#I used to go hiking with my family more and got a bunch of trinkets like the jaw bone (I think) of a deer

[nervocat]

we could go on nature walks together but 💔💔💔

OMG DEVIL THAT'D BE SO FUN WHAT. I ACTUALLY LOVE GOING ON NATURE WALKS :33

[hailxhydra]

the more you say (the less I know)

By @hailxhydra​ for @iwritedumbshit​

via @friendly-neighborhood-exchange

Rating: Gen

Relationships: Tony Stark & Peter Parker, Steve Rogers & Peter Parker

Characters: Peter Parker, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers

Summary:  TONY STARK IS DEAD. The words were plastered on the front page of every newspaper across the world. Tony Stark, the resident genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist, was dead. Completely, irrevocably, unchangeably, dead.

Or was he?

OR

After the events of Endgame, Peter Parker decides he has to go back in time to save his mentor’s life, finds out that Tony wasn’t everything Peter thought he was, and chaos ensues.

“You sure about this, kid?” Steve asked Peter, coming up from behind him to clasp his hand on his shoulder. Looking out into the crystal clear lake and the surrounding forest, Peter gulped, trying to get rid of that unsettling feeling at the bottom of his stomach bubbling up until it overflowed, and he broke down right in front of everyone.

“What?” he said, swallowing the lump at the back of his mouth. Turning to face Steve, he shook off the hand on his shoulder, which immediately went straight into the pockets of his black pants. He glared at Steve, though obviously not in a malicious way. He was met back with a blank stare. The impassiveness of it was relieving; Peter didn’t need any more emotion from anyone, let alone the person who had abandoned his mentor for years, without a goodbye, nor some contact information. The bleak, vacant gaze held a sort of comfort for him, being something steady, something that he could hold on to while all around him, there was chaos. It was a lifeboat.

“Look, we’ve all been there. Believe me, I know what it feels like. I was in ice for seventy years. I lost everyone. But I had people to help me through it. You do, too. You don’t have to do this.”

“What’re you trying to get at?” he blatantly asked, rolling his eyes and turning back to the lake, the calm lake, the lake that had absolutely no problems, the lake that was steadfast and balanced, the lake that was everything that Peter wanted to be. “Are you implying that I might do something? I can’t change what happened either way, what with the implications, plus, the Grandfather Paradox is a bunch of bullshit, it just creates an alternate timeline, like with blue robot lady one and two, and anyway, how would that work without any local quantum interference? It’s crazy, I mean like-”

“I’m not talking about the science behind it. I can’t know what you think, but, looking from the outside, it is pretty clear what you want to do. Now, I don’t know if anyone else realizes it, and maybe it’s just because we’re so similar that I would have taken the same line of action, but you have family here. People who care about you. Just, spend a few minutes mulling over your decision. You have to be completely sure before you do anything drastic,” Steve said, starting to walk away after he was done.

“You’re really big on monologues, aren’t you? It’s a very 40s vibe you give off!” Peter called after him, a smile gracing his face in this tough moment. Steve just made a peace sign in return, his back still facing him, and continued his conversation with Sam. He looked around, taking in the serenity of the lake house. Tony had bought it during the Blip, so Peter had never gotten around to seeing it with him. He quietly stepped inside, making sure not to make any noise as to give away his position. He wanted solitude, without anyone barging in every few minutes to check in on him, or to offer him some juice, or to whack his head with a newspaper (although that last one was mainly Sam and Bucky, and he didn’t know from where they even got the endless supply of newspapers).

The inside was nice. A change of scenery from the dark outfits everyone wore outside. Built almost entirely of walnut wood, the lake house served as a reminder that he would never get those five years back. The five years, in which everything had changed. He wondered if May had gotten dusted, too. If she had gotten married again, or had a kid. They didn’t have much time before the funeral to catch up, always being whisked away to talk to one person or another. He led his fingers across the panels of wood, taking in the peacefulness inside. Feeling a presence creeping up behind him, he swiveled around to punch the person in the gut. He widened his eyes when he realized who it was.

Bucky Barnes, aka the Winter Soldier, aka the White Wolf, aka the most dangerous man on Earth, was keeling over, hands on his midsection, looking like he was about to puke.

“OhmygoshI’msosorry,” Peter rushed, hands outstretched, but stopping in mid-air, as if he was rethinking his decision to help him up.

“Come on, kid. Why do you have to do that to a hundred-year-old man? Ever heard of ‘respect your elders’?” he groaned, stabilizing himself by putting his hands on Peter’s shoulders and lifting himself up.

Peter felt his cheeks heat up and turn scarlet before muttering a small, “I said I’m sorry.”

“What I came here to say was before you so rudely knocked me over, was that I think Bruce is firing up the machine. He wants you to suit up and get ready. It’ll be ready any time now,” Bucky said, giving a Chesire cat-like grin before turning away to talk to someone Peter didn’t know.

Peter laughed and shouted, “That wasn’t a good pun at all!”

Bucky looked back at him, gave him the middle finger, and yelled back, “I’m a hundred-year-old assassin, give me a break!”

Peter shook his head and turned to look at the suit in his hands. The suit itself was grey, with streaks of red running down it (the Avengers were very fashionable, to say the least). It had a leathery texture, but not quite leather; it was comfortable, yet effective at the same time. Most importantly, it would protect him from the quantum energy and radiation that came with time travel.

Looking at it, Peter felt unworthy, but, wearing it, he felt like he could do anything that he ever wanted. He felt like he was an Avenger. It wasn’t like anything else in the world. It was special. It was distinctly his, not anyone else’s; his.

“My wittle spidey is all gwown up now!” May exclaimed, smiling at Peter in his new time-traveling suit.

“May, I’m not a baby!” he pouted, stomping his feet on the ground, purposely acting immaturely. “I’m not your ‘wittle spidey’! I’m a grown-up kid!”

“Whatever, it’s fine. Just come with me. They’re all ready for your big superhero entrance.”

Getting there was a long hike. For some absurd reason, Bruce had decided to put the time travel machine smack in the middle of a dense forest, and it took quite a while, even in his super suit, to reach the destination.

“Peter? You ready?” Bruce (Professor Hulk) asked. He put his big green hand on his shoulder, and Peter felt something break there.

He suppressed a cry and said weakly, “Yeah.”

“You sure about that? One of us could do it.”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

Bruce gave a soft smile and led Peter over to the launching pad.

“So what do I have to do again?” he asked.

“Just stand there. Make sure you’re holding the stones and the hammer. You need to return those things at the exact time they were taken. If you don’t, it’ll-”

“Create another timeline, I know. That’s all I have to do. Just return the stones. To the right time. Okay, let’s do this.”

He stretched out his hands and legs and went to go and stand at the pad. Surveying the crowd, he caught a certain someone’s eye. Steve took off his hat, bowed down, and smiled at him. He gave a small thumbs up to Peter, reassuring him that this was the right decision. Peter cleared his throat, nodded a few times, and gave Bruce the signal.

“Five… four… three… two… one.”

“How long will it take?” Sam asked. “I need a break.”

Bruce looked at his monitor in confusion. Typing something into it, he showed Sam the calculations. Sam just raised his eyebrows.

“I’m not some science genius. You’re going to have to explain it to me.”

“He was supposed to come back in two seconds. He should’ve been back by now.”

“What?” he asked, although there wasn’t anything he could do, and he knew that. Steve smiled a bit and turned around to face the wilderness. Unfortunately, this action did not go unnoticed by Bucky. He lunged towards him and pulled him up by the collar. He raised his eyebrows to his hairline and gave Bucky a bewildered look.

