#Driving School in Southern River

[official-darkforest]

in your anthro au, does bramble actually make it to canada? is the plotline of the lake territory scrapped for something else?

rambled quite a bit here!

no, they dont make it to canada. they abandoned that idea after feather was killed. instead her funeral and burial is held in california by her dying wish and her family drives/flies over. graystripe and mosspelt took feather's car, but mosspelt flies back home via plane. graystripe is staying wirh storm indefinitely and eventually meets millie.

with storm's blessing, bramble,tawny, crow, and squirrel take the van back home. tawny is dropped off on the way, but crow insists on tagging along to thunder because he's not ready to be alone yet. his family is pretty small and he's not sure his parents will be able to help much, as much as they may try.

dodging the draft can get you into trouble, but there are many that got off scot free and bramble was one pf those lucky fellows (especially with firestar's involvement. he made sure bramble wouldn't have it held against him in return for keeping squirrel safe and bringing her home). firestar was furious at both bramble and squirrel but he's not cruel and unsympathetic, especially considering they just lost a very close friend (and that gray isnt coming back for a while).

this is where crow and leaf meet, crow is kinda bunking with bramble at his place and even had plans to move in for good. his parents were pretty combative but couldnt do much since he was a few states away!!! they dont know where the fuck thunder-whatever is. but eventually he gets a call about his father's rapidly declining health and immediately abandons his plans to stay. he asks leaf to come with him but leaf still isn't finished with med school (she doesn't know she's pregnant yet) and they part ways. crow makes it home to help ashfoot care for deadfoot in his final few months and fills in after his father dies. it's something he didnt plan to continue but its notnlike he HATES doing the work. eventually meets+marries nightcloud a 1-4 yrs later

leaf meanwhile continues med school. being unmarried with kids is still a social taboo, especially at such a young age (im imagining she and squirrel are around 18-19 by now, 17 during the road trip). squirrel and bramble, however, had been in a relationship with one another for a while after coming back home. sure, it got a bit messy when ashfur came back from vietnam and got a bit too close to squirrel for comfort, but they sorta resolved it and eventually bramble/squirrel got engaged. leaf confided in squirrel for her help with the pregnancy and squirrel immediately offered to take the children in as her own if leaf needed. it was a huge jump but leaf took the offer. bramble was let in on the plan the closer leaf got to her due date. he thought it was a very impulsive decision and they fought a bit about making the decision without him but he was enthusiastic about being a father regardless.

the others in town had their suspicions but dont ask dont tell.

theres some other parts i havent fully ironed out yet like where hawkfrost and mothwint come in.

as for the actual lake territories, they coexist with the forest territories by just being in different states LOL windclan and thunderclan's territory was pretty consistent in terms of The Basics so theyre mostly in the same general area (tc is east coast forests, wc is southwest-midwest prairies. theres a lot of cowboys, farmers, and ranchers in "windclan" as a result). shadowclan i can see being in the southern swamps, especially florida or louisiana, and riverclan is kinda interspersed alont the mississippi and ohio rivers. maybe a few along the east coast, too, as the lake territory equivalent. skyclan is probably in the rockies or the redwood forests out west. maybeeee old skyclan is in the appalachias???? idk LOL since the cats are so far apaer now the conflicts are a little less wide scale and more personal if rhat makes any sense at all. of course this whole au is a huge work in progress so some of what i say here may change!

the clans are rural/small/poor towns in my head. tight knit communities that have to rely on each other. kittypets are urban/suburbanites as a contrast and keep the 'kittypets r fucjing spoiled' theme going . you inow the city slicker junk LOL

bloodclan is probably a gang in new york. at least scourge's bloodclan. the other iterations are probably in other huge metropolitan cities. idk what warriorclan is, and the tribe is a whole can of worms im trying to be very careful with so im not gonna talk about them as a whole quite yet other than imply they exist

[literary-illuminati]

2024 Book Review #61 – Those Across The River by Christopher Buehlman

Months and months ago, I asked for recommendations on books that actually tried to make werewolves horrifying instead of just some variety of urban fantasy or romance archetype. Those Across The River was one of the few real recommendations I got, and then spent most of the year languishing on my To-read shelf until I had entirely forgotten why it was there. It does very much fit the requirements asked of it, and in concept is really quite a juicy idea. Unfortunately, it’s rather let down b execution here – both in terms of prose and of content.

Frank Nichols is a historian – or was one, anyway. After an affair with a college's wife named Eudora becomes public and he responds by running away with her, his career prospects take something of a swan dive. And in the midst of the Great Depression, there are far more wannabe academics than there are jobs for them. So, after living for a time with his brother in Chicago, the two of them move down south to take up residence in the small southern town his mother fled as soon as she was able, where Dora might at least draw a salary as a school teacher. And, more importantly, where Frank can research his great-grandfather, a confederate planter killed by his own slaves in the last days of the Civil War whose ruined plantation lies somewhere nearby, to write the biography that will restart his career.

Times are tough there too, and soon after the pair of them move in there is a town meeting where it’s agreed to end the monthly tradition of driving a pair of hogs across the river to thank God for their good fortune. While God doesn’t seem to mind much one way or the other, the creatures living in the woods who had made feasts of those pigs certainly do, and on the next full moon raid the outskirts of the town to make their displeasure known. From there, things just about only get worse.

So as mentioned, this is the vanishingly rare sort of story made in the last couple of decades that take ssomething recognizable as werewolves and actually tries to play them straight as something awful, threatening, and horrifying. I think this mostly works – there’s only a scene or two I’d really call horrifying, but then with books that’s an incredibly high bar for me. It manages the tone and atmosphere of a proper horror story throughout, and never lets the werewolves stop being strange an dangerous.

A large part of this is, I’m sure, just the fact that no one in the story is even the tiniest bit genre-savvy or awae of what a ‘werewolf’ is, as a cultural figure. Beyond providing the isolation and lack of outside forces that might help, the period setting does an incredible amount of work in just making it plausible that no one in the story was aware of what kind of story they were in. This is actually probably the first straightforward monster horror story I’ve read or seen in a while that wasn’t in some way trying to comment or make cute references to the wider genre.

The period setting is, werewolves aside, easily the most engaging thing about the book. Less so for the particulars of the world than the character of Frank. The entire book is spent in his head, marinating in his internal monologue, and it’s a wonderfully strange and uncanny place – the story makes a liberal college professors from New England in the 1930s seem more genuinely alien (and often repulsive) than most genre fiction manages to make feudal aristocrats or cybernetic oligarchs.

The prose is interesting. Often good, but just as often reading like someone’s very self-conscious pastiche of mid-20th century ‘Great American Novel’ writing. Which I think is intentional, but does begin to wear on you – there’s only so many times you can read a guy say ‘how like a sphinx!’ when describing his fiancee before it grates. The exception here is Frank’s traumatic nightmares of his time fighting WW1 in France, which I reliably found quite evocative and striking.

The book’s politics are, well, bad, but in an absolutely fascinating sort of way. Better to say that the book is torn between the themes and politics it wants to have, and the mixture of genre requirements and I guess an author and editor who didn’t care much about subtext that leave it sending too drastically different messages. It’s probably one of the most interesting things about the book.

On the explicit, textual level, the book is very conscious of all the petty cruelty and flagrant brutality that went into maintaining the Jim Crow South, and views e.g. the way Frank calls it ‘the States War’ with jaundiced irony. There are passages talking explicitly about the injustice of sharecropping, and the vulgar racism of all the townspeople is presented as one more reason to view most of them with contempt. And of course the supernatural evil driving the whole story is the bloody legacy left behind by a confederate slaveowner who hunted and consumed human flesh wearing the skin of a beast, whose shadow looms large over the entire story. The book is generally very clear that ‘racism = bad’.

And yet-

This is also a story where functionally every black character is an inhuman, man-sexually predatory, man-eating beast in human skin (there is exactly one ‘good’ werewolf, he’s a yankee), where the indigent drifters walking through town begging for work really were sinister malefactors mapping things out to return with their friends latter, where the protagonist’s fiancee having dubiously consensual sex with a black man is very much presented as part of her own transformation into an insatiable, uncontrollable, literally babe-eating werewolf herself.

