worked as a campaign manager and political strategist in Washington, and is currently the Executive Director of the largest nonprofit organization for post-9/11 vets, IAVA. Read on to hear her as-told-to story and learn how you can help.

How it all started

I’m the only success story of 8th grade “career day” that I know. I was going to school in Arlington, Virginia, when I found myself on a bus for a career day field trip I got randomly slotted into. We went to Fort Myer, Virginia, which is where the Army ceremonial units are stationed. On that trip I was pleasantly surprised, or maybe even shocked, that what I learned there really spoke to a sense of service that I still have today. I became enamored with the military and fixated on the idea that it was going to be what I did with my life.

I had a bit of a rocky upbringing — through high school there were points where I didn’t even know whether I’d go to college, but I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, I wanted to be in the Army. As I got closer to graduation I explored enlisting, but with a mixture of ROTC scholarships I ended up getting a great deal at a military school in Missouri. I started in August 2000 at a place called Wentworth Military academy, then I finished my undergrad at the University of Central Missouri state university, where I eventually got my commission into the Army as a Second Lieutenant.

Enlisting in a tense time

The army I signed up for and the army I served in were two completely different things. It was the beginning of my sophomore year of military school when the twin towers were hit. I remember feeling panicked because my parents lived in Northern Virginia, near the Pentagon, and I was having a hard time getting ahold of my them. In that moment my life sort of shifted. It put all our lives on a completely different trajectory.

I had colleagues who dropped out of ROTC and enlisted in the war right away. I stayed in. I’ll never forget lining up in October on our way to a field training exercise at 4 or 5 a.m. when the president got the authority to authorize force in Iraq. It was surreal. I was eager to finish school. I wanted to graduate early but ROTC wouldn’t let me. So I went home to intern my last semester of college at an organization called Emily’s List.

When you’re in the Army and that’s your job, it’s hard to think about a war going on and not helping.

I was sworn in in May 2004, graduated in September and was deployed to Iraq the day after Thanksgiving that same year. I think all of the women I worked with in Washington DC and at Emily’s List were way more horrified that I was going to war than I was. When you’re in the Army and that’s your job, it’s hard to think about a war going on and not helping. I don’t remember ever being scared.

Before you deploy, you go through a program called Soldier Readiness Processing. That’s when you get your anthrax shot and smallpox shots, and do really sobering things like fill out your will, decide who’s going to be the power of attorney for you while you’re gone. There were parts of that process where I had to come to terms with what I was doing, but then at a certain point, you’re there, and you get on a plane and there’s a mission and that’s your focus.

I was deployed twice. The first time, in 2004, I served about 11 months. The second time was in January 2007; within 60 days of being over there, the president signed off on a troop surge so I ended up staying for 15 months.

My first deployment

My first deployment was hands down my toughest one. I was the Second Lieutenant in charge of a platoon of soldiers who deployed with a warehouse mission. We took over four different warehouse operations in Taji, Iraq, just north of Baghdad. About 60 days in, a subsidiary of Halliburton contracted out our warehouses, so my soldiers’ mission got taken away and were reclassified to do security with a transportation company. So for the rest of the deployment, my soldiers were in charge of protecting petroleum tankers that were driving through combat environments. I didn’t get to go out with them as much as I would have liked, because I had duties back at the warehouses.

In fact one of the reasons my deployment was hard was less about the danger I was in, and more about feeling like I wasn’t there “in the trenches” with my soldiers as much as I should have been. Even though the warehouses were contracted out, I still had to be the accountable officer there. There was no choice; my colonel told me I was stuck. What really wore on me was not only the stress of balance both of those missions — warehouse oversight and the convoy security — but that I was doing them both at the same time. I would be at the warehouse during the day and then go on the road with them all night long sometimes. It was pretty grueling.

I was on missions where we got shot at and dealt with IEDs, but most of the issues I dealt with were small ones. The first set of casualties we experienced was on a mission I couldn’t be on. While driving down the highway, another platoon leader bumped the car next to them and the car blew up. That was in April 2005. We lost another soldier in June.

