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team-free-will-oneshots · 5 years ago

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Buried Secrets

Title: Buried Secrets (part one) Request: based on one from @witch-of-letters (not sharing it cos spoilers) and Hello! Can I request something kind of long? Reader notices Dean struggling (barely sleep, self deprecation) and uses witchcraft to help him... - anon (also cut for spoilers) Summary: You’ve been hunting with the Winchesters for years, and unbeknownst to them, you might feel a little more towards them than friendship. Little do they know, you’re a witch. Matters are only complicated with the threat of the Darkness. Will you ever catch a break from what the universe throws at you? (set early-ish season 11) Pairing: Dean x Reader, Sam x Reader (love triangle babey!) Warnings: Some sadness I guess?? Dean repressing his emotions :( Word Count: 2,300ish

note; hey y’all, look at this, another series !! and a love triangle, whoa ! hope u guys enjoy, part two on its way! xx

“Anything?”

“Nothing,” Dean muttered, slamming the old book shut. Dust motes shot into the air, before slowly drifting and settling on the wooden desk, tiny flecks of grey on the brown. He put his head in his hands, groaning before heaving himself to his feet. “Apparently, no one’s ever needed to stop the friggin’ Darkness before. Seriously, what kind of a name is that? The Darkness? Sounds like a shitty 90’s movie,” he protested, but you could sense the pain behind his words, see it lingering behind his eyes.

“There has to be something,” Sam insisted from the corner of the room. The three of you had been poring over lore books for weeks now - you’d even reached out to a few friends from your old coven, desperate for help. None of them offered anything of value - not the few who still deigned to speak with you since your association with the Winchesters, anyway.

Of course, Sam and Dean didn’t know anything about your past life, where you’d embraced your abilities as a natural witch, using them to hunt in your own unique way. As far as they were concerned, you were just a hunter; saving people and hunting things the old fashioned way - with a knife and a gun, not Latin spells and crystals and herbs. When the three of you met on a case, it just made sense to stick around to finish it off. Five years later, you still had their back, and you were certain they had yours.

“There’s nothing, Sam! And why would there be? She was locked away before time even existed, we’re not going to find anything in some stupid book!” Dean snapped, jaw taut and teeth clenched. He seemed more worn down than usual - the deep bags under his eyes seemed to be carved into his skin, his mouth always set in a tense expression of defeat.

Sam sighed, his fingers combing through his hair as he shook his head. The youngest Winchester was struggling too, more than you knew he’d ever admit, but at least his eyes still showed signs of life - a flicker of optimism, even a genuine laugh on occasion. That was far more than what Dean produced of late. It seemed he hadn’t managed to catch a break in years - first the Mark, then being a demon, then the Mark again, and now this… as much as Sam blamed himself for unleashing the Darkness, you knew that Dean blamed himself more.

“You never know. There- there might be something. Maybe we’re just not looking in the right places-” Sam tried helplessly, but fell silent at Dean’s warning glare. You rubbed at your temples, feeling a headache coming on - you’d had all too many of those lately. They’d been bothering you for years, striking up at the most inopportune moments. You’d brushed it off as nothing more than stress, but it certainly didn’t make your life any easier.

When you glanced up, the air was heavy with tension, and you knew it was only a matter of time until Dean snapped.

“Hey. Dean. Let’s go for a walk,” you suggested suddenly, and his eyebrows shot to his hairline.

“You wanna go for a walk? Now?” His tone was weighed with disbelief, and you shrugged.

“Yeah. Like you said, we’re not getting anywhere here. I could do with clearing my head, and I’d like some company.” You shrugged. Dean paused for a moment, processing your reply before nodding.

“Okay. Okay, yeah. Let’s go,” he said, and you smiled, touching his arm lightly as you passed him and ignoring the electricity that sparked at the contact before grabbing your coat and leaving the musty confines of the bunker behind you. Dean was hot on your tail, and you could feel his warm presence behind you as the cool night air rushed over your face, stinging your eyes and rushing through your hair. You blinked a few times, letting your eyes adjust to the darkness before you set off down the road.

Dean fell into step beside you, and for a while, the only sound was that of the crickets and the steady crunch of your footsteps on the crumbling tarmac. The moon bore witness to your outing, it’s faint, silvery light bleeding through the wispy clouds that lazed across the sky.

“Nice night,” Dean remarked, and when you turned to look at him, his jaw had loosened and his shoulders slumped. He wasn’t happy, that much was clear, but at least he wasn’t pushed to his breaking point.

“Yeah,” you agreed. His fingers brushed yours as you walked, warm and calloused. Your heart stuttered, and Dean snatched his hand away, clearing his throat as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. You swallowed, releasing a short breath that misted in the air before getting your emotions under control. It was just an accident. Dean didn’t like you, not like that, at least. The two of you had been best friends for years - you would’ve picked up if… well, if there was anything more than friendship there.

“Maybe we should try finding Rowena again. She might be a backstabbing witch but maybe there’s someone in her circles who-”

“I don’t think the witches can help us,” you interrupted, voice taking on a defensive edge. Dean huffed.

“You’re probably right. Not like they’d be willing to give us anything useful, anyways,” he muttered. Your jaw tightened.

“Maybe not all witches are as bad as you think,” you murmured, and Dean barked a laugh.

“Good one, Y/N,” he chuckled, and your brow creased in hurt as you cast him a stern look.

“I mean it!” you insisted, and Dean rolled his eyes.

“C’mon, Y/N. Most of ‘em made deals with demons. No one ‘good’ resorts to that,” he argued, and you raised an eyebrow as you shot him a pointed look. He rolled his eyes.

“Okay, me doing it was different. These witches… they just want power, and then they use it to hurt people,” he declared, and you sighed.

“Not all of them. Some of them are just… born like that. Natural witches, with powers they have to be taught to control.” Like me, your brain whispered. “There have to be some good ones out there,” you finished, voice small. Dean shrugged.

“Maybe. I’ve never met one, but if I do, I’ll owe you five bucks,” he said, shooting you a smirk. You hummed in response, but the fake amusement you’d tried to imbue in your tone fell flat.

“Well, hunting aside; I thought this walk was to clear our heads. No use talking about things we can’t control,” you said eventually. “How have you been? I heard you up at four am last night. Trouble sleeping?”

Dean laughed humourlessly. “Yeah, well, I’ve got a lot on my mind,” he said vaguely. He opened his mouth to speak, but shut it just as quickly. “It doesn’t matter,” he muttered. You spared a glance at him, and the dullness in his eyes and the weak smile on his lips made your heart weigh heavy with helplessness.

“Well, if you ever wanted to talk about it and… I dunno, get things out of your mind and into someone else's, I’m here,” you told him, keeping your tone light. He chuckled.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, but you knew in your bones that he was lying. Dean was the master of internalising his feelings until they started to eat him up, and you knew this time would be no different.

“I mean it, Dean,” you said, coming to a sudden halt by the roadside. “You’re my best friend. You can talk to me.” Dean’s momentum carried him a few paces further before he finally stopped, turning around and raising his brows.

“I know,” he said, slowly returning to your side. You sighed.

“Really, Dean. Honestly, I-I’m worried about you,” you confessed, and the eldest Winchester rolled his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. He shook his head.

“You sound like Sam,” he muttered. “Listen, I’m fine. And even if I wasn’t, that’s my business,” he said sharply. “You don’t need to be wasting your time worrying about me, of all people! Like I said, I’m-”

“Fine. You’re fine. Right,” you finished defeatedly. He nodded forcefully, shaking his head to clear his thoughts.

“We should get back,” he muttered, avoiding eye contact as he paced back the way he had come, leaving you standing alone in the dark. His movements were stiff and his hands were in fists at his sides. You exhaled heavily, kicking a rock dejectedly before following in his footsteps.

When you returned to the bunker, Dean had already stormed to his room. Sam shot you a quizzical glance. “What’d you do, punch a hole in Baby’s tyre?” Sam asked, and you chuckled, collapsing on the couch next to him.

“Worse. Tried to talk about his feelings,” you replied tightly, massaging your temples and trying to ignore your pounding headache. It had only gotten worse after your attempted “chat” with Dean.

“Ah. Well, that explains it,” he said, trying a smile that you managed to return. Sam’s smiles were always contagious - so genuine and kind, it was impossible not to return them. Sam closed the book in his lap, putting it aside and shifting closer to you. His leg brushed yours, and for the second time that night, your heart stuttered. As attractive as you found Dean, the same could easily be said for Sam. His hand found your knee, resting over it innocently as he coaxed your gaze to meet his. “You okay?” he checked.

You sighed, leaning back into the couch. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine, it’s just-” You sighed again. “I’m worried about Dean, and I- I guess I have some stuff going on as well,” you admitted. Sam frowned.

“You wanna talk about it?” he offered, eyes warm with concern. You shook your head - how were you meant to tell one of your hunter best friends that you were one of the “monsters” so frequently on their hit list? How were you even meant to describe how that made you feel, how personal their jabs at witches felt? Especially with how frequently they arose nowadays, ever since Rowena wormed her way into your lives...

“Just… feeling alone, I guess,” you mumbled. “It’s hard to explain.”

“I get it,” Sam said, giving you a sympathetic half-smile. “For a long time, I felt like I didn’t belong… well, anywhere. But, Y/N… Dean and I care about you, okay? I know neither of us really talk about it that much, but… we’re both here for you, and we’ll accept you no matter what. But you need to accept yourself, too.”

You managed a small smile in return. “Thanks, Sam,” you whispered, swallowing hard and blinking back the tears beginning to burn your eyes. When one finally broke free, gliding down your cheek and settling in the corner of your mouth, Sam opened his arms.

“C’mere,” he said, and you accepted his hug gratefully. His arms caged around you protectively, holding you against his hard chest as his large body curled over yours. You could smell the fresh scent of detergent on his flannel, feel his light scruff on your forehead, and then it was fading as you pulled back in fear he’d feel your racing heart.

“I should get to bed,” you told him, smiling again, a fraction more authentic this time. Sam nodded.

“Yeah, me too. See you in the morning,” he said quietly, and you nodded.

“Night,” you replied, getting to your feet and making the short trip back to your room. Sam’s words still echoed in your ears - you need to accept yourself, too.

Maybe he was right - maybe you’d been trying to suppress who you were for too long. You knew you could use your powers for good - you’d spent most of your life trying to do just that. Maybe you could show the boys, your best friends, that not all witches were as evil as they thought. And maybe, you could start by helping Dean.

You had all the ingredients you needed stowed safely in your bedside drawer, and it took you nearly no time at all to make the hex bag. Your fingers deftly pieced it together, falling back into an old, familiar rhythm as the repetitive motions drew out the stress knotted between your shoulder blades and the tension headache that had tortured you so incessantly. As you imbued your magic into the tiny bag, you felt as though you could finally breathe again.

The sound of a door falling shut drew you from your trance, and you cracked open your own door to peek into the corridor. Dean was heading towards the bathroom, probably for a shower, judging by the towel slung over his shoulder. Perfect.

Once he was out of sight and you heard the spray of water, you crept from your room and into his. Your heart dropped at the sight - it didn’t look like he’d cleaned up in weeks. This was not the room of the healthy minded.

You stayed just long enough to tuck the hex bag under his mattress, leaving as quickly and silently as you came. A small smile tugged your lips as you laid back in bed, drawing the blankets up over your waist. Finally, after so long, you could use your powers for something good.

Maybe there was hope for you yet.

__________

Read part two here!

Forever tags: @babygirloreo @calaofnoldor @stealingheartsswift13 @lmpala97 @sebastianshoe @81mysteriouslyme @castieliswatchingoverme

Dean tags: @polina-93 @justagirlinafandomworld

Sam tags: @sammys-dimpless

If you’d like to be tagged in this series, or added to any of my tag lists, let me know!

#supernatural #supernatural imagine #supernatural fanfiction #dean winchester x reader #sam winchester x reader #supernatural x reader #dean winchester #sam winchester #dean winchester fanfiction #sam winchester fanfiction #dean winchester imagine #sam winchester imagine #spn #spn fanfiction #spn imagine #dean x reader #sam x reader #buried secrets series #spn x reader

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like-the-wings-of-butterflies · 6 years ago

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On Set (Platonic!Queen x Reader)

Summary: After a rough morning you show up to the set of ‘I Want To Break Free’ disgruntled and bitter, but the boys make you forget about your worries by their ridiculous costume choice.

Warnings: None

Word Count: 956

A/N: My first Queen fanfic! So sorry it’s awful, I’m still getting used to writing after being out of it for so long. But practicing is a start! Feedback is always appreciated ♡

You didn’t mean to be late. Truly you didn’t. Nor did you mean to be in such a shitty mood. But a broken alarm clock, spilt cup of coffee and a flat tyre didn’t exactly make for the smoothest morning; especially on an important day. The boys were filming another music video for their eleventh upcoming album ‘The Works’, you weren’t exactly sure which song it was for nor what they had planned, but you knew if it earned Freddie’s seal of approval it’d have to be nothing less then outrageous.

You enjoyed working for the boys; well, really it was more their way of making sure you stuck around with them. ‘Working’ simply involved being their assistant, helping out where you were needed. But it was an excuse to spend time with your four best friends, so you really couldn't care less.

As you approached the building, exhausted and bitter, you could only pray that Roger gave you the right address.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“Are you sure that this is right?” You asked, nervously fiddling with the phone cable

“A hundred percent” He replied

“I’m not going to get there tomorrow at the wrong place?”

