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cheeseburgersinparadise · 10 months ago

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Well, I did have a pretty good stuffing week that's had me reeling like a desperately horny pile of fat since Tuesday.

So the real beginning is Sunday to be honest. One of the bars I work in had an employee party and invited me. It was an open bar and unlimited tacos. So I ate and drank to my heart's content while also not making a public spectacle of myself (even though I really wanted to) that kind of set the stage for the days to come.

I didn't really eat at all on monday during the day and felt not so great from being a bit hungover. But I had to go to work monday night. So I hoofed it into the city to do my job. I work late nights as a karaoke host at a few bars, so I usually dont get home until about 1:30 or 2am. It was monday night but it was also my workweek Friday. So, I had my usual big restauraunt salad at work (its a sizeable buffalo chicken salad) but I was feeling the horngryness brewing. When I got home I was feeling so hungry I made a much bigger dinner than usual. Full tray of chicken thighs, full rice cooker and an abundance of squash. My gf didn't really question it and I ended up eating some very sizeable portions. I stayed up all night so I could take her son to school, and on my way home I decided to get some mcdonalds. I got 4 breakfast sandwiches and a large OJ. Not really that much for me. It was somewhat satisfying but not nearly enough. So I went and bought two quarts of heavy whipping cream and a dozen good old school donut shop donuts. They donuts were huge so I only had 6 of them. And I chugged both quarts. I passed out and woke up in the evening. Now feeling completely ravenous. Like really starting to swing into ultimate feedee mode. My gf and I went out that night. We ate at the bar (They have great chicken wings and street tacos) and then on our way home I decided it was a good idea to get some Carl's Jr. It was nothing too crazy. Just a large Superstar meal with fried zucchini, a shake, and two double jalapeño burgers. That's like a good fill me up meal and not really a stuffing. I was pleased, but not really "satisfied." I had a couple more donuts. Then in the morning I took her son to school and still got another 4 breakfast burgers and OJ. Wednesday, I woke up and we decided to go on an Ikea date. We had been meaning to go cause she had never been, and I wanted some of those meatballs. So we eat our meatballs. We share a plate so we dont spend much. We just wanted a taste. And when we get back in the car she decides to suprise me with weed and all you can eat korrean bbq. Which sends me over the edge. I was so excited. We go get a keef rolled, oil infused ridiculousness joint and head to the restaurant. We smoke in the parking lot and head inside only to find our favorite "couple" friends sitting the restaurant. At this point I am fucking elated. Not only am I going to pig out, I get to do it in front of people. This is like fantasy level stuff, and I am just so excited. Now, these friends are the one who intorduces us to the restaurant. She is a BBW who knows how to eat. He is a really skinny guy... Who also knows how to eat. My gf is midsized and not a big eater, but she can indulge a little sometimes. We blow through probably 4 rounds of meat and sides (with me eating the majority of it) and If youve done the korean bbq experience thats a lot of food. By round five everyone starts tapping out and I have gone into overdrive mode. I'm eating quickly and I've hit that sweet spot of the seemingly never ending gut. By the end it was just me and my BBW friend and everyone was giving me their leftovers. She finally tapped out and I finished the final round on my own. Then still proceeded to eat Mochi ice cream for dessert. I was fucking crazy stuffed. I was almost delirious. Stoned out of my mind and my gut was going crazy. It settled a bit on the way home and I made her stop for a large double guacamole burger from Carl's jr. And then we still stopped at winco to get two more quarts of heavy whipping cream. I ate my fast food and drank my 2 quarts of cream and I was fucking bursting at the seams. I still got mcdonalds the next morning and more heavy cream and a large jamba juice cause I was feeling greedy and extra gluttonous. It was insane. My belly is still bloated. Oof.

Typing it out is crazy cause it does read like a fantasy I've had many times. It was amazing and surreal. I just wish my gf had been as excited about it as I was. 🙃

Oh my goddddd this is so hot

it’s also sounds incredible. I wish I could have seen it 😩

you look absolutely swollen and beached it’s so hot 🥵🥵

#sorry I don’t have better commentary I did weed #chzburger answers #but holy fuck I would have loved to feel how full you were

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lanamemories2 · 4 years ago

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Startled by the sound of his door opening, Lana turned after making her last adjustments. She’d been hanging his birthday gift by his window, a prime spot for the breeze to stir if the latch was undone. Strung up on a homemade mobile, one she’d recruited the help of various minions to make, dangled twelve separate origami animals, each a different colour. All had a personalised message from one of Dom’s friends, if you spread the paper flat to read them.

Ducky’s said ‘cool guy :)’ and was folded into a bear. Navy white pinstripe.

Philly’s only had a little goblin doodled on holding a fistful of socks. The paper was an expensive kind, white with mint and lilac glitter. Folded into a caterpillar. Lana liked this one because caterpillar’s have butterflies inside them and she feels the magic in Philly is sourly overlooked by the general population -- she’s the most likely person Lana knows to sprout wings and fly away.

Viktor’s was far too explicit with a recurring mention of cock. It could not be included in the gift.

Maggie’s was a wolf. Lana drew a little smiley face below the snout that wasn’t quite fitting, but it felt friendlier, that way, more Maggie -- paired with a dainty floral paper, too. It had a quote written on from Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. “She rested her head against his and felt, for the first time, what she would often feel with him: a self-affection. He made her like herself.” It finished with “love you, Maggie x”.

Marlowe’s was a tiger. Flame orange, eye catching. On it, it said: ‘anyone who's put up with my shit for almost four years deserves a medal of some kind... like pinned to their lapel and personally engraved and everything. i got outbid on ebay so I don't have a fancy medal to give you...so instead i'll just say, you're a good guy dom evans! and I hope you have a fucking awesome birthday man. if anyone deserves only good things its you :)‘.

Rosa’s was folded into a monkey. Pink paper, in the end, because Rosa makes Lana think of love and blushing and sunsets. ‘dom i can't believe you're 23 today, you're an old man now!!! when i was just an embarrassing 12 year old and made those happy 15th bday shirts for you i was so obsessed with you because a small part of you thought you were an angel on earth and you'd come to protect me but it's nice to know now that we can protect each other. i'm still going to wear those 15th bday shirts for the rest of the week so everyone knows, i think your life is the most celebration worthy thing in existence. and if you want to know i am, in fact, hoping that i never marry so that by the time i'm 35 we can just run off together, preferably with franklin in tow, and have a worry free life, it's what you deserve. i love you forever dominic james evans!!!‘

Kasey’s was a fish in a pastel shade, sweet like a ripe peach. ‘Happy birthday Dom, you're the best of the best!!‘

Jude’s was a sloth. Deeper blue. Lana hassled him to write Dom one despite the fact they aren’t even particularly close. On it, he wrote: ‘Dunno you that well but you seem alright. Lana’s pacing as I write, clearly riled her up enough. Saw your ass in full view, high definition. Was decent. Good work soldier. Back to the trenches. Happy birth and shit.’.

Gunner’s was a dog. She did her best to capture the essence of a golden retriever with yellow paper, given that this was his family pet’s breed. Notably, she drew a very large dick onto the origami between it’s legs -- assuring Gunner Paxton’s legacy wasn’t overlooked. ‘in first year i had a hard time making friends and you saw me struggling in the caf when i sprained my wrist so you offered to help me cut up my food and i thought it was weird but it was the first time a stranger showed me care in such a specific way now i always feel cared for with you and it's nice so thanks for being you and happy bday‘.

Jack’s was a lion. Below the paper mane Lana wrote ‘NOT UGLY’ in small, block font, almost fashioned like a collar. The paper was faded black and white, referee striped -- tribute to his time coaching little league. Unfolded, it says: ‘dearest cousin Dominic, you are my favorite cousin even when you peed on me that one time at the beach because you said it would keep the jellyfish away. thank you for always throwing the football around with me and even being okay with it if i threw it too hard and it hit your nose and made it bleed and we had to tell my dad you tripped over a rock. happy birthday let’s get fucked! Love Your Best Friend, Jack Hall :P’.

Will’s was a shark, folded from paper slicked to look like an oil spill, gleaming in the light -- dark and technicolour, all at once. Lana drew sunglasses over the eyes. ‘sorry i tried to dye your hair purple that one time. you're kind of great even if statistically you shouldn't be since you're an RA. that's fucking bizarre of you, by the way. you seem to be one of those people that's genuinely good which is also fucking bizarre but i figure if anyone around here deserves a good year, it's you. happy fucking birthday don't die xoxo‘

Marla’s was a pigeon. Oxblood red. She wanted a vicious city-dwelling creature that feasted on the flesh of abandoned McDonald’s fries. ‘you are more worthy than a thousand plates of ikea meatballs. you can seize life by the balls. the meatballs. extended meatball metaphor. you are a leaf floating on an amber river. you are a cherry blossom caught in a ceiling fan. if auras existed yours would be INCREDIBLY fucking sexy. you will live a long life and father approximately 333.3 children.’

Noah’s was a sky blue dog with a doodled strand of wheat from it’s mouth. ‘hey man happy birthday :) not to get all sappy but im really grateful to know you. don't know if luck is real but if it is, hope this brings you some of the best of it there is’. A drawing of a little four leaf clover after the message.

There was a thirteenth string without anything attached and Lana almost took it as an omen of how unlucky it was, her opening up in this way, how much she’d come to see it as a curse. But she held it in her hands, anyway. A swan as white as the Betta fish she’d pointed out as him at the aquarium. Wishing star white. Whiter than an angel. The most Dom paper she could think to fold it from, when she woke up and realised she’d been dreaming about him.

“Hey,” she breathed with a laugh, cat burglar caught with the ruby in gloved hands. By all practical accounts, she’d broken and entered. “Charmed my way in. Wanted to, um... Was meant to be a surprise, like, an in and out job, and... I told some other RA Gunner left his inhaler here and he went all crazed, like, Action Man, whipping out a master key. Totally Oscar worthy. Should probably... let him know Gunner isn’t dead, later, but. Wanted to give you your present. It’s, um... I mean, it’s everyone,” came as she sifted gently at Philly’s caterpillar, smile bubbling to the surface. “I got them all to write you stuff. It isn’t, like, crazy, or anything, but.” Lana wet her lips, excitement overflowing -- she couldn’t seem to smother her smile. “This... is mine.” That did it. It faded as her eyes dropped. She pinched the swan delicately in both hands, then, blood rushing in her ears -- it provided amusing contrast, the coy blush in her cheeks with the devil horns she’d slid into her hair, a costume nobody had asked for. “Kinda wrote it... a while ago. It’s -- I don’t know,” she second guessed, laughing again at how dumb she was sure she sounded. Gestures like this always scared her, when she really meant them, felt like far too much. “You can read it, if you wanna.” @domfm

#c: dom #ok. disclaimed 2 all on the dash bc i already privately told ella this. this starter is insanely long bt its gna shrink in size sm this isnt #the actual thread length. i jst cldnt avoid writing a lot w the nature of. the gift...n desc......#ok.... thank u... apologies........to all #long post tw

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oertendahlii · 4 years ago

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So a while ago I was tagged by the wonderful @stolligaseptember to answer these 10 questions and then come up with 10 new ones. 1. What’s the worst household chore? Vacuuming, I think, it’s tiresome and most importantly, it scares my cats. Oh, and the sound is terribly disturbing to listen to when someone else does it.