“What did you do?” he threatened. Steve gave a smirk and raised his hands, surrendering. He shrugged (which was really hard, given Bucky was still holding onto his collar), and slowly took Bucky’s hands off of him. Once they were completely off (and into his jacket’s pockets), Steve huffed.

“I did nothing, Buck. It was his decision, not mine.”

“Will you tell us where he is?” Sam asked, coming up from behind them. Steve simpered, looking Sam straight in the eye.

“No, I’d rather not.”

“I know you did something you little piece of-”

December 16, 1990 || New York City

The streets of New York City were bustling with people trying to do last-minute Christmas shopping, the shops illuminated with strings of Christmas lights. Although the rain dampened the mood (in more ways than one), the crowd hurried from store to store, trying to acquire the perfect gift for their friends and family, brightening the otherwise bleak scene.

The women, clad in their voguish outfits of pantsuits and tinted oval sunglasses, directed their tired husbands to different toy stores, presumably to buy a set of some knick knacks and trinkets for their children. The little boys and girls dragged their mothers and fathers to various windows, pointing at the numerous playthings propped up in the front.

The teenagers, dressed in baggy sweatpants and flannel jackets and too many chains to look good, looked bored as hell, and were smoking in some neglected corner in the adjacent alleyway. They laughed, sending puffs of smoke billowing into the atmosphere, seeming so carefree in that small moment.

Muffled conversations could be heard throughout the streets, though no one was paying much attention to the stifled voices, choosing to focus on the more fortunate aspects of life. A man, speaking into his phone in hushed whispers, hugged his briefcase tight to his chest and sent out panicked glances if anyone came in close proximity to him. A woman, an unlit cigar hanging from her mouth, clutched her handbag, a small purse dog whining in it, and grinned at any unsuspecting young man that came near her. A young couple, looking like they were physically connected to each other, walked along the jam-packed street, sneaking in kisses as if they weren’t allowed to be seen in public with one another. There were, in total, at least a few hundred people in that small street, all trying to get away from the stress of day-to-day life.

Although it was a lighthearted scene down on the streets below the towering skyscrapers, the rain poured down onto the throng of people, the immense clouds covering the full moon, giving the place an eerie aura.

In an alleyway off to the side of the square, Peter dazedly woke up, scratching his eyes, just recovering from the gripping experience of time traveling. He had returned the infinity stones to their particular places and time periods. The soul stone to Vormir in 2014, the Tesseract to that old SHIELD laboratory in 1970, the time stone to the Sanctum and the Ancient One in 2012, the power stone to Morag, the Aether to Asgard in 2013, and the mind stone to the oblivious Hydra agents at the Avengers Tower in 2012. So, as you can see, it had been a really long day for Peter.

He groaned and raised his hands, only to find them covered in dirt and some wet, slimy substance he couldn’t remember the name of. It wasn’t just his hands; the whole alleyway was covered in this substance.

“Ew,” he groaned, making sure not to be loud, so that the horde of people wouldn’t see him. That would cause multiple complications in Peter’s plan, probably resulting in him being sent to an orphanage because they couldn’t find his parents. It could also be more drastic and he could end up in some government facility because his name wasn’t on any of their rosters. He might also have been classified as an alien, and that would definitely thwart his mission.

The pitter patter of the rain woke Peter up from his delusional fantasy, and, putting his palms on the damp, muddy ground, he stood up. Tip toeing out of the alley, he surveyed his surroundings in order to make sure no one was watching him, and wandered out onto the street. People shouldered their way through the crowd, always looking behind their back to see if someone was following them. Peter did the same, though for different reasons than them.

He walked along the street for a while, getting whisked away by the crowd. There wasn't really a place to go for him right now, so he just wandered around, window shopping (though he had absolutely no money), trying not to think about the past Christmas he spent with Tony, eating food until they threw up, and opening the presents they gifted each other, Rhodey, Pepper, and Aunt May.

There were a lot of… characters on the road. Some of them smiled at him very creepily, staring at him as though he were something enjoyable to eat for supper, and others were confused as to why a child, dressed up in a weird suit without his parents, was solemnly walking along the boulevard - Halloween had passed two months ago, and it was now Christmastime. One couple was kind enough (or evil enough) to hand him a Hershey’s chocolate bar. Not those bite-sized little ones that Peter used to get from Delmar’s or that one grocery shop in Queens. This one was king-sized. It could’ve lasted Peter at least a month if he were back in Queens in his apartment.

A sense of dread overtook him. The mission. He couldn’t fail it. No, he had to prove to himself that he was ready.

But what if he wasn’t?

He pushed his way through the mob of people. They stared back at him, eyes wide in shock. He didn’t care. He sprinted all the way across the road to the other side of it, shoving away the people who got in the way. He reached the empty wall, feeling the bile rise in his throat.

He puked onto the wall. The people moved away from him. His heart pounded in his chest. Blood throbbed in his ear. Holding onto the wall, he sobbed. The world seemed to turn fuzzy, and everything he saw was distorted, as if he were in a VR game that was malfunctioning. The wall in front of him turned wobbly. Instead of a straight wall, it was now a curved structure. The ground underneath him seemed to give out. He was falling. He was falling to his death. He couldn’t speak. He couldn’t call for help. No one wanted to help him. Another round of bile seemed to erupt from him, and he puked even more of his lunch onto the wall. The world was ending. The world was ending, and he couldn’t do anything about it.

He couldn’t save people from dusting. It was his responsibility to save them. People were counting on him, and he let them all down. He let Mary and Richard down. He let Ben down. He let Aunt May down. He let Mr. Stark down.

He could hear people in the distance, calling for help. He also heard an indistinct sound of laughter. A familiar sound. This sound, unlike the multiple other people screaming, he knew. He knew this sound.

“Mr Stark?” he mumbled from force of habit, pausing to throw up for the third time. All the sound ceased. The tears didn’t, though. They continued flowing in wet, fiery streaks down his cheeks. He could see the crowd make a partition, though his vision was seriously warped. A teenager, probably around his age, walked through the space. He could hear the crowd whispering and pointing at him, although the other man paid no attention. He had to squint his eyes to see him, choking back a sob. He couldn't embarrass himself more than he already did. He cried violently, and the man crouched down and cocked his head to the side. Almost, but not quite, as if he was observing him. As if he was some experiment in a glass cage.

He sobbed harder, and he retched, wishing something would come out so the man would move away from him. The man just tilted his head to the other side and squinted his eyes. He looked at all the other people and shooed them away, and they obliged. Peter and the man were left in solitude, a small sort of bubble forming around them, giving them some peace and quiet.

“How do you know me?” he asked in a low, menacing voice that made Peter cry even more.

“I don’t know!” he bawled. “I’m sorry!”

The man picked Peter up by the arm and looked him straight in the eye. He couldn’t see well through the tears in his eyes, but the man looked truly scary. He heard some shouts in the background, cheering the man on. He grunted and threw Peter onto the ground, walking away to his group of friends.

Peter tried to pull himself up, but, through his severe panting and sobbing, he could not sit upright. He then resorted to lying on the murky ground (on which there were some questionable substances). Gasping for air, Peter tried to calm down.

Key word: tried.

The tears never stopped flowing. The memories didn’t, either.

Memories of Mary and Richard. Of how his last words to them were, “I hate you!”’ before they boarded that damn plane.

Memories of Ben. Of how he died in his arms, bleeding out from the gunshot wound, while he couldn’t do anything to save him.

