#Still the 10th on the west coast so!!

[thedailyvio]

Day 130 “Yes. In the deep, dark, solitary world of the night, there is no need for a heart at all. All you need are ‘lies’.”

Happy Birthday Kano 🎉

[outrockoakley]

hi everyone :) we're almost halfway through 2024 and i felt like treating tumblr more like a diary today, enjoy some photos from the first half of my year with trying to accomplish more of my ins/outs:

IN:

SAYING I LOVE YOU MORE TO MY FRIENDS

MAKING GIFTS

LEARNING MORE LGBT+ HISTORY

SEWING MORE PATCHES ON MY LEATHER JACKET + CLOTHES

TALKING TO STRANGERS

BEING MEANER TO ANYONE WHO TAKES ADVANTAGE OF MY KINDNESS

TRAVELLING

LETTING THE DAYS GO BY, LET THE WATER HOLD ME DOWN

RECONNECTING WITH FAMILY

LEARNING TO LOVE FOOD

TREATING MYSELF BETTER

TOP SURGERY (PLEASE)

OUT:

OVERWORKING MYSELF

BEING AFRAID OF WEARING COLOR

NOT DRESSING WEIRD ENOUGH

LETTING SHAME STOP ME FROM BEING CONFIDENT

WATCHING THE YEAR PASS BY FROM MY BEDROOM WINDOW

SELF SABOTAGING MY HAPPINESS

NOT LETTING MYSELF DO SOMETHING BECAUSE I "DON'T KNOW ALL THE RULES"

ALLOWING MY ANXIETY TO TURN ME INTO ITS PRISONER

[whencyclopedia]

The Salt Trade of Ancient West Africa

Salt from the Sahara desert was one of the major trade goods of ancient West Africa where very little naturally occurring deposits of the mineral could be found. Transported via camel caravans and by boat along such rivers as the Niger and Senegal, salt found its way to trading centres like Koumbi Saleh, Niani, and Timbuktu, where it was either passed further south or exchanged for other goods such as ivory, hides, copper, iron, and cereals. The most common exchange was salt for gold dust that came from the mines of southern West Africa. Indeed, salt was such a precious commodity that it was quite literally worth its weight in gold in some parts of West Africa.

The Salt Mines of the Sahara

The necessity for salt in ancient West Africa is here summarised in an extract from the UNESCO General History of Africa:

Salt is a mineral that was in great demand particularly with the beginning of an agricultural mode of life. Hunters and food-gatherers probably obtained a large amount of their salt intake from the animals they hunted and from fresh plant food. Salt only becomes an essential additive where fresh foods are unobtainable in vey dry areas, where body perspiration is also normally excessive. It becomes extremely desirable, however, amongst societies with relatively restricted diets, as was the case with arable agriculturalists. (Vol II, 384-5)

In addition, salt was always in great demand in order to better preserve dried meat and to give added taste to food. The savannah region south of the western Sahara desert (known as the Sudan region) and the forests of southern West Africa were poor in salt. Those areas near the Atlantic coast could obtain the mineral from evaporation pans or boiling sea water, but sea salt did not travel or keep well. A third alternative was salt derived from the ashes of burnt plants like millet and palms, but again these were not so rich in sodium chloride. Consequently, for most of the Sudan region, salt had to come from the north. The inhospitable Sahara desert was the chief natural source of rock salt, either acquired from surface deposits caused by the desiccation process such as found in old lake beds or extracted from relatively shallow mines where the salt is naturally formed into slabs. This salt, which was a creamy-grey colour, was far superior to the other sources of salt from the sea or certain plants.

When exactly salt became a trade commodity is unknown, but the exchange of salt for cereals dates back to prehistory when desert and savannah peoples each looked to gain what they could not produce themselves. On a larger scale, camel caravans were likely crossing the Sahara from at least the first centuries of the 1st millennium CE. These caravans would be run by the Berbers who acted as middle-men between the North African states and West Africa. Salt was their major trade good but they also brought luxury items like glassware, fine cloth, and manufactured goods. In addition, with these trade goods came the Islamic religion, ideas in art and architecture, and cultural practices.

Salt, both its production and trade, would dominate West African economies throughout the 2nd millennium CE, with sources and trade centres constantly changing hands as empires rose and fell. The salt mines of Idjil in the Sahara were a famous source of the precious commodity for the Ghana Empire (6-13th century CE) and were still going strong in the 15th century CE. In the 10th century CE the Sanhaja Berbers, who controlled the salt mines at Awlil and Taghaza and transportation through trade cities like Audaghost, began to challenge the Ghana Empire's monopoly of the trade. In the 11th century CE the Awlil mines were in the hands of Takrur, but it would be the Mali Empire (1240-1645 CE), with its capital at Niani, that dominated the sub-Saharan salt trade following the collapse of the Ghana Empire. However, semi-independent river 'ports' like Timbuktu began to steal trade opportunities from the Mali kings further west. The next kingdom to dominate the region and the movement of salt was the Songhai Empire (15-16th century CE) with its great trading capital at Gao.

Salt may have been a rarity in the savannah but at desert mining towns like Taghaza (the main Sudan source of salt up to the 16th century CE) and Taoudenni, the commodity was still so abundant slabs of rock salt were used to build homes. Naturally, such a valuable money-spinner as a salt mine attracted competition for ownership, as when the Moroccan leader Muhammad al-Mahdi attempted to muscle in on the market by arranging for several prominent Tuareg salt traders to be murdered at Taghaza in the mid-16th century CE. Quite literally, whoever controlled the salt trade also controlled the gold trade, and both were the principal economic pillars of the various empires of West Africa's history.

The 14th-century CE Muslim traveller Ibn Battuta, who visited West Africa c. 1352 CE, gives a lengthy description of life in the salt mine settlement of Taoudenni:

It is a village with no attractions. A strange thing about it is that its houses and mosques are built of blocks of salt and roofed with camel skins. There are no trees, only sand in which there is a salt mine. They dig the ground and thick slabs are found in it, lying on each other as if they had been cut and stacked under the ground. A camel carries two slabs. The only people living there are the slaves of the Massufa, who dig for the salt.

(quoted in de Villiers, 121-122)

Continue reading...

[makingspiritualityreal]

Basics of Astrocartography - Ascendant Matters!

For those who haven't heard of Astrocartography, it is an astrological concept, that talks about how living in different parts of the world can activate different placements in our chart, which influences your perception and life experience. Of course, that is calculated based on individual birth data, so the same places will feel differently to different people based on their perception and experiences.

If you want to check out your own map, you can do it HERE.

After many years of studying astrocartography and having the opportunity of living away from my birthplace in several locations, I have come to a conclusion on intuitive understanding of interpreting the planetary lines (colourful lines you see in the image above, each line is a different planet/aspect).

As you can see on the image above, planetary lines are in fact superimposed with the fact, that out ascendant changes based on our location. I was born a Scorpio rising (location marked by the cross) and so on this entire longitude my rising will stay the same (the pattern is flowy and circular since the Earth is an irregular orb). But if you move my location far enough away from the birth place, the ascendant will change, following in a stripe curvy pattern, just like the image above.

Within these patterns and waves, certain places pop up significantly through planetary lines, making specific towns in bigger areas centers for planetary focus.

Example - where I live right now on the West Coast of the USA, my ascendant changes from Scorpio to Libra. But more than that, in a specific location along the coast, my Jupiter line (the pink one right on the edge of the pacific) becomes active, as my Natal Jupiter in Libra now moves to the first house, with the ascendant change. If I moved somewhere in the middle of the USA, my Ascendant stays the same, but instead what is activated is my Moon Mars conjunction, now activating the 10th house, which is stronger than Jupiter in that particular area.

If I moved lets say to London, England, my ascendant would instead be in Capricorn, which would activate my Venus line, since my Capricorn Venus would move to the first house.

Fun fact is, you can have several planets activated if you have more planets in angular houses, or at least the same modality. For instance, staying on the Scorpio Rising Line, gives me a significant difference between my Sun line, which is located more in Eastern Canada and near Panama Canal, and my Saturn in the 4th house line, which goes directly through the Chicago area, yet the houses don't change so I'm still pretty much living out my basic birth chart.