2. Three books you think everyone should read? Oh no, this is tough! People have so different taste, the books I enjoy wouldn’t fit everyone. So I think three books I think everyone should read would be quite scientific ones about things I find important. Although I have at least one such book in mind, lets not go there…

So, instead, here’s three books I think everyone who has a similar taste in books as I should give a go (they’re all very lovely): ”Time stops for no mouse” by Michael Hoeye, the first book in The Hermux Tantamoq Adventures about Hermux, a watchmaker mouse who becomes a detective (it’s for children, but it’s really, really lovely), ”The Hobbit” (J.R.R Tolkien) and ”Britt-Marie was here” (Fredrik Backman). (Or, pretty much any book by Astrid Lindgren, I can’t really pick).

3. Even if you’re a terrible baker, what’s your go-to baking choice? Well, if I’ve got plenty of time for baking it’s buns! When there’s less time, then maybe pie (summer and autumn), chocolate balls or kladdkaka (sticky chocolate cake). But mostly I just ask my sister or mother if there’s anything special they want, honestly. If I didn’t save it for special occations, cake might have been my go-to choice, because I think planning out, preparing and putting together a cake is my favourite kind of baking.

4. Any favorite candy? Not really actually, not a clear favourite at least. What I’m craving really changes from day to day, and sometimes depends on mood, weather and situation. But chocolate is almost always right.

5. What’s the first thing you do in the morning? Drink water. Or turn of my alarms if I wake up before all of them has gone off.

6. Is there a story behind your name? If not, what does your name mean? I don’t know if it counts as a story, but what I know is that my mom wanted me and my siblings to have more "international" names, rather than common swedish names. Other than that, I guess she just liked it.

7. Favorite song right now? I don’t have one right now, haven’t for quite some time. But considering the fact that pretty much the entire thing is sung, may I say the musical ”Ingvar!”? (thanks for the suggestion, SVT Play, I love it!). That’s pretty much what I’ve been listening to the past days (together with a bit of Kristina från Duvemåla and other musicals).

On a side note: Ingvar! will be avaible on SVT Play (x) for some months, watch it peeps, it’s amazing! It’s in swedish though. Who could have guessed that a musical about Ingvar Kamprad and IKEA would be so very catchy. And just look at this:

I love the shelf, dynamite and meatball costumes. I only knew of Anders Ekborg and Daniel Engman before watching this, but all the performers are amazing. 8. Best compliment that you’ve ever received? This isn’t the best one, I know that much, but I don’t remember anything else right now, so: last year I worked with pulled sugar for the first (and so far only) time to do a bow for a cake to a friend’s birthday party, and for a split-second someone though it was real, that was fun!

9. If you could spend the day with any historical person of your choice, who would it be? Someone important to the field of conservation biology and/or ecology and/or environmental science I think. Probably Rachel Carson, I mean Silent Spring was revolutionary and so, so important, both considering the use of pesticides but also for raising awareness about nature’s vulnerability to human intervention.

10. Are you a prisoner of planet earth? I’d say it sometimes feels like planet earth is a prisoner of the human race. (I didn’t get the reference so I googled it and I’ve never heard of the ”prison earth” idea before, if that’s even what you’re after. But no, I don’t think I am). Here’s my questions: 1. Favourite mineral or rock, if you have one, if not: birthstone? 2. What was the last movie or tv show/series you watched and what did you think about it? 3. Favourite jam? 4. Do you prefer deciduous or coniferous forests? Or another kind of forest? 5. Is there any song/movie/tv show that reminds you of a time in your life that you miss sometimes? 6. Do you prefer restaurants or cafés, and why? 7. What would be the perfect picture (for you) for your birth month in a calendar? 8. Favourite instrument to listen to? 9. Have you got any favourite motivational quote(s) or lyrics? If not, any other quote(s) you like? 10. A language you wish you were fluent in?

I tag: @aprilskyforever @triplestaff @liljakonvalj and anyone who want to do it (oh and you, if you wanna do it again September) :)

#kako blev taggad #stolligaseptember #aprilskyforever #triplestaff #liljakonvalj

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tumblingdoe · 6 years ago

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Day 2, 3, & 4 of Road Head

Thursday January 3, 2019

Nels is really good about getting up in the morning, hand-grinding and brewing coffee, then driving to our next destination. I’m more of a night owl so I’m good at sleeping through all of this -- except today. The wind rattled the RV so strongly that it reminded me of the shuttle launches I learned about at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. I thought about how this adventure is like a launch into the unknown, an uncomfortable, fast-paced exploration, calculated by a huge team, and executed by few. Was I still willing to stay onboard?

I thought about the keychain I had gotten at the Rocket Center for this very trip, an astronaut and how supporters of Sexplanations are called Sexpla(i)nauts. The whole morning felt really sentimental. Especially when we arrived at our first destination: Pasco, Washington’s Country Mercantile which is like an indoor farmers market run by a grocer. I LOVE THIS PLACE!

A sexpla(i)naut named Dylan coordinated via Twitter to join us. I was thrilled. We ate breakfast and talked about sexuality. One of the special things I took away from our conversation is that fans of the show have a sort of built in sex ed software created from Sexplanations. So, when they have a question, there’s already a sense of the answer because I’ve programmed them. It’s not evil, it’s awesome!

Nels asked Dylan if he had questions for me and Dylan did, but he also said he knew to a degree how I would answer them and showed throughout breakfast that he was able to critically problem solve things I hadn’t talked about on Sexplanations from things I had talked about. I was a proud Lindsey at this moment.

I bought some cherry apple cider, huge apples, some onions, artichoke salsa, and tamales for a sex geek potluck Friday night. We got back on the road and drove again through the wind. The internet was fickle and this slowed my ability to help put out the week’s regular Sexplanations’ video. It went up smoothly anyway and Nels encouraged me to join him on a roadside hike to the top of Multnomah Falls. I thought to myself, “if you want exercise, let’s have sex!” but I knew it wasn’t just physical activity I needed. I needed fresh air and nature. To the hike.

By the time I was ready to be done walking up the trail there was a sign declaring we had done 1 out of 11 switchbacks!? I looked at the sign in disgust and proceeded to go forward. Just like with the Sexplanations Road Tour my belief was that a past me knew what would be best for a future me and even though present me would struggle, it would be worth it. I thought of a lot of metaphors on the hike and topics for Sexplanations’ episodes. I pondered how jumping into the 620 foot falls would be the fastest way down but then I’d be dead.

I did want Swedish meatballs, lingonberry juice, and retail therapy at Ikea before dinner at 5:30 and a speaking engagement at 7, so I ran down the mountain and got in the driver’s seat.

We did Ikea in 45 minutes -- got a cutting board, some floor mats, and cookware. Then it was off to Portland for real this time. Ethiopian food and my dear friend Ben from middle school were waiting for us. One of my greatest pleasures is eating with my hands.

After dinner, and just down the street was a meetup at the Sex Positive Education Events Center (SPEEC). As one attendee put it, “this might ruin it for the rest of your trip” because everything was so perfect. Angie, a sex therapist at SPEEC who’d coordinated everything with a day’s notice, had a projector for me to show Sexplanations, chocolates, comfy chairs, and a vibrator giveaway. The 20ish people who showed up were all spectacular!! We talked about sex positivity in the workplace, bisexual erasure, local resources, Nerdfighteria, the tour, and my experiences as a foster parent. I left with a gift of hand-made underwear and the overwhelming joy that Portland is in very good hands.

Afterward was second dinner with another dear friend and her partner. We went to the Chapel Pub where an organist was playing Sex Ed Rhapsody, “sex ed really matters. Anyone can see. Sex ed really matters. It really really matters to me.”

Friday January 4, 2019

Thursday we stayed up late drinking tea with Ben and talking about the future before camping in his driveway like hardcore vanlifers. With all that tea imbibed, the RV plumbing was activated that night. (Since we were coming from frozen Montana we had winterized the plumbing so nothing would break but now that we’re in warmer temperatures and in need of a toilet regularly we have a semi-operational bathroom!)

Friday morning I ate RV breakfast -- Brown Cow cream top plain yogurt with Bernice’s Bakery granola from Missoula. It occured to me that I would run out of these items and there was a slight head tilt of mystery about five months of life without Missoula. We drove to visit Nels’ friend Jamie who had the day off from work and the two of them went on a hike in the forest while I took a much-needed shower and got some work done. I wasn’t able to fit 80 hours of assignments into three hours but I was grateful that I got to check some things off the list and have time alone.

When Nels and Jamie came back to the house we went out for Panang Curry. Ben met us and we talked about Blue Planet playing on the restaurant TV. I didn’t know that octopuses/octopodes could be magenta!

After food we all went separate directions. Jamie and Nels went to meet up with another friend and put a puzzle together. I took Ben to his house and then did a run to Fred Meyers for a mattress pad and some drawers to organize my art supplies. Lindsey driving around the city in an RV by herself is a badass!

The evening of Friday January 4, 2019

Nels and I drove to Gresham, Oregon about 40 minutes from where we were in Portland. The Sex Geek community was gathering for a short-notice potluck so I could spend time with kindred spirits. The house was beautiful and warm. Each person was so cool and the food was wonderful! It was like reconnecting with best friends even though these were people I knew loosely. We took a tour of the house, sat down picnic table style for dinner, then talked for hours. I learned that a handful of the sex geeks there had already been on tour, one of whom had taken on our very mission of providing sex ed around the country via RV. I learned about the Fisting Coven (of women who learn and practice fisting with supervision) and I discussed the infrequency of sexologists with children while smiling at a new baby nearby. I’m curious. Some of the guests did a nude photo shoot featuring an gorgeous apple flower dessert and others compared notes on how they were raised. Everyone had a pretty unique upbringing except two of us who had grown up the same age in the same 6,000 person town in northeast Ohio, competing backstroke on swim teams, and walking past the Hudson green clocktower for milkshakes. Two 37 year old women who became well-known sex educators.

I eventually brought up my fear of speaking at Oxford’s TEDx in February with one of the sex geeks who is a successful and talented public speaker. He listened lovingly to my nerves and and boosted my confidence then retrieved a stack of colored notecards for me to write down and practice my speech over the next month. I knew what I was experiencing was a birth. Between my friends, the SPEEC meetup, and nurturing dinner party of colleagues I was being born into trust that this would all be transformative and meaningful.

Saturday January 5, 2019

Same morning routine, Nels made coffee and started the ignition. We had a brunch date with friends of his from college at their house. “At their house” is a great preposition when you’re road-tripping I’ve already learned because there’s a grounding feeling of front door, living room, bathroom, family dog etc. that you can’t get eating out at restaurants. AND the food is outstanding, made with love. This food was incredible, the black lab was so affectionate, and their toddler provided the ever so welcome shared activity of observing a tiny human being instead of outputting a lot of energy in small talk. I like Nels friends a lot!

After we left their place I felt an urgent need to take a nap and have sex, in that order. Nels and I are usually sex-multiple-times-a-day people but we haven’t prioritized it on the road. We got Costco gas, parked in the nearby lot, slept, then had much needed orgasms. I woke up hours later to Nels driving toward Eugene, Oregon where more of his friends had chicken masala for us “at their house.” I stayed in a relaxed state and committed to working later while they all socialized. As I write now they’re playing one of my favorite card games -- Bonanza, and I’m thrilled to be on a nearby couch, wrapped in a blanket, recalling day four. What a wondrous adventure I’m on.

