#Even Sharon is probably rooting for them from beyond at this point

[dippedanddripped]

Old Nollywood aesthetics and fashion may be considered trendy today, but the films were not always so well-regarded. In the 90s and early 2000s, when these movies were made and watched in parlours across Nigerian homes as they were shot, straight-to-video, they were considered as bad entertainment, or ‘low culture’. To watch and enjoy Nollywood films was to celebrate mediocrity. But today, nostalgic young Millennials and Gen Zers are overlooking the jarring audio, grainy pictures, and sometimes hammy acting, to appreciate not only the grooming and style of the actors, but the original and diverse stories that reflect unique Nigerian experiences.

It was for this reason that sisters Tochi and Ebele Anueyiagu started Nolly Babes, a nostalgic Instagram account dedicated to celebrating the cinematic period’s women. Started in December 2017, their first post was of Nollywood’s biggest star Genevieve Nnaji; a still taken from 2004 film Sharon Stone In Abuja, directed by Adim Williams. Nnaji plays the titular character, a sexually liberated young woman who uses her beauty and charm to ensnare unassuming men into doing her bidding.

The account is an ode to the female characters of old Nollywood who were often portrayed as warning examples. The storylines were steeped in moral principles rooted in the patriarchal culture and the dominant Christian religion of Southern Nigeria. A large number of the female characters were considered immoral because they kissed other women, challenged men, smoked and drank, or wore mini skirts. Today, Nolly Babes and similar accounts are reimagining these women, taking their scenes out of the moralistic context of the films, and turning them into iconic feminist personas.

The first time Nollywood content seeped into the mainstream internet consciousness can be traced back to 2017 when videos of Nollywood’s favourite comedic duo Chinedu Ikedieze and Osita Iheme, better known as Aki and Pawpaw, rose to popularity due mostly to the influence of a now-defunct Twitter account @nollywoodroll ran by Nicole, a woman based in Brazil.

Their memes became the go-to reaction videos for expressing a wide range of emotions: joy, disappointment, sadness, frustration. The appeal was in seeing children making mischief or in adult situations – drinking beer and smoking cigars, wooing bigger women, or in oversized suits shouting instructions at people twice their size. Although both Ikedieze and Iheme were in their 20s in the early 2000s when most of the films were made, they mostly played children because of their body stature. By 2019, the memes had achieved such virality that brands like Rihanna’s Fenty would use them for social media clout.

Theodora Imaan Beauvais is the curator of Yung Nollywood, another archive of clips and stills from old Nollywood paying homage to its controversial female characters, after screenshotting moments from Nollywood she found “appealing or inspirational”. Yung Nollywood is remarkably distinct from Nolly Babes for its subtitling of the films’ stills from Nollywood films, something she attributes to Tumblr. While the idea to give witty captions to the actors’ facial expressions came from watching Netflix. “I thought, ‘If someone could describe Nollywood reactions in short phrases it’d be an art form on its own,’ and I became that someone.’”

In December 2019, Tochi and Ebele hosted a Nollywood-themed party in Lagos. Nollywood actor and musician Nonso Bassey attended the party dressed in a two-piece jean set and bucket hat, a signature look of the bad boy/alpha male archetype, and a role reprised multiple times by older actors such as Hanks Anuku, Emeka Ike, and Jim Iyke. Since that party, Nonso has attended social functions and premieres in outfits that make a nod to the fashion choices of that era of Nollywood. He insists, though, that he isn’t cosplaying Nollywood characters of that era. “I’ve always been attracted to the idea of merging old world charm with a new school approach,” he said.

The party caused a cultural stir amongst Nigerians and Africans both at home and in the diaspora – every other week, there seems to be a Nollywood-themed party held either in Lagos or London. Take for instance friends and business partners Imani Okunubi and Aseosa Uwagboe, two Nigerian-British kids who grew up in the UK. Nollywood was one of the ways they could connect back to their roots. That experience informs their event brand, Lasgidi to London, targeted at Nigerians living in the UK. “We wanted to create events that were reminiscent of the Naija hall parties (Owambe) we attended as kids, as we don’t want to see that culture die,” Aseosa said. Their next owambe is a Nollywood-themed party and guests are expected to come dressed in their “best nolly Y2K aesthetic”.

Below, the Nolly Babes sisters talk about creating and hosting the first Nollywood-themed party and the cultural moment it has inspired.

How did that first event come about – please take me through it, from the planning to how it turned out?

Nolly Babes: From the inception of Nolly Babes, we knew we had to throw a party. Fashion is a huge part of what makes Nolly Babes different from other Nollywood-themed pages and we knew we were the only ones that could set Nolly Babes as the dress code and have people commit as they did. There are many iconic Nollywood scenes and scenarios. The daughter meeting her evil mother-in-law, the ominous visit to the Babalawo, the campus stroll – just the mere mention of these scenes evokes images that have been embedded in the minds of our fellow Nollywood enthusiasts. The party scene is probably the most iconic of them all. Whether it’s in a club, a mansion while mum and dad are out of town (but coming home early to crash the whole thing) or poolside, the Nolly Babes party scene has its staples: mad music, dancing, and sick outfits.

December in Lagos is notoriously hectic. On each day, there are day parties, beach hangouts, concerts, and we just knew we had to be a part of it. Our flyer was the first thing we made sure was done right, and that has been replicated (but never duplicated) many many times. We went through at least six drafts of that until we got the flyer to be a realistic replica of the home video covers from the golden era. The DJs Kemi Lijadu and vIVENDII Sounds understood the assignment and played music from the Nolly Babes era. We’re talking Tony Tetuila, Mo Hitz, Wande Coal, Plantation Boyz… We curated a special cocktail menu: Genny Colladas, Jim Iyke’s Hard Lemonade, MargaRita Dominic, and our Lagos Island Iced Tea, in tribute to Nollywood stars Genevieve Nnaji, Jim Iyke, and Rita Dominic respectively. We had a video projection on the famous red wall at Nok showing a mashup of emblematic scenes. We were partying while seeing images of a young Jim Iyke dressed just like many of the attendees were dressed. It was magical! We have an event we’re planning in New York for the summer – it’s going to be a madness.

Did you envisage it becoming the cultural movement it’s now become?

Nolly Babes: We really didn’t. We hosted the party because we knew people were taking inspiration from our page for styling jobs and music video treatments, and wanted to give everyone a chance to recreate some of their favourite looks. Now every week we see people planning Nollywood-themed parties and sending people to our page for references. It’s awesome. Toke Makinwa even recently attended a Nolly Babes-themed party and she was dressed as a character we have immortalised – Regina Askia in President’s Daughter. She killed it! Even though the character wasn’t referenced, it was clear as day and it was awesome to see that she pulled it off! Honestly, when we see people really pay attention to detail and execute the theme well it’s so, so dope.

How has TikTok helped grow Nollywood's influence? You posted a scene from Girls Cot, the famous “you stink with poverty” clip on TikTok and it went viral and birthed these recreations even by non-Africans.

Nolly Babes: We’re just happy to see that another aspect of Nollywood that we champion – the iconic scenes and one-liners – is also resonating across the world. We see Nolly Babes as an archival work and as much as we focus on beauty and looks on Instagram, it’s nice to be able to point people in the direction of the scenes that are forever embedded in our brains. These are scenes we recreated in jest ourselves before there was even a Nolly Babes to begin with, so to see it catching on TikTok is exciting and a new frontier for us to fully explore. I think what distinguishes Nolly Babes from other Nollywood pages and what contributes to our TikTok success is that we really watch Nollywood movies. We grew up watching these movies and continue to do so now so we can capture those moments in films that the casual consumer or poster of Nollywood content might not.

What are your thoughts on Nollywood’s influence on the Alté scene? Music videos of artists such as Lady Donli and Odunsi nod to the aesthetic and fashion styles of that era.

Nolly Babes: Nollywood, and specifically the aesthetic we have shone a spotlight on, is probably one of the biggest influences in terms of visuals in that scene right now. I have never seen so many Eucharia (Anunobi) eyebrows on TV and we love it! It’s awesome to see our images and scenes being used in treatments and storyboards. If we’re being candid, we think it would be great if we got the chance to step into our stylist/creative direction bag and help with the execution of the aesthetic.

“The bottom line is really that Nolly Babes has brought what was already an international cultural influence to the modern social media realm with a new lens” – Nolly Babes

How far do you see Nollywood's influence on pop culture, beyond Nigeria and Africa?

Nolly Babes: When we moved to New York we found our Dominican and South American friends had also grown up watching Nollywood films. The bottom line is really that Nolly Babes has brought what was already an international cultural influence to the modern social media realm with a new lens. Nollywood clips were online everywhere – but it was always in a comedic way. Aki and PawPaw are meme gods now, and that’s because their expressions transcend cultural boundaries. Black Twitter eats that stuff up.