“What, you don’t trust me?”

“It’s not that! I’ve known you forever but what if I wander around the building like an idiot looking for-“

“(Y/N), Love,” He says, cutting you off. “I promise I’ve given you the right address. We’ll all be there, I’d never do something like that to you.”

Too tired to argue, you gave in. “Alright, thank you Roger, goodnight”

He laughs “Goodnight (Y/N), see you tomorrow”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It took a large amount of wandering around the building to figure out where exactly they were, even after your attempts to ask the front desk for directions. The female receptionist thought you were some crazed fan on your way to confess your undying love for any of the four boys and refused to give you any help at all. In the end you chose to scan each floor and listen out for any of their songs. As you were climbing the stairs you could only imagine the kind of teasing you’d get for both being late and your frazzled appearance. After hearing the chorus for ‘I Want To Break Free’ you took a breath and opened the door, immediately turning away from them in the hopes they wouldn’t notice your current state.

“Darling! You finally decided to show up!” A voice exclaimed behind you.

“Oh shut it Freddie, I’ve had a shit morning and just can’t deal with any kind of patronising right now. My alarm didn’t go off, I ruined my favourite shirt and busted a tyre on my car, leading me to walk 12 blocks to this place, which- I’ll have you know- isn’t as easy to navigate as you may think!” As you finished unpacking your things, and your mid-morning rant, you turned to face them. However the sight of your best friends dressed head to toe as women changed your demeanour instantly. If it weren’t for Roger pulling such a shockingly flamboyant pose, it’s likely you would’ve remained standing there with your mouth agape. Instead, you cracked a smile before falling into a fit of giggles.

“Before you say anything, it was Rog’s idea” Freddie says with a pointed look but a playful tone

“Oh my god you all look gorgeous!,” You ran up to each of them, taking in and admiring their appearances: Freddie and Brian as housewives, John as a grandmother and Roger as a schoolgirl.

“And by gorgeous I mean absolutely ridiculous, but then again I’d never expect any less from the lot of you.” You beamed, your smile matching those of the four men around you. They drag you into a hug and you peck each of them on the cheek, before you sent them off to continue filming.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Shortly after shooting finished, you moved to the nearest sofa, picking up the day’s paper on the way. Mindlessly you flicked though the pages while you waited for the boys to change out of their costumes.

“I’m sorry for being so awful when I arrived this morning.” You shouted from the other size of the door. “I just had a rough start to the day and I shouldn’t have-“

“Nonsense,” Brian cuts in, wandering out of the dress room, “You had every right to feel the way you did, next time you have troubles getting anywhere; let us know and one of us will come pick you up, we don’t want you getting lost.”

“Hey! I find my way....most of the time.”

He shook his head and smiled, “Doesn’t mean I don’t worry.”

After the others had returned and joined you on the sofa you finally asked a question that had been bugging you all day: “Of all things, why did you choose to parody ‘Coronation Street’?”

“Why not?” Freddie asked like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Because its shit telly!” You fired back.

“You watch it.” John quipped, smug smile tracing his features.

“Only when there’s nothing else on! Plus Brian will always come over and join me if I give him a call.”

The glare Brian shoots you made you shift uncomfortably in your seat knowing full well that you were in immense trouble for what you’d just let slip. As Roger and Freddie’s teasing became more audible, in attempt to catch your attention, John threw a stray hair roller at your direction and pointed toward the door; and through his giggles, simply mouthed the words “Run”. Deciding to follow his advice, you slip out the door and get a head start running down the corridors, knowing that Brain wouldn’t be too far behind.

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pendragonfics · 7 years ago

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Rebel Loner Girl (& the Babysitter of The Year)

Paring: Steve Harrington/Reader

Tags: female reader, fluff, punk, you’re a loner, character development, family dynamics, dysfunctional family, past Steve Harrington/Nancy Wheeler.

Summary: You thought it would be a simple drop off for your sister to go to the Snow Ball, but when you have two options,

a) sit in the car and read Will Buyers' Spider-Man comics, or b) catch a ride anywhere else with Steve Harrington

--it's kind of obvious which one you'll go for.

Word Count: 2,330

Current Date: 2017-11-16

Your dad didn’t want to do it alone. But then again, Chief Hopper was a man who never really got it his way, anyways. But you went along with it. Helped your newfound sister to look pretty, pick out a dress, and look decent enough to go to the Snow Ball. You remember when you were that young – heck, you’d almost skipped it, except that your dad all but made you go. So, after making El look presentable, you got into the car with your dad, and heard all the ground rules for her to follow for the dance.

“Remember, you’re going to school here next year, so you can make friends then.” He tells her, looking in the rear-view mirror of the police truck. “And don’t get too close to boys – Mike in particular.”

“Dad,” you groan, rolling your eyes.

El nods. “Yeah, Dad,” she joins in. “I won’t be stupid.”

He harrumphs at that, but reluctantly agrees. Soon enough, you make it to the school, and while you take a picture of your sister half-heartedly smiling, and usher her inside, you see as your dad gravitates to where Mrs. Buyers is by her car. But when El is inside the middle school’s gym, you see that your dad is nowhere near the car, and the keys, unlike usually, aren’t left in the ignition.

“Uh, sorry,” you walk over to where he’s talking with Mrs. Buyers, sharing a cigarette. “Aren’t we going home? I have a paper I’m working on for biology.”

Mrs. Buyers gives your dad a look. “Jim, I thought you told her.” She half-scolds.

You square your jaw, crossing your arms. “Did you change plans without telling me?”

He flicks the butt of the cigarette onto the asphalt of the school parking lot, and crushes it under his boot. “Yeah, but I told you, last night, after dinner. You said, yes dad.”

You stare at him. “I thought you were telling me to clean up the dishes!”

Joy gives his arm a small thwack. “If you want, I think Will has one of his comic books in the back of my car, something like, uh, Spider-Man?”

You shake your head, shoving your hands into your jeans pockets. “Um, no thanks, Mrs. Buyers, I’ve already read those.” You look to your Dad, “Not cool,” you add. But just then, when you look across the parking lot, you see a familiar face. “I’m taking off. Bye!”

You wave a hasty goodbye to the adults, and book it across to where you see Steve Harrington with his fancy BWM. He’s dropping off Dustin Henderson, one of El’s friends, and before he can drive away, you place a hand on the bonnet, and probably scare the guy half to death.

“I need a lift.”

He raises an eyebrow at your beat-up jeans and wild hair. “I just finished being chauffer, Hopper,” he says, and after a beat, adds, “C’mon, get in. Where to?”

You don’t waste a second, practically racing to get to the empty left-hand side of the car. “Anywhere but here, Harrington,” you roll your eyes, “Are you picking up Dustin after, or was that just…”

He shakes his head. “Yeah, I’m doing his Mom a solid.” He puts the car into gear, and starts driving off. “And ‘anywhere’?” He asks, “What are you, some kind of rebel loner girl?”

You shrug, sitting lower in the seat so your knees touch the dashboard. “I don’t know. You tell me, demo-dog bait boy.” You glance over to the driver, and your classmate, and add, “Not going to lie, the last week? Hectic as hell. You really helped us with that shit, dickbrain.”

He laughs. “I’m the dickbrain?”

You nod. “Yeah.” Out the window, you see a sign for the local cafe, and point it out. “Turn here. I think I have twenty dollars and a need for terrible diner food.” You grin, and add, “My dad can’t cook for shit.”

Steve turns the car into the parking lot, and getting out, you realise the gravity of the situation. You, freak beyond compare, are hanging out with Steve Harrington, the Hawkins’s own Mr. Popular, at a diner while the kids are dancing to the MTV hits. But you don’t freak out over it. He might have just been ditched by Nancy Wheeler, and you’re you and the only person you’ve been with was Danny Welch in fourth grade, when he kissed you.

But before the pair of you walk into the diner, you stop him. “I just want to apologise for calling you dickbrain, Harrington. You’re not half bad, especially with the kids. You did, uh, some good.” You find it hard to compliment the guy you’ve just been laying it on thick to, and coughing into your fist, you add, “C’mon. I want waffles.”

You don’t see it, but Steve’s smiling. Well, not face-to-face, but you do, in the reflection of the diner’s glass door. But you don’t comment on it. Instead, you order waffles, and a tall vanilla milkshake and the same for Steve, before he can object. You select the booth, and you sit, pushing your sneakers on the seat opposite, beside Steve. He looks at the scuffed Converse shoes, and sits quietly for a second, car keys still in his hands, a band aid (not rainbow) on his forehead.

“I don’t get it, Hopper. You’re fine when your Dad and the kids are around, but when we’re alone, you’re moody, like at school.” He crosses his arms, “I don’t get it. You’re a funny person, __________. What changed?”

The waitress brings over two shakes, and two plates of waffles, with little bottles of maple syrup on the side, and silently, slides them in front of you both. You wait until she’s out of earshot, and making sure that nobody is prying, take a deep breath.

“He’s not my Dad.” You tell Steve.

He raises an eyebrow. “Wait, I thought you were, like, his daughter’s twin or something –,”

You laugh. “I’m the product of a drug addict and a shitty mother,” you grin, and tuck into your waffle, and with a mouthful, add, “I was in the foster system, years and years,” you swallow, and add, “I’m trailer park trash by birth.” And you’re the town’s resident rich kid.

He shakes his head. “Yeah, but you kicked ass, like, majorly. You took out at least three demo-dogs with your machete. Doesn’t matter that you’re adopted, you’re still awesome. Hell, bad to the bone.”

You crack a grin at that. “Not too bad yourself, Harrington.”

Steve’s got a mouthful now, and he says, “Can you teach me sometime that move you make, with the machete, when you,” he motions with his fork a figure-eight swinging motion, flicking syrup onto your shirt, “It’s epic. Where’d you learn it?”

You waggle your eyebrows. “My own design. Awesome, right?”

By the time the end of the Snow Ball rolls around, and the end of your waffles and shake, you’re back in the Hawkins Middle School’s parking lot with Steve Harrington, just in time for him to take Dustin home, and for you to get a ride home with your Dad and El, and hear all about it from her. But before you jet, you turn to him in the driver’s seat.

“Sorry I had a cow earlier,” you look at your hands, unable to hold his gaze, and add, “I guess shitty childhood equals shitty teenager.” You laugh. “It’s good that we could hang out, you know, when the world isn’t ending, for once?”

He nods. “Yeah, it was great.” There’s a noise outside, and the pair of you see the doors open, and tons of kids stream out from the school. “Maybe we could hang out again sometime?”

You pause. “Like, with other kids from school…?”

He shakes his head. “Nah, with you.”

There’s a knocking on the car window, and you turn to see Dustin Henderson. His hair obviously has product in it, styling those curls a million times bigger, and he has a big smile on his face, showing off his new set of teeth. Before you can blink, or even tell him to stop pressing his face into the glass and to let you leave the car, he cries out, “Steve! You got a date with __________! Guys, I told you!”

You and Steve both shake your heads, but you pipe up, “Yeah, a date, har-har,” you laugh it off, and turning to Steve, you peck his cheek with a quick kiss, and add, “Yeah, I think it was. Why don’t you call sometime? I’d like that.”

As you leave, you go to your sister, and hear all about her night. But back in the car, Dustin’s already buckled in, and on the edge of his seat to hear more about what he just heard.

“So?” Dustin asks. “She’s so scary, but cool.”

Steve smiles to himself. “Yeah, she is,” he turns the key in the car. “C’mon, Henderson, let’s get you home.”

---

It’s about a week later, and for once, when 5:15PM rolls around, there’s the sound of tyres on the gravel driveway, and you and El race out to see your Dad pull into the yard of the house you all live in. It’s a rental, nice, a little squishy, but you don’t have to share a bedroom (a relic of your childhood as a foster-system kid), so it’s great. And it’s even greater, because coming into the house where you’re still watching the show M*A*S*H*, is the scent of takeout pizza, and soda.

“You got cheese?” El asks, whisking the pizza box out of his hands, and into hers, “Yes! Best night ever!” She carries it to the lounge room, and begins eating it while sitting on the shag carpet.

You look to your dad, who hands you the soda, and tosses his keys into the dish by the door. “It’s been a busy couple of weeks since we got Will back,” he says, kicking off his boots, “We haven’t gotten to talk much.”

You shrug, carrying to soda to the kitchen to grab tumblers to drink from. “We talk enough, Dad,” you whine, “you know about my grades, and my friends. Oh, Mrs. Gillespie called by earlier, she brought a basket of her oranges to say thank you. I didn’t get what for, though…”

Your Dad, the amazing Chief Hopper puts a hand on your shoulder, interrupting your train of thought. “I didn’t mean that kind of talk, Pebbles,” he puts his gun and badge in the safe under the sink (a design so you two kids don’t shoot each other, as well as kept where he can use them), and a hand on your shoulder. “I meant with you. You hear all about the crap that happens at my work, I’d like to hear about yours. Any new friends, or boys?” El laughs at a joke Klinger made on the TV in the next room, and you’re silent. He adds, “What happened with you the night of the Snow Ball with you and John’s kid, Steve?”

You make an exasperated noise. “Geez, pushy, much?” you complain.

