#I want Archie to have something personalised

[kaitaiga]

In a previous post, I mentioned how I wanted to design some sort of nose art/low-viz for Archie’s F-35A (even though it’s not common anymore).

In a recent tiktok I saw, someone made wraps for the actual F-35 helmets and thought it was so cool…

…but now I’m torn 😂 should I design both?

[lovecharged]

embarrassment clings to his skin; causing pink to paint every exposed inch. "no! uh -- no, this is definitely a gym. very much a gym. absolutely..." he knows that he's making no sense whatsoever, brain cells: out of action. at the moment he's allowing his own mortification to lead him, can't help but wonder how long he'd been stood there, and how atrocious the sight had actually been. "i can -- help sign you up, if you want? sorry...about that -- it's usually very dead at this time of day, i wasn't expecting any visitors." an explanation, of sorts. pathetic, for sure. he doubted archie would actually be mad at him if he were to lose them a client due to his performance, but equally he really didn't want to have to explain that. "what are you looking for exactly? general gym membership with the use of all the equipment, or, something more refined or-or personalised?" nailed it.

well, it wasn't the customer service he'd been expecting, but... it wasn't exactly a disappointment, either. irregardless, lux didn't interrupt the performance, waiting until the guy noticed him to actually say anything. "hey. uh... mr. brightside, was it? yeah, i was looking to join a gym, but i think i accidentally wandered into a karaoke bar, so..." pointing behind himself with his thumb, lux stepped back as though he intended to leave, but made no actually effort to exit the gym. how could he, when there was a free show being put on for him?

[thepointoftheneedle]

Happy New Year!

I wrote a little New Year’s Eve one shot.  It’s below the cut or you can read it on AO3 here.  (I’ve started a collection of short pieces just to keep things tidy.) I hope you are all able to celebrate safely and I wish you a healthy and happy 2021.

It was obvious that the party was going off the rails as soon as Archie started lining up shots along the whole length of the marble counter top.  He called Reggie out and Reggie never backed down from a challenge to his machismo so they both worked their way along the little bullets of stupid until, breathless and belly laughing, they slid to the floor, their eyes swivelling in their dumb skulls like cartoon coyotes that had just been smashed over the head with an Acme anvil.  It was nine fifteen. Betty had wondered if Veronica would be mad about it but she seemed in the mood for some chaos as she set up two more lines of glasses opposite each other on the counter and challenged Cheryl who had never met an unnecessary drama she didn’t like.  

Betty had drunk a very pleasant glass of good champagne and had been contemplating having a couple more before midnight.  She’d never been a big drinker so for her that was cutting loose.  It had been, to put it crudely, a shit-show of a year and she was glad to see the back of it.  At the last New Year’s party she had been showing off a dazzling engagement ring, about to start the job that she had been expensively and laboriously trained for and she and her intended had signed the lease on a cute and well appointed apartment in Sunset Park which everyone said was the up and coming neighbourhood. The world had been unfolding for her like a flower.  Then the frost had come and scorched the petals with its chill. This year she was single, her job sometimes felt like it was eating her up and that cute apartment burned through every cent of her pay check now she had to make the rent alone.  It was possible that she was the saddest girl in a cocktail dress on the whole island of Manhattan, she was certainly the soberest person at the party.

An hour later the shots were completely out of hand and Betty had only just prevented Ethel from throwing up into the piano.  Moose made some half hearted effort to restore order, offering glasses of water, trying to start a game of Charades, but Kevin was in too mischievous a mood for his efforts to bear any fruit and instead they were embarking on Drunk Jenga, the rules of which seemed to be that you took a shot whenever you removed a block and then another when you placed it on top of the stack.  She imagined you took a shot if the tower fell but she didn’t stick around to find out.  She sidled over to where the Pol Roger was stacked, neglected,  in its very own champagne refrigerator and helped herself while everyone else was supporting the economy of Mexico by the prodigious consumption of Patron Silver.

She took her recharged glass to the window and looked out at the snowy expanse of Central Park far below.  It looked like the idealised interior of a snow globe, the air glassy and still and a huge yellow moon surveying its domain.  Betty remembered walking through the park with Trev last Christmas, bundled in a thick coat and scarf.  They’d held hands inside one of his mittens. They’d made snow angels.  They’d skated at the Wollman Rink and drunk hot chocolate afterwards.  Her life had been a cover image from a romance novel. This year she had spent Christmas being patronised by Polly’s constant offers of introductions to a succession of Jason’s frat brothers and golfing buddies.  Eventually she’d pointed out that if she’d wanted some obstructionist, bigoted blowhard she could have found one herself, without Polly’s oh so sympathetic intervention.  Polly cried and Betty apologised but she still wasn’t going to go on a date with a junior vice president of acquisitions even if he did have a weekend place in Connecticut.  She wouldn’t tolerate being paraded in front of prospective suitors like a prize dairy cow at the county show, not by Veronica and certainly not by her sister.

As she reminisced she became aware of Archie and Veronica deep in conversation in the corner of the room.  “We have a teeny emergenshy,” Veronica said, her hand on Archie’s forearm.  Veronica was never less than perfectly composed but that slur at the end of her word and the ramped up sincerity gave her away to her best friend. She was sozzled. “Only two bottles of Patron left and then the cupboard is bare. I may have over-ordered on the fizz and neglected the tequila.”

Archie nodded, taking the situation as seriously as his wife.  Then some kind of light dawned on his handsome face.  “We’ll get the magic doorman to get us some.  He’ll be on duty now.  I’ll go slip him a fifty and he’ll take care of it.”  He turned to reach for his wallet and promptly fell on his face. It was ten to eleven and all was decidedly not well.

Betty went over to help Archie off the rug.  He grinned even though his nose was bloody. “Ronnie, Betty’s all sober and sensible.  She can go talk to the wizard.  Here Betty, here’s fifty for a tip and Ronnie’ll give you her credit card for the booze.  Okay?  Shit I’m bleeding… still it’s not a party til something gets broke.”

V was looking at her imploringly now.  Somewhere there was the sound of glass smashing and Monroe’s attempt to do chin ups on the kitchen doorframe seemed to be bringing plaster down on the floor.  Betty would rather be almost anywhere than right here so she nodded at her friend.  "What do you need V?”

V explained that the building’s night doorman was a kind of fixer.  When Tom in 204 had forgotten his wife’s birthday Jones had got him a gluten free chiffon cake iced with her name at two thirty on a Thursday morning along with a bouquet of out of season narcissuses....narcissi? When the little boy in 116 had told his mama at midnight that he needed a George Washington costume for school the next day the night doorman had sourced it, complete with powdered wig, before the little tyke had finished his cheerios.  When V had realised an hour before her 5.15 a.m. flight to Miami that she had completely forgotten her niece’s confirmation gift he had sourced a personalised Catholic Bible bound in white leather which he handed to her as she got into her cab.  “He’s a miracle worker B.  Just tell him we need a case…no two cases of Patron Silver before midnight.  Give him the fifty but tell him I’ll make it a hundred if he can fix it by eleven thirty. OK?”