Nolly Babes chooses to center the beauty, style, and iconic imagery, even the home decor with our #NollyDecor hashtag of the golden era of Nollywood. We share the makeup, accessories, fashion, iconic phrases, and scenes in a way that isn’t just comedic but inspirational and aesthetically groundbreaking. I see Nollywood being at the centre of this Y2K resurgence that is happening all over the world, from TV to runways and fashion collections. That era is coming back around and, this time, the Black experience is being revisited and centered in a way it wasn’t back in the late 90s and 2000s. (Black people) were always the originators of the trends and this time they’re tapping into the source and Nollywood, particularly the era we celebrate as Nolly Babes, is a great resource for that.

Follow Nolly Babes on Instagram

[trashkweeen-blog]

Class with the Countess - LuAnn de Lesseps

Oh, sweet LuAnn. Where do I start?

I have a love for the Countess that I truly cannot explain. I’m struggling to think of an instance where I was ever on her side. Literally every cool thing she does is almost immediately undone by an equal or greater uncool thing. 

Fucking a Jack Sparrow look alike on vacation was pretty cool. Trying to cover it up with the worst French i have ever heard come out of a French Canadian Mi’kmaw with parents from New Brunswick and Quebec was pretty uncool. I can’t really decide whether forcibly inviting herself on Bethenny’s Mexico trip that never happened, while wearing a white Armani suit, then leaving Bethenny with the bill was cool or not. I mean, it was objectively uncool, but I’m kinda here for anyone who pulls a power move on Bethenny. 

She called Carole a pedophile, then couldn’t spell it to apologize over text. Like, she just can’t help herself. She’s just self-aware enough to realize the moments in which we root for her, but not quite self-aware enough to carry them through. Like the fact that she literally sends this gif to people over text when they call her out on being the worst.

You give her one inch of approval and she will use it to the worst ends. She’s at her best when she’s raw and vulnerable and decidedly un-countess, but then she’ll invariably use those cool points to do something very countess. She’s like a snake eating her own tail, and I honestly can’t figure out why I love her so much for it. 

The best I can determine is that she’s like the Tony Soprano of the Real Housewives franchise. Not for obvious reasons - because our Lady Guidice wins there - but because she is such a compelling anti-hero that you kind of hate to love. 

Like Tony, she’s trapped in this inescapable delusion that romanticizes a golden age she caught glimpses of during her rise. She can’t keep from referencing royalty and high society she met and idolized in her youth, skiing in Gstaad, and dining with kings. Instead of seeing the absurdity and temporariness of it all, she bought right in. She saw her trash ass husband cycle through a handful of wives before her, but thought she was bulletproof. And now she coasts on the fantasy. 

And there’s hardly a moment that your sympathies don’t lie with whoever LuAnn is mistreating at any given time. You’re watching a character who can’t help but fuck up and hurt people, but who manages to mitigate our condemnation with rare moments of vulnerable confessionals. 

She’s a tragic anti-hero; you can watch her get arrested while threatening to kill cops, but when she shows up in an open robe and makes you laugh, you’re like well, maybe that cop deserved it.

So, i love LuAnn, and Class with the Countess was the book I was looking forward to reviewing the most. It was published right as the second season of #RHONY was airing, so we’re in a pre-Countless era here. We’re at peak Countess, getting advice from a woman who thinks she’s locked it all down, and who has yet to bang a pirate. 

I have no intention of going after low-hanging fruit here, by the way. I’m not going to count the ways that LuAnn doesn’t practice what she preaches. That’s tedious. So here’s what I learned from my “crash course in manners from New York’s favourite countess”.

The first section of the book, The Art of Being Yourself, is all about confidence, adventure, and casually moving to Milan to appear on Italian TV as a Sharon Stone impersonator? I don’t know. The first thing I truly loved about this section was LuAnn’s stated purpose for appearing on #RHONY - to expose her children to how technicians make television happen. I’m sorry, no. No, you didn’t. You absolutely did not agree to #RHONY so your kids could learn lighting and sound production. If Bravo has any footage of Victoria and Noel taking notes behind the scenes, please, I would love to see this. 

As long as I’m calling bullshit (and this is, like, the last time I will), I gotta address how LuAnn insists on referring to herself as American Indian. Carole has already schooled her on the preferred nomenclature (LuAnn’s iconic response below), so I’m not touching that. 

No, my beef is that the bitch is Canadian. Her father was from NEW BRUNSWICK. Sorry, countess, but I’m now claiming you. ONE OF US. ONE OF US. ONE OF US. 

Anyway, here are the highlights of the Canadian Countess’ advice for being your best self:

get a hobby (Jill Zarin!), preferably tennis or cabaret singing

don’t ever brush your hair in public. who was doing this? No, you know what, probably Ramona. 

when wearing Jimmy Choos, take “normal-length strides”. this is very key and very helpful. do not walk in lunges. you will never be elegant if your strides are not of normal length

have healthy gums????????

literally chew your food. I’m 100% serious, this book for real says that while in a “monastic Austrian spa”, LuAnn learned that chewing your food “thoroughly” makes it taste better. She spent the money on monastic chewing lessons so you don’t have to. stop swallowing your food whole, there’s a better way!

dramatize your look with an “eye-catching belt buckle”. i hate this so much.

The majority of this section reads like a Cosmo article that spans 82 pages, and contains about 3 pages of useful information. I’m down to hear your favourite makeup products and your go-to weekend bag staples. Why I also had to read 79 pages of LuAnn teaching me how to walk and eat like a person, as if i’m some sort of cursed beast recluse is beyond me. It is my sincere wish that we send this book to space as a reference guide for visiting aliens. 

The second section - The Art of Making People Comfortable - is my favourite. It somehow covers the gamut of social scenarios from like, eating at your friend’s house, to how you should address a king when in casual conversation for the second time. I now know not to wear gloves in the presence of a king, and that you can call a queen ma’am, which, like, does not sound right. 

Royal greetings aside though, this section is actually pretty legit. 

Which countries air kiss, and how many kisses to give? 

What are you sniffing for when the sommelier brings you a bottle of wine to taste? (cork)

How much should you tip a restroom attendant? ($1)

Which fork is the salad fork?(the leftmost one)

Where do you put your napkin when you get up from the table, but you’re coming back? (the chair)

There are checklists for dinner parties, cocktail parties, and overnight guest hosting. There are go-to dinner party menus. There are gift ideas for hostesses. There are even template diplomatic answers to awkward questions, opening lines for cocktail small talk, and conversation-enders. 

This section is actually super useful and I loved it. I’m not even touching the chapter on children. I’m saving all my capacity to judge parenting advice for Alex McCord’s book. 

The last section, though. Ugh. The Art of Seduction. 

I guess, first of all, I wanna say that LuAnn was a way hotter model than I expected. Whenever she talks about her modelling days, I always picture something like the cover of this book - a Wal-Mart portrait studio, waist-up shot of LuAnn in a statement necklace and a sensible blouse, selling me like, grapefruit spoons, or something. But this section opens with this photo:

and she was actually such a babe! good for you, Countess!

Anyway, this section made me barf into my hands. Here are some of LuAnn’s tips for catching your man:

have the kind of sex appeal that makes strangers on vespas pinch your ass as they drive by. This is not at all a chilling example of sexual harassment, but rather aspirational, and a sign that you’re doing something right. thank you, vespa man for validating my femininity!

find a good man by playing damsel in distress at tech shops. Listen, my boyfriend is a walking tech shop, and i can tell you for 100% certain that (a) he would not recognize a damsel in distress if his life depended on it, (b) his peripheral awareness while comparing gaming keyboards is slim to none, and (c ) he wants to explain RAM to me like my ex wanted to explain football scoring to me, which is zero amount. Do not do this. 

you can also find a good man in upscale men’s stores by discussing ties with them. Please do not walk alone aimlessly in clothing stores, telling men about ties. They will literally just assume you work there. I cannot fathom a scenario in which this is not weird. 

Maintain the romance in your relationship by surprising your husband on his business trip by showing up dressed as a Moroccan princess in disguise????? Maybe when the Count cheated with that Ethiopian princess, he just thought it was LuAnn again?????

Keep your grooming a mystery from your husband. Apply your skin care and makeup in private, and don’t let him see you pluck your eyebrows. How large of a house do you need in order to maintain this level of mystique? What if your husband finds your secret room filled with tweezers and lotion??? 

Don’t try to be emotional with your man, that’s what girlfriends are for!! Men aren’t as emotional as women, so don’t burden them with your hysterics. Do like they did in olden times, and get your hysteria cured by a doctor who gives orgasms. (also, like, that’s bananas, but I do very much wish that basic health insurance still covered getting beat off by a professional for emotional release)

make friends with doormen, including those at buildings you don’t live in, because you never know when they’ll lend you a helping hand. If this isn’t the most ho tip I’ve ever heard. I love it. 

Overall, this book is much like the Countess herself: there are moments of sweet, new money Molly Brown gently helping you use the right fork to keep from embarrassing yourself in front of Billy Zane.

But there are also several moments of your status-hungry mother smothering your kidneys with a girdle, and telling you to speak softly, polish your jewels and get to fucking Billy Zane. 

