#and I might even get paid (wahoo)

[the-clockwork-three]

.

[weirdly-specific-but-ok]

REWATCHING GO S1, LIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY OF DOOMSDAY WAHOO

HELLO MAGGOTS REWATCHING SEASON 1 BECAUSE THE FIRST TIME WAS A KIDNAPPING CHAOTIC MESS. EPISODE ONE HERE GOES. I DON'T REMEMBER A LOT OF DETAILS BUT YES.

Opening scene and Earth's got vibe-checked by God and I've been gaslit about the dinosaurs

GARDEN OF EDEEEEEN wow his first appearance and Aziraphale's already so prissy and flustered might fuck around and fall in love with him idk

I finally understand who these mf's are hi Hastur and Ligur you're not zombies after all

FOR FUCK'S SAKE SECOND SCENE CROWLEY'S BEEN IN AND SHE WALKED IN, SERVED HIPS HAIR AND CUNT, AND THEN MANAGED TO TALK HER AWAY INTO A PROBLEM

LIKE GENUINELY SHE COMES AND SASHAYS WITH HER HAIR AND SAYS TIMES ARE CHANGING AND HEAD OFFICE LOVES ME AND JUST INSTANTLY HASTUR AND LIGUR USE HER WORDS AGAINST HER

idk sister mary loquacious is kinda doing it for me rn with that satanic nun's habit and losergirl energy

third crowley scene and he's misplaced THE LITERALLY GODDAMNED ANTICHRIST because he made small talk with a bloke outside without checking for details

mmmmhm yes sister mary wink again your bitchless decisions are sexy y'know what i mean

Gabriel feels like his brain was eviscerated and replaced with one of those youtuber's paid course promos at the end of their how to change your life in 45 days: three simple mindset shifts video

so THIS IS WHY EVERYONE KEEPS SAYING PAVLOVIAN IN THIS FANDOM IT'S BECAUSE OF DUCKS of course it's because of ducks

mmmhm yes sure crepes French revolu--Crowley stop eye-fucking Aziraphale you're making everyone at the Ritz horny

Aziraphale don't moan into your food man you can't take these two anywhere

Crowley thanking the driver for slowing down is everything to me

And they're drunk hu-fucking-zzah good thing we'll have 11 year olds saving the world coz these fuckers sure ain't doing shit

OH MY GOD HE WAS TRYING TO SAY BOUILLABAISSE I JUST REALISED. I THOUGHT HE WAS JUST MAKING KISSY FACES AT AZIRAPHALE I'M NOT OK-

What Aziraphale was doing back was definitely kissy faces though that mfer wasn't even trying to say bouillabaisse when Crowley said what sounded suspiciously like baby

kissy kissy from lil miss prissy [i would have made such a great high school bully shame i had no inclinations that way]

SORRY WHAT THE BLOODY FUCK WAS THAT SOBERING UP EXCUSE ME THE FANFICS MADE IT SOUND LIKE IT WAS A CLICK AND THEY'RE SUDDENLY NORMAL WHY IS THE ALCOHOL REFILLING

oop nun down nun down

i want ya see a wile ya thwart amirite on a t-shirt

"actually i encourage humans to-" just say you're a lazy bitch azi we love you

love crowley fake-manipulating azi into helping like azi wants to be manipulated y'know so it's not technically his fault he was wiled over or whatever and they're both just such ENABLERS

not azi going SOFT at being godfathers with crowley

NOT BROTHER FRANCIS PLEASE NO FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS SACRED AZI WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS PLEASE

WARLOCKKKKK I LOVE YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

HNNNG MICHAEL SHEEN HAD TOO MUCH FUN WITH THIS

why is nanny ashtoreth so seductive with that of course dear is it just crowley's inherent disastergirl sex appeal

HALF PONYTAIL CROWLEY I AM A FUCKING SLUT FOR HALF PONYTAIL

GASLIGHTING HEAVEN AND HELL THAT'S MY BABYGIRLS

erIC THE DISPOSABLE DEMON I DIDN'T KNOW THEY COME IN S1 well not come i hope unless being eaten by a hellho--nope

ANGEL CROWLEY SAID ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL

CROWLEY TRYING TO BE SUBTLE ABOUT KILLING BEFORE GETTING ANNOYED

waiter crOWLEY OUTFIT I CANNOT BE NORMAL AFTER THE WEDDING DRESS DESIGNING ABOUT THIS COSTUME

FOOLS WRONG BOY YOU FOOLS IM DEAD

DOG IS UNIRONICALLY SO CUTE EVEN BEFORE IT GOES SMOL

gonna give my roxie a kissy brb she's my angel and all this dog talk makes me miss her (she's a few feet away under the bed)

i asked her for a kissy and she crawled out and gave me a kiss i love her

DOGGGGG ADAMMM

...roxie's crying to be taken downstairs it's nearly 2 am this is on me for waking her up i crowley'd myself fml

EYYYYY WELCOME TO THE END TIMES don't mind me I'll have to take roxie down yes I know maggots I'm crowley-coded I KNOW THAT I'M A BLOODY DISASTER BYEEEEEEEE

[strawbaleramblynn]

book notes: More Straw Bale Building

by Chris Magwood, Peter Mack and Tina Therrien

With notes on Essential Sustainable Home Design by Chris Magwood

Somehow, early in my mission to read every book on strawbale construction ever published (......I’m joking. Mostly) I got the weird impression that the Chris Magwood books were not good. I have no idea where this idea came from, but I might have deprived myself forever if Andrew hadn’t thrown his name out there as a good reference source during our workshop. This book was great!