Gathering the tumblers, take the soda to the loungeroom to grab what pizza you can before your sister devours the whole thing by herself. But instead of avoiding the topic, when you hand El her glass of soda pop, she pipes up, “Dustin told Mike and Mike told me that Dustin said he saw you kiss Steve Harrington,” she parrots something out of the mouth of some prep, and adds, “He’s cool.”

Your Dad raises an eyebrow. “You kissed this kid?” He pushes a hand into his hairline, making it look like it’s receding even more. “Can’t believe my girls are growing up…do I need to give you the talk?”

You blanch. “Ew, no!”

As if on cue, the telephone on the wall rings, and grateful for an interruption, you take your slice of cheese pizza away from the conversation about your private life to the landline. “Hey, this is the Hopper house,” you say.

“__________, it’s Steve, from, uh, school. Harrington.” he stammers, and you hear him groan on his end of the line. You glance around the corner, and see the advertisements between the television show playing, speaking about the politics going on in Washington D.C. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

You laugh. “No, you’re not interrupting,” you say, taking a bite of your slice of pizza, “What’s up? Don’t tell me. You want me to come on a secret mission to get all the Hawkins’ Middle School kids to know about that kiss.” Before he can say a word, you add, “It’s cool, don’t sweat it. I just don’t want people calling me a bimbette because you just broke up with Nancy.”

“Who cares what they think,” he says, “I liked it.”

You still, “Even though I’m a freak?” you ask.

There’s a small chuckle. “Freak or not, you’re still the bomb. If you’re not busy next Saturday, I got tickets to a drive-in movie, the new Star Wars? If you can’t, I get it –,”

“– sure, I’m free,” you pipe in, “Pick me up at five. I’ll bring pretzels, you bring soda. It’s so overpriced at the place,” you all but interrupt the guy, “Uh, see you at school?”

He agrees, and after saying goodbye, you hang the phone up. But it’s then you turn to see your Dad and little sister standing there, watching you adamantly from where the kitchen linoleum meets the loungeroom shag carpet. El’s hardly keeping her amused, yet excited smile from her face. Your Dad’s got his curious worry lines deepening by the second.

“Was that your boyfriend?” El asks.

You don’t groan. You don’t kick a fit. You don’t flip off your adopted family, you don’t lie. Instead –

“I’ve got a date with Steve Harrington,” you whisper. “Next Saturday.”

#steve harrington #steve harrington stranger things #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington/reader #steve harrington stranger things x reader #stranger things x reader #stranger things fanfic #stranger things imagine #chaotic--lovely #pendragonfics #Female reader

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vroombroomzoom · 7 years ago

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Comprehensive review of the Ducati Monster 620 (2002 and thereabouts)

Over recent years I have been a very lucky motorcyclist, having ridden a number of very different bikes from across many different categories and amongst this wonderful mix of crotch-rockets, I have owned three Ducati Monster 620IE/620SIE Italian masterpieces.

How I came to love this particular model is explained in one of my previous posts so I won’t bore you with the details, but in summary, I fell in love with the beauty and pagentry of this little air-cooled naked.

I’m going to attempt to cover all aspects of this bike as best I can in the following ramblings and musings as I recollect my time with the Ducati Monster 620SIE.

RIDING IT (because really, that’s where it’s at)

If you speak to any honest Monster owners, they will tell you that these particular bikes are a bit of a love/hate relationship. If they tell you they love riding these things, they are lying. They might like THE THOUGHT of being on top of these Italian pieces of artwork, but there is plenty to dislike (and some things to like) about the ride.

To start with, the 620 has an excellent seating position. A slightly agressive reach to the bars is “just right” and of all the porridge I’ve sampled, this one is an excellent overall compromise. Some like to take things a little futher and put on clip-ons, but then again, they probably aren’t riding more than 50km at a time.

Wind buffering is shit, and especially shit if you decide to get rid of that tiny fairing that you get on the S models. But of course this bike isn’t a tourer and it reminds you of that fact every time you sit on it. The seat is absolutely attrotious. It’s hard and although it doesn’t push your nuts underneath you like the newer ones (which I will write about at a later time), it scores about a 4/10 for comfort. It’s bearable in small bursts under an hour or so, but the padding is too firm for anything longer. Event to this day the foam hasn’t softened and the extra padding I have involuntarily put onto my arse over the years hasn’t improved it enough either.

Riding it in the hills, the Monster is at home. The uniqueness of that off-throttle compression means you can sometimes go for quite a few twisty kilometres without even using the brakes. It feels nimble enough with the right tyre, but it’s only when you hop off a newer bike that the deficiencies in the dynamics becomes more evident. Still, it’s responsive, but in an early 2000s kind-of-way. Riding it back-to-back with my next gen Monster 796, the two are on completely different planets in terms of weight distribution, turning circle, rake and responsiveness. Is it bad? Well no, but it’s not the type of bike you’d turn into a track weapon.

Riding it in the city, which is what it’s supposedly made for, the 620 actually struggles a little. That low rev putt putt putting around that you end up often doing becomes painful and you end up riding the clutch to be smooth. Once you’re used to this, it’s not a problem, but it’s definitely no Ninja 300. To add to the annoyance is the air cooled engine, which, after sitting at the lights, becomes rather hot and starts to splutter and pop, which I actually didn’t mind, but must not have been too nice for the combustion chamber.

When I felt my arse was up to the task, I took these bikes on 500km+ rides a few times. As you’ve read above, this is not a tourer and I was ready to kick the bike over at the end of each of these rides. My arse was sore. My hands were so numb and fatigued, I actually experienced cramps following the rides, but that could have been partially down to me death gripping the bloody useless grips. There is a significant amount of vibration in the 620, especially with any pipes outside of the restrictive factory offering, but it’s a compromise we make for that wonderful sound eminating from the desmo.

Oh yes, that sound. There is not much else out there that comes close to the thunder-god Harley/sportsbike mix that you get with a Desmo, especially with the right pipes. With factory, there is a little gurrgle, but with a new set of less-restrictive pipes, your machine becomes a fire breathing dragon faster than you can say “I will pay anything, just give me those god damned cans”.

The big boofy white elephant in the room is the power produced by the 618cc fuel injected engine. It was a very simple update from the 600 and a quite early version of injection that gave you 57 HP when the bike was new. This puts it into a no-mans land in terms of modern bikes, since it’s not quite learner power and it definitely will not set the world on fire either. So you’re stuck in an in-between place of useful but somewhat lacking ponnies. It’s good for hitting 180kph, but it does not really like being there. There is plenty of torque for take offs but it starts losing out very quickly once the first gear change occurs. The Monster was my first bike and I found it excellent to learn on, but, in Australia anyway, it doesn’t meet current LAMS requirements so no one will be learning on these bikes anymore.

MAINTAINING IT/BUILD QUALITY

My first Monster was immaculate. My second one I didn’t do enough kms on to have to worry about maintenance. The third one, I dropped the oil, replaced the filter and troubleshooted a few items along the way.

You’re probably aware of the reputation of older Ducatis and service intervals. This particular series was the first to employ slightly updated internals from the first series 600s, which meant the intervals were pushed out a little further, but still a pain. The desmo valve adjustment still requires the sale of a kidney.

In terms of build quality, the frame and plastic fairings/cowls were of a very high finish. However, there continue to be some deterioration in the use of cheaper plastics in the indicators and their design on a vibratory motorcycle means they often break/disintegrate. Unless the owner is meticulous in their upkeep, there will be some rusting on chrome bits and most bolts, as well as the instrument cluster on SOME of these having the dreaded moisture entry which is annoying. The seat material can be worn quite easily with a somewhat slippery vinyl material being used that doesn’t stand up to the harsh Australian climate. On one of my bikes I also had a cracked rear hugger.

These bikes are getting somewhat aged now. As such, there are a number of gremlins. The main one I came across is sub-par wiring which lead to other problems. Unfortunately, to get that sexy design to work, a lot of the wiring had to go near the cylinders and after years and years of functioning in that hot environment, I think the wires finally just pack it in. I have made a comprehensive video here about how I ended up troubleshooting a somewhat complex issue (finding a workaround). They do cook rec/regs as a result of this poor wiring, but apart from these little niggly issues, they are quite easy to maintain. Note that aftermarket OEM parts are starting to be hard to come by and tend to be on the expensive side. The Chinese have made little effort to re-create identical/close to identical replacements, and unfortunately you won’t find indicators that are a straight fit for the 620. For this reason, the obligatory tail-chop (which involves actually hacking into the frame) is almost a must-do.

DROOLING OVER THE DESIGN

Where this bike shines, even today, is the aesthetic design. That tank. The exposed trellis. The retro round headlight. The way it sounds.....OMG. An annoyance though is the shitty zip-tie job on the frame which is just kind of bizzare. I can see the design meeting now, “So, team, we just spent countless hours on the design of this motorcycle. HANG ON A SECOND! WE FORGOT THE ELECTRICS!!! FUCK! Never mind, just zip tie it to the frame.” Seriously Ducati....WTF??? But yes, she is typically Italian with plenty of thought to make this bike look a bit like a charging bull with that humped tank, as well as keeping it retro with the simple round headlight. Well done Ducati.

So iconic is this design that may have copied it. In fact, if you squint your eyes a little, the Honda VTR250 is basically a smaller version of this design. The Hyosung GT650, Cagiva Raptor, older Suzuki SV650, the Gladius, MV Augusta Brutale and some of the Honda CB series bikes all owe their design cues to the Monster.

IN CONCLUSION

In all my years of riding bikes I have only ever seen a handful of 620IE in the wilderness. I don’t think they sold too many here in Australia but I would assume that a large number of these are down in Melbourne and Sydney where they’re home to collectors. The world, and Ducati, and I, have definitely moved past these bikes but I dare say there are still a few hundred proud owners out there, grumbling about the valve clearance costs, but passionately loving their little Monsters none-the-less.

#ducati monster 620 #review

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jacobmellor · 8 years ago

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Chapter 4

What was once seen as a bit of a challenge, an opportunity to show that there may be a different way of thinking or doing had recently been getting me down. I spoke to mum about it and her response was perfect, “most stuff is pointless really”

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lib7w9AdDMY

9 months ago I left my bicycle in Da Nang, central Vietnam. That was me leaving my normal. I was stagnant, progressing through places but not really progressing personally.

Stepping out into the unknown was a really amazing step. Me, Jethro and Felipe rode our shitbox motorbikes costing a maximum of $200 across the country together. Each one a Chinese fake, bald tyres, oil leaks, broken lights, broken fuel gauges, dodgy speedos. They were constantly falling over, breaking down, making strange noises, running out of petrol. Locals gesturing they were going to explode any minute, laughing at us as they pulled out of the service station on their real Honda Waves. Well these shitboxes carried us all the way through that amazing country. Through the scorching heat, the torrential rain, over mountains, along bone shaking roads and survived an actual fucking tornado. Every second was priceless.

And upon arriving in Hanoi I quickly stumbled across a group of crazy awesome likeminded people and rented a big mad house together. A family of travellers. We hosted other travellers, ran a free community English class from the living room and taught English in kindergartens for a bit of money. Together we enjoyed everything that wonderful city has to offer.

With the cost of living so cheap and the wage for teaching English so good, we had time to do or not do. Anything, everything and nothing was possible. Sampling tasty food, playing music, painting, busking, yoga, going to festivals, trips to the islands, finding skyscrapers to climb, joining a football team, taking photos, going to circus, we did it all and more. But the centre of our world which we always enjoyed returning home to was our roof terrace. THE ROOF. Coming in from those manic streets you were instantly transported to a tranquil ish bubble surrounded by air cleaning plants and the smell of drying clothes and marijuana. The walls, tables, doors, and hanging clothes were all covered in our art and any space in between was filled with Jerome’s chilled music. Freedom. The little cherry on top of it all was Hien, our incredible Vietnamese housemate full of traditional culture and fire. At first it was a struggle to cope with our western ways but soon she blossomed into this inquisitive lover of life, opening a business teaching Vietnamese to expats, telling her parents she didn’t want to get married, yet, and trying simple things we take for granted like drawing or watching and dancing to live music for the first time. She lived in the room beneath, always keeping us in check. Check Check!

Around Christmas time everybody had made plans for something else, it’s not something to do forever, that Hanoi life, the city as I said is manic. And polluted. I was seeing family in Australia, Stef was hitching and busking back to Italy, Askar was going to Thailand to carry on his amazing journey of travelling without money. Vika and Yura back to Russia to make music, Xsenia and Pavel would carry on busking and travelling around Asia. Nick to Ukraine to meet a girl he’d met in Hanoi, Daniel to Perth to see family, leaving just Jerome and Hien in the house. But before leaving we all spent Christmas Day in Hiens home town, met her family and enjoyed a big dinner together. It was a perfect way to finish.

On the plane to Australia I cried knowing that I would see my family for the first time in 3 years, but also because I was leaving my newly found family and Masha, the woman I’d fallen in love with behind.

My mum and dad, are older, greyer but still the same people at heart, it was surreal to see them after so long. A few weeks spent relaxing, eating and just hanging out with the folks like normal. I’m very lucky. I’m also so thankful that they are happy knowing I’m happy, I couldn’t ask for anything more. It wasn’t so sad leaving them again, just sad to leave those avocado, poached egg, smoked salmon on toast breakies in the cafe.