Quick Stats:

Pages: 258

Did it need to be that many pages: good sweet god, no

Did it change my mind about the housewife? It was better than I expected, but there’s no way to change my mind about LuAnn anyway. I’m a Countess apologist for life. 

Real-ass book rating: 📖📖/5

Junk food book rating: 💎💎💎/5

[candacebarnes]

Altercation | Candace + Danielle

Unfortunately, Candace couldn’t stay locked up in her office forever. She had to go and find someone from the biological department to sign off a segment of her report, which meant leaving her office and having to actually pretend that she wanted to be at SHIELD right now. If anything, she wanted to see Dale - but knew that he probably didn’t return the sentiment. Sighing, she started heading down the hall towards towards the Department before she noticed she was near Sharon’s office. It wouldn’t hurt to have a chat with her, considering she was fairly certain Danielle was going to end up in jail and no longer be her partner. Which suited her just fine. She didn’t even want to see her, let alone acknowledge her existence .

Knocking on Sharon’s door and opening it to go inside, it wasn’t Sharon that was occupying the office. It was the one person she really, really didn’t want to see right now.

Danielle was sitting on a chair opposite the desk, clearly waiting for Sharon and having no idea what was going on behind the scenes. The fact that Dale was with Paige at the hospital, or that there was footage of her that clearly showed her disgusting behaviour. If this entire plan was a personal attack at Candace, which she was certain it was, Danielle was going to say something about it. Candace had promised Asher that she wouldn’t do anything stupid - but that was easier said than done.

Danielle shot Candace a look over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow as she was clearly surprised to see her. “Do you have a meeting with the Director as well?” she asked, checking her nails for a moment.

Candace could almost laugh at that but her expression was calm. “No, I wanted to see Aunt Sharon to tell her that we’re no longer partners and I hope I actually get a decent one now that you’re going to be out of here. I might actually get some work done.”

Danielle appeared to be confused, but there was a slight smirk on her face. Candace gripped onto the folder she was holding. The urge to punch her in the face was overwhelming. She wouldn’t put it past Danielle to gloat she had spent the night with Dale - for as far as everyone else knew, Dale had just been drunk.

“You think you’re better than everyone else, I have no issue with getting a new partner,” Danielle shrugged, passing the comment off. “I’m not the one throwing a hissy fit because my partner did something that I didn’t like.” She crossed one leg over the other.

Candace only watched Danielle, trying to figure out of leaving the room was the best option right now. Of course, it was, but with every word that left Danielle’s mouth…it rooted her to the ground. She wanted to scream at her and tell her that she was going to end up in prison, and she would love nothing more than to gloat at her from the other side of the bars.

“I don’t think I’m better than everyone else,” Candace replied eventually, thinking about what was important. Dale was important. Keeping her cool was important. Keeping her promise to Asher was probably important as well. “I know I’m better than you. I don’t take advantage of other people’s drunk boyfriends. I don’t have to stoop that low to actually get any action.” She had to play along with the Dale being drunk facade because it wasn’t her place to say anything. That at least she could keep to herself.

Danielle’s laugh was almost sickening, Candace gritting her teeth in response. “How someone like him settles for someone like you is beyond me. Everyone thinks it, god, how someone like Dale ends up with a complete and utter bitch like you. You’re ruining him.”

“I dare you to say that to his face,” Candace said in a low tone, finding her patience being worn very, very thin.

“I could have last night while I touched every inch of him,” Danielle quipped back, “Or when his hands moved all over me. It was probably the best sex he’s ever had - you should ask him.” She grinned at Candace and Candace was already closing the gap between them. She gripped Danielle by the front of her shirt and dragged her to the wall where she pinned her there.

“Say that again,” Candace snapped at her. Danielle was doing this on purpose but she didn’t care. She wanted to wipe that smug expression from her face. She wanted her to at least show some recognition that she had raped someone.

“What? That it’s the best sex he’s probably ever had?” Danielle tried to push Candace back and away from but Candace didn’t relent. “Actually, I know it was. There’s something about the way that he moans and the way that-“

Candace’s hand slapped Danielle hard across the face without hesitation. It wasn’t hard enough, in her opinion, because she was still conscious. But it satisfied the anger that was raging inside of her. If one more comment about Dale left her lips, she wouldn’t be conscious to remember what happened next.

“You don’t deserve him,” Danielle snapped , gasping at Candace as she struggled to comprehend the harshness of the slap that made her face red and raw. Candace had never seen this side to Danielle before, but perhaps this was her true personality. Perhaps she had always been working with an actual psychopath and all her complaints had been valid.

Candace gripped her by the throat, not too tight because it would be easy to snap her neck. By this point, her promise to Asher was basically out the window. Danielle deserved everything coming for her.  “You deserve to rot in hell. And I will enjoy every single second of it.”

It was clear Danielle was struggling to breathe and so Candace let go only a little, which was a mistake considering before she knew it, Danielle managed to kick her back with quite a lot of effort. If Danielle wanted to take it out physically, Candace had no issue at all. After all, it was more or less her speciality and Danielle didn’t have two super soldier serums running through her veins. Or could heal. If anyone had the upper hand now it was Candace.

In a matter of moments, the pair of them were on the floor. It happened in a series of punches and kicks, someone pulling someone’s hair and shouts of pain. Clearly, Danielle had something to get off her chest and Candace was more than happy to return everything Danielle was throwing her way. She could feel the blood seeping from the gash across her cheek, and retaliated with a hard knee to Danielle’s stomach which had her doubled over in pain.

It was evident that Danielle had never listened to anything that Candace had taught her because every move Candace delivered was one that hit her hard.

Every punch got more intense, Danielle struggling to keep up and it was the sense of relief that she was getting what she deserved that kept Candace going. She didn’t care if she had broken probably multiple of Danielle’s ribs, or that her own nose was bleeding. She didn’t care that twisted Danielle’s arm so hard that she dislocated her shoulder. She didn’t care that they were twisting and rolling around on the floor or that Sharon probably didn’t appreciate getting blood on her nice carpet.

“Candace!”

The pair of them barely registered the fact that the door was now open, and that James and Sharon were standing there. For how long, Candace didn’t know, but next thing she knew she was being dragged back by her father and she wanted to scream at him. She barely registered what Sharon was saying and Danielle was speaking as if Candace was the one to blame. All she could see was red, fury in her veins.

Eventually, she had calmed down, now sitting in her father’s office as if she were being interrogated for being a terrorist. Sharon had her arms crossed, leaning against the wall. James was pacing the room.  “She started it,” Candace said as she wiped her hand across her face to clean the blood. It was sticky and drying to her face. “I went in there to see Sharon and she was sitting there. Started talking shit about how Dale was in bed. I wasn’t going to walk out and let her-“

“I don’t care what she said or you said,” James muttered, clearly frustrated and stressed by the entire scenario. “You can’t attack anyone like you just did. You could have killed her, you know that right? Need I remind you that all you would have had to do is punch her a little bit harder?”

“I wanted to kill her.”

She probably shouldn’t have admitted that to the Director of SHIELD and her father.

Sharon sighed. It was clearly starting to be a very long day for her. “I can’t let this slide, Candace. You know that.” Sharon and James shared a look. “I’m not firing you - because I have footage of my office and I know that it wasn’t an unprovoked attack but….”

“I recommend a four month suspension, depending on how everything goes,” James told Sharon who nodded in agreement. Candace just sighed, knowing that this was coming. At least she wasn’t fired. She couldn’t go down in history for being the first Barnes to do so. She couldn’t come back from that.

“Fine.” Candace got up abruptly. “I’ll pack my stuff and be out of here within the hour.” She didn’t bother contemplating sitting around and hearing anything else. Slamming the door behind her, she stormed off to her office to do exactly that.

[globaldominion]

You’re hiding something…

That secret recording, your secret recipe, your secret crush, or your secret talent! Everyone has a secret. Even in money matters. In fact, only a few people would really know your actual money records, spending habits, or financial history – and for sure there are one or two financial matters that you have been keeping to yourself… unknown even to your life partner. You probably had a spending or credit memory you’ve been wanting to forget; unfortunately, for money matters ‘past is past’ doesn’t really apply entirely.

When was the last time you asked your partner about his spending history or give him or her feedback about his or her apparent money habits? Probably a long time ago if not never. According to the book Get Financially Naked, How to Talk Money with your Honey by Manisha Thakor and Sharon Kedar, money is one of top causes of arguments in marriages, top reasons for divorce, and top drivers for general life stress. Generally, men have fairly different spending habits vs women – and I’m sure a lot of women would agree, with their heads nodding. It is usually from illogical and tactless spending behaviour and money habits that most of our financial mishaps or failures root, subsequently giving birth to financial secrets.

But what are the common money matters we keep from people around us, even to our partners. Here’s an interesting list of the money secrets based from our interviews.