#sexplanations road tour #curious road tour #sex ed road tour #sexuality #sexplanations #january #speec #sex geek

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kateyes224 · 7 years ago

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In My Silence

Author: KatEyes224

Rating: R

Timeline: Post-This, but before Plus One

A/N: This story wouldn’t have seen the light of day were it not for a couple of very important people. Namely @mldrgrl, who didn’t ever let me give up on it, and @sunflowerseedsandscience and @mangokiwitropicalswirl who offer their unwavering support even when I don’t deserve it.

She loses him somewhere in the kitchen department, letting him disappear from her line of sight while she lingers, waylaid by a particularly handsome backsplash. Which they absolutely do not need, she reasons after three solid minutes of arguing with herself before finally moving on. But she’d been wanting to update the kitchen since they’d first bought the house; bullet-riddled drywall, she figures, is as good an excuse as any. And their ridiculously expensive homeowners’ policy is apparently finally going to pay off, so they may as well take advantage.

By the time Scully wanders over to the dining area to check out the table they’d picked out together online, she knows Mulder has probably given up on trying to find her. He stubbornly refuses to backtrack at IKEA, claiming it only gets him more turned around. And despite his alleged accrual of Indian Guides merit badges, the proof of which Scully has yet to see, he scoffs at conventional wilderness survival skills like staying put and waiting for help to come to him whenever he gets lost. They’d agreed in the car ahead of time to meet up at the cafe on the second floor if they got separated, so Scully starts heading that direction.

She immediately suspects ulterior motives. Mulder has once again managed to plan this outing to take place around lunchtime, and Scully assumes that his timing is calculated so that he can satiate his unaccountable love of Swedish meatballs.

Meandering through a maze of living room and bedroom furniture, Scully consciously quells the urge to quicken her pace when she finds herself walking past bunk beds and brightly colored children’s rooms, college corner desks and bins of extra-long twin bed sheets.

William would be looking at colleges this year, wouldn’t he? Studying for his SATs. Maybe courting college scouts for water polo or basketball or baseball. Or maybe he’d been an academic, in math league or on the debate team or winner of the science fair. Or maybe he’d been a thespian, or maybe he’d been a loner, or, or, or...

Next to a wall of framed mirrors, Scully closes her eyes against row upon row of her own fractured reflections and breathes deeply through her nose, trying to banish the onslaught of potential iterations of her son as quickly as they apparate. Fifteen years later and he is still every dark-haired, long-limbed boy she sees out of the corner of her eye until she dares to look twice.

William has never stopped being a residual image that appears, Turin-like, in every negative space in her meticulously constructed world. But Scully has learned to allow herself to feel the ebb and flow of both her guilt and her gratitude in these moments. Cognitive dissonance, if nothing else, at least drowns out all the other voices in her head; the ones that whisper about what she did to Mulder when she left him to wrestle with their ghosts all alone in their drafty old house, instead of what she did to William when she gave him away to a future without her, perilous and uncertain.

She cannot, however, stop herself from intentionally averting her gaze when she passes by the children’s play area just outside the IKEA cafe, where a very pregnant mother is loudly compromising with her young son for just five more minutes, and then it’s time to go. Scully squeezes her eyes shut as the woman cradles her swollen belly with one hand and digs the other into the small of her back.

Some reminders still hurt more than others.

She spots Mulder near the front of the line queued to order and is just to about to call out to him when another voice beats her to the punch.

“Mulder? Fox Mulder?”

Mulder turns to the source of the voice, a woman standing several people behind him in line, and Scully sees him quirk a smile of recognition that reaches all the way to his eyes.

She freezes, watching the interaction unfold from a distance with an almost clinically detached interest. Mulder’s social circle, she knows, has dwindled over the years to just a handful of people, mostly acquaintances. As she racks her brain to place this woman, Scully realizes with a pang of regret that she has comprised the bulk of that handful for the last decade or more. And, until recently, she had been doing her level best to leave Mulder behind.

She notices the woman’s blonde hair first, a lustrous mane that falls in golden waves around slender, tanned shoulders. Not a hint of gray, Scully discerns, biting her lip so hard it nearly bleeds.

Mulder lets the few people between them go in front of him until he and the mystery woman are standing next to one another in line. He crosses his arms as they begin to converse, and Scully flushes hotly as she takes note of a typical Mulder maneuver when he dips his head and leans into her space so that he can hear her better. At one point, the woman turns into him to allow the person behind her to go ahead, and Scully catches a glimpse of her profile. A deep dimple appears in the woman’s cheek as she laughs at something Mulder says.

The two must reach a mutual decision to just order their food together because they finally approach the same register but pay separately. They then head over to a nearby table where a bored-looking blond boy of about six or seven in a baseball uniform is sitting.

Making her way closer, Scully takes in the woman’s tall, fit figure and makeup-free face. She has a wide, easy smile, which she unabashedly flashes up at Mulder as they continue talking.

As Scully nears, she begins to hear snippets of conversation.

“-eb’s little brother is already outgrowing the toddler bed, so we’re here looking at bunk beds. The boys are really excited about the idea of bunk beds, aren’t you, Caleb?”

Caleb smiles tightly and nods, obliging his mother, and throws his small fist into his baseball glove a few more times.

Mulder bends down, muscular arms resting lightly on his bent knees, looking up into the boy’s eyes. Someplace deep within Scully’s chest starts to ache, the twinge old and familiar. Mulder has always been wonderful with children, has always given due deference to their personhood no matter their age.

It was one of those things about him that Scully had always thought would have made him a wonderful father.

“What position do you play, Caleb?” she hears Mulder ask.

Caleb’s little boy voice is swallowed by the cacophony of knives and forks clinking against plastic plates and soda machines spitting ice into cups, and Scully finds herself leaning forward slightly as she continues towards their table, straining to hear.

“-na learn how to pitch.”

Mulder nods and glances up at the boy’s mother before meeting Caleb’s eyes again.

“You know, I pitched a couple of years. I used to be good at curveballs and changeups. But you’re gonna have to practice a lot if you want to be a pitcher. You think you can do that?”

Caleb nods down at Mulder, solemn.

The woman tugs gently at the bill of her son’s baseball cap. “I can’t keep him away from the baseball diamond. And if he’s not there he wants to be at the batting cages.”

Mulder’s smile widens. “I was the same way when I was his age.”

Scully sees the woman’s eyes sweep over her partner’s frame appreciatively. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

Caleb stares at Mulder now with naked admiration. “Who’s your favorite pitcher? Mine’s Zach Britton.”

Mulder chuckles. “Britton’s pretty good. I’m a Yankees fan, myself. So I’m liking Severino these days.”

The boy wrinkles his nose. “Ewwww, the Yankees? Traitor.”

Mulder and the woman both laugh.

“Well, maybe one day…” his mother cocks her head, biting her lip as she glances between her son and Mulder, “Mulder here can show you how to throw a curveball, Caleb.”

Mulder chuffs as he rises, crossing his arms even more tightly across his broad chest as a blush creeping over his features. “I’d probably end up in the hospital if I tried to throw a curveball these days, Annie.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Annie says, reaching a tentative hand out and wrapping it around Mulder’s right bicep. “You look like you’re in pretty good shape to me.”

Scully, done observing, quickens her pace and plasters a smile on. “Mulder,” she says, still several feet away. “Here you are.”

Mulder startles, jerking his arm from Annie’s grasp. “Scully, hey. This is, uh, you remember, right? Annie. Anne. Anne Woodward. She was, uh, she was…”

A look of dawning comprehension flits its way over Annie’s face as she gauges Mulder’s stammering reaction with Scully’s sudden appearance. Annie glances down at Mulder’s left ring finger, then Scully’s, before she brings her eyes back up to Scully’s.

Subtle, Scully thinks. “No, I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure,” she says instead, smiling wider but barely unable to unclench her teeth. The woman is even more stunning up close. Glowing jade-green eyes and full lips. Gorgeous body.

Jesus.

Scully holds her hand out. “I’m Dana-”

Annie reaches out to shake it firmly. “Agent Scully. I know. You probably don’t recognize me, but I was at Agent Mulder’s house last weekend. I’m an investigative technician with the Bureau. I was part of the team mobilized to collect evidence after the Purlieu incident last week.” She drops Scully’s hand. “Crazy stuff.”

Combing through her memory of the multitudinous faces and comings and goings of all the investigators that had torn their house apart for almost 48 hours, Scully thinks she might remember a blonde ponytail poking out of an FBI cap, gathering evidence. Scully had been in and out of their house herself during those few days, giving multiple statements to multiple agencies, appearing before a review panel.

“Right. Thanks for your help on that,” Scully says. “Agent Mulder’s house,” she emphasizes, “is quite literally a disaster, as you know, so I told him I’d help him pick out some replacement furniture. And I owe him a table.”

Mulder’s brow furrows. He starts to interject, but Scully shoots him a pointed glance. His mouth slams shut, but the confused crease in his forehead deepens.

Just then, Annie’s order number is called, then Mulder’s. Scully makes a show of looking at her watch, clearing her throat.

“Mulder, I’ll just go get the stuff from the warehouse and meet you at the car, okay? You can drop me off at my place on your way home.”

Scully turns and walks away before he has a chance to respond. She throws one last glance over her shoulder and swallows past the lump that rises in her throat as Annie beams up at Mulder. Scully nearly bumps right into the pregnant mother still arguing with her obstinate son as she stumbles towards the elevators.

xxx

As she waits for Mulder in the car, the silence humid and thick, Scully’s memory calls to mind an instance when she was quite young, perhaps ten or twelve years old, when her mother had driven her daughters to the coast after picking them up from school one afternoon. Maggie had stared out the windshield at the crashing surf until Melissa had finally asked what they were doing there. Maggie had blinked, glanced in the rearview mirror, and confessed to her daughters that she was jealous. She was jealous of the sea for the sway it held over her husband.

As a girl, Scully had been stunned, and had said as much. She was surprised at her mother’s confessing such a thing, for wasn’t envy one of the seven deadly sins?

“Oh, Dana,” her mother had explained with a sad smile, as she’d turned her gaze away from her daughter and back to the green-blue curve of the horizon, “jealousy and envy are not the same thing. Envy is when you covet something of someone else’s that doesn’t belong to you. Jealousy is longing for what’s already yours.”

It’s taken years, but in the cabin of Mulder’s pickup, waiting for him to amble outof the store, Scully finally thinks she understands the distinction.

Apart from herself, Scully knows, Mulder has led such a loveless existence. But hasn’t she also done her best, even unwittingly, to ensure that his histrionic cycle of love and loss just keeps going, ad infinitum? Maybe Mulder has come to believe that a life with Scully is what he has earned, part of his unending doomed lot in life. To be loved by a woman who was not supposed to be able to bear him any children. To be loved by a woman who was destined to give him an impossible son only to give him away.

Scully is startled out of her reverie when Mulder opens the driver’s side door and slams it behind himself. He lets the silence stretch in the cab before speaking.

“What the fuck was that, Scully?”

“You tell me,” she answers, hating how petulant she sounds.

“Scully…�� Mulder’s voice is low, dangerous. He twists the keys in the ignition with a jerk of his wrist and pulls out of the parking space. “Come on. You know me better than that.”