I hitched from Sydney to Melbourne and back again and then up to Newcastle for a tree planting job. All the time planning on returning to Vietnam and Masha. I asked Daniel to come and help with the job seeing how he was in Oz, he needed money and it would be nice for him to learn how to plant. Just like that, we were planting 15,000+ native grasses by hand, the perfect job for one of the most inspiring families I’ve ever met. I’d been introduced to Paul, Tanya and sons over a year earlier when with Russ. We stayed at their house a couple of nights but never had the chance to fully get to know each other. Paul is working in construction, but has always challenged himself with amazing/insane adventures, living on the edge, sometimes even falling over the edge, but it doesn’t matter, he smashes through everything with his can do attitude and refusal to fail. After his wife died of cancer, he rode his bike to the very northerly point of Australia and kayaked, fucking kayaked to Papa New Guinea. Aaaaaand raised a shit ton of money for charity in the process. Wow, and then there is Tanya. Like us she is definitely a traveller at heart, hitching Europe and Turkey in the, I think 80’s, maybe 90’s. She’s not old old! One of the most open minded easy to talk to people in the world, she fuelled a love for horses by working in stables in different countries. After realising professional riding wasn’t for her and just going with the flow she now sculpts for a living and has life size bronze works on display across Australia. Being creative and doing what she is passionate about! If these guys aren’t an example of following what you love and achieving everything you put your mind to, I don’t know what is.

I’d booked my flight back to Hanoi from New Zealand, because first I wanted to hitch on a boat and do a bit of cycling in real nature before returning to Masha and Hanoi. And I guess this is where that feeling of pointlessness has come from. I couldn’t find a boat and things haven’t worked out with Masha. I’m not really used to things going against me, I’m used to things being hard, I can deal with that, but all of a sudden my dream of sustainable travel seemed up in a big fossil fuel guzzling cloud of aeroplane smoke as I bailed and flew to NZ. The fact the relationship ended multiplied this feeling ten fold, I felt lost. Instead of doing what I’d done previously, enjoying the journey for what it was, riding the waves, embracing the challenge, learning from the mistakes, going with the flow, smiling at the punctures or the breakdowns, or the bad weather, shitty road, lack of food. I got down.

I was riding but not riding, my head was stuck up in that cloud. But New Zealand is so bllllllloody beautiful that it’s actually difficult not to live in the moment when your surrounded by so much breathtaking scenery. And then I met cyclists Ryan and Dee, an awesome friendly couple from England, with the positive vibe returning I’m starting to find apples everywhere, and people are giving away the best tastiest pinkest peaches you can imagine. I stayed a few nights with a girl who loved to bake. Scones, banana bread, apple + blackberry pie, a loaf of bread and then leaving and discovering a home made quiche she’d woken up early to bake and put with my lunch. Last night I stayed with a family of 6, the dad Chris had cycled from the top of the north island to the bottom of the South Island. 3000km along rough trails in 22 days. Their 3 teenage daughters outwitting me in every conversation and then waking up this morning to watch their 11 year old average sized son devour 8 weetabix, his response, “I do a lot”. Needless to say, I feel good, I feel high on life. I already thought I should write a post whilst I was riding into town this morning. And then waiting for me was a message from a profile I’d made on a boating website months ago, I have just received an email asking if I want to crew a marine biology sailing yacht to Fiji and back.

I’m not saying that being positive or living in the moment had anything to do with the boat, it didn’t. The thing on the boat may never even materialise. I’m just saying that everything is always alright in the end, so no point getting down and worrying about it. You are doing what feels right, that’s all that matters.

So yes most stuff is pointless, my pointless thing is to challenge misconceptions and push boundaries, what’s yours?

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justmysicklypride · 8 years ago

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Summary of the Heavydirtysoul Music Video by Twenty-One Pilots

Wow so I haven’t posted in a while but anyways, I did a thing

So light ‘em up up up- wait no wrong song

Oooh dramatic

Car driving down a dark road one moment and perfectly bright the next section

Josh looks confused and honestly same

Okay but why is Josh in the middle of the road

I feel sorry for the camera crew who probably had to follow this car around while they filmed this entire thing. Unless that’s just not how it’s done and I’m being an idiot which is most likely the case

Were those drums there before? If not then Josh can spawn drums out of thin air and idk ‘bout you but that’s talent right there

Also why would you play drums in the middle of the road do you not value your life??

Ffs Tyler, WEAR SEATBELTS. Just because Josh doesn’t value his life doesn’t mean you don’t have to

I’m no car expert but I somewhat doubt the possibility of car wheels just spontaneously producing sparks for no reason whatsoever

I also doubt that wheels just come off like that for no reason but hey, whatever works

Wheels apparently burst into flames for no reason too

Okay so through Tyler’s window we can see the sparks, presumably from the tyre literally broken off from the car, but the tyre was from the back wheels on Tyler’s side which, if you rewind the video, you can see is behind the window, so there was no way for us to see sparks flying backwards if the origin of the sparks was behind the placement of the window

Also, assuming the sparks were from a random point in front of the window, I highly doubt it could’ve been high enough to reach the full length of the car window, and to that extent of sparkage

Tl;dr I call bullshit

Speaking of which, the tyre fell off the car, so shouldn’t the car be slightly slanted to the back and towards Tyler’s side of the car? And yet all we see is a normal functioning car

Before I forget, wtf happened to the window?

Did Tyler pass out? From what? A car tyre popping off doesn’t make someone automatically pass out, did someone drug him or something?

The next shot, as the car drives past Josh, proves my case as to the impossibility of seeing sparks fly through Tyler’s window bc there was no way it could’ve reached it

Is the tyre on fire? (lol that rhymed) How though? I didn’t know rubber catches on fire that easily

Josh shouldn’t have survived that

I thought Tyler was passed out

How did the drum set catch on fire??

The window is perfectly fine now

The unrealistic sparks are back

How did the bonnet thing fly off?? What even are the wind speeds in this area or is it just a really shitty car?

Never mind, the window is broken again. Jeez guys make up your minds

Tyler gives no shits about safety

Neither does Josh tbh

Sparks fly up to window in one shot but doesn’t in the next shot. Likewise, window looks shit in one shot but is perfectly fine in the next one

This fact irritates me for some reason

Is Tyler okay? THat’s the real question

That drum kit has been burning for a while now, and while I’m surprised it hasn’t burnt through the material yet or escalated, I’m more impressed with the fact how the sound of the drum doesn’t change while a literal fire is burning through it like that’s some quality drum making right there

Maybe the guys who made Josh’s drum should help make a car for Tyler

I’m having deja vu, and I don’t mean the “car about to crash into Josh” thing but there’s just something about a drum kit being burned to the ground that reminds me of another certain music video *cough* My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark *cough*

*gAsP* iS tHAt BLurRyfACe??138?

The only good thing about this car is that it has an autopilot feature

Well okay now the whole thing’s falling apart

Are those sparks around Josh’s drum set? If so, how??

Nice convertible, Tyler

Look at all those unrealistic sparks making a reappearance

Please don’t stand up you’re gonna get yourself killed (I’m surprised you haven’t yet)

Okay but why is there literally no one near the fucking road

And wtf why is this road so long and straight?? (Get your mind out of the gutter)

Tbh I’ve always wanted to stand in a convertible like what Tyler is doing in this video… As well as a convertible

Where was he even driving to anyways?

How the fuck does the car randomly burst into flames??? Where is the logic??? And the physics???

The car should’ve hit Josh again

And also, we’ve seen the car almost crash into Josh a second time, but then the car never pasts Josh so either the road between the car and Josh just increased for some reason or Josh moved his flaming drum kit, either of which seem unlikely

Also, I’m confused as to whether this road is straight or just a circle, because if it was straight, then when the car past through Josh the first time, it wouldn’t be able to past through him a second time, but if it were a circular road, then why don’t we see the effects of the car turning acting on Tyler due to centripetal acceleration and whatnot?

If it were a straight road, then were there portals? Did Tyler find some form of wormhole that miraculously opened that allowed him to either go back in time or just back a couple of metres? I need answers

The only realistic thing happening in this music video is the car exploding after being set alight by itself

The drum thing fell out so there is no way Josh should be able to play that kick drum

Look at that lovely, big-ass fire, reminds me of America

Both Tyler and Josh should have died in this music video

And with no explanation whatsoever, we see Tyler in a car again

This whole video was basically just a huge “fuck you” to basic physics principles

Okay but imagine them pitching the idea for this music video

“So we’re gonna get a car, Tyler’s gonna be in it, and it’s gonna burst into flames while he jumps off all cool-like and meet up with Josh in the middle of the road with his literal flaming drum-set, while the car explodes behind us, cool?”

Wait I got another one: “We’re trying to teach kids that wearing seatbelts is for dipcraps and that having a general disregard for road safety is what’s REALLY gonna save you in a car accident/malfunction”

All in all, this was a pretty lit video

#for real though I place bets on blurryface being the driver bc tbh who else could it be #Twenty One Pilots #top #heavydirtysoul #tyler joseph #josh dun #blurryface #emo #bands #music #skeleton clique

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racingtoaredlight · 6 years ago

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Degenerate’s guide to college football season 2018 week 8 tv watch ‘em ups

I’m not about to make this a Michigan Wolverines blog but I’ve got to say it warms my heart the way Jim Harbaugh has risen back up in the rankings after being left for dead a few weeks ago. And now he’s facing the football avatars of the sickly Michigan State University so I kind of feel a pull towards rooting him on.

I can’t do that. I would be murdered by my wife and her family. But I might do it.

There’s other stuff happening but with Navy and Miami both effectively dead in the water I’ve already fallen into the mode of only hoping for chaos. There are so many teams that I wish ill upon.

See below for details!

Times are eastern. You can guess whatever else. I might be around to watch with you and I might be outside taking advantage of temperate weather in the desert.

Saturday, October 20

Matchup Time (ET) TV/Mobile

Auburn at Mississippi 12:00pm ESPN

Mercifully this one gets rid of itself quickly. Both these teams are bad and the rumors they are a-flyin that Gus Malzahn has all but announced his retirement. Or quitting or whatever. I don’t know if he means to quit coaching altogether or just wants out of Auburn. The racist south lost their best player but he’s a WR and they have three more superstars in that position group. Expect everything to happen and all of it to be inexplicable.

Buffalo at Toledo 12:00pm ESPN+ / WGRZ

If things break a certain way, Tyree Jackson could be the #1 quarterback in the 2019 draft. I think he’s probably third at best but somebody could really fall for his potential. Is he closer to Josh Allen as a prospect than he is to Andrew Luck? Absolutely. But imagine the delightful disaster that could be the Giants taking him in the top 10 and then thrusting him into starting duties before he’s ready. The franchise could never recover and isn’t that what we all want? The line has swung towards Buffalo to the point where they’re now favored. Maybe don’t bet this one, though.

20 Cincinnati at Temple 12:00pm ESPNU

Things are setting up nicely for Luke Fickell to return to Ohio State as head coach.

Illinois at 23 Wisconsin 12:00pm FS1

Paul Chryst has a whole season he needs to resurrect if he’s going to live up to his surname. To start he needs to beat the spread against shitty Illinois and that means he needs to beat the hell out of Illinois. The betting public does not trust him to do so but I sort of do. Wisconsin by 40.

Maryland at 19 Iowa 12:00pm ESPN2

The most depressing healthcare story in football comes to the most heartwarming stadium in football and hell if it doesn’t seem like Maryland is the better team, records aside. The spread is shrinking and so is the over under. I don’t feel safe predicting much for either team in terms of outcome but 44 total points? That looks like free money.

Miami (Ohio) at Army 12:00pm CBSSN

This game is crap.

6 Michigan at 24 Michigan State 12:00pm FOX

The capacity is limitless for each of these teams to fuck up to the point where you’re not sure whether they mean to play football or not. If I were you and you were betting, I as you would take Michigan State to cover +7.5 and pound the under (40.5.)

Northwestern at Rutgers 12:00pm BTN

Holy hell this is almost a MAC game.

9 Oklahoma at TCU 12:00pm ABC

Wouldn’t that just be so Gary Barnett to beat Oklahoma right now and kind of fuck over the Big XII Conference. Oklahoma fired their DC last week and here they are favored by 7.5 on the road with an O/U of 61.5. The average total of a Big XII conference game is 94.3.

Tulsa at Arkansas 12:00pm SECN

Arkansas has started showing signs of life and I don’t know why and I really don’t know why they’re playing Tulsa right now.

North Carolina at Syracuse 12:20pm Raycom Sports

If you are unaware, the ACC is full of bad teams this year. UNC might just be the worst of the bunch. So of course they’re going to beat Syracuse today.

Virginia at Duke 12:30pm RSN/ESPN3

The straggler of the early slate is a soul crusher just by listing the teams. UVA is coming off a big upset of Miami that has the Miami faithful, er, questioning their faith. Duke has only 1 loss and a terrible QB who has an odd distribution of hype.

Bowling Green at Ohio 2:00pm ESPN3

Good job by Bowling Green to be bold in a bad situation by firing their coach. 1-11 just feels better without all the extra questions.

Idaho State at Liberty 2:00pm ESPN3

Go Idaho State.

Florida Atlantic at Marshall 2:30pm CBSSN/FB

Luther Campbell’s favorite coach is favored in the road for reasons unknowable. Bet on Marshall here.

Utah State at Wyoming 2:30pm ATTSN

Utah State is a darling of computer rankings and they’re favored by 14 against Wyoming. I’ve got no advice to pair with these things.

