#We need a survey. I’m definitely putting this in as an additional suggestion.

[judesmoonbeauty]

Ok, is it just me or sometimes do you wish you could sort their bond levels numerically? I wish that was a thing because sometimes I get OCD over it 😑

[jokertrap-ran]

(未定事件簿) EVENT! 「眷然恋影」 [Tears of Themis] EVENT: Zuo Ran Birthday 2021- Days to Re-Live Forever (4.18: Volunteer Application)

*Tears of Themis Masterlist / Mobile Masterlist *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *Will also be filed under Zuo Ran’s tag #Tears of a Lawyer *The tracking tag for ALL Event Stories will go under: #Tears of an Event

4.18 / 4.20 / 4.22 / 4.24 / 4.26 Messages / Investigations / Call

Location: Cinema's Lounge Area

MC: …All in all, while this isn't considered a bad movie, it's also quite far from being a "Sci-fi Masterpiece".

Zuo Ran: Agreed.

Zuo Ran and I were both down at the Cinema’s Lounge, discussing the movie that we'd just finished watching.

The Stellis Film Festival had just started, and the movie that we'd sought to watch for how famous it was, was one of the most highly rated Sci-Fi movies.

But unfortunately, the content of the movie itself wasn't quite as interesting as we'd expected.

Zuo Ran: But "Time Travel" is considered one of the more classic Sci-fi themes, so it's not all that easy to come up with something new and exciting.

Hearing him say that, I suddenly remembered another movie with the exact same running theme.

MC: There are also many Time Travel themed Masterpieces out there. Take the film “About Time” for example; it’s an old film dating more than ten years ago.

MC: But it’s about slice of life, so you probably never watched it.

That’s right, although this movie was labelled a work of Science Fiction, it was also undeniably something that fell into the category of warm, healing, fluffiness.

It’s a movie about the story of the male protagonist, Tim, who wanted to use his Time-travelling ability to find himself a girlfriend; and eventually winning over the heroine, Mary’s, heart.

Additionally, it also depicts Tim’s family history. Generally speaking, it was an award-winning movie that had won over the emotions of many.

I recall that Zuo Ran preferred to watch Sci-fi Films, rarely watching anything emotional. Still, I wanted to try giving him a suggestion. 

Zuo Ran: I’ve seen it before. It was pretty good.

His reply was a little unexpected.

MC: Huh? But even though the male protagonist is capable of Time Travel, there are still far fewer Sci-fi elements to this movie than there are elements of daily life.

MC: I thought that you don’t often watch these kinds of films...

Zuo Ran: You’re right, but this one’s an exception.

Zuo Ran: Rather than calling it a Sci-fi movie, I think it’ll be more appropriate to call it a movie about “Superpowers”, since its main purpose is to power the plot.

Zuo Ran: Although it’s a slice of life, the director of this film has a good grasp of rhythm and mood, capable of making people feel a strong sense of empathy.

Zuo Ran: Of course, I also personally agree with the idea it is trying to convey.

Zuo Ran analysed the movie with utter seriousness, and I could see that he had an extremely deep understanding about it.

Capable of extracting that many praises from him, it seems like this movie holds an extraordinary place in his heart.

MC: Sounds like you really do like this “About Time” film.

Zuo Ran: Yes, I do.

Zuo Ran: I suppose it can be considered… Among the ones I like best.

After getting an affirmative from him, I couldn’t help but to jump for joy.

MC: (Now I know how to celebrate his birthday!)

Zuo Ran’s birthday was the 26th of April; a day that was coming up soon.

I’d only heard about this date back when I was making small talk with Sister Zhai Xing. She’d even told me to put more emphasis on it, since I was his partner.

Zuo Ran has been taking good care of me ever since I joined the Law Firm, but I’d have been way prepared to celebrate his birthday for him, even if Sister Zhai Xing didn’t mention it.

But I didn’t really know what I should do, till now; the conversation I just had with Zuo Ran finally gave me a hint.

MC: (Recreating the classic scenes of movies and celebrating his birthday there will definitely make it an unforgettable experience for the Mr. Robin, the well-known film critic! )

A plan gradually started to take shape within the confines of my mind.

Zuo Ran: What’s on your mind? Why are you daydreaming?

MC: N-Nothing! I was just thinking about...

MC: My favourite movie! I was just thinking how brilliant it was that you also happen to like it!

Birthday surprises are something that’s meant to be kept secret till the very last moment, so I can’t afford to give the game away now.

Zuo Ran: It makes you that happy?

His expression appeared no different from usual, seemingly having accepted what I’d just said.

MC: Yup, of course it does! Sharing the same favourite movie as you goes to show that we’re well suited to be partners!

Zuo Ran: We do coordinate well together.

MC: Let’s talk more about this film, Lawyer Zuo.

Zuo Ran: Sure.

He probably wouldn’t have any idea about just what I had planned to celebrate his birthday with.

MC: (I’m suddenly really looking forward to seeing how he’ll react to this surprise. I’m sure he’ll be way different from how he usually is!)

☆⋅⋆…⋅─────────── ⋆⋅✾⋅⋆ ───────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Location: The Film Museum

A few days later, at the Film Museum.

Staff: My apologies, miss. But the Museum's Live-action Studio is temporarily unavailable for loan for the duration of the Film Festival.

MC: I’d originally wanted to rent the Film Museum’s Live-action Studio to recreate the classic scenes of the movie “About Time” for Zuo Ran, to celebrate his birthday.

But how unfortunate...

MC: But I’m really in need of it; isn’t there any other way?

Staff: If you’re truly in urgent need of the Studio. Then you can try becoming a volunteer for this Film Festival.

MC: Oh?

Staff: The Museum requires a large amount of volunteers to help out during the Film Festival, and volunteer points can be earned through completing volunteer work.

She took out a brochure, handing it to me.

Staff: Take a look at this. Volunteer points can be redeemed for the rights to use the Live-action Studio in addition to some special props provided by the Museum itself.

Staff: You must be shooting on the set itself if you’re trying to rent the Studio, so I’m sure these props will come in handy.

The staff member pointed out the “special props” listed on the brochure to me.

They came as large as classic retro cars, furniture such as tables and chairs, old-fashioned suitcases… They were all classic props from classic movies.

MC: Are all these props the original ones?

I’d thought that it’d take a good lot of points to redeem rights to the Studio, but I’d never expected it to actually be the easiest to attain.

Although, that being said, most of those special props were pretty “point pricy”.

Staff: A small portion of them are, but the rest are replicated on a 1:1 scale from the original.

MC: Oh! There’s even the window display mural from “About Time”!?

Staff: That’s right. Although this one’s a replication, it is no different from the original one.

MC: (Not only can you rent the venue, but you can also change up the place to be furnished with decorations of your own choice. This can’t get any better!)

Thinking up till this point, I agreed without a moment’s hesitation.

MC: Okay, I’ll sign up! What do you do as a volunteer, though?

Staff: Welcome to the Volunteer Team. Your job this time is to simply hand out questionnaires.

Staff: As the organizer of this Film Festival, we plan to create a review column after the event; hence, why we have to collect information on the audience’s option.

Staff: The content of this survey includes, but is not limited to, their evaluation of the movies released this Film Festival, and their views on well-known film-critics, etc.

Staff: What needs to be specifically explained to them is that, due to the curator's request, this survey will take the form of an offline interview and a physical questionnaire to fill.

Staff: He believes that it is only by interacting face-to-face with the audience, can we then understand their true wishes; and that doing so will also reflect the utmost sincerity of the Museum itself.

She handed me yet another list.

Staff: The information of the willing participants of the survey are recorded here. So please carry out the surveys according to the name list here.

Staff: Your final amount of points obtained will be calculated based on the number of questionnaires you've managed to get filled, and their degree of completion.

I confidently took the list from her.

MC: Understood! You can leave it to me!

Staff: Volunteer Points can be redeemed at any time. I wish you the best of luck, and hope that you can exchange it for the rights to the Live-action Studio as soon as possible.

☆⋅⋆…⋅─────────── ⋆⋅✾⋅⋆ ───────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Next Part: (4.20: Questionnaire Filling)

[ladyfogg]

May I? - 15/?

May I? - 15/?

Fic Summary: Ensign Faith Diaz struggles to hide her mental illness from her fellow shipmates aboard the Enterprise until an intrigued Data goes out of his way to try to understand her behavior. At his insistence, Faith tries to figure out what she’s truly passionate about and eventually seeks the professional help she needs. Fic Masterpost.

Fic Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Data/Female OC

Warnings: tw: depression, tw: anxiety, fluff, friends to lovers, eventual smut

Screenshot by @ geekygwen

At first, Data did not realize he yelled. The noise was ripped from him so suddenly that it took him by surprise. But he could not dwell on the sudden outburst. He needed to act quickly.

Oxygen. She needed oxygen.

He carefully lowered her down before turning towards the emergency supplies. They were secured under the floor of the cockpit via a hatch. He pulled the cache out, ripping the lid open to find what he was looking for.

Inside was a plethora of survival items. Along with the basic human necessitates such as bedding, clothing, rations, and water, he was able to locate several oxygen masks.

The battery-operated mask turned on without issue. Data brought it back to Faith. He slipped it on over her nose and mouth, ensuring it was properly secured. Then, he waited, watching the digital readout on the side. Soon, her breathing returned to normal and the mask's sensors showed she was receiving proper oxygen.

Data allowed himself a moment to breathe, metaphorically. It was within his programming to protect lives but seeing Faith in danger had touched him on another level entirely. He did not understand it completely. He supposed it was his positronic brain's version of panic. Seeing someone special to him hurt was never easy.

He had never yelled before. That was new. 

Data took in Faith's naked body and returned to the cache. Withdrawing a spare jumpsuit, he took the time to carefully dress her before wrapping a blanket around her still frame. With no life support controls, the temperature had begun to drop and he did not wish for her to be cold.

Faith's pulse and heart rate were steady, yet she had not regained consciousness. Each oxygen mask had a battery life of seven days and there were four in the cache. While he did not need one himself, he did not feel comfortable allowing her to rely only on the mask to support her breathing. Especially if they needed to leave the shuttle.

The sleeping area was destroyed, a mess of twisted metal, wires, and a gaping hole on one side. Data scoured the room for any personal items before manually sealing the doors to that section. He found Faith's sketchbook and his uniform but nothing else. 

After, he did a sweep of the remaining areas to assess the damage. Before he attempted, he needed to ensure there were no other major damages. A quick scan revealed no additional hull breaches.

Data returned to check on Faith, who appeared to be asleep. He watched her for a moment, stroking her hair before continuing his work.

He had to connect himself to the shuttle in order to provide some semblance of power to work with. Even then he was only able to access the emergency stores. Thankfully, it was enough. The backup power kicked in, restarting life support and lights. Unfortunately, there was not enough for communications.

By then Faith was awake, silently watching him work. "What's the damage?" she asked, her voice warped by the mask.

"We have minimal life support," Data said, closing the console panel. "I have sealed off the sleeping area due to a hull breach. However, our emergency supplies are well-stocked. We are safe for the time being."

"Well, that's something at least." Faith slowly pushed herself up to sit. "Did you dress me?"

"Yes. I did not wish for you to get cold."

"Thank you. You do know you're still naked right?"

Data looked down at himself. "Ah. So I am. Excuse me." He picked up his abandoned clothing, only to find them torn. "It seems my uniform is no longer wearable."

"I mean, if you want to go naked, I won't say no."

Data pulled one of the spare jumpsuits from the cache. "Being stranded on a strange planet may not be the ideal location to remain nude."

Faith sighed dramatically. "Why is it that every time we get close the ship gets attacked in some way?" she asked. She sat with her back against the wall, the blanket wrapped around her shoulders. 

"It does seem that way," Data agreed, taking a seat next to her. "How are you feeling?"

"My head is a little fuzzy but I'm okay," she assured him. "Is life support stable enough for me to remove the mask?"

Data picked up the tricorder he had used to help fix the power. After a quick scan, he shook his head. "It does not yet appear to be safe."

Faith sighed and silently leaned into Data for support. He put down the tricorder, tightening his hold on her. She was scared if her trembling body was any indication. 

No words were spoken, though Data did not feel the need to speak. Simply holding Faith was sufficient. When she withdrew, she touched her forehead to his briefly before taking a deep breath.

"Okay," she said, voice firm. "Now that we have life support, what should we do?"

"I believe you should remain seated for a while. You lost oxygen for several minutes. I do not wish for you to push yourself too soon."

"Well then after that."

"We should survey the area outside the shuttle to ensure we are in no immediate danger. If we are not, we will remain here. The Enterprise will come searching for us once her repairs are complete."

"What I want to know is what the hell happened? The shuttle was working just fine. What pulled us to the planet?"

"I do not know. Normally, I would suggest we try to determine the cause. However, given our current predicament, it would be ill-advised to wander too far. The Enterprise's sensors would be able to detect any anomalies from orbit."

"Good point." She glanced through the windshield of the cockpit. "It looks like there is some light out there, though I don't know what the day cycle on this planet is."

"We will go outside after you have sufficiently rested. Unless you feel you are up to the task."

Faith sighed. "Not really, but let's do it anyway. The sooner we look around, the sooner we can come back."

"Quite right. Let us see what is out there."

Faith stood, dropping her blanket as Data grabbed the tricorder. They both attached phasers to their hips before Data opened the shuttle door.

They were met with a blast of cold air and Faith shivered. Data's tricorder showed the temperature steadily decreasing.

"We will not stay out for long," he assured her. "The temperature is dropping significantly."

"Wish there was something warmer to wear," Faith muttered, tugging at the jumpsuit.

Together, they stepped out of the shuttle. They had landed in a dense, dead forest. There were plants and trees, but nothing looked healthy. It was all brown and crumbling. With his tricorder, Data began to take readings as Faith followed close behind. 

It looked like the shuttle had dragged along the ground for some time before it ultimately came to a stop. There was a deep groove in the hard dirt behind it and a large tree looked to be the cause of the breach in the sleeping area.

"Getting anything interesting?" Faith asked.

"Nothing unusual," Data said as they made a wide loop around the shuttle. "I am getting traces of the alien DNA we found. However, no significant readings to point us towards what brought us here."

Data noticed Faith seemed jumpy. She remained unusually close to him while they walked and frequently looked over her shoulder.

"Something is definitely wrong here," she muttered.

Data paused, looking up from the tricorder. "What do you mean?"

"I can't explain it. My gut tells me we're being watched."

Data scanned the area with his eyes. "I do not see anyone. The aliens do possess cloaking abilities, however, the tricorder is only picking up faint traces of the DNA. If they were here, it was not recently."

Faith took her phaser out of her pocket, setting it to stun. "Let's keep moving."

The dead forest seemed to go on forever. They walked until the shuttle was out of sight, only to be met with more forest. The air had become colder and a heavy wind began to pick up. When he heard Faith's teeth begin to chatter, Data decided they were done with their first exploration. 

"We should go back to the shuttle. I do not wish for you to get sick."

She was too cold to answer, only nod as she trembled. Data put the tricorder away and wrapped his arm around her. His body remained a constant temperature which he hoped would help against the cold. 

They returned to the shuttle and had just stepped inside when a storm began to rage. Snow and ice swirled around them. As soon as the shuttle door was closed, Faith wrapped herself in the blanket again. 

"I'm really glad you got life support going because I'd definitely freeze to death otherwise. How's the oxygen now?"

Data did a quick reading. "Minimal for our needs, but steadily increasing."

Faith removed her oxygen mask and placed it on the floor next to her. "Thank the stars, that thing was uncomfortable." She shuddered and pulled the blanket tighter around herself. "Don't suppose we have more of these blankets do we?"