Scully doesn't respond. Does she know better? She and Mulder hadn’t really talked about where things were headed between them after the terrorist attack at the Ziggurat in Texas. She’d started staying over at the house with him more and more since her latest hospital stay, after her bout of unexplainable seizures. Remembering the surprisingly new heft of Mulder above her, the way he used their bed frame to leverage the angle of his thrusts, his head between her legs that very morning, she certainly knew where Mulder had been hoping things were heading.

But Scully had always doubted whether Mulder’s known what’s in his own best interests, especially when it came to her.

For her part, she hates herself for needing him as much as she does. He is her fatal flaw, her Achilles heel, the forbidden fruit that has been her undoing. You’d think she’d have learned her lesson by now, but here she is, twenty-five years later, still waging war with herself over him, holding him at arm’s length with one hand while drawing him closer with the other.

Mulder has pulled onto the highway before he starts talking again. There’s a plaintiveness in his voice that Scully can’t remember hearing in years, not since they first started working together. It burns, hearing him trying to convince her of something she knows shouldn’t be plausible, but probably is.

“Annie and I got to talking when she was at the house. She saw my bat and glove in the corner and asked if I was coaching Little League or something.”

Annie.

Annie is tangible. Attainable. And obviously more than willing. She could probably still give Mulder another child, a little sister for her two boys.

Scully refuses to respond, allows the silence to unspool, become uncomfortable. Mulder struggles to fill the void, like he always does.

“I just, I told her I liked baseball, and we got to talking about Caleb, and how-”

“Mulder, I think this was a mistake.”

Mulder quiets. He stares at her profile. “Okay, fine. We’ll go to Pottery Barn.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

Scully looks out the windshield. She can feel the phantom pressure of Mulder’s jaw clenching and unclenching.

“I think,” she begins, glancing at him and pressing on when Mulder closes his eyes, “I think we may be rushing back into this for the wrong reasons.”

“No, Scully.”

“No?” she asks, turning fully in her seat to look at him, incredulous. “No? When have we not been the worst possible option for one another?”

“Scully, where is this coming from?!” Mulder practically shouts at her. “Are you PMSing or something?”

“I’m perimenopausal, Mulder,” she retorts, “and maybe it’s time you started thinking about why we’re even together in the first place. And why we keep continuing to be together when it brings us nothing but heartache.”

Mulder lets another half a mile pass before he speaks again, and the gravel in his voice scrapes her heart raw.

“Are you really that unhappy with me?” he asks quietly, taking the turnoff towards her place.

“Are you really that happy when we’re together?” Scully asks. “Or are you just less miserable because you’re not all alone by yourself?”

“That doesn’t even make sense, Scully!” Mulder yells, slapping a hand against the steering wheel.

“Could you just stop being stubborn for a moment, Mulder,” Scully implores. “Just divorce yourself completely from the idea of you and me and think about it. Could you be happy with someone like Annie? Raising a family, having little boys to play catch with, someone to teach how to throw a curveball? A wife who actually stands a chance of getting pregnant again?”

Her heart feels like it’s withering in her chest, atrophied after so long without him and weary from trying so hard to hold on to what it was about him that made him so irreplaceable. But this is where she’s always failed where he has succeeded: Mulder has a knack for loving the memory of someone unconditionally, in spite of the many ways they’ve let him down.

He pulls up to the sterile, ridiculously overpriced townhouse that she’s insisted on maintaining since she moved out. It’s in a gentrified part of D.C., an industrial park that’s been modernized, and she knows Mulder hates it, even though he’s never said a thing about it. He slams on the brakes so hard that she winces when they screech. Mulder throws the car in park and stares out the windshield, refusing to look at her.

“I know the difference between losing people and watching them leave, Scully.”

Scully stares at his profile. The strong line of his jaw has softened over the years, but it’s no less dear to her now than it was decades ago, shadowed by 5 o’clock stubble and the sherbet-colored light filtering in from the streetlamps half a block away.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Mulder,” she whispers, and she’s out of the passenger seat, slamming the door of the truck and turning the lock of her own place in less than thirty seconds without sparing a second glance behind her.

He’s been watching her leave for years, she figures, as the automated front door beeps shut behind her. She leans into it, inviting the small measure of pain when she lets her skull thud against the hard wood. The sound of his truck idling lingers until he finally puts the car in reverse and crunches back down the driveway, giving her the space he knows she needs.

One more night won’t kill them.

#my writing #in my silence #post-this #pre-plus one #because what the fuck actually happened between the two of them #for the two of them to have

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writingwithhotchocolate · 6 years ago

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21 Questions Tag Game

Tagged by @thedrowningtsarevna

Rules: Answer 21 questions and then tag 21 people who you want to get to know better.

Nickname: Don’t have one.

Zodiac: Libra

Height: 1,63m

Last movie I saw: Avengers, Infinity war

Favorite musician: I know so many, but now when answering this question I can’t even say one’s name. :D

Last thing I googled: The bar I went yesterday and when does it open.

Song stuck in my head: This one stupid Finnish song. I don’t even remember the words for it.

Other blogs: No.

Following:

Do I get asks: Sadly no. I would love to get them though. (I guess the reason is that I don’t really post about my writing. I should. But I’ve been so lazy)

What I’m Wearing: Pyjamas, I got home like 4 am (it’s 2 pm now) and I just wanna sleep.

Lucky number: Don’t really have one.

Amount of sleep: Not enough. Never enough. It takes me one and a half hours to get to school, so normal days I’m waking up at six. And it’s so hard to go to sleep early.

Favorite food: I love all kinds of sweet things, but homemade risotto or mashed potatoes and meatballs (with IKEA lingonberry sauce). (That’s very Swedish food but it’s good) Finnish foods are also good. I can recommend anything but mämmi. Never try mämmi. (Google it, you know then what I mean)

Dream trip: The Maldives. Oh, all the turquoise water.

Dream job: Writer. (Which is never gonna happen, ‘cause I’ll never ever make enough money by writing)

Describe yourself as aesthetic things:

Random fact: Summer rain

Languages: I speak Finnish (my first language), Swedish and English. Also know a little bit of Spanish.

Tagging only: @g-marrader21 , because I can’t think about anyone else right now

#tag game

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tk-observer · 6 years ago

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Scandinavia + Netherlands

It’s been two years since I wrote in here! Gasp!! There’s been one more trip to Japan in that time with Joanna too!

Anyway, before I get too caught up in that—this year’s trip!

Copenhagen!

WAS A BEAUTIFUL BIKING UTOPIA. I loved biking there so much! Even though it was cold and around like 6–10°C the entire time, the city was so flat and the bike lines so well thought out. We never got close to hitting anyone or in the way of anything. Even when we were confused, the bike lanes were made such that you couldn’t cross traffic and get in the way if you stayed in the lines.

We ate so many pastries. I also ate the world’s most beautiful chocolate croissant at Andersen & Maillard. Ugh, it was so beautiful. That cafe was so beautiful.

Lydia and I stayed in Nørrebro, the cutest little neighborhood. We also got to enjoy someone’s tiny apartment, which they shared with a kid?? We don’t know. We had two theories going:

1. They have a baby that comes to visit often, or 2. They’re moving out of the apartment.

Because the apartment was smaller than my studio, and they had maybe 1/3 of the things that I own. Just wow. Really makes you re-evaluate the amount of stuff you have…

Anyway, we biked around, visited Assisten’s Cemetery, which apparently is a place people go to hang out in during the summer. Half of it is public, with grave sites from like the 1800s or something like that, the other half is an active graveyard, where there are memorial services. We visited Hans Christian Anderson’s grave and Niels Bohr’s grave. Niels Bohr!!

Went to Nyhavn, visited the beauuuuuuuuuuutiful public library, went to the royal Danish museum which had a cool exhibit on what “modern” life is like in Denmark now with submissions that were voted on by the museum’s FB group. Also a surprise Pika Pika booth. Visited Christiania in the dark, the time when people are there to actually buy drugs instead of be tourists, Lydia biked with a flat for like four miles (two different bikes!). Food hall was amazing, went to a Zara home I think (dat Scandinavian design tho). Also walking around the Halloween themed Tivoli Gardens at night!! They had all these cute kiosks where people were selling their wares and glögg.

Also randomly while walking around Kastellet after visiting the Little Mermaid statue, we stumbled on a drum core practicing. Copenhagen is really beautiful, especially with all the fall leaves changing colors.

I think my favorite part has to be coming home and watching Pitbulls and Parolees on our AirBnB’s TV. That and Say Yes to the Dress which I surprisingly love to watch.

Amsterdam!

Was warmer! But there was a mix up at our Hotel Not Hotel which was a little annoying, but still kinda cool. It’s a very gimicky kind of hotel. Our room door was a bookcase. One thing I like nightmare dreamed about was a fire and then for the rest of the time I was worried that firemen wouldn’t be able to find our room if they needed to… Well, there was no fire.

The canals did make it difficult to navigate since the city was shaped in concentric rings. Also, when you were around the neighborhood that was known for selling weed, you would just smell it everywhere. I don’t smoke bc I am small and I don’t like the way it makes me feel, and I really don’t like the smell. @___@

We had dutch pancakes, ate a lot of pasta, discovered Yogurt Barn which was SO GOOD. Biked some more, but in Amsterdam it’s a bit more chaotic. The bike lanes are clearly marked, but that’s kind of it. They cross each other a lot more, so it’s easier to get startled. Also on the smaller streets along the canals, it’s not clear who has right of way, so a few times there was a car coming from my left or right where I did not know if they were going to stop or if I should stop or what.

Visited the cat boat!! Walked through the Bloemmarket, also went to this BEAUTIFUL, fancy restaurant called De Kas. It’s a greenhouse in the middle of a big park, so it’s just magical because you can see all the park around you outside. Also the food was so good. It’s a set course, but my favorite was the salad. They served it with a raw egg yolk, and I don’t know where that egg came from, but it is the best egg yolk I have ever had.

Museum of the canals was super cool! A great little museum executed really well, had tons of cute stop-motion animations to illustrate how the city was built (they put logs in the ground! Just tons of logs that they imported from Scandinavia), and this dollhouse which was my favorite. One of the rooms of the dollhouse you could look into was the room where the dollhouse was. So meta.

Anne Frank house, jeez man. I don’t think I’ve read the book, so I bought it, and I’m going slowly through it.

Moco museum, a modern gallery kinda deal. Lots of Bansky which eh, I’m never really into since I can’t shake the feeling that he’s kind of arrogant, but the Icy and Sot exhibit was so good. I bought their book even though it only goes up to 2016 and doesn’t have their environmental pieces, which I think are amazing.

Tea at the smallest house in Amsterdam! IT’S SO FUCKING CUTE. Also our host was a surprise historian! He taught us about the history of the house and was a great local host. He told us about how his family was like the fourth/fifth? people to own the home since it was built. Also a proper tea house since it seems that Scandinavia and Netherlands is really into coffee over tea.

Stockholm!

I think this is the point where we were kinda tired from going out all the time. Stockholm again was way colder and even the city bikes were taken in for the season. We took a lot of busses which were expensive (~$5 for a one-way ticket for 75 mins), but the central bus station. THE CENTRAL BUS STATION. Was so gorgeous. It looked kinda like ancient greek pottery.

Stockholm is gooooorgeous. It’s the in-between of the two cities to me. I think Amsterdam was old smashed with new, Copenhagen was mostly old, but Stockholm was like modern old. It didn’t have as many narrow buildings, and way more cobblestones streets and hills. I think biking there regularly would be more difficult. But also, Stockholm is a archipelago city, spread out over small islands. The water’s never far.