Memories of how he left Mr. Stark for five years. Five freaking years. And, just as he came back from the dead, Mr. Stark had to go and sacrifice himself for the universe.

Lying there, on the ground, the crowd walking around him to avoid stepping on the child, he fell into a deep sleep, unbothered by the disgusted looks thrown at him by the supposedly “posh” people of New York City.

[sarah-blue-eyes]

2020 In Review

Hoo boy, here we go.

[Ok just before I begin. I had this queued to post in the first month of January but it doesn’t seem like that ever happened haha. Better late than never I suppose!]

So I am a nostalgic bitch, and since 2011, have loved to make memory boxes for each year, where I put trinkets and memories into a shoebox. This year I have continued that tradition, but I have also kept track of my happy memories throughout 2020 in my planner. This was done with the intention for me to upload a year-in-review sort of thing in hopes that maybe like, 3 people max on this god-forsaken site will read it. This sort of reminiscence was inspired by my friend @a-lbeit​, who has done these for a few years now and me, as a slut for nostalgia, was encouraged to do the same back in January (I think? What even is my memory at this point?)

2020, as it has been for many, was a very shit year, and I am no different. I would safely say that this year has undeniably been the worst I have lived through. But I am here. I am present. And I have made it through some of the darkest times to face 2021 with a new sense of hopefulness. Keeping track of my happier memories has been something that has truly got me through this clusterfuck of a year, so I am glad that I can finally go through them all again and share them with you.

Read it, or don’t, I don’t give a shit what you do with your time, but if you do, I hope that you aren’t bored to tears. And I hope to keep myself accountable to continue to do this for years to come.

Buckle up, grab a hot drink and a snack and get comfy, because this is a JOURNEY.

January:

· Kicked the new year off with hosting a 1920’s themed party with some of my closest friends at my family home at the beach. Had fun with drunk SingStar, playing What Do You Meme, creating a playlist with everyone’s top 3 songs of the decade (it was a bangin’ playlist I must say), and just overall drinking too much and having a riotous time

· I remember going to the beach New Year’s Day (as is tradition in Australia) and playing ultimate frisbee in the shallows and completing a crossword puzzle on the sand (I am a 75-year-old woman, it is just a fact of life)

· I also had my friend Kirsten from South Australia stay with me for the New Year’s period and it was lovely to have a guest over! I haven’t spoken to her much this year, she sort of fell off the face of the planet, but I hope she is doing ok.

· Went town to Torquay (a beach town in Victoria) for the 6th time for Beach Mission, which is essentially a holiday program for kids in preschool-year 9 where we run activities for them. It’s a Christian-based program but the aim isn’t to convert the kids or anything like that, it’s more to show God’s love to them through our actions and how we as Christians live our lives. It’s also a convenient way for parents to dish their kids off for a few hours too haha. This was my final year of being a part of this program, and I am so pleased to have made so many memories and (hopefully) impacted many children’s lives during my time there

· I remember going on a late-night beach walk with my boyfriend Josh, talking about what the year had in store for us. We were just sitting on the beach, as you do, and I saw a shooting star. I can’t remember what I wished for (if anything) but in that moment, life was a dream.

· The week after beach mission I started at my new internship! It was for a place called KidsCo, who run school holiday programs at workplaces, so parents don’t need to take time off work to look after them. I helped with client relations and a lot of behind-the scenes stuff. I really loved it there

· On the very first day of my internship I remember there was torrential rain, and the train home was delayed by like, an hour or so lol

· One of the best parts about interning at KidsCo was that they were the official child-minding service for the Australian Open. I make an effort to go each year, but I was lucky enough to get free ground-entry for me and a guest for the duration of the event. I went quite a few times and got to take my mum and Josh along as well.

· Saw my only concert of the year, The Veronicas, at the Australian Open. When I say the moment the violin riff at the start of Untouched absolutely went the fuck off is an understatement. Grade 5 me would have cried (and 23 year old me did a little bit too tbh.) Yet another of one of my “all-time-favourite-songs” that I’ve had the pleasure of hearing live. (I also went through the year feeling sad that this was the first time in 11 years I hadn’t gone to a concert, but this one certainly fell through the cracks)

· Started planning my trip to the UK to see my twin sister, and best friend, Jess

· Went away to Rye for the Australia Day weekend #changethedate. An excellent time with excellent mates, and went to the beach pretty much every day and got mindlessly sloshed every night

· Listened to the Triple J Hottest 100. I think 4 of my picks made it in, which was pretty good

· Continued my job as the office manager/events coordinator at my church

February:

Basketball started back after the summer break for my two different teams, The Vikings and The Wildcats (honestly such a highlight of this year with how the rest of it ended up going)

As a team-bonding activity at KidsCo we hired a boat for a few hours and I got more drunk that I had been for a while. It was a very fun time jetting down the Yarra, waving drunkedly at the people jogging by

For Valentine’s day Josh and I had an indoor picnic with our favourite food! The weather was shit for Feb, hence the indoor nature of the picnic

Saw Shrek the Musical with two of my closest pals, Bec and Katie (I honestly forgot that this happened in 2020 hahaha) but it was ICONIC

Had a Jackbox night with The Boys

Had my cousin Amy from England over for dinner! I hadn’t seen her in 5 or 6 years, so it was so lovely to connect again like no time had passed at all

Went to Healesville Sanctuary, a lovely conservation park which focuses on preserving and educating its visitors about Australian animals, with Amy

 Went to mini-golf for a friend’s birthday on the leap day. He technically celebrated his 6th birthday which was excellent

Saw Cody Ko and Noel Miller live with Bec and Katie

Finished working at the church office to make room for the potential job opportunity at KidsCo

March:

Ahhh March, you shitstorm of a month. This is where everything started going downhill.

The first thing of note that happened this month was me injuring my ankle at basketball, which had me out of action for a few weeks. It was especially bad because I was nearing the end of my internship and was hoping to do my best work so that I would be chosen to stay on as an employee, but had to take a week or so off to rest my ankle. My ankle would continue to be tender and sore for most of the rest of the year

Went away for the Labour Day long weekend with the family

Finished up my internship at KidsCo. Honestly was lead to believe that I would be staying on as an employee and felt sort of betrayed after all the work I did for them, but whatever

 Had a party at Bec’s house to listen to Triple J’s Hottest 100 of the Decade. One of my favourite songs was number 1 which was a pleasant surprise

Went down to the holiday house for a few days just to have so me time and sort myself out

Animal Crossing New Horizons came out haha. Honestly was one of the highlights of this year though. I stayed up until midnight so I could download it as soon as it was available because that’s the sort of person I am  

Mum’s birthday dinner with Dani, one of my best friends, and her girlfriend Amy

Went for a hike at Sugarloaf Reservoir with Josh and got spooked by a mob of kangaroos

April:

My mental health started really taking a downward spiral this month for multiple reasons which I won’t get into here, but this is more a note to my past self to say that it will all be ok I guess? Idk I just felt like this needed to be here

Did my ankle badly again on Good Friday

Watched the Overwatch League live with my friends and just memed in the livechat lmao

WARNING - this is a bit TMI but I am going to share anyway since it was a big part of this year, and if you are reading this you are either a stranger or a good friend so I really don’t care lmao: This month I also started to get bad pains in my uterus, like, not period pains but deep, stabbing pains. This continued on for the next few weeks without me doing anything about it, except for increasingly getting stressed about it, although I will talk a bit more about this later.

Josh and I celebrated our 6th year together which was ~wholesome~

Called my friend Ashley from the US and just caught up. It was nice to see her face again. She is a good egg. I haven’t talked to her since but I really hope she’s ok.