I think sticking to the simpler lines is important, because looking at too many smaller ones will make you lose sight of what your life is going to be about in this given area. Even if you do look into more options, don't forget that the ascendant and main cardinal lines are what are going to be your main driving force in any location.

Remember, that God always sends you to where you are meant to be, and any location should be explored, not controlled. You will, however, have the most meaningful experiences under the influence of main lines, explained in this post, mixed with local space lines, which is something you will need to look into individually.

[thinkingjellyfish]

My Top 10 Favorite Choruses And An Explanation For Each

It’s hard to explain the appeal of music without a great education in it but I’ll try anyway. There’s nothing I love more than a good chorus and I will tell the world about it. Nothing can stop me, not my mom, the difficulty of explaining music, or god. So here’s my favorite courses and explanations after that.

Of Mind - Nocturne / Tesseract 

Bleak / Opeth

Bodies / Sex Pistols 

As The World Caves In / Matt Maltese 

Romantic Homicide / d4vd

The Diary of Jane / Breaking Benjamin

Head Mounted Sideways / Vola

West Coast Smoker / Fall Out Boy

The Ghost of You / My Chemical Romance 

Psychopomp / Thank You Scientist 

10th favorite chorus Psychopomp / Thank You Scientist 

Starting with a weird one. Psychopomp is a song by the prog band Thank You Scientist. It's long and a bit of an adventure with strange choices all around. Strange doesn’t equal bad as I find the song a fascinating listen that pulls me in. 

But in order to explain the chorus we have to talk about the build up. The singing starts fairly low key compared to the harsh progy instrumentation of the intro. with the instruments the singing builds slowly. They have time. This song is a whopping 9 and a half minutes long. So they build into the first thing that sounds like a pre chorus but it’s not it goes into more build up, and then the chorus begins!

“You separate the physical from the unknown.” mysterious lyrics sung with power and length of delivery while the melodies of the instruments are pounding in a way not unlike Bleak by Opeth, my second favorite chorus but we will get to that. 

He continues the long powerful delivery before speeding up with the line “cause you are eachother if you see your mother tell her” to me this feels like he’s letting us breath by spreading up and weakening the delivery if the powerful delivery kept going it would be overwhelming and boring. The rhyme scheme also picks up “eachother, mother, her.” coming rapid fire. 

He continues the powerful delivery with “and you can’t afford to leave.” finally he finishes the chorus with “your paralyzed” the line that is the shortest of the chorus making it incredibly impactful. before sending us back to the beginning with the progy instrumentation.

The instrumentation is also interesting. In the beginning it was overwhelming but compared to the pounding of the chorus it almost seems like it’s allowing us to breathe. Despite it’s strange progyness.

In summary, please come back Thank You Scientist we miss you.

9th favorite chorus the The Ghost of You / My Chemical Romance 

The first of the more well known songs on the list. This is my favorite MCR chorus. It’s very emo obviously but it’s emotional in a way unlike other MCR songs. The instrumentation in the beginning gives off to me a hopeless feeling. Unlike MCR’s more angry style on other songs.

This hopeless feeling is not reinforced but built on by the chorus where he sounds like he’s howling for something. I don’t quite understand what the song is about but someone has definitely died and he’s howling about how they are never coming back.

And the line “at the end of the world or the last thing I see.” is such a powerful intro to the chorus.

As a kid when I first heard this song (my brother showed it to me he was and still is a fan) I thought it was different from the others it really stood out to me. Helena never caught my attention for whatever reason and nothing from Black Parade would get me till I listened to the album in full but this song and its video hit me hard. 

So a big part of why I love it so much is nostalgia plain and simple. But the emotion of that chorus is what caught my attention in the first place. And I think that says a lot. Even to a kid who had no idea about death I could understand that he is hurting and that is something to take note of.

I’ll post more analysis at a later time. see you!

[eddieferguson]

Welcome to Aurora Bay, [EDMUND “EDDIE” FERGUSON]! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like [AARON TAYLOR-JOHNSON]. You must be the [THIRTY FIVE] year old [BUSINESSMAN]. Word is you’re [CHARISMATIC] but can also be a bit [RESERVED] and your favorite song is [BAD DREAMS BY TEDDY SWIMS]. I also heard you’ll be staying in [AURORA BAY DRIVE]. I’m sure you’ll love it! 

|| pinterest ||

BASIC INFORMATION⸻

full name : edmund nathaniel ferguson

nicknames : eddie

age : thirty five

gender, pronouns : cis man, he/his/him

orientation : heterosexual

birthday : november 10th

faceclaim : aaron taylor-johnson

height : 5'11

birthplace : cardiff, uk

spoken languages : English, Welsh, conversational Spanish

time in town : twenty years

current residence : aurora bay drive

occupation : real estate investor

family: john rhys ferguson (father), catherine ferguson (mother), rhys ferguson (oldest brother), matthew ferguson (older brother), alys ferguson (younger sister)

BACKSTORY ⸻

Edmund Ferguson was the second youngest of four siblings. Originally from Cardiff, UK, his family was old money, owning property across Europe - while the primary source of their fortune came from industrial.

Being among the youngest of his siblings, he was able to get away with a lot from a young age and he definitely took advantage of it. His upbringing had been so strict, with only the best being acceptable, that he tested his limits everywhere else that he could.

His family moved to Aurora Bay some twenty years ago. Initially he was completely against the move, not wanting to leave his perfect life behind. But once at Aurora Bay, it didn't take long for him to change his mind. Life by the sea and the beautiful weather of the West Coast was definitely an improvement from the rainy city he grew up in.

He followed his father steps into the business world, attending Stanford University and quickly started building his individual wealth in real estate investment while still being part of his family's business. He just preferred doing his own thing - partially as a way to prove himself.

Although his career has always been a priority, Eddie always made time for play. He spent much of his twenties flying out to different cities/countries to go to the most exclusive nightclubs or social events. He gained a bit of a reputation among his peers for this and for being a playboy. Unlike other friends that eventually started getting into serious relationships and settling down, he continued casually dating different models and actresses through the years.

Recently he has been more settled in living in Aurora Bay Drive. While work takes up a good amount of his time, he has grown to like the stillness of coming home and spending time with friends and family. The idea of settling down has appealed to him, but he doesn't know if he's ready to make quite that big of a change just yet.

PERSONALITY

+ charismatic, fun-loving, analytical - reserved, flirtatious, cynical

HEADCANON

he spends most of his time traveling - both for business and for pleasure.

loves fast cars and has a pretty sweet collection in his garage. his favorites being his grey Porche 911 and his white McLaren Spider.

wanted to be an F1 driver

not the greatest friend, but definitely a fun and loyal one to have

despite being very social and having a lot of friends, he's only actually close with a small amount of people.

always assumes people want something from him

not shy with his money

middle child syndrome

his nieces and nephews favorite uncle

became a father in his teen years, but the child was born still born. the loss affected him a lot but it is not something he's talked about since. very few people know this.

has two tattoo ( a crown of thorns on his forearm and a medieval knight on his other arm ). neither mean much lol

he goes to a lot of exclusive social events, which has made him grow a large following on his social media accounts.

most of his relationships, if not all, have actually only been situationships which he ends after a few months

lowkey toxic

has dated multiple girls at the same time

always has a joint on him

shows his affection through gift-giving because what are words??

his real estate investment is his primary source of income. he invests in luxury homes and commercial spaces.

CURRENT CONNECTIONS

Alice Cheng - friends

Mason Cambridge - friends

Clayton Jeong - friends

Claudia Huxley - party friends/flirt

Haley Owens - hookup

Victoria Sanchez - past hookup

Lara Amarin - business acquaintance

Aurelia Cavendish - arranged fiancee

Addison O'Connell - childhood friend

Vincent Quentin - family friend

Jackson Ellis - brotherly friendship

Mariana Velasco - ex situationship

Jazmin Villalobos - friend

Reginald Llewellyn - cousin

Salvador Cavendish - close friends

Vera He - friend

Atticus Cortes - friend

Jethro Carmichael - acquaintance

WANTED CONNECTIONS

best friend **** this would have to be someone he's known for a long LONG time.

past relationships, possibly ones that ended on bad terms

his assistant

more professional relationships, whether that'd be real estate agents, contractors, property managers or attorneys.

someone who is either a tenant or maybe someone in who's business he'd invested.

past hookups/one night stands

party friends or people he knows through social events

smoking friends

other car loves who like to go to car shows and races with him

enemies or someone he doesn't get along with, doesn't like him or maybe he indirectly hurt??