Data put down his tools and walked over to the cache, pulling out all the extra blankets he could find. "This should help," he said, draping them around her until she was thoroughly bundled.

Faith chuckled. "Thanks," she said. "You know, you can come in here with me and warm me up better than these blankets ever could."

"I do not see how that is possible. My body maintains a constant temperature of…" He paused when she raised her eyebrow. "Oh. You were being flirtatious."

"A little. Yes."

"I see."

Data sat down next to her, sliding in close when she opened the blankets. He put his arms around her waist as she enveloped him. "Is this sufficient?"

"Hold me closer."

Data did as she instructed, pulling her so her chilly body was flush against his. "Better?"

"Mmm, much." She snuggled into his chest, tucking her head under his chin. 

Data held her close, feeling her body temperature slowly return to normal. "It appears as though we are stuck here for the time being. What do you wish to do? I did manage to find your sketchbook."

“Oh, you saw that?”

“Yes. I did not mean to pry. I was simply curious about it.”

“It’s okay. It’s just something I was trying when I have some downtime.”

“Do you wish to sketch now?”

“No. I want to stay snuggled here with you. In fact…” She drew closer so their lips brushed. "Let's start with kissing and then see where it leads."

"As you wish." Data cupped her cheek and kissed her deeply.

She responded with a content sigh, kissing him back. He could feel her smile rather than see it and the notion that he made her happy by a simple press of their lips was most curious.

They held each other as they kissed. He was in no rush to push things further. She seemed perfectly happy sitting there with him, snuggled in blankets as they kissed. 

When they separated so she could catch her breath, her smile remained in place. "I know we're stranded on a random planet in a broken shuttle but at least we're together," she said. "If I hadn't been here, you'd be stranded alone and I would have never forgiven myself for letting you go."

"I understand your sentiment, though I cannot help but feel responsible for your safety."

"How so?"

"If something were to happen to you, I do not know how I will react."

"Well, then I'll just make sure nothing happens to me." 

Data doubted it was as simple as she made it sound. There were very few outcomes for their current situation. But he knew that this would not be the time for complete honesty. So he decided to refocus the conversation. 

"Now that the danger has passed, I have an inquiry," he said.

"What is it?"

"How would you describe my abilities? Sexually."

Faith pulled back, looking up at him with wide eyes. "You want me to rate you?"

"It is the only way for me to improve my performance," he explained. "As you know, my experience is limited and I do not wish to leave you less than satisfied."

"Oh, trust me. I was plenty satisfied," Faith smirked with a wag of her eyebrows.

"On a scale of one to one-hundred, using percentages, where would my performance fall?"

"Data, babe, I'm not going to rate you."

"But I wish to improve."

"I understand that I really do," she assured him. "But I don't want you overthinking. You were great. Phenomenal. If I need you to do something different, I will tell you in the moment."

"Like when you asked me to decrease my speed?"

"Correct." She smiled. "I'm more interested in what you thought of the experience."

Data considered her words. "It was...intriguing," he said. "While I was able to feel the tactile side of the equation, part of me wished to know how emotions would have heightened the experience. That is what I meant when I said I would not be able to 'feel' your mouth. I knew it was warm and wet, your tongue was soft. But there was nothing else associated with those words."

Her expression softened and she wrapped her arms around his arm in a light hug. "Was it difficult to enjoy?"

"No," Data assured her. "I found the sights and sounds you made quite enjoyable and I did manage to achieve an orgasm."

"Yes. Yes, you did. Is that also automatic or—?"

"It is based on stimulation though there is a timed factor to it, which I can extend if I wish."

"Mmm, good to know." She kissed him softly. "You were magnificent and if we hadn't crashed I probably would have initiated sex."

"Oh." Data lacked any other response to the mental image. "That is on the list so I would not discourage you."

Faith laughed, resting her head on his shoulder again. "I'm glad to hear it. Though I don't think I'm really going to be in the mood for much until we're rescued."

"I understand." Data contemplated for a moment. "Faith, I have another inquiry."

"I'm not surprised," she teased. "What is it?"

"In analyzing the noises you made during our intimate time, I realized that I did not make similar verbal attempts to encourage you. I do know moaning and sometimes talk is prevalent in erotic media. Do you wish for me to simulate such things?"

"Data, let me give you some advice," Faith said in a gentle tone. "Don't worry or put too much stock in what you've seen in porn. Most of it is purely for show and not a real representation of sex."

"I see. That does remove several items from my list." 

Faith blinked up at him with wide eyes. "Maybe you should send me a copy of this list," she suggested. "Just to make sure I am comfortable with what's on it."

"That is understandable. I will send it to you once we are back on the Enterprise."

"Looking forward to it," she said, stifling a yawn.

Data held Faith close, listening as she began to doze off. They had nothing to do but wait, so he decided it would be a good a time as any to activate his own dream program. 

"There is a portable bed in the cache if you would like to lay down," he told Faith as she yawned for the second time.

"Only if you lay with me."

"I had a similar thought. It has been some time since I dreamt."

"Great. You do that, I'll have some rations."

Data untangled himself from Faith's blankets to lay out the emergency bed. As it inflated, she ate and drank, her eyes growing droopier by the minute. By the time she was done, she looked like she was ready to pass out again.

"I don't know why I'm so tired," she said. "I just woke up a few hours ago."

"It has been a difficult time," Data said, helping her lie down on the bed. "Perhaps your body is fatigued by the crash and oxygen deprivation."

"Maybe." Faith yawned again, curling against his side as soon as he lay next to her. "I am glad we don't have to wait until we get back to the ship to share a bed though. That's nice."

"Yes, I agree." He slipped his arm around her, enjoying the warmth. "Are you comfortable?"

"With you, always."

Data smiled at the sentiment. It did not take long for Faith to fall asleep, which he found strange. She almost always took time to get comfortable before she was able to rest. Regardless, he closed his own eyes soon after.

They were in the forest together. He had not dreamt of her there since the first time. Yet, there she was, her dark hair shining in the sunlight as she sat among the roses. 

"Data, come on, join me," she said, extending her hand. 

He smiled and reached for it, her fingers curling around his as he did. She gave him a smirk and yanked him down. They tumbled down together, Data still smiling as Faith laughed. She rolled them over so she was splayed across his chest, her wavy brown tresses draping over their faces like a curtain.

"Gotcha," she said and kissed him.

Data kissed her back, reaching to tuck her wild hair behind her ear. They withdrew and she looked down at him with such love and adoration he wished he was not dreaming. Would he ever be able to look at her that way? Would she always give him such admiration? Or was their time together limited? 

He could only give her so much.

As if she could read his thoughts, her smile faded and she looked up. But her next words were not what he was expecting. "Someone's coming…"

Data did not wish for her to worry. "We are alone. No one can harm us here."

She did not appear to hear him. Quickly, she scrambled off him and took off running. Confused and concerned, Data rose to his feet and gave chase.

But the forest was no longer bright and as he lost sight of her, his peaceful place changed. 

The woods became dark and twisted, nothing like they used to be.

This was not right. There was no sun. No birds. Only howling wind and emptiness.

Data ran. He ran as fast as he could, yet could not escape the crushing darkness around him.

Faith, he thought. I must find Faith. 

Suddenly, a pitch-black shadow sprouted from nowhere and he crashed into it, flying back so violently he rolled on the ground before he was still.

Data awoke with a start, immediately noticing that Faith was no longer at his side. He sat up with alarm, looking around the shuttle.

Except, there was no Faith. Actually, there was no shuttle. 

Data found himself in a square room, with only a dim light above which cast the edges of the room into shadow. Gray metal walls and floors were all around him 

"Faith? Faith!" he called. There was no answer, only his voice echoing back. 

He saw a set of doors and immediately headed for them. They did not open as he approached and try as he might, he could not pry them apart.

He was confused, unsure of where he was or how he got there. It startled him that he was alone and his mind began to calculate many theories as to what happened to Faith. None of them were favorable.

Data turned back towards the room, only to notice something tucked in the corner that he missed before.

 A chair.

A very familiar wooden chair with a purple jumpsuit draped over it.

"This is not possible," he said out loud as he approached the only piece of furniture in the room. His hand touched the object, proving it was not a hologram or projection.

Just then the doors opened and Data turned, expecting the intruder yet still surprised by his appearance.

"Hello, Mr. Data," the man said with a smirk. "I told you we'd see each other again."

Data felt his hands ball into fists as he faced his enemy. "Kivas Fajo."

Fajo grinned, arms spread wide. "Oh good, you remember me," he said, stepping further into the room. "You have no idea the lengths I've gone through to bring you here."

[vspideycaptain]

Meeting Chris

Reader x Chris Evans (Feat. RDJ, Zendaya, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland and other marvel actors)

A/N: You’re the newest addition to the Gaurdians cast and as a MCU actor and it’s the night of your first ever MCU cast party. This one is orchestrated by Chris Pratt for Chris Hemsworth’s birthday. Its and 80s theme and through your anxieties your friends help you through meeting people, specifically Chris Evans.

I’m a little prouder of this one but it does takes a little bit to get to the point when Chris Evans shows up but I hope you find that its worth the build up.

Warnings: Fluff and alcohol and angst. WORD COUNT: 2735

 ---------------------

It had been only about 15 minutes after I had wrapped my scenes for the day when I heard a knock on my trailer door. Praying that it isn’t a PA asking me to return to set as I had already taken half of my make up off I approach the door. I am pleasantly surprised to see that it is not a member of the crew but it is Chris Pratt. “Hey (Y/N/N)! Just double checking that you can make it to Chris’s birthday party tonight?” He asked cheerfully. I nodded hesitantly, “Yeah I’ll be there… 80s party right?” I shifted my weight to lean against the door frame to pretend as through I am not anxious about my first Hollywood party but since Chris and I have gotten pretty close he can read me. “Yeah it is!” he starts in a more forceful cheery tone and then switches to a more caring one, “Listen, I bet you’re bricking it right now but I promise you as intimidating Hollywood parties sound they’re much more relaxed.” I nod and give him a half-hearted smile, “Thanks.”

Chris wasn’t fully convinced that I was feeling better because he put both his hands on either of my shoulders to shake me out of my head. “I have an idea. How about you come to the venue right now and help me set up a little so you at least have the party setting under your control so when you actually arrive and everyone else is there you have less to digest.” I took a deep breath and considered his proposal. He shook me once more making me feel small but breaking me out of my head once more, “Yeah that sounds great.” I answered him and he clapped his hands together in approval. “Great! You have the address, yeah? Meet you there in like a half hour.” And just like that he was off and I got ready to leave.

I took an uber to work that morning as mine was in the shop so I gave the driver the address to the pub the party was to be at and on my way I went. It was about an hour long drive with California traffic but as we got closer I recognized that it was much closer to my temporary apartment. When we pulled up and I stepped out of the uber I was shocked to realize that the venue wasn’t a pub like Pratt had suggested it was. It was the infamous Viper club! This was the club known for crazy Hollywood parties and haunting encounters. I definitely started to question whether I was in the right place so I texted Chris that I thought I was in the right place. Moments later he opened the front door and allowed me inside. I was in the right place after all.

It was a surprisingly small location but was already looking perfect for the guest that were bound to come. Not everyone from the MCU could make it to this party but I good handful was coming so Pratt and I had a great deal of work on our hands. It was myself, Chris and his team putting up 80s memorabilia. Well really it was myself and his team putting up decorations while Chris curated the playlist for the night. About an hour went by and the party was set to start in about 3 hours so I told Chris I was calling myself an uber so I could go get ready. His response, “Nonsense! I have two drivers here right now. Take one back to your place and return it tonight. Thanks for your help.” He walked me out and hugged me at the door, “Don’t worry about tonight, I got your back” I thanked him again for all of his kindness before getting into the car and heading to my apartment.

I walked into my temporary apartment as I was still hunting for a permanent place and rushed to my bathroom to freshen up. One musical shower concert later and I facetimed my now good friend Zendaya for outfit help. Together we looked through my closet and my makeup collection and formulated the best 80s theme outfit for the night. We decided that since she was going fully Whiney Houston glam that I needed to go full Madonna fashionista. I threw on a plain white tee that had some distressed holes at the collar and put on a black skirt with suspenders on over it. Paired it with a bowler hat and piled an abundance of chunky bracelets on my wrists. When I moved on to the makeup portion Zen talked me through how to get the eye shadow and eyeliner just right. And to top the look all off I used my old crimper to style my hair.

I bid my friend goodbye and checked the time; I had a few minutes to spare so I walked to my bathroom to check my appearance one last time before calling up Chris’s driver to come pick me up. I looked at myself in the mirror and tried to talk myself down from a panic attack. “Just take it moment by moment. If everyone is half as kind as RDJ, Zendaya, or Pratt this evening will be easy. You already know a good portion of people going anyway. Tom Holland and Chris Harmsworth will be there too…. Well duh, its his birthday but that’s something you can focus on if things get rocky. It’s a celebration so have fun and nothing will go wrong.” I talked to myself and took in a deep breath. It was now or never so I called the driver and before I knew it I was on my way back to The Viper Room.

The second I opened the door the venue the sound of Madonna herself filled the atmosphere. Chris Pratt noticed me instantly from his spot at the bar and made his way over to me to greet me with a big bear hug. “There you are! Great look! Very Madonna!” He said and then realized that Like A Virgin was playing over the speakers and got all excited, “Very appropriate for your entrance.” He then nudged me like he was suggesting something more. My jaw dropped, he didn’t seriously think I was a virgin… I pushed his arm away, “I am not a virgin, you weirdo!” He put his arm up in defense, “No no! Well… What I meant was you’re a MCU party virgin and you’re dressed as Madonna!” The feeling of embarrassment rushed over me and internally I was so thankful for my heavy 80s blush to hide the actual blushing I was doing. “Lets get a drink.” Chris said and ushered me to the bar and I couldn’t have been more onboard.

The second we arrived one of the bar tenders was asking for my order and I asked for my typical drink of a Gin and Tonic. Pratt and I made conversation about how great everything regarding the party turned out as I waited for my drink when Hemsworth made his way over. As I had been working with him on Guardians 3 there was no introduction to be made. In fact when he spotted me he was lifting me up into a big hug. He was clearly already a few drinks and maybe shots into the night as he smelt strongly of rum. “(Y/N) you’ve made it! I heard you helped throw this all together!” the Thor actor said as he lifted me above the crowd. With my new point of view I was exposed to the party and found a few eyes of people I had admired me like Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans who were at a table in the corner. I got very self-conscious as I watched Chris start to grin wildly as he looked between Scarlett and I’s very similar outfits. We seemed to have both gone for the famous Madonna look.

“Put me down Hemsworth!” I yelled down to him and once he put me on the ground I gave the man a real hug and tried to push the uncomfortable feels to the back of my mind. “Happy Birthday!” I said in his ear and he smiled goofily as he thanked me and separated us. The bartender was back with my drink and I took it and took a big gulp to help ease the nerves. But then my attention was back on Pratt who was laughing and pointing at myself and then to something behind me. When I turned around it was Scarlett and Chris making their way over to us. As she made her way I tried to get a gage on how she was feeling about matching with me. Was it going to be one of those “One of us has to change and it’s not going to be me” moments? I wasn’t sure as I surveyed her face which was smizing but as for Chris Evans who was walking behind her, he was staring me down intensely in a way I just couldn’t read.