This is probably the single most comprehensive book on strawbale construction I’ve read so far. It was, like many reference books, published prior to the strawbale code going into effect, but thankfully after people stopped embedding rebar in their bales. It covers both loadbearing and non-loadbearing buildings, though you can see the author’s preference for loadbearing throughout.

There’s so many topics in this book that I’m going to go ahead and just share the index rather than list them:

The sections on design I really loved, and the actual construction sections were also pretty great (though there was a little less attention paid to the challenges of framed strawbale than I’d have liked in spots). There’s almost no stone unturned on the topic of strawbale building here, and even better: they provide reading lists of more books at the end of every chapter! Wahoo!

This book is much more open to the idea of you completing a build yourself, or with friends and family than the Morrison book. It still acknowledges you’ll likely need a contractor to get a bank loan, but that I’ve already heard from everyone.

And now I’d like to make a sidebar on a different book - Essential Sustainable Home Design, also by Chris Magwood. This book I did not especially like. It covers briefly almost every form of natural building, but not in very much detail. The takeaways I got from the book were pretty much “Chris Magwood thinks you should not build a basement (because concrete is bad) or use foam insulation (okay I agree there).” There was much less on actually designing a home than I expected and, lo and behold, not only is there more on design in this book, many of the same paragraphs appear in both books.

Now, am I salty about this book because I know building a basement is bad from an embodied carbon standpoint but I intend to do it anyway? Maybe so, maybe so...but if we’re talking about things in construction bad for the environment that require further contemplation so is building single-family homes in general, and Mr. Magwood didn’t ask his readers to think twice about that. Anyway, it was fine but not a resource I intend to pick up again. If you weren’t broadly familiar with different sustainable building techniques it’d be worth a read for that.

Things I want to follow up on from this book:

Many! The entire design process proposed in here seems solid.

Checking through the reading lists to update my own

Use of silicate paints over clay plasters as an alternative to using lime plaster for water resistance while still keeping permeability

The possibility of renting the delivery trailer from the straw to keep them in storage until the bales are stacked

Blocking between joists under the toe-ups for a framed floor (this book does include basement hallelujah)

I-beam roof framing as an option?

They suggest using just plywood as the top plate for framed designs to minimize lumber, but then how where would you staple your mesh? Building some sort of box beam seems the only way to get  sufficient nailing surface.

Plaster-wood interface. The book recommends not using roofing felt over wood framing for fear of trapping moisture next to the framing, but instead using a slip coat of plaster and straw stuffed behind the the plaster mesh to bridge the gap.

Using vapor barriers at ceiling, floor and post intersections. Not elaborated on in detail, but repeatedly mentioned as locations to seal air gaps.

Plastering tips (many)

[boxoftheskyking]

Pick Up Every Piece, Part Two

how do you write Wei Ying? All talking. How do you write Lan Zhan? Run on sentences, of course.

have some exposition. everyone is a mess, wahoo.

Part One

---

Lan Zhan’s iron is broken. 

There’s no reason it should be—he keeps it clean and returns it to its original box after each use, and it’s barely three years old. But no matter what he does, it does not heat. He shouldn’t even need to iron his shirt in the morning, but deadline on deadline (and budget cuts on budget cuts) mean that he hasn’t had a decent night’s sleep in six days and hasn’t done laundry in a week. There are dishes piled up in the kitchen sink, so he’s started avoiding the kitchen entirely on his way to crash into bed so he doesn’t have to see it.

Things break, Lan Zhan accepts this. They wear out, come to accidents, disappoint you, die. But there’s no reason for this iron not to work. There have been no odd smells, the plug is fine—he’s tried three different outlets—and it’s barely three years old.

He stands in his closet in an undershirt and boxers, one hand pressed flat against the heating element, and allows himself a two minute breakdown.

There’s no reason for it. He’s done everything right, ticked every box. He started writing at age ten and hasn’t stopped since. He was top of his class at university, edited every school paper he had access to and founded two more, he got his masters. Even factoring in nepotism—which he doesn’t like to do, because it makes him feel like a cheat—he’s gone about as far as he can as a journalist. He’s won every major award, and with his uncle as managing editor he has more freedom than most in terms of how he writes and what he covers. He served the Republic, fought for two and half years and got a Sunshot medal for it. And yet, after ten years in his chosen field, everything is dying around him. No one pays for papers anymore, no one cares for the truth anymore. Political pundits on TV and radio have taken over the readership; citizens still traumatized by war just want someone to tell them what to think, tell them everything is fine now, tell them to ignore the injustices and messes and misfortunes that surround them. When he started at the Gusu Herald there were fifty people on staff—now they’re down to under twenty, including editors. All the small town papers in the area have closed, but there’s hardly the staff to even consider local stories these days. Lan Qiren tries to hold out as the last family-owned paper in the area, but corporations are circling. It’s like he spent his whole youth building a shining bridge across a canyon, only to find the other side barren and dead, miles of cold steel and no light on the horizon. 

He turns the iron and presses it against his chest, imagines it suddenly turning on, the satisfaction of the burn.

Then he unplugs the iron, puts it back in its box, and pulls on the wrinkled shirt. He pulls up the blackout curtains to let a little of the thin 7am light into the bedroom. There’s no reason to still have blackout curtains in Gusu, but he got used to it years ago and once he gets used to things he tends not to change them without reason. But he’s got plants now, gifts from his brother, and he’s trying to keep them alive. It shouldn’t be that difficult to do, he is conscientious and meticulous, but then his iron shouldn’t be broken either.

No one comments on his wrinkled appearance when he gets to work, which irks him. There is the familiar sound of phones ringing, printers going, file cabinets slamming open and closed in every direction. It’s calming to him, but he can’t help but notice how much quieter it is now than when he started. Part of it is the new computers—when he started here they were still on electric typewriters which were deafening. But mostly it just feels . . . empty.