“Sure.  On my way.”  

She travelled down in the elevator imagining the doorman.  He’d be some old guy in a uniform with gold braid on the chest. He probably knew all the residents and their dogs by name and had one of those old timey extended families so that he could reach out to Cousin Ike for last minute birthday cakes or get his nephew’s wife to sew a costume at no notice.  She needed a fixer herself since her life seemed so broken.  She wondered what he could do for a lonely woman who was trying to work out if getting a cat was too much of an admission that she had given up.

As she stepped out into the lobby she was slightly taken aback by the mismatch between her expectations and reality.  He was behind the reception desk, dark head bowed over a laptop, no braid in evidence, no grey whiskers or paunch, just this dark, poetic looking guy in a black sweater.  She approached the desk and he looked up at her, fingers still flying over the keys without him needing to glance down.  He seemed to reach a natural pause, closed the lid of the laptop and smiled politely.  “Yes ma’am, how can I help?”  His eyes were blue.  They seemed to look through her probably thinking she was just another rich girl bringing him problems.  He must get that a lot.

“Yeah, hi, I’m a guest of Mr and Mrs Lodge Andrews up in the penthouse.  They’re having a little New Year's Eve party and they’re running low on liquor.  They wondered if you could source them a couple of cases of…”

“Patron Silver?  Yes ma’am, of course.  Who should I charge it to?”  She had no idea how he could have known what she was going to ask for.  It made her want to say that they wanted Stolichnaya or absinthe or something, just to surprise him but she’d been sent for Patron and Patron she would get.

“Oh, yes, I have a credit card.” She handed it over,  “and Mr Andrews said to give you this for the trouble.”  She passed him the fifty, embarrassed.

“No incentive to get it here before the coaches turn into pumpkins?” he asked, eyebrow raised.  She thought he was making fun of her but she couldn’t be sure.  

“Oh yes, that’s right.  Veronica said another $50 if it’s here by eleven thirty.”

“Okay ma’am.  I’ll buzz up when it’s here.  If that’s all.”

“Oh please don’t call me ma’am.  I’m Betty.”

“I’m Jones... Jughead. Nickname. Long dull story.” He raised an eyebrow, clearly wondering why she was still standing in front of his desk.

“Look, it’s a little crazy up there.  Would it be okay if I just stay down here for a minute? Just say if it’s inconvenient. I don’t want to disturb you if you’re busy.” She didn’t think she could bear to be the responsible adult at Veronica’s party for a moment longer. Here it was quiet and no one needed her to hold back their hair while they were getting sick.

“Busy getting hold of twelve bottles of good tequila on New Year's Eve but that’s all.  I just need to make a call.  Excuse me.”  He stood and walked away from the desk, his back turned to her.  It was a good back.  He was wearing the black sweater over grey slacks with a key chain hanging from one of his belt loops.  He had broad shoulders but his neck was fine, not thick and meaty like the guys who needed to lift weights to manufacture some self esteem. He was slim at the waist and the hips, long legs, tall.  The hair was the USP though, dark waves of it tumbling freely as he dragged long fingers through it, waiting for someone to pick up his call.  Finally he yelled “Hey Toni.  Yeah, two cases of Patron Silver asap.  Yeah, I’d noticed that but mark it up. Can Sweetpea drop it over?  Yeah right now.  Hey, ask him to get me a burger on the way too.”  He turned and looked at Betty with a questioning look and she shrugged and nodded, “Two, make it two.  Ok, thanks Toni.  Yeah you too.  See you Sunday.”

He ended the call and made his way back to the desk.  “My pal Toni runs a bar,” he explained with a grin. 

“Veronica says you’re magic, a wizard,” she told him.

“Nothing occult about it.  I’m just observant, that’s all.”

“Seems magical to produce a George Washington costume overnight,” she countered.  

“Oh well, that was a lucky break.  My sister’s a textile artist.  A struggling one.  I gave her the brief and she knocked up the costume in a few hours.  Now all the upper east side mommies have her business card and she can afford to buy materials and pay her rent.  She had to pull an all nighter but it paid off pretty big in the end.”

“Birthday cake?  Out of season flowers?” 

“The husband’s kind of a dick.  He forgot last year too. They had a fight about it in this very lobby so I wrote down the date and got ready to save his bacon.  If he’d remembered the date I’d have had cake for my breakfast and sent my sister a bunch of flowers.  As it was I made a couple hundred bucks.”

Betty was laughing now at the smug look on his face.  “So you could have reminded him beforehand?”

“Could have, but maybe the expense’ll help him remember next time.  Anyway if the doorman knows more about your wife than you do it might be time to review your priorities.”

“Ok but what about the Bible?  That seems pretty miraculous.”

“Actually it’s kind of the opposite. The kid’s confirmation name is Maria. Hardly original.  My buddy Joaquin’s little sister was confirmed a few months ago.  Her confirmation name’s Maria.  She hadn’t made a whole lot of use of the Bible.  Your pal paid me three hundred, Joaquin’s kid sister got two hundred in her college fund.”

“Seems like the side hustles are more remunerative than the pay check,” Betty observed.

“It’s all a side hustle.  I’m a writer.  This job’s kept me supplied with characters and plot lines and given me eight hours of mostly uninterrupted writing time.”

Betty flushed pink and jumped up from the corner of the desk where she had been leaning.  “Oh I’m so sorry. Here I am wasting your time.  I’ll be on my way.”

“No, wait,” he reached out and put his hand on her arm.  It tingled.  “I didn’t mean it like that.  This is research.  Maybe I’ll put you in my next book.  The sad girl in a party frock who’d rather be in the lobby than with her friends at a party being kissed for New Year.”

“There’s no-one to kiss up there,” she confessed with a sad smile and then, without having any idea why, she said “I broke up with my fiancé last February.”

“Aha,” he said.  “There’s the plot.  Tell me.”

“He’s great.  A really good guy.  Kind, loyal, handsome.  Everything I should have wanted. Any girl would be lucky to have him. I think I broke his heart.”

“Why?”

“We started to plan the wedding and I wanted to run away.  I couldn’t bear to think about it.  Then one day I found myself imagining what I’d do if something bad happened that prevented it, like if he got sick or if I was in a car accident or something.  It was pretty clear that I couldn’t go through with it if I preferred the idea of one of us being in a coma to the idea of my wedding day.”

“Cold feet?”

“Oh freezing but it wasn’t just nerves.  When I imagined being married to him I couldn’t see myself, I was just a blank. It was… I don’t know how to say it…like I was finished.  I’d never be anything more than I was, never change or grow or struggle.  It was all too easy.  No grit in the oyster.  I know it’s crazy.”

“You didn’t say it was you not him did you?  You didn’t do that to him?” He was smiling at her, sympathising not mocking.