Fika everywhere! Unguarded coffee!

We ate Swedish meatballs, walked around the super cute neighborhoods Södermalm and Ostermalm (I think), visited the ABBA museum which was really fun, and the Vasa Museum, which has a 17th century ship preserved from the sea. Like they literally dragged the whole thing out of the ocean and restored it. It’s crazy.

It was also at this time that I discovered that season 2 of Castlevania came out so I ended up watching it with Lydia since she was interested despite all the gore and violence. Season 2 had much more plot going on, way more people, but the animation was kinda stilted. Since it had 8 episodes, it felt like they saved up all the budget for the fight scenes, which were still really good, but I like my dialogue scenes with more than just shots of people eyes. Also, plot was a bit more messy (poor Godbran!). Still, fun to watch! It was interesting to see more of Dracula’s perspective in this one since he was missing the entire first season. I’m really glad they didn’t skimp out on the background artists though. They were A+.

Went to IKEA on the free IKEA bus from central station, which was soooo much fun ahahha. Ate at the nice restaurant (more meatballs!) there and then just walked around. I don’t think we even bought anything, just had fun sitting on things and looking at all the cute children’s furniture and toys. It was so big. So, so big.

And then home!!

I’m so jetlagged rn. It’s like 2000 but it feels like 0200. Waiting on my last laundry load, and then I’m going to SLEEP

#2018 #copenhagen #amsterdam #stockholm

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easyfoodnetwork · 4 years ago

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The Ultimate Guide to Fruity, Milky, and Other Exciting Specialty Drinks

What to get in the drinks aisle of an international grocery store? Consider these.

I’ve always found joy in the little things in life — the smell of a new book, blank stationery, and a small soft drink carton waiting for me in the fridge. I never outgrew these joys, and I invested in my soft drink passion especially. I know, I know, there is a common trope about millennials who infantilize themselves because society won’t let them buy houses and save money, and I agree! But the quest for gourmet soda is particularly exciting. The reward? A salve at the end of the day.

As my journey in life takes me to more and more international grocery stores, I’ve ventured farther into the beverage aisles, and when the cool air of the fridge hits my face, I edge closer to the fluorescent light and reach toward the cold carton, bottle, or can of a new or familiar joy. Sure, you can always get something alcoholic, but for those of us who don’t want to exacerbate our GERD (hello, 30s), are addicted to sugar, or don’t want to spend more than $5, there is the wonderful world of speciality soft drinks. First, some general tips:

1) Find an international grocery store or immigrant-owned bodega

Chances are you won’t find specialty sodas and juices at Target or Walmart unless they’re manufactured by an American brand. Look up Japanese, Korean, South Asian, Middle Eastern, Mexican, and Chinese grocery stores (or any other kind!) in your area. While you’re there, pick up some pantry staples and make sure you’re respectful of the other shoppers. If you live by an immigrant-owned bodega, take a closer look at their shelves.

2) Don’t be a coward

Just because you can’t read the language on the packaging of a drink, and just because you’ve never had it before, doesn’t mean it’s a mystery of the vast unknown. Be brave! You could end up discovering your holy grail drink! And if you hate it, that’s also okay. It’s not going to cost you much to find out. If you’re really curious, though, there’s sometimes an import sticker that states what it is in English.

3) Look for the beverages in the fridge and on the shelves

There are instances when those working the stores haven’t had the time to fill up the fridge. Be mindful of stacked cartons or bottles around the store, where potential new favorites could be hiding out. Other kinds of drinks will be placed not in the fridges but on dry shelves in the interior of the store.

4) Once you find a favorite, take a picture of the packaging

Be sure to take a picture of something you really liked for future visits and file it into a folder on your phone — it’ll help you repurchase your favorites and also prevent any mix-ups between similarly shaped or designed bottles.

The ones to know:

Here are very few of my personal favorites, split into the categories of “fruity” and “milky.” Fruity drinks are evergreen, but especially appropriate for the times when you want the feeling of summer. Milky drinks are a little more substantial, better suited for the days when you’re craving something closer to a dessert.

Fruity

Suntory honey lemon

My holy grail of fruity drinks. I have only had the luck of having this once in my life, and I have been searching for it ever since. Achieving the perfect balance of sweet and sour, it feels familiar (because it’s honey and lemon) but also completely new because it doesn’t remind you of that familiar cold/flu combo. Like all excellent soft drinks, it has a sophistication from the first to the last sip.

Taisun winter melon drink

Winter melon (aka white gourd) is popular in Taiwan and has got to be the best double agent of all time. In its raw form, it tastes pretty neutral, which makes it well-suited as a savory vegetable dish. Once you add sugar to its juices, though, it transforms, giving off burnt caramel notes that makes it the most dessert-like fruit drink maybe ever. It’s in my top five of all time. I have consumed plenty of Taisun cans, and I hereby encourage everyone to try my regular boba order (winter melon tea with salty foam) if it’s your first time.

Suntory Gokuri grapefruit

Again with another heavyweight, Suntory offers us Gokuri. As well as having the sexiest packaging (aluminum tinned bottles, generous girth, amazing colors and design), it also is the best citrus soda. Its grapefruit and cassis an orange flavors are clear winners, and the peach flavor is also good (though I usually prefer a non-carbonated peach).

Rubicon

Sing it with me now: lychee, mango, guava, passionfruit. If my childhood were a table, these four would be its legs. Though these drinks are common in the U.K., they’re a little harder to come by in NYC, where I’m located now. Somewhere in between juice and lassi, Rubicon’s drinks are sweet, thick in consistency, and truly a delight to all those who have an affinity for — yes — lychee, mango, guava, and passionfruit. Get them anywhere you can, most likely at a South Asian grocery store, and for the love of god, don’t buy the sparkling versions.

San Pellegrino prickly pear and orange

The blood orange flavor of these foil-wrapped cans gets a lot of airtime with soft drink enthusiasts, but o-ho! Let me tell you about the rare and best flavor of San Pellegrino. Prickly pear, also known as nopal, is a cactus that can be used in savory cooking but also eaten as a fruit. This flavor sets itself apart from other San Pellegrino varieties in that it doesn’t taste as artificial, which is hard to achieve with carbonated sodas.

Bruce Cost jasmine green tea ginger ale

I never really understood the love for ginger ale until I tried Bruce Cost’s. With other ginger ales, the ginger is too strong, or the sugar too sweet to counteract the ginger, but the beauty of Bruce Cost’s ginger ale is that it’s infused with flavors that you wouldn’t think would work — and yet they do. Jasmine green tea is amazing all by itself, but with the ginger ale flavor, it’s a perfect union.

Ikea elderflower drink/Belvoir elderflower presse or cordial

Elderflower is popular around northwestern and central Europe, and has a distinctly elegant taste that is a heavy-hitter by itself and with cocktails. If your store has a specialty shelf dedicated to the friends across the pond, you may have some luck in finding Belvoir, an elderflower cordial popular with us Brits. If not, perhaps you can scoop a carton or bottle of “Dryk Flader” next time you’re at Ikea trying to satisfy your meatball craving.

Suanmeitang (Chinese sour plum juice)

If, like me, your only experience of plum juice is to fix some… uh… bowel issues, then I understand the hesitation with trying suanmeitang. But this is an all-around winner: a sweet, sour, and very slightly salty plum juice, in an adorable bottle, that, yes, helps with digestion — because bowel movement is important! Grow up! You can likely find suanmeitang at most Chinese grocery stores.

Milky

Vitasoy black sesame

If you’ve ever been to HMart or an East Asian supermarket, you might have seen these cartons in a variety of colors to denote different flavors. But nothing reigns more supreme than the black sesame flavor: A milky backdrop complements the nuttiness of the black sesame and makes for a great drinkable dessert.

Marusan Hojicha milk tea

Milk tea is tea leaves steeped in milk in various combinations. You have oolong, darjeeling, and other forms (which I encourage you to try if you haven’t), but hojicha is my personal favorite. Hojicha is the more elegant sister of matcha: Whereas matcha leans more fresh and grassy, hojicha is the roasted version, and provides a deeper and earthier flavor. I recommend finding hojicha leaves and having them for hot tea (or finding sachets for a hojicha instant latte), but if you want a soothing cold version, hojicha milk tea in the carton is unbeatable. Marusan’s uses soy milk, which helps with any lactose intolerance.

Yakult probiotic drink

A legend, an icon. Nothing can replace the tangy sweetness of this watery liquid. She mainstreamed and we still love her. Does she actually help with good gut bacteria? Do we care either way?

T.Grand Assam milk tea

Assam tea is produced in Assam, India, and it’s a pretty singular black tea flavor. It tastes a little bit like fragrant burnt sugar or earthy caramel. Adding milk nestles that flavor into your palate and imparts an astounding flavor somewhere between creamy and fruity, floral and nutty. It has crisp notes, much like oolong, but the taste itself is rounded out. I prefer T.Grand’s version, partly because of its “My Way My Life My Milk Tea” caption on the cartons (damn straight!), but UCC has Assam milk tea too.

Bikkle yogurt drink

For those who need a little more of Yakult, and the tiny bottles simply don’t hit, we have Bikkle’s yogurt drink. Much like Calpis, it’s a yogurt drink that tastes less like lactose and more like a kind of sugar that does something to the pleasure center of the brain. It has a better taste and consistency than Calpis, and does not give me a tummy ache, so it’s a win all-around.

• Get Yourself a Specialty Soda, as a Treat [E]

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/3fh1oJh https://ift.tt/2XfgsB8

What to get in the drinks aisle of an international grocery store? Consider these.

1) Find an international grocery store or immigrant-owned bodega

2) Don’t be a coward

3) Look for the beverages in the fridge and on the shelves

4) Once you find a favorite, take a picture of the packaging

The ones to know:

Fruity

Suntory honey lemon

Taisun winter melon drink

Suntory Gokuri grapefruit

Rubicon

San Pellegrino prickly pear and orange

Bruce Cost jasmine green tea ginger ale

Ikea elderflower drink/Belvoir elderflower presse or cordial

Suanmeitang (Chinese sour plum juice)

Milky

Vitasoy black sesame

Marusan Hojicha milk tea

Yakult probiotic drink

A legend, an icon. Nothing can replace the tangy sweetness of this watery liquid. She mainstreamed and we still love her. Does she actually help with good gut bacteria? Do we care either way?

T.Grand Assam milk tea

Bikkle yogurt drink

• Get Yourself a Specialty Soda, as a Treat [E]

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/3fh1oJh via Blogger https://ift.tt/3fgFS7A

#Blogger #cooking #Eater #food #recipes

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pullcarol0-blog · 5 years ago

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10 Cheap Home Decor Stores (That Aren’t IKEA)

Pretty much all of us here at TFD are extremely into budget home decor. I’ve written about my various DIY projects that helped me turn a new apartment into a home (which I still love a year later!). Chelsea has a wonderful eye for making her home feel both sophisticated and inviting (definitely check out her recent dining nook and kitchen makeovers on Instagram). None of us are experts, but we are all very into finding ways to make our homes feel cozy and “finished,” without breaking the bank.