I was relieved when Scar-Jo had brought me in for a hug and hello the second we connected. We had a laugh at the sameness of our outfits as the three famous  Chris’s took in the sight and all started taking pictures. We did a round of posing for each phone. I turned to Scarlett and asked if we could take one on my phone and she thankfully agreed. I reached for it and started to hand it to Pratt, “Pratt-Pratt take our picture!” said over the booming of the start of Sweet Dreams by The Eurythmics. But once Pratt and the others around me realized the song they all got excited and started yelling something about RDJ. “Come on! We’ll be right back (Y/N/N)!” Chris’ Pratt and Hemsworth said as the dashed out of sight with Scar-Jo. Leaving me and Chris Evans by ourselves….

I didn’t know what to do as this was the first time we had ever been in the same room. I wasn’t very good at this kind of interactions but luckily Chris took the lead and asked me if I wanted to follow him back to his table. I agreed and took the seat that Scarlett was in before me. He extended his hand toward me and it took it for a shake and then found him pulling me in for a an air kiss. “I’m Chris, its great to finally meet you!” He said and I returned his smile, “I’m (Y/N). Thank you for inviting me over. Pratt promised to babysit me tonight and he’s already failing.” I said with a chuckle but internally I was growing more and more nervous as I realized Chris’s eyes scanning all over my face and even to my body. “Babysit? You hardly need babysitting. What are you 20?” He asked and I nodded in return, “23 actually. You’re right I don’t need him!” I said with a bit more confidence and took another swig of gin.

There was something about Chris that I really couldn’t figure out. He made me feel both insecure and confident as we were chatting. His piercing blue eyes never left my being the second we sat down and I could feel this tension between us but I kept telling myself it was in my head. There was no way Chris Evans was checking me out. We sat there for awhile talking about where we grew up as we had that sort of in common having both been born in Massachusetts. Series of songs past; Straight Up by Paula Abdul, PYT by Michael Jackson, Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses, and You May Be Right by Billy Joel by the time Chris gets up to get us drinks and as I wait my I my phone buzzes on the table.

I pick it up to find the last person I wanted to see a message from had texted me. I sighed heavily and locked my phone immediately. Chris returns with the round of our drinks and notices my changed demeanor. “You alright?” He asked me and handed me my drink. I rolled my eyes and locked my phone, “Yeah just an ex-best friend asking for favors again… People say fame changes people but you always assume it’s the one in the spotlight not the people around them.” I said defeated and Chris and I’s eyes lock. He looks at me with so much intensity I almost forget the dreadful text until he spoke, “I know exactly how you feel. I lost a lot of friends after booking my first movie. I’m not gonna lie to you it’s gonna be hard but you’ll find a family in the people here and form close bonds and we’ll all make sure you’re staying afloat.” When he finished speaking he subconsciously patted his hand on my knee and let it linger there for a moment.

And just like in 80s rom-coms the music changed on cue to I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston and like clock work a figure started running towards us. It was Zendaya who must have arrived without me noticing seeing as she was halfway through her drink, “(Y/N)! You promised me you’d dance to Whitney with me! Come one!” She said and practically dragged me out of the chair. I turned back to Chris and gave him a wave as an apology for the sudden departure. Zendaya pulled me along until we reached Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Holland (Who I have slowly started to make more progress and we have started to feel more comfortable around each other after our first meeting.) In a flash I was being introduced to Jake and saying hello to Tom as we all danced to the pop music. Zen pulled me toward her and then turned me around as we dramatically lip synched. As a moved I couldn’t help but feel a pair of eyes on me and as I looked around they were Chris Evans’. He had his glass to his lips as if he was frozen in time until he realized I had caught him staring again and he flashed me an unexpected wink and got up from his chair and disappearing.

For the rest of the night I danced and mingled with the rest of the Marvel stars. I didn’t get another chance to speak to Evans again before leaving but I found him continuing to look at me from across the room. I didn’t know what it meant as I barely knew him but he didn’t seem like the predator type. I tried to rationalize his actions over and over, “There is no chance Chris Evans is into you. You’re reading into it (Y/N).” I told myself as I grabbed my coat from the check in desk and got ready to leave. My hand on the handle to leave I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to find low an behold, Evans again. “Sorry. I know you’re leaving but…” He started very nervously and pulled his phone from his pocket, “I just couldn’t let you leave without exchanging numbers… You know incase you need anything!” He said and I calmed down as that had seemed like a reasonable request. We swap phones and I entered my number into his contacts but when we go to switch he swiped my phone away, “Did you ever get that picture you asked Pratt to take?” He asked and I shook my head no and watched Chris open the camera on my phone and as he asked me to pose. I laughed at this incredibly dorky moment and played along by giving him my signature pose that my swagger coach taught me. He took the picture and admired his work, “Perfect.” He said a little quieter before handing me my phone. I thanked him for the chats and the great night and left.

Back in my uber back to my apartment I played over the events in my head as all of it confused me. “Did Chris Evans really just call me perfect? What did all of that mean?” I questioned all the way to my home and to my bed where drowsiness took me over and I fell asleep.

*This story goes with ‘The Real War’ series visit MasterList if interested.*

[escaperoom123movies-blog]

Escape Room 123movies Review

Regardless of the banner, there is an astonishing absence of jigsaw astounds in this film. Or on the other hand skeletons, really. 

So at the beginning of today, escape room 123movies I took myself to the films and saw Escape Room, which I've been interested about since the trailers were delivered. I love escape rooms, I've played through The Room and every one of its spin-offs on numerous occasions, give me some old fashioned riddle unraveling and I am SO there! While I was anticipating a few panics, I was trusting there wouldn't be anything excessively horrifying since it conveys a PG-13 rating. Ideally there would be more sharp climatic alarms than violent passing scenes, and I was correct! 

(Fun certainty: did you realize that there were two films that turned out in 2017 likewise called Escape Room? I didn't until I was attempting to discover pictures for this film! Evidently, those two motion pictures are… not incredible, however I can't by and by vouch for them.) 

THE PLOT 

Escape room 123movies begins in, amusingly enough, an escape room! It at first appears as though a richly beautified front room, and everything is quiet until Logan Miller drops through the roof. He's limping, beat-up, and in all out frenzy mode as he totters to a convoluted looking number-labyrinth lock thing on the entryway. He understands that he needs four numbers, however when he pulls on the 1, the divider inverse him begins shutting in. Fantastic. We're in that spot with him as he battles to search for hints to locate the four numbers required as increasingly more of the excellent room gets decimated and squashed behind him. He finds the four numbers required, so he thinks, however they don't work, and we watch as he gradually gets squashed… .. … ..and afterward we flashback to three days earlier. Here we meet three of our fundamental characters, Zoey (played by Taylor Russell), Jason (played by Jay Ellis), and obviously, Ben (played by Logan Miller). If you don't mind, note that Ben appears to be marginally more assembled here, as in, he's not being squashed in an escape room… yet. These three characters are unfathomably unique in relation to one another, and they each get a strange riddle box from somebody they know. The riddle box drives them to Minos Escape Rooms with the guarantee of ~fabulous money prizes~ on the off chance that they can fathom the unsolvable escape room. It is here we meet our other three principle cast individuals: Danny (played by Nik Dodani), Mike (played by Tyler Labine), and Amanda (played by Deborah Ann Woll). After Ben apparently breaks the door handle in the lounge area, the six unfortunates find that the sitting area IS the escape room, and the game has started. The remainder of the film is, you got it, an escape room! We learn all through the remainder of the film more about the characters and why they were picked for this lethal game through shockingly explicit subtleties in all the rooms, and furthermore, who sent them here in any case? 

There's a great deal of extremely sullen riddle understanding. Like, a great deal. 

THE REVIEW 

This film is incredibly fun. That feels wrong to state about a "mental loathsomeness spine chiller," however I swear it is enjoyable. As I would like to think, the film makes a captivating showing of uncovering minor character subtleties all through without dropping the huge bend until the correct second. I love things like this where you sense that you need to focus on everything about you'll miss something and genuinely perhaps you should watch it again to truly get everything?? I live for stuff that way. It was upsetting a result of what was going on and invigorating when something at long last went right. I truly appreciated it all in all, and I think my assessment of the film showed signs of escape room 123movies improvement the more I pondered it a short time later. Those are my preferred sorts of movies, the ones that make you consider them a while later. 

Presently it's an ideal opportunity to escape into the following room of this survey, (I don't know whether I'll have the option to keep up the play on words game for each audit, fam) so Spoiler Warning currently in actuality, and I truly suggest for this film you see it first totally ignorant concerning any spoilers or significant plot details!\ 

this room? This room directly here?? This is the most noticeably terrible room, undoubtedly 

THE MUSIC 

The music for this film was extremely novel when I saw it, and it's one explanation I need to watch it once more, since I'm certain there were prominent music minutes I missed. The score truly set up for anxiety and anticipation, and it helped me to remember the music played in each film where somebody's attempting to hack into a PC under a period limit. You know the one. Prominent music minutes incorporate the initial tune that sets the room we see Ben fall into, the melody that plays during the montage of Ben, Jason, and Zoey attempting to understand their riddle boxes, the end credits music, and obviously, that AWFUL contorted version of Petula Clark's "Downtown" that plays as a clock in the topsy turvy Pool Room, presented previously. Awful room. Most noticeably terrible room. Loathe it. 

Zoey is all that is unadulterated and acceptable known to mankind 

THE CHARACTERS 

By and large, there were a ton of affable characters in Escape Room, which is somewhat lamentable in light of the fact that a significant number of them don't, well, escape. All the characters were one of a kind, and I acknowledged how every one of them had various responses to the stressors in each room, as indicated by their character. Zoey is my supreme top choice, she was a joy to watch the whole film, and I so valued her being the outright brainiac of the gathering. More virtuoso WOC jobs in films, it would be ideal if you There was additionally an extraordinary character circular segment for Ben, which I incredibly delighted in, and there was a great deal of heart given to both Mike and Amanda too. Sadly, Danny isn't around sufficiently long to truly be created, and Jason ends up being a survivalist butt nugget with a significant predominance complex. Yet, for the most part, you felt for all the characters, and you needed to see them escape, which implied that their demise scenes for the most part hit you similarly as hard as they hit the survivors. Danny's passing is a stunner for every one of them, particularly Ben, and the manner in which Amanda's demise hits Zoey is grievous to observe however it puts Zoey into in-your-face survivor boss mode, which is entirely incredible. This implies, nonetheless, that Zoey is resolved to cut down the degenerate AF organization behind Minos escape room 123movies, which cool, yet in addition based off that last scene, NOOOOOOOOO!! 

This scene fools you into deduction everybody will be fine.

THE SCENERY 

Presently when I initially observed the trailer for Escape Room, I believed that each room would be intended for one of the characters explicitly. That is not really the situation, yet each room is definitely unique and extraordinarily fatal, with character-explicit subtleties woven-all through. They're totally structured so that you could see them being a real escape room in reality, with the exception of they all have an ACTUAL fatal curve, rather than entertainers and phony results. The little subtleties were extremely sharp and in some cases sort of tragic. The fire and stopped vent slither set off Amanda's PTSD in a truly gutting scene and prologue to her character. The tusk trophies in the room presented over each spoke to one of the notable reindeer from the "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" tune, which was unpleasant for Ben due to his flashback and harsh for the crowd since that is unmistakably intimating that the reindeer have been butchered which like, impolite, keep Christmas separate from this?? My least most loved room is the cold winter horrendousness essentially in light of the fact that it was pulverizing watching them cooperate to both arrangement with Danny's demise and attempt to dissolve the key required out of the focal point of a strong square of ice while they're sharing ONE coat among them. Ugh. In any case, a nearby second is that dumb topsy turvy pool room. Plan shrewd it's extraordinary, however generally? Detest it. Abhor what occurs. Probably not. 

Goodness hello look! There are skeletons in this film! 

THE TWIST 

Alright, on the off chance that you've perused this far and haven't seen the film yet, trust me when I state you actually most likely wanna see it first before I proceed. 

For every other person? Here we go. 

Escape Room has really, two or three turns when you consider it. The underlying turn is, obviously, the way that all the risky snares are in reality genuine and dangerous. The stakes are REAL high. 

The following turn comes in the room equipped like an emergency clinic. Each character is attracted to a particular bed, set up in an unexpected way. It turns out, each character invested energy sooner or later in the emergency clinic, and each bed is an ideal amusement of their room. Through conversation, they discover that every one of them was the sole overcomer of something horrendous that transpired (we get little blazes about what these occasions could be all through the film). Zoey makes sense of that whoever is running the escape room must need to see who, among them, is the "most fortunate of the fortunate." 

After a couple more rooms and a couple more passings, we find Ben, who did undoubtedly endure getting squashed in the sumptuous lounge escape room 123movies (so I surmise in fact he simply didn't get squashed). He stumbles into a type of stockroom with an enormous screen that shows every one of their photos, and every one of them, put something aside for his, have a huge red "X" up and over. In his image, he is marked the "Champ." A hairy British man goes into the room to uncover the following turn: this whole thing was set up by a gathering of exhausted, rich individuals who are entranced by the human will to endure. English Beard declares that people have consistently adored viewing different people in close demise circumstances, and they have run these escape rooms on various occasions, similar to an investigation, to attempt to make sense of what it is that makes up a definitive victor (sidenote: notice how this is likewise sort of a burrow at the crowd to the film? 

[behymerkevan2]

READING PILLOW

As I get more established, perusing in bed has gotten somewhat harder. My vision is gradually going and my solace isn't what it used to be the point at which I was more youthful. In the past I used to put 3 or 4 bed cushion on head of one another and improve them to make one major bed perusing pad that I sat against while perusing. Stance is a major thing throughout everyday life and we as a whole realize that without it your back will endure. 

My significant other as of late purchased an understanding cushion so I figured I would join her lastly get settled in bed while perusing. The principal thing to recall is that these cushions aren't completely promoted as "understanding pad", some are recorded as bed loungers, froth wedges for perusing, back backings, and orthopedic pads. Most retail chains convey some assortment of understanding pads - we found a few at Target, Walmart and Bed Bath and Beyond in our inquiry. 

The #1 highlight you need in a perusing pad is back help. Slumping in bed while attempting to peruse is difficult for your whole body. An ergonomic perusing pad will explain all that and they are not unreasonably costly. We went over Brentwood Bedrest cushions for generally $30 and the bigger, Bed Lounge perusing pads were over $100.

What highlights would it be advisable for me to consider when purchasing a bed pad? - Size is a principle worry for most shoppers - they need a bed perusing cushion that is sufficiently huge to help their back and neck while as yet permitting them to peruse easily in bed. Back help is the way in to this - having a firm and solid cushion behind you as you read can have a significant effect. 

A portion of the froth wedges for perusing are very decent, yet they will run you over $100. We think the Brentwood perusing cushions are sufficient for most - offering a strong help and they are offered in an assortment of hues to coordinate any room in your home. In bed pad surveys we read, most of proprietors utilize their cushion in bed as well as in the family room or cave as a pleasant help for staring at the TV or simply hanging out. Audits for the DogBones pads are positive also with proprietors referencing their multi-utilitarian uses - perusing, staring at the TV, and so forth. 

At simply over $30 they merit considering. With a marginally unexpected shape in comparison to the others - the DogBones go extraordinary in kids rooms, particularly for youngsters who like to stare at the TV or read on the floor - it offers great help. The bigger bed loungers are really perusing pads with arms and not every person concurs that the additional size counterbalances the exorbitant cost tag. The Bed Lounge assortment is a definitive in back wedge pads and these perusing pad pads offer up fantastic lumbar help and the headrest lower and raises fitting those everything being equal. 

Ultimately, the Alex Orthopedic back wedge bed perusing cushion is remarkable and gives a slight lean back so your back and neck are upheld appropriately. They are mid valued at $70 and hold up very well. Finding that open to perusing pad isn't too subtle, you can actually peruse many proprietor audits posted on sites and analyze the top brands against one another. You can peruse the top selling perusing cushions online here.