I’ve always felt very grateful that I was good at compartmentalizing.

I was the one who had to go into [the platoon leader’s] barracks and go through all of the stuff and pack it up to send home. I had 72 hours. That was a particularly sobering experience. I think I was 22 at the time. I think to cope and push through, you have to have the ability to just hunker down and wall it out as much as possible so you can persist. It’s your job.

It impacts everybody differently. I’ve always felt very grateful that I was good at compartmentalizing. It was surprising for me to see when these things happened, how some people I thought were the strongest among us just totally broke down.

Returning from the war

When you come back, it’s hard to return to who you were before. You’re fundamentally changed by the experience. You grow up a lot. Before you even step on a plane you come to terms with your mortality. You figure out all these ways to cope, whether it’s to soldier on after you’ve lost somebody or even literally just to survive. You become very vigilant. When you spend 11 months of your life walking around being worried about something popping up, blowing up, it’s really hard to decompress from that.

I haven’t experienced PTSD, but I don’t know if that means I won’t ever experience it. We see that a lot with Vietnam veterans; decades after they return, stuff starts bubbling to the surface. I’m managing it okay, but I know everybody doesn’t have the same emotional makeup and everybody perceives and deals with this stuff differently. I have a deep level of understanding for that. One of the things we have to tackle [as a country], is destigmatizing that. Even the toughest soldiers struggle with this kind of stuff, and if they don’t get help they’ll feel isolated and fight the battle alone.

Veterans are so politicized

I think historically in Washington, from a policy perspective, veterans issues have often been one thing that brings people together to get stuff done, no matter how trying the times. I do think there is evidence of that since the current president was sworn in. The other side of that coin, though, is that no matter what year it is in America, or what party is doing what, we’re oftentimes politicized. We’re dressing on the backdrop of a speech or tokenized. Sometimes it feels like veterans get thrown in front of things as a distraction when people don’t want to take accountability for something.

There are a lot of examples recently where we have been unfortunately politicized, whether it be Trump skipping a debate to hold a veterans fundraiser, Sarah Palin making some pretty reckless comments on the campaign trail, everything that’s been happening around Gold Star families or the NFL protest debates (I’m not offended by the kneeling — I personally would stand and put my hand over my heart but I also fought for people to have the right to peacefully protest), it’s really tricky.

Changing the conversation

I would say as somebody who’s been in politics and is now a full-time veterans advocate at IAVA, Iraq and Afghan Veterans of America, I’ve felt really grateful to be in the position I am now, because when we’re in the media discussing this stuff, I have the opportunity to elevate the dialogue and get out of the partisan trenches.

I also get to share the experience and perspective of somebody who’s served, and that unfortunately often gets lost in the political rhetoric. My organization can start a different conversation with the media and the American people about the service and sacrifice of not just service members, but of their families and the veteran population that continues to serve even once they hang up their uniforms.

When people think of a vet they definitely don’t think of somebody who looks like me.

IAVA started in 2004 because our generation of veterans didn’t have a voice in Washington. We often advocate on behalf of the entire community, but our generation is very different. We’re much more diverse, for instance, and many more of us are serving multiple tours. That’s one of the reasons why our organization is willing to prioritize things like support for women veterans, which is our focus right now. Out of the entire vet population of 21 million, women are a small segment, but of the post-9/11 veterans, we’re about 20 percent.

I’m so determined now to get women veterans more recognition. When people think of a vet they definitely don’t think of somebody who looks like me. That’s been something we’ve been trying to tackle head on. A lot of women feel invisible. It’s been a real struggle to get basic services, like gynecologists and other women’s health initiatives, at VA hospitals.

We’re not only trying to get women equity in terms of support services, but one of the keystones of our campaign is working to get the motto of the US Department of Veterans Affairs changed. It’s currently, “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.”

