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emdythewriter · 5 years ago

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Let me be your shield | chapter five (Elriel)

“Can you hand me the peonies?”

“Which ones are those?”

“The ones your about to step on!” Elain shrieked halting her bodyguard in his place as he turned to see the flowers that were dangerously close to his feet. They hadn’t taken as long as Azriel had expected at the store seeing as she already seemed to have an idea of what she wanted the garden to look like. He picked up the container of peonies and handed them to her, then moved away from the other plants she had yet to put in soil.

Azriel found an empty patch of grass that he chose to sit down in, watching Elain get her hands dirty. She looked blissfully happy, like she was blocking out the rest of the world and only focusing on the flowers she was making a home for. She looked like she had found something good in the darkness. His phone buzzed in the pocket of his jeans.

I need you to come to the office.

The text was from Rhys who sounded like he was trying to be professional. Something was wrong Az thought as he read the text once more before typing a response.

Everything okay?

I’m trying to save your ass so please listen to me for once.

I’m not Cassian.

Just get here.

I’ll leave now.

“Everything okay?” Elain asked having noticed his mood shift. All day Azriel had been smiling and laughing as she shopped and rambled about her passion. Now he was frowning and looking down at his phone, therefore she knew something had to be wrong.

“Rhys just needs me to come to the office,” her bodyguard said as he stood up, brushing the grass and dirt his jeans had collected from sitting on the ground.

“Right now?” Elain said getting up as well. She brushed the dirt from her hands onto her apron though there was still dirt on her face, which caused Azriel to smile.

“I won’t be long and you can just call if you need me,” he said before opening the back gate and heading for the SUV he kept parked out front. The office was towards the center of the city whereas the townhouse Elain lived in was on the outskirts. He knew it would be awhile before he was back and she probably did too, but neither had chosen to acknowledge the fact that he was lying.

The bad part about the distance between each location was that Azriel had plenty of time to think over what this could possibly be about. It could be as simple as Rhys wanting to catch up with his brother, but he highly doubted that. It could be as bad as him being reassigned to another sister’s detail, most likely Feyre if it was Rhys’s choice. Azriel hoped that wasn’t the option though, he didn’t want to say goodbye to Elain.

When he made it to the city there was an open spot right in front of the building, so he took it. Easily Azriel parked the SUV and then headed in through the rotating glass door. The elevator was just opening when he made it there, finding his fit in the crowd he pressed the button for the floor Rhys’s office was located on.

He didn’t bother knocking when he made it to the office, if Az ended up walking in on something it certainly wouldn’t be the first time. Luckily for him he only found Rhys and Cassian talking. The conversation halted immediately when his brothers noticed him in the doorway.

“Did you call me here just to chat?” Azriel asked as he entered the room and closed the door behind him. He took up the seat next to Cassian, one of the leather chairs Rhys had placed in front of his wooden desk that he currently sat behind. The office was nice, filled with bookcases on both sides and a giant open window behind the desk, the kind you see in movies. Feyre had definitely decorated the space.

“More like to lecture you,” Cassian said.

“Lecture me?” Azriel wasn’t aware that he had done anything to be lectured about.

“Lucien Vanserra came to my office this morning,” Rhys started causing Azriel to roll his eyes. He had a feeling he knew where this conversation was headed now. Lucien knew the three brothers personally, having all grown up and gone to the same boarding school together. They all tolerated each other but Lucien always had it out for Azriel for reasons still unknown.

“What does he want this time?” he asked leaning back in his chair and propping his feet out in front of him, getting comfortable.

“He said you’re getting too close to Elain,” Rhys said leaning back in his own chair and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Isn’t that the point of my job?” Azriel asked. If Lucien wanted to deal with the consequences of him not protecting Elain than he didn’t understand the threat on his girlfriend’s family all too well.

“Lucien says it’s to the point of being inappropriate,” Cassian added using air quotation marks around the word inappropriate, telling Azriel neither of his brothers believed the other male was telling the truth. In fact Az had a feeling Lucien was just jealous for whatever twisted reason.

“I thought he left this morning anyways,” he said remembering how Elain had told him about her boyfriend’s text this morning.

“Either he lied or came to me before his flight left,” Rhys answered. “I’m not keeping tabs on the guy.”

“Sometimes I wish you would,” Cassian inputted. “If you had we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“What mess is that exactly?” Azriel asked realizing he still wasn’t sure why he had been called here.

“Lucien believes you’re trying to sleep with Elain.” He busted out laughing at Rhys’s words. They weren’t laughing so he knew it was true, which only seemed to make Az laugh harder. It was the most comical thing he had ever heard, and to think that was the whole reason for this meeting in the first place. Azriel had nothing to worry about after all.

“That’s stupid,” he said when he fianlly caught his breath. “We’re friends.”

“Lucien doesn’t believe that,” Cassian said.

“Tell him to ask Elain before he goes running if he doesn’t believe me, which he won’t,” Azriel replied.

“What do you mean?” Rhys asked noticing the way his brother had phrased his words.

“Lucien left Elain a text telling her that he would be gone a few days on a last minute business trip or whatever,” Az explained crossing his arms over his chest. “She said it sounded like he was running from her.”

“Idiot,” Cassian scoffed. “You don’t put distance between you when you’re having trouble that just makes things worse.” Both of his brothers knew he was speaking from experience. At the start of their relationship Cassian had made a mistake and he thought some time apart would make things better, in the end he almost lost Nesta to a darkness she was starting to call friend. He hadn’t made the same choice since.

“He’s going to lose her,” Rhys added an understanding shadowing his eyes. He had almost lost Feyre to another man, Lucien’s best friend.

“I’ll keep some distance if that’s what he wants but it’s up to him to do the rest,” Azriel said. Rhys nodded and with that he left the office, closing the door behind him on his way out. When he made it to his SUV he pulled out his phone and texted Elain.

I’m going to have to take care of a few things, call me if you need me.

Be safe :)

Azriel smiled down at the text on his phone. He shook his head and set it in the cupholder before pulling out of the space and onto the busy streets. He headed in the direction of a place he hadn’t been in some time, a place he almost thought he would never go back to.

___

Elain instantly felt sad when she read the text Azriel had sent her. She didn’t know what it was but something bugged her about the text, about the whole reason he had to go into the office in the first place. She didn’t like that feeling.

Now she was alone in the townhouse. Lucien was away working, Azriel was running errands, Feyre was at the studio teaching a class, and she had a feeling Nesta too entrapped in a book to pay attention to her phone. Elain wished at that moment more than anything that she was better at making friends. Wished that she was normal and not famous because of her father, it would make it easier for her to make true friends.

Elain had tried making friends throughout school but each time they always backstabbed her. Each one wanted something from her, the popularity, the lead role in her father's next movie, the boy that Elain was currently crushing on. There was a never ending list.

She decided to take a shower and clean up from gardening. She started stripping the moment she entered her bedroom, letting her apron, jeans and shirt fall into a heap on the floor. When she got to the bathroom she turned on the water to warm, because no one can stand a cold shower, and took her underwear off before stepping in.

Showering allowed Elain to think and right now she was thinking off things she could do to pass the time. She thought of going out but she didn’t want to wait for a temp bodyguard, guess that also meant she was ordering in for dinner. She thought about watching a movie or starting a new show, but she didn’t watch enough TV to know what was good. She was out of ideas.

When Elain was thoroughly cleaned she rinsed off and headed for her closet to change. She pulled on an old shirt of Lucien’s that was a simple green and then a pair of black pajama shorts. She pulled her hair up to keep it out of her face and because she didn’t feel like brushing the tangles out of it right now.

She thought about checking in with Nuala and Cerridwen while she was in the showere thinking, but they had just gotten back in town and most likely wanted to catch up with their families. Elain grabbed a book off the shelf in her bedroom and curled up on the window seat. The book was one Nesta had given her a few months ago but she hadn’t gotten around to reading it yet. It was a romance of course because her sister loved the genre. It was about a pair of friends that had been denying their feelings for the other since the day they met and now were starting to step over that line.