Closed Card

You were probably young, and wild, and free back then when spending through a credit card was hyped. It started when you’ve established quite an impressive credit or salary record enough for you to qualify for a credit card. Whether you applied for it, or it was just delivered straight to your house or office address, this ultra-powerful plastic card was once on the hand of the wrong person – you! Thinking it was a bottomless gift from the skies, you’ve probably made uncontrolled and unnecessary purchases. Just amazing! In the beginning, the bills look really small, and they don’t even move a fingernail. But time and persistent bad habits are not the best of friends. Despite making payments, your credit card bills do not seem to be affected, and they just continue to be tougher than you were back when you’re almightily spending. Then, powerless, these card bills take over your regular spending habits and your usual utility bills have then multiplied with the card company’s contribution to the pie.

Needless to say, a good chunk of credit card users who have lost control over their expenses and have been overpowered by the plastics have sunk into the deep irresponsible card usage trap, resulting to debts with continuously growing interest rates and penalty charges. A few have been trying to forget this sad experience, but I bet they never did.

Midnight Purchases

This pertains to your purchases which are unknown to others even to your better half, probably because it was purely unnecessary, irrational, illogical, or even illegal. For instance, boys and husbands purchase gems, diamonds, and/or steam for their online games – while some may be unfamiliar with these, guys, especially gamers, would know these and would have probably had the experience purchasing them at some point in time to advance in whatever game they play. Of course, these can be considered unnecessary, especially when you are in a tight budget. Extravagant shoes or bags which you do not really wear or use could also belong to this section.

Deadly Debt Cycle

Have you ever borrowed money or applied for a loan to pay another loan or a credit card bill? Of course, you have! With or from a relative, a friend, a neighbour, or an actual financial institution, you could have attempted to resolve debts through consolidation. Going for debt consolidation through a cash loan is not a bad route at all, by the way. But in essence, if not properly calculated and assessed, your debt consolidation attempt could lead to more difficult circumstances and further financial struggles.

The short-term sporadic survival within the debt cycle is truly relieving, but may also just be keeping you in the gloomy zone longer than you should have, had you exerted enough effort to pull yourself out of this financially deadly situation. There are institutions out there who can help – but a trusted friend or family member can absolutely help you make the first step in ending the cycle, through their support and your sincere efforts.

Bamboo Bank

Heard about our kababayan who made a piggy bank out of a bamboo tube? In case you do not know the end of the story, all the paper denominations were destroyed by weevils. The insects almost powderized all the cash inside the bamboo coinbank. Good thing he was able to salvage a few and had those replaced in a government institution with the help of a television program team.

Many of us have a secret piggy bank slot or spot at home or in our cars. Be it in the window, under the bed mattress, somewhere in the kitchen, or any place where no one would probably guess money would be placed in. Unfortunately, in many occasions too, we tend to forget where the actual spot was. Sounds family? But beyond forgetting the actual spot where your money was placed, these money sitting somewhere and not saved in the bank or used in any type of investment, are considered underutilized and may actually come out with a diminished value later, partly impacted by inflation and other factors. Your five thousand pesos today might only retain 98% of its purchasing power in the future. Frozen money do not really aid in the economy as well, without circulating in the communities.

But don’t get me wrong – short term saving in piggy banks is good and the habit is definitely encouraged, but saving in banks and investing are particularly better options, especially long term.

Awareness is golden, and so it is highly recommended that you realize your money secrets, revisit your purposes, and review the impact of those to you, your life, and your family and friends. Reveal these secrets to your dearest friend or spouse to seek for support or help. Remember, in many major decisions in life affecting people around you, your financial standing, capability, and habits are of importance. Without facts on actual state, yours or other people’s decision may be pessimistically impacted. The truth hurts, but it will set you free. And with freedom comes peace, and peace contributes to better decision-making.

Secrets do not necessarily mean problems. They just have to surface not just to our conscious mind, but to our financially literate self, as well, to be improved or be addressed in the right manner – because, again, in money matters, ‘past is past’ doesn’t always apply.

For questions or comments regarding this article, please email cpguanzon@gdfi.ph.

[zevons]

what are your favorite EVERRRRR football fics?

The first thing I did when I saw this in my inbox was zip over to my handy dandy excel doc of fics I like and filter for football rpf.

WOW, okay self. So I scrolled through and opened up the ones I remembered particularly adoring, trying to be selective and

…alright then.

So what you see here is a list, painstakingly teased out and compiled and highly angsted over! There are so many excellent fics out there, goddamn. These are the ones that I return to over and over, and I also tried to get a good cross-section of some of my favourite pairings, because honestly I have 43 gerlonso fics alone to choose from and wanted to get a wider selection. (Also hey, my excellent followers! Please add what fics I’ve forgotten/whack me over the head with a newspaper for leaving out your faves.)

As Far As You and Me Go - distira: Pep Guardiola/José MourinhoFULL DISCLOSURE: I AM SO WEAK FOR THIS ~NARRATIVE IT IS EMBARRASSING. It’s so trope-y it could have been scripted for television. And this is, imo, the best fic out there for them, and a brilliant read besides. Even if you’re not into the pairing I can’t recommend it enough, as by nature of the ship it’s sort of the opposite of a getting-together story. (Also Sharon refused to read it for ages and ages bc ew, Mou, but I broke her down and she agreed it was good SO THERE.) The slow collapse of their relationship, the underlying nastiness on both sides, the scheming, conniving…this is the perfect example of ‘like a trainwreck; it’s terrible but you cannot look away’. You just have to keep on reading in a sort of fascinated horror as they go about carving their way through to their various victories, and at the end it’s impossible to be sure that they’ve even lost anything of value. If someone asked me to explain José Mourinho to them, I would probably give them Jonathan Wilson’s excellent article in the actual, real life Guardian, and this fic. SERIOUS BUSINESS. 

Being Young and Famous is Not a Consolation Prize - synaesthetical: Thomas MüllerA lot of these fics are Spain/England-based, but do not be fooled. On my deathbed, when my family is gathered around my withered corpse, weeping as I slowly fade from this life, one of my favoured great-grandchildren will ask, ‘Sabina, did you lead a happy life? What was your finest moment?’ And I will gaze up at the ceiling through my cataracts and say, smiling with true joy, ‘Yes, my life was fulfilled. Germany won the World Cup in 2014.’ AND THEN I WILL DIE. This particular fic is not about 2014, it is about 2010, but the point stands. If you love Germany NT, or feel, y’know, not hatred towards them, then please read it because it captures so wonderfully the tone of that tournament and that squad. Old enough to know better, but young enough to have a second chance when the time comes. This is one of those fics that I think really exemplifies not only a good story, but a good piece of football writing as well. That World Cup feeling, deliriously, dangerously happy, and at the same time how deadly serious this is. How deadly serious football is. It’s light, lovely writing, and it hits hard. 

eDisharmony - ascience: Benedikt Höwedes/Mats HummelsI’m not even going to pretend like this fic doesn’t hold the massive cool award of being the fic that inspired me to get back into writing. I gotta love myself, yknow! It’d been five-ish years since I’d written any fic of substance (I think I only posted about 4,000 words in total in that time) and then wham, I read this fic, fell entirely in love, and decided to jump on the train. And just so you know I’m not entirely biased, I reread it like a week ago and yes, it’s still hilarious, 10/10 would restart my fic career again. The dialogue and the pacing bounce along so gleefully in this story, you really have to be eating popcorn while reading. There’s a wonderfully joyful irreverence and so many shenanigans. Sooo many shenanigans. The style of the humour is also just infectious. It’s fun, there’s no better way to say it. This is a fun fic. It also has the added pleasure of reminding me just why I love/hate forums. Ohhh forums. Bring back forums! I’ve lurked on ONTD-F too long to ever properly participate and r/soccer is full of manchildren. 

Filling Up the Space - luxover: Xabi Alonso/Steven GerrardThis isn’t exactly what you would think of as ‘traditional’ gerlonso (and forreal, it’s such an Institution by this point that it’s practically spawned its own subgenres. That’s when you know a pairing has really made it.) and so it’s always stuck out to me. It’s mean, in a way that this pairing usually isn’t, and I find it absolutely fascinating. I also love this Steven; a bit harsher, a bit harder, a bit more destructive than usually shows up in fic. I mention it later down this list in a different rec but fic!Stevie has a tendency to become a bit soppy, and this is a man who would kill for his club, grim but determined. This is a divorce fic, more or less, and the way that it pulls all the threads apart to show why they were woven together in the first place is…I don’t want to say chilling, because that makes it sound like a horror story or something, but it definitely gives you pause. Idk, I just really appreciate it. (By the way it does have a happy ending, if a lack thereof would have turned you off. On the other hand, if you’ve been jaded to gerlonso and are just sick to the teeth of them, this might be the thing to draw you back in! Incredibly compelling read.)