She blushed.  “I did.  All the clichés.  How could I explain?  I don’t even understand it myself.”

“I understand it.  You want to find out who you can be and he couldn’t give you that.  He was happy with who you were, didn’t want you to change.  He was probably scared of losing you. Anyone would be.” He looked at her with an intensity that made her nervous so she tried to change the subject.  

“A writer then?  What do you write?”

“Mostly mystery stories.  Magazines and online so far but I’ve just got a publisher for the novel.  I’m going to quit this next year.  What do you do?”

“I’m a psychologist.  I work with kids who are in trouble.  Try to get them back on track.  I love it but it’s hard sometimes.  I hear things that it’s tough to leave at the office.”

“You need to take care of you first.  You can’t save someone if you aren’t safe yourself. ”

“Writer or life coach?” she smiled.

He chuckled.  “Sorry.  I’m not good at small talk.  I get too intense too fast and freak people out.  Oh hey, cometh the man, cometh the tequila.”  

A tall guy in a leather jacket was pulling boxes out of the back of a truck that he’d illegally bumped up the curb outside..  He looked a little scary.  Once he was in the lobby she saw that he had a snake tattooed on his neck.  He fist bumped Jughead and then pulled him into a side hug. “Hey man.  Happy new year and all that. Hey,” he said, noticing Betty for the first time. 

“Hey.  Thanks so much for bringing it over. There’s a whole apartment full of drunk idiots upstairs just waiting to make themselves sick on it. Oh!” He turned back to Betty, aghast at what he’d said. “Sorry Betty.”

“You’ll not get an argument from me.  That’s why I’m down here talking to you.”

Neck tattoo laughed and held out his hand “Sweetpea.  Pleasure doing business with you.”  He turned back to Jughead,  “So I have to get back, I’m supposed to be on the door at the Wyrm.  See you Sunday?”

“Burgers?” Jug reminded him and his friend nodded, trotting back to the truck to grab a take out bag and toss it back to Jughead who snatched it from the air like a dolphin snatching a fish at Seaworld.

Betty buzzed up to the penthouse to get one of the assembled jocks to come and collect two cases of tequila and bring down a bottle of Pol Roger and the promised fifty dollars. It was eleven twenty four.  Ten minutes later she was sitting on the reception desk eating a burger, washing it down with $200 champagne.  “This is the best New Year's Eve I’ve ever had,” she grinned, a little disinhibited by the bubbles.  

“Weren’t you engaged last year?”

“This is much better.  I was pretending last year.  Now I’m just being me.”

“I always find that works better.  The not pretending bit. Especially not with someone you can love.”

She certainly wasn’t pretending at eleven fifty nine when she reached out to him and he took her in his arms and kissed her softly as cheers and yells rang out from the parties all over the city and fireworks exploded high above the park, casting confetti of coloured lights across the marble lobby. 

As the kiss ended she looked up into his blue eyes, wondering if it was the champagne that was making her blurry and relaxed or if it was him.  She thought she’d have to keep on kissing him to know for sure.  He really was a fixer though.  Her heart felt lighter, hopeful.

He grinned.  “Spectacular as that was, this is probably the most surveilled lobby in the city.  Can we schedule the repeat for when I’m not actually on the clock?”  He gestured at the security cameras covering every inch of the space and she blushed to think that somewhere there was taped evidence of her trying to seduce the sexy doorman.

“Can I stay here and talk to you some more if I promise not to touch?”

“I wish you would.  I get off at six and I know a great diner for breakfast.  We can tell people our first date was breakfast.  They’ll be scandalised.” She couldn’t hold back at the mention of the first date, of them telling people about it, so she kissed him on the cheek before retreating back to the edge of the desk with her hands up.

They talked about her work, his writing, they compiled an ultimate New Year's Eve playlist and top tens of movies and books.  She found herself distracted by the fullness of his lips, the expressiveness of his face, the heaviness of the locks of hair that fell forward over his eyes only to be pushed back impatiently.  They agreed on almost nothing and that was exactly how she liked it.  When she crept up to the penthouse at five thirty to collect her coat and change her party shoes for snow boots, she was met with a scene of devastation.  Prostrate bodies sprawled on every flat surface.  The two cases of tequila sat unopened in the kitchen, clearly surplus to requirements by the time they had been manifested.  She picked her way through the carnage and found the coat closet where Archie had put her things when she’d arrived the night before.  Opening the door she noticed the cases of liquor stacked inside, three unopened boxes of Patron among them.  She realised that Jug wasn’t the only fixer in the building.  She made sure to lean over her sleeping friend to place a kiss on her forehead before she let herself out, locking the door behind her.

[survey--s]

38.

1. What time did you wake up this morning? What was the first thing you thought about? I woke up at 6am when Mike’s alarm went off. At first I tried to continue my dream, but then I realised I had to go and pee, lol.

2. Did you have any unread text messages when you woke up this morning? I did not.

3. When was the last time you had to get a new phone? What happened to your old phone? I got a new one about two months ago. My old phone was just dying - the battery life was horrendous, it kept freezing, the camera wouldn’t work properly and it was just a real pain to use. I need my phone for my job so it made more sense to pay off my contract and replace it than cope with a shit phone for another four months.

4. Can you name 5 people that you used to be close to, but aren’t anymore? Explain why. Linnet, Becky, Sophie, Kirsty and Becca - we’re not close anymore as we all grew up and moved away and just grew apart. That’s pretty normal for most school friendships, I suspect.

5. Do you know anyone who seems very unreliable when it comes to texting, and never texts back? A few people, but if it was that important, I would just ring anyway.

6. Have you ever fallen asleep in the middle of texting someone? Not in the middle of sending a text, but I have fallen asleep waiting for someone to reply, yeah.

7. What sort of day have you had so far? What plans do you have for this evening? It’s actually been a really nice day apart from the fact that I got my period, lol. I woke up early but had a lie in and a cuddle with Archie. Then I got up, got all the housework done, had breakfast, took Archie for his walk, came home, showered and I’ve just been relaxing and watching TV ever since. I have no plans for tonight apart from cooking an Apple Crumble lol. We’re up and out early-doors tomorrow so I need to get my sleep.

8. Do you have a bag of some kind, that you use daily, to carry your belongings? What does it look like? Not daily. The one I use the most is navy blue and has dogs all over it.

9. Are you wearing any perfume/cologne? Yeah, a coconut and vanilla body spray.

10. Do you have any personalised jewellery, or colour changing mood jewellery? No.

11. What was the last cosmetic product that you bought? Does body wash count? I’ll be buying make-up and stuff tomorrow though when we’re out in Workington. I much prefer to buy all of that stuff in person so I can see the colours etc.

12. What was the last thing you wore, that belonged to someone else? Uh, it’ll be one of Mike’s t-shirts.

13. Do you talk to your close friends about personal things, like sex and periods? No, I don’t really feel the need to talk to other people about those things.