Elain had read a good bit by the time her phone started ringing. Having left it on the bed she was forced to save her place and get up to answer it. Not looking at the caller ID she answered it on the third ring “hello?”

“Hey babe,” Lucien. Elain wasn’t in the brightest of moods when it came to her boyfriend and his behavior recently. She didn’t hang up just yet though, hoping that he was calling to apologize.

“I’m mad at you,” she said in response to his greeting. There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the line, like he expected this reaction. And what girlfriend wouldn’t react the same way she was?

“I’m sorry, I was going to tell you in person but it was last minute and I didn’t want to wake you up,” of course he was going to use that excuse.

“I don’t accept your apology,” Elain said, walking around the bedroom they shared as she waited for him to form a new excuse, or better apology.

“I’m not surprised you are an Archeron.” Over the years her family had gained the reputation for being thick skinned and considering the things they had gone through in the public eye, Elain could see why.

“I would’ve been fine with you waking me up.”

“I know and I promise to make it up to you when I get home.”

“Only a few days right?”

“Yes, I’ll be home before you know it.” Elain thought is over. What could she make Lucien do as an apology? He was in the palm of her hand and she would use that to her advantage as much as possible.

“We’re going on a date when you get back, a nice one.” Last time they had gone out Lucien took her to some promotion event to meet some guy he hoped to work with in the future. Dinner had been drive thru at some fast food chain.

“Wherever you want to go,” Lucien promised and Elain knew he was sincere based off the tone of his voice.

“I want to go dancing too,” she added before she could talk herself out of the idea once again. She had wanted to go to the dance club that opened in the city since they had the grand opening a few months back. Feyre was always telling her how wonderful it was and how much she would love it. Now was the time to ask because Lucien couldn’t say no.

“Dancing?” Lucien said curiously and with a hint of teasing. “Haven’t heard that one before.”

“Well I really want to go and you said anything I want.” He chuckled on the other line and Elain knew he was smiling, just the thought made her smile as well. She loved the fact she could make the people she cared about and loved happy just like they did her.

“It’s a date,” Lucien said and she smiled even brighter. Finally after so long they were doing something they both wanted, it was starting to feel like the old days before the media interfered.

“How has your trip been so far,” Elain asked after concluding her little celebration. She walked over to the window seat and took her place up once more.

“Just a bunch of meetings today nothing too interesting,” Lucien said and she knew there was a shrug paired with the words.

“There’s got to be.” Elain teased but he hardly ever shared the juicy stuff with her, though she wished he would.

“I’m sure your day was far more interesting.” She sighed knowing that was as far as she was getting with Lucien about his day. He hated talking about himself.

“I started a garden in the backyard,” she told him smiling at the fun her and Azriel had putting it together. She should check in on him before going to bed. “I also started that book Nesta gave me months ago.”

“Which one?” Lucien asked knowing that Elain had been given a stack of books by her sister. Usually every month there was a new pile of books she had to find a home for.

“It’s about to best friends finally acknowledging their feelings for the other, it’s good so far.”

“If Nesta gave it to you I have no doubt.” Her sister was very good at picking out the right books. She had picked out a few for Lucien to read while he was on long flights. “I have to go babe I have an early day tomorrow.”

“Alright,” Elain said slightly disappointed.

“I love you.”

“Love you too,” and then they both hung up at the same time. Elain stared at her phone for a moment before clicking on the messaging app. She pulled up Azriel’s contact and typed a simple and to the point text.

Finish all your errands?

As she tucked herself into bed Elain’s phone buzzed on her nightstand. It was Az. Turning off her lamp she picked up the device and read the new message.

Yes, you need anything?

Nope just wanted to check in. my day’s been boring without you.

Was that flirting? Elain thought it over but stopped when her phone buzzed in her hand again. They were friends so it shouldn’t matter on how she had phrased the text, as long as Lucien didn’t see it.

Sorry to hear that. We can do something fun tomorrow.

You picking?

It would be my turn since gardening was yours.

So was the Farmers market

Guess I have a few events to plan.

I’ll let you get to it then. Goodnight Azriel.

Goodnight Elain.

With that she curled up under her covers and fell asleep with a smile on her face.

Tag list:

@maastrash @mis-lil-red @poisonous00 @ifangirlninja @nightcourtstarlight @sleeping-and-books @liquifyme @azriels-forgotten-shadow @allaboutthosegenes @azrielismycinnamonrollprimary @court-of-fuck-me-daddy @bookdork6 @fireheart-of-your-dreams @schmlip-scribble @but-she-was-aelin-galathynius @erinmau @cc-psm @impossiblescissorspeachpaper @kiss-my-mass @inrealliampain @fourshizzle149 @propagandaprincess

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alaspoorwallace · 5 years ago

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OCTOBER — YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT

[...] [DFW, Infinite Jest, 8c]

The Subject after Bain's sister but before the one just before this one, with the Ambush scent and the hearts over i 's, the previous Subject had been a sallowly pretty Arizona State developmental psychology grad student with two kids and outrageous alimony and penchants for sharp jewelry, refrigerated chocolate, InterLace educational cartridges, and professional athletes who thrashed in their sleep. Not real bright — she thought the figure he'd trace without thinking on her bare flank after sex was the numeral 8, to give you an idea. Their last morning together, right before he'd mailed her child an expensive toy and then had his phone number changed, he'd awakened from a night of horror-show dreams — woke up with an abrupt fetal spasm, unrefreshed and benighted of soul, his eyes wobbling and his wet silhouette on the bottom sheet like a coroner's chalk outline — he woke to find the Subject up and sitting up against the reading pillow, wearing his sleeveless Academy sweatshirt and sipping hazelnut espresso and watching, on the cartridge-viewing system that occupied half the bedroom's south wall, something horrific called 'INTERLACE EDUCATIONAL CARTRIDGES IN CONJUNCTION WITH CBC EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING MATRIX PRESENTS SCHIZOPHRENIA: MIND OR BODY?' and had had to lie there, moist and paralyzed, curled fetal on his own sweat-shadow, and watch on the viewer a pale young guy about Hal's age, with copper stubble and a red cowlick and flat blank affectless black doll's eyes, stare into space stage-left while a brisk Albertan voiceover explained that Fenton here was a dyed-in-the-wool paranoid schizophrenic who believed that radioactive fluids were invading his skull and that hugely complex high-tech-type machines had been specially designed and programmed to pursue him without cease until they caught him and made brutal sport of him and buried him alive. It was an old late-millennial CBC public-interest Canadian news documentary, digitally sharpened and redisseminated under the Inter-Lace imprimatur — InterLace could get kind of seedy and low-rent during early-morning off-hours, in terms of Spontaneous Disseminations. And so but since the old CBC documentary's thesis was turning out pretty clearly to be SCHIZOPHRENIA: BODY, the voiceover evinced great clipped good cheer as it explained that well, yes, poor old Fenton here was more or less hopeless as an extra-institutional functioning unit, but that, on the up-side, science could at least give his existence some sort of meaning by studying him very carefully to help learn how schizophrenia manifested itself in the human body's brain . . . that, in other words, with the aid of cutting-edge Positron-Emission Topography or 'P.E.T.' technology (since supplanted wholly by Invasive Digitals, Orin hears the developmental psychology graduate student mutter to herself, watching rapt over her cup, unaware that Orin's paralytically awake), they could scan and study how different parts of poor old Fenton's dysfunctional brain emitted positrons in a whole different topography than your average hale and hearty nondelusional God-fearing Albertan's brain, advancing science by injecting test-subject Fenton here with a special blood-brain-barrier-penetrating radioactive dye and then sticking him in the rotating body-sized receptacle of a P.E.T. Scanner — on the viewer, it's an enormous gray-metal machine that looks like something co-designed by James Cameron and Fritz Lang, and now have a look at this Fenton fellow's eyes as he starts to get the gist of what the voiceover's saying — and in a terse old Public-TV cut they now showed subject Fenton in five-point canvas restraints whipping his copper-haired head from side to side as guys in mint-green surgical masks and caps inject him with radioactive fluids through a turkey-baster-sized syringe, then good old Fenton's eyes bugging out in total foreseen horror as he's rolled toward the huge gray P.E.T. device and slid like an unrisen loaf into the thing's open maw until only his decay-colored sneakers are in view, and the body-sized receptacle rotates the test-subject counterclockwise, with brutal speed, so that the old sneakers point up and then left and then down and then right and then up, faster and faster, the machine's blurps and tweets not even coming close to covering Fenton's entombed howls as his worst delusional fears came true in digital stereo and you could hear the last surviving bits of his functional dye-permeated mind being screamed out of him for all time as the viewer digitally superimposed an image of Fenton's ember-red and neutron-blue brain in the lower-right corner, where InterLace's Time/Temp functions usually appear, and the brisk voiceover gave capsule histories of first paranoid schizophrenia and then P.E.T. With Orin lying there slit-eyed, wet and neuralgic with A.M. dread, wishing the Subject would put her own clothes and sharp jewelry on and take the rest of her Töblerone out of the freezer and go, so he could go to the bathroom and get yesterday's asphyxiated roaches into an E.W.D. dumpster before the dumpster’s all filled for the day, and decide what kind of expensive present to mail the Subject's kid. And then the matter of the dead bird, out of nowhere. And then news of pressure from the AZ Cardinal administration to cooperate with some sort of insipid-type personality-profile series of interviews with some profiler from Moment magazine, with personal backgroundish questions to be answered in some blandly sincere team-PR way, the unexamined stress of which drives him to start calling Hallie again, reopen that whole Pandora's box of worms. Orin also shaves in the shower, face red with heat, wreathed in steam, by feel, shaving upward, with south-to-north strokes, as he was taught.