I know a lot of my friends are the same way, too. But we also all seem to encounter the same problem: ending up with the same exact pieces of furniture and decor as every other person we know. And, yep, most of it comes from IKEA. Now, I love my trusty square-shaped extendable dining table, and it has served me well for five years. But I can name at least four other people I know well who have (or used to have) the same exact one, even though it’s not the only dining table to exist.

None of this is to shame IKEA. I love perusing those little “living in 450 square feet” setups and then snacking on Swedish meatballs as much as the next person, and no one should feel bad about shopping there. But I also know that it sometimes feels like the default for early twenty-somethings who just need to put something in their first real apartment. I’m just here to gently point out that it’s not the only option. If you desperately need to furnish that first apartment, or you’re simply looking for a little home refresh this spring, here are several home decor stores you should check out. (One caveat: I’m not including thrift stores on this list, but you should definitely check out your local thrift stores for budget-friendly decor and affordable furniture! Same with Craigslist and Facebook marketplace finds. Definitely worth checking out if they are an option for you, though!)

1. Cost Plus World Market

I love World Market. We’ve bought several things there, from a large wicker blanket basket to a pink-and-gray rug made from recycled plastic bottles. I even managed to find a mid-century style leather chair for $450 full price (which is a bargain, as most leather chairs go for at least twice that). It now mostly belongs to the cat, but it has remained in great shape for over a year, and I don’t anticipate any issues. This store is especially good for quality shelving, rugs with actual personality, and a wonderful selection of charming bar carts. Always keep an eye out for their sales — they happen pretty frequently!

2. Joss & Main

We want to replace our futon (which is fine, it’s just a light color and that ended up being a mistake for us) with a sofa, and I’m definitely going to look here when the time comes. The site is really well set up — they organize by room and style, so if you’re looking for living room furniture with a modern feel, you can find what you’re looking for easily. Also, a cursory glance shows me that they have a wide selection of full-size sofas (with good reviews!) for $500 and under.

3. Hayneedle

Everything on Hayneedle definitely seems to fall into the trendy/Pinterest-y category, but certainly not in a bad way. Their gallery page is super useful — it shows you finished room photos so you can get an idea of how an item will actually work in your space. I got my desk from this site — it is white with spacious drawers, and they had a better price than anywhere else I was looking at the time.

4. MUJI

Less selection here, but an amazing place to look if you are overwhelmed by consumer decisions! MUJI is a Japanese store that sells everything from clothing to stationery to furniture. They focus on the quality of items over the quantity of them, so you know everything you get will last a good long time. Also, everything is super fairly priced! And while there are fewer choices, that doesn’t mean their stuff is boring — it’s all beautifully designed.

5. Wayfair

I’m sure everyone here knows about Wayfair at this point, but I can’t *not* include it in this list. Wayfair is where we’ve gotten the majority of the stuff in our apartment. As I’m typing this, I can see my couch, the coffee table, the TV table, and the office chair I’m sitting on — all of which came from Wayfair. They pretty much have the widest selection and the best sales. However, their site is also a bit overwhelming, so I’d have an idea of what you’re looking for before you go perusing!

6. Target

Target has a shocking (to me) selection of insanely cute, relatively cheap home decor pieces. I highly recommend checking out their lighting in particular. We’ve gotten literally all of our lamps here — two cute (but different!) brass floor ones, and one light pink table lamp with a floral embroidery shade, which may be my most favorite thing I own. Their Project 62 line has some particularly awesome items.

7. Overstock

My mom, a true home decorating queen, has directed me to Overstock many times over the years, and for good reason — they have a ton of stuff, and it’s all marked down. I’ve heard a lot of great things about their mattress selection! They have clothing items and other stuff in addition to furniture and home decor as well.

8. Rugs USA

Another mom recommendation! A painful truth of adulthood is that a lot of things are way more expensive than you’d actually think they would be. This pretty much goes for all rugs. My mom actually found a huge, beautiful pink-patterned area rug for like $200 on this site, and it covers her entire (large) master bedroom floor. Definitely check it out for your cozy flooring needs.

9. Michael’s

I realize this is a craft store, not a home decor store necessarily. But! This is the only place (other than thrift stores) that I buy picture frames, because a) they are almost always on sale, and b) they always, always have coupons available. (Just check the website/your location before you go!)

10. Flying Tiger (New York & Boston in the U.S.)

Unfortunately, Flying Tiger does not have an online shop. And as of now, they have hundreds of stores worldwide, but the only U.S.-based ones are in New York and Boston. However! This store is absolutely filled with quirky, adorable home items (think knick-knacks and kitchenware, not large furniture). It is the perfect place to find interesting homewares for seriously cheap — I got a vase with a drawing of a man’s face for $5, and a bottle-green glass fruit bowl for $4. Definitely keep your ear to the ground for a store opening in your city, as they are expanding rapidly, or pay them a visit if you’re near NYC or Boston. I love this store so much!

*****

Any awesome, cheap home decor stores I missed? Let me know in the comments!

Holly is the Executive Editor of TheFinancialDiet.com. Follow her on Twitter here, or send her your ideas at [email protected]!

Image via Unsplash

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Source: https://thefinancialdiet.com/10-cheap-home-decor-stores-that-arent-ikea/

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more

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theogrelords · 8 years ago

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meatball fic

warnings: death, fuccs, n nudity, food, everything

written by: me

“shrek… this is a wonderful dinner” danma said gazing lovingly into shrek’s eyes

“anything for my lover” shrek shoved a swedish meatball into his mouth. they were at their favorite restaurant ikea. it was their fav bc they could eat the meatballs and then go fuck on the furniture right after.

“mmmhh” moaned danma “the meatballs r soo good”

“wanna tase my meatballs”

“yes dadd y”

shrek carried danma to the beds n they started to fuck. they had broken in after hours so everything was pitch black. they didnt need light so see their burning love for eachother

“mhg hhhhhf ff UCK daddy feels so good” shrek had danma screaming his name and he was like bada da da da

“danmuh…. UhMmMM……im…………..im gonna…….-”

“FREEZE” said another voice as shrek whiped his dick out of danma. he viciously turned into the light, which apreared to be shining from a flashlight. his pupils retracted quickly at the sudden change in brightnes

“I SAID FREEZE” said kat, the ikea officer, with her officer buddies, ellie, carly, malone, and ava

“s-shrek!?” danma squealed in confusion

“no” the ogre retorted. shrek got up and nyoomed away with danma, still completely naked. they hid underneath a desk as the officers split up searcjing for them. sshrek was incredibly fast, danma loved that about him wink wonk

“YOU CAN RUN BUT U CANT HIDE” shouted ellie, who was walking down the aisle to the left of them.

“ACHHOOnionshavelayers” shrek sneezed. Fool!!! shek thought

“NOT IN MY SAWMP” shrek broke the desk and pushed them over, buying him some time to escape. frist, he put danma under the bed where she would maybe be safe, then he ran off too the kitchen.

“here shreky shreky shrek” ava taunted, walking slowly down one of the aisles with her NERF GUN™ Hasbro ©2017 Nerf Gun when suddenly SPLAT! a meaty substance ran down her face and shaped into an L on her forehead. the last thing she saw was 2 seconds of the Unforgiving Face Of Shrek with a bucket of meatballs. thats right. shrek had thrown one of the meatballs with his fast arm and killed ava killing her instantly.

“o shit did u see that” kat shouted to ellie in the next aisle.

“ya that was some next level shit” Now… niw it was them who were running

shrek snapped his hed back in 0.00000001 seconds to face them with a playful grin. he was going to have some fun

kat ran. she ran fast. but not faat enoucgh. shrek was caught up to her in bo time.

“SDGDJDGKSOT” shrek said as he picked her up and drown her in meatballs, killing her instantly. carly watched the whole thing happen and dashed iff, keaving malone alone, who was not paying attentuon.

shrek creeped up to malone and surprise attacked them scaring them so badly that they gasped. shrek then saw the oprotunity to shove meatballs down their thrussy, they choked on the meatballs and died, killing them instantly.

“hehe 3 down, 2 two go” he said making eye contact with ellie, who was very suprised.

“oh no bitch i didnt sign up fir this” carly saw and jthen shrek threw a meatball at her, then she fell out the window, killing her instantly.

“no. NnoOnoOnono.” ellie said as she was backing up against the wall

“shrek is god” the ogre said as he took the meatballs and crushed her with them, killing her instantly.

“my work here is done” he said, plopping the last meatball into his mouth

He went to go pick up danma, then they fucked again, the end

30 notes · View notes

gencottraux · 7 years ago

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Dreams are strange things.

Dreaming Light by RHADS

They can be exhilarating, romantic, horrifying, puzzling, and often, to me, inexplicable. Many people describe recurring dreams that they have when stressed or anxious. You know, showing up naked for an exam you aren’t prepared for, that kind of thing.

My anxiety dreams often involve either driving or swimming. I avoided learning to drive and getting my driver’s license until I was in my 30s. I’ve never really learned to swim and am afraid of water. It’s not just the idea of drowning, but all of the things that might be lurking under the water. I don’t take long baths, and stick to quick showers, avoiding with all my might getting water in my eyes. Don’t worry, I do stay clean!

I don’t mean to single out sharks. I don’t fear them in particular. There are lots of tiny little toothy things in the water that can nibble on you, too.

The other night, I was having a rather enjoyable dream that I was going on a shopping trip to Mars. The planet Mars. The Red Planet, named after the God of War. Not your usual shopping destination.

Note that I am not one who likes to go out shopping. Online shopping has transformed my life. I rarely have to go into an actual brick and mortar store. I haven’t resorted to having my groceries delivered. Yet. But a trip to a mall is my idea of hell on the planet Earth. I do enjoy perusing small local shops when I travel, but that’s not nerve wracking and annoying like going to THE MALL.

This is NOT my idea of a good time.

But in my dream I was very happy to be going to Mars for my shopping expedition. I was on a space shuttle-like transport that looked a lot like the Swedish subway system. It was clean and quiet and not very crowded. In fact, I was the only passenger. Perfect!

Swedish subway system

I wasn’t wearing a space suit. I guess the whole gravity thing had been figured out. Hey, it’s my dream. I don’t have to wear a space suit and get helmet hair if I don’t want to!

Is it?

I’m all for equal opportunity and women as astronauts. Go for it! But can we get Project Runway involved in a more flattering space suit?

I was happily anticipating my arrival on Mars. The shuttle was starting to vibrate as it approached the station. And just as we were about to dock I woke up (groggily) realizing that at 2:40 a.m. we were experiencing a real-life earthquake. It’s California. They happen. This one was 4.4 magnitude. We live on the Hayward fault. The epicenter of this quake was the nearby Claremont Hotel. As far as I am aware, there were no reported injuries or damages.

I pretty quickly went back to sleep after a brief wait for either a bigger jolt to come or aftershocks, but I never got to find out what my shopping experience on Mars would be. What would I be shopping for? I imagine if I were to be shopping on the moon, say, I might find a cheese store. A vegan cheese store at that, since there aren’t any dairies on the moon and I only eat vegan cheese anyway. I’d be like Wallace, when he goes to the moon on A Grand Day Out with Gromit and they picnic on moon cheese. Einstein can fill in for Gromit.

In my mind, I would enjoy my Mars shopping experience because it would be quiet, not crowded, and I wouldn’t have to drive anywhere. Except maybe to ride on a Rover. That might be fun.