May:

Watched Star Wars with Josh and his family for “May the 4th”

Started a volunteer job at Kivuli, a non-for-prophet that is based in Kenya, and started helping out with their website and social media stuff

Zoom movie time with my friends, we watched How To Train Your Dragon I think? Athough everyone was talking over the movie so I didn’t really get anything out of it

Played Scattergories (one of my favourite games) with Bec and Jess on zoom and just wrote really stupid and funny answers and I remember this being just what I needed

Went for a long walk with mum and one of her friends and her daughter on a track we don’t usually go on, which was a nice change of scenery

Went down to the holiday house for the first time in forever since restrictions were eased, at least for a little while lol, with the fam

Went to Portsea for a walk along the beach with Bec and her husband Trevor

Did an online trivia night that night with a big bunch of friends

Had a doctor’s appointment to see what was goin’ on down there. Honestly freaked that it could be something REALLY bad. Got booked in to have an ultrasound the next week, so at least I’d be finding out what was wrong soon.

The day after I got my results was the 21st of May, the day my mum and I were meant to be flying out to the UK to see my sister and her boyfriend. It was already hard enough a month or so before when I had to cancel my flight, but this day was so SO difficult. I can’t remember the last time I cried so hard. I am so blessed to have a boyfriend like Josh though. He was by my side the whole day, and held me as I cried. Oh man I am crying as I write this now, it was such a hard time but I know I will see my sister again.

And then the day after THAT whole ordeal was my birthday, which was meant to be spent in London with Jess but it turned out to be the first birthday we’ve had apart. This day was also hard, but made better by being with loved ones and having dinner at my grandma and grandpa’s house. Grandma’s roast potatoes make everything better.

Went to Geelong to see the other side of my family, it was so good to see my nan again. I love her very much.

Went to the Briars with Bec and went on a lovely nature walk and saw a lot of little wallabies and even an emu

Had an ultrasound and my pain turned out to be a 10cm wide cyst!!! So fun!!!!! Thank the heavens it wasn’t a child. I was so relieved. It is still in my body so that’s cute tho.

June:

Applied for a bunch of jobs, and even got a few interviews! Still no job.

The absolute highlight of this month, and maybe even the whole year, was going away to Lake’s Entrance and Yarram with mum, dad and Josh. It was so good to go to the country, I love country towns so much and the wildlife and nature is so beautiful in the eastern part of Victoria. If you ever get the opportunity I recommend going there!

We ate so much nice food and just relaxed. It wasn’t a perfect replacement for not going to Europe, but it was something at least.

Did more work for Kivuli which kept me busy

Went to Bec’s house to bake a cake. She came out to me as bi this day too, and the cake was coloured like the bisexual flag!

Started a short course through the university I went to in Facebook for Business. It was a great way to build up my skills.

Played Animal Crossing with Dani’s little sister, Tami, a very wholesome time

Looked after Josh’s dog Jed while his family went away for the weekend (also went into the start of July) and was honestly the greatest time

July:

Halfway through the year. Thank fuck.

Had another job interview

Went on lots of walks

Was just generally cold

Did a lot of cleaning

Painted the downstairs rooms at church, which took a few days and a lot of back pain, but it’s cool to think that I was able to contribute my energy and time to something while I was not feeling good at all

The restrictions were tightened again, meaning that I couldn’t go further than 5kms away from my house, except to see Josh, so this was a really lonely time for me.

Really got into Masterchef with mum this season. They had all returning contestants from other seasons so that was really fun to watch.

Got and assembled a new couch upstairs that I can say I actually own myself. I absolutely love it.

More walks, despite the cold

This was a very uneventful month, but that’s ok!

August:

Had a call with the hospital I’ll be having my cyst surgery with. It was good to know that things would be started. I had to have a blood test and a second ultrasound then put on the waiting list for surgery. Still no sign on when that will be happening though 6 months later. Just so lucky to live in Australia where all of these appointments are free.

Went for a really nice long walk with Josh. Got shat on by a bird.

Did lots of stuff around the house, just tidying and watering the plants and sorting through my wardrobe to purge all the clothes I grew out of

Had an online Switch games night with some friends which was fun. We played Smash Bros. and Mario Kart and just had a great time!

Ok this sounds super lame but my favourite podcast, The Jenna & Julien Podcast, finished forever which came as a surprise and was just really sad. I really hope it comes back one day.

Did my tax return lmao

Baked rice puff/marshmallow bar things

Made an ASOS order to fill my happiness with material things. Did get some cute clothes and lingerie tho 😉

More games with Bec and Jess, we played Golf With Your Friends this time

Had a cocktail night with Josh, where we just made a bunch of fun cocktails and got drunk. I can’t wait to live with him so we can do this all the time.

Lots of Kivuli work, as we are planning for our 10th anniversary fundraising event

September:

Baked cookies, which was something I did a lot at the start of lockdown but sort of drifted away from. I absolutely love to bake.

Started working for Media-Wize, a small PR company that was started by someone I know at church.

Started playing Among Us at the start of the month

So many Among Us nights omg, just call me queen impostor please

Did my induction for Media-Wize

Got  n e r v o u s  because I kept getting things wrong in my new job. I always seem to fuck up the good things and opportunities that I get

Did a livestream reading of The Great Gatsby on my friend’s Twitch stream. It was really fun and something I had never done before. I voiced Tom Buchannan, which was interesting but cool to sort of get into the character. I hope to do something like this soon.

I burnt my hair while cooking dinner and had to give myself a haircut lmao. It was the first time since 2018 that I had cut it so it was a long time coming anyway.

So much Media-Wize work. It felt good to finally be getting paid to do a job

Got locked out of my bathroom so I had to climb up the laundry chute to unlock it from the inside, all because a fly outsmarted me (it’s a long story… and honestly best told by speaking it)

October:

Had the Kivuli 10th anniversary livestream. Lots of work went into it and it was so much fun! It’s incredible that a non-for-profit that has benefitted so many children and families is still going strong. Such a blessing to see.

Dad’s birthday, and we had a picnic with grandma and grandpa and saw them for the first time since lockdown was somewhat lifted

Walked to Beasley’s nursery with Josh and got a coffee. This was the first proper, not McCafe coffee I had had in months and it was SO good

Played Animal Crossing with Dani

More Among Us, a theme for the last few months of 2020

Watched the AFL Grand Final. Wasn’t super exciting this year tbh, especially since we couldn’t have a BBQ or party or anything, but hopefully next year will be different

Nearly moved out of home with a friend of a friend, but since I didn’t have a job, didn’t think it would be a wise decision. Would’ve been nice though

Did some more Media-Wize work. I haven’t been given anything to do since this time though, so I don’t know what’s going on with that? They really be ghosting me tho.

Applied for JobSeeker so I would at least be getting a little income

New Jackbox came out, and had a games night with The Boys playing all the new games

Voted in the local election

Went to Westerfold’s Park with Josh for a lovely long walk

Played lots of The Sims 4 (but tbh I have been doing this all year)

November:

This month things sort of started to turn around, as Covid wasn’t hitting my state hardly at all, so I was actually able to see family and friends again!

Went to my old primary school with Dani and played basketball and just shot around and talked. She also came over for dinner. It was so nice, and she is a true friend.