[DFW, Infinite Jest, 8d] [End of the chapter October - Y.D.A.U. | next chapter’s incipit is labeled DFW, Infinite Jest, 9a]

#novel #literature #american literature #david foster wallace #DFW #infinite jest #postmodernism #90s novel #foster wallace #wallace #october Y.D.A.U.#davidfosterwallace #orin incandenza #infinitejest

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jodybouchard9 · 4 years ago

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6 Lessons First-Time Gardeners Learned During the Pandemic

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When the COVID-19 pandemic first forced us to shelter in place, many homeowners reacted by taking up trowels and digging in the dirt. By planting victory gardens, folks tried to beautify their backyards and skip those long lines at the grocery store by raising their own crops of lettuce, tomatoes, and strawberries.

Alas, not every newbie gardener found success in these endeavors. Mixed with the joy of seeing those first green shoots poke up, or fruits budding on the vine, there was also frustration and bewilderment at crops that just didn’t take off.

But veteran gardeners know to learn from past mistakes as you plan your future garden. So in order to improve your chances for this year’s garden, take heed of the valuable lessons some folks learned after planting their first fruits and vegetables last year.

1. Don’t let tomatoes take over

Photo by Steve Masley Consulting and Design

Who knew you’re supposed to prune cherry tomatoes before they get too big? Not Liz Rossetti of Hamilton, MA.

“By not pinching them back as they grew, this vinelike plant went crazy and just took over the whole raised bed,” she explains. She was thrilled to have a bumper crop of tomatoes to harvest, but this could put neighboring plants in jeopardy.

“Homeowners also don’t check the size of the plants they’re putting in—and if a garden is oversown, many of the plants will eventually perish as they’re choked out,” says Emma Lam, master gardener and lead designer at A Small Green Space.

2. Don’t forget to feed the soil

Photo by Falon Land Studio LLC –

Kate Stober recently relocated to Tempe, AZ, and tried gardening there in February 2020. It’s definitely been a learning curve, she reports: “The seasons are topsy-turvy, the soil is terrible, and the sun kills everything.”

Despite these challenges, she was able to make a lot of things grow, especially when she realized she should boost her soil’s health with worm castings, a type of organic fertilizer.

Susan Brandt, expert soil tiller at Blooming Secrets, agrees with this savvy move: “One of the bigger mistakes people tend to make is not preparing their soil properly or enough—compost is another good fix here.”

Of course, to prepare your soil properly, you need to know what it’s like and what it’s lacking. You can get a soil test kit from any home improvement or gardening store. The results will tell you what you need to add to your soil to help your plants flourish.

3. Watch how you water

Photo by Story Design and Construction, Inc.

“Overwatering, underwatering, and not providing enough drainage for water to seep out of containers and pots are very common errors that new gardeners make,” says Brandt.

It seems that watering confounds everyone.

“As a professional landscape designer, I have never seen an in-ground garden die from overwatering, but have seen many die from too little water, which is why I highly recommend automatic irrigation systems,” says Lam.

The upshot: It makes gardening a lot easier—and more enjoyable.

Kristy Esparza of San Jose, CA, learned this lesson early on.

“Now that it’s spring again and we’re on to Round 2 of our backyard garden, we’ve purchased self-watering containers, which help a ton because I still struggle to understand exactly how much water each plant needs,” she says.

4. Don’t plant too early

Photo by KL Designs Residential Landscape Planning LLC

Check the weather forecast, people!

Sabrina Beaumont, chief marketing officer at PassionPlans, lost nearly all of her new plants and had to start over when a night of serious chills hit her area.

“I learned you have to be aware of frost dates, so I downloaded an app, which can help warn me when it’s going to happen the next time,” says the Raleigh, NC resident.

“You’d think that once spring arrives that you can plant, but putting in heat-loving flowers too soon could mean their death,” notes Brandt. The same goes for soil that’s too cool. (Seedlings sown too soon may not grow, or their roots could rot.)

5. Put down weed barriers

Photo by Lankford Associates Landscape Architects

Greg Halter wasn’t a fan of all the weeds that took root in his garden.

“Weeds consumed some of our tomato plants and killed off our pepper plants, so this year I’m putting in the effort and installing proper weed control barriers,” says the Benton, KY, resident.

While landscape fabric from the home store is often a go-to, our experts point out that there are loads of DIY options for keeping weeds at bay, including gravel, newspaper, cardboard, straw, mulch, and burlap.

6. Don’t wait too long to stake stalks

Photo by Pamela Crawford & Associates

Christi Kelly of Columbia, MO, knew she had to support her pepper plants when they got tall—but the season slipped away from her.

“They started growing fast midsummer and by the time I got stakes in the pots, the stems were stressed and bent over,” she relates. Kelly was able to rig them up with fabric ties, but the damage was done and the plants didn’t thrive.

Brandt chalks this one up to a case of biting off more than you can chew.

“Trying to do too many things in the garden all at once can leave you feeling overwhelmed,” she shares.

Your best bet: Plant what you have the space, time, and energy reserves for—and then expand from there.

The post 6 Lessons First-Time Gardeners Learned During the Pandemic appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

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mubal4 · 5 years ago

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Sometimes @ 70% Is Good Too!

The last couple of weeks I’ve shared a few thoughts and stories about having to show up without being at 100%. As I’ve stated, I believe most times, we are not at 100% but we still put our best effort our there; our best effort at that time, where we are, with what we have, at that stage in our journey. This past Saturday, up in Flagstaff, AZ I experienced this first hand, at the Flagstaff Extreme Big Pine 54K put on by Aravaipa Running. Once again, the staff and volunteers from Aravaipa didn’t disappoint. A huge thank you to them for putting on another top-notch event in an epic location. Running on the trails for Fort Tuthill County Park, under the pines, in the shadow of Mt. Humphries provided a great break from the heat of Phoenix and somewhat of a green canopy from back east. Great job to all the participants in all the races (6K, 13K, 27K, & 54K) and thanks so much to all those spectators that came out to cheer us all on. Greatly appreciate all the aid station folks and big shout out to the group from Squirrel’s Nut Butter for keeping us all moving through the race at the midpoint aid station. You guys where great and yes, you read that right, Flagstaff, AZ’s own Squirrel’s Nut Butter, if you don’t know what it is, click on the link; it does wonders for that uncomfortable chaffing 😊😊. Of course, no race wrap up would be complete without a special to thanks to my ever-awesome crew of Robin, Alaina, and Isabella. You guys continue to keep me going and provide the push when I desperately need it; love you guys.