Good Timing - Ferritin4: Xabi Alonso/Steven GerrardI couldn’t even tell you how many times I’ve read this fic. I love future fic, love love looove it, and this is possiblymaybedefinitely my favourite of the genre. Xabi is managing Real Madrid and Stevie is a pundit and it is glorious. Their voices are so perfectly written, it’s the kind of fic where I have to set aside twice as long to read it as I usually would, because I inevitably end up reading and rereading almost every line, just to really savour the dialogue and the pacing. And the pining! Oh, the pining. Stevie and Xabi are so perfectly characterised, and in such generous characters. That’s really the only way I can think to describe them. Generous. The fic is warm and funny, and so comfortable. You can really tell that they’ve been friends for decades, and how deeply important that friendship has been to both of them. Also did I mention the pining? Oh god, the pining. It is delicious. 

look back in anger - neyvenger: Jamie Carragher/Gary NevilleIf you like rivalshipping and you haven’t read any Carraville fics, WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING. I don’t care if you’re only vaguely, guiltily fond of Liverpool and still haven’t forgiven Manchester United for doing All That Winning in the most formative years of your footballing life, filling you with the kind of simmering rage that probably won’t go away until you die. (What, talking from experience? Nah m8, this is a hypothetical. Haha. Hah. sigh) I don’t care!! It’s a great pairing that managed to escape the boundaries of being a crack ship and has somehow strayed dangerously close to being the best ship in the business! And if you like Carraville and haven’t read this fic, THEN I HAVE NOTHING TO SAY TO YOU UNTIL YOU SIT YOURSELF DOWN AND READ IT. There’s time-travel! There’s enemies-to-friends-to-enemies-to-friends! Bb!Carra putting in tackles! At one point David Beckham is described as having “the air of a lazy cat”, which made my deep and enduring crush on said David Beckham cry out for mercy. THIS FIC HAS EVERYTHING.

Sandbox - scheherazade: Michael Ballack/Alexi LalasDo you like nonsense? Do you like obnoxious Americans? Do you like obnoxious Germans? How about a lot of insufferability on both sides, a whole lot of pigtail pulling, and people being Wrong in football analysis? Then this pairing is for you! Micha was my first football crush and I will forever thank whoever decided that he would make a good analysis partner for Alexi Lalas. There’s something so great about that footage from 2012, whenever Alexi says something and you can actually witness the incredulity in Michael’s face as he prepares to utterly and irrefutably shoot down whatever ridiculous statement he’s just heard. God bless! I just love these confrontational ships. They deserve a mountain of fic but with ones as good as this, I’m satisfied. They dance the line between dickiness and idiocy with such delight, you almost find yourself rooting against them because they probably don’t deserve it, even if good-hearted golden retriever Taylor Twellman is pulling for those crazy kids. This is a funny fic, and they’re such a wonderful odd couple, but if you’re like me and are consistently being emotionally tortured by the 2006 World Cup/Euro 2008/Michael Ballack’s general life and career, then you will also appreciate the underlying disappointment of a man behind a desk when he just wants to be out on the grass. 

Supertyp - imkerin: Pep Guardiola/Philipp LahmLAUGHS WILDLY INTO THE VOID OHHHH MY GOD this fic exposed me for the wreck of human being that I am, because I seriously seriously did not mean to ship this beyond like, a thought experiment, and then this fic happened and I was forced to come to terms with the fact that wow, I am All About This. Pep and Philipp’s mutual appreciation society finds its beginnings, Pep is exploratory, Philipp is cautious, José Mourinho is a ruinous individual who knows just when and where to twist the knife, I am fired into the sun by the United Nations for being entirely not okay. I was vaguely keeping it together until this fic. And so naturally, I reread it like, every other week. Every word is perfectly placed and every exchange is shoot to kill. The characters in this fic don’t do anything out of the ordinary for their jobs, but you get the sense that if they were in politics or poisons they would be frightening. 

they were a long hallway - madanach: Bastian Schweinsteiger/Lukas PodolskiTen years for this shit, man. Schweinski is one of those long-term, rock solid ships that you can rely on to like, have made you dinner when you get home from a twelve hour shift and pour you a fourth glass of wine without asking if you’ve maybe had too much. It’s always gonna be there, even though they’ve had their shaky moments. Despite those shaky moments and a lot of awkward growing up, it’s also a ship that can somehow seem easy. It can somehow seem like they don’t have to work for it. This fic has them work for it. There’s messiness and idiocy and some amazing fun times and some shitty low times. This fic is like the Bildungsroman for schweinski. It’s not clear-cut and it’s not straightforward: in life you get all tangled up and are sometimes tempted to just chop your way out, Gordian Knot-style, but you just can’t do that, y’know? This fic does such a good job with the tangling and the untangling, I feel like it validates a lot of the nonsense I got into in my Youth. Even though I’ll probably never win the World Cup as payoff, but still.

This Bitch of a Country - Rave: Xabi Alonso/Steven Gerrard[quiet wailing noise] nnngnggjhgn okay I said I was going to try and mix up the ships in this list but look!! look. Gerlonso is like, the ultimate holy fucking grail and there’re simply too many good fics not to throw more than one in here. Also it would be a crime not to include this one, which manages to be hilarious and heartbreaking, comforting and cruel, all at once. There’s something about mid-2000s Liverpool that will never fail to make my breath catch, this sort of tragic magnificence that achieved so goddamn much and yet…and yet. (Read this fantastic article from gone-too-soon Grantland, because this fic understands that atmosphere. Also I blame Thierry Henry entirely for validating my soft spot for this club. He set such a precedent!) There’s familiarity here, and anger, and the sort of hopeless love that makes you want to weep your goddamn eyes out. This fic manages to show the hurt on both sides without woobifying anyone out of recognition (and look…I love a good woobie as much as the next person but sometimes gerlonso gets skewed a bit too much in one direction or the other, with Stevie either being a helpless weepy ruin or Xabi being run out of everyone’s hearts on a rail, which can be great if you’re in the mood but a little bit of perspective is nice. And this fic has perspective in fucking droves.) 

tripas y corazón - Hyb: Iker Casillas/Sergio RamosThis fic will have you on the fucking floor. One of the inspirations behind football fic is, of course, the personalities and the relationships: who are these people, how do they interact, what ties them together. But another aspect is of course the clubs. Some of the best football fics are the ones that can really dig into the clubs, which are really sort of nebulous entities defined mostly by the players and the supporters. This fic uses the entity of Real Madrid to devastating effect. It’s a seriker fic, but it’s also very much a fic about the love affair between Iker and Real, and how thorny and complicated such a love affair can be. (Do you ever cry your eyes out about Iker Casillas? Do you ever wish you could throw yourself into a volcano as a sacrifice to make his life easier and happier? JOIN ME TODAY!) There’s something about the prose that brings everything out into a kind of harsh definition. As you read, you think that you can see what’s happening but then it does happen, and you feel winded, somehow. Blindsided. As a bonus, there’s also a cryptic and unhelpful Xabi cameo, in utterly classic style. Read and enjoy, read and die slowly inside because your life is a mess and you never even really supported  Real Madrid what has happened!!!!! here!!!!!!

und wenn ein lied - scheherazade: Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, genThis is a difficult fic, okay. It’s not a nice fic, I guess, definitely not a happy fic, and it’s a tricky subject. It’s hosted on lj but if it had been written yesterday on AO3 there would be a lot of warning tags. Essentially it deals with homophobia in the sport, and whether or not players should come out or not. It’s a serious story and more than a little bit heartbreaking, but it’s a brilliant read and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Maybe I’m a little bit biased, because I love Fips and this fic can be seen as a kind of vindication for some disagreeable comments he made back in 2011 that got the fandom all a-spinning and it was generally not a great time. (On a side note, it is really interesting to read today and see just how much these politics have changed in the past- oh, fuck me, six years? Jesus I feel old) So definitely a huge YMMV warning on this one, but it remains one of my favourites. It’s beautifully written and really delves into various characters and the tightropes that they walk.

vainglory - anemoi: Raúl González/José María GutiérrezI blame two culprits for my complicated Thing with Real Madrid. The first is Iker Casillas and his unfairly beautiful face/hands, and the second is this fic. Because it’s fine to have a long-lasting crush on a player, but when you start delving into a club’s legends and becoming invested in the story lines? Then, my friend, you have a problem. There’s something gloriously sparse about the prose of this fic. It’s like a thin jacket in late fall that isn’t quite keeping you warm, so you just have to pull it tighter around yourself even though you keep shivering. There are so many descriptive passages that make you shudder: orange streetlights, oranges from a cart on the streets. There’s a sense of desperation in the bones of this fic, which is so stark against the backdrop of the club and the responsibility placed on the captain and vice-captain. Strength on the pitch contrasted with open vulnerability in quieter, more private moments. Breath-taking and just- ugh. This one really made an impact on me, and is always going to be one of my favourite Raúl/Guti stories amid a multitude of excellence. 

….

good grief, I know I’ve forgotten so many (and will in all probability wake up in the middle of night tonight in abject horror because how could I have forgotten such-and-such fic! And so-and-so!) but here you go, thirteen fics that I love and adore. All of these authors, too, have incredible oeuvres that are worth checking out! I could talk forever about fic and honestly, come ramble with me because yayy literary criticism! and also crying about footballers! etc etc

If you’ve read this far, I commend you. Thanks for the opportunity to talk your ear off!