I’m more convinced now of the sexism than I was before I picked this particular fight because people at the Department of Veterans Affairs are really digging in: they don’t want to change it, they don’t think there are cultural issues at the VA or that changing a motto could be a good first step toward changing a culture. They’d rather be blissfully ignorant about the way things are for women vets. We’re in a fight and I think I’m gonna win.

How people can help

I don’t believe anybody does what IAVA does better, especially in terms of advocating for the post-9/11 generation of veterans. If you don’t know what to do and want to help, you should donate, but outside of that, I would ask every American to challenge themselves to not just thank and appreciate veterans for their service but to try to understand our experience. And to value not only the service we’ve done but the sacrifices we’ve made. It has to be a personal challenge to get that level of understanding, but we’d all be better for it. We would understand at a deeper level what it means when we go to war, and it wouldn’t be as easy to just send troops somewhere. We should have a little more of an emotional connection when we make a political decision.

You can donate to IAVA here.

Feature Photo by Louisiana Mei Gelpi; Creative Direction by Emily Zirimis.

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greggory--lee · 8 years ago

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15 Ways to Create Some Extra Holiday Money

Originally this was going to be a list for my two teenagers but some of these ideas are better suited to adults with a valid driver's license and a bit of know-how. Some of these take a bit of planning and organizing, but most of them could have done on a fairly spur of the moment case by case basis. The great thing about a lot of these ideas is that you're spreading holiday cheer by helping to make someone else's other stressful and overwhelming to-do list a little bit easier. Who would not pay to have someone come do a few of these things for you? Mostly, what's important is that you remember to provide a quality item or service to the buyer with a smile on your face and in your heart. Have fun with these!

1. Baby-sit for people who need to do some Christmas shopping without their little ones tagging along. Anyone trustworthy who is over the age of about thirteen or fourteen can do this one. It's hectic enough to get in and out of the malls and shopping centers without having to drag toddlers along. Contact friends, family, coworkers, and members of your spiritual community to let them know that you're available for holiday babysitting. This can include time that the parents need to get away for office parties, charity events, and volunteering to help the elderly and less fortunate members of their community.

2. Grab a ladder and offer to clean leaves out of your neighbors' gutters. Many people are so busy during the summer months that they completely forget to clean all of the debris from their gutters when the sun is out and it's dry outside. It's cold and yucky outside now and many people are too busy to get to it themselves. They'll probably be glad that you offered and they can check it off of their to-do lists. This is not one for the youngger kids. However, they can offer to rake up the leaves in their neighbors' yards. Adults could offer to do both the gutters and the yard as one big project for a nice reasonable price. It could also be a father & son side business that you do together – while dad cleans the neighbors gutters, junior rakes up the leaves in the lawn.

3. Bake something amazing and offer to sell it to your friends and coworkers so they will not have to do their own holiday baking. You probably have to be careful about selling your baked goods to professional organizations and such, but you could do some sideline baking to help out your friends, neighbors, and coworkers who are going to be entertaining guests over the holidays and simply will not have The time to do their own baking. Have you got an awesome recipe that stands out as everyone's absolute favorite? It's the hit of every potluck? Make up some tiny sample sizes or bring it in to the office break room and serve up samples to your potential clients. Then while their mouths are watering, tell them that for a fee you'll bring them one to their home the day before their guests are to arrive. You'll have to work out the scheduling and cost of ingredients and such, but this could be a fun way to make some money and spread some serious joy. The hostess will be so pleased when she pulls your work of art out of the fridge and her guests ooh and ah over the scrumptious homemade dessert she did not even have to bake herself.

4. Offer to collect people's empty soda cans and cash them in. My son raised almost $ 300 last spring doing this so that he could go to a training course to become a college counselor for the little kids at our church. He went door to door offering to do yard work and most people just handed him bags and bags of pop cans they did not want to take the time to cash in. He collected most of them over one weekend and then cashed them all in the following weekend. We live really close to a grocery store where he could walk to cash them in, so I did not even have to get my car dirty with sticky soda drippings! This is a really good one for the youngger kids to do.