I found a company online that purports to sell land on Mars, but I don’t need to be a land owner. Mars isn’t anyone’s to sell that I know of!

Another site tells me that 200,000 people have signed up with the company Mars One for a one-way mission to Mars. Should I say 200,000 gullible people?

Back to my shopping trip. Who would set up shop on Mars? I don’t want it to be kitschy souvenir stars with key chains and mugs and pencil sharpeners or televisions shaped like space helmets.

No advertising slogans like “Out of this world deals!” It will all be understated and tasteful. Again, I think I have Mars confused with a Scandinavian country. Only brown and dry.

By Scandinavian, please don’t think IKEA! I mean the expensive, gorgeous housewares and furniture of my dreams. Not DIY particle board furniture and Swedish meatballs.

Amazing Open Plan Kitchen Living Room – best 25+ open plan living ideas on pinterest | scandinavian dining – Broxtern Wallpaper and Pictures Collection

My Mars shopping experience must include: delicious vegan chocolate, coffee, books, gorgeous ceramics, amazingly comfortable yet flattering shoes, and a kitchen store beyond all kitchen stores. And perhaps a pet supply store. Otherwise it’s not worth the approximate 300 day trip. In my dream, I think it only took about 20 minutes, but still, for me to put on shoes, get to a shuttle, and go into stores, it’s gotta be good.

Chocolate. Luxury Martian chocolate. In the shape of planets and fun little Mars rocks. Dark chocolate. Mmmm.

Amore di Mona luxury vegan chocolate. It’s a thing.

Coffee. Can’t travel without it. The shuttle to Mars will have a barista and coffee bar, naturally.

Coffee bar design by Starbucks (!) for the Swiss Federal Railways. I’m not a big Starbucks fan, but I like the coffee bar.

The coffee bar when you arrive on Mars. (Image: Mapo House.)

Books. If it takes 300 days to get to Mars, I assume it takes the same amount of time to return to Earth. (Maybe I’m wrong. I avoided any courses in physics throughout my academic path.) I am going to need a lot of books! As much as I love Powell’s City of Books (3 stories across an entire city block) in Portland, Oregon, I think my Mars bookstore should be a bit more, I don’t know, sleek? Celestial? Breathtaking? I’m voting for Prologue Bookstore in Singapore to take on the Mars venture.

My favorite bookstore.

Prologue, Singapore.

Ceramics. I am envisioning ceramics along the line of Heath Ceramics (based in Sausalito, California), only made of Mars dust.

Shoes. Good shoes are so important to health and happiness. I wasn’t born with the shoe obsession my mother and a lot of other women seem to have, but shoes can make or break your day.

Spotted in Oakland, California. Not my car.

I work at an animal shelter and am on my feet all day. My shoes have to be practical and comfortable. I am tired of shoes that make my feet look like clown feet.

If you are bopping around on Mars, you have to have good shoes. I want them to still be cute and petite looking, while not hurting my feet. Currently, I mostly wear Skechers or clogs, which are fine, but give a girl a break. I’m a girly girl at heart. And a vegan. Finding cute, practical, comfortable shoes that are vegan friendly ain’t that easy. Please don’t suggest Crocs.

How many ways can I say NO to this look???

White shoes, not going to work for me.

Cute but not practical for the animal shelter.

I’m leaning right now toward the Mars store being an outlet of Insecta shoes from Brazil. Cute, ecologically minded, vegan. I haven’t tried them on yet to gauge the comfort level, but I am intrigued. They are made from recyled used clothing and plastic bottles.

The one kitschy souvenir idea I am behind–socks with images of Martians, space ships, etc. You have to have the sock wardrobe.

Kitchen store. Kitchen gadgets, accessories, and cooking tools–yes! I adore a good kitchen store.

Faraday’s Kitchen Store, Austin, Texas.

Some people claim that the 190-year old store E. Dehillerin on Rue Coquillière in Paris is the best place on planet Earth for buying cookware. If it’s good enough for Julia Child…There’s also the highly rated Kitchen Bazaar on avenue de Maine in Paris. I’m thinking I should take a little research trip there soon.

Pet supplies. Should I take any of the resident companion animals along on the shopping trip? Einstein gets motion sickness, so he might not appreciate the shuttle trip to Mars. Marble could maybe handle it if I took enough crunchy food along for him. Sara is too old; at 19 she’d rather stay home and get updates in the comfort of her warm bed. For some reason, I see Misty coming along for the trip.

Once we get there, I’ve promised her a beautiful blue jeweled collar as a memento of the journey. So, we will need an awesome pet supply store on Mars, too.

Misty looks like a high maintenance diva, but she’s a tough girl.

Pet boutique.

If I try to put this collar on Misty, I am going to need a Martian medic!

I hope there are medics in space.

I imagine this celestial shopping journey is going to cost a pretty penny or two, so I better get out there and start saving up! But a girl can dream. So I will.

Shopping on Mars Dreams are strange things. They can be exhilarating, romantic, horrifying, puzzling, and often, to me, inexplicable.

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diaryofayoungsapro-blog · 7 years ago

Video

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Entry 4: Day at Ikea, Schaumburg + The Cable Man

The day after L, her parents, brother, friends I and H, and I moved the furniture she had curated into our 2b 1ba apartment, L and I visited Ikea.

The Schaumburg Ikea is nothing short of glorious. It is a three-story building and has a great set-up. The video above is of my favorite feature in the store, a cart escalators! This was my first time seeing anything so glamorous; my home Ikea is single story complex.

By the time we had spent three or four hours there, we were hungry. I got my Ikea favorite, the kid’s menu Swedish meatballs, lingonberry juice, and a side salad. I was pleasantly surprised that Ikea offers a vegetarian version of Swedish meatballs. L is pescatarian and got those instead.

We spent a total of six hours and 600 USD at Ikea that day. We filled six carts full of things that we didn’t have, such as mirrors, desk chairs, kitchenware, rugs, pillows, blankets, nails, bathroom shelves, stools, and lights. My favorite deal was the kitchen twine, which I wrapped around one of my light cords to give more dimension. I’m looking forward to using the twine to cook Korean cornish hen soup, 삼계탕, another one of my favorite foods!

We miraculously jenga’d everything into L’s Honda Civic and drove home to meet the cable man. He was very friendly. We learned that he had set up the cable in our entire building a few years prior and is Mexican. He and his wife speak in Spanish at home and his oldest daughter is in nursing school.

The cable man asked us about how we came to live together and we chatted as he connected our unit to the internet server. It was a pleasant conversation until I told him that this was my first time in the city. He suddenly became very serious and told us about the gangs which reside in the South Side. He told us that because he was a darker skinned Hispanic man, he could go in and out of any building to do his job and wouldn’t be bothered. He warned us- I could get into big trouble too far South or West because of what I look like.

My good Ikea vibes dissipated. He was kind to tell me the truth about the high homicide rate in Chicago and what would likely befall me if I ventured too far from the North Side, but I didn’t really want to hear it. Who wants to acknowledge the ugliness of segregation? Who wants to admit high fatal crime rates exist? Who wants to talk more in depth about unattractive issues?

The cable man’s warning is a good one to keep in mind. As I learn the routes to work, school, and the Joule-Osco market, I’ll also have to learn where I shouldn’t be when it’s dark outside.

#personalsafety #chicago #cable #ikea #meatballs #graduate school #dark #twine

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thegoalissweden · 8 years ago

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My Trip To Stockholm

I recently took a trip to Stockholm, Sweden for 3 days while managing to spend only $150 USD (1350 SEK) and saw 8 museums. It was a last minute decision to head there but I planned it out ahead of time and really feel like I was able to make the best of my trip! Here is the breakdown:

How To Get There Someone suggested I check out a company called Nettbuss and after comparing their prices to all the other travel companies (flying, train, other bus companies) I realized that it was a great deal. I was able to book a round trip for $26 USD (238 SEK) using the student discount and it took 4 hours to get there. The bus leaves from the train station in the center of Jonkoping and arrives at Stockholm Center. The bus was surprisingly comfortable. It had free wifi, electrical sockets to charge cell phones, a bathroom on board and seemed to stay on the travel schedule extremely well. I will definitely be using this bus company again, not only because it’s a great price but was a comfortable ride as well.

Nettbuss: https://www.nettbuss.se/sok-kop/innan-resan/biljett-ticket

Accommodation I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to stay in an Airbnb or a hostel, but I knew I didn’t want an expensive hotel, especially since I would only be in the room at night to go to sleep. I decided on a hostel and used an app called Hostelworld.

I’ve never stayed in a hostel before so I was a little nervous to book a room in one, though I have to say I was happy with my experience. I opted for something in the middle price range at $20 USD a night (360 SEK for 2 nights), a female only 6 bed room and was located near the center of Stockholm where everything was easily accessible.

I stayed at Generator Stockholm and really liked it a lot! The company has a chain of hostels spread throughout Europe and this one happened to be it’s newest location, meaning it was in great condition and still new by the time I got there. It was an interesting experience sharing my room with 4 other strangers (my travel partner was also in my room). Everyone made an attempt to be respectful of others (ex: turning on lights, loud sounds, being quiet in the morning, etc.) Maybe I got lucky, who knows?

There’s a restaurant inside the hostel where I ate the best fries of my life. Seriously... the best fries. Of my life. I will forever dream about the meal I ate at that hostel. It was pricey though and I would only suggest eating one meal there unless you have loads of cash to throw around. They also had a lounge and coffee shop which had some seriously delicious morning pastries. I still remember my first bite into that cinnamon roll, it was that good! Overall, I highly suggest this hostel for it’s price, location and quality. i will be using them again without hesitation.

Generator Stockholm Hostel: https://generatorhostels.com/en/

Getting Around Town Stockholm offers an SLK Travel Card option that let’s you buy an unlimited card which allows you to travel on most transit options throughout the city, including buses, trains, ferries and trams. Originally I was going to get the 72 hour pass but decided that I only needed it for 24 hours. This was because many attractions were much closer than I’d originally thought and I was able to walk to most of them without the use of transportation. Don’t let the maps of Stockholm fool you - that water passage is actually a really tiny bridge that takes 3 minutes to walk across.

My hostel conveniently sold the bus passes at the reception desk for $9 USD (80 SEK) with my student discount, though they can also be purchased at the bus station. However, please note that if you are willing to spend time walking everywhere it’s quite possible to skip the pass altogether.

SLK Travel Card: http://sl.se/en/fares--tickets/

Things To Do I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on this trip because I wanted to prioritize my funds for other locations (sorry, Stockholm). However, this didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy myself! They actually offer a lot of free things to do in the city, including a free walking tour of Old Town and quite a few museums with free entry. I did pay for two museums, including the Vasa Museum (a must see when visiting Stockholm - $13 USD or 120 SEK with student discount) and the Royal Palace which actually included three museums in the ticket price ($9 USD or 80 SEK). I also picked up a free map (they are everywhere in the city, and I mean everywhere) and made an itinerary the night before so that I could plan an efficient travel route and not waste a lot of time wandering around. Unfortunately, the GPS on my iPhone was wrong a lot of the time and I didn’t have wifi so I had to rely on my travel partner a lot to use her Google Maps and data. In total, I saw 8 museums in three days, including:

The Vasa Museum - A 300 year old ship that is considered one of the best restorations in the world because it’s 98% original.

The Medieval Museum - Interesting information about the medieval history of Stockholm.