Had a picnic at the park at the top of the street with my dad’s side of the family, all together at last

Melbourne Cup Day, not that I really care but it’s nice to get a day off. Went on a day trip to the Dandenong mountain range. It was so, so nice and bought some lovely little things from local shops, went for a bushwalk and had a bakery lunch

Went to the park to throw the frisbee and kick the footy around with Josh and his friends, although they are my friends too tbh

Had a picnic with a group of friends that I hadn’t seen since January, so it was so, so good to catch up with them and have a delicious BBQ dinner

My favourite online comedy group, Aunty Donna’s Netflix series came out! Had a virtual watch party with a few friends and binge watched it all in one go

Had lunch with grandma. This used to be a weekly occurrence but for obvious reasons was put off for this year. I absolutely adore her and every lunch we spend together is so precious to me

Went to Kyneton with some of the family as another day trip

Christmas shopping time again. So weird to be at the shops and feel sort of normal? I went 4 different times in the span of a week and a half haha

Josh’s birthday! We went to this maze place with has a bunch of big mazes and other fun activities. It was such a perfect day. Then we had dinner with his family.

Got a letter from the IRS saying that I needed to provide them with proof of identity, so that was fun trying to sort that out. We love the outdated US tax system <3

Went to a bridal shower for my friend Katie

Went for another hike with Josh to the mountains

Drove down to Geelong for a friend’s wedding and stayed at my nan’s house

Had a pub dinner and Jackbox night while down in Geelong with The Boys

A good friend of mine was leaving to live in Japan for two years, so I went to her house one last time to say goodbye and chill in her pool and just hang out

God why is it so hard to get a job?

December:

Omg we have made it to December. It truly is a miracle with how this year went tbh. And if you have read this far, thank you but also, how little of a life do you have?

Went to my friend Katie’s wedding. Sort of surreal to go to a wedding during a pandemic but it was fun and I got to see a lot of friends I hadn’t seen in a while

Enjoyed the hot weather and went to the beach a number of times with a variety of friends

Went Christmas shopping, and just shopping in general since it was safe to and shops had finally opened again

Got a job at a talent agency where you get gigs as a paid extra in TV shows and movies, which was pretty cool! I even had a professional photoshoot to get headshots done, something that I had never done before. Glad that I could get some pictures to use on LinkedIn though haha. Still haven’t been cast in anything but here’s hoping.

Had dinner and drinks with Josh, Bec and Trev in the city for the first time since it reopened. God I love Melbourne so much. It is just so magical on balmy summer nights. This was such a special evening, and was so good just to be in the city again

Had a lovely day with Dani, starting with breakfast and then going on a hike before the weather got too hot. We went to Sherbrooke Forest, a place I hadn’t been before, and it was incredibly beautiful

Had a number of job interviews this month too, none of which got back to me which was annoying :/

Now it was heading into the time where every weekend is packed with Christmas do’s so I’ll just collate them in this point. Lots of drinks were consumed and many delicious roast dinners

Had our annual Christmas Carol’s service at church. It was a blessing to be back in the building for the first time since March, and to be able to do something I love (singing) with some of my best friends was the best

Christmas eve I went to my grandma and grandpa’s house (on dad’s side) to help them set up for Christmas lunch. Spending time together just the three of us is so special, and I am so glad I was able to come over and just chat and be in their loving presence. Then that night I went to our 11pm church service to bring in Christmas day. It was a great service and was great to see our kick-ass minister give a sermon face-to-face.

Ok here we go, Christmas was a doozy, let’s go. So Christmas lunch was, as I said, with my dad’s side of the family, which is always a great time. Cracking open crackers and fighting over who’ll get the bottle opener or nail clippers is always a highlight haha. But we had the fucking best roast potatoes I swear. I need to know what my grandma puts into them because I could genuinely eat 20 of them and still have space. Then the rest of the afternoon was spent in a food coma until I went to Josh’s house to spend dinner with his family. Another delicious meal and great banter was what I needed, although I can safely say that I put on at least 5 additional kilos after that day.

The next day the fam and I headed to Geelong to see my mum’s side of the family. Was a great drive down and I listened to all of The Avalanches new album which had just released. Easily the greatest album of the yeah hands-down. So we spent lunch there and absolutely stuffed ourselves with more food. Three Christmas meals really took a toll on me, but I am just blessed as it is to have a loving family and food on the table.

The next day dad, Josh and I headed to the beach to spend that weird time between Christmas and New Year’s. To get there we took the ferry that goes from Queenscliff to Portsea, which is always a fun time, since we don’t often go from one side of the bay to the other (if you don’t know the geography of Victoria I apologise lmao). Mum didn’t come with us as she had some symptoms of Covid, so went home to isolate and get tested. Thankfully she tested negative and she joined us the next day.

Once I got back home I had to prepare the house for my friend Jono who was visiting for new years from SA. Many last-minute chores and cleaning was done haha.

New Years Eve! Went to pick up Jono and my other friend Sarah from the airport and dropped Sarah off at her accommodation and ended up staying there with Jono for a while as this was where the New Year’s party was going to be. Although, in true Victorian fashion, our premier announced that there was going to be a limit of 15 visitors at any house from 5pm that night. Excellent. We love a last-minute change of plans. So we had lunch and spent the afternoon at my friend’s house before heading to a local park to chuck the frisbee and kick the footy around. We also had our second annual NYE trivia competition, which my team lost by 1 point!! Dang I get so competitive, but we will win next year, I can feel it. The new year came through uneventfully, we were in the middle of a game of Scattergories or something like that when someone changed the channel on the TV to see the Sydney fireworks across the screen and like, 4 second left of the countdown. I gave Josh a bog ol’ smooch and gave my friends a big hug. We had done it. 2020 was defeated.

Conclusion (damn this really be an essay tho)

This year was undeniably the hardest year I had ever been through. Going through unemployment for the majority of the year and having no sense of purpose hit me hard but I am entering 2021 with the hope and willingness to get on track with my career. And I think I will be successful. A lot of truly awful things happened around the world this year as well, with the devastating bushfires at the start of the year, the powerful BLM protests, Coronavirus absolutely destroying lives and many, many other global events but through it all, here we are. I hope you all keep well this year and that your 2021 is infinitely better than your 2020.

Song of the Year: Tangerine – Glass Animals

Album of the Year: We Will Always Love You – The Avalanches (I CANNOT stress this enough, but you absolutely must listen to this album!)

TV Show of the Year: The Mandalorian - Season 2

Movie of the Year: Bombshell (the only movie I saw at the cinemas so didn’t have much to go with)

Memory of the Year: Going away with my family and just enjoying time away with each other

Thank you for reading this, if you’ve made it this far, you’re a real one <3

[ernmark]

more of the mag fics please!!! i love evil space dad

This past weekend, my Muse friend Kya came over to go hiking with me, and she helped me with a bunch of the fics I’ve been stuck on for half of forever. 

This is one of them.

Part 1 | Part 2

There are a few useful little trinkets hidden in the secret places of the apartment. Mag pockets a few, though he notices the conspicuous absence of guns and knives where they clearly used to be. His boy always was clever, even if he could get swept up in the heat of the moment sometimes. 

Speaking of which…

Since escape is, for the moment, impossible, Mag opts to spend his time collecting information. Or, in this case, listening at the door like a reporter for one of those tabloids.

“–do we do with him?” Peter asks, sounding miserable. 

“He’s your…” The detective makes a vague sound. “Whatever he is. What I’m trying to say is that it’s your decision. I’ll follow your lead.” 

There’s a long, bitter pause before Peter answers. “I can’t just turn him in. He’ll spend the rest of his life behind bars, Juno. Assuming they don’t send him back to Brahma.” 

“Do they know he was involved in what happened?” 

Of course they do. The constables scanned him before they sent for a cleanup crew. What they didn’t do was check for a pulse. 