Horror has a reputation for being a reactionary genre by default, which this book feels like a decent argument towards. More, it was published in 2010, and I might owe that whole decade of pop-media critique being elevated to spectator sport that it’s genuinely hard to find stuff quite this unselfaware getting published these days.

A very fitting Halloween read I suppose, in the same way watching an ‘80s slasher is.

[scotianostra]

The leading Scottish suffragette, Evelina Haverfield, was born at Inverlochy Castle on August 9th 1867.

Evelina’s birth is recorded as ‘Honourable Evilena Scarlett’, she took the name Haverfield from her husband. Her childhood was divided between London and the Inverlochy estate. In 1880 she went to school in Dusseldorf, Germany, after which she married Major Henry Haverfield at the age of 19., who was 20 years her senior. The marriage is said to have been a happy one they had two sons together, The Major however died in 1896. Evelina married again two years later, a another military man, Major John Blaguy. This was not a happy union and after some time they drifted apart. The rest of her life was informed by devotion to a cause.

She became an enthusiastic supporter of the suffragette movement and was arrested during suffragette demonstrations in London for hitting an escorting police officer. Her only regret was not hitting him hard enough, promising to bring a revolver next time. During that heady time she met Vera Holme. Their companionship was to last the rest of her days.

At the outbreak of the First World War the suffragettes supported the war effort by founding a Women’s Voluntary Emergency Corps and a Women’s Voluntary Reserve Ambulance Corps. Evelina became commandant in chief of the latter, looking, it was said, every inch a soldier in her khaki uniform, although she later left after a disagreement of an undisclosed nature.

Evelina joined the Scottish Women’s Hospitals and devoted the next two years to overseas service with them. She served in Serbia with Elsie Inglis, as a hospital administrator and was part of a small group taken prisoner when the armies of the Central Powers overran Serbia in October and November 1915.

Under appalling conditions of poverty and military oppression, Evelina and those with her, struggled heroically through the winter to provide food and basic care for their wounded Serbian patients and some of the local civilian population. In the spring of 1916, Evelina and the other 'Scottish Women’ were released through the International Red Cross and returned to England.

In August 1916 Evelina went to Romania in charge of 18 ambulance and transport vehicles as part of two units of the Scottish Women’s Hospitals. These units were in support of Serbian soldiers fighting on the eastern Allied front. The stronger enemy invading armies drove the Russian, Romanian, and Serbian defenders out of southern Romania and north of the Danube river delta.

During this two-month retreat by the Allied forces, Evelina and the transport drivers were working non-stop under constant enemy fire, in desperate situations, while rescuing wounded soldiers and driving them to safety.

By early 1917, with the fighting on the eastern front over, and unable to return to Serbia because of the enemy occupation there, Evelina returned to England, where she remained until after the Armistice of November 1918. In England she raised money for clothing and canteens for Serbian soldiers, gave public speeches on behalf of Serbian relief, and helped to found a Serbian Red Cross Society in Britain.

After the Armistice she returned to Serbia to supervise the distribution of much needed food, clothing, and medical supplies. When this was done, in 1919, she made plans to found a home for Serbian war orphans in a Serbian mountain village. It was there, in Baijna Bashta, that she contracted pneumonia, probably brought on by overwork and fatigue, and died prematurely at the age of 52, revered and honoured by the Serbs for her five years of humanitarian work on their behalf. The Serbs issued a stamp commemorating this remarkable women in 2015, a woman few Scots have even heard of…….

Buried in Serbia today, Evelina’s gravestone reads:

‘Hear lies the body of the honourable Evelina Haverfield youngest daughter of William Scarlett 3rd Baron Abinger and of Helen ne Magruder his wife of Inverloky Castle Fort William Scotland who finished her work in Bajina Bashta March 21st 1920 through the war 1914-1920 She worked for the Serbian people with untiring zeal. A straight fighter as traight rider and a most loyal friend. R.I.P’

In 2015 Evalina was one of five Scottish women and one English women, who worked as doctors, nurses and drivers honoured on a series of stamps in Serbia, the others were Dr Elsie Inglis a campaigner for women's suffrage and the founder of the Scottish Women Hospitals in Serbia. Dr Inglis was one of the first female graduates at the University of Edinburgh.

Dr Elizabeth Ross, one of the first women to obtain a medical degree at the University of Glasgow. She travelled to Serbia as a volunteer and tragically passed away during the typhoid epidemic in 1915.

Dr Katherine MacPhail OBE, involved in humanitarian work in Serbia throughout WW1. She is remembered for opening the first paediatric ward in Belgrade in 1921.

Dr Isabel Emslie Galloway Hutton who joined the Scottish Women Hospitals as a volunteer in 1915 after she was turned away by the War Office in London. She served in France, Greece and Serbia until 1920.

The sixth was English woman, Captain Flora Sandes, who was the only known British female to bear arms during WW1.

This may have been seen as a great adventure for many, but as with all wars there was a price to pay, some of the women ended in desperate tragedy. A total of 21 died in Serbia, many after falling ill with suspected typhus.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this National Geographic story:

A 14-year-old boy who went swimming in a pond in India’s sweltering heat. A 13-year-old girl who bathed in a pool during a school excursion, and a five-year-old girl who took a dip in a river near her home. The three children lived in different parts of the southern Indian state of Kerala. Yet they have something in common ⸺all of them succumbed to a brain infection, Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM), caused by a tiny organism found in warm freshwaters and poorly maintained swimming pools. About a dozen others have been undergoing treatment in India, one of whom, a 27-year-old man, has also succumbed.

Although rare, PAM is a deadly infection with a worldwide occurrence. It is caused by Naegleria fowleri, also known as the "brain-eating amoeba”, as it infects the brain and destroys brain tissue. At least 39 countries have reported such infections so far, and the rate of infections is increasing by 4.5 percent every year. In Pakistan alone, 20 deaths are reported every year due to the disease, and in 2024, infections have been reported in India, Pakistan, and Israel. N. fowleri was also detected at a popular freshwater swimming spot in Western Australia and hot springs in the U.S’s Grand Teton National Park. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the majority of global case exposures⸺85 percent⸺have been reported during warm, hot, or summer seasons. Several studies have also observed that changes in temperature and climate may further drive a global increase in PAM incidence. A study published in May last year found that PAM infections are on the rise in the northern U.S. "N. fowleri is expanding northward due to climate change, posing a greater threat to human health in new regions where PAM has not yet been documented," the study noted.

Yun Shen, an assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering at the University of California, Riverside, says that she considers PAM as “a potential emerging medical threat worldwide”. She explains that while warmer temperatures are likely to facilitate the survival and growth of N. fowleri, the risk of exposure may also increase as people indulge in more water-based recreational activities in hotter weather.

N. fowleri is found in warm, untreated freshwater, soil, and dust, says Karen Towne, a clinical associate professor of nursing at the University of Mount Union in Ohio, who co-authored a 2023 study on how the amoeba poses “a new concern for northern climates”. She adds that so far, PAM infections have typically occurred in cases involving swimming, splashing, and submerging one’s head in freshwater lakes, ponds, hot springs, and reservoirs. Meanwhile, less common routes of transmission have included warm hose water, a lawn water slide, splash pad use, and exposure of the nasal membrane to tap water from private well systems.

“Epidemiologically, most cases have occurred in healthy children and young adults⸺more males than females⸺who have had recent contact with untreated fresh water,” Towne told National Geographic in an email interview.

According to Barbara Polivka, an associate dean of research at the University of Kansas School of Nursing, who co-authored the study with Towne, N. fowleri enters the nose via contaminated water, crosses the nasal membrane, and follows the olfactory nerve into the brain, where it incubates for an average of five days. “PAM begins with rapid onset of severe frontal headache, fever, nausea and vomiting, which worsen into stiff neck, altered mental status, hallucinations, coma, and death,” says Polivka.