Suggested - The #1 vender are the Brentwood Reading Pillows - accessible in loads of hues to oblige your home stylistic theme, they fit most people groups spending plans fine and dandy. Purchasers state they work incredible in rooms, apartments, play rooms, and family rooms. A few people even take these outdoors so they can peruse serenely before turning in. This is the perusing pad for bed that my better half purchased and she is totally content with it. 

The pad is sufficiently solid to help her lower back and give the general solidness she needs while sitting up in bed to peruse. Other proprietor remarks concur with the nature of the pad, just a single individual referenced the shading being an issue. They are anything but difficult to move around, so take it from the room to the family room. These sorts of perusing pads have been around for quite a long time and appear to be the result of decision in this class. You will discover them recorded under various brand names in retail chains - Target conveys loads of them.

Suggested - I went with the BedLounge: The Ultimate Reading Pillow as it looked noteworthy on the web. I like the reality it is a perusing pad with arms - gives me to a greater degree a steady inclination while sitting in bed and perusing. The item likewise accompanies an extra stance lumbar cushion and I like that the spread is removable and launderable. 

The Bedlounge perusing cushion is agreeable and the capacity to raise and lower the headrest is a reward include that most different brands don't offer. The internal structure (planned by Dr. Swezey) offers abundant help while perusing or staring at the television in bed. This ergonomic lounger has satisfied hopes up until now. I'm simply trusting that the cushion holds up after some time as that is generally critical to me considering the underlying forthright expense of about $125.

[kiwireviewz-blog]

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Kaptiwa 2.0 Review – Product Overview

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Creator Dr. Amit Pareek

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Kaptiwa-2-Review-Authors

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[miseriathome]

Movie theater accessibility pt 2.1

@epochryphal replied to pt 2:

i feel like my main issues are 1) captionboxes display nothing at all before the movie (not even a welcome message) so there’s zero way to check if it’s working in advance, and 2) every single time (like a dozen at this point) there are random cut-outs (often several) where one to five lines are dropped/not captioned.  i have no idea why either of these is a thing or how to complain properly

Pre-show content tends to be uncaptioned across the board, even with open captions. Unfortunately, this issue specifically is out of the hands of individual theaters because of how trailers are supplied vs how feature presentations are supplied.

Caption devices are fed the text tracks via infrared transmissions inside each auditorium. I imagine the issue of lines dropping relates to that transmission not getting through or the device not properly receiving it, so I’m not sure how fixable it is, but it’s worth bringing up so that the techy theater staff can deal with it.

With regards to testing that they work beforehand, I’ve found that sometimes the range of the transmission extends slightly beyond single theaters, such that you’ll occasionally pick up frequencies from other auditoriums you pass while walking down the hall. In that way, it may be possible to test whether the device works by hovering near the doors of other theaters that are already playing movies to see if they display anything. Really, you could straight-up walk inside another theater for a hot second, or you could ask a staff member to accompany you/bring the device into a test theater on your behalf to make sure it turns on properly.

I’m planning to have a broader “how to complain about inaccessibility” part within the series, although I need significantly more research before I get there. That being said, here are some ideas for how to handle caption device issues that come readily to mind:

Put on self-confident airs and straight-up ask for two devices from the beginning. They’re a free resource anyways and customer service basically revolves around bending over backwards for people who get read as “entitled” in the name of “customer satisfaction.”

That’s the same reason why I say you can get a staff member to test the equipment for you--either they’ll do it because their job requirements are to do what customers want them to, or they won’t do it and you can keep complaining higher and higher up the chain until you get something out of it. (Almost always it’ll stop with a manager and they’ll give you free tickets or something for the “inconvenience.” I saw somebody get multiple free tickets because they weren’t allowed to take their Chipotle into the theater and they kicked up a fuss about being asked to eat it outside/leave it in their car. The managers thought it was bullshit but they gave the free tickets anyways because it’s company policy of basically all chain retail/customer service places to do exactly that.) You have my express permission to be a major Karen if you’re in the right about something.

Alternately, get a chill friend who doesn’t use captions to come with you to the movies and also ask for a device. That way if yours stops working, you can steal theirs. It’s the same tactic as the last bullet point, except that there’s no reasonable argument to deny giving out two when there are two separate people requesting them. The friend doesn’t even have to be seeing the same movie as you, since the devices pick up whichever signal they’re in range of. Hell, ask the person behind you in line to nab you one.

And, to reiterate, definitely complain--the movie theater industry is horrendously unprofitable (by corporation standards) and they seriously will bend over backwards and kiss your feet if you make something out to be a serious problem. Make sure it’s a manager who hears what you have to say, not floor staff. Just “hey, I experienced [this] while watching, and it impaired my experience. You might want to get that checked out” is fine. If they give excuses like “oh yeah, we know, it’s just like that,” your response should immediately be “then why are you selling tickets for this theater/movie or not disclosing this information or otherwise allowing this to impact customers’ experience” (whatever iteration fits best with the excuse given)? If all else fails, you also have the options of doing the surveys on your receipts, leaving negative reviews of the establishment online, and use the contact us forum on their website. They quite actually care very much about these things, and corporate always throws shitfits about the tiniest little issues not being up to snuff.

If you’re dealing with an independent theater instead of a corporate chain, your results will vary. I want to say that indie establishments will skew more sympathetic, but honestly there’s no way to say.

The non-care that many establishments take with their supplemental technologies really is appalling. Floor staff are undertrained about how they work and why they’re important, and customers having to leave their theaters to get new devices is viewed as equally trivial as having to leave to get drink refills or use the bathroom. Charging cables also become faulty and batteries die and the devices themselves aren’t built with convenient indicators or notable features that staff can use to distinguish or keep track of them, either. There are problems across the board from the device manufacturers to the movie leasing companies to corporate theater priorities to individual theater maintenance to customer lack of education, which is why the only practical suggestions I can offer at the moment with my limited knowledge are “game the system when possible” and “complain about everything.”

This is a US-based series. If you have additions, corrections, or other information you’d like to share, please feel free to add to this knowledge base in the replies or as a reblog! Understanding accessibility options and providing education needs to be a community effort, and I would genuinely love this project to go beyond myself and my own knowledge bases.

[cindylouwho-2]

RECENT NEWS, RESOURCES & STUDIES, May 2 2020

Welcome to my latest summary of recent ecommerce news, resources & studies including search, analytics, content marketing, social media & Etsy! This covers articles I came across since the late April report, although some may be older than that. I will do my best to keep posting these at least once every 10 days if not sooner. 

Have any topics you would like to see me cover in more detail? Drop me a line here on Tumblr, or email me through my website. I’m also on Twitter and YouTube if you prefer social.  

TOP NEWS & ARTICLES 

If you sell on Etsy, this is your reminder that the Offsite Ads program kicks in on May 4, and people who make under $10K a year on Etsy can opt out if they want to avoid the additional fees. I have a summary here. 

Issues with mail delivery during the pandemic continue. Canada Post has suspended on time delivery guarantees and warns of December level volume.  USPS is not shipping to 113 countries, including many APO addresses. 

I am still interested in posting articles and lists of resources for small businesses and artists during the pandemic, so please pass on any good resources you know about. HubSpot did a page for Australia, and one for the United States.  See my previous edition for a longer list. 

ETSY NEWS 

Mask sales have created a huge boom for Etsy, but also some busts. “Suddenly millions of people were logging on to Etsy, searching for masks nine times every second, the company calculated.The site was not ready for the rush….There are now 50,000 sellers on Etsy who have each sold at least one mask; 10,000 have sold at least 100. Etsy staff spent time calling the most popular sellers to weed out scams, but also to ensure well-meaning sellers were not over-promising.” There have been many threads from sellers whose shops were de-indexed due to both bots and to Etsy wanting to limit their sales until they catch up on open orders, creating a lot of complaints at a time when their customer service response is hugely delayed. 

Some sellers report receiving listing credits for masks, although several who received money did not sell masks, and many others who did sell masks got nothing. 

Another Seller Handbook post on what people are looking for while they are under lockdown (TL;DR: home decor, activities, bath & beauty) , as well as suggestions for how you can pivot your shop. They include the top search terms for each area; some examples: washable paper towel, garden, birthday gift,  printable wall art, puzzle, board game, puzzle adult. “As shoppers transform their living spaces for multifunctional uses like working, exercising, and homeschooling, they’re looking for cozy comfort as well as fresh, on-season style updates that offer mood-boosting appeal….113% YoY increase in searches on Etsy for “home office...127% YoY increase in searches on Etsy for “indoor garden...“Face mask” was the top searched term for the last five weeks (as of April 23, 2020)” Finally, “In recent Etsy buyer research, one third of shoppers who anticipated purchasing on Etsy in the next three months reported planning to buy gifts.” [Although the article doesn’t mention this, I strongly recommend emphasizing somewhere in your shop that you can send the order directly to the gift recipient, if you sell giftable items but sales are down right now. I am getting a lot more requests for gift notes than usual, and more people are paying for tracking so they know when the gift arrives.]

A study says that 30% of Etsy sellers do not save for emergencies, and 74% want Etsy to help them when emergencies arise. 

Two new features for users of Etsy’s USPS labels: free pick up requests, and easy customer return labels. 

Etsy launched an exclusive collection with Joseph Altuzarra. 

SEO: GOOGLE & OTHER SEARCH ENGINES 

Moz just came out with an excellent guide to keyword research that you all should at least bookmark to come back to later, even if you don’t do keyword research now. The introduction contains a good definition of long tail with a graph; “Only about 20% of the keywords people search for will be popular "head" terms. The majority of keyword phrases will be less-frequent, long-tail keywords.” There’s even a downloadable 2-page cheat sheet on the basics at the end. 

There may have been a Google search update around April 16, but I am mostly posting this article for the graphs showing search volatility in the past 1-2 months; those changes in the second half of March into early April seem to be mostly user-driven due to the pandemic, rather than algorithm changes. 

Backlinks are not all created equal, and time is sometimes one of the factors in weighting them. [text and video] 

This analysis of near 12 million Google search results turned up some interesting correlations with ranking. Not surprisingly, sites in first place have many more backlinks on average than the other sites on the same page. It was a bit surprising to learn that page loading speed didn’t correlate with ranking at all (that may change once everyone goes to mobile first indexing in the fall), nor did using the keyword in your title tag. “Pages in Google’s top 10 results contain 65% to 85% of the keywords that they’re ranking for in their title tag. However, we found very little (if any) correlation between keyword-optimized title tags and higher rankings on the first page.”

Google may delay its move to complete mobile-first indexing by September, depending on how sites are managing due to the recent disruptions.

Some businesses are moving the money they spent on advertising over to SEO, because there is a longer-term payoff vs. a short term impact from someone seeing an ad on a given day. Good SEO can get you ranking on many search engines for years, if you are lucky. 

(CONTENT) MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA (includes blogging & emails) 

Not surprisingly, the top times for social media traffic have changed during the pandemic; here’s an updated list. 

Thinking of starting a YouTube channel? Here’s a beginner’s manual including screenshots on how to set it up, as well as tips on YouTube SEO & other marketing tactics. 

Don’t know what to put in your email newsletters? HubSpot picked 17 examples they think are awesome. 

Facebook rapidly revamped & expanded its video chat option to compete with Zoom & Houseparty, called Messenger Rooms. Note that “Room calls are not end-to-end encrypted, but Facebook says it does not view or listen to calls.” The are also working on the ability to charge people to watch live streams. 

Twitter had a good first quarter but the stock still fell because it does not look like they are recovering from the pandemic effects very quickly. 

ONLINE ADVERTISING (SEARCH ENGINES, SOCIAL MEDIA, & OTHERS) 

As mentioned in my last edition, Google Shopping is now offering free listings on its US platform, and rolled out a bit early for some even though the start date was given as April 27. Your Etsy listings will not be shown in the free ads if you opt out of Etsy’s Offsite Ads program, and you are not allowed to add marketplace listings to GS yourself, but this may be something you are interested in for your website, if you sell to the US. Some tips on setting up Merchant accounts correctly for this here and here, and optimizing your listings here. If your standalone is on Shopify, they have instructions here. 

As ad prices are dropping for some items on some platforms, it has become easier for small businesses to start campaigns, especially experienced online sellers who can now take advantage of the ecommerce boom. [I agree with this for the right types of items or service, but I don’t think it is going to work for everything.]

New to online advertising, and don’t know where to start? HubSpot has a good introductory overview here, with details on the main options available. 

Google is offering ad credits to small & medium sized businesses as pandemic relief, starting in late May. Note that you need to have been running ads last year with Google to be eligible. . 

Google Ad users will soon need to submit proof of identity & location, starting with US users. The move is to help prevent scammers and increase transparency. Early response to the announcement is mixed. 

Facebook is no longer forcing advertisers to use its Campaign Budget Optimization, meaning businesses will continue to be able to set different budgets across all of their campaigns. 

STATS, DATA, OTHER TRACKING 

If you have an ecommerce site built with Wordpress, here’s how to track your email newsletter clicks through Google Analytics. 

And for your ecommerce site, the best alerts to set up in GA. 

Bing Webmaster Tools has a great feature that tracks traffic to connected accounts other than your website or blog - but Twitter has been removed from this list. 

There are far more Instagram analytics apps than I thought. 

ECOMMERCE NEWS, IDEAS, TRENDS 

Many ecommerce platforms/website providers are being pressured to reduce the fake COVID-19 disinfectants on their sites, including eBay, Facebook, Shopify & Alibaba.

There is a new app that lets buyers shop with multiple businesses who run their sites through Shopify, called Shop. Among other things, it will feature businesses local to the user: “A recent survey of global consumers by Ernst & Young found that 34% of respondents are willing to pay more for local products amid the pandemic.”

Shopify’s stock is flying high right now, and it has become the second-most valuable company in Canada, in part due to the surge of sign ups after the start of the pandemic. 

Since page loading speed is important to buyer conversions as well as SEO, if you have a Shopify site, you will want to read about which themes are the fastest & slowest to load. A few are ridiculously slow, & you will want to consider your goals if you are thinking of using them. 

Jeff Bezos has moved back to managing Amazon operations due to the pandemic. “Bezos was also personally involved in Amazon’s decision to suspend third-party vendors from shipping non-essential items to Amazon’s warehouses, helping ease the load on workers so that they could more efficiently ship goods like baby products, groceries, pet supplies and personal care products.  He also signed off on Amazon’s move to halt tactics it normally uses “to encourage customers to put more items in their shopping carts”.

Meanwhile, Amazon VP states that Amazon has done a lot for sellers during the pandemic, including suspending “repayment of all Amazon Lending loans for sellers in the United States and the United Kingdom until April 30.” I guess that is why their profit fell to only $2.5 billion in the first quarter of 2020 despite their gross sales being up 29% due to the pandemic buying. 

Amazon’s pilot program for verifying new sellers by video calls is continuing; contrary to previous reports, they say they are not using facial-recognition technology, but they are checking photo ID against the video call. 

eBay has extended its suspension of most seller performance standard rules until June 19 for sellers in the UK. They are also extending their free listing offers, and after banning mask sales are now apparently envying Etsy’s sales and are encouraging sellers to make fabric masks.They are also planning a way to confirm sales that involve local pickups [podcast & transcript]. 

eBay had lower 1st quarter results than they & others had predicted, so the stock went down. Here is the call transcript for those interested. 

BUSINESS & CONSUMER STUDIES, STATS & REPORTS; SOCIOLOGY & PSYCHOLOGY, CUSTOMER SERVICE 

The pandemic sales trends have switched from hoarding essentials to food & home comfort items. “As spring eased toward summer, cooking at home also began to include gardening. "We see continued growth in gardening," said Ventry. ... Growing herbs, he said, played well with the home cooking trend, too. "We saw similar trends from 2008 to 2010, during the recession."