Charlotte at Middle Tennessee 3:00pm ESPN3

I defy any one of you to offer a cogent expression of expectations for this game.

Eastern Michigan at Ball State 3:00pm ESPN+

Look at all this stupid goddamn MAC football.

Western Michigan at Central Michigan 3:00pm ESPN+

At least it’s all happening at once and I won’t see it.

Akron at Kent State 3:30pm ESPN+

None of it.

1 Alabama at Tennessee 3:30pm CBS

Tennessee got their first conference win in 2 years last week and this week they’ll be slaughtered.

Coastal Carolina at UMass 3:30pm ES/NESN

This is an absolutely perfect weekend to skip football watching.

Colorado at 15 Washington 3:30pm FOX

This is an OK game but it shouldn’t be a contender for best of the week. Brutal slate of games.

Houston at Navy 3:30pm CBSSN

Ed Oliver had 5 TFL, including 2 sacks, last week. You’d think that would be tough to duplicate against a Navy team that never throws but in two previous games against the Middies Oliver has 25 total tackles, 5 TFL and 2 sacks. He’s a defensive tackle. I understand why he isn’t going #1 overall next year but he should probably go #1 overall next year.

16 NC State at 3 Clemson 3:30pm ESPN

GAME OF THE WEEK! CONTRACT THE ACC!

18 Penn State at Indiana 3:30pm ABC

I’m not just saying this because I hate Penn State - that 14.5-point line is mighty tempting to bet the Hoosiers. I wouldn’t take Indiana to win but that’s a lot of points to give at home against a team that hasn’t really played up to their rep so far this season.

Kansas at Texas Tech 3:30pm FS1

My prediction is lots and lots of turnovers from both teams and a final score that’s very disappointing for anybody that roots for and/or bets for the Kansas Jayhawks.

Louisiana at Appalachian State 3:30pm ESPN+

Minnesota at Nebraska 3:30pm BTN

Our collective dream of an 0-12 season for the Cornhuskers is going to get a serious challenge this week from a pretty bad Minnesota team that isn’t so far away from questioning their own expensive coaching hire.

SMU at Tulane 3:30pm ESPNU

The fuccponi’s travel to New Orleans for a debauch and a football game. As far as gambling I wouldn’t touch this one but if you want to see some interesting offensive concepts get in now on Tulane’s modern-ish twist on an option offense. They don’t have any high level talent to speak of but somebody with more to spend is going to scoop up Willie Fritz in the near future.

UTEP at LA Tech 3:30pm ESPN+

You aren’t going to see Louisiana Tech favored by 24 over a lot of teams but UTEP isn’t just any shitty team.

Wake Forest at Florida State 3:30pm ESPN2

Florida State is a lot closer to being good again than most people realize. Vegas has noticed and has FSU favored by 10 this week. The rest of you will notice when they beat Notre Dame next week.

California at Oregon State 4:00pm Pac-12N

This is a great Pac-12 After Dark game that is seriously undermined by an early afternoon start.

Memphis at Missouri 4:00pm SECN

Drew Lock versus Darrell Henderson in a key RTARL-American cross conference matchup.

Georgia Southern at New Mexico State 6:00pm 11 Sports / AggieVision

SEE FOOTBALL THROUGH THE EYES OF AN AGGIE WITH INCREDIBLE NEW AGGIEVISION VR GLASSES!

22 Mississippi State at 5 LSU 7:00pm ESPN

This is the kind of shit game you can set your watch to. Both of these teams are ranked and, I guess, deservedly so. But that doesn’t mean you should expect good football out of them. Montez Sweat is one of the best players in the country this year and he’s somehow going to get 3 sacks in this game but also lose by 15. Yep, I’m predicting an 18-3 final score.

Texas State at ULM 7:00pm ESPN3

They got the degenerate part down pat for this one.

10 UCF at East Carolina 7:00pm ESPN2

The nation’s longest winning streak gets tested by... Whatever. Sometimes ridiculous things happen and ECU winning wouldn’t compare to Old Dominion brutalizing Virginia Tech a couple of weeks ago in terms of insane upsets.

UConn at 21 USF 7:00pm CBSSN

USF and UCF are barreling towards a huge end-of-season showdown and UConn shouldn’t really put up much of a fight here. The Bulls are favored by 32.5 at home and it would honestly be a big disappointment if they don’t beat the spread. One of my favorite things each week the last couple of seasons has been seeing the hilarious final scores of UConn games.

UTSA at Southern Miss 7:00pm ESPN+

I don’t like this ESPN+ nonsense one bit. Because I haven’t ever figured out what the hell it is and a game like this screams out for the CBS Sports or FOX regional treatment.

Fresno State at New Mexico 7:30pm ESPNU

ESPNU, on the other hand, I understand. This trash is in its perfect place as a game you put on the tablet to stare at some bullshit while whatever you actually are watching is at commercial.

North Texas at UAB 7:30pm beIN SPORTS

Oh, hell yes. This is beautiful. I’m rolling with the UNTs +1.5 and over 54.5.

2 Ohio State at Purdue 7:30pm ABC

I find Ohio State football to be deeply and eternally unsatisfying. I can’t count on them to win or lose the way I like. Oh, well, as long as Dwayne Haskins keeps racking up 5 or 7 passing TDs a game they can do whatever the hell they want in every other facet.

Old Dominion at WKU 7:30pm ESPN+

If ODU can finish 1-11 this season we are all winners.

12 Oregon at 25 Washington State 7:30pm FOX

I hate the national scheduling making this start in daylight hours but I love everything else about this game. Both QBs were on the RTARLsman list this week as one is the legitimate best QB in the country and the other is leading the country in most counting stats.

Rice at FIU 7:30pm ESPN+

Holy crap does Rice suck. This is better left out of sight out of mind.

Vanderbilt at 14 Kentucky 7:30pm SECN

Kentucky being ranked in football is unnatural and bad and I hope it stops soon.

USC at Utah 8:00pm Pac-12N

No idea what to expect from either team and I still don’t think of it as a conference game but I find these two uniforms to be aesthetically pleasing.

Arizona at UCLA 10:30pm ESPN2

Now that UCLA has won a game I don’t know what to do with my hands. I kind of want Sumlin and Kelly to work out for at least a little while in the Pac.

San Jose State at San Diego State 10:30pm CBSSN

SDSU isn’t the best they’ve been in recent vintage but SJSU is an abomination of a team that might just be the worst in America. Classic degenerate watch ‘em up. Sometimes San Diego State wears cool looking unis and the contrast between their shiny maroon and black should be very nice against San Jose’s blue, yellow and white.

Nevada at Hawaii 11:59pm Spectrum/Nevada Sports Net

Hawaii disappointed me greatly last week but I still love them eternally just for playing so late when they’re at home. This is kind of an ugly uniform matchup but it could still be a fun, wild and crazy game between middling teams that do cool stuff on offense.

#saturday post #football #college football #degenerate football #tv watch em ups

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mylovingbouquetearthquakewo-blog · 7 years ago

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Health Insurance-please help?

"Health Insurance-please help?

I am 22 years old, and I will currently be in law school until May of 2011. Because I had to be declared as an Independent, I can no longer be on my father's insurance plan. I am scrambling to find something, because I do not want to be without health insurance and I will no longer be covered as of Jan. 1, 2009. The school's insurance policy will not cover me until Jan. 20, 2009, it seems pretty shitty, and is expensive. What can I do? What is the best private insurance to get? Should I get private insurance? Thanks for your help, it is really stressing me out.

BEST ANSWER: Try this site where you can compare quotes: : http://howmuchisinsurance.xyz/index.html?src=tumblr

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for $200. According to the National Vital Statistics Report. 56(9), the probability that the female survives the year is 0.999544. Compute and interpret the expected value of this policy to the insurance company - I also have to find the probability that the company has to pay the female Im suppose to get .000456 but don't know how to get this?""

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Health Insurance-please help?

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For the last few months I've been sharing my Dad's car, I've been a named driver for that car. Now I've bought my own car, however, at the moment I cannot afford to pay the 220 starter fee to insure me on my own car just yet. So my question is, if I upgraded the insurance on my Dad's car to fully comp. Will I be covered to drive my car? I'm 17 by the way, if that changes anything. Any help will be very much appreciated.""

How can I take the insurance of my car off my parents name?

Okay sooo, my dad has never been a good father figure until i turned 16. I'm now 17 and have a car that i bought and i have the title and loan in my name. He is the co-signer. He also pays the insurance. I have a boyfriend and he doesn't like it when i have a boyfriend. He thinks i'm too young for one. My mom and him are divorced and i live with my mom. She doesn't care that i have a boyfriend and lets me go over to his house and go on dates, etc. He doesn't approve. So he threatened to take my car away if i don't be home when he says. My home is my moms house. I have more of a right to listen to her than i do my dad. She thinks so too. He says since he pays the insurance he should be able to take my car away if he wants to. I offered to pay my own but he won't let me because then he won't have anything to hold over my head. How can i get my own insurance and take it off his name without him knowing until its done?""

Car insurance quote reduction?

My quote for this year was 1200 as I'm a 18 yr old, male student but I was just wondering how much cheaper it should be with a years no claims under my belt as I'm just a month away from it.""

Cheapest/Best auto insurance for parents of newly driving teens?

My son will be 16 tomorrow and got a learner's permit Friday.

About how much would the minimum amount insurance cost a typical rider to drive a motorcycle?

How much would insurance for a 17yr old cost?

the car is a cts-v coupe. I need to know if i can afford the insurance b4 buying for my son. -thanks

Where can i find cheap full coverage auto insurance?

Im 6 weeks pregnant with no health insurance in california?

Im 6 weeks pregnant, i got my proof of preganancy at a free clinic, i applied for medical.. how long till i know im approved? I work part time, i dont make enough money at all... maybe 400 before taxes. i pay 400 rent, i split rent with my bf that i live with. he has a good job. would that effect my media-cal application? are they going to want my roomates info? and with him being my bf does that make a difference? we are not married so will they still use that?""

I got into a car accident and i have no insurance?

I rear ended this woman at only 20 miles an hour, she had absolutely nothing on her, not even a scratch . I have no insurance so she didn't call the police. Then she called this weekend she said her mechanic said it would cost over $500 because her air bags needed to be replaces due to this accident. Is she just trying to play me and did I have anything to do with those air bags? I decided she was lying to me, and decided not to pay. She then calls and says she's calling the police and reporting it as a hit and run, and calling a lawyer.""

How much would insurance cost for a 16 year old male for a 2006 corvette that is used and cost 15000?

the person has never had any tickets or got into any trouble ever.

Car insurance question?

To cancel car insurance will be 480 plus 50 admin fee to cancel this now ive lost my job. ive had insurance for 2 months and know they are all doing this cancellation fee now but i only got a car for work purposes and now they've made me redundant how i am expected to pay the 530? what can i do is there any options because i simply cant afford that amount.

How much should it cost to insure a new teen driver?

I'm 16 and my parents just put me on their insurance. I have 2000 escort and I have the basic liability coverage. I have got the good student discount too. The total came to be about $53 dollars. Is that about the average? My parents originally said it would be about $100 dollars.

Can I borrow a car from someone if I don't have insurance coverage under their policy as a 19 year old?

This is more of a situational question than the main question suggests. So here goes: I live with my mom and am listed as an occasional driver on her car insurance policy. I am 19 years old and have a full G license. I go to my dads house on weekends and some days during the week. During these times, I sometimes use the car to run miscellaneous errands for him or myself. These errands are not at all part of a routine and are truly random events. My dad and his girlfriend have insurance coverage but I'm not listed under their insurance policy as an occasional driver simply because my driving of their car isn't routine and it's not worth the extra expense. So technically, this would be considered as me borrowing their car. Because I don't have my own personal insurance coverage (other than the occasional insurance with my mom), does that make it illegal to drive my dads car or is it perfectly legal for me to borrow his car at random times? This is causing a sort of feud that can occur between divorced parents while putting me in the middle so a solution to this problem, one way or the other, is much appreciated""

""My insurance company, Liberty Mutual will not insure me?""

I've recently had an unfortunate string of 2 accidents that were 3 months apart, both cars were totaled from them. I've been driving for three years and I got into one accident when I was 17 (first car was totaled) and one accident when I was 18 (minor fender bender). Anyway, I know I know I'm going to take defensive driving course to help out with my driving, any suggestions on Insurance companies?""

What car insurance company would you recommend?

Yeah im 20 years of age and im just going to get my license. Yeah i know...why did i wait so late. But now i want to know what car insurance company would be good. I don't have a huge budget to spend but i do need insurance. HELP ME OUT...

Cheap car insurance for a new 17 year old driver in philadelphia?

I have a 2000 ford taurus and pay 240 every month for insurance.. is there any cheaper insurance i can use?

How should I go about getting car insurance? (20 years old)?

I have enough money to buy my first car, I'm going for a car with a small engine around 1.2-1.6. when getting insurance quotes however, the cheapest quote i've found is around 1700 quid. help?? surely i can get insured on my own car for less than this?""

How much car tax and insurance on a limousine?

Does anyone know how much road tax you pay on a limousine? 1998 model. Also, an idea of insurance cost for a 30 year old man with a clean license to drive it. Thanks :)""

Health Insurance-please help?