Back then, New Kinshasa was robbed of a body to make a proper example of. If they get their hands on him now, they’ll make sure to rectify that, and thoroughly. The best he can hope for is a quick execution. Most likely it’ll be slow.

“I can’t.” Peter’s voice is muffled, like he’s talking through his hands. “Juno, I can’t…”

The detective’s voice is just as soft. “Then we don’t have to.”

There you have it. Problem solved. Wasn’t that easy, boys?

“But we can’t just let him go,” Peter says, and it stings to hear him say it. “You don’t know what he’s capable of.”

“I think I’ve got a rough idea, actually.” 

Their voices fade into murmurs. In his salad days, Mag might have been able to make out the words, but his hearing isn’t what it used to be. Besides, he isn’t entirely sure he wants to keep listening. 

It’s one thing to listen to two people debating whether he lives or dies– he’s done more than his share of that over the years, after all– but hearing Peter fall apart like this is more than his old heart can take. 

He’s far away from the bedroom door when it opens, but the detective eyes him warily when he steps out. Peter doesn’t join him. There’s a sound of a digital lock disengaging, a window scraping across its frame, and the slight creak of a body climbing onto the fire escape.

The meaning behind it isn’t lost on Mag: Peter would rather take the stairs down than cross through this room and talk to him again.

The detective grabs the bag and tosses it at him. “Put that on. We’re going for a ride.” 

He brings out a pair of handcuffs and starts moving closer. It’s a bad move. The boys may have taken Mag’s knives, but he’s got a ball-point pen in his pocket, swiped from a coffee cup by the windowsill. One well-aimed stab could drive it into the detective’s eye, and then he can just walk out of here at his leisure.

And with anyone else, he might do exactly that. A stranger’s life is a small price to pay for freedom, after all. But this is no ordinary stranger. This detective means something to Peter. 

“Is there any point to asking where you’re planning to take me?” he asks, allowing his hands to be hancuffed behind his back.

“The spaceport,” the detective says gruffly. “You’re going to take the first ship off Mars, and you’re never coming back. You got that?”

“That might be difficult without my passport–” 

“Peter’s getting it from your office.”

“How do you know–”

“It was in the hidden compartment in the third drawer, under the ledgers. What, did you think I wouldn’t search the place while you were unconscious?” 

“I can see why he likes you.” The world goes dark as the bag is pulled tight over Mag’s head. His beard catches unpleasantly on the rough burlap. 

“Don’t,” Juno growls, his voice slightly muffled by the burlap. 

“Is he meeting us at the spaceport, then?” 

The detective doesn’t answer him, or any of his questions on the ride to the spaceport. There’s nothing but a stony silence until the bag is pulled off his head. 

“This is your stop,” the detective says, unlocking the remaining handcuffs. Half of the sets are already scattered across his seat– Mag had to do something with his hands all this time, after all. As soon as he’s free, the detective shoves Mag’s passport into his hands. “There’s a ship heading to Betelgeuse within an hour. You’re going to be on it, or so help me God–”

“Isn’t Pete coming to send me off?” Mag asks.

“No.” 

“Come now, don’t I at least get a goodbye from my boy?”

Suddenly the detective is in his face, his eye blazing. “Listen up, you parasite. The fact that you’re family is the only reason you’re here right now, and not rotting in a prison cell. He doesn’t owe you shit. And I swear to God, if you make him regret doing this for you, I will make you regret it. Do you understand me?”

It’s a struggle for Mag to keep his expression neutral. “I think you’ve made your position pretty clear.” 

“Then get the hell out of my city.” 

To Mag’s credit, he does leave Hyperion City, though he doesn’t take the first ship offworld. The one he books brings him to Olympus Mons, and to the modest haul he has stashed away in the basement of a florist’s shop.

If he’s going to be a part of Peter’s life, he’s got preparations to make first.

He pulls out the photo he snatched off the apartment wall– the first picture he’s seen of Peter since New Kinshasa.

The detective said he was family, and that means there’s still a chance.

[eugesounds]

Phoenix

It’s a pretty nice town. We visited to celebrate my step-daughter’s graduation from Physician Assistant school and decided to build a little vacation around the momentous event. As is the norm, we did a bunch of research before we left, looking for interesting food choices and cool spots to visit.  I’m happy to report that Phoenix delivered on all fronts.

We arrived on Wednesday, July 26th and stayed just north of Sky Harbor airport at the Hilton Garden Inn. We checked in and took the train to meet the graduate and her roommate at Postino Wine Cafe in the north west area of the city. It’s a really cool spot serving yummy small plates, Italian sandwiches, and cold beer. If you didn’t already know, it’s HOT in Phoenix, and hottest in July. So after a long day of traveling from Dallas and a decent walk in the heat from the station to the restaurant, a cold beer was certainly welcome. 

On Thursday morning we decided to make our way to Matt’s Big Breakfast, it was one the items “not to be missed” in Phoenix. It’s a small, homey, bustling, spot that should definitely be on your list if you’re traveling through town. The thick cut, maple-pepper bacon will change your life. Real ingredients, freshly cooked, the old style diner way,... sublime. 

After breakfast we made our way to the Arizona Center, a small touristy area right downtown and close enough to the school so we could meet the graduate on her final lunch break of the semester. I had been to the center years ago with an old colleague and it brought back fond memories of him and the Music Educators National Conference that we attended together.

We poked around downtown for a while and then made our way back to the hotel. I went to the pool to relax a while, and the beautiful Gracie took advantage of the time to grab a nap. The Hilton is nice, a little “out of the way” but quiet and clean with a very friendly staff. Their shuttle service to and from the train station came in handy a number of times and the cucumber, grapefruit, and lemon water in the lobby was a welcome sight just about every time we got back in from the heat. 

On Thursday evening we checked off another “must” from the list. Pizzeria Bianco has been featured on the food network and is evidently a favorite of folks like Oprah and Giada DeLaurentiis.  It must have been our lucky day as we basically walked in and sat down.  It’s a small place, with maybe 12 tables, a giant brick oven in the center, and a 2 to 3 hour wait is evidently, not unusual. The pizza lived up to the hype; with terrific, fresh ingredients, everything in perfect proportion, and a crust that was pretty much perfect. While there, we encountered a really friendly table of folks who were having a great time photo-bombing our pictures. (File that in your memory).

On Friday morning I went on a small “hike” with the grad-to-be and her roommate. The North Mountain is a favorite for locals who want a relatively quick, but steep climb. It took about 30 minutes at a brisk clip to reach the top and it was worth the effort. The early morning temps made it bearable and I hung in there pretty well for an old guy, keeping up with the 20 somethings pretty much step for step. The view from the top was great, with the city below shining in the morning sun, and the distant mountains on all sides awash in blues and browns. It was an unexpected bonus and pleasant surprise added to this trip. 

On Friday evening we attended the graduation ceremony and much to the surprise and glee of everyone, our graduate received the Outstanding Scholar Award for finishing tops in her class! She is a great kid who has a bright future and she’s worked super hard to achieve her goals. Afterward we trained out to Tempe and had dinner on Mill Street. It’s a huge college town (Arizona State University) but this area is a bit too grungy (if not downright dirty) for my taste. Dinner at the Mellow Mushroom was fun though and the evening was a nice celebration of our grads accomplishments. 