5. Sell something on eBay. I know a number of people who make a decent second income all year round by digging around for antiques and such from the Goodwill and then fixing them, cleaning them up, and selling them for a much higher price on eBay. You have to know what to look for, but these folks will pick up an old pair of stereo speakers for $ 10 or $ 15 and then sell them on eBay for $ 200. The customer pays for shipping. You can also do this through garage sales, flea markets, and estate sells too. Most of the time and work goes into hunting for the cool treasures that someone will want to purchase.

6. Hang up people's outdoor Holiday lights for them. As a single mom, I would have loved it if someone had come to my house and hung the Christmas lights on my house for me. My children always wanted us to decorate the outside of the house and I hated not being able to do that for them. I did not know the first thing about how to go about hanging them up. I did not even own a ladder! So, I would think that you could go around offering to hang up people's outdoor holiday lights for a fee. It they like like me and do not even have lights but want to get some, you could offer your expertise as to which kind to buy and where to get the best prices and such.

7. Grab a broom or a shovel and offer to clean the neighborhood sidewalks. This is another good one for the younger teens. There's always sidewalks that need swept or shoveled. And there's always someone too busy or too tired to do it themselves.

8. Work a second job as seasonal help at one of the department stores in the mall. Most of the major department stores hire extra help in October or November so they can have them fully trained by the time the really busy holiday shopping season kicks in. They are kept on until after the inventory counts are done in January. Then most are let go if they have not quit already. Those who have proven themselves to be quality employees will often be asked to stay on longer.

9. Sell something at holiday bazaars. I suspect that you have to get these kinds of events lined up ahead of time with a bit of preplanning and such, but plenty of people make a decent seasonal income by selling cool arts and crafts type items at those holiday bazaars. Often a percentage of the sales goes towards a fundraiser, but you still make enough to make it worth your time and energy to create the art and to hang out at the art shows.

10. Sell your plasma. We all know how important it is to donate blood during the holidays, but many people do not know that you can get paid for sitting through a procedure quite similar to the donation process. The difference is that they run your blood through a machine that separates the plasma from the red blood cells and puts the red blood cells back into your body. It take longer and I guess that's why they are willing to pay you for your time. Years ago, I used to do this when my kids were really little and we needed some extra money for upcoming birthdays and such. They would not let you do it more than once a week or so and they just paid about $ 25 each time, so you had to plan ahead if you were going to raise $ 100 or $ 200 for something you wanted to purchase. Contact your local Red Cross or other blood donation centers for help finding the plasma centers.

11. Clean homes for others who have holiday guests coming. Typically, if someone has out of town guests coming for the holidays, they have a lot more on their to-do list then just cleaning their toilets and shampooing the carpets. You could become a real lifesaver for those in a crunch who are too busy, too old, or too tired to do a deep deep cleaning before the guests arrive. Some might even hire you again to clean up after the guests leave too! Teens can do this just as easily as the adults can.

12. Run errands and do odd holiday jobs like wrapping gifts or delivering packages to the post office. You could start a little side business where all you do is run other people's errands for them. Drop off and pick up the dry cleaning. Take their pet to the vet. Deliver cupcakes to the charity fundraiser. Pick up a competent of gift certificates from national department stores that will later be mailed out. Address and stamp their Christmas cards for them. Do their grocery shopping. Pick up new printer cartridge and some desk calendars for them. It's all of those tiny little errands that make for frazzled schedules and crazy timelines. For a fee, you could do it for them.

13. Decorate the inside of people's homes or offices for the holidays. You do not have to be a professional interior decorator to be helpful. If you've got a reputation as having a good eye for attractive and festive decorating, you can help others to set up their trees, hang garland, and place some nice poinsettia here and there. You can help make people's homes and their office space a warm inviting environment and also include coming back after the holidays to break it all down into storage containers as part of the deal. I hate teasing down the decorations and would love to pay someone to put it all back away!