[misslavenderlady]

Introducing the newest member of the @ghoulgeousimmaculate Lost Boys universe (PTPA and Enemies)

🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

Puppy 🐾

Real Name: Oliver Wolf 

Age: 22

DOB: June 10th 

Sire: Sis 

Traits:

Kind

Compassionate

Hardworking

Loyal 

Affectionate

Soft

Sensitive

Helpful 

Nervous 

Stressed

Protective

Emotional

Background: 

Puppy is the newest addition to the coven, and the first boy to join in decades. Though it was difficult for David to open up his heart to another man after getting it broken by Michael Emerson, he took a chance for the sake of his beloved bride. The new baby bat is as loyal as they come, and desperate to please his beloved queen. Safe to say he fits into the family perfectly.

Oliver’s human life involved living as a gentle soul in a cruel world. He was cared for by his father, Thomas, after his mother, Amy, died from breast cancer when he was a toddler. His parents were already struggling to make ends meet, but the medical bills and funeral arrangements financially crippled his father. It wasn’t easy for them. Thomas would work nearly every single day, balancing two jobs in construction and food delivery to make ends meet. He was in a constant state of exhaustion.

Every last penny had to be spent as carefully as possible. There had to be difficult choices, like whether they would go without heat or water for a while depending on which bill was paid. Having to double, even triple check every last item before checking out at the grocery store. Though his father was a brave man who stayed optimistic for his son, Oliver still could hear his father gently crying in his room, feeling all too somber over what he was going to do. 

School was a struggle as well. Not only were some kids viciously cruel towards Oliver due to his lack of money for lunches and stopping by donation lots for hand-me-downs, but he also happened to live in a particularly homophobic community. He had some feminine traits to his appearance, meaning bullies found him to be easy pickings. All in all, he was an average student who just kept his head down so others wouldn’t bother him. It was impossible to make lasting friendships, but he was a lot like his father in that way; stuck in survival mode. 

Oliver had absolutely no sights set on college. When he graduated high school, that was it. He had no money or talents worthy of scholarships, meaning that was the farthest he would ever get for his education. All he wanted to do was help out his father. So he followed the man in his footsteps, taking on hard labor fresh out of school. He got his job experience in retail, ringing up orders and getting screamed at by Karens for mere minimum wage. Still, it helped take the burden off of Thomas, and that’s all he wanted. 

Unfortunately, Thomas never got a happy, restful ending. He fell asleep at the wheel after working one of his many all-nighter shifts and crashed into a tree. The only peace Oliver got from such a terrible loss was knowing his father went quickly. 

There was no hope in the hometown Oliver grew up in, and nobody left to call family. He decided to just hike out to the west and see if the grass was greener on the other coast. It was an incredibly dangerous journey, but he felt it was worth it when he finally arrived in Santa Carla. He had heard great things about the city getting cleaned up over the past few decades, and he could certainly see that with all the bright lights, beautiful beach spots and amazing businesses on the boardwalk. It gave him a newfound sense of optimism. 

Of course, Oliver had to start from the ground up. He found work as a waiter at a popular Italian restaurant in order to pay for the shoe box of an apartment he was set up in. While daytime shifts were pleasant and easy, he found that there was a change in the atmosphere when nighttime came. Tourists always had a blast, but familiar faces to the area seemed on edge. They became cold and silent towards him. If they did speak to him, it was advice to keep his head down and mind his own business.

He found that the locals were quite secretive and paranoid. As if some terrible force had its control on them. As if it was a secret they all held. 

One day he learned why that was. On a beautiful, moonlit night, a couple came into the restaurant. Voices hushed to pure silence as a stunning woman and her platinum blond lover made their way to a private table in the back. Oliver would have been confused at such a reaction if he hadn’t been so captivated by the lady. Sis was her name, as he learned. He got tongue-tied and red in the face as he stumbled through taking her order. He was quite embarrassed, but she was amused by his behavior. 

Sis was so happy with his service that she had her husband, David, leave Oliver a huge wad of cash for a tip. Enough to cover the rest of his rent for the month. From that moment on, he became their go-to server whenever they came by. 

Oliver never understood why his co-workers never wanted to serve the couple. They were charming, generous, and always complimented him for his hard work. He even found that Sis was growing quite smitten with him, often flirting to a point of making him blush. Though Oliver worried it would bother her husband, he found out later that they were actually quite open in their relationship, as they’d often bring other dates. Sometimes they shared a partner, sometimes they had separate ones. It was inspiring with him, especially since he was coming to terms with his own identity. 

One night while Sis was dining with David, Oliver tripped and spilled a glass of wine all over her dress. His coworkers all scattered to the kitchen, scared of how the couple would react. But before David could reveal his nature and tear the boy to shred, Oliver immediately jumped into action. He gathered various material and offered to clean the dress himself. Even pay for the damage if he had to. The guy was down on his knees, tending to Sis with the utmost care. It was then that David realized there was a greater purpose for Oliver. Something he could use for the benefit of his wife. 

After the restaurant closed that night, Oliver’s boss warned him not to get involved with the couple. He even offered to put Oliver on the day shift since they never came in during that time. But it was too late. Oliver was starting to develop feelings for Sis. She was truly perfect in his eyes, and he would work hard for her just as his father had done for his mother. 

Little did he know just what that would entail.

On his walk home, Oliver was followed by three handsome men. He assumed they were just random locals until he heard sinister giggles from behind him. He looked behind for merely a second, but it was just enough for the three to get the jump on him. He blacked out after one of them injected him with something.

The next time he woke up, he found he had been kidnapped. Oliver was bound and chained in a strange room full of torture devices. He slipped into a state of panic before a familiar voice greeted him. It was David, now showing his true colors. He explained how fond Sis was of Oliver, and that he wanted to give him to her as a “gift”. It was then that David and the other Lost Boys revealed their darkest secret.

They were all vampires. Blood-sucking monsters that preyed on the fear of Santa Carla. It was why everyone was so fearful of them. They were tormented by creatures of the night. Oliver hadn’t known a terror quite like that. 

For a few months afterward, each of the boys took turns in “training” their newest member of the coven. They taught him how to take both pain and pleasure, follow every command, memorize every code of the pack, and most importantly, how to make the queen happy. David found that the best tool in corrupting the boy was using his crush on Sis against him. He promised the two could be happy together. That she adored him. That he could be with her forever and never lose her like he did his family. 

It reshaped his mind, slowly turning him into an obedient, desperate-to-please slave. By the time his training was complete, he was given a new name like all the other mates. 

Puppy. 

David presented him to Sis as an anniversary present. He was freshened up with the finest soaps and oils, had his gorgeous curls styled, and dressed in clothing with soft colors. Puppy even had his own collar. Something only Sis had the key for. David explained that this new mate was a gift to make up for what he did to her cat, Queen. Puppy was more than eager to take on his new role. He believed that his true purpose was to take care of her. To worship her. To make her happy. Sis was overjoyed, and she played with him quite a bit that first night~

He’s now a vampire like all the others, acting as a servant to the coven and a guard dog to the baby bats. He’s still got the sweet, adoring personality from his human life, but Sis’ blood has dialed that part of his personality up to an 11. 

Puppy struggles with terrible fits of anxiety from time to time. He’s seen what kind of punishments the others face when they disobey their Head Vampire. Not to mention the Toy Room left him mentally scarred. Whenever someone so much as threatens it, he falls to his knees and sobs out, begging for mercy. It’s gotten to a point where he needs medication for these moments. Whenever he doesn’t use a prescription, Paul will get him some special gummies to calm him down.

He’s also incredibly territorial when it comes to Sis. If they’re out together and he feels someone is disrespecting her, he goes on a rampage, screaming, cussing, fighting and even tearing apart anyone who would even think to speak to his queen in such a way. Sis has affectionately named him her guard dog. 

Fun Facts:

Insecure of smiling with teeth before he turned (never really got proper care for them)

Knows advanced first aid.

Wanted a pet growing up, but wasn’t able to bring one in.

Misses the hugs his dad used to give. His father was a warm-hearted man who gave great bear hugs. It’s why he’s so affectionate too.