14. Imagine for a second, that you’ve married the person you currently love/like. Replace your own surname with their surname, and say it to yourself, in your head. Does that sound good to you? We’re already married so we already share a name. It just sounds normal to me now, but it was definitely a bit weird at first.

15. What was the last compliment you gave to someone of the opposite sex? I can’t remember.

16. Who was the last person to send you a message containing an attachment? What was the attachment? Mike, and it was just a link to something he wanted for Christmas.

17. Have you ever upset the person you love/like? Well, of course. You can’t marry someone and see them everyday without upsetting them at some point, lol.

18. Do you know where your parents are at this moment? I assume they’re both at home.

19. Have you ever kissed a picture of someone? Yeah.

20. When was the last time you had a conversation with a stranger? What did you talk about? Saturday, and we were just talking about the horses we were riding.

21. Have you ever kissed someone whose name started with ’M’? What colour were that person’s eyes? Yeah, my husband lol - he has green/grey eyes. I’ve also kissed another Mike and he had blue eyes.

22. What colour is your underwear? Where did you buy it? Black, and the bra is from Amazon and the knickers are from ASDA.

23. What’s your natural hair colour? Do you like it? Brown, and sure, it’s fine.

24. When was the last time you uploaded a selfie? Yesterday, but only because the dog was snuggled up to me and looked super cute, lol.

25. Have you ever been told that you were good in bed? Yeah.

26. Have you ever felt as though you wanted to spend the rest of your life with someone? Definitely.

27. Do you know anyone with the last name “Williams”? Not anymore, but I went to school with quite a few.

28. Do you have chocolate in your house atm? What kind is it? God, so much. I got about six selection boxes off clients for Christmas, plus we have Malteasers and some Lindt chocolate in the cupboard too.

29. If you have pets, do you talk to them? Of course. I always have chats with them - especially the dog, lol.

30. Finally, where did you find this survey? In someone’s Tumblr archives.

[chuuguins]

meet luna’s crescent bay residents --

♡ archie fairchild (21) - yes, his parents named him based on their love for archie comics. no, he does not watch riverdale. archie’s parents own the pet store in town and he helps out there on days he isn’t working as a barista at the local coffee shop. an absolute sweetheart, very friendly and an incrediblly hard worker, you can always find archie around town. whether he’s volunteering at a town event, stopping to catch up with whoever is walking by or just walking the dogs, archie is a familiar face and knows everyone well. come by the coffee shop and he will draw cute personalised doodles on your takeaway cup, or demonstrate his impressive latte art skills. this boy is a dumbass, in that dopey, sweet sort of way. he’s social and charismatic, and honestly don’t very good in love. perhaps because he’s been trying to fight a crush on his best friend rosa for years. needs literally all of the friends!! co-workers at both the pet store and coffee shop. a third sibling perhaps. girls for him to have crushes on while pretending to himself that he doesn’t have feelings for rosa. 

♡ ash kang (23) - tall, dark and handsome. ash left town when he was sixteen and never looked back. he craved adventure and life experience that the small town of crescent bay couldn’t provide. seven years later, he’s back and nobody knows why. he parks his motorcyle in his parents driveway and strides up to the door as if nothing has happened. whenever he is questioned as to what brought him back to town, he just shrugs and drawls something vague. now he is working as a busboy and probably flirting with every girl in town. this boy will flirt with your girl right in front of you, and shrug when you call him out on it. ash is a closed off person and there is a lot to discover underneath the surface if he ever lets anybody close enough to find out. needs all of the girls!! or guys!! give me that sweet john tucker must die plot, i dare you! some casual friends perhaps. he’s hot, do with that what you will.

♡ beatrice ‘bee’ hwang (18) - your local cringeworthy weeb. beatrice’s father left when she was seven and her mother moved them to crescent bay for a fresh start. she wound up falling in love with the woman who owned the local antique store and the rest is history. this new family also came with a step brother the same age as bee. let’s just say the two have never gotten along too well. obnoxious weeb is the only way to truly describe bee. she’s the type of girl to have an ‘i heart anime boys’ pin on her bag. the girl who owns a body pillow and compares everything to whatever manga she’s reading that week. she speaks a little japanese and inserts it into everyday conversations. definitely dresses like an anime girl most of the time. when she was in her second year of high school she founded the towns anime club. they meet once to twice a week and play games, watch anime together and just vibe. they have also hosted cosplay contests in town. bee currently works at the local arcade and is probably daydreaming about finding a boy she likes as much as the anime boys she cries over. needs fellow anime club members. her step brother. a cute boy/girl to fall for!! people who think she’s fucking weird lol.

♡ gracie lee (21) - the preacher’s daughter is always subject to scrutiny. the entire family is. gracie and her older brother have always had expectations as to how they should behave and present themselves to the rest of the town. as a child, gracie was happy to follow trevor’s example and play the perfect daughter, never setting a toe out of line. when she was ten, gracie began singing in the church choir and she absolutely loved it. singing made her feel free, as if anything was possible. as she got older, gracie started to notice how miserable trying to fit himself into their parents mould was making her brother, and she began realising that she didn’t want that for herself. soon she started craving rebellion. it started with small things like consuming media her parents had warned their children away from or talking back to her father. later becoming a bit more intense when she began sneaking into bars with her friend sam while underage and got a tattoo without her parents knowledge or permission. her parents constantly do their best to keep her rebellions under wraps, but there are definitely rumours. gracie is currently dating one of the mayor’s sons, daniel. while they seem sugary sweet on the surface (and i mean, they still are) and the town absolutely loves them together, gracie is most definitely leading the boy astray behind the scenes. needs all sorts of friends. ones to encourage her chaos and ones who she grew up going to church with and don’t understand her at all. literally anything else you can think of. maybe an ex-boyfriend that her parents didn’t know about! 

♡ isla cheong (19) - born in new york city and dragged out into the middle of nowhere following her mothers death when she was fourteen, isla has grown to be rather fond of crescent bay. the only daughter of a doting father who can never say no to her, she is definitely a little spoilt. isla joined the dance team almost as soon as she arrived in town and her fellow dancers became her family she is undeniably a bit of a brat who can be carelessly mean at times and has yet to understand that the world doesn’t revolve around her. however, she has a major soft side once you crack the surface. she’s a bit of a serial dater and hasn’t had a relationship that lasted more than a few months as she gets bored quickly. no guy she has dated has truly challenged her yet, and isla needs a boy to knock ger down a peg. seriously, this girl knows she can get away with a lot just because she’s pretty. needs dance team friends and any friends really. she is a fiercely loyal friend. a snarky boy to steal her heart and call her on her bullshit. some enemies mb!!

[rebeccarayner]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Wiltshire is an English county bursting with history. Tales of medieval conquest and druid ceremonies resonate across the county, but these tales have subsequently become overshadowed by their more famous neighbour, the prehistoric Stonehenge.