[dailyanarchistposts]

Global Warming & Climate Change

Since the 1970s there has been a steady increase in global temperatures as a result of the build-up of heat-trapping pollutant gases in the atmosphere. As evidence of the effects of global warming begins to accumulate, it is absolutely certain that the world is facing a dangerous acceleration of climate change and extremes of weather. These changes will be considerably worse than hotter summers and wetter winters for some and vice versa for others. Whole continents are going to be affected by severe and extended periods of changed climate. Its not just the Saharan region that is experiencing prolonged drought and disastrous fires. Even tropical and temperate regions are suffering, countries like Australia, Malaysia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Cyprus and East Africa. In one year forest fires consumed more than one million hectares of Sumatra and Kalimantan. Agriculture in many different regions of the world will become virtually impossible as desertification spreads in hot areas and rainfall drowns fields and paddocks in the world’s monsoon belt. Storms and ocean swelling will inundate lowlying regions, drowning fishing ports and the hinterlands they feed. Global warming will expand ocean water and raise sea levels two feet by the year 2010: low-lying regions such as the delta portions of Bangladesh, Egypt and Southern China and low-lying islands in the Indian and Pacific oceans may be flooded or even submerged.

This may all seem very academic and the problem of distant peoples. But climate change doesn’t just affect far-off countries we will never visit. Torrential rain and melting in 1998 combined to cause landslides and severe flooding in California, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon. Flash floods forced the evacuation of 125,000 people, and destroyed or badly damaged 24,000 houses and several hundred square kilometres of farmland. Economic losses were estimated at $2billion. Dermatologists in Australia and the United States are witnessing an explosion in cases of the deadly skin cancer, melanoma.

Rising sea levels will drown tourist beaches, coastal wetlands, cultural and heritage sites, fishing centres and other areas and require massive investment in coastal defences, new sewage systems and relocation costs – whole new towns – houses, schools, hospitals, factories — will have to be built as people are forced inland at massive cost. Who is to pay for all this, if not the working peoples of the world? These changes will have major consequences for food production and create many more refugees, with the poorest being most affected, as ever. Changes to the oceans will also drive fish from traditional grounds, making it dangerous or impossible to catch them without using factory vessels and the latest sonar technology. Think of the literally billions of people who live and work in the river and deltas of the great rivers of the world: the Amazon, Ganges, Indus, Mekon, Mississippi, Niger, Nile, Po, and Yangtze. These are hugely productive agricultural reasons and are all at risk from rising sea levels and climate change.

Sustainable agriculture will become more difficult, leading to land being taken by Big Food and peasant farmers being forced into fetid slums beaten down by extremes of heat and rain where cholera, typhus and diphtheria are endemic. Across the world tropical insects are invading temperate zones where people and cattle have no immunity or the means to combat them while at the same time, up to 40% of all plant and animal species alive today are facing extinction. Crops are dying from water shortages and drought causes thousands of cattle to die of starvation or the heat. The coral reefs of the world are dying, unable to adapt to warming seas and the human diseases that enter the seas in sewage and thrive in warmer water. Don’t think these are problems only affecting the Majority World, far away. In 2002 30% of the USA was officially declared drought-affected. The response of Big Money – government and business – is not to tax petrol, reduce carbon emissions or change patterns of consumption to conserve water but build more dams to line the pockets of the corporations responsible for the mess in the first place.

We are often told that climate change is produced by oldfashioned polluting technologies and that – if sufficient money is given to big business and the universities – they will produce the technological solutions that will save the planet. Yet, as this pamphlet shows elsewhere, the nature, speed and scope of technological change is not dictated by human need (or even humanity’s actual survival on this planet) but by the corporations’ ability to make profit from their development, introduction and control. They dictate when products and technologies enter the market, not us. It is the corporations that increasingly dictate what, how and how much we consume by their control of technology and product development. Patterns of consumption, the waste and excess created by capitalism, dictate our methods of production. And it is the total mass of production – which is bound to go on increasing as western patterns of consumption are spread to the developing world by globalisation – that is the problem. What is also being spread – unfortunately – are the grotesquely unfair and destructive inequalities that capitalism creates and fosters. These are not just inequalities of wealth, status or power, though these are scandalous enough in a world that pretends to human equality and rights (and how hollow these must ring as dust sweeps across the farm of your ancestors or floods drown crop, cattle and kin). They are also inequalities in the one of the fundamentals that defines humanity: the kind and quality of our lives and the ways in which we die.

For it is the poor, the marginalized and the weak, who already die in their tens of millions every year who will bear the brunt of global warming and climate change. If the price of flour goes up a few cents a kilo as a result of bad weather or failed crops bread in America will be a little bit more expensive. But if you live on $1 a day in Ethiopia or Brazil then a drought in the maize fields can be a matter of life and death. If the vaccines and antibiotics that helped control endemic disease no longer work and you can’t afford the new drugs from the West, how do you choose who will get them? If the upland peoples have been driven from their land by drought and come armed to your village, will you fight or flee? And where will you go the slums are already full? When the privatised water company turns off the neighbourhood’s water supply to preserve it for the rich who can afford to pay, how will you wash (to avoid disease), find clean water (to cook with) or flush that already stinking toilet where infection is breeding? The inevitable result of global warming is not an ‘English Riviera’ that the media and some scientists like to popularise, it is war, civil war, intercommunal violence, mass poverty, starvation and disease, man-made catastrophe and millions of blighted lives. Even though the consumption-obsessed western economies are the engine of global warming, its effects are largely not felt there. We are content to let international aid agencies provide sticking plaster solutions to the environmental disasters that business has created. Capitalism is blighting the planet; only the free society of the future, made here today, will restore it to health.

[spacefinch]

MSB rambles: locations

As anyone who’s watched the Magic School Bus series knows, the show is mostly set in Walkerville, a made-up town. However, they never specify where it is, except for “in the USA.” They don’t specify what state, or even what region of the country it’s in. But here are my observations.

In “Gets Eaten,” Ms. Frizzle drives the class to the beach, while the bus is in normal bus mode. The beach looks like a California beach to me (based on my experience going to beaches there), and a sea otter makes a brief appearance. In the US, sea otters are only found along the west coast.

In a few episodes (Getting Energized, Rocks and Rolls, etc…), it’s shown that there are mountains/foothills just outside Walkerville, and that there’s snow on top for at least part of the year.

We know it snows during the winter in town as well. (Source: MSB Holiday Special)

There is a swamp with alligators and blue jays within driving distance of town, as shown in “Butterfly and the Bog Beast.” The whole vibe of the swamp feels very southern to me. (Note: “driving distance” might not necessarily mean said swamp is near town. Could just be that anywhere is driving distance on the Magic School Bus.)

In “Gets Swamped” we see that there is a more marshy swamp in town. The main vegetation is reeds and small shrubs, and the animal life consists of species such as snapping turtles, muskrats, wood ducks, harriers (marsh hawks), bullfrogs, red-winged blackbirds, and dragonflies. This suggests a more northern location for Walkerville.

In “Goes to Mussel Beach,” the mussels are described as “Mytilus californianus” aka the California Mussel, a species only found along the west coast. Again, we have no idea how far away the beach is from town, but it’s a different beach than the one in “Gets Eaten.”

In “Kicks Up a Storm” the outside temperature gets to a high of 99 degrees Fahrenheit— which, judging by the kids’ reactions, is too hot for them. As a Californian, I can sympathize with this.

In “All Dried Up,” the bus (in plane mode) must fly over a mountain range to get to what looks like the Sonoran Desert. Which mountain range they fly over is not specified.

In the book “The Truth About Bats,” it is stated that in order to see bats in Yosemite National Park, the class must fly to California— thus implying that Walkerville is not located in my home state.

In “Goes to Seed,” there is a Ruby-throated hummingbird (at least that’s what I think it is) in the garden at Phoebe’s old school. The Ruby-throated hummingbird lives mainly in the eastern half of the US.

In “In a Beehive,” Tim mentions a “big frost” approaching. Again, this suggests Walkerville is somewhere Up North. (We don’t get a “big frost” where I live— just a few smaller frosts.)

In “In the City,” we see that some of Walkerville’s urban wildlife includes peregrine falcons, red foxes, opossums, raccoons, and nighthawks. It is also implied that bears live in the woods outside of town.

In the book “The Wild Whale Watch,” the New England coast is a short drive from school, which directly contradicts my observations about coastal locations in the show.

The woodpecker in “Meets the Rot Squad” is a red-bellied woodpecker, a species found in the eastern US.

In the book “Rocky Road Trip,” Carlos says that he collected some of the rocks in his collection near “the Saddle River.” I looked it up, and in the real world, Saddle River runs through New York and New Jersey. (But for all we know, the Saddle River in the book could be made up just like Walkerville.)