Not completely empty, not yet. 

“Hey, hey Lan Zhan,” Lan Meiling waves him over to her desk, where a half dozen reporters are gathered around a computer printout. “Did you see this? Jin Zixun’s the new head of the Trade Commission. Just announced.”

Lan Zhan winces and looks over the report.

“But we’re not a monarchy, right guys?” Liu Dong snorts, shoving Meiling’s shoulder.

“It’s not a monarchy, it’s the other thing,” Wang Tengfei says, tapping his chin. “What’s the thing where it’s not passed down by birth, but you still appoint all your family members? That’s a thing isn’t it?”

“That’s just Jin Guangshan,” Liu Dong laughs. “But hush, hush, treason.”

“Come on, what’s the word for it?” Tengfei asks again.

Meiling takes the paper back from Lan Zhan. “Wasn’t he the one who paid for his grades in college? I get them confused.”

Lan Zhan nods. “That was Jin Zixun. Who’s got the story? There should be clippings. ‘92, I think, or ‘93.”

“Who covered that? Any of you?” Su She leans over the cubicle wall, knocking the photo of Meiling’s family onto her desk. There’s no reason for him to be here; he doesn’t cover politics. He’s had the local court beat for the past three years, and has spent those three years writing the exact same story five times a week with different names and charges plugged in. Lan Zhan is completely sure that he’d cover a person fined for unpaid parking tickets and a person arrested for smuggling baby unicorns with the exact same level of interest.

“Wei Ying wrote the story,” Lan Zhan says. The group falls silent, a troubled glance flying between all but him. “Before the merger, in the Gusu Times. Lan Shu can pull the clippings for you. It was a series, I believe.”

Lan Meiling coughs. “You can find a different reference, Liu Dong. Someone in Qinghe must have covered it.”

“It was a good series,” Lan Zhan says. He’s being needlessly stubborn, but that’s nothing new. “Wei Ying got the school registrar on the record.”

Liu Dong scratches the back of his shaved head. “Yeah, but. You know. I’ll call over to Qinghe.”

“It was a good series,” Lan Zhan says again. It’s awkward enough to break up the group, everyone shuffling back to their desks or the coffee maker. Lan Zhan has that uncomfortable feeling that he’s supposed to want to apologize for something. It’s a feeling he gets a lot, and he hates it. He doesn’t want to apologize—he has nothing to apologize for. Wei Ying was a good reporter; he wrote good stories. Everything that happened after that doesn’t change the fact that he was good at what he did.

Su She follows him over to his desk, so his day is about to keep getting worse. Lan Zhan prides himself on being rational, and he has many rational reasons for disliking Su She. He’s a half-assed writer, he wouldn’t know a decently placed comma if it was unveiled to him on a pedestal by the gods, he is a busybody and a gossip, and he lives to take credit for other people’s work. He’ll offer you the phone number of one of his “connections” and then whine about how he deserves a shared byline.

But on many levels beyond the rational, Lan Zhan hates the guy. He hates the way he pronounces words, his laugh, the smell of his lunch, even his handwriting. And he’s always there.

“You knew him, didn’t you, Lan Zhan?” Su She leans on his cubicle now, though there are no photographs to knock down.

Lan Zhan’s instinctual response is Don’t call me that, which is ridiculous because it’s his name. But he hates the way his name sounds in Su She’s mouth.

“What?” 

“Wei Ying. You knew him before the scandal, didn’t you?”

Lan Zhan takes an even breath. “Yes.”

“Did you work with him?”

“He was at the Times, before the merger. He never worked at the Herald.”

“But you knew him in school, right?”

If Lan Zhan wanted to be fair (he doesn’t), there’s no way for Su She to know that this line of questioning is particularly painful. He distracts himself from the sting of it by considering all of the answers he won’t be giving.

Yes. He gave me half a handjob in 1989 and I’ve thought of it every day since.

Yes. He called me his soulmate one day in the library at Gusu University and I’ve thought of it every day since.

Yes, I read the story that ruined his life before it was published, because he came to my home and asked me to read it and he was so proud, skinny and manic and over-caffeinated and burning, burning, burning, and I looked at him and I recognized the same thing that burns in me, the thing that keeps me coming back to this sad beige office every day, that makes me want to fight the inevitable like swinging swords at the sea, and I didn’t tell him not to publish. I told him it was a good story. It would not have stopped him, me telling him not to do it. But I could have tried. And I’ve thought of that every day since.

He just nods, instead.

“Is he still alive, do you think?” Su She asks casually.

The question stops Lan Zhan. “What?”

“No one’s heard from him since the war, have they? Could have died somewhere. Plenty still missing. I heard he went West, maybe, and the fighting was—”

“He is not dead.” Lan Zhan doesn’t know this for sure. But he would know, surely. Wouldn’t he? The thought honestly has not occurred to him in all these years, that Wei Ying might have died.

“Are you in touch?” Su She has a habit of asking questions like this, flipping from casual conversation to an interrogation. It makes him a terrible reporter.

“I served with his brother. He has not mentioned that Wei Ying has died. I have work to do, Su She.”

It bothers him, even after Su She leaves. He hasn’t seen Jiang Cheng in a few years, and they do not write or call each other. Jin Zixuan writes to them all about once a year, and he visits when he’s in Gusu, but he has always been the more sentimental one of the three of them, the survivors. But he thinks that Jiang Cheng would tell him if Wei Ying had died. 

Perhaps he wouldn’t. Jiang Cheng was not at school with them; he may not think of Lan Zhan as a person to notify in the event of his brother’s death. Would anyone think to let him know? It wouldn’t make the papers, probably, so how would he know? Wen Qing, perhaps. If she remembered. If she is also alive.