This ancient monument has become a popular day trip from London due to its easy transport connections to Salisbury, but what about the rest of Wiltshire? As well as the stones, there are plenty more things to see and do and different ways to experience one of England’s most historic counties. I teamed up with Visit Wiltshire to experience a jam-packed 2 day Wiltshire itinerary. What a way to discover how to maximise your visit to Wiltshire and how to get off the main tourist trail and see way more.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

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Day one in Wiltshire

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Stay Somewhere Unique- Stonehenge Campsite And Glamping Pods

Staying in the same homogenous chain hotel time after time never really gives you any feeling of depth, diversity or the sense of truly discovering what a destination is about. Try and get away from the tourist traps of familiar chains and instead focus on finding something unique, different or that allows you to discover more of somewhere. If you’re planning a visit to Wiltshire and really want to be in the heart of this historic landscape, then a fantastic place to stay is the Stonehenge Campsite and Glamping Pods. With direct bus routes to Salisbury and Devizes, it’s easy to get around. The site has award-winning facilities and a range of camping options. If you want a truly unique experience there are a range of Glamping pods available, each with its own special touches. I stayed in the Butterfly Pod, a little wooden hut with a warming electric fireplace, double bed and tea making facilities. There was a private garden and picnic bench, perfect to enjoy the outdoors with a little privacy.

To find out more information about pricing and the different types of glamping pods available, visit the Stonehenge Campsite Website[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Walking The Salisbury Plain, A Guided Tour Through History

I always say the best way to get to know somewhere is to walk it, so to take this one step further, a personalised guided tour is like turning a place into a potential mastermind subject and getting to experience it in a way not everybody does. Chris from Guided Walks In Wiltshire took us on a guided tour around Salisbury Plain, pointing out interesting historical information and stories as we walked. The tour took a varied route from the gate of our campsite through winding villages and up into woodland and out to the vast windy openness of the Plain.

Not only is the countryside in this area known for its historical sites of importance such as the Neolithic Stonehenge and surrounding monuments like woodhenge, but the area also has a fascinating background with the British armed forces. The area is still highly used today for military training when you’re walking you encounter some obvious signs of this, including tank-crossings.

To find out more about Guided Walks In Wiltshire and how to book a guided walk, visit their website here [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Visit Stonehenge

Even when you’re travelling consciously trying to avoid the big tourist traps in favour of experiencing somewhere like a local, there are always circumstances where it’s worth making an exception. When in Wiltshire it is definitely worth paying a visit to Stonehenge. Though this ancient monument lay shrouded in mystery it’s modernisation was front-page news, with English Heritage spending a whooping £27 Million renovating the sites visitors centre.

Learn more about Stonehenge on the English Heritage website

Kristi of Day Trip Tips has written an amazing blogpost detailing even more about visiting Stonehenge and Avebury. If you’re interested in visiting definitely give here blog post a read here. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Eat Like The Locals

Once you’re done with soaking up the historical landscapes and culture, you’ll probably have worked up quite an appetite. Food and culture are ingrained into one another so the best way to know somewhere is to eat what the locals eat. In England, this could be as simple as going to your local country pub. There are many small picturesque villages a short distance from the stones, meaning plenty of options for food lovers. I visited The Swan Inn at Stowford for a taste of the comfort food us British LOVE! There was plenty on the menu to choose from, I ordered the lamb shank with mint gravy, seasonal veg and mashed potato, which was cooked to perfection.

After dinner the local pub is also the best place to wind down, maybe have a drink with some locals. We did a bit of pub hopping and visited another small pub, The Boot Inn, that happened to be running a quiz that night. It was £2 entry per person, which included a surprisingly decadent half time snack of homemade pasty and roast potatoes. The pub had a very close-knit family vibe but was also exceedingly welcoming, which made for a very fun evening.

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Visiting Devizes, A Wiltshire Market Town

After spending the first day of our trip getting to know the outdoor landscapes, local history and small villages of Wiltshire, Day two meant it was time to discover a more urbanised area. Devizes is a market town with a rich medieval past and fascinating architectural history, with over 500 listed buildings in the area. Alongside its regular Thursday market, the town has some great places to visit and explore.

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Local business At Its Best: The Wadworth Brewery Tour

Located in Devizes since 1875, family-owned Wadwarth is a cornerstone of Devizes identity. Impressively, they have managed to keep up many of their traditions, which are now available for all to see during regular guided tours of the brewery. Walking around gives you a fascinating insight into the history of Wadworth and its production of typically British ales. Although some of the production has been modernised and changed with time (like the move away from coal power to greener alternatives) it is nice to see some firmly remain intact. Wadworth still uses traditional Shire horses to deliver casked ale to local pubs in Devizes. The three horses, Monty, Max and Archie, regularly attend local events and compete in shows. The brewery also has it’s own in house sign painters, creating traditional and personalised signs for its entire 200 plus partnership pubs. Prince Charles recently paid a visit to the brewery to honour its work in promoting the importance of community and local pubs across Britain.

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To find out more about Wadworth and the tours of the Brewery, visit their website.

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Learn About History On A Local Scale

Unlike national museums that encompassed broad subjects of wide international importance, small museums can provide significant context on the important historical events of a specific location, meaning a much more targeted and therefore encompassing approach. In the case of The Wiltshire Museum, it significantly covers the history of the counties story, including but not limited to Stonehenge. The museum allows you to pursue its range of award-winning displays at leisure, including treasures discovered inside the stone circle by various archaeologists. If you want to learn about Stonehenge and the regions wider history in a quiet, relaxed and knowledgeable setting this museum is the place to visit.

For more information about the Wiltshire museum, visit their website [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I hope you enjoyed reading my first Two Days To Do It Differently feature. Living on the Wiltshire border myself, it is an area I am very familiar with and one I know can easily be a tourist trap, what with having one of the most well-known attractions in England. I thought for the first feature, it’d be nice to start on a local scale and try and see somewhere close by a little differently. I have found it’s common to have the tendency to take places nearby for granted, instead favouring more far-flung and exotic destinations. Exploring Wiltshire showed me just how much potential lays right on your own doorstep.

*Disclaimer: Thank you to visit Wiltshire for partnering up with me and guiding me in finding some fantastic things to do across the county. They provided the accommodation and activities free of charge for this visit.

If you would like to learn more about what to do in Wiltshire, the best place to go is the Visit Wiltshire Website

Thanks for reading,

Rayner

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Two Day Wiltshire itinerary: visiting Stonehenge, brewery tour and Wiltshire walks Wiltshire is an English county bursting with history. Tales of medieval conquest and druid ceremonies resonate across the county, but these tales have subsequently become overshadowed by their more famous neighbour, the prehistoric Stonehenge.

[shannrussell-blog1]

There’s regular camping gear that we take on every camping trip… tent, table, stove, sleeping gear, etc. Then there’s a whole host of extraordinarily peculiar gear that can arguably enhance your camping experience.