As for the race, it was a real good day. Like I said, I was at about 70%, maybe 75% toeing the line. With being sick for about a week, that dug into my training and with travel, some linger effects of my cold still present, the race being at 7,000’ elevation; there were a number of things that got into my head prior to the start. I knew that I wasn’t going to be near 100% but I knew I was doing the race; having traveled for it and looking to make a weekend out of it, I figured I would do my damndest to make the best out of it. The course was an 8.4-mile loop done counterclockwise four times with rolling hills, some short climbs and descents; nothing real crazy and overall a nice run through the ponderosa pines of Flagstaff. It was gorgeous day for running with temps in the high 40’s at start topping out around 75* as the high. There was some points where we were exposed to the sun and in the late afternoon it got a bit warm but nothing too severe; although I did get some nice color on the back of my neck and very like the ever growing bald spot on the back of my head 😊!! With what I outlined above and not knowing how I would feel throughout, I took the first loop super chill and just felt myself and the course out. Having run the loop a few weeks prior I was a bit familiar with the course so that helped in gauging when I can push and when I can ease back. The first loop was mostly holding back the reigns. I didn’t want to go out too hard and make the mistake like I usually do. I knew I was going to finish the race, no matter how long it took or had bad it may suck so I figured might as well just enjoy it! I hit the mid-point aid station, around mile 4 and was feeling good. Caught up with a group and hung with them having some good conversations until I zoned out and caught a toe. Fortunately, my cat-like reflexes and amazing athletic ability (joking there 😊) allowed me to gracefully (or at least I thought) roll to the side of the trail, in some high grass, right through the fall and continued running with the group picking up the conversation where we left off. Again, that is how I feel it went those running with me I am sure will have a different story to tell 😊. There was no harm and I continued through finishing up the first loop in a good time and saw Robin and the girls at the start/finish. It was great to see their faces but knew that I wouldn’t see them again until after the 3rd loop so I had about two loops and about 3 hours to go (or I would hope) until we would reconnect. The second loop went pretty well too, a bit slower than the first but still felt good and was moving well…………until, those small little demons in my head started creeping up. At this point, about 12-13 miles in my knees and hips started to make me aware they were there!!! My knees, that is usually normal but my hip soreness, that was unique, and the odd thing is that about 2 months ago I started doing these new hip stretches to open them up more. Did that hurt me or help me? Who knows but it made things a bit uncomfortable and then the questions came? “Told you, you didn’t prepare enough, you weren’t’ ready, you should be at 100%.” All the stuff that I had wrote about and put out there that we don’t need to be at 100% to still be at our best in that moment went right out the window!! I was trying to find an excuse for me to stop and not continue after that 2nd loop. All of this was happening internal; externally I was still moving, still running, and still making progress. I finished up the 2nd loop, my head was a mess, but my body was still good and, Robin and the girls were not there and were not going to be back for another 90 minutes. This could have been the best thing for me because, I wasn’t going to just sit on my ass for that time and watch all these runners come in, feeling sorry for myself. So, I told my thoughts to go f$#% themselves and started my 3rd loop. This loop, seemed to take much, much longer than the last 2 plus I was beginning to feel nauseous, not something I experience during races. I was getting enough water in me and kept eating at each aid station, and I was keeping up on my salt tablets, so it was odd that my stomach was turning a bit; nothing crazy but definitely something I haven’t been used to. There was much more hiking on this loop but still kept moving forward. About a mile past the halfway aid station there is a little climb and figured I can use that to assess where I was at, figuring the next loop and a half was going to be long. However, when I got to the top, I felt good and was able to run the rest of the way to close out the 3rd loop and, see my family. I don’t know if I pushed it too hard, the altitude was getting to me, or if the heat was having an impact but when I got to the start/finish I felt like I was going to hurl. This is nothing I have ever felt before. I took a look at the aid station table to grab some nutrition to shove into my head and everything that I typically eat, pickles, potatoes, ginger, watermelon; each of those things that are staples for me during a race, I had to spit out. Nothing tasted or looked good and nothing sat well with me……except Coke & Mountain Dew. Yep – Coke and Mt. Dew taste best during mile 26 of an ultra; not sure why but it is amazing. As Robin and the girls walked out with me to start the final the lap everything from them was positive, awesome, and encouraging. The only thing I could utter was, “the last thing I want to do right now is run this last loop.” They understood and said see you when you finish up. At this point, I had an idea of where I was on time and, honestly thought the last loop was going to be slow going so I just switched my watch from chrono to timer so when I looked at it, I couldn’t see where I was at. This was my last ultra for several months, so I told myself to take it all in on this last lap; enjoy it and look up once in a while to soak it all in. Time didn’t matter, gratitude set in, and I took off, running too, feeling pretty good. About a mile in there is a bit of a climb so it gave me that chance to hike and, look up at the pines, see the mountain around me, and breath in deep. I knew the finish was inevitable, no matter how long it may take me but, Robin and the girls were good, my body was feeling alright, my stomach felt better (Coke!! Mt. Dew!!); life was good. At the top of the climb the trail levels out and it gave me the chance to stretch the legs out a bit. Now, you would think I know what I am doing but at this point in the race, you are tired, sore, and for me, I was “soaking in the moment right?” Well, in my moment of spiritual awakening a root jumped up and grabbed me foot (actually, I didn’t pick my feet up high enough and caught another toe 😊) ….this time I was nothing near graceful. It was a yard sale with my hat and sunglasses flying off and my handheld water bottle sprayed water all over me, which actually felt good. What didn’t feel good, I landed on a rock with my right hip; fortunately, however, I didn’t know that until I woke up Sunday morning and made the connection. Also, fortunate that there was no one around to see the mess so I collected myself, started walking a bit, and laughed out loud at myself. Crazy how your mindset changes from wanting to stop to just enjoying the moment we are in. A few moments later I was at the mid-point aid station and shared my gratitude with the volunteers there and as I left, I was a bit curious on where my time was. It seemed as though that half loop went by a bit quicker than last, or at least I thought so. I check my chrono an saw that I had an outside shot of finishing under where I thought I could have………at 100%!! Even though, I still said I was going to keep enjoying the moment because I didn’t know, and still don’t, when the next time I would be in this type of moment. So, I ran, hiked, stopped for a moment or two and just let the miles tick off. Then I heard the music from the start/finish, heard the cheers of the crowds at the finish line and then looked at my watch…..I was about a quarter of a mile from the finish and 4 minutes under, what I would consider, a real good day at full strength. I ran, and ran hard up this hill, under the tent and past the finish line. I was incredibly surprised and………nauseous again!!! Robin and the girls tried to come over and share the moment, but I needed a minute; a few minutes actually. At no point in any other race had I felt this sick to my stomach……..twice. Did I push myself beyond a limit? Did I eat something that didn’t sit with me? It was strange but again, got some Coke (this should be a commercial, I am going to reach out for a sponsorship 😊) and that settled things down. After a few minutes, I sat reflecting with the girls (Isabella brought me a popsicle, the ones we use to have as kids on the stick 😊). I had been searching for one of those races where all the things fall into place and you have that “epic day.” Well, this day was not that day, where all fell into place. On the contrary, many things fell out of place (literally and figuratively 😊) but, with that said, and even though I toed the line at less than 100%, to me, it was still an epic day.