Is life insurance the same as health insurance?

i have to go to a doctors appointment tomorrow and i was wondering if the life insurance is the same as health insurance and i am wondering if i can go by myself cause my parents work until 4pm thanks and i am 13

Where can I get cheap car insurance I'm 17 male and need comprehensive cover?

I have a saxo 2001 that cost 2000, I don't mind going on my mums insurance, anyone no a cheap place?""

Is it legal to have two health insurances?

I am currently under my parents' insurance, however nobody accepts it where I am staying for the summer. At the end of august, I am going to be going back to college and they have a student heallth insurance that is accepted anywhere in the world. I want to get this insurance and stay on my parents' insurance because my parents' insurance has more benefits and I have a condition with my teeth that is very expensive to treat and my parents' insurance covers it completely. I doubt my schools insurance would do that. I just want to be able to be treated while I am in school where the area doesn't accept my current insurance. Is it legal for me to have my student insurance as well as my parents' insurance?""

Do i need insurance if i have drivers permit?

i got my permit yesterday but my parents wont let me drive until i get insurance. my moms car is insured. the insurance is 1000 dollars and thats how much i have in my savings account and if i spend it all i'll be broke. im 18 and still in high school and im looking for a job i applied but no one is hiring me and its frustrating!! im gonna waste all that money i did save on some stupid insurance??? ?????

""Car Insurance..if i go out of state, but my parents pay for the car insurance and i live in another state...?""

What i meant to say was..if i have a car, it is in my parent's name, and i move out of state, is it possible to still be covered by the insurance even if it isnt from the state it is being payed for in? or do i have to get insurance and the car changed to my name in another state? i hope someone understads. thank you for you time in reading this :) 10 points to the best answers! or lets say Correct answer!""

Get a insurance quote on 2010 honda civic?

i just want to find out how much do you guys think the insurance would be for a person with the following: 1) NYC license of less than 2 years, age early 20s 2) full insurance coverage since it's new 3) registered somewhere in southern part of Staten Island 4) the car ran 2-3 red lights within the past 1 1/2 year, got camera ticketed the car is covered by AllState, i just want to find out how much is the car's insurance now, i am not the car owner, would it possibly be at 4-5k/year, since the car was ticketed a few times, thanks""

CAR insurance...i dont have a 3.0?

on estimate how much wil the cost of insurance be more? i will have a 90' 4runner if that helps

Can I change my auto insurance without extra cost.?

I just purchased a vehicle and had to get full coverage insurance. I have been with Safe Auto for over 6months. I changed coverage on 6-24. I have a bill due on July 11. I want to change to a cheaper insurance company would i be able to do this without more charges? Also would I have to pay the bill due on the 11th.

Looking for really cheap car insurance in ohio?

i am looking for really cheap car insurance in ohio for people with bad credit

What is a cheap car insurance plan?

Im 19 years old and I live in New York. I am looking for an affordable car insurance plan. Any suggestions?

Do South Carolina auto insurance laws require me to carry my own liability insurance when driving a rental car?

I don't currently own a car and so haven't had a need to carry my own liability auto insurance in quite awhile. Is it legal for me to drive a rental car or even a car owned by my sister who does have insurance in South Carolina? Will I have to purchase my own liability insurance to legally drive anyone else's car in South Carolina?

Cheapest car insurance in florida?

I know insurance is very important, but I simply do not have the money right now to get a good plan. I have a minimum wage job, and I need to go to work and I need a way to get there. So I need the cheapest plan I can find. At least for now. These premiums are up to 500 a month and I really cant do that. Anybody know of a cheap cheap CHEAP car insurance company?""

Can you or spouse be denied group health insurance?

I have stage 4 cancer. I have insurance through my husbands job. If my husband changes jobs and is offered insurance at the new job can I be denied insurance due to the preexisting condition? I live in Georgia. I already checked and got information on cobra.

Lying about age to get car insurance?

Hello i was just wondering what would happen if i lied about my age only to get car insurance because my mom is having a hard time splitting an account with me and her on it but different payments. I only wanna pay mine, and she wants to pay hers.""

Home building insurance?

i had tenants in my house, while i was living with my sister, i did take out a building insurance, and last week my house got burned to ashes, it has no roof neither, so i phoned the insurance company which was halifax,to my shock they declined the insurance,as i didn't have landlord insurance, they said. when i took out the policy i did say to them that i wanted landlord building insurance, the woman at the branch assured me, how ever when i looked at my paper now it does say, i have building and contents insurance,i never asked for that, just wanted a simple landlords insurance, i have 40 thousand pounds worth of damage and really stressed don't now what to do, can anybody please give me some advice i would appreciate it very much

How much would insurance be for an 18 year old?

How much would insurance be for an 18 year old guy driving a 98-02 Camaro z28? I live in Los Angeles, CA. I been driving my dad's car for 3 months and had no problems/pull overs/ tickets etc, i know 3 months is not much but at least some experience. I know it will be high but around how much? Would it make much different if i get a Nissan 350z since its slower? What are some factors that can lower the price.. Can i get the minimum coverage?""

Health Insurance should be illegal?

Why not? Hospital fees would fall drastically! Funny how no body really knows what the hospitals charge... And funny how socialist countries are ranked above U.S. Oh yeah and I love how doctors in U.S. are pill salesmen.... Pathetic. Eliminate Health Insurance and guess what!!! Healthcare will be affordable! what you think?!

Looking for best auto Insurance rates on the net?

Car Insurance estimate?

I know it's a bit impossible (like asking what's the length of a string) but I am wondering if anyone knows a rough amount , or has experience of how much car insurance would be for a 19 year old - near 20 year old male in the UK. I would be a named driver on one of my parents cars (A vauxhall Corsa 2013), my parents have no points on their license. I would only be using the car when I am back from University so for a maximum of about 3 months a year so not for the full year! I have heard of some people younger than me getting insurance quotes as a named driver for around 700 but I am unsure if this is true. a) Are there any insurance websites where you can calculate an estimate for a Named driver? ( I know ones for the main driver) b) would it be worth to pay it monthly ?... c) any estimates roughly? (an estimate within 200 or so! ) Thank you ! P.S if anybody magically knows of how much it would be for me to be with an insurance company as a named driver yet still gain no claims bonuses (as many named drivers don't get no claims) I'll be extremely grateful!""

Could affordable government health insurance help stimulate the economy?

Services like water treatment, police, fire departments, and schools are supported by taxpayers dollars because it saves money in the private sector in the long run. Affordable government health insurance may also saves families thousands in expenses each year, giving them more money to spend in the general economy. Would this not be a way to help stimulate the economy?""

Can I put my motorcycle on my moms insurance?

For my 18th birthday im going to get my self a Ninja 250R, but I already have a 2009 Toyota and my mom also has a 2009 Toyota, because i am much younger my insurance will be very expensive... i was wondering if I can put the bike under my moms name so that I can give her money to pay it at a lower rate? or can it only be the owner of the bike? Also could I have her buy it under her name so it looks like she is the only owner or does that matter?""

Cheapest motorcycle insurance?

Im 16 and Im thinking about buying a small sports bike. like a Kawasaki Ninja 250 or Honda CBR250R. I have a my license and a clean driving record. If i just wanted to be covered for Bodily Liability and Property Liability, what company do you think would offer the cheapest insurance? I know that under my circumstances insurance will be disgustingly high, but i want a bike that bad.""

Is this what health insurance companies and Conservatives think about people with preexisting conditions?

Motorcycle insurance?

can someone recommend me to a good motorcycle insurance. Thanks

Health Insurance question?

So I just turned 18 and I will no longer be covered through Amerigroup so was looking at some Health insurances to buy. I know the deductible is the amount you need to pay out of pocket before the insurance will start paying, but how will the insurance know when you have payed the deductible?""

Health Insurance-please help?

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/i-dont-have-insurance-my-parents-do-can-drive-car-without-clark"

0 notes

lostandfound00 · 7 years ago

Text

An Analysis of My Father Through Football

Nicholas Drinkwater

Glendale, Arizona. February 1st, 2015.

It’s 1st and 10 with 1:14 left in the 4th quarter of Super Bowl XLIX, the ball is placed at the 38-yard line.

Russell Wilson stands behind his center in a shotgun set. Two wide receivers are lined up to his right, two on his left.

Back in the living room of my home Massachusetts, the air feels thick, the mood is tense, and it’s quiet. The Patriots are 1:14 seconds away from winning their first Super Bowl in 10 years, but they only lead by four. Suddenly, Al Michaels voice booms from the speakers.

Russell in the pocket. Russell for Kearse… and that’s broken up again.

I let go a sigh of relief I hadn’t realized I was holding. My Dad does too. But then, suddenly, Kearse stands up, and gets pushed out of bounds.

… and is it? And somehow?! Did he wind up with the football?! Oh, wow!

So that was it. 8 seconds and 33 yards later, we’ve just seen The Catch™. Groans and calls of are you kidding me fill the once silent room. The couch can no longer able to contain the anxiousness that has set in. The unspoken feelings of Déjà vu hang heavy.

The Catch™. Every Super Bowl has one:

David Tyree. Santonio Holmes. Mario Manningham. And now, Jermaine Kearse.

Ironically, two of those ended up costing the Patriots Super Bowls over the last ten years, so naturally, the headlines had already written themselves: Patriots Kearse’d!

The next play Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch takes the ball to the four yards to the one-yard line. Frustration sets in. The words just let him score penetrate the silence. Demands that the Patriots call a timeout are said.

I slide back down into the couch, not in defeat, but because my legs threaten to buckle under the stress. My dad remains standing just feet away, near the opposite side of the couch.

This is it, 2nd and goal at the 1-yard line. Wilson takes the snap and fires it. Suddenly, the heavens sing in the voice of Al Michaels.

Pass is intercepted at the goal line by Malcolm Butler! Unreal!

Pure, unadulterated exhilaration.

The full spectrum of emotions shared between my dad and myself in our living room on the first Sunday in February of 2015 is a moment I’ll hold with me forever. It was the first time in my “grown-up” life that I got to experience them winning the Super Bowl with my dad. And although Robert Kraft, the owner of the Patriots, dubbed the Super Bowl victory against the Falcons “unequivocally the sweetest”, it still didn’t top that feeling of celebrating with my dad in the living room of my childhood house.

My dad is a teacher, just, not in the sense that it’s his profession. The reason our relationship is fueled by football in the first place is because he wanted to teach me math. Seriously. He recognized that at four years old, I was passionate about football because it was something we did as father-son, and he was able to identify that he could turn this passion into an educational tool by showing me football betting spreads and used that to teach me addition and subtraction. I have this vivid memory of sitting cross legged at the coffee table in my living room subtracting football game scores to see how much a team lost by, which is how I undoubtedly became the best 5-year-old bookie for a brief period of time. It’s funny, looking back, at how much of an impact this has had on my life, but just looking how my dad and I communicate with each other now, it always starts with football.

Football and the Pats have been the bedrock of my relationship with my father. Growing up, like with any young child with a parent, I wanted to do anything my Dad would do, and on Sunday’s my Dad would watch football, so I would watch football. To me, it didn’t matter if the Pats were good or not – they were, and still are – but they could’ve been worse than the most inept youth sports team you’ve ever that the displeasure of witnessing and I would’ve loved them just as much because it was something we would’ve hate watched together.

Football and the basic properties of math aren’t the only things he’s taught me, but sometimes I get the sense that he feels that way. Like I said before, my dad is a teacher in every sense of the word except for it being his profession, but even that became a close possibility. My dad went to college on a wrestling scholarship for two years before dropping out. He bounced around odd jobs for a little bit before his mom convinced him to go to a community college nearby. In retrospect, I think that this really shows how much he valued college, but it also shows the pressure he faced from his parents to do something he didn’t want to be doing, or wasn’t ready to take on. So as a parent he is not one who pushes his goals and ambitions on his kids, because he does not want them to feel pressured into doing anything. Anyway, he went back to school for one year, where he met my mom. He became a truck driver shortly thereafter.

I think that once he had children and they started growing up this became tough on him. In any parent-child relationship, there’s a lot of posturing; meaning that, the parent wants their child to look up to them, to be proud of them, and the child wants to be like their parent and wants their parent to be proud of who they are becoming. Speaking from my personal experience I can say that this has affected my relationship with my dad, not in a negative way, I’m happy with what our relationship is, but I can recognize some of the ways it’s been shaped.

Anyway, he went back to school. Our living room would be scattered with papers and folders and notebooks. His and mine (and my sisters, but that’s neither here nor there). And seven years later, he graduated from college with a degree in education and English, and then went back to work as a truck driver. At the time I thought it was the most ridiculous turn of events to ever happen, but I think I understand it better now. It’s hard though, because I know he did it because he felt like it was something he needed to do for himself. But I know he also did it because he worried that as his kids grew up they might look at him with a sense of negativity because he didn’t graduate college. He’s always instilled in me the importance of needing to work a “shitty job” to recognize that it’s not something you want to be doing your whole life, citing his job. Or, “wiser men learn from the mistakes of others” he’ll say, undoubtedly referring to himself, in an unspoken thought.

I find this frustrating because I’ve never met somebody who carries so much knowledge in so many disciplines (note the short list I’ve compiled below), somebody who is so happy and well equipped to share that knowledge, and a person filled with so much wisdom.