Is nicknamed “Angel” by Marko. The two look somewhat similar, and Marko sees him as the angel to his little devil.

Identifies as Pansexual.

Hates smoking. He’s often teased by the Lost Boys for coughing over their cigarettes.

Is originally from Pennsylvania.

Was gifted a special necklace by Sis when he joined the coven. It’s a metal collar that can’t be removed by anyone but her. The tag is engraved with her initial.

Is the only one in the coven to be sired by Sis. Everyone else has been given blood from David and the boys, but since he is a gift for Sis, he was turned by her so they’d have a special connection. 

Loves playing basketball. He played it a lot during after school programs and at the park, so now he plays with the others whenever he’s in the mood for a game. He’s hoping to teach the children how to play when they’re older. 

Relationships:

Thomas and Amy - Parents. Both deceased. Loved them both dearly. 

David - Leader/King. He looks up to the brave, charismatic vampire. Shows him the utmost respect and appreciation. Fears him whenever he’s angry.

Sis - Mistress/Queen. Worships the very ground she walks on. Fell in love with her at first sight, and did not hesitate to become a vampire for her. Believes his new purpose in life is to be her loyal pet and do whatever she wishes. Sis thinks he’s precious, and has a lot of fun using him as her own personal toy. She also has a weakness for freckles, of which he has plenty.

The Lost Boys - Coven Brothers/Superiors. He’s the first male member of the pack to not hold authority. He’s the lowest in the chain of command, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t cared for. In fact, the others adore him, often treating him like a Sugar Baby. He works for them however they want, and they reward him with plenty of cash and goodies. It gives him a rush since he never had such luxuries before. 

The Brides - Coven Sisters/Superiors. The girls adore Puppy, both as a friend and as a piece of eye candy. They’re grateful to have someone to keep authority over. The boys robbed them of their independence, so Puppy acts as their own toy to bring back their power. Unlike the boys, they aren’t needlessly cruel. They’re very sweet to him and very generous with rewards. 

The Children - Honorary nieces/nephews. Puppy is an excellent caretaker whenever the coven needs help with the kids. Growing up in poverty, he had his fair share of experience seeing kids of all ages struggling, and they all did what they could to help one another. He’s not sure if he wants a child of his own, but he doesn’t mind hanging out with the little ones for now.

Tag List:

@britany1997 @vampirefilmlover @bezinful @american-idiot-jpg @bloodywickedvamp @dwaynesluscioushair @crustyboypix @gh0ulofficialbackup @bigcreatorwombatdreamer

[jammiedoggo]

UK radioactive mutant wildlife

Description: (This is fictional, not real) Wildlife inhabitant the outside radioactive comtaminated area of facility has mutated into monsterous beast with national distinctive feature, the teeths. An offical statement from goverment warned everyone to be cautious and leave the these beast alone while profesional handle them when in circumstance. Their wild habitat must be left alone due to how dangerous both radioactive comtaminant and the beasts. A research has been started to study and understand them while the plant is still in decomissioned and demoshing.

Short summary Windscale/Sellafield history: 10th october in county Cumbria, England, UK. A fire broke out west coast at windscale nuclear reactor facility and Plutoium production plant, that was UK most serious and worst nuclear disaster. when a routine heating of the No. 1 reactor’s graphite control blocks got out of control, causing ajacent uranium cartridges to rupture. The uranium thus released began to oxidize, releasing radioactivity and causing a fire that burned for 16 hours before it was put out. The fire left about 10 tons of radioactive fuel melted in the reactor core. The Windscale fire also caused the release of sizable amounts of radioactive Iodine into the atmosphere. As a consequence, the government banned for several weeks the sale of milk produced in a 500-square-km (200-square-mile) area around the reactor site. At the time, the British government released only sketchy details of the accident and in general tried to minimize its seriousness. The contaminated Windscale reactor was subsequently sealed until the late 1980s, when a cleanup of it was begun (cleanup expected to be completed in 2015).

Source: Here below

Short summary (That i cheated by copy and paste): https://www.britannica.com/event/Windscale-fire

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windscale_fire

Journel: It is originally going to be joke art based on the Bri ish meme of jagged teeth combined with Windscale/sellafield radioactive comtamination from fire disaster in 1957, then cyberpunk idea comes up and i loved it. So it's part Bri ish joke combined with cool cyberpunk.

Everyone knows about the infamous nuclear disaster chernobyl and fukushima but not for windscale/sellafield and i'm bringing it to the spot light here. I first learn't about is from youtuber fasinating horror who does short docmentary of disaster incident for educational.

The inspiration of the other artstyle beside from cyberpunk is credit to the artist Tomb of null: https://x.com/tombofnull. I adore the artstyle and artworks, check out this artist artwork if you want.

[⚠️Disclaimer⚠️]:

Please refrain from leaving creepy perverted NSFW, use my past mistakes against me and hateful (prejiduce) comments.

There be no tolerance of condemed and harresment, They make me uncomfortable and will be removed.

[!CAUTION]! Otherwise, beast unleashed (aka go nuts).

If any problem?, please calm down and touch grass to think before you act. Try to be polite and calm, adress the problem, the reason about the problem, express the feeling and solution advice that will help me improve. I want to stay pacifist and don't want drama, shame, witchhunted and get cancelled culture.

[nancypullen]

Doolin & Inisheer

I've decided that I won't bore you with a day by day sightseeing tour, and I'll just mention a few of the spots that were especially fun. I'll start with Doolin. When we left our sweet Air BnB in Killorglin we headed for Doolin, stopping along the way to ooh and ahh at castles, fields of sheep, and quaint villages. Our plan upon arriving in Doolin was to catch a ferry out to Inisheer, part of the Aran Islands. Doolin is also where you can roam the famous Cliffs of Moher. The day started like this...

so we were a tad concerned that we wouldn't really be able to see much of anything. It's a bit over two hours from Killorglin to Doolin, most of it narrow, winding roads like this. As we drove along the fog started to lift, thank goodness.

I had so many questions about this, and I did find the answers. More on that later.

As we got closer to our destination the day became even more clear and it promised perfect weather for our plans.

I knew I'd love Doolin as soon as we turned into the village. Just look at it!

After a quick look around we went right to the ferry departure.

A quick fifteen minute ride delivered us to Inisheer. The Aran Islands are a group of three islands off the west coast of Ireland in Galway Bay. Inisheer ( Inis Oírr - translates to East Island) is the smallest, just 280 inhabitants. Some people recognize it from the opening of Father Ted, a hilarious BBC show from way back. The other islands are Inishmaan (Inis Meáin, Middle Island) and Inishmor (Inis Mór, Big Island). It's hard to choose which to visit, they all offer something different, but we opted for Inisheer.  It was a lovely choice. Thanks to the fog and misty rain of the morning, coupled with a ferry ride, Fiona made an appearance.

But look at those sweet white cottages on Inisheer! Upon arriving we opted to start our tour of he island by hopping into a wagon pulled by a trusty steed named Betty. I never did get the name of our driver. I'm going to call him Jack. His mixture of Irish and English meant that I only got a smattering of information from him, but as we trotted around the island this is what I got - population of 280, the fields separated by stone walls belonged to different families and there's not as much livestock on the island as there used to be. When we paused to look at two cows stretched out and basking in the sunshine he added that American cows don't lie down because they're not as content. I didn't correct him because I truly haven't seen American cows that relaxed, and he was very proud of the fact that their cows are "treated like family". If their butter is proof of contented cows, then Ireland wins that one. Here's a snippet, toward the end he says, "You probably never heard of Father Ted." and Mickey responds that we had. So he took us by the shipwreck that is part of the scenery on the fictional "Craggy Island" where Father Ted lived.

I loved the simplicity of Inisheer.

Of course they have a castle...

O'Brien's Castle.

But my favorite part was after we hopped out of the wagon. Mickey went one direction, following his photographers nose, and I went another, because I'd spotted a graveyard. You know I love a good cemetery. So I climbed a hill and explored, it was fascinating.

A crumbling 10th century church, old graves, newer graves, and views of the island that filled my soul. I could see everything! In one direction O'Brien's Castle stood behind cottages with laundry flapping on the lines while a horse clip-clopped its way toward town the harbor.