He feels it like an itch on his skin, something unsettled in his stomach, the idea that Wei Ying might not have survived. He would know, wouldn’t he? He’d feel it, the change in the fabric of the universe. Food would taste different, his voice would sound different. He’d feel it in the moments between sleeping and waking.

He makes a cup of tea and boots up his computer. They all have emails now, which is still a relatively new part of the morning ritual, but he doesn’t mind adding it as he checks his mail, his answering machine. He had a deadline yesterday and isn’t swamped this morning, so he takes down phone numbers and flips through his calendar on autopilot while he thinks about Wei Ying.

Wei Ying probably remembers him. He definitely remembers him, it would be ridiculous for him not to, but Lan Zhan doubts he remembers their college years the same way. 

(His fingers in Wei Ying’s hair, shoved against the wall in someone else’s dark bedroom, cheering and laughter from the drinking game just downstairs, cheap beer on his breath, everything spinning, spinning, his first time being drunk, his brain singing out kiss him, kiss him again, more, more, more, this is your chance, Wei Ying’s left hand on him, awkward and surprisingly tender, Wei Ying’s voice slurring in his ear “Lan Zhan I’m so glad you’re here, I’m so glad, I’m so glad I found you, Lan Zhan,” before the door bursts open and they spring apart, before Wei Ying ruffles his hair and says, “You probably won’t remember this, huh?” before they leave the party separately, before weeks of silence because what do you say to all of that, before Wei Ying and Wen Qing get together and Lan Zhan says, “I’m happy for you,” which is a lie, a lie, a lie, before Wei Ying and Wen Qing split up and Lan Zhan says, “I’m sorry to hear that,” which is a lie, a lie, a lie . . .)

He could do some digging. It probably wouldn’t be too difficult to find him, and it’s not like Lan Zhan lacks resources. But every time the thought crosses his mind it feels like too much, too violating. If Wei Ying wanted to be found, he would not have disappeared. And if Wei Ying wanted Lan Zhan in his life, he knows where to find him. Lan Zhan is not the one who left.

That’s a bitter thought, and unfair.

The story of Wei Ying is not complicated, and it’s not secret, but it’s never told right. 

They’d met in college, when Wei Ying transferred to Gusu in junior year, in a psych class of all places. Lan Zhan had a double major, because psychology and journalism was a logical pairing, and Wei Ying was meant to take a broadcast concentration but had broken his wrist falling off a roof and couldn’t work any of the equipment. 

Lan Zhan hadn’t known what to do with him at first. Wei Ying had grabbed him for the first group project a week into the semester, declaring, “We’re kindred spirits, you know,” before writing his phone number left-handed on Lan Zhan’s arm. Lan Zhan did not know. They had barely spoken before this, but for the rest of the semester Wei Ying sat by him and they studied together and Lan Zhan pulled strings to get him onto the university paper. And Wei Ying had grinned at him one day in the library, sleep-deprived and rumpled, when Lan Zhan had finished his trailed-off sentence, and said “Ah, my soulmate.”

They were kindred spirits, Lan Zhan believed. Lan Zhan decided he wanted to be a reporter when he was ten and learned the truth about his parents. After an entire childhood of being lied to, he decided his calling in life would be to tell the truth, no matter what. It made him odd and prickly, and usually lonely, but gave him a reputation of fearlessness and ferocity that he would never regret.

Wei Ying was different. He wasn’t so invested in the truth from a moral or political perspective—he was cheerfully amoral back then, in a teenage kind of way—but he loved information and he loved being right. Puzzles and secrets attracted him, and Lan Zhan watched them open up for him like lotus flowers at every turn. 

Lan Zhan settled into their friendship in a way that was unexpected, he began to rely on Wei Ying’s opinion, began to think of things from his perspective when he found himself stuck. And then he’d gotten drunk at a midwinter party and kissed Wei Ying and ruined all of it. It wasn’t Wei Ying’s fault. Lan Zhan had panicked and run and then left for break and never given Wei Ying his home number, and then when he returned Wei Ying wasn’t single anymore. He’d gone to Yiling with Wen Qing and her brother and come back someone’s boyfriend. (Wen Qing! Older, beautiful, stern and razor-sharp, who Lan Zhan had hero-worshipped, the part-time advisor to the school paper who turned down more offers than either of them would see in their lifetimes. That Wen Qing!) And Lan Zhan didn’t know how to handle it so he just . . . let it go. They stayed in touch while Wei Ying moved back to Yunmeng for a while, then got a job at the Times after the war started, and Lan Zhan joined the Herald and went to grad school, always Wei Ying reaching out first. But even after they were both single again and living in the same city, they just stayed apart.

It would be easy—completely unfair, but easy—to blame Wen Qing for all of it. But all she’d done was the same thing Lan Zhan had. Loved Wei Ying, and failed to stop him. If anything, Wen Qing is better than he is—when Wei Ying fell, at least she fell with him.

The downfall was not complicated, and he should have seen it coming. When Wei Ying showed up at his door in the middle of the night with a crumpled print out of his story, Lan Zhan should have seen where it would lead.

It was 1994, three years into the war, and Lan Zhan was in training with the cultivator corps in Lanling. In retrospect, that’s likely how Wei Ying found him—Jiang Cheng was in his unit and must have given the address. Perhaps that was one of the reasons he didn’t stop Wei Ying. Everything was so unreal, the war, the devastation, the training, cultivation itself. Everything he’d known about life, the country, physics, what is possible and what is just a legend, all of it was thrown out into a whirling storm of adapt, adapt, adapt. It was chaos, and Lan Zhan became very good at chaos.