Woodworking/Construction

- As a result of him teaching me about football spreads, I went on the create a football picks league with members of our extended family. The league is fairly big, and I had this idea a few years back to create trophies, and when I told this to my dad he thought this was a great idea. So, using the woodshop in our basement, he thought I should design trophies and then together we would create the trophies out of wood. Now, I am not one-one hundredth the crafter he is, but together we were craft trophies out of his sheer dedication to teaching me certain skills. He’s created beautiful decks, deluxe birdhouses, carved walking sticks, and numerous wooden trinkets.

Teaching

- I’ve already discussed this a little bit, but his ability to find out what interests somebody and turn it into a teaching moment never ceases to amaze me. I’ve seen him do it with me, my sister, relatives, relative strangers, and complete strangers. Convincing somebody who hasn’t read a book in 10+ years to read The Old Man and the Sea and then engage with them in a discussion of the book for no reason other than that is nothing short of stellar people skills and innate talent, regardless of him shrugging it off as nothing in comparison to something somebody else can do.

Trivia

- Growing up I had never known of a car ride that didn’t involve an intense game of trivia. Every car ride was like my own personal game of Cash Cab and we would play regardless of if I wanted to, regardless of who was in the car, and regardless of where we were going (whether it be a funeral, a restaurant, or drive to my grandparents). He was able to make the game so much fun because he knows so much about so many different subjects, so he could personalize questions for each person. It’s because of that, that so many people find it easy to talk to him.

Life

- Wisdom is different from knowledge, and the reason I say that my dad has wisdom is because he is so good at looking at the big picture of life. He can recognize faults he has or had in himself, and engage that in conversations. He recognizes that there is so much more to life than what he knows and thinks, and encourages you to do what you want and what genuinely makes you happy. While what all parents want is for their child to be happy, they also want them to do what’s best for them, or want them to have a better life than they’ve had, and while my Dad wants that as well, he wants me to know that I should pick what I want, and whatever I want will be the right choice.

Driving

- As a truck driver, this may come with the territory, but believe me when I say that nobody can back a boat trailer down a boat ramp faster, maneuver a stick shift, operate a motorcycle, parallel park with such ease, or drive pulling a trailer behind him without worry. He sells himself short, saying that none of it means much, but I’ve always admired the practicality of some of these skills or the range of talents he has in one domain. I just hope nobody expects me to be able to do the same things because I’m his son.

There are moments that my Dad and I are able to share with each other away from football and away from the stress of completing a project. Near my house lies a river, and the river leads to a man-made waterfall, so the river could once power an old textile mile. When I was younger and in kindergarten for half days, my dad was the one who stayed at home because he drove trucks at night. Some days, he would pick me up and we would get lunch and then go sit by the waterfall and eat, most times I would spare a few french fries to the fish that waited below. It wasn’t a big thing by any means, but it became kind of like our spot. So even where we are at our current life, we still return to the waterfall on occasion with lunch or with coffee just to sit on a nearby bench and listen to the water crash over the edge and just talk with each other. It’s in these talks, well, more his one-sided talks, that he captivates me with his wisdom on so many different fronts: from educational centered subjects to “street smarts” to just general life stuff. Things that are not pushing his personal agenda on me or even bias towards his beliefs. But, I’m not a great conversationalist like this. It’s hard for me to show that I am genuinely taking to heart what he is saying because it’s difficult for me engage in that conversation, for fear that the conversation will build, and I’ll be forced to discuss my thoughts on it and have to dig inside myself to make it a meaningful remark, so usually I stay silent and take all of it in. And sadly, I think that’s what causes him to say but what do I know? Or but don’t listen to what I say, live your own life, as if he believes that I think he’s lecturing me and that I just want him to stop talking or if he thinks I see him as an idiot.

I think what he doesn’t know is how much I look up to him, because if he did I don’t think he’d give himself this same “out”, as if he thinks what he is telling me isn’t being received or thinks that I think it’s stupid. These small “outs” he gives himself frustrate me because they’re unnecessary, but it’s telling, because I think the issue is on my end.

I’m not an open person. I don’t enjoy deep conversation because it feels uncomfortable to initiate and finish. It’s not that I value certain things as unimportant or that I don’t trust my dad to be open with him, it’s just weird and I’d rather not create that atmosphere, so I don’t. For instance, as I said before, my dad went to college on a wrestling scholarship, he was a state champion in Massachusetts. I live in the same town my dad did when he was in high school, so inevitably on occasion somebody who knows my dad will recognize my last name – it’s not easy to forget – and will assume I wrestled. I’ve never wrestled a day in my life. In fact, it somebody was chosen at random to wrestle me I have no doubt in my mind I’d be pinned with 10 seconds. My dad never pressured me to wrestle – he’s never pressured me to do anything if I haven’t shown interest in it – but sometimes I wonder if he wishes he had, and that I had wrestled too. Objectively, it’s a stupid thought, and frankly, it might not even seem like something “deep”. But I think we both know there are “deeper” things we could talk about, but I don’t initiate that conversation, and he doesn’t push. But, I think I worry that I’m not the perfect the son, the way he seems to worry about how he is as a father.

It’s part of why football is so easy. We’re on an even playing field. There’s no pressure when we are sitting there in the living room, watching a Pats game. The focus is on the game, on the team, on the play. We experience it together, emotions controlled by an external factor, but it means more because we are in it together. I went to my first Patriots game ever this year and I brought my dad with me. It was a game in which Brady led a staple cultch 4th quarter drive, topping it off with a touchdown with less than thirty seconds left. Excitement levels were insane, and the stadium atmosphere as it was happening was incredible, but for my dad and myself, it was no different than sitting quietly on the couches in our living room, just taking it in quietly, checking in with each other with unspoken words, exploding with excitement at the payoff. It might seem like a weird relationship, sad even. Football ties us together, and other topics might be difficult to break ground on, but it’s something I’m happy with. Could it be better? Sure. But if this is it, I’m happy with it. I love it.

That living room holds many other moments, much more boring, placid moments. Like, nonchalantly watching a tv show, or the times when I was in middle school and we’d do homework together, or we’d just be talking, well, he’d just be talking as I listened. If I move anywhere, like a city halfway around the world, or even just a few hours way, I know on Sunday afternoons from September to February that he’ll be in that living room watching the Pats game. I might be in my living room too, but I know we’re still watching the game together, talking before the game starts and after it ends, with maybe the occasional what a catch or that was a big stop or even need a strong second half here. Heartbeats controlled by the game tempo. And it’s sudden, in an instance a heartbeat can stop, and the soul that processes your heartbeat and stop for a while too. Sometimes your heartbeat can race from excitement, like when your dad graduates’ college, it sometimes it can slow, like in the peaceful, quiet, easy moments, and sometimes it stops when the most improbable interception in football history happens, and then it starts back up again as you feel the goosebumps race up your arms to your face, to the face of your dad; that feeling of unmitigated joy.

0 notes

jay-online · 7 years ago

Text

Literacy Narrative

My Literacy Story

Literacy to me is the ability to read, write and comprehend. Reading and writing have always been my favorite thing to do. Even before I started school I would read anything I could find; books, dictionaries, magazines, etc. I learned how to write as well but once I started school and was tested with essays and narratives, I became really good at it. It's very hard for me to find a book that interests me but when I do it's easy for me to get lost in it. My top five favorite books are Flyy Girl, Of Mice and Men, Push, Lord of the Flies and The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963. I enjoy reading coming of age books and books that involve important parts of history or take place in the 80s or 90s.

My all-time favorite book is Flyy Girl by Omar Tyree. I first read this book when I was a freshman in high school. It's my favorite because it takes place in New Jersey in the early 80s and gives off a nostalgic feeling. This is one of the first books I fell in love with. The main character, Tracy, reminds me of myself and I can relate to a lot of the situations she goes through in the book. I strongly believe that you do better book reports when it's a book that you actually like and can relate to. I remember having to do an essay on this book and I did so well on it and I firmly believe it's because I loved the book so much. Reading this book helped me figure out my preference as far as book genres and develop my writing skills.

Another book that I love is The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963. I first read this book in fifth grade. I love it because most of it takes place in my hometown, Flint Michigan. My teacher read this book to our class and I liked it so much that I bought my own copy of it and still have it to this day. This book also covers the story of the tragic 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing in Birmingham Alabama, which is a monumental event in history. Before reading this book, I did not know about the Birmingham Bombing. This is why I think reading is so important, you really can learn so many things that stick with you.

Reading is my favorite thing to do and right next to it is writing. I've always loved to write, whether it's just journaling or writing an essay or narrative. Starting in middle school I was always told that I was an excellent writer but never believed it. I always thought it was some sort of impossible task to be a good writer. But then once I got to high school I realized that I had a real passion for it. Unfortunately it's hard for me write about things that I'm not really interested in but I think that's with that everybody. I used to want to be an author and even now I still want to write a book someday. I think writing is such an amazing outlet especially for people who feel as though they have nobody to talk or vent to. Writing can also be a stress reliever. I think it's so important for people, especially children, to know the benefits of writing and reading. Fortunately for me, I've always loved reading and writing. Even as a kid, I would read and write outside of school just for my own enjoyment. But I know a lot people don't like reading and writing, especially reading because it can be boring and tedious sometimes.

At a young age I was taught that knowing how to read and write is very important and vital to your learning. Sometimes I think reading and writing are neglected subjects. Most people don't just casually practice reading at home unless they absolutely have to and that was the case with me. My mother, who loves to read and write, would have my older sister and I practice reading at home out loud when we were younger. At the time it seemed so miserable (probably because I was so young) but now looking back I realize how fortunate I was and still am to have a parent who cares so much, especially when it comes to education. Some kids don't have that and that's why their reading and writing isn't up to par. I mean, do you really expect the average kid in elementary school to come home and practice reading and writing without being told to do so?

I remember being in elementary, middle school and even high school and seeing kids in my grade dread being called to popcorn read out loud, while I was the asking the teacher if I could read twice. I can’t really relate to those issues because like I said reading and writing have always came so natural to me and I am thankful for that. I will admit that I did hit a rough patch with my reading around sophomore or junior year. I wasn't doing much pleasure reading. I was involved in a lot of sports, had tons of homework, and worked, while still trying to have a social life. There was simply no time (in my eyes) for reading when I didn’t have to. I didn't worry about it much though because I figured I’ve always been a great read so a little time without it won’t hurt. I couldn't have been more wrong because when I finally did decide to pick up a book I had lost my touch. The reading didn't flow, it didn't feel natural, and it sounded more like I was reading a script for the first time. I tripped over words, mixed words up, and just sounded horrible. I could feel myself turning into one of those kids who dreaded the popcorn reading. I even told my mom about it and she gave me the best advice, which was one simple word. Practice. So that's what I did. I practiced reading almost everywhere I went, on my way to tournaments, after finishing work in class, before I went to sleep, on the way to church. Anywhere I could find time, that's what I did. And slowly but surely I was back to reading better than I was before. That's why I think it's never too late to improve if you feel you're not a good reader and even if you are there is always room for improvement.

Now writing is a different story, I never lost my touch with writing. Give me a shitty topic and I will do my best to turn it into gold. I love writing because there's no right or wrong way to do it. It's not like math where there's one right answer and if you don't get that one answer, you're wrong. Writing is like one big math problem that you can do anyway you want and still get the right answer. That's why I love it (can you tell I hate math?). I used to think my writing skills were just decent until every year I would have teachers tell me how much they love my writing. I remember writing a story about bullying in 8th grade and I thought it was just average. When my teacher handed them back, at the top of my paper it said “See me please”. I thought to myself “Oh my God, was it THAT bad?” I saw my teacher after and she told me how much she loved my story and how it made her cry because it was so good and she was so impressed. I was so shocked and happy. I couldn't believe something I, J’Lynn Corder, wrote could make somebody feel like that. Ever since then I told myself that I would write a book one day and I still plan on doing so. I just believe that everyone has a story to tell and whether you want the world to see it or not, writing can and will always be that outlet.

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nadiafayrosemelham-blog · 7 years ago

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I’d like to say I’m generally a lucky person. Nothing too misfortunate has ever happened during my 23 years of existence, I try to stay an honest and good human as much as possible, I don’t tempt the devil too often, and I’m a big believer in karma. What goes around comes around right? I’m basically a Buddhist.

Let me just go back to the first sentence of the last paragraph there, where I’ve written ‘I’m generally a lucky person’, and finish this sentence with, in Cambodia I was NOT a lucky person! My Buddhist belief is slightly wavering as I sit on my plane that can’t leave Cambodia quick enough, and think to myself… surely I’ve don’t nothing TOO dramatic to deserve THAT?

At the same time, I’ve recently adapted a new life motto thanks to one of my favourite people in life, the inspirational Lisa Wiltshire. It started out a few months back as ‘live a life worth writing a novel about’ and currently stands a little closer to ‘live a life worth writing a series about’. So on the other shoe (not currently wearing shoes because who keeps their shoes on during a flight), I also believe everything happens for a reason! Very firm firm believer in that one, not questioning this motto at all!

So let me tell you about my memorable trip to Cambodia. I’ll also point out that I’ve used the word memorable, because memorable is a word you use when it wasn’t great, and it wasn’t shit, but you just won’t ever forget it!

It started very innocently with my time in Siem Reap. I took a visit to the Angkor Wat Temples which are absolutely amazing, and wandered around the night market in the evenings. It was drama free and very chilled. I think the starting point in my series of unfortunate events begins with my night bus from Siem Reap to Sihanoukeville, where I was then due to board a ferry to the picturesque island of Koh Rong.