On Saturday afternoon we attended the Real Wild & Woody Beer festival at the Phoenix convention center. It was a comedy of errors that led us there, but in the end we both loved it and had a super time. It’s a Conference and Trade show with 65 of the Southwest’s best craft brewers handing out samples of over 350 beers. I’m not really a “beer guy”, but I must say we had a blast trying lots of crazy ales and sampling some yummy food. The Blueberry Basil Brew was surprisingly good and I had never had pork rinds before (when in Rome?).

 As fate would have it, we saw the folks who photo-bombed us at the pizza place!  They were actually brewers from THAT Brewery and The Shop Beer Co. so we had a good laugh and more “selfies”. THAT Brewery’s wooden keg aged brew was one of the only ones I had twice, super yummy. We met lots of fun folks (who’s not happy and outgoing at a beer festival?) and really had a great time. Afterward we made our way to another spot on “the list”, the Cafe at Phoenix Public Market. 

It’s listed as “a casual urban cafe offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner” but it’s just as much a cool “hang” for those in the know. Almost all of the ingredients are local and served fresh, sourced directly from the adjacent farmer’s market. It’s a “health-focused menu” but it’s not pretentious. The portions are hearty, bread is baked in-house, and the wood rotisserie adds a nice aroma in the place. Gracie and I are still talking about the Rainbow Salad and Cubano sandwich we shared. Again, if you’re in Phoenix, do yourself a solid and check this place out. Get a chocolate chip cookie to go, they’re really super.

After sleeping in a bit on Sunday, we walked to a place called Speedy Street Tacos just around the corner from our hotel. It was pointed out to us by the shuttle driver Nor, on the way in. “There are many locations,” Nor said, “but this one is best. It looks not so good, but it is good”.  We decided to give it a try and we’re so glad we did. The stand looks like a run-down, single-family house at best. There’s no seating inside, just a few wooden tables bolted to the ground at which, should you choose, you stand in the shade and eat. When we arrived in the afternoon the cook was tending the outside grills, stoking the “Mezquite” charcoals and turning the beef and chicken like a boss. We decided to try a combo of beef and chicken in 4 tacos and 2 quesadillas... to go. The pico and the red and green salsa/sauces were super fresh, and when we got back to the hotel we enjoyed quite the spread. Nor was right.

After the good eats we hired a Lyft and made our way to another item on the list, Whozitz & Whatzitz about 5 miles north of the hotel. Though it had an amazing amount of goofy curios and trinkets, it was much smaller than I had envisioned and wound up having only slightly more interesting items than what you’d find at a typical beach town or boardwalk shop. On the way out we spotted a “psychic bookstore” in the same plaza and decided to pop in. It was exactly what you’d expect; incense, new-age music, “psychics” giving readings at several tables, and a vast array of crystals and healing potions. I did score a few sticks of nice incense and a great smelling candle though, and it was fun to eavesdrop on the “Madam Marie” readings.

On Sunday evening we met the graduate for one more celebratory meal at Oregano’s, an old fashioned, mom and pop, Italian restaurant. The wait was long, but the food was good and the decor was fun to peruse. Sinatra memorabilia, black and white photos, vintage signs, and old “family” movies on well placed TV’s make the atmosphere very homey, especially for a kid from south Jersey. If you’re looking for hearty portions at decent prices, this is your place.

On Monday morning I took one last dip in the hotel pool as Gracie was packing up to leave. The pool is small but clean and I had it to myself every time I went. After we checked out and stored our luggage we headed to breakfast at a cool place called the Fair Trade Cafe. It’s an eclectic, hippie joint serving good coffee and decent sandwiches close to our next destination, the Heard Museum. 

As fate would have it, there was an extensive Frida Kahlo and Diego Garcia exhibit happening and I was happy to have the opportunity to take it in. The show was fantastic with over 30 iconic paintings and 50+ photos of the artists, their friends, and families. It was the perfect cap to a terrific week in Phoenix. Gracie is not a fan of the heat, but she was a real trooper hoofing it all over the city. It’s back to the grind for us now, with a mad dash toward fall and the end of another eventful year.  Recharged and ready!

Bunches of pictures posted here:  

https://www.instagram.com/eugesounds/

[the-flying-platypus]

Split, Croatia, and some stuff nearby

SPLIT, CROATIA

Arrival in Split

Split airport is a ways outside of town, and there are two options to get to the downtown area. The 37 bus, across the street, is about $2.50 and takes ~50 minutes. Alternatively, there is a coach bus that leaves right from the terminal for about $5 that is a lot easier to deal with if you have luggage, as it’s closer and direct. Both go to the main bus station by the port.

Sights

Split is a gorgeous city built in and around Roman Emperor Diocletian’s 3rd century palace. Diocletian was the last pagan Roman emperor, known for his persecution of Christians. He built his palace in Split as a retirement villa. Later, Split was occupied by the Venetians, and you can see their influence in the architecture and food. The palace has been taken apart and rebuilt over the centuries so it’s a slice of living history (a bit like Jerusalem in that regard).

I came in early May, which is still the off season. The downside was that not all of the ferries were running, and it was still a bit chilly at night, but there were also NO CROWDS. Like at all.  

The main thing to do in Split is walk around. There are no cars in the old city, and lots and lots of cool old architecture. And eat pastries. Anyway, the center of the palace/old city is the Perestil, or central square. Standing in the Perestil with the main road behind you, you’ll find the Vestibule in front of you (up the stairs), the Cathedral and bell tower to your left, and the kitchen of Luxor café to your right

The Vestibule is the former entrance to the residential quarters of the palace, and one of the best-preserved sections of the palace, aside from the basement. Wait for a tour group and you’ll be more likely to hear an “a capella” performance (they have an accordion). The acoustics in the vestibule are amazing, it’s well worth waiting.

The cathedral (~$5) has to be one of the smallest cathedrals in the world. It was designed as a mausoleum for Diocletian, so it’s rather ironic now that it is a center of the religion he once persecuted. Ticket includes entrance to the crypt and the Temple of Jupiter (now a baptistery), located in an alley off the right side of the Perestil. The crypt has no light, it’s a bit creepy. The former Temple of Jupiter is pretty cool as it’s one of the few Roman (pagan) religious buildings that still survives. You can walk around it through the restaurant (they don’t mind). The ticket to all three is worth it if you have an interest in religion but bear in mind, all three buildings are pretty small

Next to the cathedral, the bell tower (separate ticket, $3) is well worth the climb – as long as you’re not afraid of heights. The interior stairway was a bit of an engineering marvel in my mind, especially if you think it was once made of unsupported stone (no one could tell me how they used to get up to the top before the current metal stairs were installed).  Go early or late to avoid crowds, and make sure to check closing times.

Below the vestibule, down the stairs, you’ll find Diocletian’s basement. The main hall contains rows of trinket shops that mostly sell the same items as the shops outside, at higher prices. It’s worth paying the extra K42 to see the basement halls of the Palace, as they are in the exact layout of the original palace above, before it was modified dues to centuries of people living in it. And also, it’s the dragon lair from Game of Thrones.

Walking through the basement, you’ll end up on the Riva, Split’s boardwalk. It’s a great place to sit with some ice cream or a pastry and people watch. It’s also several degrees warmer than inside the palace walls

For a hike, I went up Marjan Hill, which has nice views of the old town. After the rectangular viewing platform with the Croatian flag, you can keep going for more views of the coast, but you can’t see old town after that. As it happened, I was there on May 1, which is Labor Day, so most locals were off work, having picnics, singing in the streets (with accordions), and roasting whole goats.

There are beaches right in Split, most notably Bačvice, right in town. Bačvice was rather underwhelming when I was there, it was really small and I was there at high tide, which didn’t help. There is a nice walk you can do along the coastline, and apparently this area has great nightlife (I wouldn’t know, though).