In “Ups and Downs,” we see that Walkerville is located near a good-sized lake— large and deep enough for a submarine to dive in, and with plenty of underwater vegetation.

In terms of continuity, there is no continuity when it comes to where the heck Walkerville is. This sometimes frustrates my overanalytical brain. So, I leave it to you, fellow Magic School Bus fans, to answer the question:

Map for reference!

[theinnovatorsinsights]

Discover Modern Luxury at Latitude Apartments in Metairie

Luxury Apartments at Latitude | Rent Apartments New Orleans

Finding the perfect place to call home is no small feat, but Latitude Apartments makes the choice simple. Located in the charming and dynamic community of Metairie, Louisiana, Latitude Apartments is designed to offer a unique blend of modern luxury and convenience, catering to the needs of professionals, families, and urban explorers alike. With its top-notch amenities, prime location, and thoughtfully designed living spaces, Latitude Apartments promises a lifestyle of comfort and sophistication.

Welcome to Latitude Apartments

Latitude Apartments is a stunning residential community located at 3100 Lake Villa Drive, right at the intersection of Rye Street in Metairie. Featuring 196 upscale units, this residential complex embodies elegance and functionality, delivering a premium lifestyle to its residents.

Metairie, nestled just minutes away from the vibrant city of New Orleans, is renowned for its unique urban-suburban blend. Known as one of the best places to live in Louisiana, the area offers a mix of cultural richness and modern conveniences. With Latitude Apartments, you can enjoy the best of both worlds—peaceful suburban living with quick access to New Orleans' bustling city life.

Prime Location and Accessibility

Latitude Apartments boasts an unbeatable location that is both convenient and accessible. Situated on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain, the complex is surrounded by the beauty of nature and the buzz of city life. With Interstate-10 just moments away, commuting to nearby businesses, schools, and attractions is a breeze.

Nearby Points of Interest:

Lake Pontchartrain: Perfect for scenic walks and water activities.

Downtown New Orleans: A short drive to the city's world-famous music, food, and cultural festivals.

Local Amenities: Shopping malls, restaurants, parks, and entertainment venues are all within easy reach.

This ideal location makes Latitude Apartments the perfect base for anyone seeking to explore and thrive in Metairie and beyond.

Modern Living Spaces

Latitude Apartments offers spacious and contemporary units, catering to a variety of lifestyles. Whether you’re searching for a cozy one-bedroom apartment or a more expansive two-bedroom layout, Latitude has you covered. Each apartment is thoughtfully designed with high-end finishes and modern features that prioritize comfort and functionality.

Key Features of the Apartments:

Open-concept living areas with abundant natural light.

Modern kitchens with sleek countertops and top-tier appliances.

Ample storage space for all your needs.

Private balconies in select units, offering stunning views of the surroundings.

Top-Tier Amenities

Latitude Apartments isn’t just about beautiful living spaces; it’s about a community that enhances your daily life. From the moment you step into the complex, you’ll find amenities designed to elevate your living experience.

Community Amenities Include:

Pet-friendly spaces for your furry friends.

Secure parking facilities for residents.

On-site management and maintenance teams to address your needs promptly.

Relaxing outdoor areas and recreational spaces for socializing or unwinding.

With Latitude Apartments, every detail has been considered to ensure a seamless and enjoyable living experience.

Experience the Charm of Metairie

Living at Latitude Apartments means immersing yourself in the vibrant culture and charm of Metairie. The area is rich in history, with a blend of French-accented Southern traditions and modern entertainment. From quaint coffee shops and historic eateries to bustling bars and cultural festivals, there’s always something to discover.

Metairie is bordered by the serene Lake Pontchartrain to the north and the majestic Mississippi River to the south, providing ample opportunities for outdoor adventures. It’s a community that balances the hustle of city life with the tranquility of suburban living, making it a favorite for residents of all ages.

What to Do Nearby:

Explore local parks for jogging, picnics, or family outings.

Indulge in New Orleans’ iconic cuisine at nearby restaurants.

Enjoy shopping and entertainment at premium malls and boutiques.

Dive into the vibrant arts and music scene of New Orleans, just minutes away.

Perfect for Every Lifestyle

Latitude Apartments is more than just a place to live—it’s a community where everyone can thrive. Whether you’re a young professional seeking proximity to work, a growing family looking for space and comfort, or a retiree wanting a serene yet dynamic environment, Latitude offers a perfect fit.

For Families: Spacious floor plans, proximity to schools, and a family-friendly atmosphere make Latitude an excellent choice for households of all sizes.

For Professionals: Quick access to major employers, high-speed internet, and a convenient location close to the business hubs of Metairie and New Orleans.

For Pet Lovers: Latitude Apartments welcomes pets, offering pet-friendly policies and areas for your furry companions to enjoy.

Why Latitude Apartments?

Latitude Apartments stands out as one of the top residential choices in Metairie for a reason. By combining luxurious living spaces with unmatched convenience and a vibrant community atmosphere, it delivers a living experience that goes beyond the ordinary.

Contact Us Today

Ready to make Latitude Apartments your new home? We’re here to help you find the perfect space for your lifestyle.

Address: 3100 Lake Villa Drive, Metairie, Louisiana, New Orleans, USA

Website: https://latitude.apartments/

Email: contact@latitude.apartments

Phone: +1 985 618 1600

[iturbide]

First, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR EXPLANATIONS I AM ABSORBING THEM-

Second- In terms of ‘history’, I don’t necessarily mean anything violent or such, I mean it more in terms of well… How the city was built, how the religious setting changed, how people of importance entered and maintained their positions. Just.. the things that are recorded and spoken about by historians.

Also- Now I’m Very Curious as to what brought Mirym and Dain there, but I have a feeling it’s Spoilers. That, or friendship.

I'M GLAD YOU'VE BEEN ENJOYING THEM I have. So much lore. It's ridiculous frankly.

But in terms of that history...there's really nothing of particular note? It was established first as a mining settlement to take advantage of both the mountains for quarrying and the nearby river for stone shipping, building up rather gradually from a utilitarian settlement to a settled village, then a larger town, and finally building out into a more proper 'city' (though anyone who's seen cities can tell that it's perhaps ambitious to call it such). The walls have been in development for quite a while, with the first iteration just being an attempt to control floods along the tributary (which were not overly successful; eventually they just had to let the plants grow, which also helped with filtration of the water) but gradually building out over years to surround the city, with gates as a security measure. Some of the oldest sectors of the city are the central plaza (where the market is held), the mill, and the craftsman's quarter near the southern edge, which ultimately put a hard limit on the overall growth in that direction since they can't really move their millhouse and the long-term use of those spaces has left distinct effects; similarly, the buildings closest to the craftsman's quarter are mostly used for storage rather than residency or sales since, y'know, that's where the loud and otherwise unpleasant trades do business (like the tanner).

The religious setting has been a change a long time coming, but it's a fairly routine story for all such cities. After a certain point, ambient magic in a city like that just dries up, and ends up mostly forgotten as the generations pass without anyone being able to effectively learn the craft, which in turn leads to their potential vilification. By the same turn, the old belief in Wild Spirits is forgotten along with magic, and what remains is a shadow of what was: in the case of the city, Six Gods and a Tainted Seventh (representing the elements of light, wood, earth, air, fire, water, and exiling the dark). The belief in Gods over Spirits has spread organically from settlement to settlement once it reaches a size where ambient magic is no longer present in usable quantities, with variations based on regional differences.

Given that this is a pretty self-sufficient town, there hasn't been so much to speak of regarding the everyday history. Magistrates come and go, marshals come and go, brought to their positions by virtue of their skills and sometimes stepping down, other times being removed. It's the kind of boring, dry, names and dates history that drives school children up the wall and I'm not putting any more work into it than that because I'm sparing my inner child.

As for what brought Miryn and Dain, you have to wait until Book 3

[vishnuveera]

Unlocking the Seasons Discovering the Best Time to Visit Texas

Texas, the Lone Star State, offers a diverse range of landscapes, activities, and climates throughout the year. Determining the best time to visit depends largely on your preferences and the experiences you seek.