And there's a wagon leaving town.

Crisp, sea air and sunshine, incredible views, and the company of ghosts. I didn't want to leave my perfect spot but, onward we went. I met Mickey down the road and we wandered around for a while longer, eventually catching the ferry back to Doolin.

Once we were off the ferry we started off to find the Air BnB for our night in town. This was the road to our lodgings. Be still my heart!

That's Doonagore Castle. This structure dates to the mid 1500's, but there's been a castle on that site as far back as 1300. In 1588, a ship from the Spanish Armada got into difficulty off the coast of Doolin and crashed close to the castle ( you can walk to the Cliffs of Moher from there!). The ship’s crew of 170 men managed to make their way out of the wreck. What a relief, right? NOPE. The High Sheriff of Clare arrived and all of the survivors were hung at the castle or at a site nearby that’s known as ‘Cnocán an Crochaire’, or Hangman's Hill. Yikes! NOt the warm Irish welcome that we received. Anyway, it's beautiful, magical, and it's privately owned by an Irish-American family. Can you imagine the view of the wild Atlantic from that tower? Wow! We found our cottage just past the castle and it was so sweet and cozy.

We cleaned up a bit, I battled with Fiona, and we drove back down to town to enjoy dinner at a pub. We purposely delayed going to dinner so that we could stay a bit longer and enjoy the music in the pub. Most pubs offer live music at night and we were in the mood for some Irish tunes. McDermott's Pub served us an absolutely delicious dinner - Mickey had Guinness Stew and I had Bangers & Mash. Pure comfort food after a full day of sea air and climbing hills. After dinner a bit closer to the music and shared a table with a fun couple. He was Irish, she was American. It was a perfect ending to a wonderful day in Doolin. Good food, good music, and good company. As wonderful as all of this was, it wasn't even my favorite place. I'll cover that in the next post when I tell you all about Dingle. Until then I'll leave you with a tiny clip from McDermott's Pub (below).

Stay safe, stay well, stay tuned for more shenanigans! XOXO, Nancy

[ilearnedthistodaysblog]

#1255 Did the Vikings get to America before Columbus?

Did the Vikings get to America before Columbus? Yes. The Vikings appear to have reached North America in 1021, which is 471 years before Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World. The Vikings reached North America a long time before Columbus arrived in South America, but they didn’t stay there for very long. They settled Iceland, then Greenland, and finally arrived in Canada. They made one settlement at a place called L’Anse aux Meadows, in Newfoundland, and that is the only one. They may very well have reached other places, and they could have made settlements, but the only one that has been found is the one in Newfoundland. They called the land Vinland, Vikings were a group of people that explored and raided out of the Norse speaking countries of Scandinavia. They are usually referred to as Norsemen, but not all Norsemen were Vikings. The word “Viking” probably comes from the Old Norse word “Viking”, which means “a person who raids”. The Viking Age is generally considered to be from 793 when they made their first raid in another country, namely England, until 1066 when the Viking King Harald Hardrada was defeated by King Harold of England. Interestingly, this battle was one of the reasons why King Harold was defeated by William the Conqueror a few days later. During the Viking Age, they explored and raided all along the east coast of England, Scotland, up into the islands above Scotland, Iceland, and Greenland. The Vikings had a simple method of expansion. They arrived at an area to plunder and pillage before heading back home. After a while, it became hard to find places to plunder and pillage near the sea, so they moved further inland. That made it harder to get home, so they made settlements. Then they repeated this. They also traded wherever they went. Because of their shipbuilding skills they were able to travel very far and thus the Vikings spread. The Vikings didn’t always settle and there were many areas that they only ever raided. They also spread east as well as west. However, we are looking at how they reached America. By the 8th century, they had taken over most of the Scandinavian peninsula and they began to look abroad. They began to settle England and Scotland in the 9th century. They also reached the coast of Iceland in the 9th century, although they didn’t settle much of the island. By the 10th century, they had settled most of Iceland and the west coast of Greenland. The Vikings built over 450 farms on Greenland and they farmed the land. It only seemed natural to continue west, and they landed in America in the 11th century. It is said that there were stories of a land west of Greenland that had been sighted when a Viking boat had been blown off course. That must have been quite a gale because it is about a thousand kilometers from Greenland to Canada. At the end of the 10th century, several Vikings decided to sail that way and see if they could find land. The most famous of these Vikings was Leif Ericson, whose father, Erik the Red had founded the colony on Greenland. Leif Ericson managed to sail to Newfoundland and he started the settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows. The Vikings cut down trees from the local forests to make buildings in the settlement, and this is how archaeologists have dated it. The date was 1021. The Vikings didn’t stay in the settlement for very long because they had trouble with the Native Americans and they didn’t get enough support from Greenland. They pulled up and left after a few years. It is possible that they landed in other places as well, but there is no evidence. How they were able to get there is another matter. They had the ships for such a prodigious journey, but they don’t appear to have any way to accurately navigate. Their long ships were some of the best in the world at the time and they were able to sail long distances at high speeds. No one yet knows how they were able to find their way. Still, as there is evidence of Norse settlements in Canada, they obviously could navigate. They pulled out of North America fairly quickly, but they were in Greenland until roughly 1450. They farmed and raised cattle and sheep, but the mini ice age cooled the climate too much and it became too hard to farm the land, so they abandoned their settlements. The Vikings in England began to go home after 1066 and they slowly retreated across Europe to their homeland. And this is what I learned today. Try these next: - #105 Why do we use the word Vikings? - #749 Did Christopher Columbus really think he had landed in India? - #533 Why is Greenland part of Denmark? - #620 Why do Greenland sharks live so long? - #658 Why is Broadway so long? Sources https://www.thildekoldholdt.com/post/viking-vs-norse-vs-scandinavian https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse_colonization_of_North_America https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norsemen https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58996186 https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/sl1mzi/when_did_we_really_know_the_vikings_landed_in/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_Age Image By Number 57 at English Wikipedia - own work. Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons., CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40650108 Read the full article

[nwbeerguide]

Tickets are still on sale for the Great American Beer Festival hosted October 10th thru 12th 2024.

https://bit.ly/4cbAU9D thumbnail and this images, credit the Brewers Association Press Release BOULDER, Colo. ,,, ickets for the Great American Beer Festival® (GABF) are on sale now! GABF, hosted by the Brewers Association, the trade organization representing small and independent craft brewers, will return to the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado, on October 10-12, 2024. New this year, the largest beer festival in the United States will offer three sessions and debut an entirely new floor plan. Breweries will be grouped by themed experience areas of their choice. These curated experience areas are designed to transport festivalgoers to different worlds, each offering a unique blend of themed décor, specialized beverages, engaging activities, and vibrant entertainment. Themed areas include Prost!, a traditional German Biergarten; Score!, a sports-lovers escape; Halloween, a timely October-themed experience that will delight and fright; Blast Off, an out-of-this-world flavor blast featuring beyond beer beverages and more; Meet & Mingle, a reinvented Meet the Brewer experience; and Chill, a backyard gathering with music, lawn games, and exclusive brews. There is an experience and beverage for everyone at the Great American Beer Festival! While beer remains the center stage—hello pumpkin beers, West-Coast style and hazy IPAs, barrel-aged beers, sour ales, chocolate beers, and so much more—prepare your tastebuds for every flavor imaginable, including cider, ready-to-drink (RTD) canned cocktails (new this year!), hard seltzer, hard soda, hard tea, hard kombucha, other malt-based beverages, and all non-alcohol beverages. In addition, attendees can look forward to: PAIRED®, a mouth-watering event where acclaimed chefs unite with beverage purveyors to design small bites perfectly paired with craft beers, craft cocktails, and cider. (tickets sold separately) Nonstop entertainment, including pop-up surprises like flash mobs, marching bands, oompah bands, stein-holding contests, and more. The return of fan-favorite Hangouts, including the Silent Disco and the Karaoke Stage. A commemorative, collectible, tasting glass. Engaging with industry experts and brewers via seminars and other educational opportunities. Don’t miss this annual celebration! Tickets are available for anyone of legal drinking age (21+) at www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com. ### About the Brewers Association  The Brewers Association (BA) is a not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their beers, and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The BA represents 5,000-plus U.S. breweries and more than 30,000 homebrewers. The BA’s independent craft brewer seal is a widely adopted symbol that differentiates beers by small and independent craft brewers. The BA organizes events including the World Beer Cup®, Great American Beer Festival®, Craft Brewers Conference™ & BrewExpo America®, Homebrew Con™, National Homebrew Competition , and American Craft Beer Week®. The BA publishes The New Brewer® and Zymurgy® magazines, and Brewers Publications® is the leading publisher of brewing literature in the U.S. Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com® and about homebrewing via the BA’s American Homebrewers Association®. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The Brewers Association is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital/familial status. The BA complies with provisions of Executive Order 13672 and the rules, regulations, and relevant orders of the Secretary of Labor.  from Northwest Beer Guide - News - The Northwest Beer Guide https://bit.ly/4cbAW1f