Ecommerce sales are way up, perhaps 50% up in the US right now, and some of these people will continue their increased online shopping, so it is a good time to launch many types of new campaigns. (warnings - some “not safe for work” language) 

HubSpot has been producing a weekly pandemic report on its customers core business stats, such as website traffic & sales rates. They speculate that we might be seeing a bit of an overall recovery as of last week. 

MISCELLANEOUS

There are still more good work-from-home articles coming out that can also be relevant for those of us who have been doing this for a while now. Using a schedule to be more productive is a common topic. As is managing to be productive with kids around. 

[recalibr8]

The mEtOHd in my madness

I’d been out with my teen lads on a Friday. We got off the train and there was a young, crumpled woman sat on the platform, fat tears splashing into a puddle of sick on her trench coated lap. I offered her some tissues; I’m a mum, it come with the membership card. After a few sorries she asked “where did you stop?”. It took us a while to realise she meant, ‘where are we?’ She was out by 2 stations which on the face of it wasn’t bad. We pointed her onto the next train, gave her a mint (gold membership benefits) and my youngest shouted “take care of yourself” as we trudged up the platform. We agreed it was probably work drinks getting out of bounds and she’d be ok now she had tissues. But I kept thinking, “where did you stop?”. Where did I stop? Because I’m now AF af.

AF af. That’s alcohol free and doing pretty darn ruddy brilliant. Three months ago I upgraded my BrewDog to NannyState, went Becks Blue and am thinking in an offhand way about brewing Kombucha. I’ve teamed this up with going plasticlite, veganish and kimchi curious. So far, so middle class virtual signalling. But where did I stop?

I’ve been drinking since I was 5. I’d adorably finish up the beer in my parents’ guests glasses and well, kept going. Not in a Drew, Carrie or Liza rehab by 13 sense but I think I’ve probably had my fair share. I’m well aware that I knew, know and don’t know but suspect people who I love who have significant alcohol use problems and this is blog is in no way trying to say my needs are greater than theirs. I know a lot of highly creative endeavours and friendships were found in a gin bottle but also unforgivable abuses. And I know friends whose acts are based around the camaraderie of drinking. And I’d never tell anyone what they *should* do. But like all ex anybodies, I’m annoying about my sobriety journey right now. Bear with me.

But it’s not just me though. I see booze everywhere. For a dose related lethal toxin that’s very effective marketing. There’s a giant ad on Toots Broadway station entreating me to Go Bottomless and every other Facebook ad is for a spirit that promises to make evenings round the back of Catford Lidl magical. And many of these are aimed at women. A recent industry survey found ‘only’ 17% of women drank beer and this needed sorting out. Look out for more lady drinking adverts, they’re coming.

But I wasn’t alcoholic. Was I? Are you? You’re only an alcoholic if you have one more drink than you doctor. I’m

a doctor ... so let’s take a look.

*I’m really low on the alcoholic check list*

I’ve never drank alcohol in the morning, blacked out, been told by others I have a problem, had to apologise...

Ah, I have had to apologise once or twice. Nothing major, just ‘sorry, I was a bit wobbly/silly/rude/loud/insulting/gave you my shoes as a gift’. I once lost my credit and oyster card at the bar of a immersive theatre event though. I don’t know how I got home. I had to find the site manager the next day and he definitely had other things to do. Not long after my bag was stolen in SoHo because I was distracted. Not sure how I got home then either. Friends put me in an Uber after my MA showcase because I wasn’t walking very straight. Or being very nice. So I definitely remember getting home then.

These were all Thursdays or weekends. I’ve always been careful not to have any chance of affecting my work. But yeah, how clear headed was I for my family, myself? And much of this was stress drinking after a week of being a clever doctor. Just loosened up the joints a bit. Particularly if your slightly socially awkward. But I wasn’t a drunk, no. Maybe just a binge drinker. And that’s ok, isn’t it?

*Hangovers are just a thing*.

With only drinking at the end of the week, I was careful not to be hungover at work. But I had a Friday at home hangover where I didn’t get out of bed for the day. I claimed I’d been poisoned. I’d just had one too many Jaegerbombs. I vomited in the taxi. I’ve vomited in several taxis. That’s not a good look at any age. Hangovers are a funny meme, a cartoon of a dog in sunglasses, office banter. It’s your liver crying and your brain folding it’s arms in judgment. It’s not bad wine, it’s bad choices.

*Get kids used to drinking. Like the French. Then they won’t binge*.

My 13 year old buys old vodka bottles from charity shops. Wearing a furry hat, his comedy drunk Russian is not bad I used to have the deepest voice of my friends at 14 so it was my job to buy the booze for house parties. My mother always told me drink a pint of milk before you go out to soak up the booze. At 14. I had a few sexual assaults along the way but if I blame myself that’s victim blaming and I don’t want to be a bad feminist on top of everything. Med school in the 80’s/90’s was all over the drink. Freshers’ week was a booze insurance test. The circle line pub crawl, the Clint Eastwood Appreciation Society, the Med School pub crawl...end at Barts because Smithfield’s liscence meant you’d keep going all night.

*Booze always cheers you up*.

I’ve got to confess, my life has got a lot quieter. I’m going out much less, I leave early, I’m not champagne Charlie any more. I’m always, well, me. My dad was a depressed alcoholic, so was his dad (he ran a tobacconist and offie so that didn’t help) and his dad before him. And I have depression and PTSD. My moods are now not so high, but they are also not so low. This is very strange. I’m hoping this is a good thing. I’ve heard it is. This, this is the mEtOHd in my madness. The mood stabilisation. That’s the plan.

*Being a doctor is just one of those boozey jobs*

Fun quiz! Who do you think drinks the most? Enough to have a problem. Oooh, were good at guessing this in ED. Writers must be bad, farmers, journalists! yes, they’re always drunk, private invsestigators (?), airline pilots (like my dad, I saw what those guys put away). Ok...it’s.

Lawyers - reporting 33% with problematic drinking

Construction workers- 16.5%

Miners -17.5%

Then it’s Healthcare workers, especially doctors (oh no). A. 2012 study of American surgeons published in JAMA Surgery found 15.4 percent had an alcohol use disorder. Female surgeons (25.6 percent) were more likely than male surgeons (13.9 percent) to exhibit symptoms of alcohol addiction. Healthcare professionals in general it’s 10%

https://www.drugrehab.com/addiction/common-professions/

Performing artists and writers - 11.5%

Catering/hospitality -11%

So no pilots then? I think there’s something they’re not telling us or things are much better since the 80’s. 


 A 1998 study of junior doctors in Newcastle-upon-Tyne reported that:

* 60% exceeded the recommended safe limits for alcohol consumption

* 36% of males and 20% of females used cannabis 

The Sick Doctors Trust says “Since our working lives are spent helping others, it is easy to push aside our own problems, in addition to which, denial is quite common in medical staff. This is not deliberate, but a part of the whole illness of addiction. That addiction is a chronic illness which therefore requires treatment as for any other condition, is now well-established but there is still a tendency to feel that it is a sign of weakness, and that maybe things aren't 'that bad'.’

That some individuals are more prone to developing addiction is generally agreed. There is no single determining factor, but usually a combination of biological, psychosocial and environmental factors - a mixture of nature and nurture. There is now much evidence implicating dysfunction in the Dopamine transmitter system & it’s involvement in craving. There is also evidence to suggest that the effect alcohol has on an individual’s brain is genetically determined. A family history is present in many alcoholics- those having direct family affected being more at risk...

*Its a family affair*

I went to Adult Children of Alcoholics once. It wasn’t for me but what they said made total sense. I take responsibility for everyone, I’m primed for betrayal and disaster and I totally thrive in emotional drama. My dad wasn’t a nice drunk. He made my mum drink when pregnant ‘to keep him company’. She in turn gave babies a tot of brandy to keep them quiet as a stewardess and I can’t imagine my permanently shouting parents wouldn’t have liked us to be quiet babies too. So I’ve got pre and postnatal form. But I don’t have to fix them now. Particularly dad. It’s quite hard to fix dead people.

https://adultchildren.org/

*Booze: the solution AND cause of all of life’s difficulties*

Sick Doctors again “ Alcohol is the commonest substance of abuse in all doctors. Drinking will surprisingly continue despite negative consequences such as job difficulties, relationship breakdowns, financial problems, loss of driving licence; the alcoholic is driven by an irrational compulsion to continue, and frequently results in despair to the point of suicide. Fortunately, the depression associated with active alcoholism often abates when sober.”

http://sick-doctors-trust.co.uk/page/addiction

*I’m not an alcoholic*

and you probably aren’t either. But you might have problematic drinking. I did a survey as part of an UCLH research project. You can too. I lied a bit on it and still came out drinking more than 97% of women my age. Now an icon opens up on my phone every day to that says ‘DRINK LESS’. I stopped leaving my phone on meetings tables.

Drink Less. by Robert West

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/drink-less/id1020579244

If you are thinking about getting help for problematic drinking or any other addictions including workaholism or have any burnout symptoms for more than 3 weeks, you can of course get staff support and occupational health. But/And there is the amazing NHS Practitioner Health Programme where doctors with any addictions are supported https://php.nhs.uk/ DocHealth is another equally good programme https://www.dochealth.org.uk/. I used the latter when it was MedNet.

So, do I feel amazing? Had I got amazing skin, lost weight, feel energised and hopeful. Urg, not really. I feel a bit scared actually. I’ve lost my social crutch and I’ve stopped going out. I’m worried I’m boring and people will think I’m weird. But....I can get up earlier to walk the dog, I’m moderately less tired and although I’m not skipping down the road happy, the depressive moment I had in spring could have been a lot worse. I think that’s actually amazing. And that’s why I’m doing this. I want to face the world honestly and openly. I want to enjoy my kids before they leave home which is frighteningly soon and weirdly, I want to know my liver replaced itself in a year so I’m literally a new person (don’t google Theseus’ Boat Paradox, life is complicated enough). Oddly compelling, that. So where did I stop? I stopped here. In a weird waiting room in my head. But with the promise of a new adventure through the next door.

But don’t stop doing you, babes. Keep telling me your booze bantz. They are hilarious. Any story that starts or ends with Baileys is only going one way. This clearly isn’t a lecture. Most people can do moderation. And do could I, mostly. And it’s the mostly that’s not good enough. Not for me. Not any more.

Online support - https://www.facebook.com/groups/joinclubsoda/?ref=share

Samaritans- https://www.samaritans.org/

BMA wellbeing including 24 hour support - https://www.bma.org.uk/advice/work-life-support/your-wellbeing

Tea and Empathy for doctors’ online support - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1215686978446877/?ref=share

Al Anon for children of alcoholics https://adultchildren.org/

https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/

Dedicated to my husband who gave up the wine w*nker 6 years ago without any of this mid life crisis fuss. But I gave up meat and caffeine first so I still win.

[femisye-blog]

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[daryljdugdale]

OLIVE HARVEST !

One of the things TC and have been most excited about during our first couple of months in the cortijo is the olive harvest. We have always loved olives a main stay of our diet for the past 30 years of our relationship. TC would often buy big vats and mix them with garlic and chilli getting them out for festivals, holidays and big gatherings. We were also big fans of organic olive oil in our cooking and salads ect. However we never once thought we would have the opportunity of harvesting our own!

The opportunity was both exciting and frightening, apart from enjoying the tastes we have absolutely no idea of the process or the challenges! We have 87 olive trees in our grove spread over three terraces. I say we have 87 trees but I have never been able to count them without losing the number, I’m relaying on my friend Dave who assures me he has walked around the land and counted every last one of them!They share their space with a bountiful of other fruit and nut trees including pomegranate, lemon, clementine, quince and almonds. But the olives remain the king. Seeing the green olives turn to black and grow ever bigger is fascinating. I didn’t realise before but green and black are the same olive just at different stages of growth. It is the green olives that hold the most oil by all accounts.

Clearly with a total lack of knowledge but lots of enthusiasm we needed some one to help and guide us through our first olive harvest. Our inquiries included asking the previous owners what they did in previous years. A number of names and phone numbers of people who would consider helping were given to us. Now as you can imagine 87 trees is a lot of harvesting and something TC and I would have struggled to do by ourselves so we were more than happy to get options. Out of all the names Kerrie came forward and agreed with her crew to help us harvest. Kerrie is a six foot German cyber punk who lives down the track in El Morrion an area of Órgiva leading to the river that hosts predominantly an ex travelling community. There are some wonderful benders, yurts, wooden and stone buildings all put together in what appears a haphazard but clearly a very skilled way. They are mostly off grid with solar connections and various creative ways of collecting water from the river. A robust and innovative community who are as friendly as they are skilled. Kerrie has harvested our land for the past three years this would be her fourth so she knows the trees and she knows her olives. Every year after the harvest she travels to Germany and sells her oil in artisan markets producing a broad range of richly infused oils and olives. She is the perfect person to help us in our inaugural year. We meet a couple of times before the harvest begins to talk through the process and how we divide the fruits of our labour. Common practice here is if you own the land and you have people harvest for you they get two thirds of the crop and you get one third of the crop. TC and I are more than happy with this arrangement as trying to do it by ourselves would I’m sure prove both time consuming and potentially a disaster as we have no idea.

Harvesting varies in terms of when it starts and is dependant on the previous 8 months of weather. This year people began harvesting mid November. The harvesting will go on well into the new year. After scrutinising our crop Kerrie decides the date of our harvest will begin on Friday 7th December and will last three days with an appointment set for the mill of Monday morning. She agreed to talk us through the process and then introduce us to the miller and the process before handing us over our oil. The exciting thing at the beginning of the harvest is guessing what your haul might be. Common practice would suggest for every 10kg of olives harvested you would in a good year get 2 litres of oil. It’s around a fifth but some years less depending on how the weather has impacted on the growth of the olives. This year people were already complaining of the poor yield and the less than usual conversion to oil, some were getting around 12/13% conversion. It had been acknowledged this year the weather has been cooler, wetter and less conducive to a bumper crop. Also and what I didn’t totally appreciate is the olives alternate years in terms of good crop poor crop. Last year was an excellent crop so coupled with the poor weather expectations were low. Again for TC and I this was nothing but interesting, we would be happy with just one litre of our own oil!!

So the 7th December came and we were all set for the beginning of the harvest. We were busy that day as well as our son visiting, TCs sister and my parents were due to visit for the weekend. So all hands were on the proverbial pump.

Kerrie arrived 8.30 am sharp on Friday with a crew of three and off we went.

The harvesting process is not particularly complicated and no doubt refined over thousands of years. It begins by surveying the trees and selecting those abundant in fruit but also the right size of fruit. Trying to guess which may have the most oil in them. Once determined a series of nets is lain on the ground then we begin to stroke the branches with what look like huge hair combs. Gently persuading the olives to fall onto the nets. Once the easy fruit has been gathered you resort to huge sticks which you then bang the trees with again encouraging the olives to fall to the nets. It’s almost like a good guy bad guy approach!! Once you have got as many as you can from the tree the olives are carefully gathered from the net and placed in plastic containers and put in piles. What I didn’t fully appreciate is how labour intensive the process is. Our gang of olive harvesters did not shirk, they worked until light fell 6/6.30 every night starting at 8.30 in the morning as soon as the sun had risen. We fed and watered as the weekend progressed joining in the striking and banging of the trees and also the pruning.