The story would have been a bombshell in any year—over a dozen former assistants, interns, and even one sitting representative accusing the Acting President of the Republic of misconduct and abuse. Rumors about Jin Guangshan were older than his political career, and illegitimate children were hardly rare in government, but Wei Ying had been the first to get multiple accusers on the record along with recordings and photos. Wen Qing, the youngest managing editor in the country and one of only two women, had agreed to run the story.

It was a good story. A really, really good story.

But there was a war on, and Acting President Jin was the only protection the country had against the usurper Wen Ruohan and his army of traitors. Not that Jin Guangshan ever left Carp Tower himself—that’s what the oldest son was for. 

The blowback was immediate—Wei Ying was forced to retract the entire story and resign, Wen Qing was fired and the Gusu Times lost every advertiser and investor on the books. It was only natural for Lan Qiren to buy it up for pocket change, the merger he’d been looking at for years. All of the women named in the story issued statements accusing Wei Ying of lying, of doctoring evidence, of hiring actors that looked like them to fill his false story with fake photos. All statements made after visits from high ranking military officers, of course. He’d heard rumors that Wen Qing’s brother had enlisted and they used him for leverage, which wouldn’t be surprising. He hadn’t expected Wen Qing to give up without a fight.

Wei Ying had written to him once, just after he disappeared, with no return address. 

It’s my fault, it said. Lan Zhan, it was all true, the story was true, but I’m still a liar. I told them I could protect them all, if they went on the record. I promised. I promised Wen Qing. And I couldn’t. I’m sorry, Lan Zhan, I never wanted to be a liar.

And in the end, it meant nothing. Few enough people were getting daily papers, much less actually reading them, and with the immediate retraction, reams and reams being taken off newsstands by military police, it was barely a drop in the storm that was raging. Outside of the newsrooms themselves, at least, where Wei Ying and Wen Qing were nailed up on the wall as a cautionary tale. Free press, up to a point. Sometimes Lan Zhan thinks about what would happen if the story broke today, the impact it could have. But after the retraction, you can’t go back. He can’t think about it too long or the rage overtakes him. Rage for Wei Ying, for Wen Qing, for every person in the article who was smothered and tossed out with nothing. The kind of rage that doesn’t fade, can’t be extinguished.

Lan Zhan shakes himself. Wei Ying is alive. Wen Qing is also alive, most likely. Su She is an idiot.

He only has one message on his answering machine.

“Hey, Lan Zhan, it’s your cousin Lan Liang. Listen, I’ve got something I want to talk to you about. I don’t know if it’s your thing, or if you choose what you cover or whatever, but there’s a kid gone missing here in Moling and some very weird stuff going on at the building sites. I don’t have all the details, but it’s my uncle’s daughter-in-law’s foster kid. Cops aren’t giving them much, so I said I’d call you. I don’t know if the kid went wandering and got hurt or got lost or what, but maybe someone from the Herald can cover it, get the public interest up. Maybe someone knows something. I don’t know. Probably a long shot, but I said I’d call, so there you go. You can reach me at—”

Lan Zhan takes down the number neatly in his calendar. He can call after the 10am meeting, maybe drive out to Moling in the afternoon. The rage is still there, banked and contained and ready to be useful.

Part Three

[ankhposts]

Oooh if you’re taking prompts off that list, how’s about Random 11, “You’re insane,” “You love me,” “Not right now I don’t.” For AceDeu wahoo~

Thank you for the prompt! 😘

Rice Cracker Caper

It had been less than a day since Marco had pulled Deuce out of the infirmary and up to the main deck, nearly shoving him toward Ace and Striker and all but ordering him to tag along and use some of his stockpiled free time while the Second Division Commander went ahead of the Moby to scout out the island they intended to resupply at.

Deuce had felt a strange combination of delight and embarrassment at that. A whole day with Ace, back on the Striker just like they’d done after Sixis, the pair of them simply sailing and exploring. Embarrassment brutally followed, both from being literally pulled from his shift in the infirmary and from the way Marco’s eyes pointedly shifted toward Ace as he made his orders. Ace had been oblivious, of course, grinning brightly and tossing Deuce’s old bag at him, full of a change of clothes and plenty of snacks.

He’d wondered if maybe Ace had packed for himself and then shoved everything into Deuce’s bag by mistake, but then he noticed the brown leather of his journal in its proper place in the back pocket, and his chest warmed at the sight.

“Let’s go!” Ace declared cheerfully, jumping off the railing and down to the Striker with surprising grace, and Marco met Deuce’s gaze with an expression that practically screamed ‘Figure your shit out or I’ll tell him for you.’

He didn’t stick around long enough to test that threat. And if Ace had to reach out and practically catch him when he stumbled on the landing and nearly fell off the Striker and into the sea, well. He shot a rude gesture up at Marco, Thatch and Izou snickering at his sides, and then they were off in a burst of Ace’s flames.

This particular island wasn’t one under Whitebeard’s protection, but they were friendly enough to pirates who paid for their goods and didn’t start undue trouble. It figured there was a marine ship at the port, but if they minded their own business and did as Marco suggested in taking a night off, everything should be fine. Marco had shoved enough money at him for dinner (even enough for Ace’s appetite) and for a double room at one of the inns.

He didn’t take into account the fact that Ace tended to run toward trouble, and coupled with the fact that he seemed to recognize the marine vessel, Deuce found himself sneaking around the docks in the middle of the night rather than relaxing or catching up on well-deserved sleep.

“This is a terrible idea,” he hissed, watching Ace jump up onto the marine ship with ease and grabbing for his hand when he turned to help him clamber aboard. Ace flashed a white grin his way, and the moment Deuce was secure on his feet he turned to slip across the deck, peeking in a few porthole windows before he reached for a doorknob. Deuce grumbled and hurried to catch up before Ace could disappear into the depths of the ship and leave him all alone, and the smile he got in return was warm and proud and he did not blush at the attention. “What are we even doing here? I’m pretty sure raiding a marine ship wasn’t what Marco had in mind when he told us to scout and relax.”