Spring in Texas is marked by pleasant temperatures and blooming wildflowers, especially in the Hill Country region. This is an ideal time for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and exploring the state parks before the summer heat sets in. Additionally, spring brings several festivals and events celebrating the state's culture and heritage, such as the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Summer in Texas is characterized by hot and humid weather, with temperatures often soaring above 90°F (32°C). While the heat can be intense, this season offers plenty of opportunities for water-based activities like swimming, tubing, and boating, particularly along the Gulf Coast and in the many lakes and rivers scattered across the state. Be sure to stay hydrated and seek shade during the peak heat hours.

Fall is considered one of the best times to visit Texas thanks to milder temperatures and fewer crowds compared to the summer months. This season brings vibrant foliage to the state parks, especially in East Texas, making it perfect for scenic drives and outdoor adventures. Additionally, fall marks the beginning of football season, and attending a high school, college, or professional football game is a quintessential Texas experience.

Winter in Texas varies greatly depending on the region. While the northern part of the state experiences colder temperatures and occasional snowfall, the southern regions remain relatively mild. This makes winter an excellent time to explore cities like Austin, San Antonio, and Houston, where you can enjoy outdoor activities, cultural events, and holiday celebrations without the sweltering heat of summer.

[ausetkmt]

"It's crazy to think they would have sailed right past here," Darron Patterson said, pulling his car onto a scrap of grass overlooking the murky Mobile River. As president of the Clotilda Descendants Association, Patterson is well versed in talking about the voyage of the Clotilda – the last known slave ship to reach America. His great-great-grandfather was Kupollee, later renamed Pollee Allen; one of the 110 men, women and children cruelly stolen from Benin in West Africa and brought to the US onboard the notorious ship.

The story of how Patterson's relative arrived in America aboard an illegal slaver started as a shockingly flippant bet. Fifty-two years after the US banned the importation of enslaved people, in 1860, a wealthy Alabama business owner named Timothy Meaher wagered that he could orchestrate for a haul of kidnapped Africans to sail under the noses of federal officers and evade capture.

With the assistance of Captain William Foster at the helm of an 80ft, two-mast schooner, and following a gruelling six-week transatlantic passage, he succeeded. The ship sneaked into Mobile Bay on 9 July under a veil of darkness. To conceal evidence of the crime, the distinctive-looking schooner – made from white oak frames and southern yellow pine planking – was set ablaze and scuttled to the depths of the swampy Mobile River, where it lay concealed beneath the water, its existence relegated to lore.

That is until almost 160 years later, when during a freakishly low tide, a local reporter named Ben Raines discovered a hefty chunk of shipwreck in the Mobile River, initially thought to belong to the Clotilda. It turned out to be a false alarm, but the discovery reignited interest and led to an extensive search involving multiple parties, including the Alabama Historical Commission, National Geographic Society, Search Inc and the Slave Wrecks Project. Following their exhaustive effort, in May 2019 it was finally announced that the elusive Clotilda had at long last been discovered.

A mural of the Clotilda slave ship runs alongside the freeway separating the two sides of Africatown (Credit: Carmen K Sisson/Alamy)

Three years later, the city of Mobile found itself standing on the brink of a tourism boom, as interest in the story of the Clotilda, and the lives of its resilient captives, built.

Patterson had agreed to drive me around Africatown, an area where many of the ship's captives finally settled and where Patterson himself was raised. We began the tour at this scrap of land by the Mobile River, beneath a soaring interstate bridge where a group of Clotilda slave ship descendants meet annually for their Under the Bridge festival, to "talk about how our ancestors got here and to have some food and dance," Patterson said. There was no festival that day though and the atmosphere was muted; just one woman and her grandson played by the marshy water's edge below the steady hum of traffic.

Walking back to his car, Patterson, a former sportswriter now in his 60s, recalled that growing up, Africatown was a thriving, self-sufficient place, where "the only time we needed to leave the community was to pay a utility bill" as everything needed was close to hand, aside from a post office.

Located three miles north of downtown Mobile, Africatown was founded by 32 of the original Clotilda survivors following emancipation at the end of the Civil War, in 1865. Longing for the homeland they'd been brutally ripped from, the residents set up their own close-knit community to blend their African traditions with American folkways, raising cattle and farming the land. One of the first towns established and controlled by African Americans in the US, Africatown had its own churches, barbershops, stores (one of which was owned by Patterson's uncle); and the Mobile County Training School, a public school that became the backbone of the community.

However, this once-vibrant neighbourhood fell on hard times when a freeway was constructed in the heart of it in 1991, and industrial pollution meant that many of the remaining residents eventually packed up and left. "We couldn't even hang out our washing to dry because it would get covered in ash [a product of the oil storage tanks and factories on the outskirts of Africatown]," said Patterson. With the high-profile closure of the corrugated box factory, International Paper, in 2000, and an ensuing public health lawsuit brought about by residents, Africatown's community that had swelled to 12,000 people in the 1960s plummeted to around 2,000, where it stands today.

Cudjoe Kazoola Lewis, one of the Clotilda survivors and founders of Africatown, died in 1935 (Credit: Zoey Goto)

The exodus, poverty and environmental scars were visible as Patterson drove further into Africatown. The roadside was littered with abandoned factories. The quiet, residential streets were peppered with empty lots and vacant homes, some in such disrepair that their decaying walls had surrendered entirely to the creeping vines engulfing them.

But Africatown is changing, once again. With the discovery of the ship's remnants came the interest necessary to rebuild and preserve this historical place; an influx of attention and funds that is affecting everything from personal relationships to history to the fortune of the neighbourhood. Because, though the story of the Clotilda was known – and the lives of the original passengers were so well documented that photos, interviews and even film footage existed – without evidence of the vessel, the history was buried and it was not in the interest of the white population to acknowledge the truth of how they had arrived. Finding the vessel allowed their story to be affirmed and truth to be restored after decades of denial.

In the years since the Clotilda was discovered, the wreck has undergone extensive archaeological exploration to determine the likelihood of raising it safely. The ripple effect of media and public interest has meant a slew of government, community and private funding for Africatown's revitalisation, including The Africatown Redevelopment Corporation, which is using grants to restore homes in disrepair and demolishing and rebuilding derelict lots. Added to this is a $3.6 million payout from a BP oil spill settlement that has been earmarked for the long-awaited rebuilding of the Africatown Welcome Center, which was swept away in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina.

Patterson drove me to his grandmother's house and pulled over to chat with an elderly neighbour on her porch ("no photos, mind", she requested politely). Unlike some of the other descendent families, he told me, growing up he was told little of his ancestry. "I think my folks may have been embarrassed," he reflected, recalling that the smuggled captives had faced many humiliations, including being stripped naked for the voyage. "That must have just broke their will," Patterson said.

Africatown was one of the first towns established and controlled by African Americans in the US (Credit: Zoey Goto)

The 2019 announcement of the ship's discovery galvanised Patterson's curiosity, and he started to piece together his heritage, at which point his "whole life changed". He's since become hands-on in ensuring the story is told accurately, including an onscreen role in the film Descendant premiering at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and as co-producer of the second installment of the forthcoming documentary The 110: The Last Enslaved Africans Brought to America about the Clotilda's passengers.

For Patterson, the discovery of the infamous ship brings fresh hope that Africatown is on the eve of a renaissance. Following years of denial, "the ship's very existence has finally been affirmed, so a burden has been lifted," said Mobile County Commissioner Merceria Ludgood. "That's every bit as important to the ethos of Africatown as the housing revitalisation currently happening."

Although there's a lack of restaurants and tourism facilities, that could be all set to change as well, said Ludgood, who is helping to set up the Africatown Heritage House, a permanent museum created in collaboration with the History Museum of Mobile to chart the history of Africatown. "Hopefully cottage industries will spring up, owned by people who live in the community," she said, noting that the discovery of the Clotilda has given Africatown's community a boost, resonating far beyond economics.

Next on Patterson's tour was the Africatown Heritage House, situated in the hub of the neighbourhood, overlooked by a row of modest, well-kept bungalows on a palm-lined avenue. Under construction at the time of my visit, the museum was due to open in early summer 2022 and will include a gallery of West African artefacts as well as salvaged sections of the Clotilda shipwreck, presented in preservation tanks.