This is a part I didn’t totally appreciate, every year the trees need pruning to support better health and better harvest for the future. Some of this pruning can be done whilst harvesting and the more thorough pruning, chopping down branches ect takes place after the harvest. This process can and in our case will take weeks. But to reflect on the fact you are preparing the trees for next years harvest is exciting and feels even closer to nature.

After three days of harvesting and probably two thirds of the trees harvested we take our booty to the mill. This process is also quite complicated. First you make an appointment then you show up to complete the paper work before you deposit your olives in the big vat. The timings for appointments are always provisional as you can imagine some rock up without appointments and the mill may have to stop for a period as they’re working flat out for 3 months. Patience is definitely a virtue in these circumstance. Kerrie is the perfect teacher taking us through every stage explaining and illustrating what takes place.

At last we get a final weight we have harvested 812 kg of olives, slightly under the tonne we were hoping for but then again everyone was down on their crop. The olives produced 165 litres of extra virgin organic oil I’ve oil of which we get a third 55 litres. We are so happy with our harvest and the oil tastes absolutely wonderful. On the first day we bought some fresh bread and sat around the kitchen table dipping our freshly baked bread into our own olive oil !! Yum yum.

Having harvested two thirds of the olives there is more to be done. Now we have the techniques and knowledge we will plough on harvesting the remaining trees. We will take some to the mill for harvesting and also will keep some for jarring. This process of producing eating olives rather than having them for oil is time consuming and usually takes two months of brining and constantly changing the water. However we’re very keen to be able to produce different flavoured eating olives with various infusions of chilli lemon garlic ect. In addition we have 87 trees to prune back. This involves use of a chain saw and other cutters. The branches need shredding of their leaves, those branches big enough will be chopped down for next years kindling and fire wood and the rest will be dragged to the front gate for the goats to munch on, twice a day they pass by, the remaining branches are then burnt. Apparently in Franco’s time leaving the branches for the goats was outlawed all waste needed to be burnt!! The rules for burning are complex, you need to get a fire certificate form the town hall and then you are only allowed to burn from 8.30 in the morning until 2pm in the afternoon and not on windy days. This can only happen from

November to March. As you can imagine there are lots of fires particularly at weekends!!

So as we sit here with a week to go until Christmas we have experienced our first harvest of our own olives. We have 55 litres of extra virgin organic oil, we are prepping eating olives this week and we continue to prune the trees, burning the rubbish after the goats have eaten the leaves and chopping the remainder for next years fire wood. We genuinely couldn’t be happier and despite all the potential risks of doing what we have done......... it’s all paying off and we are having a ball.

Just for those interested we will be coming back to U.K. mid February for my next planned CT scan and will be bringing our olive oil back with us to sell. Orders already coming in so if anyone would like some pm Tracey and we’ll arrange your order. Best get back to the land and continue to hone my chain saw skills !!!

X

[aimtrainer]

Child Protective Services FAQ

Show worry for your kids

Listen more than you talk

Request accurate data from CPS, they will regularly utilize expressions, for example, "we have concerns" or "it has been affirmed" or "we accept"

Try not to GUESS about your responses to any CPS questions

Try not to GUESS concerning what others knew or didn't have the foggiest idea

Try not to SAY the accompanying, "he could never do something like this" "I don't really accept that that occurred" "my youngster is lying"

Have the option to unmistakably clarify how your house is a protected home for your kids

Have the option to give positive references who have continuous contact with you and your youngsters

Try not to blow your top

Toward the finish of the discussion request that the CPS specialist sum up her conversation with you, her discoveries, any moves she is thinking about making and her purposes behind making those moves.

2. Do I have to have a lawyer with me at whatever point I meet with CPS?

CPS laborers don't care for legal counselors. Shockingly, a legal advisor who is curious about with CPS and adopts some unacceptable strategy in managing CPS might do you more damage than anything else. An accomplished CPS legal advisor can assist with explaining the issues, put forth your perspective in a positive way, and limit the danger of your kids being taken into child care.

3. CPS needs me to carry my kids to their workplaces for a gathering. How would it be advisable for me to respond?

This is an arrangement. Never under any circumstance take your youngsters to CPS workplaces without your attorney directly close to you. This strategy is utilized by CPS to get you to give up the youngsters to them at there workplaces rather than them going to the work of eliminating the kids from your home. To sum up, take your youngsters with you to CPS and odds are good that you'll be returning home alone.

4. CPS needs me to sign a "Security Plan" or they will bring my kids into child care. How would it be a good idea for me to respond?

A Safety Plan discloses to you that you need to observe certain guidelines to keep your kids with you in the home. For example, by and large, the Safety Plan will train you to eliminate a supposed victimizer from your home, or to clean your home, or to take part in guiding. You should find out if you can follow the Safety Plan - on the off chance that you can't, you are in danger of having your kids eliminated. You should ensure that both you and CPS get what precisely the Safety Plan advises you to do or not do. Numerous kids are taken out every year since CPS deciphered the Safety Plan uniquely in contrast to the parent did. Ask CPS when does the Safety Plan lapse. Assuming no termination date is given, you are perpetually in danger of having your kids taken out. As usual, attempt to survey the Safety Plan with a legal advisor before you sign it.

5. CPS needs me to isolate from my significant other or spouse and to get my youngsters far from him/her. How would it be a good idea for me to respond?

Take care of business. CPS consistently accepts that sexual maltreatment has happened, regardless current realities and rationale propose, and that youngsters consistently know what they are discussing. The issue is that in the event that you question any of current realities, your youngster will be out of your home. It is a tough spot, yet you should ALWAYS pick your kid over your life partner.

6. CPS has done an "Crisis Removal" and put my kids into child care. How would it be advisable for me to respond?

Discover however much you can concerning why the youngsters were taken into child care. Pose inquiries, yet volunteer little data now. Be useful. Mention to the CPS laborer what your kid enjoys and doesn't care for, and advise her regarding any meds your kid may be taking or other exceptional necessities the individual in question may have. Request an encounter with your youngster. Regularly, you will get a one hour visit one time seven days. Try not to compromise the CPS specialist and do whatever it takes not to show an excessive amount of outrage. On the off chance that the CPS specialist feels compromised by you or faculties that you are "temperamental" it will just damage your odds of getting your youngster home. Recommend family members who would have transitory ownership of your kid. Attempt to make courses of action to get your youngster a portion of his toys, clothing, and different belongings that will cause him to have a sense of safety while in child care.

7. I got legitimate papers revealing to me I have a court hearing to decide transitory care of my kids. How would it be advisable for me to respond?

Time is basic. You will have a Court hearing inside 14 days of the date your kid was taken out from your ownership. At the meeting, the Court will decide if there is a proceeding with risk to your youngster in your home. CPS will have their specialists, lay observers, specialists and cops prepared to affirm. Who will affirm for your benefit? Who will put forth your perspective to the Court? Do you realize how to interrogate an observer or how to have a problem with inappropriate declaration? You need legitimate portrayal. On the off chance that you need time to enlist a lawyer, ask the Judge for an extra two weeks to recruit one. Your kid should remain in child care, however commonly it is smarter to stand by two extra weeks and be genuinely ready for court as opposed to hurrying in ill-equipped.

A few things can occur at the underlying or "multi day hearing." Your youngster can be gotten back to your consideration (this seldom occurs); CPS can find ways to decide if a relative would have the option to really focus on the kid, or your kid can proceed in child care for a time of somewhere around 60 days. A CPS case can be won or lost now. Without forceful portrayal at the multi day hearing, there is an undeniable possibility that your kid will go through months in child care - conceivably without legitimization.

8. CPS is revealing to me my kids have been physically mishandled. How would it be a good idea for me to respond?

Kindly don't say, "I don't trust it" or "that is false" or "she recounts stories" or anything that gives CPS the prospect that you don't accept sexual maltreatment has happened. Show certified concern. Inquire, "how would i be able to deal with ensure I am giving my youngster a protected home?" Ask the CPS specialist questions. Look for definite replies. Who is the supposed victimizer? When did the maltreatment happen? How frequently has the maltreatment happened? Precisely what did happen? (you need to get over your humiliation and request realistic insights concerning what occurred). You should inquire as to whether you was aware of the sexual maltreatment or had any clue that it was occurring. What has your youngster told CPS? Except if you persuade CPS that you knew nothing about the sexual maltreatment and that you can shield the kid from the victimizer, your youngster will be put outside your home.

9. CPS is revealing to me my youngsters have been dismissed. How would it be a good idea for me to respond?

"Disregard" signifies various things to various individuals. Pose inquiries. Look for explicit replies. Attempt to get CPS to consent to leave the youngsters with you while you take an interest in nurturing classes or different administrations CPS suggests. On the off chance that your home is filthy, clean it. In case it's actually grimy after you clean, move. You might need to consent to do different things like spot the kids in childcare, or change your work hours. Keep in mind, you are doing these things to keep your youngsters with you.

10. CPS is revealing to me my kids have been truly mishandled. How would it be advisable for me to respond?

Actual maltreatment as a rule happens in one of two examples:

1. The instance of the child who is shaken or beaten by a grown-up. Cases including wounds infants and little youngsters are the most troublesome primarily in light of the fact that the casualty can't talk. You need to persuade CPS that you didn't harm your youngster and that your house is protected. This is extremely challenging. CPS needs to realize who harmed the kid and until somebody approaches with a clarification, the kid isn't returning home. Try not to make up stories, for example, "he moved off the bed." Do not conceal on the off chance that you realize who hurt the youngster - except if the individual you are ensuring is more essential to you than your kid. Your lawyer might propose you take an untruth finder test. You should endeavor to acquire legitimate guidance.

2. The instance of ill-advised actual discipline of a kid. On account of inappropriate discipline, you get an opportunity of keeping your kid at home, yet you must take an interest in nurturing classes and directing. Obviously, it will rely too upon the kind of wounds supported by the kid and if there gives off an impression of being a long-standing example of inappropriate actual discipline - for instance the utilization of additional strings to oversee spankings is misuse and may bring about evacuation of the youngster.

11. CPS reveals to me I needn't bother with an attorney at the crisis court hearing. Is this valid?

You need a legal counselor. CPS Test is addressed by the District Attorney. Your kids will have their own lawyer. You won't be fruitful addressing yourself. Additionally, don't succumb to the line, "this is just brief." Many an end case begins with such a portrayal.

12. I'm humiliated to educate my family concerning my CPS case. How would it be a good idea for me to respond?

In the event that your family can help you in any capacity, monetary, enthusiastic, or as a transitory situation for your kids, advise them. A CPS case could be the most genuine legitimate matter in your life. It is no an ideal opportunity to "go it single-handedly." Show CPS that you come from a decent family and that you have their help - it will have an effect.

[deepseacritter]

Going to the Dogs

Characters: CC-3636 | Wolffe; CT-7567 | Rex; CC-2224 | Cody; Hardcase

Additional Tags: Cody is a delightful ass, Rex can’t stop his brother from doing something dumb, Cody is always picking on the Wolfpack, he gets Hardcase to help

—————

Rex walked up to the caf machine for a refill. It was the second, no, third trip that morning. One more cup and he’d be ready to face the day.

As Rex turned to head back to his table, an unusual sight in a far corner of the room caught his attention. Cody was eating breakfast and animatedly talking with...Hardcase? Yes, that was Hardcase alright. Rex eyed them carefully. They both looked entirely too awake, and too conspiratorial for his liking.

With a grunt and a chug of caf, Rex walked back to his table. He was not awake enough to deal with whatever was going on there. Making a mental note to question the 212th commander later, he continued to keep watch of the odd pair as he sat down. Whatever Cody was planning was likely not great. Who or what the target was, he was determined to find out.

———

The 212th surplus was quiet as Cody sat cleaning his armor. He was distracted, scrubbing away dirt and blaster burns, and didn’t hear the footsteps approaching him.

“Cody, care to tell me about your meeting this morning? Why were you talking with one of my men?”

The commander looked up at Rex, surprised but careful to keep a neutral expression.

“Rex. Didn’t know you had access to this area.”

Cody thought about making some other smart comment, but the look on the 501st captain’s face suggested that would not be appreciated.

“I can’t tell you exactly what we were talking about. Sorry vod. You’ll find out later, I promise. Don’t worry, it’s nothing that will get your man in any trouble. He’s merely picking up some supplies for me.”

“What kind of supplies? Why Hardcase?”

Cody finished cleaning and stood to put his chest plate on, purposefully not looking at Rex. “Supplies we don’t have on base. And your trooper...volunteered his services. He’s not responsible for anything that will happen.”

Rex let out an exasperated breath and pinched the bridge of his nose as a headache began to form. Hardcase was trouble on a good day, and he certainly didn’t volunteer for anything unless there were explosives involved, or he had a chance to mess with a rival unit. Cody, well he definitely wouldn’t joke around with explosives, so that meant...

“Osik...the Wolfpack...you can’t be serious. Codes, after the stunt you pulled with the howling comm system? Do you have a death wish?”

Cody laughed and shook his head. He patted Rex and the shoulder, and then in a typical move, lightheartedly slapped Rex’s cheek. “You need to relax, ner vod.”

Things were suspiciously calm the rest of the day. Hardcase had returned to base by the time Rex had finished talking to Cody. Similar to the commander, Hardcase wasn’t talking about their plans.

“I’m sorry, Captain. I’ve been sworn to secrecy. Cody’s orders. Chain of command and all...”

“Hardcase, I’m your superior in the 501st, not Cody. And since when are you concerned with chain of command?”

Hardcase flashed a mischievous smile and shrugged. “Rex, the less you know, the better. Just think of this as a bonding experience between the 501st and the 212th. Brothers united.”

Under other conditions, Rex would have welcomed the camaraderie. “United, right. Just make sure this doesn’t come back to me. I want no part of whatever it is you’ve got planned.”

Hardcase gave Rex a mocking salute. “Of course, sir. You can trust me.”

He absolutely did not trust Hardcase right now, but trying to get any more information from the trooper would be pointless. He was as stubborn as Cody. Rex just had to see what was in store for Wolffe and the 104th.

———

The service call for dinner sounded and Rex made his way to the mess. There was a larger than usual crowd at the door, the hallway filled with a buzz of conversation. Closer to the doors, he could hear loud laughter from inside the room. Rex closed his eyes and let out a deep breath, sure that whatever was inside the mess was something special for the Wolfpack. Rex walked in prepared for anything, but he was still surprised by the sight that greeted him.

In the middle of the room, where the 104th usually sat, all the tables had been removed and replaced with...dog beds? Fluffy, pink dog beds of various sizes spread out on the floor. Among them were bowls full of water and kibble. Chew toys and bones were scattered in the mix as well, making the mess look like a kennel that was expecting a large influx of stray animals...

The captain took a good moment to survey the scene. On either side of the make-shift kennel, clones from the 501st and 212th sat at their tables in anticipation, as Wolffe and his men hadn’t arrived yet. Rex noticed Cody had positioned himself by the doors...probably the only smart thing he did all day. The commander would need a fast exit if he wanted to live to see tomorrow.

Cody certainly knew how far to push things without truly violating any regulations. Or, to be more accurate, he had a knack for exploiting things that had no current regulations at all. As far as Rex could recall, there were no standards for how the mess needed to be set up, and no regulations as to what items or furniture were prohibited. That was likely change after today, but for now Cody could not technically be punished for any of it.

There also weren’t any regs against wounding the pride of a fellow commander, but that wouldn’t matter to Wolffe. Cody was always trying to find ways to make things difficult for the other commander. Rex had to confess it was mildly entertaining to see those two battle back and forth, but he couldn’t remember when, or why, it had all started.

Rex made his way to the Torrent Company table, shaking his head and trying to recall the history between his fellow commanders. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Hardcase’s voice.