“It’s just a bit of fun,” Ace whispered, leading the way down a darkened hall, counting the doors they passed before turning sharply through one, and Deuce was mildly surprised but mostly bemused to find them standing in the ship’s galley. He raised an eyebrow and leveled a glare, and Ace pouted. “Don’t give me that look, we’re just taking all the rice crackers and getting out.”

That was oddly specific. “And why would we do that?”

“‘Cause I haven’t had a chance to screw with my Shitty Gramps in like two years?” Ace said, clearly trying to sound innocent.

“This is Garp’s ship?!” Deuce nearly yelped, and an unnaturally warm hand landed over his mouth and oh, that wasn’t entirely unpleasant. Ace was standing close to his side, and when Deuce met his gaze he found a gleam in his eye, the younger man smirking.

“In and out,” he whispered, palm lingering over Deuce’s lips for another second before releasing him and moving confidently toward the secured cabinets. “Got your bag?”

Lucky he’d eaten all the snacks he’d packed on the trip to the island. Deuce huffed and threw it at him. Ace grinned as he caught it and pulled sleeves of rice crackers from the cabinets with unerring accuracy. There was quite a bit more than Deuce had been expecting, but Ace was done soon enough and returning to Deuce’s side in the doorway where he’d been anxiously half-watching for a marine patrol.

“Can we go now?”

“One more stop,” Ace murmured, and Deuce opened his mouth to protest but Ace’s hand took hold of his and squeezed, warmth running up his arm as Ace gently led him deeper into the ship. The room they entered was an office, an enormous desk in the middle of the space, and snoring that could rival Pops’s was ringing from the attached cabin. Deuce shot Ace a horrified look and the commander ginned, mischief in his eyes without a hint of concern. He tiptoed over to the desk, shot a rude gesture at the door the snoring was coming from, and then rifled through the desk to shove four more sleeves of crackers into Deuce’s bag.

He only stepped forward when Ace’s finger lit up in flames to match the spark in his eyes.

“What the hell are you doing?” Deuce hissed, darting forward as quietly as he could to watch Ace scorch a charred black spade into the wooden desktop before surrounding it with an outline of flickering fire.

“Aaaaaand done,” Ace nearly sang under his breath, keeping an eye on the desk for another moment to make sure it wouldn’t catch fire before sliding a stack of paperwork over to make it slightly less noticeable without hiding it completely. Then he grabbed onto Deuce’s hand again, beginning to pull him back around the desk and toward the door. “Okay, now we can go.”

The snoring stopped. Both pirates froze, exchanging wide-eyed looks as the previous rumbling was replaced by a snort and a huff, followed by annoyed grumbles.

“...who’s startin’ a bonfire a’ this time o’ night…?” a loud voice muttered, and Ace grabbed Deuce’s hand and yanked him toward the window, luckily a proper one rather than the usual porthole. Even more lucky, Garp’s office was over the dock instead of the sea, so Deuce didn’t have to worry about supporting Ace’s weight and swimming them both back to shore.

“Go, go,” Ace hissed, shoving the window open and urging Deuce through. There was the sound of movement from the other room, and Deuce dropped down onto the dock heavily, catching his bag as Ace threw it out before jumping himself, his back turning to flame to avoid the large hand that reached out after him. Deuce barely caught a glance of the Vice Admiral’s furious expression before Ace grabbed his hand, yelped ‘Run!’, and all but dragged him along as he hauled ass down the docks and back toward town.

“Brat!” Garp hollered after them, and then they were around the corner and crossing the village, Deuce breathlessly pointing at the inn he’d spotted earlier when they first arrived, and Ace got them a room as he fought to catch his breath. He should have been surprised or embarrassed to find only a single large bed rather than two, but there was still adrenaline shooting through him from their escape and all he could do was drop onto the mattress and laugh hysterically.

“You’re insane,” he finally gasped out, raising his hands to wipe at his face, and Ace huffed and dropped down onto the bed at his side, fiddling with one of the sleeves of stolen rice crackers.

“You love me,” Ace replied with an abundance of confidence and a cheeky grin, and Deuce’s heart sped up in a way that had nothing to do with their recent escape from an angry Vice Admiral.

“Not right now I don’t,” he said, quieter than he’d intended, and some of the humor left Ace’s expression while all of the fondness remained.

“Yeah, you do,” Ace whispered, abandoning the crackers to roll onto his side and brace his weight on one elbow to look down at Deuce.

“Yeah, I do,” he murmured agreeably, not remotely concerned about essentially just confessing to Ace. It was true, and he was still giddy from their stupid little adventure and running and laughing, and he wanted Ace to know. “I’ll definitely kill you if your grandpa comes after us, though.”

“Noted,” Ace acknowledged, and it looked like he might say more, so Deuce shut him up in the only way he could think of, cupping a hand around the back of Ace’s neck and pulling him down until he could seal their lips together. Ace sighed almost immediately, his free hand rising to hold onto Deuce’s hip in a tight grip, warm and steady and entirely perfect.

It would definitely be an adventure worth writing about later, if only for the way it ended, but for the time being Deuce’s journal laid forgotten in his bag by the door, along with all the stolen rice crackers.

[artsyhamsterdraws]

My first Artist alley experience

So I did it. I survived! Can I get a wahoo yeehaw boiiiiii

*cough*

Anyway I wanted to write a "lil" thing about it all, like how it went, what I learned and shit like that. So here we go~

The convention I've been going to for a while now (3 times if you count this one) is called Närcon summer, and it's a "bit of everything" convention in Linköping (sweden) that happens every summer, but they also have one in the winter and fall as well, tho I've never been to those. (I want to try and get to Närcon Winter this time if it's possible).