14. Cater some dinners for the extremely busy shoppers or for Holiday parties. Those who are not awesome cooks need not apply for this one! Let's say that your boss is having the annual company Christmas party at his house and his wife is swamped with running kids back and forth to choir concerts and peewee football camp while shopping and planning for her in-laws who will be flying in to visit only Three days after her husband's company party at her house !!! You could offer to cook and cater the event for her. You'll once again be making someone else's holiday season so much easier while approaching extra money for yourself. Decide in advance on a menu and who's purchasing the ingredients needed. Then all you have to come up with is a dollar figure for your time and grandma's secret recipe for those little mini-cakes that everyone loves so much.

15. Chauffer someone's children to and from school and other activities so the parents have some free time. This is not quite the same as babysitting. You'd be amazed at how much time a person can spend picking up and driving two or three kids to different events and hauling musical instruments and sporting gear from one event to the next. You could simply run a taxi service for children and teenagers who need rides from point A to B. You do not have to hang out and watch them once they get there. Just make sure they arrive on time. Even just having an afternoon at home to cook and clean house while someone else gathers up all of the kids and brings them all home could make a world of difference for someone.

As you can see, some of these services could easily be turned into a year-round side job or they could have been dropped as soon as the holidays are over. Perhaps you'll find that you love catering people's meals, you love refurbishing antiques, or you love running errands and taxiing others around from place to place. You could go into business for yourself and by next year, you could quit your 'real job' and be happily self-employed. Then again, your teenager could discover how much time and work it takes just to raise enough money for some generous Christmas shopping. After learning the value of a dollar earned, they may decide that college is a good idea after all!

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Source: http://bitcoinswiz.com/15-ways-to-create-some-extra-holiday-money/

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jessicakehoe · 6 years ago

Text

All the Celebrities the Roses Have Name-Dropped on Schitt’s Creek

Read on for every celebrity encounter the Roses have revealed to us so far.

Season 1

Alexis: “I actually think this place is kinda cute.” Moira: “Did you say cute? No Alexis, Martha Stewart’s Hampton home is cute.  ”

Ronnie: “You ever killed before?” David: “Have I ever killed before? No. Elton John used to have an annual hunt at his place in Windsor, but that was more about the lunch.”

via GIPHY

Episode 12 Johnny: “You didn’t think your mother would get involved in planning a fundraiser? My God, she had Hillary shaking last year at the Clinton Foundation dinner.”

Episode 13 Johnny: “Hey, that’s a good coat. I outbid Richard Branson for it at the Kaminski Auction.”

via GIPHY

Season 2

Episode 1 Alexis: “Do I have to remind you of the time that I was taken hostage on David Geffen’s yacht by Somali pirates for a week, and nobody answered my texts?!”

via GIPHY

Episode 10 Moira: “Needless to say, that was the last time I played charades with Fran Lebowitz.”

Episode 12 Alexis: “I know that we just met but if Prince Harry trusted me with his life, then I think you can too.”

via GIPHY

Season 3

Episode 6 Moira: “John and I used to attend Eyes Wide Shut parties at the Castros’. Though… I’m guessing your evening’s activities might be somewhat different.”

Alexis: “I stole this dress from Ashlee Simpson. Or like, she stole it from me, and then I stole it back.”

via GIPHY

Season 4

Episode 7 Alexis: “I used to text Zac Efron just, like, a question mark whenever I wanted a booty call.  Poor thing would be, like, buzzing my apartment before I even pressed send.”

via GIPHY

Episode 11 Moira: “There was that summer that Jimmy Smits stole my heart onstage in a workshop-only production of Officer and a Gentleman. I suppose that might be called emotional embezzlement.”

via GIPHY

Season 5

via GIPHY

Alexis: “This is why you have ground rules, David. Josh Groban has a thick leather-bound binder full of them.”