Each day that we are fortunate to have is going to be an adventure. There will be days we feel great and days we feel like shit. There will be times we don’t want to toe the line, and we don’t. There are others where we do and maybe it was a mistake. Whatever the circumstance, we are constantly learning from the choices we make, good, bad, and indifferent. There are days we feel like 100% and it doesn’t go according to plan. There are days we are at 60% but something bubbles to the surface and even though we feel like crap, we are not all there mentally, and we don’t want to move forward, we do, begrudgingly and realize how great that decision is. It is rare to be at 100% so why not just say what the hell and do it anyway?

“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.” – Mark Twain

#AZtrailrunning altitudeultra aravaiparunning bigpine toetheline PAAZRNR RFP

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nightmare-afton-cosplay · 5 years ago

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New Crop of Luxury College Residences Earns an A-Plus for Amenities

Gensler/Ryan Gobuty

Forget dingy dorm rooms with communal bathrooms (if you can). Today’s college students are living the good life with amenities such as rooftop pools, private theaters, gaming rooms, and even fully wired outdoor terraces with grilling stations and cabanas.

The building boom in housing complexes across the country is extending to universities, offering resort-style living for students both off and on campus. Developers are meeting the ongoing demand for luxury options by either leasing on-campus plots to build sleek apartment buildings or erecting trendy rental communities just at the campus edge. Meanwhile, many universities are building dorms with flashy amenities as a way to attract students who might be interested in other schools.

“More than anything else, the amenities race has just come from competition,” says Dan Oltersdorf, chief learning officer at Campus Advantage, which manages about 70 student housing communities around the country. “With the amount of investment that’s gone into student housing over the last 10 years, off-campus developments are trying to outdo each other, so we’re seeing lazy river pools, golf simulators, climbing walls.”

Duke University has added luxe amenities to some of its dorms, but doesn’t charge students more to live in those halls, says Joe Gonzales, dean of housing and residential life. The Edens Quad residence hall, which houses about 550 students, features a video game pavilion that includes a virtual reality room. At the school’s brand-new Trinity House, for 250 first-year students, residents have access to a chef’s kitchen with granite counters, two ovens, two refrigerators, and a fancy dining table to share their meals.

Putting such extras within residential buildings, rather than across campus, “makes it easier for students to take advantage” of them, Gonzales says.

These things “help people connect,” he adds. “And it adds to the particular character of that housing community.”

Universities building impressive new dorms are doing so with an eye to attracting students and, importantly, keeping them living on campus, Oltersdorf says.

“There’s tons of data that shows that students who live on campus have higher GPAs, graduate at higher rates, and are more satisfied with their college experience,” he says.

What today’s luxury college living looks like

The newer luxury housing complexes are situated to suit the younger generation’s preference for living in a central, walkable location, very close to or on campus, with ready access to ride- or bike-sharing, says Brooks Howell, the residential leader for Gensler, a San Francisco–based architecture and design firm that has worked on student housing projects in College Station, TX, and Tempe, AZ, among many other locations.

Many students also prefer more of a co-living concept, Howell says.

“The larger suite-style apartments, with four to six bedrooms, are very popular, where you have your own bathroom, and a shared kitchen and living area,” he explains. “And you can move out of your apartment to work in larger study areas and outdoor spaces.”

But Oltersdorf and others believe the amenities race has begun to play itself out.

“We’re seeing a pulling away from that, as students want more areas to study and other features to help them be successful,” he says. “And there’s more of a focus on good value.”

There’s also more interest in green housing, says Jason Wills, the chief marketing officer at American Campus Communities, one of the country’s largest student housing developers with more than 200 projects under management both on and off university campuses.

In the future, more buildings will incorporate recycling, composting, and solar power, Wills says.

“The current generation really appreciates that,” he says. “It’s definitely a direction that the on-campus communities are moving in.”

Here are some examples of today’s college living at its finest:

Aspire College Station at Texas A&M University

The pool at Aspire College Station is one of its high-end amenities.

Gensler/Ryan Gobuty

Completed last year, this 816-bed high-rise at the edge of campus in College Station, TX, offers apartments for one to six students. Kitchens feature white quartz countertops. Penthouse units have vaulted ceilings and accent walls. Monthly rents range from $600 to $1,400 per student.

The complex is stuffed with amenities, including a 4,400-square-foot fitness center, outdoor cabanas with TVs, an outdoor kitchen, and a penthouse sky deck. But the biggest wow factor is on the sixth floor: a giant pool deck where students gather on game days to watch the Aggies on the Jumbotron.

Edens Quad at Duke University

The renovation of this complex of 1960s residence halls in Durham, NC, several years ago transformed them into light and airy spaces with lots of community areas for studying—and playing.

The quad’s 550 students can burn off stress in the Bolt gaming pavilion, which has 10 separate gaming computers for individuals or teams to play and two larger screens with gaming systems. Ample seating allows students to watch other students compete.

“It really has proven to be a very social area,” says Duke’s Gonzales. The complex also features a virtual reality room where students can put on goggles and experiment with some 50 games, as well as a fitness center and a yoga studio.

Sterling 920 Terrace at Arizona State University

Student housing at Sterling 920 includes a state-of-the-art fitness facility.

Gensler/Ryan Gobuty

The website for Sterling 920 Terrace urges students to “wave goodbye to the dorm life and get ready for the good life.” This brand-new apartment complex, just outside the Arizona State University campus in Tempe, isn’t skimping on amenities.

The complex boasts a large pool area lined with resort-style lounge chairs, with a hot tub, hammocks, and a fire pit; a two-story fitness center; a tanning terrace; and a private garage parking. The furnished apartments have keyless entry systems, bedrooms with individual locks, and kitchens with granite countertops. Students are even welcome to bring their pets, as the complex has a fenced park.

Monthly rents range from $850 to $1,400 per student.

Plaza Verde at the University of California, Irvine

Student housing goes luxurious at Plaza Verde.

American Campus Communities

This 1,400-bed apartment community, under construction on the UC Irvine campus, is representative of the newer trend toward green living. It is American Campus Communities’ first “net zero energy” community, meaning it will be built to such energy-efficient standards that all of the complex’s energy needs will be met by on-site solar.

In keeping with that green mission, the complex will have shower heads and toilets that use less water, a reflective roof that absorbs less heat, and a recycling center. And the amenities aren’t just for the environment. The complex will also have a fully equipped fitness center, outdoor kitchen, rec room, 18 study rooms, and a grassy courtyard. Monthly rents start at $790.

Osprey Fountains at the University of North Florida

One of the earlier high-amenity dorms to hit a college campus, Osprey Fountains, which opened in 2009, requires students in its four- and six-bed suites to share baths. But the 1,000-student complex in Jacksonville, FL, isn’t lacking for anything else.

Students can get a workout in the lap pool or chill in an inner tube on the lazy river. The grounds also feature tennis, volleyball, and basketball courts; a running track; and a putting green. If students get tired of playing, the complex also has its own library for, you know, studying.

The post New Crop of Luxury College Residences Earns an A-Plus for Amenities appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

from https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/luxury-college-dormitories/

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boondockerblog · 6 years ago

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Day 15, 16, 17, 18 - drive back and forth to Springdale AR

We figured that the 4 day trip to AR, pick up and back would only be pics (who needed to read about sitting in the motorhome driving and a few hours of sleeping?). Why do we even think there won't be some Bill & Carolyn's Excellent Adventure to tell?

The Drive to Arkansas

Every time we drive I40 through NM I am amazed at the size, the majesty, the red of the mountains, the snow, the vastness. We both just soak it all in and every so often comment on how particularly beautiful something is. After hours of this sight that we never tire of, I eventually tear my eyes away to do something and when I look up it's all of a sudden changed completely to small green bushes on a straw colored canvas of short grasses. It's like God drew a line there.