Some of these things are pretty nifty. Others will lure you with bizarre advertising that you’ll find hard to look away from only to leave you feeling unsettled and questioning what on earth it was you just watched!

Not surprisingly, a lot of these items are no longer available, but there are always new weird and wonderful bits of gear hitting the market all the time.

So without further ado, here are the 5 outlandish and offbeat bits of camping gear that we’ve found so far on the web.

5. The Bumper Dumper

You’d want to make sure you are on a quiet road when you stop to use the Bumper Dumper. This portable toilet seat and bucket fits into your tow hitch so you can sit down at the back of your car for a roadside dump. Maybe not as private as an old fallen log (pardon the pun) but far more comfortable.

I’m not sure where you put the bucket once you’ve filled it, the roof rack is probably the best option. Just make sure your buddy is finished before you drive away, and beware of the hot exhaust.

Image by Bumper Dumper

4. A whole host of weird sleeping bags

Kids worried about sleeping in the outdoors? Help them get to sleep in the dark by handing them a giant shark and telling them to climb right on into its mouth! Kids scared of sharks? That’s ok because there’s a grizzly bear option too!

Imagine how excited medical students would be with the anatomical sleeping bag, and nothing says “don’t worry, we’re all in this together” more than a fellow camper in a cadaver bag.

Image by World of Camping

3. Leatherman Tread Multi Tools

Can we call this a man bangle? The Leatherman Tread is more of a fashion statement than a multi-tool. It’s one of those bits of gear that you buy someone who already has everything plus it’s the only multi-tool we know of that is allowed through airport security.

That being said, you’d be best checking with your airline before an airport security officer decides your wrist bling would look better on them.

Image by Leatherman

. Field Candy Patterned Tents

These guys are taking personalised camping to the next level. Traditional ‘A-frame’ tents that let you blend in or stand out as much as you want, some designs may even make your fellow campers feel somewhat uneasy. From sheep to an English pub, watermelons, books and even Iron Maiden, there’s a design to suit every personality.

Image by Field Candy

1. Victorinox Swiss Champ XAVT

Victorinox is really just showing off here. 8 functions in an inconveniently large 65mm wide package, this Swiss Army pocket knife is better suited to the display cabinet than your camping kit… Victorinox does mention this though.

Image by Unbox Therapy

0. Offroad Segway

If hiking isn’t your thing then why not tear up the walking tracks and mow down the wildlife with an off-road segway. These will set you back a pretty penny but at least you won’t be burning all those hard-earned calories on the way to your destination. Oh, and you’re going to need a powered site.

Image by Al Gadgets Technology

19. Super Kimbos – keep your pants on, even when you go to the toilet!

I don’t have any words for this.

18. Nite Ops Stubby Cooler… with LED light

You probably wouldn’t buy one of these for yourself, but you wouldn’t complain if this was in your Kris Kringle gift. Made with ABS plastic (think Lego) and equipped with an LED light, you’ve now got an excuse for taking your bevvie for a long post-campfire-curry-dinner long-drop sitting.

Image by Maxim

17. Inflatable Lounge Chairs

Initially, I thought these were ridiculous. Then thoughts of relaxing around the campsite on a 4 seater inflatable lounge chair entered my mind and before I knew it I was reaching for the credit card. These would look more at home in your lounge room than in the campsite, and with one, two and four-seater options you can seat the whole family and some wildlife.

Just for the record, I got over my excitement pretty quickly and didn’t actually buy one of these lounge chairs, however, an inflatable lounge could also be fun for floating down a creek in after some rainy weather, don’t you think?

Image by Archi Expo

16. ManCan Portable Beer Keg

How necessary these are for camping could be debated for a lifetime, but the one thing that any beer loving camper would agree on is that these are pretty cool. A single wall keg that you can keep in your portable car fridge ready for a cold beer on tap in the campsite. You can also get a limited edition WoManCan, which a portion of the proceeds will go to supporting women in the brewing industry.

Their claims of being lightweight are a stretch for hikers but a homebrew enthusiast on a car based camping trip would love this.

Image by InsideHook

15. TrailKeg

Once again, a little heavy for hiking but…this portable beer keg is vacuum insulated and will keep your beer cold for up to 4 hours. So, theoretically, if you were to do away with 5kg of other gear in your rucksack, you could take cold beer on tap just about anywhere. You’d consider it… right?

Image by TrailKeg

14. Powdered Beer

If you really can’t justify the weight of a ManCan or TrailKeg in your trekking pack, then maybe powdered beer is more your thing. As a beer lover myself I’d rather drink muddy water filtered through my socks than a glass of powdered beer, but I’ve never tried it, so who am I to judge? The fact that it doesn’t seem to be available any more may be a good indication of flavour though.

Image by Trek’n Eat

13. The DryFlush Toilet

Are you concerned about the environmental impact of using water, chemicals and dedicated dump points for your portable toilet waste? Not to worry, now you can vacuum wrap your crap in foil and bank it all in a giant plastic bag! Then you get to pay a visit to every landfill site on your trip to get rid of it all! Seems like an environmentally friendly solution to me…not!

1. Fry an egg with the Flash Torch

Keep out of reach of children! This torch won’t just light your path to the dunny, it will also start a fire and fry an egg, all with the power of its ‘laser beam’ [insert Dr Evil voiceover]. Sounds more like a lightsabre to me and a sure fire way to burn holes in your tent, administer third-degree burns to wildlife and fry the retinas of your camping buddies. It’s 100% legally guaranteed under US law though, so it must be safe!

Image by Gizmodo

11. GSI Ultralight Table

We actually sell this one at Snowys. Our initial thoughts were that it is gimmicky and expensive and wouldn’t be overly popular… we were wrong! It seems that this 30cm long table is sought after, most likely by gourmet trail chefs. All in all, it’s a pretty cool bit of kit, just very expensive for a small amount of benchtop.

Image by GSI Outdoors

10. BBQ Fishing Rod

Snow Peak makes a whole host of gimmicky yet surprisingly functional gear for the outdoors lifestyle and the BBQ Rod is by no means an exception. Attach your marshmallows, sausages, fish or veggies to the hook and dangle them over the fire, then with a small flick of the wrist your food flips for even cooking. Pretty cool!

Image by Snow Peak

9. Titanium Straw

The Snow Peak Titanium straw is the strongest and most durable reusable straw in the world. Able to pierce coconuts with a single blow and rest stylishly in any cocktail. Doubles as a miniature blow dart pipe for lightweight hunting adventures.

This is quite a timely placement given the talk of the environmental impact disposable straws are having, unfortunately, it’s not available in Australia as yet.

Image by Snow Peak

8. Candwich – Canned Sandwiches

If I had to pull some positives from this, it would be their marketing. However, apart from fleeting glimpses of these sandwiches flying out of their respective cans and across the dance floor into the mouths of hungry disco dancers, there’s no image of the actual product. Most likely because they have the plate appeal of a budget airline meal. I’m not sure why you would take a canned sandwich to a dance club but given they stay ‘fresh’ for over a year they are probably handy for camping… I think I’ll stick to baked beans myself though.