The night bus was a weird hotel bus where you literally share a single bed with a stranger (word of warning you could NEVER travel SEA if you are overweight.. sorry to crush any hopes and dreams but there are just too many tight spaces to deal with and it ain’t gonna happen). I was lucky enough to be put next to a nice young Canadian gal and we both pretty much slept the whole way. At one point I woke up to the bus driver changing the front tyre (NOTE: I think this could be where the series of unfortunate events begins). Not sure how long we were there for but obviously a while as the bus arrived late and I managed to miss my ferry to the island.

I headed to the Buva Sea Ferry office to get on board the next, and seeing as Asia is just organised chaos anyway, I chicken scratched the ferry time off my ticket so I didn’t have to pay more. I had already mentally blamed the receptionist from the hostel for this if anyone was to question my ticket. Soon enough I was on the list for the 11am ferry and was waiting eagerly by the pier. By 12.30 a substitute ferry finally rolled in to take us to the island, as apparently seas were too rough for our small speed ferry.

Sitting front and centre in the ferry, I was dreaming of the white sandy beaches I would soon be lounging upon. As I gazed ahead into the blue sea, I could see waves the size of Africa, which were soon met with the sound of the motor cutting. One giant wave came over the front of the boat and under the front doors into the cabin. Straight after the first wave, a second GIANT wave came rolling over the front of the boat, in through the windows, and absolutely SOAKED the front two rows including lil’ old me. Just to clarify I’m talking a tsunami style wave, and a whole ocean of water inside the boat.

Now has anyone ever told you to make sure you keep all your valuables close to you when travelling? Of course they have, it is absolutely drilled in to you by anyone who cares, and yes of course I had all of my valuables with me including my new MacBook Air and my IPhone 6. I quickly headed straight to the back of the boat where I pulled out my laptop and phone. Water pouring out of both, I wiped them down with a cloth of some sort but my hopes had pretty much been washed away with that wave.

After arriving to the island I managed to buy 2 kilos of rice off an elderly woman for $2, based on the promise that I would eventually return it to her to use for her cooking. Needless to say I was not eating at her restaurant during my stay in Koh Rong. I briefly attempted to save the electronics but the laptop was 100% fried, and the phone only half touch responsive. I held out hope that I could get the phone fixed when I eventually landed in Phnom Penh.

On the ferry, I met a few other girls who were also headed to a secluded hostel on the island called ‘Suns of Beaches’ which was apparently so super chill that you had to take a long tail boat to get there. After climbing off the ferry slightly defeated by the rough ride, we soon found out that there were no boats running to this part of the island due once again to the rough waters. So now I’ve got a fried laptop, a phone that barely works, I’m feeling like a broken woman from the rough ferry ride, AND I can’t get to my hostel (which I’m secretly happy about because I don’t want to look at another boat). I was the first to cut my losses, and soon enough we all decided to check into a hostel in the central area of the island.

We went out for a few drinks to soothe our souls, and eventually headed to bed in our dorm room. I buddied up with a lovely German girl, who I will here on refer to as Germany, not in a racist way, but just because I like that name (her real name was Mirjam). She would be my new partner in crime over the coming days. The first hour of attempted sleep in my dorm bed involved itching, rolling around, applying insect repellant, and giving up on the cause. The following hours of my night involved finding a late night restaurant to sit at and make use of their wifi (on Germany’s iPad that she had so kindly let me borrow because remember my electronics hate me). By the time morning came around I had lodged my travel insurance claim, googled fancy hotels to stay in, had finished my book, and managed to photograph the sunrise! Maybe things weren’t so bad after all!

That day Germany and I enjoyed the gorgeous beaches, and found a double room next door that was clean and perfect for $10 a night. On our 3rd day Miriam convinced me to hike to Suns of Beaches (the hostel we were meant to be staying at), which was about an hours walk from the main village. The first 45 minutes were so beautiful that I wouldn’t even call it a hike. We were just wandering along the beach bare feet with huge backpacks on our back.

In the last what should have been 15 minutes however, things took a turn for the worst. We came to the final section of the hike where you walk through a trail in the jungle. Part way in the trail split in two, and as we stood there wondering which way to go, Miriam said left and I said right. Left we went, as I’d decided I didn’t always need to be right (excuse the pun)! The path started to look super dodgy and I questioned the decision endlessly as we pressed forward under Germany’s lead. After climbing over fallen trees and manoeuvring over boulders we came to a second path, which also split both left and right. Once again Germany chose left, and I chose right. Germany pulled out her frozen map and convinced me once again that left was the way – don’t trust a German with a broken map.

As we wandered down the dry path, about half an hour later we sighted a wooden hut in the distance. That must be it we shouted for joy! But as we neared closer it was actually just a locals house surrounded by chickens, stray dogs, week old garbage and with an entire family perched up on the front verandah. We tried to ask for directions but needless to say, we were soo far out of the tourist zone that their English was definitely not permitting. We stood there for about 10 minutes while a pre-teen boy gave us false hope, staring into his phone in a manner that turned out to be aimless. ‘Maps’ I said pointing to his phone, hoping he would pull up a google map and show us where we were, but that would have been wayyyy too good to be true. He just shrugged his child sized shoulders and gazed up at us with lost eyes.

At this point I took charge as I looked around with no sign of anything marine. ‘We’re going back to the second fork in the path and headed right’. Miriam hesitantly followed me back along the long path we had wandered, and we continued to the right. Did I already point out that we’re in Cambodian heat carrying our entire life on our back? Well we were… but soon enough we came to the waters edge, and simultaneously to a sign that read ‘SUNS OF BEACHES’. Thank the bloody lord for that!

Stumbling up to the hostel check-in area, we told the young Scottish chap we were there to check in and stated our names. Miriam had been emailing them on our behalf during my unplanned technology cleanse, and she had informed them know we would be arriving. Good ole Scotland sat perched up behind the counter and exclaimed ‘I’ve got one bed for Miriam, and no beds for Nadia.’ Ohhh.. perfect! So you’ve got no beds then? ‘Nope, no beds tonight. But your welcome to sleep in a hammock for free. Or go head to toe with Miriam!’ Oh wonderful, the curse of Cambodia continues.

That night we went swimming with the bioluminescent plankton once the sun had set, and watched the water light up around us as we splashed about. What a gorgeous sight it was, and one of the reasons I was determined to go to the island. Once bed time arrived we ended up settling for the head to toe option, and arranged ourselves on the bottom bunk. At about 4am I awoke feeling pretty ‘shitty’ if ya know what I mean, and vomited my life away. Each hour I awoke to visit the bathroom, then resumed head to toe positioning. Of course I had managed to pick up a bug or gastro or whatever it wanted to call itself as it slowly consumed me from the inside.

When morning came I took the first long tail boat back to the main village area, where I would stay a final night back in the double room to sort myself out before the traumatic ferry ride back to the mainland. That morning I’d put on fresh clothes in an attempt to make myself feel wonderful, and tried to convince myself I would make it through the long tail trip without pooping my pants. After heading down to the boat, I soon discovered it was anchored 30m out to sea, and we had to wade over to it with our bags above our head. By this point I really would not have been phased if I dropped my entire bag in the ocean. In fact I probably would have just left it there if I had. But nevertheless I made it to the boat with my fresh clothes soaked and my belly hating life, and my bag made it too.

Soon the boat took off and I realised that once again, I was actually sitting at the front of the boat. Wonderful! I warned the lad next to me that sitting there was probably a terrible mistake as I was currently a series of unfortunate events, and he laughed it off with a slightly scared look left on his face once he realised how serious I was.

I made it back to the main village, and again waded through the breast deep water with my bags above my head. I checked back into the double room and came across the pals I’d made a few days ago, ready to entertain them with my stories. Andrew (aka. England) got a real kick out of my misfortune, and showed me a little sympathy by allowing me the share his laptop and indulge in a movie for some entertainment in my sick state. He fetched me water and noodles, and kept me entertained with his dodgy English humour. Did I mention that on this afternoon I also managed to disable my phone by tapping excessively at the screen to work and entering the pin incorrectly one too many times? So my phone now says ‘connect to iTunes’, but I can’t do that because my computer is fried isn’t it! So the comforting thought of still having the contents of my phone is now shattered as I realise I will have to factory reset the phone after fixing the screen. WHAT-IS-TECHNOLOGY?

The next day I sat at the dodgiest pier of the four on the island with my stomach feeling just as dodgy. England had come along to send me off, and we joked about how the tiny boat that looked like it held two people at the end of the pier would be my boat. Safe to say that god damn boat was indeed my Buva Sea Ferry. On board I climbed, or rather leaped as the boat bounced around everywhere, and stood there trying to calculate which seat would be best to sit in, in the case of another rogue wave.

The boat took off and I can 100% say it was the most outrageous experience yet. It would be no exaggeration to say that I would pay a lot of money at Sydney Harbour to experience that same boat ride. The only difference is that I would receive a life jacket and a seat belt, and the boat would be labelled ‘The JetSpinner’. I sat there gripping at the handles tighter then mum used to grip the car handles when I was a learner driver, and thinking to myself, it’s been a nice life! I think I made eye contact with every single person on that boat, just to check if they were filled with the same fears as I was. My previous dramatic ferry ride had taught me that when the motor cuts, it is NOT a good sign, and by the time I could sight land in the distance I think the motor had cut about 16 times and we had become proper airborne at least 5 of those times. There were 2 vomits, 12 shaken passengers, and 24 wobbly knees onboard.

I sat at the cafe I was due to be collected from, and recovered from the experience whilst mentally preparing for my bus ride ahead. As pickup time came close I confirmed with a few too many waitstaff that I would definitely be getting collected from that cafe. A feeling in my belly told me things were not improving, and I asked one final person about the pickup, who responded ‘Oh, the driver has already been and collected everyone!’ Of course he bloody has! With a few minutes to spare, I hopped on the back of a motorbike and headed for the bus departure point, where a phone call had been made to ask the driver to wait for me. Finally I was on the bus, and NOTHING ELSE COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG.

I made it to Phnom Penh, where I continued to suffer gastro from my Koh Rong visit. I took my phone to the night market where it was fixed within 15 minutes, and then managed to lock myself out of every bank account and email account I own by entering incorrect passwords. Touch recognition on iPhones is a blessing and a curse, as if I would remember the 9 million different passwords I’ve got for each account.

To be fair apart from the above, Phnom Penh was mostly drama free – and I was soon headed to the airport to take my flight to Indonesia and leave this cursed land of Cambodia! Very conscious of how my luck had been panning out, I decided to leave for the airport excessively early. I sat, waiting for the check in counter to open, and when it did, I jumped in the line. After about a 40 minute wait to the front (and after feeling very content in the line about my luck improving), I was faced by a Cambodian man. He asked for my departure flight details from Indonesia and I informed him I was yet to book a flight, but was only staying a week or so. The kind sir proceeded to tell me that he was unable to check me in for the flight until I had a departure flight FROM Indonesia. So let me just clarify this for you quickly… I’m due to fly Cambodia to Indonesia, with a layover in Malaysia, and this dude cares about my DEPARTURE flight from INDONESIA?…. Excuse me, but why on God’s earth do YOU Cambooodia, care when or as a matter of fact, IF I ever leave Indonesia?

I’ve learnt mostly by observation that you will get absolutely nowhere by arguing or back and forth-ing with anyone in Asia, so I accepted defeat and stepped to the side in order to book my flight leaving Indonesia. I had one hour to book the flight which seemed easy enough, but of course with Nadia’s lucky this wasn’t the case. I could feel myself floating further and further up shit creek with a dodgy airport wifi connection and a ticking clock staring me in the face. Time passed and the check-in line slowly disappeared. I literally had 4 minutes left to check in, and I looked at the Cambodian man with the saddest puppy dog eyes you’ve ever seen in your life, thinking to myself he is for sure a dad or an uncle or at least has a bloody soul! He took a look at my eyes slowly filling with tears from the past two weeks, and said ‘Well, you did TRY to book a flight so I’ll check you in. But just make sure you book a departure flight before you get to Indonesia or you might have trouble.’ I thanked him one too many times not really knowing what the hell for, and sprinted to my gate to get on that god damn plane.

I was pretty much the last person to board, and I could see my row up ahead with two people filling the seats next to mine. In front, row 25 sat entirely empty from A through C, and I said to myself “Fuck it!” I sat in that row all by myself and spread out across the three seats absolutely stoking the blazing fire that was my fate whilst the wheels smoothly lifted off the tarmac. I could practically feel the Cambodian curse being lifted as we ascended further into the air, and I could finally rest easy.

Summary of unfortunate events:

Bus arrived late to Sihanoukeville and missed my ferry

Managed to board a later ferry involving tsunami waves, wet bums, and fried electronics

Couldn’t get to secluded island hostel due to rough seas

Bed at substitute hostel filled with biting bugs = sleepless night

Got lost in the Cambodian jungle with no ocean in sight in attempt to find original hostel

Caught a gastro bug after swimming with the plankton in the lush Koh Rong water

Bounced around for an hour on return ferry ride to mainland as surrounding passengers chucked up and winced around me

Missed pick up to deliver me to my bus to Phnom Penh

Just about missed my flight out of Cambodia due to weird Cambodian airport regulations that I still don’t understand

(Hold tight for my next post, to see if the Cambodian curse really had been lifted, or if it was just the altitude playing havoc on my senses.)

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