The Mediterranean Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities - One of my favorite visits! It has genuine Egyptian artifacts (mummies, Book of the Dead, etc.) and other mediterranean style history.

The Royal Armoury - A collection of clothes and fashion design throughout the centuries from the Royal Palace.

The Hallwyl Collection - This was less of a museum and more of a preserved apartment that is lavishly decorated, but still one of my top favorites from this trip!

The Royal Apartments - Over 30 rooms which have been used throughout the centuries. Even though they all look (and smell) old, apparently important visitors (for example, the Canadian Prime Minister) still stay in the rooms when coming to town.

The Treasury - I wasn’t allowed to take photos inside of this really small museum, so I took one of the entrance. There were only a few objects on display (less than 20?) but all were sparkly and presumably extremely expensive... things like crowns and jewels.

The Tre Kronor Museum - What’s cool about this museum is that it includes a lot of the original building foundation from centuries ago and also tells the story of how half the palace burned down in a fire before it was rebuilt.

Museums with free entry: http://www.visitstockholm.com/en/See--do/Guides/museums-with-free-entry/

The Vasa Museum: http://www.vasamuseet.se/en/visit

Free Subway Art Tour Although I didn’t get to see it, Stockholm is decorated with graffiti art in their underground subway for miles. All you need is an SLK card (see above) and you can either take the subway routes provided in the link or join a free walking tour of the “art exhibits.” I did have a hard time finding out where the tour begins and what the times were, which is a big reason why I didn’t take a look at the art. Maybe next time when I feel like I have more time I’ll just wander the subway systems.

Art In The Subway: http://www.visitstockholm.com/en/See--do/Attractions/art-in-the-subway/

Free Walking Tour Check the schedule before you plan your trip because tours are not offered every day. I happened to arrive on a day where there was a free walking tour of Old Town in English and made sure I caught it! I wouldn’t say we had the most eloquent tour instructor, but hey it was free and we did get a good introduction of the Gamla Stan district aka Old Town Stockholm. Free Walking Tour: http://freetourstockholm.com/free-tours/old-town-tour/

Photo was taken in Old Town during the Free Walking Tour - it was actually dark out as the tour started at 4 pm.

Food I’d heard that eating out in Stockholm was expensive, and for the most part I found that to be true. I was really careful not to spend too much money eating out there where the average lunch price is $12 USD (120 SEK) and dinner can be $16 USD (150 SEK) or more. I don’t wanna pay that price two times a day! So, I’ll just keep it simple and post a list of tips I found (and successfully used) while researching the trip. My goal was to spend $10 per meal with a $40-$50 USD (450 SEK) food budget. With some discipline, I’d say I was able to achieve this goal.

Basic rules if you want to eat cheap in Stockholm: 1. The best deals are during lunch. So if you want to visit a fancy restaurant – do it before 14.00. 2. Stay away from Gamla Stan, City and Slussen. You find better deals in other parts of town. 3. Best bang for the buck are often thai food and kebab. Not very swedish, but hunger feels no boundaries. 4. If you ever get close to Ikea – eat there. They practically give swedish meatballs away.

Found on TripAdvisor (https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g189852-i233-k4784110-Budget_Friendly_Low_Cost_Restaurants_Needed-Stockholm.html)

Overall... I’d say that all the museum visits and exploring the city gave me a deeper understanding of Sweden and especially Stockholm. I would suggest waiting until it’s a little warmer out to visit because some attractions were closed in the winter (like the Castles and gardens) and also because it was cold, yall. Still a fun 3-day trip!

My travel buddy, Cat.

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easyfoodnetwork · 4 years ago

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What to get in the drinks aisle of an international grocery store? Consider these. I’ve always found joy in the little things in life — the smell of a new book, blank stationery, and a small soft drink carton waiting for me in the fridge. I never outgrew these joys, and I invested in my soft drink passion especially. I know, I know, there is a common trope about millennials who infantilize themselves because society won’t let them buy houses and save money, and I agree! But the quest for gourmet soda is particularly exciting. The reward? A salve at the end of the day. As my journey in life takes me to more and more international grocery stores, I’ve ventured farther into the beverage aisles, and when the cool air of the fridge hits my face, I edge closer to the fluorescent light and reach toward the cold carton, bottle, or can of a new or familiar joy. Sure, you can always get something alcoholic, but for those of us who don’t want to exacerbate our GERD (hello, 30s), are addicted to sugar, or don’t want to spend more than $5, there is the wonderful world of speciality soft drinks. First, some general tips: 1) Find an international grocery store or immigrant-owned bodega Chances are you won’t find specialty sodas and juices at Target or Walmart unless they’re manufactured by an American brand. Look up Japanese, Korean, South Asian, Middle Eastern, Mexican, and Chinese grocery stores (or any other kind!) in your area. While you’re there, pick up some pantry staples and make sure you’re respectful of the other shoppers. If you live by an immigrant-owned bodega, take a closer look at their shelves. 2) Don’t be a coward Just because you can’t read the language on the packaging of a drink, and just because you’ve never had it before, doesn’t mean it’s a mystery of the vast unknown. Be brave! You could end up discovering your holy grail drink! And if you hate it, that’s also okay. It’s not going to cost you much to find out. If you’re really curious, though, there’s sometimes an import sticker that states what it is in English. 3) Look for the beverages in the fridge and on the shelves There are instances when those working the stores haven’t had the time to fill up the fridge. Be mindful of stacked cartons or bottles around the store, where potential new favorites could be hiding out. Other kinds of drinks will be placed not in the fridges but on dry shelves in the interior of the store. 4) Once you find a favorite, take a picture of the packaging Be sure to take a picture of something you really liked for future visits and file it into a folder on your phone — it’ll help you repurchase your favorites and also prevent any mix-ups between similarly shaped or designed bottles. The ones to know: Here are very few of my personal favorites, split into the categories of “fruity” and “milky.” Fruity drinks are evergreen, but especially appropriate for the times when you want the feeling of summer. Milky drinks are a little more substantial, better suited for the days when you’re craving something closer to a dessert. Fruity Suntory honey lemon My holy grail of fruity drinks. I have only had the luck of having this once in my life, and I have been searching for it ever since. Achieving the perfect balance of sweet and sour, it feels familiar (because it’s honey and lemon) but also completely new because it doesn’t remind you of that familiar cold/flu combo. Like all excellent soft drinks, it has a sophistication from the first to the last sip. Taisun winter melon drink Winter melon (aka white gourd) is popular in Taiwan and has got to be the best double agent of all time. In its raw form, it tastes pretty neutral, which makes it well-suited as a savory vegetable dish. Once you add sugar to its juices, though, it transforms, giving off burnt caramel notes that makes it the most dessert-like fruit drink maybe ever. It’s in my top five of all time. I have consumed plenty of Taisun cans, and I hereby encourage everyone to try my regular boba order (winter melon tea with salty foam) if it’s your first time. Suntory Gokuri grapefruit Again with another heavyweight, Suntory offers us Gokuri. As well as having the sexiest packaging (aluminum tinned bottles, generous girth, amazing colors and design), it also is the best citrus soda. Its grapefruit and cassis an orange flavors are clear winners, and the peach flavor is also good (though I usually prefer a non-carbonated peach). Rubicon Sing it with me now: lychee, mango, guava, passionfruit. If my childhood were a table, these four would be its legs. Though these drinks are common in the U.K., they’re a little harder to come by in NYC, where I’m located now. Somewhere in between juice and lassi, Rubicon’s drinks are sweet, thick in consistency, and truly a delight to all those who have an affinity for — yes — lychee, mango, guava, and passionfruit. Get them anywhere you can, most likely at a South Asian grocery store, and for the love of god, don’t buy the sparkling versions. San Pellegrino prickly pear and orange The blood orange flavor of these foil-wrapped cans gets a lot of airtime with soft drink enthusiasts, but o-ho! Let me tell you about the rare and best flavor of San Pellegrino. Prickly pear, also known as nopal, is a cactus that can be used in savory cooking but also eaten as a fruit. This flavor sets itself apart from other San Pellegrino varieties in that it doesn’t taste as artificial, which is hard to achieve with carbonated sodas. Bruce Cost jasmine green tea ginger ale I never really understood the love for ginger ale until I tried Bruce Cost’s. With other ginger ales, the ginger is too strong, or the sugar too sweet to counteract the ginger, but the beauty of Bruce Cost’s ginger ale is that it’s infused with flavors that you wouldn’t think would work — and yet they do. Jasmine green tea is amazing all by itself, but with the ginger ale flavor, it’s a perfect union. Ikea elderflower drink/Belvoir elderflower presse or cordial Elderflower is popular around northwestern and central Europe, and has a distinctly elegant taste that is a heavy-hitter by itself and with cocktails. If your store has a specialty shelf dedicated to the friends across the pond, you may have some luck in finding Belvoir, an elderflower cordial popular with us Brits. If not, perhaps you can scoop a carton or bottle of “Dryk Flader” next time you’re at Ikea trying to satisfy your meatball craving. Suanmeitang (Chinese sour plum juice) If, like me, your only experience of plum juice is to fix some… uh… bowel issues, then I understand the hesitation with trying suanmeitang. But this is an all-around winner: a sweet, sour, and very slightly salty plum juice, in an adorable bottle, that, yes, helps with digestion — because bowel movement is important! Grow up! You can likely find suanmeitang at most Chinese grocery stores. Milky Vitasoy black sesame If you’ve ever been to HMart or an East Asian supermarket, you might have seen these cartons in a variety of colors to denote different flavors. But nothing reigns more supreme than the black sesame flavor: A milky backdrop complements the nuttiness of the black sesame and makes for a great drinkable dessert. Marusan Hojicha milk tea Milk tea is tea leaves steeped in milk in various combinations. You have oolong, darjeeling, and other forms (which I encourage you to try if you haven’t), but hojicha is my personal favorite. Hojicha is the more elegant sister of matcha: Whereas matcha leans more fresh and grassy, hojicha is the roasted version, and provides a deeper and earthier flavor. I recommend finding hojicha leaves and having them for hot tea (or finding sachets for a hojicha instant latte), but if you want a soothing cold version, hojicha milk tea in the carton is unbeatable. Marusan’s uses soy milk, which helps with any lactose intolerance. Yakult probiotic drink A legend, an icon. Nothing can replace the tangy sweetness of this watery liquid. She mainstreamed and we still love her. Does she actually help with good gut bacteria? Do we care either way? T.Grand Assam milk tea Assam tea is produced in Assam, India, and it’s a pretty singular black tea flavor. It tastes a little bit like fragrant burnt sugar or earthy caramel. Adding milk nestles that flavor into your palate and imparts an astounding flavor somewhere between creamy and fruity, floral and nutty. It has crisp notes, much like oolong, but the taste itself is rounded out. I prefer T.Grand’s version, partly because of its “My Way My Life My Milk Tea” caption on the cartons (damn straight!), but UCC has Assam milk tea too. Bikkle yogurt drink For those who need a little more of Yakult, and the tiny bottles simply don’t hit, we have Bikkle’s yogurt drink. Much like Calpis, it’s a yogurt drink that tastes less like lactose and more like a kind of sugar that does something to the pleasure center of the brain. It has a better taste and consistency than Calpis, and does not give me a tummy ache, so it’s a win all-around. • Get Yourself a Specialty Soda, as a Treat [E] from Eater - All https://ift.tt/3fh1oJh

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