The RV Exchange

We arrived at the sales place at noon. Great timing for the several hours it would take to make the switch and get on the road back. Yes, it took awhile (with snow flurries) to look at it to be sure it was as expected from the pics. Yes, it took a really long time to get it clean enough to move things (they did most of it for us when we complained about how dirty it was) and then pack and carry it all in. Yes, it took Bill a long time while I was packing and carrying to switch out all the things we wanted to (batteries, drawer unit, wiper blades, inverter, window and more). I didn't even try to put anything away as it all has to really be have shelf paper and the decision making is major with a completely different set up.

But it's what happened after the "we've moved the last stuff in and we've got things stuffed under the table and in bins so we can drive" that made it seem long. Bill turned on the water and found a serious faucet problem and it appeared the water pump wasn't working and that there was a leak in the hot water tank. At 12:30pm when we looked at everything and tried things the water was still winterized so we couldn't try the water. Then we got busy packing, moving and switching things out. So at 8:45pm we had to go get the owner (luckily they live here) and see what could be done. 2 hrs, 2 staff coming back to work, a new faucet and a complete drain and refill, etc of the water system later it was all working. They gave it a yeoman's effort so we could get started in our way back. We pulled out at 10:45pm planning on driving 2 hrs before stopping to sleep.

A few words before we leave in our new motorhome (or should I call it our second - you all know Bill well). Much like moving day from our brick and mortar homes, the race to get everything out and clean on moving day is so all consuming you don't have time to think of what you'll miss. It was sad to see our first motorhome without it's belongings, it's people and it's dog. The huge amount of work that went into making it so beautiful and so perfect for our boondocking adventures the past 3 Winters made it even more bittersweet. I know it sounds grandios but truely, our lives have been changed by the opportunity for a couple months a year to live the nomad life, to live in a space that's the size of our bathroom and to see and experience the amazing places we've found with a few hours or less of looking.

The Drive Back to Southern AZ

Oh how we wish we had a picture of us waking up after our first night - in a BEDROOM!! Ahhhhhhhh!!! So cool (literally as it was in the low 20s outside and even with the heat on the 3 full wall windows coming right down to the matress radiate freezing air - that goes on the long list) and such big smiles on our faces. It is hard to believe that this mortorhome is only 4 ft longer than the other.

We're 5 or 6 hrs from the end and this 1350 mi drive back has been longggggg (except Bill's idea yesterday afternoon to take a driving break and have a celebration restaurant dinner - which was so delightful). And so you're thinking - based on the pick up story of the first motorhome this trip was painless. The water not working after being at NW RV Salea for almost 9 hrs was nothing. This morning, near Gallup NM, we used the generator to make coffee and the ac came on (refer you back to the outdoor temp - we had the furnace on). When we turned the furnace off, the ac went off. So no generator and furnace at the same time. This had not happened the day before. The fun just never ends for us!

This is just a blip (in a long line if blips) as we are blessed beyond measure to have the chance to live and work from the road in some of the most beautiful and remote places. And, we get to share it with all of you.

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papersandkeyboards · 7 years ago

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4/11-17: The Spring Break Series; Part 5 (End): Ended Spring Break with Something Grand

FRIDAY, APR 15, 2016.

(^calon paparazi)

Sitting right smack in the middle of probably the driest states of the United States, people who didn’t know a lot about the Grand Canyon would assume that the place was dry and hot all year round.

However, I found out that the top of the Grand Canyon—logically—was situated high above the sea level. The South Rim, in which most of the tourist activity took place, stood in an average elevation of 6800ft (that’s more than 2 kilometers, if you don’t mind, Americans), and the canyon itself went as deep as 2400ft (700m) above sea level.

If we had the right page on Geography, we would know that as elevation rises, temperature decreases, and vice versa. With that in mind, it can be safely stated that the temperature at the bottom of the Grand Canyon is always gonna be hotter than the temperature above.

Thinking about this, now it made sense to me why Karen and Eric hiked down the Grand Canyon in January. It might be dead cold at the top of Grand Canyon in January, but down at the bottom it was pretty warm. Wise decision to make, instead of climbing down Grand Canyon in, say, June, because if it was already hot at the top of Grand Canyon, people might as well bring raw meat to cook over a mere rock down at the bottom. Very hot.

But hiking down the Grand Canyon was supposedly an activity that should be well-prepared—physically and logistically—which was exactly why we weren’t doing such thing in this occasion. Like I said, just touristy things. Guided tours, information boards and pamphlets, and pictures. And cheap souvenirs. #sorrynotsorry for being a tacky tourist, really. Kapan lagi.

We drove for around an hour or more from Flagstaff to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Flagstaff already stood in high elevation to begin with, but the road we took to the Grand Canyon was a dead-straight road that wasn’t steeply inclined it didn’t feel like we’re gaining so much altitude. When we got there, it was so chilly it didn’t feel like spring break. In fact, the high elevation did kill the ‘spring break’ vibe, kind of like what Flagstaff did to me the night before, because this was what I found on the ground:

But I wouldn’t complain. I like snow. Gotta enjoy its existence while I still got the chance.

The Grand Canyon was… well, grand. The weather was perfect: it might be chilly, but it wasn’t raining. The skies were bright blue with big blobs of white clouds. The air was fresh and breezy. I haven’t experienced being in such a big open space in a long time. And it felt refreshing.

I might have about a hundred pics of the Grand Canyon, but I didn’t have a lot of words for it, except that… nature really was magnificent. Way to go, God.

There were so many ledges and spots that would have been seriously beautiful to watch the whole canyon from or to get my picture taken from, but those spots were mostly unfenced, and none of us would like to risk it, so we went to the safe spot, the designated viewing ‘balcony’ for tourists. But even the view from there was amazing enough already.

What a pretty layer-cake-like structure. Unlike the tan lines of the Hoover Dam, these layers of the Grand Canyon should have been shaped over millennia.

And being a nationalist exchange student I was, of course I just had to do a mandatory pic of me with my flag in an American landmark.

(I probably shouldn’t have worn green hijab because that combined with the flag made me look somewhat Hungarian)

We could also see the bottom of the rim, where people go to camp for days. Karen told me people usually hire a mule to bring their stuff down and up, since it’s kind of exhausting to bring two-three-day camping supplies, including food and water, down and up the rim for miles. Heck, it should have taken way longer than just some miles because it was ALREADY ‘some miles’ if you pull a line straight down from the top to the bottom of the rim, let alone the walking trail which should take many more miles to avoid steepness. I saw at the bottom of the rim, somewhere, ran the Colorado River—or maybe a branch of the Colorado River—along which sides the trees were growing much greener than the other greens in the surrounding area.

We walked this trail called “Trail of Time”, which purpose was to walk the visitors through the journey of the Grand Canyon, geologically. The trail entirely was 2.83 miles (4.56 km), but I personally didn’t think I walked THAT much. But then again, if I try to remember, I was pretty tired and the trail was waaaaay longer than what I expected.

The trail was filled with information boards and polished model of different kinds of rocks. I’m not a person of Geology, but these rocks did have interesting patterns of layers and curves and colors. Each meter walked on the trail marked one million year of the Canyon’s geologic history, like this:

I didn’t read through all of the information on the boards, but it was fun with the viewing tube that gave you a real-life sight of what kind of rock layer was being talked about on the information board. The tubes were specifically set to one point of target, which were specific part of rock of the Canyon that correlated to the rock explained on the board.

This is what I like about making public facilities educational with effort not to make it boring, instead of, say, copy-and-pasting information straight out of Wikipedia and put it on a board for people to read.

We found a quite pretty unfenced place where we could take pictures too, though. Haha.

We walked some (and by some, I meant quite some) distance until we found a restaurant at the end of the trail. Ta-da! Stomach is hungry.

A classic log cabin design, with the deer head mounted on the wall and all (wait are those creatures with huge antlers called deers too bc i’m not sure). After that we took the bus back to our parking lot (because nope, no more walking thank you) and hit the road to Phoenix, AZ.