Food/Cocktails

Galija pizza – super friendly service, unfortunately I couldn’t sit outside, but my homemade pasta with white truffle cream sauce was delicious and I enjoyed my first taste of Croatian wine. East of the palace walls, Tončićeva 12.

Nostress – on a main square inside the palace walls, it’s a fancier place with smaller portions. I enjoyed my risotto but did find them kind of pushy – the manager kept trying to get me to order more things, even though they weren’t really on top of the service, I had to ask for the check 3 times because they kept forgetting, etc.

Buffet Fife – en route to Marjan hill, known for surly servers, is not in fact a buffet. The pasticada (beef stew with gnocchi) was delicious and huge. They were cool about providing free water. By the eastern end of the Riva, Trumbićeva Obala 11.

Pizzeria Portas – awesome, delicious pizza, fresh ingredients, really friendly service, free wifi, cheap wine. Coming in from the back gate, turn left on the first street and it’s on the left.

Konoba Trattoria Bajamont – including this spot because it is recommended by literally every guidebook, from Lonely Planet to Fodor’s, so it’s probably pretty good. However, it took me a while to find it so I never actually ate there. Bajamontijeva 3, reservations recommended.

Luxor Bar – literally IN the Perestil, a great place to enjoy a glass of wine or dessert while watching some live music.

Shopping

Nadalina Chocolates – they hold the world record for the largest chocolate bar. Noted for combining dark chocolate with interesting ingredients such as figs, honey, wine, pepper, lavender, etc. They are sold all over town, but the best place to get them is in their flagship store on Diokiecijanova, the street that runs away from the sea directly opposite the Perestil.

Farmer’s Market – by the west gate of the palace, there are lots of fresh fruits and vegetables (and fish). There are also a bunch of souvenir stand places.

Art galleries - there are several, mainly selling kitschy souveneir art. However, I loved the colorful boats at JAMAN. I bought a magnet since I’m out of wall space.

Lodging

I stayed in an Airbnb just west of the city walls, and absolutely loved it. If you have an opportunity to stay in any of Marija’s properties, do it! I loved being in this neighborhood because it’s super close to the old city, but also very quiet. My attic room was basically a suite, it had a small desk, kitchenette, and little sitting area.

DAY TRIPS FROM SPLIT

TROGIR

Trogir is a Medieval city located about an hour north of Split on the 57 bus. Buses leave from the port bus station as well as another bus station in the modern part of Split, about a mile inland from the North entrance to Diocletian’s palace. (Note, on return, make sure to ask which station you bus is heading to in Split – I made the mistake of paying more to sit on an older bus to the wrong station). There is also a ferry in the summer, which I imagine is faster.

Like Split, the main thing to do in Trogir is walk around. Off the central square, the Romanesque Cathedral of St Lawrence is famous for its west portal (main doorway) depicting the Garden of Eden and scenes from the Gospels, carved by Master Radovan in the year 1240. You can see the doorway without buying a ticket, but if you’ll do that you’ll miss the display of 16th and 17th century silver candlesticks in the treasury (actually really cool) and the opportunity to climb the bell tower.

Trogir has a nice boardwalk as well, a great place to catch some sun if you’re getting cold inside the medieval castle walls. Down at the end of the boardwalk is an old fortress that I didn’t pay to get into.

I avoided the pricey restaurants on the boardwalk and instead got a table on the outdoor patio at Calebotta. I ordered a glass of sparkling wine and the goat cheese lunch special, which included a salad, roasted goat cheese with crostini, and a ricotta cheesecake type dessert. The salad and goat cheese entrée were delicious but small, and I could have used like twice as much crostini. The dessert was kind of huge in proportion and all in all, it was a good value.

BRAČ

I wanted to go to Brač because of Bol beach, pictured below and on like every postcard of Dalmatia. In the winter, ferries only run to Supetar, which is a cute little port town on the opposite side of the island. While it is possible to take a bus or taxi to Bol, I chose to rent a car (Atlas Supetar, info@atlas-supetar.com), which allowed me to stop in some other spots on this beautiful island.

After walking around Supetar for a bit, I drove to Wine Tasting Brač in the village of Nerezisca. It’s a small family winery that did a really great tasting, 15EUR for the crazy amount of wine/grappa/food shown below (I obviously didn’t drink it all). Email Toni at winetastingbrac@gmail.com for details and reservations.

The next winery I wanted to check out was the opposite end of the spectrum, Stina, located in the town of Bol, in a converted old factory facing the waterfront. Their tasting is by the glass, and following the other tasting I didn’t have more than a glass in me, but I did pick up a bottle of the vugava (white – signature wine in this area) and plavac mali (red, a zinfandel varietal).

Next stop was the 20 minute walk to Bol beach, along the shoreline. You can rent a bike for this, which if you’re short on time, I would recommend. There are some cute shops along the boardwalk as well, I picked up some earrings and souvenirs.

Bol beach changes shape with the tide, currents, and wind. In early May, it wasn’t warm enough for swimming, but it was warm enough for hanging out on the sand or at the beach bar. As I realized later, though Bol beach is super cool and you’d be hard pressed to find something that looks like it anywhere else, there are more of these finger beaches on the Dalamation coast – I spotted 2 from the top of a mountain in Makarska – that are presumably way less crowded in the high season. Fortunately, it wasn’t crowded at all when I was there.

Finally, I saw the sunset from teh boat on the ferry ride home.

MAKARSKA

Originally, I had planned to go from Split to Dubrovnik by boat, overnighting in Hvar. Unfortunately the not-yet-summer ferry schedule made that difficult, so I went overland by bus. Fortunately, that meant I got to stop in Makarska.

My main goal in Makarska was to hike Mt. Vosec, towering over Makarska at 1422 metres (Makarska is at sea level). The trail is essentially vertical, and is generally pretty exposed with little shade. The views the whole way up are amazing, and from the top viewing platform you can see Italy on a clear day. It’s the big tall mountain above the town shown below.

From the bus station, follow signs to the village of Makar. Note: There are no bakeries or markets in Makar that I could find, so make sure to buy snacks/water for your hike by the bus station in Makarska. At some point you may notice circular red and white blazes that look a bit like the Target logo – follow these to save some switchbacks up to Makar. In Makar, you’ll find a trail sign for the Biokovo wilderness just past the church. (There’s also a drinking water tap by the graveyard). After this point, pick up those target blazes if you haven’t already and follow them essentially straight up the hill. (you can see an example on the rock below, lower left corner)

At the end of the relentless uphill, you’ll reach Stirbina Pass (above), which offers (more) fantastic views. From this point, turn left. Mt. Vosac is the closer peak (without the TV antenna), follow the path to the top, turning left at the fork. There’s a rectangular building at the top, with a viewing platform all around. The building was dark and empty when I was there in early May.

Guidebooks vary in their descriptions of how long this hike takes. From the bus station, walking up to Makar and on up to the summit took me about 3.5 hours, and the total trip was 5.5. I was practically running (wanted to make sure I caught the last bus home), and flew past the few people I encountered. If you want to walk at a normal pace (or, the pace of everyone I passed), I’d plan on at least 4.5 hours one way.

Here’s a view from the top.

Most of the food places near the bus station, including the bakery right at the bus station, seemed to close around 2 or 3pm. Plan accordingly, you’ll be hungry after your hike.

Bag storage in the bus station was reasonable. It’s a couple of shelves in the ticket-seller’s office. Not sure what the official price was, but I paid about $4 to store my rollaboard and small duffel for about 6 hours.