The post All the Celebrities the Roses Have Name-Dropped on Schitt’s Creek appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

All the Celebrities the Roses Have Name-Dropped on Schitt’s Creek published first on https://borboletabags.tumblr.com/

0 notes

jessicakehoe · 6 years ago

Text

All the Celebrities the Roses Have Name-Dropped on Schitt’s Creek

Read on for every celebrity encounter the Roses have revealed to us so far.

Season 1

Alexis: “I actually think this place is kinda cute.” Moira: “Did you say cute? No Alexis, Martha Stewart’s Hampton home is cute.  ”

Ronnie: “You ever killed before?” David: “Have I ever killed before? No. Elton John used to have an annual hunt at his place in Windsor, but that was more about the lunch.”

via GIPHY

Episode 12 Johnny: “You didn’t think your mother would get involved in planning a fundraiser? My God, she had Hillary shaking last year at the Clinton Foundation dinner.”

Episode 13 Johnny: “Hey, that’s a good coat. I outbid Richard Branson for it at the Kaminski Auction.”

via GIPHY

Season 2

Episode 1 Alexis: “Do I have to remind you of the time that I was taken hostage on David Geffen’s yacht by Somali pirates for a week, and nobody answered my texts?!”

via GIPHY

Episode 6 Moira: “Do you remember what Goldie Hawn told us at that AmFar dinner? You are the life that you accept for yourself. Those are Goldie’s words. Or something someone said to her in India. Or perhaps she read it. In any case it has always stayed with me.”

Episode 9 Moira: “It’s hardly surprising that Jocelyn would suddenly uncover these in the middle of a political campaign. I suppose I just expected more from her.” Stevie: “Okay, there’s a bunch of you with OJ Simpson. And you with Robert Blake.” Moira: “”The top eleven photographs of Moira Rose with future murder suspects.” Well, that’s not what I’m looking for!” Stevie: “Why were you in a paddle boat with Phil Spector?”

Moira: “I did a series of very tasteful nudes with Richard Avedon in the ’70s.” Stevie: “I see. Um… This is really not in my job description so…” Moira: “Why aren’t they coming up?”

Episode 10 Moira: “Needless to say, that was the last time I played charades with Fran Lebowitz.”

Episode 12 Alexis: “I know that we just met but if Prince Harry trusted me with his life, then I think you can too.”

via GIPHY

Season 3

Episode 6 Moira: “John and I used to attend Eyes Wide Shut parties at the Castros’. Though… I’m guessing your evening’s activities might be somewhat different.”

Alexis: “I stole this dress from Ashlee Simpson. Or like, she stole it from me, and then I stole it back.”

via GIPHY

Season 4

Episode 5 Moira: “This is not… not how I imagined my resurrection news to break! Impeccably dressed woman wanders out of Podunk motel. No, that’s not the headline!” Stevie: “Okay, well I actually own this Podunk motel, and I don’t know what choice you have.” Moira: “Well, we have to think of something. After all my fans have endured? No, I can’t let them see me like this. It would kill Sir Tony Geary.”

Episode 7 Alexis: “I used to text Zac Efron just like a question mark whenever I wanted a booty call.  Poor thing would be, like, buzzing my apartment before I even pressed send.”

via GIPHY

Episode 8 A: “Ted can’t know about this, David. Miguel’s the only other vet in town, and they have this like dumb rivalry.” D: “When has that ever stopped you? I remember that summer you dated all three Hanson brothers.”

Episode 11 Moira: “There was that summer that Jimmy Smits stole my heart onstage in a workshop-only production of Officer and a Gentleman. I suppose that might be called emotional embezzlement.”

via GIPHY

Season 5

via GIPHY

The post All the Celebrities the Roses Have Name-Dropped on Schitt’s Creek appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

All the Celebrities the Roses Have Name-Dropped on Schitt’s Creek published first on https://borboletabags.tumblr.com/

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