(not after an effort to find cheap souvenirs—I didn’t remember what they were selling but somehow I walked our of the store with nothing because, apparently, nothing in the store fit my criteria) (ya)

If the way across Nevada was a hot desert with patchy bushes, the way across Arizona was a hot desert with bunches of huge red rocks.

Beautiful.

Well, not that our trip all the way from Grand Canyon to Phoenix was all red rocks, but when we reached the city of Sedona and the sun started to glide westward approaching the horizon, the scene got real pretty.

Wish it was in Utah, which supposedly specialized in cool red rock boulders. Well, gotta save some things for later, am I right?

(menunggu hujan duit)

And we finally reached the city of Tempe, Arizona, and had our dinner there.

Kalau saya bilang ke orang-orang saya pergi ke Amerika dan mengunjungi kota Tempe, yang ada kayaknya malah diketawain ya.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY, APR 16-17, 2016.

Real quick. Visited Karen’s uncle in a retirement home (is that the correct term?), then went to his house to help cleaning up his house. It’s pretty obvious that Phoenix stood right smack in the middle of a huge desert, with the adobe buildings and all, so I wonder why was I surprised when I found a LOT of jerrycans full of water hidden all over his house (“in case of a drought,” Karen said, emphasizing the water shortage problem experienced by the state and surrounding states despite the Hoover Dam’s existence). We ended up using the water for plants.

Also, Phoenix was hot. If I were to compare, it was probably as hot as Duri (>30 Celcius in the middle of the day), but it was so... dry, like, so different from Indonesian hot. I couldn’t even understand how to explain it, but the sun was so intense and it was so dry. Oh, and, no wind, at all. Plus, what made it so extreme to me was the fact that I had just been through my past 7 months living in cold weather. I was at a point of life where 15 Celcius counted as ‘warm’ and 20 Celcius means ‘real hot and sunny yay let’s play outside all day’.

The next day we went to Scottsdale for none other than *drumroll* souvenirs! Then caught the plane back to Seattle in the afternoon. For some reason, when we arrived in the evening, I got this crazy headache, so I went straight to bed.

...yeah. That was all.

Incredibly exciting spring break, and most definitely super-duper-out-of-this-world unforgettable half a month. Demi apa kayaknya baru pertama kali ini jalan-jalan panjang ke mana-mana selama dua mingguan. Sempat ketemu artis lagi. cihuy.

Absolutely couldn’t thank enough my parents (both natural and host), but this time their kindness and love couldn’t save me from what’s coming the next day.

But for now, need sleep. Headache.

Adios.

#spring break #langkahanakbangsa #grand canyon #arizona

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legacygreenaz · 3 years ago

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puttinggreens1blog-blog · 6 years ago

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marriagebase · 6 years ago

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Haboobs, Lightning, and Hail: See the Frighteningly Beautiful Arizona Monsoon

Being a storm-chasing photographer in Arizona, Mike Olbinski has become accustomed to not having everything happen the way he had planned. Year after year, Olbinski has released a time-lapse film series called ‘Monsoon’, which covers his spring and summer storm chasing adventures through Arizona, the American Southwest, and beyond. But this year, Olbinski had other plans.

My original plan this past summer was to collect as much footage as normal, but to not put out a “Monsoon V” until 2019 when I had two years worth of crazy haboobs and lightning to make it truly spectacular. But the monsoon had different plans and put on a pretty dang good show in 2018, starting off with a decent dust storm on July 5th, then the best haboob chase I’ve ever had on July 9th, an epic green hail core on July 11th and finally another fantastic dust storm day on August 2nd.

Sprinkled in there…more dust storm, some at night, spectacular lightning, and tons of microbursts and stormy clouds, plus a few rotating supercells to put some icing on the cake. It was one of the best monsoon seasons I’ve chased, so I couldn’t help but get to work on Monsoon V after just one chasing season.

Every season, Olbinski tells us that this season took him further from home and for longer than before, and this year was no different. The storm obsessed photographer drove over 15,000 miles in 32 days, spread out over a three month period. But with such an incredible monsoon season, what was the most memorable moments for the father of three? Being able to share his passion and some of the incredible moments with his children, including the July 9th haboob, which Olbinski says is the greatest he has ever witnessed.

Once again, the sleepless nights, the fast food diet, and the time away from his family were difficult on Olbinski, but luckily his wife Jina is fully supportive of his wild storm chasing addiction and her endless help and support make these films possible. And as another monsoon season approaches us next spring, us viewers can only hope that Olbinski doesn’t toy with the idea of waiting two years before showing us Monsoon VI. We don’t think we can wait that long.

See more from Olbinski on his website, Facebook, and Instagram.

The first haboob of the season rolls through central Arizona, seen here along Casa Blanca road east of 347

A monster haboob approached Vekol Valley Road along Interstate 8 on July 9th

An unexpected sight in Arizona…a monster green hail core on a storm that looks more like it belongs on the central plains of the United States than it does out in the deserts.

A severe thunderstorm kicks out a bolt that lands in the mountains northeast of Willcox, AZ as seen from Highway 191

Two bolts slam into the ground near Bowie, Arizona, absolutely dwarfing the Chiricahau Mountians.

A lightning caused wildfire continues to burn as a thunderstorm moves towards it.

A gorgeous haboob crests these mountains south of Sacaton, Arizona

A huge haboob swallows not just most of Phoenix, but here in downtown Tempe

A gorgeous rainbow and downdraft move over Marana, with lightning flashing in the middle of it.

A lightning bolt lands near Castle Rock in the mountains of the Coronado National Forest

Stoic saguaro watch as lightning blasts the landscape around them.

A lightning bolt exits the clouds above and pierces the clouds capping a mountain range south of Interstate 8 in southern Arizona

A set of strong bolts rai down over the Sil Nakya community on the Tohono O’Ddham nation

A beautiful thunderstorm on the east side of the McDowell Mountains.

A stunning sunset storm out in Vicksburg, Arizona lasted for almost two hours.

The post Haboobs, Lightning, and Hail: See the Frighteningly Beautiful Arizona Monsoon appeared first on Resource.

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365-money-diary · 7 years ago

Text

DAYS 342 - 348

DAY THREE HUNDRED FORTY-TWO

8:00 AM - I am so tired. Holy cow.

8:30 AM - I make it to work on time (we have to be here at 8:30 on Mondays) and I kind of feel terrible. I make my assistant and I coffee and I toast a piece of bread.

9:00 AM - I call Guitar Center because I need to authorize the charge I made last week for the mixer I’ve been saving up for. The charge won’t hit my account until the product is shipped so I have a couple weeks before recording this charge in this diary.

10:00 AM - I make a new goal in Simple for a king sized bed and frame. I’ll put my DJ money in this specific goal and after I buy my CR-V, I’ll put $100-200 of my savings into this goal every month depending on what my car payment ends up being. I set the goal for January 1, 2019 with the hopes that if I don’t have all the money saved up by then that I’ll pay for the rest with my bonus.

12:00 PM - I walk to Sprouts and buy 3 avocados, a cucumber, two lite goddess dressings, a bag of potato chips, grape tomatoes, kale, an onion, and a chocolate bar. $15.34

4:58 PM - I stop in and get Blaze pizza for dinner on my way home. They’re doing a promo where if you stop in before 5:00, you get a $5 pizza with the purchase of a drink. $7.84

5:30 PM - I hang out with my dog and watch the new season of Love while I eat.

7:30 PM - I head to IKEA. I buy candles, a few plates to hold the candles in, a wooden board for charcuterie, and a small pitcher. $66.38

9:00 PM - I set up all the new candles and my living room looks rad. I pour myself a glass of wine and continue to watch Love.

2:00 AM - I finish the third season in one sitting. Whoops.