It's pretty big. Apparently this year they got about 12.500 visitors over the weekend, so I got to meet a lot of people!

So, how was it?

Well if I wanna be short and straight to the point, it was amazing. I had so much fun and I can't wait to return!

Long answer? Well this one will go through the whole experience from start to finish. So buckle up kiddos this might get boring.

So for me it started even before the convention opened it's gates. During it I had decided to try and sell sketchbook commissions for 50 sek (like 5 bucks), because (1): It meant I would have something to do and wouldn't just have to sit at my table and stare off into space, and (2): Seemed fun.

I then decided to try and start selling them before the convention started, so that some people could come and pick them up day 1 if they wanted to. This worked, way better than expected. In the end I had 5 drawings to make before I even got there.

Here also comes the first thing I learned!

If you sell it for cheap, some people will tip you once they see the final result!

Not everyone paid extra, but I had a couple do it and that seriously almost brought tears to my eyes :')

I had reasons for selling them for so little, but I know that it was way too cheap considering the amount of time I put into each of those drawings. I just felt that; since basically no one knows who I am and this is my first time having a table, this would be a good way to get my name and work out there.

I mean, it did work since I sold 13 of them in total? Over 3 days? (I've never drawn that many things in such a short amount of time ever before).

At first I thought I wouldn't be able to sell more commissions once I got there since I already had 5 of them to do (3 of which I managed to finish before I got there). But apparently I can be fast if I need to? Suddenly they were all just...done and I opened up the commissions again!

Here are a couple of them that I remembered to take pics of:

It was a mix of fanart, original things and OC´s! Some of them I actually wanna make digital versions of cause I think they would look cool...

Once I got there I had to face one of my fears...my neighbors...  I had no idea what so ever who I would be seated with so I was afraid these upcoming 3 days would be filled with awkward silence and avoiding eyecontact. BUT! And that's a huge but (hehe)! They were great. Literally first second I met them I was like "yeah this is going to be fine".

We had so much fun, and once it got late we would sing Abba songs, and today I feel sorry for the people that had to listen to us... :P

I hope to meet them again next närcon, but the gods probably won't put us as neighbors again. They're probable mad at us for the Abba thing...

Oh and, they're both very talented and y'all should check them out! Here are their instagrams!

Literalpleb Apeachiations

Both had a bunch of fire emblem stuff, and apeachiations had some real pretty steven universe prints I wish I could buy but I don't watch steven universe so :(

Oh and I was given amazing gifts from them!

Then I bought these 2 key..chains...rings...I can't remember the english word....

Anyway I saw the Kirby one and knew I had to get it, and then I was talked into gettin the other one (I love it and wanted it don't get me wrong. It's a joke). I have yet to play the new fire emblem because my pre-order is back home and I'm at my parents place for another couple of weeks so :(

(I bought stuff from other people as well but I'll show that at the end!)

------

Setting up the table was fun! I decided to bring my bookmarks and a couple of prints, + like 8 stickers of my hamster logo. I gave 2 of them away tho to my neighbors .

Oh and I put one of my cosplay rifles on the table as well because I decided it would be too much work carrying 2 around. x'D

It started out slow. Most people just stopped by and looked and then moved on. I sold maybe 1 print and 2 bookmarks the first day? I didn't expect much anyway since it was my first time there. Honestly I'm surprised one of my prints even got sold ^^' So I wasn't that put down by the first day...

But then it was Friday, the second day, and things started picking up! I sold out one of my prints! Someone even decided to buy that damn rifle I randomly threw on there, which was amazing. I still can't believe it?

Friday was also the day my friend and I decided to do our cosplay. I missed a couple of hours in the alley because of that, since we had to get back to the hotel and change and all. Tho we did it during the evening so that it would get colder outside and we wouldn't miss THAT much time.

The alley closed around 10pm so we left around 3 to change, got back at 7 and spent those last hours there. Once it closed we also stayed way later at the convention, just walking around and actually looking at things!

Ok back to artist alley!

------

The last day I entered the building, and then only went outside once to buy a drink. Other than that I literally sat there a whole day. 10-10. (Don't worry I had a friend with me that came and went with drinks/snacks).

This day was by far the busiest! I had figured out already that most people wait until the last day before they buy a lot, which makes sense since you want to scope out the whole place before deciding on anything. Saturday (the last day) was also probably one of the days most one-day goers chose? I don't have evidence but that's the day I would choose if I only went 1 day at least...

I decided I would have sales on the last day. For example you got a discount if you bought a whole set of bookmarks. The commissions stayed the same price tho since it was already so cheap. ^^'

In the end I sold 45 bookmarks, the rifle, all my stickers, 13 commissions and all prints except for the 2 with the woman laying in flowers :/ My poor Selma (oc). Might put those on my etsy? I still have bookmarks there btw! Even though I sold a lot those did not sell out. xD

-------

Now, the last day was also the day I bought stuff from others. I decided not to buy anything from the big shops in the other building, and only spent my money on food and artist alley stuff!  Gotta support em fellow artists ya know!

I already listed the things I bought from my neighbors, but I went outside of our little hidden away corner too (I did not pay extra for like a good seat heh...).

I had table 74 (in the upper right corner)...so yeah we were very hidden. Considering the bad spot my table did very well!

Anyway, Here's the cool shit I bought!

The artists' Instagrams:

Linn Standal (Cinnapai)

Emma Lupine

Linda Lithén

I also picked up a bunch of business cards from people I couldn't buy from this time...

-----

So then. What did I learn for next time? Weeeeell...let's make a list I guess!