[archienewling]

First, may I point out that we have a new 9×12 area of grass? Because I finally found sod for sale, and I bought it, tilled the soil (by hand with a long-handled murder weapon, basically), and laid it all out on Saturday. Not my favorite way to spend the day, but if it takes, it will have been worth it. These are the ‘after’ shots I wanted to show you a couple of weeks ago!

Look at that somewhat boring expanse of lawn. Glorious. Let us bask in the additional glory of the other yard work that has happened!

I’ve already…

Weeded the perennial border. I’ll have to do continual maintenance as always, but the spring cleanup is done.

Continued pruning and rejuvenating the boxwoods. They’re shrinking down in size, I swear.

Replaced the climbing rose’s trellis. I was very proud of my handiwork! Until I broke the oldest, most profusely flowering cane. (I may have uttered a few choice words.)

Cleaned out and replanted the smaller side of the yard. Weeks of work sound so easy in a simple sentence.

Laid that sod! It took me about six hours to till the soil, level it, and lay the new grass. I’ve been dutifully watering it and am hoping it takes.

But there’s always more to do.

Reshape the overgrown yew on the side of the house. It’s yellowing, and I’m not sure if it’s because the roots are staying to wet, or if it needs fertilizer.

Repaint the front porch. The stairs especially need it.

Put up a new hook in the center of the arch for a hanging basket. Such a simple thing, but I haven’t done it yet! Also, I think I should stick to giant ferns in that spot. I tried to make the planter look cute, and it is from up close, but from the street it’s underwhelming. The scale is off with little plants.

Figure out what I want to plant along the front of the wrought iron fence. It’s kind of hodge-podge and bare in spots right now.

Edge. I found eight pieces of rope edging under the front porch (!), but it won’t go terribly far. The edging can always wait for another year. You know, when I magically replace all of the cement sidewalks with beautiful old brick walkways? (Yeah. Not in the plans, but it would be pretty. They’re probably a pain to shovel in the winter anyways.)

New wooden fence. Oof, ours is falling apart.

Do I want a little bench in the front yard? Like, embrace the full-on whimsy of a tête-à-tête bench? Could be cute in front of the giant bush (no idea what kind it is) between our house and the neighbor’s.

I took all of the photos for this post this morning, but I should have taken more when the irises were at their peak! This was about a week ago (during the free bullfighting show for passers by — exciting entertainment offered here).

I found a plastic tag in the dirt when I was working on the new trellis, and now I know that we have a John Davis climbing rose. Super cold-hardy and disease resistant. Also forgiving with rose-novices like myself! I mostly know what I’m doing now, but I definitely did not for a while there. Although I did break the main cane, like I said, so… yeah.

This shot would have been 33% prettier with way more blooms, had I not messed up. Also, that bottom left corner is where all the irises were blooming. Flowers come, flowers go. More will pop up through the summer as others fade, but I think things may be at their peak now. The roses will still be nice for a few weeks, and then it’s phlox, various hydrangeas, and Rose of Sharon.

The siding on the porch needs a good scrub, and new paint on the porch and stairs. I’m into the trellis though! The old one was wooden and cute, but it was broken beyond repair and I like the new trellis’ arch mimics the Queen Anne arches in the architecture.

The other side of the porch, for good measure. We spend a ton of time out here.

Lots more pictures coming your way! Ready? And… go!

August picked out this lamb’s ear and we planted it last year. This year, it’s huge! And it had babies. Maybe some of these near the fence?

What is even going on here. Autumn sweet clematis doing its thing and growing all over that fence, pink peonies, a couple of extra boxwoods in pots that need to find a home, and the giant bush between our yard and the neighbor’s. Any idea what it is? I don’t remember it flowering or doing anything but existing in a crazy jumbled mass. This is maybe not my favorite part.

Another question for you. What’s this? It’s new this year, and I didn’t plant it, but it’s pretty. I think the flowers close up each night?

John Davis climbing rose. There’s another around the side of the house, as you transition from the side yard to the back.

The peonies are so pretty! Almost done for the year.

I planted a few more peonies last year too. They’re small, but they did bloom. The clematis climbing the horse hitch is new, too, and I fill those turquoise planters with annuals each year (right now it’s geraniums and potato vine).

Foxglove. I planted a couple last year, and they didn’t pop up again, so I’m retrying. I know they’re biennial, but there was nothing.

Catmint, sedum, and daylilies. My catmint is flopping over. Probably means it needs to be divided, right? Another contender to go along the front fence (or to be given away).

Plenty more. The aliums are on their way out.

Spirea beneath the bow windows cover the foundation. They die to the ground in winter, but come back more and more each year. Same with the variety of hydrangea next to them (that I didn’t take a photo of because it’s not in bloom yet).

Any idea what variety of rose this is? It’s like a mini tree. With scary, scary, deadly thorns. That my kids run by and nearly run into! But it’s pretty when it’s blooming. It reblooms a little too.

And last, more roses.

It looks like the dog rose of my botanical print, yes? Kismet!

© 2017, published by Making it Lovely as How Our Garden Blooms in June | No comments | This post may contains affiliate links; I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

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Psychic in Sharon CT 06069

  The following article goes into detail about psychic in Sharon Connecticut 06069 After conducting psychic readings, numerology readings and tarot card readings for over 20 years now, I have gained a definite perspective not only as an advisor but as a client. As a client, I have been able to see exactly how psychics who are not real work their magic. After getting a psychic reading from dozens of so-called psychic advisors, you may find yourself intoxicated by the things that the psychic tells you. If it sounds too good to be true, most likely it is. You have to understand the origins and purpose of psychic networks. Their job is to make lots of money, not to help you. Granted, there are real psychics who are gifted and working on psychic network lines, but I have found that most of the people working as psychic advisors period, are not real at all. I'm sure you have heard by now that many fake psychics use scripts and certain formats in conducting their psychic readings, but for the most part, it's really simple what they tell you that gets you hooked. For example, if after getting a psychic reading, you find yourself feeling intoxicated almost, then they have done their job superbly. To be told that the one you love, loves you and that you will marry them and be together for the rest of your life is intoxicating. They give you hope that keeps you calling and calling until after you see that you have been lied to, you begin to face reality and the truth sinks in, you now realize that what they said was not true when they said it nor will it ever turn out to be true. You will find yourself hurt and disillusioned beyond the ordinary disillusionment experienced from your own life's complications. You may even find yourself broke or in debt. It's unconscionable that people could prey on others' vulnerabilities and pain in this way. But that is exactly what they do. And in the end, there is only more pain. And the inevitable distrust of psychics. It's this "fake" paradigm, which has its roots in the first elemental phone psychic networks, that dominates the public's perception and legitimate scrutiny is reasonable. But real psychics around the globe are out there and you should make it your business to find a foolproof way of determining who is real and who is not until such time as this paradigm is changed to ensure that your advisor is authentic by virtue of their credentials as it is for any professional practitioner.

Now you may frequent sites where the advisor is given feedback after your call. This is a good thing but, it is not foolproof. I have seen fake psychics who will have almost perfectly glowing feedback that goes on and on for pages. Perfect! You may wonder why this occurs. Simple. After you hear exactly what you want to hear or want to believe verified, well, this is where that intoxication comes in, you tend to reflect your glorious feelings with equally glowing feedback! But when things don't happen the way were told, you never come back. So, others following in your footsteps will call this advisor because "they too want to believe." Another thing to watch out for is fake feedback. This is also a tactic used by fakes to fool you. On sites where feedback is left, an authentic psychic advisor has to have a very high level of integrity in order to be comfortable telling the truth despite the fact of what the client wants to hear. If the psychic does not tell them what they want to hear in a reading, the client may leave very bad comments and a bad rating. It's the price you pay for being real. In my experience when I tell a client something they didn't want to hear, for the most part, they don't leave any comments. The fact is, they will most likely go find another psychic who will reflect their own feelings about the situation. A reading can be truthful and uplifting without bringing the client down but you have to ready to hear the truth. So how do you know who is real and who is not based on feedback! That is not to say that an authentic psychic is not going to have great feedback. They do, but sometimes they will be the ones to receive bad ratings and feedback mixed in with the good. Life is all about taking the good with the bad. Honestly, it's very hard to tell. The proof is really in the reading and outcomes and developing a relationship with a few trusted advisors who have been able to connect with you and your energy and have proven that their insights and predictions have been accurate for you. But, just remember, if it sounds unbelievably good, it probably is not really true and the psychic is not real and only setting up a line to take your money and setting you up for emotional failure. So be careful of perfect feedback. It's really not always an accurate gauge of the psychic advisors true abilities; except of course their ability to fleece you out of your dollars. Of course, really consistently bad feedback is a good indication that the advisor is probably just very bad and should think about going into another line of work.