[predoom]

peteisacreep

Friday, November 26th, 2004

Subject: its a dangerous bussiness walking out your front door Time: 2:09 am. ive been thinking so much about mortality lately. i dont know why. skip this if you are looking for pictures of boys in mario suits. i have been having a hard time of dealing with things on a daily basis. just the most normal decisions seem like so much to me. like i imagine a car crash and then what if you had made the decision to not get in the car or walk. like its always there but not really. i need a scarf and a hood to keep these thoughts quiet inside my head. right now they are telling on splotched eyes. its embarrassing. ive been having dream night after night of dying alone. it is the worst thing i can think of right this second. god. i hope i get it together. i hope everybody does.

EDIT: the glue isnt even dry on the pity party invitations. but i mean "die alone" in the sense of that is what happens to anyone, at least anyone who isnt clutching the hand of the person that loves them at that moment.

there is gonna be an accompanying portion on the back of the new cd--- i dont know know how to explain it... but its definitely going to address alot of this.

123luv ++++: 97 think i'm a creep - what are you thinking?.

Wednesday, November 17th, 2004

Subject: after the party theres the hotel lobby Time: 4:16 pm. yeahyeahyeah. we're becoming so l.a. psyche! anyway. i dont have much to say except the weather is radical here. after our chicago metro show on dec 29- we're gonna have an after party and prescreen the release the bats dvd- maybe youll hear about it and stop by. youll laugh. youll cry.

laterskater ++++: 113 think i'm a creep - what are you thinking?.

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2004

Subject: booyah Time: 5:47 pm. ++++: 183 think i'm a creep - what are you thinking?.

Friday, October 15th, 2004

Subject: fuck your friends page, cause i said so Time: 12:08 am. ++++: 239 think i'm a creep - what are you thinking?.

Thursday, March 18th, 2004

Subject: all the failures die starryeyed Time: 7:18 pm. it`s funny by the time you realize who your real friends are you don`t have any. i`m sorry. please call me. ++++: 69 think i'm a creep - what are you thinking?.

Tuesday, February 10th, 2004

Subject: for the record Time: 3:55 am. 1. playing atari reminds me of you 2. i want our feet to look the same for some reason ++++: 22 think i'm a creep - what are you thinking?.

Wednesday, January 28th, 2004

Subject: so this is sorry. Time: 1:11 pm. we leave on tour today. i don't want to talk about that too much. i just wanted to say to all my friends both really old and ones that i have just met, that i am sorry that i have been such a shitty friend lately. my time is totally consumed and i have not been returning calls or emails or whatever. this is my apology. so thank you for being there, i know i don't deserve it often- when this is all over i hope we still know eachother.

peterabbit ++++: 20 think i'm a creep - what are you thinking?.

Friday, December 19th, 2003

Subject: back in bussiness. Time: 9:06 pm. good thing hell is open on christmas. ++++: 32 think i'm a creep - what are you thinking?.

Tuesday, November 25th, 2003

Subject: the pity party is officially over. Time: 11:29 pm. i am single if you wanna hang out, bros and stellas.

also, i am moving to another journal at some point so the drama in this stupid one can stop. ++++: 38 think i'm a creep - what are you thinking?.

Saturday, November 22nd, 2003

Subject: I.C. you are feeling Drake Time: 1:35 pm. you know how it goes. its been awhile. i hate the fucking drama everywhere. yet somehow i feel pretty attached to it. the west coast was rad. we're making our way back. i think i may be spending thanksgiving on a plane. more for me to complain about. my throats hurting pretty badly and i have van neck from sleeping in it last night. on a positive note i got "my life with morrissey" this documentary on hardcore morrissey fans (bring on the freaks). i'm hoping i might see myself hahaha. tommy two tone might jump on this tour for a minute, you know "jenny 8675309" haha how good?

it can't get much better/worse.

call me up on my cellular phone just to see how i'm doing. it would make my day. ++++: 25 think i'm a creep - what are you thinking?.

Friday, November 14th, 2003

Subject: i want my funeral to be a party. play all the hits and dance the night away. Time: 8:14 pm. morrisey.tupac.love,love will tear us apart, yes it will. unbroken. it doesn't go the way you think it does, nothing ever does. mountain drives. scars and middle fingers. club food, club stomachaches. phonecalls that feel first kiss good. northern california nights, southern california hearts. tonight is all about we miss you.

we miss you. ++++: 23 think i'm a creep - what are you thinking?.

Monday, November 10th, 2003

Subject: paris hilton sex tape Time: 6:51 pm. it's so weird to be homeless. to throw the dirtiest pillow into the corner of rooms just to get by. i never write in here anymore. i don't really feel the need to anymore for some reason. words feel stuck behind my tongue and my hand. i feel ashamed of how words make me feel and sometimes i want to stay asleep forever.

maybe i'll stop by here again soon.

peter ++++: 7 think i'm a creep - what are you thinking?.

Thursday, October 30th, 2003

Subject: pretty boys for secret girls. Time: 11:28 am. so i have been staying up late nights lately. i sometimes want to move where nobody knows my name.

you wanna hold hands and makeout? i think that would make me feel better. ++++: 9 think i'm a creep - what are you thinking?.

Friday, October 24th, 2003

Subject: i think hell might have frozen over. Time: 12:11 am. my band just signed to Island/Defjam ++++: 18 think i'm a creep - what are you thinking?.

Tuesday, October 14th, 2003

Subject: you only hurt the ones you love Time: 12:17 pm. read: i am having a good time with myself. the drama bites hard, and wood floors are harder. but this is the time of my life. thanks- see you soon. buy me halloween stuff and i will love you forever.

there is a world waiting for us to live in it. ++++: 2 think i'm a creep - what are you thinking?.

Sunday, October 5th, 2003

Subject: real good friends, i bet i bet Time: 7:01 pm. saw lots of things lately. shows. friends. i'd go into depth but i am too lazy. i am also tired of defending myself against rumours. so believe them if you want or don't, i understand i bring drama on myself. i understand i put my life under a microscope. i am trying to not let this get to me. sorry i am so bad at calling everybody back, sometimes its harder to not be homesick when you hear someones voice. love peter ++++: 10 think i'm a creep - what are you thinking?.

Wednesday, October 1st, 2003

Subject: still making awkward look cool. Time: 5:04 pm. hows this for overdramatic and anonymous: sometimes you need to be sung to sleep. but sometimes you know you can't ever go home to something again.

borrowed and blue, thinking of you. ++++: 3 think i'm a creep - what are you thinking?.

Friday, September 26th, 2003

Subject: so just to explain.. Time: 11:34 am. i tried to leave the house to see you. but i couldn't cause i don't fit in anywhere anymore, except out on the road. so i went back to sleep instead.

"i thought you hated girls, like you were on some MC5 shit or something."

"nah, it's not girls, i hate everyone." ++++: 3 think i'm a creep - what are you thinking?.

Subject: drag my corpse through the suburbs and show them what they're missing Time: 1:22 am. i have taken to wearing red makeup around my eyes to make myself look washed out and tired.

maybe it will help me get some sleep. ++++: 2 think i'm a creep - what are you thinking?.

Thursday, September 25th, 2003

Subject: i know it is belated but we love you back Time: 11:35 am. happy birthday morgan. ++++: 1 think i'm a creep - what are you thinking?.