Alternatively, there are canned cheeseburgers from the same people that brought you the powdered beer. Strangely enough, these don’t seem to be available any more.

Video by Candwich

7. GSI Collapsible Whisk

Without any context, it’s hard to work out what this peculiar little device is and a poll of random guesses to its use may return some less than desirable guesses given its whip-like appearance. But, when GSI designed it they had a portable whisk in mind.

If scrambled eggs, omelettes and pancakes are a regular on your camping menu then this may be a useful item in your kit.

Image by Snowys Outdoors

6. iGuaneye Footwear

The concept makes sense, inspired by the Amazonian Indians who dipped their feet in natural latex for protection. While the latex stuck to the Amazonians feet like glue, these shoes rely on your big toe and some rubber around the heel to keep the shoe in place.

Personally, I’ve never seen a problem with flip-flops, but these do look interesting. iGuaneye looks like a relatively new brand, not something we’ve seen on any shelves in Australia just yet.

Image by iGUANEYE

5. Hydro Hammock Bath Tub

If you’ve packed everything, including the kitchen sink, and still got a 4× foot void in your boot, you can take the bathtub too thanks to the Hydro Hammock. This battery powered gas heated insulated hammock is designed to be filled with water to create a remote hydro spa. Simply hang it between two rock solid and level anchor points, or dig an enormous hole to lay it in. Then add about 180 litres of water and make sure you’ve got a flood management plan in place when you empty it.

The Hydro Hammock can be used in the wilderness, the beach or wherever you can feasibly carry a 30 kg case and 180 kg of water. The images even suggest you use it as an outdoor bath on your suburban balcony!

Image by Daily Mail Australia

4. Campfire Defender Blanket

I’m not sure I could sleep at night knowing my campfire is smouldering away under a massive blanket not too far from my tent. There are a small number of online reviews supporting my concerns, inversely then there’s a lot of positive feedback.

The idea is that instead of extinguishing your fire when you hit the hay, just peg this woven glass fire blanket over your fire. This allows the fire to keep burning whilst containing embers which means you’ll have hot coals in the morning.

Personally, I feel like it takes the responsibility out of making sure your fire is adequately extinguished. It also seems like it would be a dirty smoky item to be hauling around in your vehicle.

Video by Campfire Defender

3. Glow in the Dark Toilet Paper

Other than being able to locate the toilet paper in bush dunny completely void of light, or maybe so you can see the roll that you just dropped in the long drop, I’m pretty confident in saying that the 

Image by ThisIsWhyImBroke

. GSI Vortex Blender

This blender does not require electricity, so you don’t have to go without your protein shake, daiquiris and margaritas at the campsite. What you will need though, is a strong arm, a camp table strong enough to clamp the blender onto, and a couple of camping buddies to hold everything steady as you thrash away at the crank handle in an effort to turn the contents of the blender into a liquid.

The best thing is that you get an upper body workout while you produce the vitamin enriched shake you’ll need for muscle recovery afterwards.

Image by GSI Outdoors

1. Squat Strap

There’s a lot that is not right here. Firstly, it looks to be a terribly uncomfortable & over engineered strap that supposedly makes bush toileting easy… provided you have quads of steel. Secondly, the marketing is akin to a B-Grade comedic horror movie.

In summary, a short-tempered man in a white suit (Tuxman) steps out from behind a tree wearing a monkey mask and stares creepily at an unsuspecting camper preparing for a in the woods. Following a sales pitch on the Squat Strap and its numerous other uses, Tuxman pulls out a graphic illustration of a naked man strapped to a tree with bricks falling from his, err… rear-end!

Assumingly once the bricks have passed, the unsuspecting camper is converted to Tuxman’s bush monkey ways and dons the white suit before honing in on another culprit who appears to be converted as he’s come prepared with a Squat Strap of his own. They then all join hands (Tuxman now in a robe!) in a show of united appreciation for the Squat Strap!

These don’t look to be available any more, maybe the budget for the commercial could have been spent better on other areas of marketing?

Video by Squat Monkey

Got any strange camping products that we should add to our list? Post us some details below and we’ll include it!

The post Weird, Wonderful & Disturbingly Strange Camping Gear appeared first on Snowys Blog.

[mikeyd1986]

MIKEY’S PERSONAL BLOG 135, December 2018

Last Saturday night, I attended the CinFull Fitness Christmas break-up held at The Main Cafe Bar Restaurant in Berwick. Considering that I had to work for 9 hours and quickly got myself changed after work (into an ugly Christmas sweater of course), I was amazed at how “awake” I was. The restaurant was a lot more fully booked than I expected and I could tell that the staff were flat off their feet. I easily found the table that Cinamon booked for us so I just decided to walk on over.

The sad reality is that I hardly ever go out socially so tonight I was making the most of it. Still, I was being sensible with my alcohol intake especially when I had to get up early for work the next day. Cinamon made up these cute little gift bags with a personalised name tag, each containing some bath bombs and choccies. It was a really sweet and thoughtful gesture. I decided to order the poached chicken with chips, which ironically was the first meal to arrive considering I got there a bit late.

Even though social situations will continue to be a challenge for me, I was doing my best simply tuning into the conversations happening around me. As I’ve stated before in previous blogs, it takes a while for me to be comfortable enough to open up about myself to people. I guess it’s a self-defensive mechanism of mine, being cautious about who I trust and trying my best not to get hurt. I’m certainly not a closed book either, simply just shy and reserved.

I could also tell that these girls (and guy) were all pretty relaxed around me. That actually puts me at ease because I know girls can have preconceived notions about men but the truth is that they have nothing to fear. I try to be the most easy going, friendly, caring, humble man because that’s my nature. We did have plenty of laughs and somehow I managed to stay for over 2 hours, which is a pretty big achievement for me.

I didn’t even need to rush over to the toilet once (for a mental regroup) so that shows my progress with being in social situations. I enjoyed my night and I’m really looking forward to smashing more fitness and confidence goals in 2019 with CinFull Fitness.

On Monday afternoon, I had an appointment with my occupational therapist Ambika from Everyday Independence. I was feeling a bit nervous and apprehensive today as I really didn’t know what I’d be in for. I did my best to create a calming, relaxed space in the dining room with my folder full of notes, a notepad, glass of water and radio playing softly in the background. At least I could say that I was physically prepared for this.

The appointment seemed to go pretty smoothly as Ambika gauged what I needed assistance with at home and together we put together a helpful weekly planner to add household chores to including cooking, cleaning, dusting vacuuming, sweeping, wiping certain rooms of the house. She also made it realistic and manageable, considering I don’t do many of these tasks currently, in order to build up motivation and confidence gradually.