Another point, you need to understand that even if you are speaking with a gifted, authentic psychic, you and that particular psychic may not connect that well. That is different from the psychic being fake. There a many reasons why a particular psychic may not connect with you. They may not be rested and ready to take calls, or you may not be relaxed and ready to receive truthful information or in some other way blocking the flow of what is being channeled thereby skewing the information on either side. Psychic readings are not an exact science. Intuition is relied upon to conduct an accurate psychic reading for a client. The reading goes much better when both the psychic advisor and client are relaxed and ready to receive. I personally find it difficult to connect with a client who wants to hear a certain thing. I have experienced many times my client trying to guide the reading. So see your authentic psychic advisor as someone who wants to help you and be ready to assist in the flow of information. To spot a fake psychic is not impossible, but if there was a way to quantify the statistic of fakes out there, I would be willing to bet that most (due in large part to large networks hiring script readers) are not real. Unfortunate, but through observation and experience, I feel this to be true. One of the Oldest Tricks in the Book. First Warning Sign That You Have Got a Fake! One of the oldest tricks in the book and something which continues to surprise me because people are continually taken in is when a psychic tells you someone has put a curse on you or there is a negative block on you which only they can remove for some exorbitant price, HANG UP! Say goodbye, because this person could not care less about you or your problems. Psychic parlors are notorious for this kind of activity. It is not for real, the curse nor the psychic. I have always believed that having a good doctor, a good mechanic and a good psychic are all professionals that are worth taking the time to assess their skill, experience and credentials to see if they are the one for you. There is nothing more satisfying than actually making a positive difference in someone's life and their continued use of your service over many years. A walking, talking testimonial is very gratifying for this psychic advisor.

Learn More Here: Psychic in Sharon CT 06069

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Psychic in Sharon MS 39163

  The following article goes into detail about psychic in Sharon Mississippi 39163 After conducting psychic readings, numerology readings and tarot card readings for over 20 years now, I have gained a definite perspective not only as an advisor but as a client. As a client, I have been able to see exactly how psychics who are not real work their magic. After getting a psychic reading from dozens of so-called psychic advisors, you may find yourself intoxicated by the things that the psychic tells you. If it sounds too good to be true, most likely it is. You have to understand the origins and purpose of psychic networks. Their job is to make lots of money, not to help you. Granted, there are real psychics who are gifted and working on psychic network lines, but I have found that most of the people working as psychic advisors period, are not real at all. I'm sure you have heard by now that many fake psychics use scripts and certain formats in conducting their psychic readings, but for the most part, it's really simple what they tell you that gets you hooked. For example, if after getting a psychic reading, you find yourself feeling intoxicated almost, then they have done their job superbly. To be told that the one you love, loves you and that you will marry them and be together for the rest of your life is intoxicating. They give you hope that keeps you calling and calling until after you see that you have been lied to, you begin to face reality and the truth sinks in, you now realize that what they said was not true when they said it nor will it ever turn out to be true. You will find yourself hurt and disillusioned beyond the ordinary disillusionment experienced from your own life's complications. You may even find yourself broke or in debt. It's unconscionable that people could prey on others' vulnerabilities and pain in this way. But that is exactly what they do. And in the end, there is only more pain. And the inevitable distrust of psychics. It's this "fake" paradigm, which has its roots in the first elemental phone psychic networks, that dominates the public's perception and legitimate scrutiny is reasonable. But real psychics around the globe are out there and you should make it your business to find a foolproof way of determining who is real and who is not until such time as this paradigm is changed to ensure that your advisor is authentic by virtue of their credentials as it is for any professional practitioner.

Now you may frequent sites where the advisor is given feedback after your call. This is a good thing but, it is not foolproof. I have seen fake psychics who will have almost perfectly glowing feedback that goes on and on for pages. Perfect! You may wonder why this occurs. Simple. After you hear exactly what you want to hear or want to believe verified, well, this is where that intoxication comes in, you tend to reflect your glorious feelings with equally glowing feedback! But when things don't happen the way were told, you never come back. So, others following in your footsteps will call this advisor because "they too want to believe." Another thing to watch out for is fake feedback. This is also a tactic used by fakes to fool you. On sites where feedback is left, an authentic psychic advisor has to have a very high level of integrity in order to be comfortable telling the truth despite the fact of what the client wants to hear. If the psychic does not tell them what they want to hear in a reading, the client may leave very bad comments and a bad rating. It's the price you pay for being real. In my experience when I tell a client something they didn't want to hear, for the most part, they don't leave any comments. The fact is, they will most likely go find another psychic who will reflect their own feelings about the situation. A reading can be truthful and uplifting without bringing the client down but you have to ready to hear the truth. So how do you know who is real and who is not based on feedback! That is not to say that an authentic psychic is not going to have great feedback. They do, but sometimes they will be the ones to receive bad ratings and feedback mixed in with the good. Life is all about taking the good with the bad. Honestly, it's very hard to tell. The proof is really in the reading and outcomes and developing a relationship with a few trusted advisors who have been able to connect with you and your energy and have proven that their insights and predictions have been accurate for you. But, just remember, if it sounds unbelievably good, it probably is not really true and the psychic is not real and only setting up a line to take your money and setting you up for emotional failure. So be careful of perfect feedback. It's really not always an accurate gauge of the psychic advisors true abilities; except of course their ability to fleece you out of your dollars. Of course, really consistently bad feedback is a good indication that the advisor is probably just very bad and should think about going into another line of work.

Another point, you need to understand that even if you are speaking with a gifted, authentic psychic, you and that particular psychic may not connect that well. That is different from the psychic being fake. There a many reasons why a particular psychic may not connect with you. They may not be rested and ready to take calls, or you may not be relaxed and ready to receive truthful information or in some other way blocking the flow of what is being channeled thereby skewing the information on either side. Psychic readings are not an exact science. Intuition is relied upon to conduct an accurate psychic reading for a client. The reading goes much better when both the psychic advisor and client are relaxed and ready to receive. I personally find it difficult to connect with a client who wants to hear a certain thing. I have experienced many times my client trying to guide the reading. So see your authentic psychic advisor as someone who wants to help you and be ready to assist in the flow of information. To spot a fake psychic is not impossible, but if there was a way to quantify the statistic of fakes out there, I would be willing to bet that most (due in large part to large networks hiring script readers) are not real. Unfortunate, but through observation and experience, I feel this to be true. One of the Oldest Tricks in the Book. First Warning Sign That You Have Got a Fake! One of the oldest tricks in the book and something which continues to surprise me because people are continually taken in is when a psychic tells you someone has put a curse on you or there is a negative block on you which only they can remove for some exorbitant price, HANG UP! Say goodbye, because this person could not care less about you or your problems. Psychic parlors are notorious for this kind of activity. It is not for real, the curse nor the psychic. I have always believed that having a good doctor, a good mechanic and a good psychic are all professionals that are worth taking the time to assess their skill, experience and credentials to see if they are the one for you. There is nothing more satisfying than actually making a positive difference in someone's life and their continued use of your service over many years. A walking, talking testimonial is very gratifying for this psychic advisor.

Article Source Here: Psychic in Sharon MS 39163

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Psychic in Sharon PA 16146

  The following article goes into detail about psychic in Sharon Pennsylvania 16146 After conducting psychic readings, numerology readings and tarot card readings for over 20 years now, I have gained a definite perspective not only as an advisor but as a client. As a client, I have been able to see exactly how psychics who are not real work their magic. After getting a psychic reading from dozens of so-called psychic advisors, you may find yourself intoxicated by the things that the psychic tells you. If it sounds too good to be true, most likely it is. You have to understand the origins and purpose of psychic networks. Their job is to make lots of money, not to help you. Granted, there are real psychics who are gifted and working on psychic network lines, but I have found that most of the people working as psychic advisors period, are not real at all. I'm sure you have heard by now that many fake psychics use scripts and certain formats in conducting their psychic readings, but for the most part, it's really simple what they tell you that gets you hooked. For example, if after getting a psychic reading, you find yourself feeling intoxicated almost, then they have done their job superbly. To be told that the one you love, loves you and that you will marry them and be together for the rest of your life is intoxicating. They give you hope that keeps you calling and calling until after you see that you have been lied to, you begin to face reality and the truth sinks in, you now realize that what they said was not true when they said it nor will it ever turn out to be true. You will find yourself hurt and disillusioned beyond the ordinary disillusionment experienced from your own life's complications. You may even find yourself broke or in debt. It's unconscionable that people could prey on others' vulnerabilities and pain in this way. But that is exactly what they do. And in the end, there is only more pain. And the inevitable distrust of psychics. It's this "fake" paradigm, which has its roots in the first elemental phone psychic networks, that dominates the public's perception and legitimate scrutiny is reasonable. But real psychics around the globe are out there and you should make it your business to find a foolproof way of determining who is real and who is not until such time as this paradigm is changed to ensure that your advisor is authentic by virtue of their credentials as it is for any professional practitioner.