[the-firebird69]

Yeah okay the closing arguments are expected to be on the 10th that's Wednesday we expect the watchmen movie to have begun already and we believe that he reacts very aggressively towards New York City and he starts to attack people because they are finding him $370 million dollars it's more or less the number that our son handed O'Connor saying that's very Americans are in America which doesn't really have anything to do with us and they thought it was great and they believed it and they sent it around and a whole bunch of people believed it and it's a trick by the max and Thomas O'Connor knew it and tried to stop it it didn't work and these people went hog wild looking for us then they thought there were a lot of us in the mix helped but this number is significant and they're asking it of someone who we are more or less put here is not us but they say that he is sort of and they're calling for hours who are selling everything to be called in but for money they can barely use maybe sort of understand it and that's one analogy the major one is that we're supposed to go broke and things like that when it's not happening and they can't figure it out and they don't know where we're manufacturing stuff and we are manufacturing a lot of things and we're going into the perimeter with a lot of factories do you think they're stupid and they are and the pseudo empire are full of Denny's and the max sounds stupid in there isolated right now the court and New York City are gearing up for this finding and they had already called him guilty and they're just trying to find an amount and the imbecile thinks that they're arguing his guilt or innocence although he could have brought it up and tried to it did not work and he still seeking to end the whole thing when they're trying to get a number and he's ignoring it and it's too late now the attorney general called the wrong number and they're a bunch of pokers and they're not smart and it's really going to be painful cuz they're running around doing it too. Large number of people are seeing what the clans are up to and it's becoming painful existence for any who look like them and they're still doing it like a bunch of assholes there's more to announce

-we have a huge warning in Charlotte county there's a police buildup and it is not the pseudo empire it's warlock they're going after the pseudo empire and this will trigger a reaction and it's going to be Stern and stiff and it's going to happen within 30 or 40 minutes the same time that the attacks are commencing

-the shoreline on the west coast is full of mining equipment and there are mining equipment piece of equipment in the tunnels mostly in ones that are empty and there are some that have ships in them and the ships are demanding out and they say get them the hell out of there and they're trying to help and there's a way huge movement to move the ships out and it's begun right now they find out a quarter of the area in front of Sarasota all the way down to very hard calcite and bedrock it's a mix and it is a large area 100 by 50 MI but only about 300 ft deep the veins continue and it's going to call for heavy duty mining but they pulled so much white gold out mostly cadmium and diamonds that they're going to mind the rest of the sand aggressively it goes pretty fast and they're going out to shore further right now they're out 50 miles but it goes out 150 miles to the shelf and they're going out the 450 miles by about 200 miles and they get in mind at all in that sand is about half mile deep there's tons of stuff in it and it locates where the main beans are those would be the pseudo empire people to the South and fort Myers is a similar situation it's the warlock and they mind out an area of 100 by 50 miles almost the same and they went down about 80 ft and that's what it stopped and it goes about 110 miles out and they're going to do the rest of it and the trash file is gone it left about 10 minutes once they start finding stuff yeah and I'm sure Charlotte county is beginning slowly and they're going around pulling out pockets of it and all the shoreline will be dropped 10 to 20 ft all the way out about 50 miles but at the 50 mile but it's going to be about 30 foot in a slope and it helps it's not far enough but it is helping then they go out to 250 miles it'll drop out there about 50 to 60 ft and they're going to start mining below down near the Southwest area in about 3 or 4 days it'll be dropping about 80 ft only 5 miles from shore and about 300 ft 150 miles out and that will help greatly in that there won't be any tidal waste it's a slow drop and you don't have to worry about the golf water is starting to flow out of the river and a harbors on the west coast but all of it even Tampa they're mining up there and they're almost done they're going out to the 200 mile mark by about 400 miles pretty quick two or three days or less we think maybe even just a day for all that and the harbors and rivers are starting to empty we expect that they will drop down to about 11 ft it is artificial the mainland is still clogged up to a degree but that will flush out and this is the break we needed they're going to start removing diamonds and it'll depressurize the state and it will cause it to be less chance of flooding they're going to start doing that once they mine out the seashore we have a new estimate one day tomorrow around this time they'll start mining the diamonds where the ships are gone and there's only about three holes off of Charlotte about 80 ft wide and they'll be 10 holes off Sarasota 100 ft wide and 20 ft 20 holes off Sarasota 80 ft wide and that'll be typical for tomorrow they'll start pulling those diamonds out it'll depressurize immediately and the actual number about the about 10 ft by tomorrow night these are huge changes and it won't affect our so much because it's done to not affect people but the invasion attempts will and the police are now starting to move they are going after people and it's going to be a nightmare and several moments everywhere and there will be resistance and it's going to be severe these people shoot people a lot the mall is full of warlock and they're going to try and capture 10 and our son and is going on right now there are some people here in costume and that's also not a good sign

Thor Freya

One more thing we have to move in now we don't have sufficient Force here in PG

Thor Freya again

Olympus we're moving out we have half what we need

Half of what we need is not good we're moving out to

Savage opress and we do need a lot more

[greenbagjosh]

Day 1 - 9 November 2003 - Flight to Hong Kong from SFO terminal "A"

Sunday 9 November 2003

Konnichiwa, Ni Hao and Ola!

Today marks fifteen years since my visit to East Asia, particularly the Hong Kong and Macau special administrative regions of China, plus a partial day at Tokyo Narita airport. Actually I would not stop at Narita until Thursday 13th November 2003. This would be the first time in my adult life, and so far it is the only time, that I would cross the international date line. You may have heard in the news about the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge that was opened recently. When I visited in November 2003, this was not even an idea (at least to most US citizens) that this could be built. Without crossing into the PRC, the only way to go between Hong Kong and Macau, was by boat.

I would like to break up my visit into four parts as there is so much to tell.

- 9th to 10th SFO to HKG nonstop, coach from Chek Lap Kok airport to hotel via Kowloon, 7 Eleven at Queen's Road West near Hill Road (Shek Tong Tsui district).

- 11th Breakfast at hotel, Hong Kong to Macau ferry, lunch on Coloane, St Paul cathedral, and ferry back to Hong Kong, with a journey on the MTR subway and tramway back to the hotel.

- 12th Breakfast at McDonald's, bus to Central, Repulse Bay, Stanley Market and Aberdeen, MTR to Sheung Kwan O, Tung Chung and Kowloon

- 13th Minibus to HKG airport, flight to Narita, afternoon and "beef bowl udon", flight to SFO, arrival the "same day"

Let's start with why I went to Hong Kong and Macau and back via Narita. Instead of my usual journey to Europe as I did in August of that year, I was suggested to give Hong Kong a try, and not worry that I speak very little Mandarin or Cantonese. United Airlines at the time, had a special package of roundtrip airfare to Hong Kong, three day's accommodations and offers of touristic interest for a good price. I had to renew my passport from 1994 as it would expire in any case.

Sunday 9th November was my flight, nonstop from San Francisco Terminal A to Hong Kong. It was in a Boeing 747 and in the economy class when economy class at least had decent legroom. Before the flight, I wanted to try some "congee" with shrimp. Congee is a savory rice porridge, about the same consistency as an average bowl of Quaker Oats. A little soy sauce can give it a nice flavor.

I think the flight departed around 1:10 PM Pacific. It would not arrive in Hong Kong until at least 8 PM the next day (Monday 10th November), so that makes the flight about 15 hours long, not quite as long as a flight from the US west coast to Auckland, New Zealand. On the plane, you cannot automatically perceive crossing the international date line. At the time, the 747 did not have individually controlled entertainment in economy class as a 777 would, it was all centralized, I have no idea about the situation in business or the still-existent first class. I remember watching four films in total, including "Whale Rider" from New Zealand, I remember distinctly that traditional Chinese subtitles were on-screen for that film. During the flight there was a snack and then supper. At some times, the flight attendants would serve Chinese tea, where you would not add sugar or anything else, just tea leaves and hot water.

It seemed like for the most part, the day went on "forever", until the plane approached Japanese airspace - and then the 9th turned into the 10th, kind of like it's 4:30 PM on the 9th, and then suddenly it's 4:31 PM on the 10th, that's what crossing the international date line westward sort of feels like. The sun was getting low, and the plane made a southwest turn, to just touch the eastern Chinese coastline for the next two hours. As the plane approached Hong Kong, the sun set and the sky was getting dimmer. The plane touched down about 7:30 PM. Everyone alighted the plane to be processed by Hong Kong SAR customs.