“This is actually the best documented Middle Passage story we have as a nation”

It promises a unique insight, given the relatively recent timing of the Clotilda voyage in relation to the history of slavery. "This is actually the best documented Middle Passage story we have as a nation," explained Meg McCrummen Fowler, director of the History Museum of Mobile. "There's just an abundance of sources, mostly because it occurred so late. Several of the people on the ship lived well into the 20th Century, so instead of silence there's diaries, there's ship records."

Work has started on the Africatown Heritage House, a $1.3 million exhibit about the 110 enslaved West Africans and the Clotilda vessel (Credit: Zoey Goto)

Further regeneration projects on the horizon include a footbridge connecting the two areas of Africatown currently divided by the freeway. Water tours taking visitors close to the shipwreck site are scheduled to launch in spring 2022, and a few local residents ahead of the curve are offering walking tours of Africatown.

While tourists have yet to arrive in serious numbers, Africatown faces a familiar set of challenges to other US neighbourhoods experiencing rapid revitalisation, including ensuring the whole community supports change and that residents don't fall through the cracks. But Patterson said that the Africatown community is united in its mission.

"We're all on board with this," he said.

The final stop on our tour was the cemetery where many of the Clotilda's enslaved have been laid to rest. As we walked, Patterson told me that with the light currently shinning on this troubling chapter of history, he has hopes that there will be enough sustained interest to generate the funds needed to raise the schooner from the water.

Though the true impact of this fabled ship's discovery is yet to be seen, for Patterson, it presents an opportunity to lift up the Africatown community and honour the struggles of its founders. "This is about more than bricks and mortar, it's ultimately about the growth of our souls," he said, looking out over their crumbling gravestones, all facing east towards their motherland. "Finding the ship has finally validated our truth."

Unlike some of the other descendent families, Darron Patterson was told little of his ancestry (Credit: Zoey Goto)

[finishinglinepress]

NEW FROM FINISHING LINE PRESS: 10 Hours to Tulsa by Shelley Nation

On SALE now! Pre-order Price Guarantee: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/10-hours-to-tulsa-by-shelley-nation/

Shelley Nation shares her life experiences growing up in #Tulsa, Oklahoma through her engaging prose. From specific events to the words and thoughts of her family and friends, Shelley takes us on a journey of one child’s memories.

Shelley Nation was the co-host of one of Chicago’s longest running #poetry talk shows, Wordslingers, which aired on WLUW FM from Loyola University, from 1999 to 2009. She has been writing and performing poetry in the Chicago area since 1988, and has hosted several poetry venues over the years. She has been published in many poetry journals including Wisconsin Review, The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, The RavenPerch, Copperfield Review Quarterly, among others. Shelley has been a teacher and counselor in Chicago for the past 31 years and holds two Master’s Degrees in education. Shelley is a citizen of the #Cherokee #Nation of #Oklahoma and has recently begun to write about the experience of her grandmother and other members of her family as they lived through their struggles in Cherokee Nation territory, from Tennessee and Alabama to the Canadian District in Indian Territory/Oklahoma.

PRAISE FOR 10 Hours to Tulsa by Shelley Nation

In 10 Hours to Tulsa, Nation-Watson revisits growing up in Tulsa, a Hank Williams/Jerry Falwell/Step-parent/belt buckle place where the speaker clearly states “I don’t belong.” With the river as a “wasteland for memories” and home being “an idea far removed from her dream,” Nation-Watson renders sharp portraits of the people and places that formed a life, one that the speaker can remember and yet “keep driving.”

–Donna Vorreyer, the author of three full-length collections of poetry: To Everything There Is(Sundress Publications, 2020),Every Love Story is an Apocalypse Story (Sundress Publications, 2016), and A House of Many Windows (Sundress Publications, 2013)

“Poet Shelley Nation‘s chapbook10 Hours to Tulsa invites the reader on a road trip towards her beginnings. People and places are sketched in spare lines. Yet, these are lyric poems, not narrative. The use of inventive wordplay, shifting rhythms, and the persona form charge the personal imagery with emotional resonance. She asks what feelings from memories or dreams still connect to this place and these people, and how those feelings have changed and shifted. There’s heartbreak and humor, but no unearned sentiment — as if Patsy Cline had ever met up with Joy Harjo over a bourbon, neat.”

—Chicago poet Elizabeth Marino is the author of Asylum (Vagabond, 2020), the chapbook Ceremonies (dancing girl press) and Debris (Puddin’head Press), and a Pushcart Prize nominee.

In her stellar chapbook 10 Hours to Tulsa, Shelley Nation, a long-time, familiar presence in the Chicago poetry scene, reconnects with her Indigenous roots on the page, as well as in the flesh, having returned to her native Oklahoma. It’s apropos then, that these poems feel like a kind of personal guidebook to survival. With these vivid and detailed portraits, including “Uncle Harold,” “The Trailer Next Door,” “Reuben,” “A Friend from Bartlesville Comes to Visit,” “Everclear,” and “Unmentionables,” Nation has deftly created what amounts to a literary art gallery.

–Gregg Shapiro, author of Refrain in Light

Shelley Nation offers readers her bitter Oklahoma accounts of growing up inside a dysfunctional home where her soul’s refuge was to engage in adult imaginings which made it possible to escape with the assistance of the same potions and positions that bled into agony. Her solace was in her power to play and disguise herself while alone or with a confidant neighbor girl. Nation’s narrator is pulled by two huge magnets of her mother’s incendiary screams and father’s inebriated neglect and regrets. I was totally captivated by the poem “Uncle Harold” its tone and cadence captured in the character’s approach to a grand capricious life in a language worthy of a short film. There’s some familial trauma similar to what poets Sharon Olds and Sylvia Plath would have recognized, but Nation’s take is grittier and more country.

–Carlos Cumpian, author of Human Cicada (Prickly Pear Publishing)

10 hours to Tulsa is a crafty set of poetry that conjures up a working class, wrangler jean wearing, cowboy-booted Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz who drinks her whiskey straight and steals the cigarette from you after you light it. Not quite romanticized but lived experiences that feel as real as lipstick left on the rim of a glass.

–Andrea Change – Executive Director of Chicago’s Guild Literary Complex

Please share/repost #flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #read #poems #literature #poetry

[dustedmagazine]

Wes Tirey — No Winners in the Blues (Full Spectrum)

No Winners in the Blues by Wes Tirey

The American landscape is important to Wes Tirey, even when he sometimes feels out of place within it. “In Ohio I felt like a Midwesterner with a Southern heritage, and in North Carolina I feel like a Southerner with a Midwestern heritage,�� he told Lou Turner when his record The Midwest Book of the Dead came out. This feeling of incongruity creeps into Tirey’s songs. His narratives convey a sense of longing for a center, whether it be spiritual, romantic, temporal or geographic. His characters are electrons in search of a nucleus.

This yearning is most apparent on a track like “Serpent Mound” from the newly reissued No Winners in the Blues. In the song, Tirey describes a metaphysical journey along the I-75 freeway across the Ohio River toward the Deep South. Truck stops and other rust belt signifiers slide by in a hazy blur, as the brackish water of the Ohio looms ever closer. “Hallelujah! Glory bound,” Tirey proclaims. Eventually he realizes that the trip was merely a mystical experience; he’ll actually “cross that muddy river by and by.” Tirey is also adept at playing the role of the lovelorn ex-partner. On “Aileen,” he reminisces about the titular character, then spots her one day. Instead of giving it another go, he dejectedly gets in his car and drives off, his desire unsatiated. 

Tirey delivers his cosmic blues in a gravelly David Berman-meets-Willie Nelson drawl, which he peppers with a little bit of Townes Van Zandt heartache. His laconic phrasing and sonorous voice combine in a sinister feedback loop, amplifying Tirey’s miniature sermons. The jauntiness of his deft, Takoma school-inspired fingerpicking highlights the somber tone of his words, placing a silver lining around the dark clouds. Additionally, No Winners in the Blues has a secret weapon to bolster Tirey’s rust belt-meets-Appalachia proselytizing: Shane Parish’s electric guitar. 

Parish accentuates Tirey’s songs with a keen ear for both melody and mood. He knows when to play it safe and when to unleash a torrent of warped noise. On “Chestnut St. Blues,” Parish brings a sense of levity to Tirey’s tale of domestic ennui, whereas he launches a descending melody of missile strikes when Tirey talks of hellfire raining down on “Easy Leaving.” With the penultimate “Welcome to the City,” the duo unveils a series of apocalyptic visions. The images get darker as they become hidden in a shoegaze-like wash of electric guitar scree that threatens to flatten the flaming metropolis alluded to in the song’s title. The commensalism exhibited between Tirey and Parish is proof that — in this case — there can be at least one winner in the blues. 