DAY THREE HUNDRED FORTY-TWO TOTAL: $89.56

DAY THREE HUNDRED FORTY-THREE

9:15 AM - I arrive at work and make coffee for me and my colleague.

12:00 PM - I eat some green chili chips. Today is one of those days where I really want to not eat at the office but I bought so much stuff yesterday that I can’t really justify it.

12:45 PM - I open a tangerine La Croix and make a salad for lunch. I’m not sure about the intensity of this goddess dressing. I feel like the vinegar is tearing apart every part of my mouth.

3:30 PM - My colleague and I are working alone today and we decide to get froyo. $4

5:00 PM - I arrive home from work and am feeling terrible. I have a really good conversation with my mom about how I might be wasting my time at work since the flow’s been so slow for the past year and a half and I’m wondering how much longer I can take it.

6:00 PM - I eat leftover bbq jackfruit and coleslaw but I know I’ll be hungry later. I also browse amazon / the internet for a few ingredients so I can start making my own vegan cheese. I buy kappa carrageenan and lactic acid powder from a weird marketplace but it’s $15 cheaper than amazon. $21.97

7:00 PM - I meet a friend for a glass of wine at Gracie’s. I buy myself a glass of wine and it comes in like a 6 ounce container. I feel like I keep striking out here for some reason. Wish I liked beer better. $7

10:15 PM - I drop my friend off at home and realize that I’m starving. We don’t really have food at home for meals right now so I stop at Del Taco and order a small fry and an 8 layer veggie burrito with no cheese or sour cream. $5.73

11:00 PM - I finish watching Vanderpump Rules and then head to bed.

DAY THREE HUNDRED FORTY-THREE TOTAL: $38.70

DAY THREE HUNDRED FORTY-FOUR

8:15 AM - I peel myself out of bed and hop in the shower.

9:00 AM - I roll into work around the same time as my colleague. I make us coffee and skip the toast.

10:00 AM - I discover Amazon has a deal for trying all of the Bubly seltzer. I buy a pack of 18 for $11. $12.49

11:00 AM - I’m knee deep in some illustrator work so I much on some green chili chips at my desk.

12:00 PM - I’m out of kale, so I run to Sprouts super quick to pick some up. I feel really good about only buying kale! $0.89

12:30 PM - I make my salad with the leftover tomatoes, onion, avocado, cucumber, and goddess dressing and open up my last can of tangerine La Croix. I finish my salad and enjoy a sea salt dark chocolate square.

3:00 PM - I head over to an appointment I have with an otorhinolaryngologist. It takes a while for them to call me back. $85

5:00 PM - I leave the doctor with some heaviness in my heart. It appears that my ears are probably fucked. As a consolation to myself, I run next door to Whole Foods and buy a bottle of wine, natural Pringles (spoiler alert: they’re terrible), a piece of vegan pizza, Field Roast mini corn dogs, and a 6 pack of peach seltzer. $32.62

6:00 PM - I eat the pizza and preheat the oven for my corn dogs and pour myself a glass of wine. Today is stupid.

7:00 PM - I literally spend the rest of my night looking at my phone. I fall asleep talking to a friend via Facebook chat around midnight.

DAY THREE HUNDRED FORTY-FOUR TOTAL: $131.00

DAY THREE HUNDRED FORTY-FIVE

9:30 AM - I roll into work a little late today, but I’m the only one here. I make coffee for my assistant who is coming late today and a piece of toast.

10:00 AM - I venmo my sister money for our hair and makeup for the wedding. $150

11:00 AM - I get a text from my boyfriend and he says he’ll be heading home this afternoon. Makes me feel bad because I really haven’t had the motivation to clean our house before he arrives home.

12:00 PM - Our coworker picks us up and we all go out to lunch. I wouldn’t normally do this, but she took the week off and is bored and wants company. I oblige. We go to Handcut and I get a cocktail, a burger, and fries. I kind of needed the drink from last night’s news, but am kicking myself for spending $30 on lunch! Tomorrow I will eat salad like a good girl. $33

4:30 PM - I leave work early and head home.

6:00 PM - I pick up my boyfriend’s prescription on my way home. $5.94

7:00 PM - We order JJ for dinner. Boyfriend pays.

9:00 PM - We watch a doc on Netflix about doping in the Olympics and how Russia cheated the system every year.

11:00 PM - Bed.

DAY THREE HUNDRED FORTY-FIVE TOTAL: $188.94

DAY THREE HUNDRED FORTY-SIX

9:00 AM - Coffee and toast.

11:30 AM - My boss takes us out to lunch at Bevvy. I get a veggie burger and a beer. He pays!

4:00 PM - I stop at QT on the way home from work and get gas and a bottle of Gatorade. $28.91

7:00 PM - My boyfriend orders us Jimmy Johns for dinner.

9:30 PM - I stop at Cartel for a tea before going out. Friends are working so it’s free.

10:00 PM - I meet a new friend, E, and my BFF at The Van Buren for PAO. I get a rose and we hang for some of their set. $12

12:00 AM - E, BFF, and I head over to Rebel to catch my DJ Friend and the guy I played the Bowie night with tear up the dancefloor. BFF buys me a drink.

2:30 AM - I drop everyone off and arrive at home and fall asleep.

DAY THREE HUNDRED FORTY-SIX TOTAL: $40.91

DAY THREE HUNDRED FORTY-SEVEN

10:00 AM - I can’t believe I’m awake. Boyfriend and I head to Cartel. He buys coffee and I don’t get anything.

11:00 AM - We grab brunch at Gallo Blanco. I get an iced tea and pozole. He gets a breakfast burrito and we split chips. I pay. $27

12:00 PM - We head out to Home Depot to buy some stuff for the yard. Boyfriend pays for the tools.

12:30 PM - Next, we hit up Tempe Marketplace and go to Petsmart to get Katy Perry’s dog food. $43.23

1:00 PM - Target’s next. I get toothpaste, dish detergent, countertop spray, and spatulas. $24.70

2:00 PM - We arrive home and I finish the rest of my pozole and then we head outside to pull weeds.

4:00 PM - I take a nap.

6:30 PM - I take a shower and eat noodles for dinner.

7:30 PM - My friend E stops by my house and we head to Rebel for Shopping & French Vanilla. I stop by Cartel to grab a tea before heading out. $5.25

8:30 PM - The show is amazing. I’ve been looking forward to this night for like three months. Both bands are super energetic and amazing and basically everything I ever want to be. E buys me a drink for getting her into the show.

10:30 PM - And it’s 90’s Nite! I light up the dancefloor. People lose their minds and start a conga line when I play Vengaboys.

2:00 AM - I close out with Donna Lewis, collect my $200 and head out.

DAY THREE HUNDRED FORTY-SEVEN TOTAL: $100.18

DAY THREE HUNDRED FORTY-EIGHT

9:00 AM - Boyfriend lowkey drags me out of bed. I buy us coffee from Cartel. $10.75

9:30 AM - He buys us bagels from Einstein’s.

10:00 AM - We run to AZ Mills and I buy a neon yellow hoodie from the nike outlet ($15.12) and a Charlie Conway replica jersey from the Mighty Ducks. ($86.48) $101.60

11:00 AM - We head back home and I pull records for a thing I’m playing later this afternoon. I also order us JJ for lunch. $17.99

2:00 PM - I arrive at my friend’s backyard, unload all my stuff, and start playing.

7:00 PM - The event was really fun. Everyone stayed for a while and drank coffee. I had a lot of fun and I’m glad I was asked to be a part of it. Friend Venmos me $30 for helping out.

9:00 PM - Boyfriend and I run to the grocery store. I get a couple cans of salsa, a few tomatoes, an onion, some cilantro, pasta, cream cheese, salad dressing, and a few big sur breakfast burritos. $26.43

9:30 PM - I make pasta, bread, and shitty salad for me and my boyfriend for dinner.

10:00 PM - In bed.

DAY THREE HUNDRED FORTY-EIGHT TOTAL: $156.77

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