If you remember Autumn 2003, you might remember the SARS epidemic. SARS was defined as "severe acute respiratory syndrome". The epicenter was Hong Kong, and Macau also was taking precautions to minize the effects. At passport control, you had to make a declaration that you had to state your health condition, namely stating any health symptoms if any, in addition, there were body temperature sensors, to make sure that travellers did not have a fever. The Hong Kong entry passport stamp allowed US Citizens a visa-free stay of 90 days, I think Macau it was down to 30 days. After passport control, I had to go to the baggage claim and meet the tour bus that was booked in addition to my hotel stay. While the tour bus had not yet arrived, I went to the MTR sales booth to buy a subway pass. It was called the "Octopus Card", and allowed three days of unlimited subway travel, plus a HK $200 stored value for bus and trolley rides. It even could be recharged at the local 7 Eleven stores for cash. I withdrew about US $ 100.00 to start, and I think the rate was around US 1= 8.20 HK. The Macau Pataca, I would find out, would be at par with the Hong Kong dollar, and local banks would be reluctant to exchange Hong Kong dollars for Patacas. More on that in the following chapter.

The bus came around 8:30 PM and the bus dispatcher had to tally up who was staying in Kowloon and who was staying in Hong Kong Island. The bus drove along Route 8 which passed through Tsing Yi, Disneyland Hong Kong, Tsing Yi and ended up in Kowloon. The bus dropped a few people off somewhere along Nathan Road or some side street closeby. Then the bus went under Kowloon Bay in tunnel to Queen's Road West, though the bus made a stop after leaving the tunnel. I did not arrive at my hotel until at least 9:30 PM. I was staying at the Novotel in the Sai Wan district, which currently now is the Hotel Jen. There was a McDonald's and a 7 Eleven store close by. For maybe $ 6 US, I bought a couple of curry buns (pulled chicken or pork) and a can of Sprite and a bottle of Lucozade. And I topped up my Octopus Card for bus fare if needed later.

My room was on the 22nd floor, and I think the outdoor pool was on the 25th floor. My room did not have the best view but it was okay. I had a room looking at the ramp of Hill Road, leading to Connaught Road. The room had a remote control to control the radio, TV, alarm clock, and many things imaginable. The bathroom was pretty much similar to those I knew in the US, Canada and Europe. Electricity was the same as in the UK, namely the "G" type plug. I found the next day that Macau also uses the "G" plug. I did not watch TV but I had my Aiwa HS JS 479 and could listen to and record the local stations, most of them were in Cantonese, there was also the BBC World Service in English.

I think I went to bed about 11 PM after enjoying my curry bun and Sprite. The bed was firmer than most that I remembered, was not too bad. Somehow or other, I thought, if the hotel has a free shuttle to the Hong Kong-Macau ferry terminal, why not go? I did not plan to visit Macau but thought, as long as I am in that part of the world, there was no better time to go. Looking back 15 years on, I am glad I did.

So that was all for the 9th and the 10th November 2003. Next chapter, ferry ride to Macau, and views of its Portuguese past.

Thank you and good night!

謝謝，晚安！! (Xièxiè, wan'an!)

Obrigado e boa noite!

ありがとう、おやすみなさい! (Arigato, oyasuminasai!)

[bike42]

Transfer Days: Thursday and Friday

It shouldn't be that difficult to travel from the west coast of Ireland to Northern Scotland, but it is. There is a Ferry from Belfast, but it only runs late at night and gets to a southwestern port of Scotland, so we’d still burn a day traveling to Inverness! So we opted to fly, but flights out of Shannon had only two options: 7 am (would have been 4am departure from the Falls Hotel) or 5 pm. That option meant a lot of waiting on our hands. We arrived at Shannon at 10am with most of our group. We said goodbye and they checked in, cleared security and prepared to fly home. We couldn’t even check in for our flight until until 3pm. We found a nice table and passed the time playing cribbage - I got skunked by JT in back-to-back games, catching up my blog and reading. At 3pm, we checked in, cleared security, I figured out the VAT tax refund kiosk and got €18 back from my scarf purchase. We went to the bar and ordered pints of Guinness for a last, sad round while we tried to watch the cricket game on TV, then it was time to board our AerLingus flight to Heathrow. I’d booked these via British Air, and there was not even a business class - just one large packed plane full of people. We took our places in the 10th row and realized how spoiled we’ve been flying Delta Plus or First Class most of the last couple of years! It was a short one hour flight to London - no service other than the stewards with a cart of “Duty Free Cigarettes” that they were selling!

We arrived at Heathrow and figured out to clear customs and made our way via train from Terminal 1 to Terminal 5. That took about an hour, and we had two hours between fights. We found that our next leg to Edinburgh was a bit delayed, so we grabbed a burger and walked the designer shops in the terminal until they around a departure time and gate for our flight. This time we were sandwiched into the 17th row! We arrived in Edinburgh about 11pm, so late that they had us unload the plane via the stairs and load a bus to drive to the terminal. We claimed our bags and grabbed a cab for the very short ride to Moxy - a new funky Marriott brand that had a hotel a half mile from the airport. It was about midnight when we climbed into bed for a short nights sleep. We were glad we weren’t staying there long - it was a very comfortable bed with awesome pillows, but a tiny room with no closet and a tiny bathroom. Yoga wouldn’t have been possible in that room!

I’m not sure what I was thinking booking a hotel at the airport when we had 8:30am train reservation at the city center train station, but we had a lovely 30 minute cab ride into the city Friday morning and saw some of the sites of Edinburgh. I’m sure our cabbie would have pointed out more sites, but we really struggled to understand him!

We arrived at the train station in plenty of time to figure out how to print out our pre-purchased tickets from the kiosk and get the lay of the land. They didn’t announce our departure platform until 10 minutes before departure so we had a fast hustle to platform 16 but knew how to work the turnstiles and stash our suitcases so we were better off than many! On the first class train car, we shared a table with a nice couple (Jerry and Sherry) now living in Delaware, originally from California. We passed the three hours on the way to Inverness, swapping stories and hearing about what they had planned for their two weeks in Scotland. I remarked to Jeff that it was refreshing to connect so well with a couple after so many frustrating attempts at conversation with some of the others on our M&M trip - that was a tour of odd ducks (probably what they thought about us too no doubt). When we arrived in Inverness, Jerry offered to grab a cab that could take us to our rented cottage, but it was just a half mile and it was a nice sunny day (again!) so we opted to walk. We may see them tonight at one of the pubs they’d researched for music tonight.

We had an easy walk across the River Ness to our VRBO cottage and found the key in the lock box - always a relief. It’s a really cute little place with bed and bath upstairs and a tiny little kitchen and living space downstairs. A welcome change after two weeks of hotels. This is now our SEVENTH accommodation and we’re getting good at packing up and transferring - packing cube system is working well.

We were starving - only had an energy bite and a pack of shortbread cookies so far today and it was after 1pm. We walked around the corner and had a great lunch and then walked across the street to the grocery store to buy some provisions to make our own breakfasts for the next two mornings (no more big Irish Breakfasts for us!). Back to the cottage, Jeff plopped down on the leather sofa and declared it perfect for napping. These two days of travel, even with lots of downtime have worn us out so it’s good to have this time before jumping into phase three of this journey!

I did a yoga session while JT rested and worked on a Spanish lesson. At 7p we headed out again. The couple we’d met on the train said there would be live music tonight at Hootenanny’s or McGregor’s. We had dinner at McGregor’s which was a more modern place. We chatted with a nice couple from the Chicago area - again, I was relieved to be able to connect with another couple after last weeks’ tour - feeling hopeful about next week’s tour! The music there, however, was disappointing. A talented guy on piano, but doing covers of older American songs (particularly bad rendition of Folsom Prison Blues). After dinner and some yummy Scottish stouts, we headed to Hootenanny’s. A Scottish trio was just setting up to play, so we had single malt whisky (no “e” here in Scotland), and snagged to seats in front. The music was all instrumental - a talented guy on an accordion and he tried to chat up the audience but it fell a bit flat. I liked his kilt though - looked like it could have been a Carhart!

The town was hopping as we walked back to our cottage just before 10pm. Glad we’re in a quieter neighborhood!

[vio1315]

Happy Birthday Kano!