“...had to choose between pink and brown. I went with the pink ones, they stood out more. Pink and fluffy. That’s going to make the Wolfpack insane...hopefully.”

“Where’d you get them from though? And how did you get everything on base with no one noticing?”

“Jesse, you know me. I have ways of getting things done around here. I know people.”

Rex cleared his throat and sat down across from Hardcase. “If you’re lucky, Wolffe won’t come after you next. I won’t stop him if he finds out you had a hand in this.”

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take, Captain. I just want to see their faces...pink fluffy dog beds...bones...kriffing kibble!” Hardcase spit the last words out as he burst into a fit of laughter. Everyone was having a laugh at the expense of the 104th this evening.

———

Rex was halfway through his meal when the noise in the room suddenly dampened. One of the 212th troopers had signaled to Cody that Wolffe was finally approaching. Putting his meal aside, Rex watched with dreaded anticipation as the doors opened, and the 104th filed in. The room went completely silent as the newcomers stopped dead in their tracks in the middle of the room. Rex could see Wolffe push his way to the front to check what the holdup was about.

Wolffe’s face contorted into a murderous scowl as he stared at the scene before him.

“What in kriffing hells is this? Where are our tables? Is that dog food...” Wolffe growled with increasing agitation as he surveyed the mess, trying to register exactly what he was seeing.

From behind the group, Cody stepped forward, a shit-eating grin plastered on his face.

“Your dinner is served! Only premium kibble for the Wolfpack, of course. Grain free, and real meat is the first ingredient. Not sure what the meat is, or what the other ingredients are...but you’re worth it Wolfie, for being such a good boy.”

Cody patted Wolffe on the head and ruffled his hair. He was either being quite brave, or incredibly stupid...Rex’s vote when to the latter. No sane man would dare be this close to Wolffe right now.

“Thought you’d appreciate more appropriate lounge space, something more comfortable than those tables. The Wolfpack can really stretch out on those fluffy beds...just curled up all together and cute. Pink is your color, isn’t it? Of course it is.”

Rex could see Wolffe desperately trying to keep his anger in check, but Cody was being such an ass right now.

“I got you chew toys too, so you can’t say I’m never nice to you. Just try not to spread too many fleas, I didn’t buy enough flea collars for all of you.”

Wolffe rounded on Cody. “Shabuir! You’re a dead man Cody.”

Cody laughed as he hit a button on his comlink. Howling erupted over the mess speakers. He winked at Wolffe, which finally sent the 104th commander into a rage, then quickly escaped through the mess hall doors. Wolffe followed, bellowing every curse he knew, and some that Rex believed he made up on the spot just then.

Rex hoped the Jedi would intervene before Wolffe caught up to Cody. If not...well, then they might be short a commander in the very near future.

———————————————

So, thanks for reading my first fanfic piece ever. Hope it was at least a bit entertaining.

[nhlhoser]

On The Rocks - 20

PART 19  MASTERLIST

word count: 4226

"Mother fucking star boy"

The loud bass pumping through the club and into my body urging it to move in a seductive rhythm to the beat, surrounded by moving bodies pressed against together in similar rhythm. The girls surround me shielding each other from predatory males, shooting venomous glares to anyone that dare approach or even look at us with suggestive eyes. Mitch, Matt, and Connor form an additional layer of protection their hands on their girl.

The faces in the crowd blur together as I head for the bar in search for Steph who had gone to replenish her drink but wasn't back yet. I volunteered to try and locate her but also to replenish my own drink. Bumping into the odd person here and there I finally made it to the busy bar being attended by about 4 people busy making drinks with flair, tossing and flipping the bottles in the air and shaking the drinks to the rhythm of the music.

My height gives me a better view of the people surrounding the bar, scanning the variety of different faces I was able to spot Steph trying desperately to gain the attention of the bartender closest to her, which seems to be proven difficult by the amount of time she had been gone. Starting to approach an unknown guy drops his hand onto the middle of her back and talks in her ear, she instantly lurks away making me instantly quick my step and slipped my arm around her creating a barrier for her.

"He bugging you?" I asked my head bowed to her ear like the man did just moments before but she welcomes my closeness by tilting her ear to me before nodding. I step closer to the bar completely blocking him from her with a glare.

"-Putanna," I heard the guy say to someone meaning whore. "I was just trying to have a little fun with your friend here," The guy raise his arms in mock surrender with an eye roll leaning back to laugh with his buddies beside him.

Deciding to ignore this guy, I turn and lucky was able to catch the eye of one the bartenders and waved my wrist bearing the vibrant orange VIP band, he beeline towards us instantly inquiring our needs with a harmless flirtatious smile before quickly preparing the order with the same flare I had observed for awhile. As we wait for our drinks the guy beside us is talking to his friends loud enough to be heard over the music in Italian, some of the things are funny and the rest is disgusting.

Getting our fruity cocktails I left Stephanie to walk ahead of me as I follow. I could feel the guys eyes on me as I sip my drink stepping away from the bar, my back rigid.

"Putanna, si sarebbe più eccitante se eri più piccola ," whore, you would be hotter if you were smaller. On what ever reflex that sober me would never have done I whip my head and glare into eyes before snapping.

" NON SONO NESSUNA PUTTANA ," I am no whore I seethed loudly drawing more attention. "TUA MADRE NON TI HA INSEGNATO LA RISPETTO, CULO!" Your mother didn't teach you respect. Steph was at my side instantly pulling towards where we were last all together, the guy was too shocked by my outburst to react.

I am still shaken up when we reach our group, I could tell by the temperature that my face is red and so are my ears. Pushing hair away from my face to behind my ears I take deep calming breaths through my nose before chugging back my tequila sunrise instead. Mitch tucked his girl under his arm protectively with concern and wonder etched on his face as well at the others.

"What happened?" Mitch observed wide eyed as my tense stature and red face- and probably crazed eyes.

"I'm not exactly sure other than- HOLY FUCK THAT WAS HOT!!!!" Steph cheered. "SHE.WENT.OFF- in Italian," she swooned into her boyfriend's arms with a drunken laugh easing no one's curiosity but sparking it more.

"First off she came out of nowhere as this creep tried to hit on me, then instantly flagged down a bartender which I was trying to for awhile THEN WHEN WE WERE WALKING AWAY THIS GUY- THE SAME GUY SAID SOMETHING I can only assume is nasty and AMELIA WHIPPED TO HIM SO FAST AND BEGUN A VERBAL ASSAULT IN ITALIAN," Steph recounted her side of the tale over the loud music with enthusiasm, bouncing in her spot her boyfriend looked grumpy at the knowledge of someone trying to get with his girl.

"He called us whore's many time as we were beside him," I deadpanned not sharing her energy. Mitches eyes darken as does Stephanies as a look of disgust shoots across her face clearly now offended by the situation.

"That ass" she hissed.

"Culo," I gave her the Italian translation with a smirk but her brows crease before shooting up with understanding.

"Well, let's get back to shaking our Culos!"

"It's not gonna work for you, nobody can equal me,"

My heart continues to pump viciously from anger as I move with Sydney and Steph, the intent of his words sit directly on my heart. My lack of a good mood doesn't go unnoticed as Steph pulls me between her, Sydney and Lexi and all started to sing a lot to the music horribly close to my ear. Steph pulls away couple songs later to say something to Mitch who then disappears with Matt. Continuing to dance to a heavy bass song, Steph directly in front of me, Sydney to one side and Lex to the other with Connor practically wrapped around her. All moving to the beat to the best of our drunk abilities and laughing at each other.

Multiple songs later, the pair return with drinks in hand but also with Auston carrying a tray of shots, of what is yet to be discovered. Matt balances multiple drinks in his hand, giving one to me with a huge grin and nodded before dishing out the rest, Mitch's hands are full of beer bottles of different variety squinching at the label before handing out to the respective owner. It was rather harmonized for a bunch of drunks. Auston as if on queue, when all the drinks we situated he started handing out the shots of -once I smelt it- whiskey to everyone as he balanced his drink.

"TO HOCKEY!" Sydney raised her shot and we all copied before slamming back to the rough liquid, instantly burning down my throat. Shaking my whole body to ease the burning before chasing with my drink. The alcohol settles into my system a sense of calm and bliss wash over my whole body.

"He calls me the devil, I make him wanna sin," The opening for one of my favorite songs floods my ears, my body instantly reacts moving to the sensual beat moving my hips proactively.

"Hotter than hell," Closing my eyes singing along off tone. "As my kiss goes down you like some sweet alcohol," I open my eyes taking a sip of my own sweet alcohol, my blues meet the dark brown of Auston couple meters away sipping his beer. The alcohol coursing through me I work around Steph and Mitch, I approach Placing my hand on his always tense shoulder his head tilting towards me curious look in his eye. Definitely not use to me being the one to come to him as usual, it's the other way.

"Relax, Auston," I coaxed leaning my head towards his shoulder so he could hear me over the pounding music. When he doesn't relax right away I pout like a spoiled brat, gliding my hand down his bicep to his hand. Pulling him and slightly pushing him to the beat, a dumb grin raising on my lips. He's resistance still held, taking my hand out of his I use it to push the one holding his drink to his lips, he drinks after he rolls his eyes. He chugs it back before setting it down on an empty random empty table and urging me to drink mine back as quickly as he did, taking my glass and setting it beside it, grabbing my hand starts leading me deeper into the crowd.

The music got louder, vibrating the floor beneath my feet. Auston's face was shadowed by the lack of lighting in this area making it increasingly hard to decipher what he's thinking. Taking a couple beats to take him in for the first time tonight, his white dress shirt not as crisp rolled to his elbows and the top buttons undone expose the hints of his strength.

He pulls me by hands and then pushes like I had done to him but ultimately puts me into him, his large hands lay on the bare skin of my back. guiding me to him as he moves with beat moving me too. Both smiling as he pulls and twirls me a couple times, I end up with my back pressed up against his chest.

We laugh and dance for many songs before deciding we should head back to the floor above with the rest of the hockey people. We stumble into the elevator knocking into each other nodding at the security as they eye our bracelets letting us through.

"Uhm did you see a big kind mean looking guy come here yet?" I ask the guard pressing buttons, referring to Matt because he was the tallest.

"That's not this guy," The guard teased my head whipped to Auston survey him to figure out why the guy thought he looked mean but he had his usual look on his face it naturally looks bitchy so I guess i could understand.

"Nah, this one just has a case of bitch face," I dismiss as Austons face forges into a mock expression offense. "It's a good look though," I padded his shoulder.

"To answer your question, I did. He was with two other guys and three girls,"

Getting off the elevator I was stumbling mildly I put it but apparently it was enough to worry Auston as his eyes were wide with worry, his hands going to my shoulder. I rolled my eyes and stuck out my tongue leading forward to the rest of the Leafs. Auston in toe as we were greeted by a waitress with some shots, grabbing one for both of us without hesitation quickly handing Auston his as I violent slam it back. Probably didn't help my stumbling situation as dizzy spell hit me, grabbing onto Auston for some support,

"So now you want my help," He teased wrapping a strong arm around my waist better stabilizing me but also him.

The party is still going but now it was more just the players and respective partners. Sitting down at a booth with William, Morgan, and James who are all wasted by the sounds of it and that they admitted they'd probably fall if they stood. They all now nursing a glass of water each, which seemed like a great idea but when I went to get out the booth Auston was there.

"You're in my way," I poked his shoulder aggressively with a pout dawning my lips. He lazily/drunkenly turned his head to me his brows raised.

"And?"

"I'm thirsty," I actually was quite parched from dancing. He stood up with a grievance but when i tried to get up he pushed me back into the booth shaking his head. "you'll fall," he mumbled but he was no soberer than me and the other guys could tell- laughing.

"Wha- do you want?" he hiccuped.

"Water, please," he nodded before wandering in the general direction of the bar- I think. I tuned back into the conversation at the table brief before getting distracted by the aching in my feet, groaning stretched my feet in front of me.

"Why don't you just take them off?" Morgan mused.

"I think they're part of me now," Was the first thing out of my mouth seriously as I frowned down at my slightly swollen feet which would only swell more and I'd never get them back on when i had to leave is actually what I could have said but they're guys they don't understand.

"She wouldn't get them back on when she had to leave," James said in a condescending tone with a dramatic roll of the eyes. The other two simply nodded giving their teammate/friend a look. Impressed I nod in agreement with him as his chest puffs out a little making us all break into laughter.

Digging my phone out of my bra for the first time tonight, unlocking it I have to blind my eyes to focus on the bright screen.

3:01 am

A tall glass of cold water is set down in front of me, instantly my hands make hast dropping my phone in my lap to grab the cold glass. The water refreshing on my throat and dry mouth. I was half gone by the time I turn to an amused looking Auston sipping a dark amber liquid.

"Oh yeah, thank you," I smiled raising my glass mock cheers tapping it against his as he sets it down. I continue to enjoy my water it made no difference in lack of sobriety but it and much more would help my head tomorrow. That reminded me that I'm not exactly sure how I am getting home even into my apartment at this point not having my keys, Steph didn't really give me the plans.

"It's 3 am! Do you know if Steph left yet?" I asked the guys no one imparticular.

"I don't think so, but you might want to check with the other Leaf lady they might no more than us," Morgan shrugged nodding towards Molly and Lucy mere feet away. Turning to Auston who's once again in my way he lazily slides out wordlessly. The rest of the guys got up also deciding they should start heading out, we said our goodbyes but Auston stayed with me as I approached Molly and Lucy.

"Hey, Do you know if Steph and Mitch Left?" I got out over the music, slightly startling the two who are quick to shoot me their huge smiles pulling me into a semi group hug.

"Yeah, I think just a bit ago. She and Mitch looked pretty eager to get outta here," Molly winked insinuating they probably left to go have sex.

"Thanks, It was great meeting you guys. I'll already know I'll be seeing lots of you guys," I drunkenly giggled as we hugged and parted ways as stressed settled on my shoulders, my drunken brain decided the best way to deal is with more shots as a waitress came up to us with another tray of vodka shots. I took two for myself and wasting no time in drinking them as I could feel the judgment radiating off Auston as we wordlessly made out way outside of the club.

"I have no idea what the hell I am gonna do?" I started to freak out when Steph didn't answer her phone so could give me an Idea of where the hell is I suppose to go. Auston was obligatorily drunk beside me leaning against the brick wall casually, staring with glazed over drunk eyes.

"What's the matter?" He sounded like a little kid as his bottom lip jutted out forming a pout.

"I can't go home, I don't have my keys to get into the building or my apartment and Steph is probably fucking Mitch right now," I curtly confessed.

"You can stay at mine," He offered instantly with a bright smile. "Plus I always stay in your guest room," he added. Seeing as I literally have no other opinion and that I'm drunk it's a great idea. Nodding with a drunken smile as I watch the same smile grace his lips.

"Perfect, let's get- outta here.I'll get uber," Pulling out his phone nearly dropping it in the process he began tapping away. He squints at the screen with extreme concentration as the task became more difficult being under the influence.

Leaning back against the cool brick waiting for him to get everything situated, shifting from foot to foot they throb but are more at the point of numb then pain. I tilt my head up looking into the light polluted sky unable to see the stars. The air is cold raising goosebumps on my bare arms and legs, the lingering sweat intensifies the chill in some areas a shiver running down my body breaking through my drunken haze.

"Let go- wait at the front,"

My head is spinning and my stomach was turning.

Where am I? The surface under me was soft and warm.

and breathing? Rolling over I fall from the comfort onto the cold floor, knocking my elbow of the too close coffee table. The sound hurts my ears as my elbow buzzes.