Bryon Hayes

[badger-bear]

Writer's Corner Café Create a Character(s)

Over at @writerscornercafe we have decided to do bimonthly prompts. January's prompt was creating a character in a week. I decided to rework two original characters I have had for years. I ended up not doing every single day but what I have will be under the cut!

Monday

create a name for your character and then describe their physical appearance in detail

Catherine “Lemon” Ellen Hartsworth

5’5 ish, midsize, long straight blonde hair, blue eyes, “southern belle”, freckles everywhere, 27, 1 inch curved scar on right ankle, birthmark on her ribs on the left side, freckle on the top of her ear, two lobe piercings, white

Charlotte “Charlie” Jane Briggs

5’7ish, thin, long straight brown hair, brown eyes, 29, tattoos (brachiosaurus on left shoulder, roses under boobs across chest, skateboard on outer wrist, “shred the gnar” on right forearm, dagger on middle finger, ocean scene on left leg below the knee and above the ankle), septum piercing, stretched lobes (00), white

Tuesday

write out your character's most significant memories and relationships

Family:

Lemon

Richard and Sue Harsworth (parents), Louella (maternal grandmother), Kennedy (older brother 30)

Memories:

Summers at Louella’s farm

Pageants until the age of 10

Vacations with family

Grand Canyon

Milky Way

Washington DC

Field trip to the local news station

Seeing shooting stars

Church every easter and Christmas Eve

Hearing her parents and peers talk poorly about LGBT

Friends:

Molly Kirkland (27)- best friends since elementary school

Hunter Kirkland (27)- Molly’s husband, friends since college

Beau Norris (28)- college friend

Jessica Norris (28)- Beau’s wife, college friend

Brittanie Hannah (28)- college roommate

Important Coworkers:

Dale Lewis

Martha Glad

Nadine Franklin

Charlie

Family:

Jennifer and Martin Bates (biomother and step dad), Jackson and Susan Harstworth (biofather and step mom), Joanne (paternal grandmother)

Memories:

Meeting Kyle in middle school

Having a crush on Gabby in first grade

First skateboard at age 8

First kiss with a girl at age 14

Being chased with Kyle by cops for skateboarding

The car accident graduation night (Kyle was driving and could have lost his scholarship so Charlie took the fall)

Working on skate videos

Friends:

Kyle Hightower (29)- best friends since 11

River Jobbs (30)- boyfriend of Kyle, met him through Kyle

El Kelley (28)- friend from college

Lacey Jones (29)- friend through skateboarding

Annie Maxwell (31)- ex girlfriend

Important Coworkers:

Nadine Franklin

Alex Fields

Sunday

write out what qualities make your character unique and their backstory

Lemon

Lemon’s parents raised Lemon and Kennedy to be scholarly and to achieve their dreams no matter what it takes. Her parents weren’t devoutly religious, but they went to church every Easter and Christmas Eve. They lived in a small town in the heart of the bible belt, so she grew up around racism and homophobia. At a young age Lemon thought there was something different about her, but she was never safe to explore that side of her.

From a young age Lemon was interested in the weather so she went to school to become a meteorologist and is now a weather woman on the local news.

Charlie

Born and raised in California, Charlie grew up middle to lower middle class. Her parents divorced right before middle school which left feeling confused and started to act out. She took up skateboarding and eventually became a professional skateboarder. Her and her best friend, Kyle, got themselves into sticky situations often. Charlie came out as a lesbian n high school; this was largely accepted.

After graduation she got into a pretty serious car accident with Kyle which left her staying with her grandmother in Atlanta.

During her years of being a professional skateboarder she became heavily involved with the video making process and got into sound tech. When she stayed with her grandmother in Atlanta, she was able to start working on low budget sets and worked her way up.

[scotianostra]

The leading Scottish suffragette, Evelina Haverfield, was born at Inverlochy Castle on August 9th 1867.

Evelina’s birth is recorded as ‘Honourable Evilena Scarlett’, she took the name Haverfield from her husband. Her childhood was divided between London and the Inverlochy estate. In 1880 she went to school in Dusseldorf, Germany, after which she married Major Henry Haverfield at the age of 19., who was 20 years her senior. The marriage is said to have been a happy one they had two sons together, The Major however died in 1896. Evelina married again two years later, a another military man, Major John Blaguy. This was not a happy union and after some time they drifted apart. The rest of her life was informed by devotion to a cause.

She became an enthusiastic supporter of the suffragette movement and was arrested during suffragette demonstrations in London for hitting an escorting police officer. Her only regret was not hitting him hard enough, promising to bring a revolver next time. During that heady time she met Vera Holme. Their companionship was to last the rest of her days.

At the outbreak of the First World War the suffragettes supported the war effort by founding a Women’s Voluntary Emergency Corps and a Women’s Voluntary Reserve Ambulance Corps. Evelina became commandant in chief of the latter, looking, it was said, every inch a soldier in her khaki uniform, although she later left after a disagreement of an undisclosed nature.

Evelina joined the Scottish Women’s Hospitals and devoted the next two years to overseas service with them. She served in Serbia with Elsie Inglis, as a hospital administrator and was part of a small group taken prisoner when the armies of the Central Powers overran Serbia in October and November 1915.

Under appalling conditions of poverty and military oppression, Evelina and those with her, struggled heroically through the winter to provide food and basic care for their wounded Serbian patients and some of the local civilian population. In the spring of 1916, Evelina and the other 'Scottish Women’ were released through the International Red Cross and returned to England.

In August 1916 Evelina went to Romania in charge of 18 ambulance and transport vehicles as part of two units of the Scottish Women’s Hospitals. These units were in support of Serbian soldiers fighting on the eastern Allied front. The stronger enemy invading armies drove the Russian, Romanian, and Serbian defenders out of southern Romania and north of the Danube river delta.

During this two-month retreat by the Allied forces, Evelina and the transport drivers were working non-stop under constant enemy fire, in desperate situations, while rescuing wounded soldiers and driving them to safety.

By early 1917, with the fighting on the eastern front over, and unable to return to Serbia because of the enemy occupation there, Evelina returned to England, where she remained until after the Armistice of November 1918. In England she raised money for clothing and canteens for Serbian soldiers, gave public speeches on behalf of Serbian relief, and helped to found a Serbian Red Cross Society in Britain.

After the Armistice she returned to Serbia to supervise the distribution of much needed food, clothing, and medical supplies. When this was done, in 1919, she made plans to found a home for Serbian war orphans in a Serbian mountain village. It was there, in Baijna Bashta, that she contracted pneumonia, probably brought on by overwork and fatigue, and died prematurely at the age of 52, revered and honoured by the Serbs for her five years of humanitarian work on their behalf. The Serbs issued a stamp commemorating this remarkable women in 2015, a woman few Scots have even heard of…….

Buried in Serbia today, Evelina’s gravestone reads:

‘Hear lies the body of the honourable Evelina Haverfield youngest daughter of William Scarlett 3rd Baron Abinger and of Helen ne Magruder his wife of Inverloky Castle Fort William Scotland who finished her work in Bajina Bashta March 21st 1920 through the war 1914-1920 She worked for the Serbian people with untiring zeal. A straight fighter as traight rider and a most loyal friend. R.I.P’

In 2015 Evalina was one of five Scottish women and one English women, who worked as doctors, nurses and drivers feature on a series of stamps in Serbia, the others were Dr Elsie Inglis a campaigner for women's suffrage and the founder of the Scottish Women Hospitals in Serbia. Dr Inglis was one of the first female graduates at the University of Edinburgh.

Dr Elizabeth Ross, one of the first women to obtain a medical degree at the University of Glasgow. She travelled to Serbia as a volunteer and tragically passed away during the typhoid epidemic in 1915.

Dr Katherine MacPhail OBE, involved in humanitarian work in Serbia throughout WW1. She is remembered for opening the first paediatric ward in Belgrade in 1921.