Now you may frequent sites where the advisor is given feedback after your call. This is a good thing but, it is not foolproof. I have seen fake psychics who will have almost perfectly glowing feedback that goes on and on for pages. Perfect! You may wonder why this occurs. Simple. After you hear exactly what you want to hear or want to believe verified, well, this is where that intoxication comes in, you tend to reflect your glorious feelings with equally glowing feedback! But when things don't happen the way were told, you never come back. So, others following in your footsteps will call this advisor because "they too want to believe." Another thing to watch out for is fake feedback. This is also a tactic used by fakes to fool you. On sites where feedback is left, an authentic psychic advisor has to have a very high level of integrity in order to be comfortable telling the truth despite the fact of what the client wants to hear. If the psychic does not tell them what they want to hear in a reading, the client may leave very bad comments and a bad rating. It's the price you pay for being real. In my experience when I tell a client something they didn't want to hear, for the most part, they don't leave any comments. The fact is, they will most likely go find another psychic who will reflect their own feelings about the situation. A reading can be truthful and uplifting without bringing the client down but you have to ready to hear the truth. So how do you know who is real and who is not based on feedback! That is not to say that an authentic psychic is not going to have great feedback. They do, but sometimes they will be the ones to receive bad ratings and feedback mixed in with the good. Life is all about taking the good with the bad. Honestly, it's very hard to tell. The proof is really in the reading and outcomes and developing a relationship with a few trusted advisors who have been able to connect with you and your energy and have proven that their insights and predictions have been accurate for you. But, just remember, if it sounds unbelievably good, it probably is not really true and the psychic is not real and only setting up a line to take your money and setting you up for emotional failure. So be careful of perfect feedback. It's really not always an accurate gauge of the psychic advisors true abilities; except of course their ability to fleece you out of your dollars. Of course, really consistently bad feedback is a good indication that the advisor is probably just very bad and should think about going into another line of work.

Another point, you need to understand that even if you are speaking with a gifted, authentic psychic, you and that particular psychic may not connect that well. That is different from the psychic being fake. There a many reasons why a particular psychic may not connect with you. They may not be rested and ready to take calls, or you may not be relaxed and ready to receive truthful information or in some other way blocking the flow of what is being channeled thereby skewing the information on either side. Psychic readings are not an exact science. Intuition is relied upon to conduct an accurate psychic reading for a client. The reading goes much better when both the psychic advisor and client are relaxed and ready to receive. I personally find it difficult to connect with a client who wants to hear a certain thing. I have experienced many times my client trying to guide the reading. So see your authentic psychic advisor as someone who wants to help you and be ready to assist in the flow of information. To spot a fake psychic is not impossible, but if there was a way to quantify the statistic of fakes out there, I would be willing to bet that most (due in large part to large networks hiring script readers) are not real. Unfortunate, but through observation and experience, I feel this to be true. One of the Oldest Tricks in the Book. First Warning Sign That You Have Got a Fake! One of the oldest tricks in the book and something which continues to surprise me because people are continually taken in is when a psychic tells you someone has put a curse on you or there is a negative block on you which only they can remove for some exorbitant price, HANG UP! Say goodbye, because this person could not care less about you or your problems. Psychic parlors are notorious for this kind of activity. It is not for real, the curse nor the psychic. I have always believed that having a good doctor, a good mechanic and a good psychic are all professionals that are worth taking the time to assess their skill, experience and credentials to see if they are the one for you. There is nothing more satisfying than actually making a positive difference in someone's life and their continued use of your service over many years. A walking, talking testimonial is very gratifying for this psychic advisor.

Source Here: Psychic in Sharon PA 16146

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Psychic in Sharon WV 25182

  The following article goes into detail about psychic in Sharon West Virginia 25182 After conducting psychic readings, numerology readings and tarot card readings for over 20 years now, I have gained a definite perspective not only as an advisor but as a client. As a client, I have been able to see exactly how psychics who are not real work their magic. After getting a psychic reading from dozens of so-called psychic advisors, you may find yourself intoxicated by the things that the psychic tells you. If it sounds too good to be true, most likely it is. You have to understand the origins and purpose of psychic networks. Their job is to make lots of money, not to help you. Granted, there are real psychics who are gifted and working on psychic network lines, but I have found that most of the people working as psychic advisors period, are not real at all. I'm sure you have heard by now that many fake psychics use scripts and certain formats in conducting their psychic readings, but for the most part, it's really simple what they tell you that gets you hooked. For example, if after getting a psychic reading, you find yourself feeling intoxicated almost, then they have done their job superbly. To be told that the one you love, loves you and that you will marry them and be together for the rest of your life is intoxicating. They give you hope that keeps you calling and calling until after you see that you have been lied to, you begin to face reality and the truth sinks in, you now realize that what they said was not true when they said it nor will it ever turn out to be true. You will find yourself hurt and disillusioned beyond the ordinary disillusionment experienced from your own life's complications. You may even find yourself broke or in debt. It's unconscionable that people could prey on others' vulnerabilities and pain in this way. But that is exactly what they do. And in the end, there is only more pain. And the inevitable distrust of psychics. It's this "fake" paradigm, which has its roots in the first elemental phone psychic networks, that dominates the public's perception and legitimate scrutiny is reasonable. But real psychics around the globe are out there and you should make it your business to find a foolproof way of determining who is real and who is not until such time as this paradigm is changed to ensure that your advisor is authentic by virtue of their credentials as it is for any professional practitioner.

Now you may frequent sites where the advisor is given feedback after your call. This is a good thing but, it is not foolproof. I have seen fake psychics who will have almost perfectly glowing feedback that goes on and on for pages. Perfect! You may wonder why this occurs. Simple. After you hear exactly what you want to hear or want to believe verified, well, this is where that intoxication comes in, you tend to reflect your glorious feelings with equally glowing feedback! But when things don't happen the way were told, you never come back. So, others following in your footsteps will call this advisor because "they too want to believe." Another thing to watch out for is fake feedback. This is also a tactic used by fakes to fool you. On sites where feedback is left, an authentic psychic advisor has to have a very high level of integrity in order to be comfortable telling the truth despite the fact of what the client wants to hear. If the psychic does not tell them what they want to hear in a reading, the client may leave very bad comments and a bad rating. It's the price you pay for being real. In my experience when I tell a client something they didn't want to hear, for the most part, they don't leave any comments. The fact is, they will most likely go find another psychic who will reflect their own feelings about the situation. A reading can be truthful and uplifting without bringing the client down but you have to ready to hear the truth. So how do you know who is real and who is not based on feedback! That is not to say that an authentic psychic is not going to have great feedback. They do, but sometimes they will be the ones to receive bad ratings and feedback mixed in with the good. Life is all about taking the good with the bad. Honestly, it's very hard to tell. The proof is really in the reading and outcomes and developing a relationship with a few trusted advisors who have been able to connect with you and your energy and have proven that their insights and predictions have been accurate for you. But, just remember, if it sounds unbelievably good, it probably is not really true and the psychic is not real and only setting up a line to take your money and setting you up for emotional failure. So be careful of perfect feedback. It's really not always an accurate gauge of the psychic advisors true abilities; except of course their ability to fleece you out of your dollars. Of course, really consistently bad feedback is a good indication that the advisor is probably just very bad and should think about going into another line of work.

Another point, you need to understand that even if you are speaking with a gifted, authentic psychic, you and that particular psychic may not connect that well. That is different from the psychic being fake. There a many reasons why a particular psychic may not connect with you. They may not be rested and ready to take calls, or you may not be relaxed and ready to receive truthful information or in some other way blocking the flow of what is being channeled thereby skewing the information on either side. Psychic readings are not an exact science. Intuition is relied upon to conduct an accurate psychic reading for a client. The reading goes much better when both the psychic advisor and client are relaxed and ready to receive. I personally find it difficult to connect with a client who wants to hear a certain thing. I have experienced many times my client trying to guide the reading. So see your authentic psychic advisor as someone who wants to help you and be ready to assist in the flow of information. To spot a fake psychic is not impossible, but if there was a way to quantify the statistic of fakes out there, I would be willing to bet that most (due in large part to large networks hiring script readers) are not real. Unfortunate, but through observation and experience, I feel this to be true. One of the Oldest Tricks in the Book. First Warning Sign That You Have Got a Fake! One of the oldest tricks in the book and something which continues to surprise me because people are continually taken in is when a psychic tells you someone has put a curse on you or there is a negative block on you which only they can remove for some exorbitant price, HANG UP! Say goodbye, because this person could not care less about you or your problems. Psychic parlors are notorious for this kind of activity. It is not for real, the curse nor the psychic. I have always believed that having a good doctor, a good mechanic and a good psychic are all professionals that are worth taking the time to assess their skill, experience and credentials to see if they are the one for you. There is nothing more satisfying than actually making a positive difference in someone's life and their continued use of your service over many years. A walking, talking testimonial is very gratifying for this psychic advisor.

See Full Article Here: Psychic in Sharon WV 25182