"Can you kill yourself quieter please?" A voice said grumbled from the couch, so I was laying on someone. Blinking my eyes open carefully, it's still rather dark meaning it's early. The ceiling is not mine and neither is any of the furniture of what I could make out.

"You can stay at mine," The memory of Auston offering me to stay at his returns to my brain as I try to decipher where the hell I am. Relief temporarily washed over my body before the need to throw up replaced it, shooting up too quick on my wobbly feet with a groan. I stumble through the dimly lit foreign apartment, loudly knocking into the coffee table again and a wall on my mission down the hall to the bathroom. Throwing open the first out of 4 doors to luckily find the toilet on the first try.

Returning to the living room still feeling the effects of alcohol. Auston now lays on his stomach, his head turned out and his mouth open but his eyes still closed. He's still asleep. Looking around the Austons place it's open concept like mine but with a lot more tall windows, the living room is separated by a kitchen island complete with bar stools. His apartment being in the corner of the building, there is a great view of the city and the water. The city light's still bright as the sun is still down.

"Auston," I nudged his shoulder but nothing happens. "Auston, come on," I pushed harder earning mumbled words and a groan. "I need to steal clothes," I whined still in my club outfit but now it's wrinkled and gross against my skin.

"Take anything," He whispered turning towards the back of the couch.

"That couch isn't good for you back, Auston," I nagged but headed towards the doors from before this time taking my time to discover where each of leads.

"You'll just have to fix it," He muttered in the couch cushion.

"Ass," but I probably will anyway.

Behind the four doors is a bathroom and laundry room on the left side, a guest rooms with a bare matress on the right and Auston's room is at the end. Walking into his room I'm hit with the scent of Auston's and not surprised by the mild mess on the floor, ties throw across a slick looking dresser with a full-length mirror to the left with a suit jacket hung on the corner.

There's a walk in closet attached to his ensuite bathroom, stealing a hoodie, a black v neck, and compression shorts. Jumping into the shower there to no surprise is only male products but luckily he cares about his skin and has a face wash and exfoliator. Turning on the water is like the other time in someone else's shower it's a puzzle but alcohol makes it near impossible until I flip something and tug another getting the water to perfect burning temperature to wash the night off my skin.

Fresh faced and now more tired than ever, the window in Auston's room showcases the starting of a beautiful sunrise. A cheerful smile lights my lips as great idea spring in my still drunk head a hungover looming dangerously. Quickly jogging back into the living room, the sound of my bare feet slapping against the hardwood. I stop at Austonsleeping figure and try to figure out how I am going to get him wake and get him onto the balcony.

Deciding on the physical way I put my arms around his chest under his arm pits and start pulling him up. His heads lulls on my shoulder, soft snores hit my neck.

"Auston, come on," I tried to pull him into a sitting position but he's dead weight being asleep.

"AUSTON!" I go to shake his shoulders but decide against it as it would cause him to puke.

"You're killing my vibe," He mumbled leaning against me now.

"Get up, you drunken arse," It was easier this time as he worked with me, pushing himself off the couch and let me guide me towards the balcony. The crisp morning air assaults both of our senses, Auston eyes shoot open with a look of confusion. I guide him down to the single outdoor love seat and sit down with him.

"What?" He mumbles eyes widening. "Sunrise?" He turned to me, hair a mess and eyes half open brow cocked. I nodded eagerly curling my legs to my chest resting my hands covered by the ends of Auston's hoodie and rested my chin on them, looking out over the water as the sun rises. A shiver runs through my spine as the breeze catches my damp hair, I pull the hoodie closer to my body and the collar over my nose enjoying the scent of Austons deterrent.

Auston's arm came around my shoulders wordlessly as he repositions me to be leaning against his chest, cocooning me with his body heat. The sensation warms my heart and colors my cheeks red as the colors in the sky start to slowly morph from dark black night into lighter hues of navy blue as the sun brings up contrasting hues of oranges, reds, and purple as night meets day.

The brighter the sun gets, my eyes become heavier as my body slowly starts to descend into peaceful slumber wrapped up and surrounded by comfort and beauty. Auston has his left arm wrapped around my shoulders playing with the damp strands of hair falling over my shoulder as his right is around the front of my stomach, his head resting on my head on chest.

"I've never been this relaxed and hungover before. I'm so conflicted right now," Auston chirpy more lively than before breaking the silence. I hummed in agreement my eyes closed as I sink into him further.

"Amelia,"

"Come on, you can't sleep out here. It's bad for your back," Auston used my words from earlier as he poked my cheek. Blinking my eyes open easier than the first time I woke up, the sun is higher in the sky than before the sun rays glistening across the water.

"And you might wanna know that the view only gets better," He mused tiredly as he probably has seen the sun rise much time since he lives here.

"Let's go to bed, the sun is starting to burn my eyes," I suggested squinting, Auston laughs his chest shaken me with it. We get up Auston stumbles into the apartment, raising his arms into a large stretch as his bones crack in multiple locations.

"I wasn't kidding about you fixing my back," He smirked collecting our phones from the floor and moving our discarded shoes closer to the door.

"Sorry, it's my day off," I shrugged with a teasing smile closing the glass door and close the blinds. He mocks offense before adjusting his hair to look half presentable tossing my phone as I got closer.

"Water, Gatorade?" He offered as yawned walking into the kitchen.

"Gatorade and Advil if you have any? I can feel my hangover creeping in," I rubbed my eyes yawning myself.

"Good idea, I think I have some in my bathroom," He handed me the bottle of grape Gatorade beckoning me to follow him as he heads in the direction of his room. Following him into his room I sit on his comfortable bed as he searched for medicine, leaning back into the mattress and soft duvet I sink into sleep.

"Here it is," He tossed the bottle beside me startling me.

"Oops uhm go back to sleep,"

I did just that as he went into the shower, pulling off the hoodie and crawling under the duvet and I didn't instantly fall asleep. The other side of the bed dipped as he gets in 15 minutes later, I could hear him fiddling with his phone but the electric sound of the curtains closing break the silence correcting my assumption as he sets into the mattress with a sigh.

"Can you fix my back later?" Whispered seeing throughmy fake sleep. Cracking open an eye he has a small smile.

"Fine, go to sleep,"

Even though it's my day off.

NEXT

[realrealguylin]

2020 Reflections/Updates

Missions

I did a one week mission trip to Jordan in the start of 2020. I’ve sent out a prayer update letter about that before, please let me know if you want to read it!

Work

Work has been a wild ride over the course of 2020.

After I returned from my Jordan missions trip in the first week of February, there was a flurry of things that happened, so I will try to recount them.

One of my coworkers/supervisors/friends had some tense moments with our director while I was on a trip. This director was actually a substitute director because our actual director was on another project. So she didn’t really have a working relationship with my friend.

Once I got back, the tense moments continued and there was a lot of misunderstandings or just blowing things out of proportion in peoples’ own minds.

This led to my friend resigning from the job. He was able to find work with his mom’s startup/research.

My friend had previously told his mom about working with me, what we do, and I guess this left a strong impression on her about my skills because she called me one time to ask if I wanted a position with her. This was very out of the blue because I wasn’t necessarily looking for another job, I felt comfortable where I was but after my friend left and I was left to work with our sub director, I also personally did not like the direction of the management.

I prayed about it and talked with some people and decided that taking this new position was an open door that God was giving to me.

Currently I work for a startup called Mood Lifters. https://moodlifters.com/ You can read more about it, but we like to call it “Weight Watchers for mental health.” My boss, who is my friend’s mom, is also a professor at UM and developed this program as part of her research. My salary is funded by grants from the UM, actually, as this startup is in partnership with UM for research purposes (so I get health benefits, which I didn’t at my old job).

What I do for the startup is that I manage the data. Considering this is partially research there’s a lot of data. Demographic data, data from surveys our participants take, feedback comments, etc. I put them in a database which I had to develop from scratch, and I help manage the app we contracted a company design. I pull the data when needed and analyze it for my boss when requested. Usually this data is for presenting at presentations she gives or grant requests she is writing. I am the only person doing this, so it’s an important role.

My experience at this job has had its ups and downs. The very first week I started was the first week of quarantine in Michigan... so that was an interesting leg to start on. So I had to get used to working remotely on top of meeting my coworkers and learning the systems we were working with. I also had no idea what I was doing because there was no previous data manager to tell me the state of things so as I said, I was developing everything from scratch, which is what I signed up for.

So there were definitely learning moments - times I made mistakes with the data, times where I wasn’t working at the pace my boss expected (apparently her expectations are so high even her PHD mentees get scared of her), and slow times where I didn’t have much to do. But I learned from these moments and I’m especially thankful for our Science Officer, who is basically my working supervisor. She’s a recent PHD, very chill, and very understanding. We can’t work in the same office, but she’s more on the grounds and I feel like I can have those “quick office meetings” with her. At this point, I’ve reached a good, working rhythm for my role.

So as it is now February, my funding for 1 year was about to expire. It’s actually crazy to me that’s it already been almost a year and that I lasted this long, because there were points in the summer where I definitely felt like I’d get fired because of the difficulties, but praise God we’re here. So this past week I emailed my boss to start the conversation about what will happen going forward - is there more funding or if not, when will I end? To my surprise, my boss called me 5 minutes later saying she already begun the process of getting more funding and I have been approved for at least 6 months, it not more! She also commented that I’ve been doing a good job and that my supervisor really enjoys working with me. All I can say is that I’m thankful that I’ve gotten to this point, because it wasn’t easy and I can’t say that I’m doing a perfect job but I’m thankful because God got me here. I would have never imagined I’d be at a different job a year ago, but this is the story of my life - God always provides at just the right time. I actually found out that at my old job, they started furloughing people due to covid and my position would have been on that list, so I would’ve been unemployed. God always knows best!

Church

Our church has been virtual ever since quarantine started in Michigan. There was a short spurt where we tried to be in person, but for the safety and love of our congregation, we’ve been sticking to virtual. It’s definitely not the same to be virtual, but I do think it challenges us to rework our standards. Church is not just a building after all, and it reminds me of how the early church in Acts was scattered from persecution, so they were physically apart, but the church multiplied, actually, because everyone had different spheres of influence. More on this thought in a second.

At this point last year I wasn’t leading a Life Group. I was just a member, trying to get adjusted to our single adult ministry but still on the Executive Team of our church. I was considering what to do in terms of renewing commitments etc but didn’t feel like I had any convictions yet. That changed one night. Another leader in our church randomly messaged me about how in their LG, a senior was sharing about their plans after graduation. They planned to move back to their home country and pursue their passions of outreach ministry. What does this have to do with me? Well it turns out, I was the person who suggested to them to explore this passion through our Outreach Team in our church because I was the person who was assigning his ministry team in our church. I’ve actually never had a LG with this senior and have had no significant conversations with him since that initial assignment, but even just from that one encounter, it’s changing the course of his life. The leader encouraged me that non of my ministry efforts were in vain. This “random” message really sparked something in me. It reminded me of the joys of discipleship, of walking together with people, and seeing them grow in their talents and passions - having front row seats. And, having a year off from leadership - I really missed having the platform to do that. Not to say you can’t do that without a title, but the platform gives you moments like this. And so I decided I want to commit to that, through our church again. So I’m a LG leader again, in the Focus ministry.

Starting in May 2020, I’ve been leading LGs. For this calendar year, we are doing split gender groups, remotely. It’s definitely... different than what I’ve experienced in the past. I’ve found myself having to really stretch my creative juices to think of ways to foster community in remote ways. So now we do things like virtual birthdays, or group watch parties for Sunday Celebration to simulate “going” together, or having dinner together remotely.

I’ve had a LG in the Summer and one in the Fall. Based on what I shared previously, I really wanted to be involved in people’s lives and their growth. I think Covid has definitely been a hindrance to this, but in addition to that, it looks different with working adults as opposed to college students. It’s true what they say: college is a formative time in someone’s life. They’re still learning about themselves, and figuring who they want to be in this life. So as a leader, you get to see that grow and develop. Post-grad (for most of my members) though, people have gone through that already. Especially in our Focus ministry, where I deem it as a “transition” time for a lot of people. A lot of them are waiting... waiting to get into grad school, waiting for a better job, waiting to move, waiting to get married. But what does it look like to be faithful, now? We actually had a whole Bible study series over the summer about this. All this to say, I’m still trying to figure it out for myself, and then also how to lead others in this stage of life.

I will say, one joy and privilege I do get, is I’ve been paired with various co-leaders who are leading for the first time. Being able to pour in years of experience into them has been very rewarding. Also you get to see potentially a different side to some of them, or you see the talents that God has given them that they might not see for themselves. I even got to lead with someone I discipled while he was an undergrad, and now we’re both in this working adult life stage - God is faithful!

Home Life

Not really sure what to call this miscellaneous section, but I’ll just call it my “home life.”

I believe in my last update I talked about moving off-campus. My roommates and I found a place (basically) across the street and moved again in May. We each have our own room now, and the place is quite spacious. I personally don’t have any problems with having a roommate, but the others wanted their own space. This is my first (?) time not having a roommate, actually. I understand why people like it so much. You can go to sleep and wake up whenever you want without disturbing someone and you can keep the room as clean or as dirty as you want. Also we each get our own bathroom so that’s comfy, too.

Like many others, I have been working from some since quarantine started. I’ve set up a desk near the living room. I just enjoy being out there as opposed to being cooped up in my room. It’s brighter, more lively, and I get to see the roommates past by once in a while. The only downside is if I have a meeting at night - I have to move to my room with no desk to answer the Zoom call.

My roommates have been working from home too. It’s a stark contrast against when all three of us would be commuting to work. It feels like instead of having lived with them for 2 years, It’s been 10 years. When you see a person not just everyday, but many hours per day, you’ve accelerated the timeline. I’m thankful for that, though, because who knows when they’ll move so getting time to get to know them now is a silver lining while being forced to work from home.

At first, when you work from home, it feels like a gift.. but then soon you realize if you don’t set limits for yourself, “home” will always feel like a potential arena for “work” and then you never really leave mentally.. It’s a good test of work-life balance. I think I’ve gotten into a decent routine and have a rough schedule everyday so I can be consistent and when I “get off” work, I’m mentally relaxed.

Outside of working and online church, I don’t do much. There are literally spans of 4-5 days, up to a week, where I don’t set foot outside. And then I’ll go out to drive my car for something and it hits me “wow, this is my first time outside in a week.” I’ve been watching a lot of anime shows with my roommate. This is a rough list of everything I’ve ever watched, some within the last year as well as my current watches https://myanimelist.net/animelist/linguy?status=2.

I’ve also been playing a lot of video games, I made a list here as well... https://howlongtobeat.com/user?n=GeneralTso&s=games&completed=1

Every few weeks I visit my mom since my weekends aren’t occupied with going to church. She’s doing well, she works part time at a restaurant, and it’s all takeout. Im working on getting her scheduled for a vaccine.

On the Horizon

This would be the section where I put things I look forward to... but it’s hard to make any long term plans for now.

I guess... I’m looking forward to the day when I can start looking forward to things- when we can start planning trips, we can freely watch movies in theaters, or have birthday parties, or eat restaurants.

Until then, I’m just being faithful with what I have.

Prayer Requests

Pray for our return to normalcy.

Pray for vision for the future. I know of some friends who are going to various countries to do missions for a short-term and thinking about doing that lights a fire under me to not just settle but keep fanning the flame.

Pray for peace. Recently I feel like God is giving me peace about just where I’m at in life, but it’s still very easy to compare life circumstances with others around my age. I want to believe that I’m right where God wants me to be.

Thanks for reading so far! Here are some pictures I dug up

Christmas Hot Pot!

Some of us in Focus did shopping for to partner with a charity

“Socially distant” LG Close Outs

Covid Birthday Parties