Dr Isabel Emslie Galloway Hutton who joined the Scottish Women Hospitals as a volunteer in 1915 after she was turned away by the War Office in London. She served in France, Greece and Serbia until 1920.

The sixth was English woman, Captain Flora Sandes, who was the only known British female to bear arms during WW1

[aestheticvoyage2024]

Day 315: Sunday November 10, 2024 - "A Winding Road Somewhere"

Id asked for a late check out, looking forward to a lazy sleep-in Sunday with nothing to do... but at 6:30, I was awake, even without my wiggle work alarm clock next to me. I went to the hotel breakfast and thought maybe Id go back to sleep, but there I was laying in bed looking at maps, wondering where I might try to drive. I was excited to get going. The open road was calling, especially after I'd settled a plan. A truly Blue Highways inspired idea, where Heat Moon ran his River Horse, Id follow some new 2 lane track down the Washington side of the Columbia River. Of course this nice stretch of the Gorge was a special track that first led me into the PNW in 2010, but that was over yonder on the interstate with trucks and traffic. This would be nice, despite the haze, because Id have the road mostly to myself, (no doubt after a sign warned me that itd be 85 before the next services) maybe I'd catch a few really good road shots. By 930, I was checking out early and getting out on the road.

Its beatiful out here, where the Palouse meets the River. I followed my old yellow striped compadre for a couple of hours West, getting a small taste of that "Roll On" that I deserve but haven't quite earned. Just enough though, to finally reset the nerves and get ready for a busy week ahead. I turned North at Maryhill and the old Stonehenge Monument out here, and realized my parents at one point would have run this same road I was adding to my scribble map. I was glad to have found a new good landmark road up in this old home sector, where the routes are well travelled. I followed the road up to Yakima through the reservation and the hills where Fall had hung on, and ever creek bed was tailed with golden yellow trees. I realized I was getting the gift of some Fall Color, that I had thought I had missed. It never occurred to me that this work trip to Southern Washington would gift my northern soul in this way. I was really happy to close out my little ramble with so much pretty to look at and for the first time in the over ten hours of driving in this rental car, the radio family came on. I was reset. The best therapy Ive ever had was always found, out there on the open road; the road always provides. It did today, when I needed it most.

Song: Mgk & Jelly Roll - Lonely Road

Quote: Andrea Gibson - Royal Heart

You will never be let down by anyone more than you will be let down by the one you love most in the world it’s how gravity works it’s why they call it “falling” it’s why the truth is harder to tell every year you have more to lose but you can choose to bury your past in the garden by the tulips water it until it’s so alive it lets go and you belong to yourself again

When you belong to yourself again Remember forgiveness is not a tidy grave  It is a ready loyal knight kneeling before your royal heart

Call in your royal heart  Tell it bravery cannot be measured by a lack of fear  It takes guts to tremble  It takes so much tremble to love  Every first date is a fucking earthquake

Sweetheart, on our first date  I showed off all my therapy  I flaunted the couch Where I finally sweat out my history  I pulled out the photo album from the last time I wore a lie to the school dance  I smiled and said “that was never my style Look how fixed I am  Look how there’s no more drywall on my fist  Look at the stilts I’ve carved for my short temper  Look how my wrist is not something I have to hide�� I said  Well I was hiding it

The telephone pole still down from the storm  By our third date I had fixed the line  I said listen I have a hard time  I mean I cry as often as most people pee and I don’t shut the door behind me I’ll be up in your face screaming “SEATTLE IS TOO RAINY SEATTLE IS TOO RAINY IM NEVER GOING TO BE ABLE TO LIVE HERE.” I sobbed on our fourth date

I can’t live here  In my body, I mean I can’t live in my body all the time it feels too much  So if I ever feel far away know I am not gone I am just underneath my grief Adjusting the dial on my radio faith so I can take this life with all of it’s love and all of it’s loss

See I already know that you are the place where I am finally going to sing without any static meaning I’m never gonna wait that extra twenty minutes to text you back and I’m never gonna play hard to get when I know your life has been hard enough already When we all know everyone’s life has been hard enough already

it’s hard to watch the game we make of love, like everyone’s playing checkers with their scars, saying checkmate whenever they get out without a broken heart.

Just to be clear I don’t want to get out without a broken heart. I intend to leave this life so shattered there better be a thousand separate heavens for all of my separate parts  And none of those parts are going to be wearing the romance from the overpriced vintage rack  That is to say I am not going to get a single speed bike if I can’t make it up the hill  I know exactly how many gears I’m going to need to love you well And none of them look hip at the coffee shop  They all have God saying “good job you’re finally not full of bullshit”  You finally met someone who’s going to flatten your knee caps into skipping stones

Baby, throw me  Throw me as far as I can go  I don’t want to leave this life without ever having come home  And I want to come home to you  I can figure out the rain

[affordcorpsuites]

Discover Exciting Things to Do While Visiting Christiansburg, Virginia

Nestled in the beautiful New River Valley, Christiansburg, Virginia offers a perfect blend of history, outdoor adventure, and small-town charm. Whether you're in town for business or leisure, there are plenty of activities to make your stay enjoyable. From exploring local parks to diving into its rich heritage, here are some things you won't want to miss during your visit to this charming town.

Explore Downtown Christiansburg

Start your adventure in the heart of Christiansburg by taking a stroll through the town's historic downtown. With its quaint shops, local cafes, and friendly atmosphere, downtown is the perfect place to get a feel for the community. The Farmer's Market is also a must-visit for fresh produce, homemade goods, and unique crafts that reflect the spirit of the area.

Visit the Starlite Drive-In Theatre

One of the more unique things about Christiansburg is its Starlite Drive-In Theatre, one of the few remaining drive-ins in the region. Catch a double feature from the comfort of your car and experience an old-school movie night with a backdrop of the Virginia sky. The theatre has been a local favorite for years, and it's the perfect way to spend a relaxing evening.

Enjoy Nature at Claytor Lake State Park

For those who love the outdoors, Claytor Lake State Park is only a short drive from Christiansburg. The park offers numerous activities like boating, fishing, hiking, and picnicking. You can spend your day enjoying water sports or simply relax by the lake while soaking in the serene surroundings. It's an ideal destination for families and nature enthusiasts looking to escape into the great outdoors.

Take a Hike on the Huckleberry Trail

If you're looking for a more active way to explore the area, the Huckleberry Trail is a local favorite for hiking and biking. This scenic path connects Christiansburg to neighboring Blacksburg and is suitable for all fitness levels. Whether you're up for a morning jog or a leisurely afternoon walk, the Huckleberry Trail offers beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and countryside.

Stay in Comfort at Corporate Suites

While visiting Christiansburg, finding the right place to stay is important. For visitors on extended business trips, extended stay Christiansburg VA offers the perfect solution. These suites provide comfortable accommodations with all the amenities needed for a longer stay, making it easy to feel at home while away from home.

If you're looking for something more tailored to your corporate needs, affordable corporate suites Christiansburg VA also offer excellent options. These suites come fully furnished with kitchens and living areas, making them perfect for both short and long-term stays. Whether you're traveling solo or with a team, they offer a convenient and cost-effective solution.

For travelers in need of a business-friendly atmosphere, corporate suites Christiansburg VA provides modern, comfortable accommodations designed specifically for professionals. The suites offer all the amenities needed for a productive and relaxing stay, including high-speed internet, workspaces, and close proximity to local businesses.

Explore Christiansburg's Historical Sites

For history buffs, Christiansburg has a variety of historical sites that tell the story of its past. The Montgomery Museum of Art and History showcases exhibits on local history, art, and culture. You can also visit the Christiansburg Institute, an educational institution established in 1866 to educate freed slaves. It's a meaningful stop for those interested in learning about the area's significant role in African American education.

Wrap Up Your Visit with Local Dining

No trip to Christiansburg is complete without sampling the local cuisine. From cozy diners serving Southern comfort food to upscale restaurants with gourmet offerings, there's something for every taste. Try Cracker Barrel for a classic Southern meal or head over to Mockingbird Cafe for locally roasted coffee and freshly baked pastries.

Christiansburg, Virginia, may be a small town, but it's packed with activities and experiences that will leave you wanting more. Whether you're staying for a few days or an extended period, you'll find plenty to keep you entertained, relaxed, and immersed in local culture.  For learn more https://affordablecorporatesuites.net/