She’s set me the task of preparing my own recipe for dinner including writing out a shopping list and buying all the ingredients. Sounds simple enough, it’s just the “doing” part now. Ambika also recommended a few apps I could use to help with moods, coping strategies for stress and anxiety as well as daily planning and checklists. These are Daylio - Diary, Journal and Mood Tracker, Headspace: Meditation and Mindfulness and Google Keep - Notes & Lists.  

On Monday night, I attended my last Boxing class for the year with Cinamon Guerin at CinFull Fitness in Narre Warren South. It’s hard to believe that it’s been five months since I’ve joined this group and I can definitely see the improvements I’ve made with my confidence, focus, determination and drive. I’ve always been slow to warm up when it comes to learning boxing techniques and combos but it doesn’t take me long before I’ve “got it”. https://www.expertboxing.com/boxing-basics/how-to-box/the-beginners-guide-to-boxing

It was just a couple of us tonight (Sam, Sarah and myself) but I was content with that. I was actually worried that I wouldn’t get there on time with all the local peak-hour traffic making me run late but I made it. We did some EMOM (Every Minute on the Minute) drills which involved 10 jabs, 20 uppercuts, 30 highs and 40 hooks plus 4 side to side straddles, 10 star jumps, a squat hold and 10 V-crunches. Plus some continuous walking combos which made us all laugh.  

I’m hoping that in the new year, I’ll be able to come to classes more regularly and even stick around for a “double” one time. But right now I know my limits in terms of physical fitness. It’s something I need to continue to work on so that I don’t get as tired or fatigued as often. It’s about forming better habits and smashing through goals gradually. It doesn’t matter how many times I go off track, I’m going to keep bringing myself back.

On Tuesday morning, Mum and I attended the City of Casey - School Crossing Supervisor’s Christmas social function held at Zagame's Berwick Hotel. Switching the venue from last year’s event at the Lynbrook Hotel to here seemed like a good idea on paper considering how large the turnout was. Sadly, they still ran into a few problems such as using a “random bingo number” system to organise everyone’s meal orders. It was chaotic and messy to say the least especially with Sonya having to yell out the numbers instead of using a microphone. Going table by table would have been much more efficient but never mind.

We were lucky to sit in a comfy circular booth near the rear of the Sports Bar with Mum’s friend Val plus Kay and Ray. They put on a Morning Melodies performance for an hour, playing a mixture of Christmas songs (Hark Now Hear The Angels Sing, Blue Christmas, Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree) and a few classics including ABBA’s Dancing Queen and Honey Honey, You’re The One That I Want by John Travolta & Olivia Newton John and Sugar, Honey Honey by The Archies.

After the drama with the main meals was over, Dreena (the School Crossing Co-ordinator) announced a few years of service awards and drew out some door prizes. Mum was lucky enough to win one which I was very pleased about. As expected, I got asked the question of what I’ll be doing next year. I always find it really daunting and hard answering because I never really know myself. I’ve lived this year pretty much day to day.

It’s like people expect you to have your life mapped out for the next 5-10 years but in reality, I’m lucky to plan a month in advance. However, I am considering enroling in one of the free TAFE courses such as the Certificate IV in Mental Health as I have personal experience as well as a keen interest in that area. Plus I still have a burning passion for creative writing including blogs and music/movie reviews and also getting back into art again. So there you go. Hopefully that’s a satisfying enough answer for those wondering.

On Tuesday night, I went to the final Body Balance class for 2018 with Astrid held at YMCA Casey RACE in Cranbourne East. I was still feeling very tense through my upper back and shoulders after my boxing session last night so I figured some yoga and pilates stretches should help with that. We did the new release (number 83) which features tracks including Towards The Sun by Rhianna, Die Young by Sylvan Esso, There She Goes by Leon Bridges, I Need a Forest Fire by James Blake & Bon Iver. https://www.lesmills.com/workouts/fitness-classes/bodybalance/#facType=modal&filterType=0&classes=bb

Overall, this wasn’t a bad release. The balance tracks and Pilates were the most challenging parts for me but I did what I could given my limitations. Here is a breakdown of the exercises: Tai Chi Warm Up (Overhead arm circles, Flowing Water arms), Sun Salutations (Forward Fold, Low Lunge, Downward Facing Dog, Plank, Crocodile, Baby Cobra), Standing Strength (Warrior 1, Warrior 2, Joyful Warrior, Intense Pose), Balance (Half Moon pose, Falling Star pose), Pilates Core (Foot circles, V-crunches, Bicycle crunches, Bow pose), Twists and Seated Poses (Swan pose, Wide Legged Forward Fold with Side Stretches, Half Lord of the Fishes pose), Hamstrings (Butterfly pose, Happy Baby pose) and Relaxation. https://www.livestrong.com/article/39660-body-balance-class/

On Friday morning, I had my first appointment with a speech pathologist named Amon from Everyday Independence. Was it going to be like the opening scene from Everybody Loves Raymond? (THEY’RE COMING! Come and sing a song of joy!). Probably not. That’s just my anxiety trying hard to freak me out. New person alert. Oh shit! It’s something I need to seriously confront in order to gain more self confidence really. And the reality is that he’s here to help me. https://www.everydayind.com.au/our-therapies/speech-pathology/

Today’s assessment involved being asked a lot of scerario-based questions related to my communication skills and how I talk with people I know and people I’m not familiar with. It was pretty difficult and confronting at times especially the part on making conversation. This is an area where I have huge issues and a lot of sensitivity about ever since my childhood. Plus it’s really draining answering questions for 1.5 hours. https://www.everydayind.com.au/therapy/communications-skills/

Luckily, Amon was very friendly and easy going. It was just tough coming up with decent answers like how I respond in certain situations and trying to remember specific examples of times when this happened. When you’re in a brain fog or you simply can’t come up with anything, it’s embarrassing as. But Amon was quite patient during these awkward silences and didn’t push me too hard.

We also came up with a couple of goals to work towards over the next 12 months. This includes: Being more confident and using strategies to make conversation with others, especially people that I’m not familiar with. Developing friendships with people I feel comfortable with and be able to spend time socially with in the future. I rated my level of importance has high for both of these goals. Hopefully 2019 will be a more successful year for me in terms of achieving more self-confidence and better communication.

“The cold wind is blowin' and the streets are getting dark. I'm writin' you a letter and I don't know where to start. The bells will be ringin' Saint John the Divine. I get a little lonely every year around this time...I've got to know (Nobody ought to be all alone on Christmas). Where do the lonely hearts go (Nobody ought to be all alone on Christmas). Oh cause' nobody ought to be all alone on Christmas.” Darlene Love - All Alone On Christmas (1992)

“All around the world. Anticipation. 'Cause here it comes again (you see). No matter where you are. It could be near or far. But it still feels like Christmas time to me. I tell you what you already know. Forget and ready to let it go. The countdown has begun. Whether you're in the mmh. North, South, it's all the same. Let your troubles fade away. Get ready to love everyone.” Kylie Minogue & Dannii Minogue - 100 Degrees (2015)