If you sell commissions for cheap, some people will tip you once they see the final result! (These people are very kind)

The first day is slow. Don't panic!

You always need to bring more business cards than you think. I thought I had enough but nope, they were gone halfway past the second day :/

Next time I'll bring more prints. (Only brought 2 of each, except for the spirited away one. Of that I had 4)

People make cute sounds when they see something they like :'D

Hhhh people are so kind!

Take pictures of your damn commissions!

Bring more drawing paper. (I had to buy a new sketchbook the last day cause I had like...one empty page left)

Leave a sketchbook on the table for people to look through

You're not as bad as you think you are.

People are very kind

Put the commission sign in the middle where it's easy to see it. A lot of people didn't see mine before I moved it.

Putting a sign saying "only one left" on an almost sold out item is good.

Keep track of which prints get the most people to stop. Make note of this and order more of them for next time.

Also take notes whenever someone buys something, so you know how much you sold!

Find something you can hang your prints on so you don't have to lay them on the table. There's not as much space as you think there is.

EAT!!! FFS!!!

Write down your instagram on your business card! (I forgot I had one xD)

Aaaand I think that's that?

Like I said, I had an amazing time and I really hope to do something like this again very soon! Hopefully I'll have time and money to get to Närcon winter. I'll at least try and grab myself a table just in case, and sell it if I can't go in the end. I probably won't cosplay there tho and only focus on artist alley. ^^'

Well, how the fck did you read all this? Impressive. I am impressed. Here's a picture of my cat as a price!

Bye!

[michael-radi-the-glamorous-life]

Hey, Old Friend

What is a theatre writer’s best friend and worst enemy?

You might think: Writer’s block? The blank page? Technology? Caffeine? Sleep? Outlines? All good possible answers, but…nope. What applies only to theatre writers and to no other form of writing?

Readings.

DUN DUN DUN! *Insert dramatic zoom here*

But why, Michael? Why are readings both potentially wonderful and oh-so-evil at the same time?

An excellent question.

“As the Horses Go Round…”"

Theatrical readings of all types - but particularly for musicals - have a tendency to live within a cycle. And this cycle is simultaneously comforting and deadly.

Allow me to explain:

You write and finally finish a presentable first draft of a new show. YAY!!! So what do you do next?

Home Reading - You gather some actor and/or writer friends together to give the new piece a read aloud and see what it is that you have created.

You have some food and drink for your guests, you have a light and easy time, stakes are low, and you all have fun. Your friends stick around and chat with you about the show to give some constructive critiques, you realize you have a lot of rewrites to do (insert small crisis here), and then you all disperse.

You rewrite lots for a lengthy period of time and come up with a new, better presentable version. Yay!!! What do you do next?

Closed Reading - This could take place in your home again, if there’s room, or you can rent a studio for this one. What’s different?

The atmosphere is definitely still casual and stakes are relatively low, but now it’s time to find out if what you have is worth digging into and pursuing. You now have rehearsed the show with your friends/actors/writers who are helping you out, you’ve taught music to be sung live, and perhaps hired an accompanist. You’ve invited a director friend you think might be interested in the piece or have good critiques. You hold off on the snacks and booze until after the reading is over and you’re all in discussion mode. It’s just a tad more professional.

And the critique is more specific, because the show has grown and changed. There are now multiple drafts that people have heard - they can compare and contrast. Ideas and opinions begin to flow, some helpful and some not. It’s harder to detach from the critiques, though they need to be heard. You gain a lot.

A little time away from the piece. Then more rewrites. A little re-structuring. More songs. Fewer characters. Better dialogue. You begin to really like the piece. YAY!!! What now?

Staged Reading - This one often comes in the form of a festival or an open reading for people you and your creative team know, taking place in some studio or small theater. Now what’s up?

Well, there’s still no real staging. “Staged reading” is a little bit of a misnomer. Usually everyone is at music stands and the director does their best to make this feel natural on the movement of your show - a true feat for all involved. The performers are now of the correct vocal and personality type - some of them you knew ahead of time and some you did not. There is a director and a musical director. The piece has been worked a bit during your short rehearsal process (well under 29 hours if using AEA actors). Many changes have been made with the actors on their feet. The whole thing feels more like a performance, even though it isn’t. Everyone is being paid…except the writers, who are usually paying for everyone else out of pocket while taking off time from work to make the reading happen. This occurs quite often.

The feedback? From the cast and creatives it’s usually over drinks in a celebratory fashion right after the reading. From the audience? Perhaps there was an open talk back session where people you do and don’t know offer their opinions. Some great, some out of left field. Otherwise, you approach your friends and beg them to be honest to help your work grow, even though you know some of the critiques will hurt more at this point. More work piles on. Major changes needed. Off you go.

Back to the drawing board. Great experience. More work necessary. Lots of rewriting. Plenty of new material. Now it needs to be tested again before the public sees and hears it. Yay?!?

Home Reading - We’ve been here before, haven’t we? What’s different?

You’ve more actor friends who know the material to choose from. More performing can take place for the older material and you can personally supplement for the newer material. Things are lighthearted and fun as you test out the new version, but there’s more stakes now for you the writer. Critiques are critical, particularly from those who know the show well. Everyone has pizza and booze, or you give a little gift, and they go on their way. Onward.

Now you have a plan. You know what the show is missing, it’s not nearly as much as before. You’re oh-so-very close and you have a goal. Solid rewrites. More fire. Lots of coffee. Excellent new draft. Very solid yay.

Invited Reading - This one has definite stakes attached. Money will be raised, everyone will be paid, industry people you know and trust and/or are interested in will be invited, and music stands will be nowhere in sight. What is this thing?

We may be in a high profile festival of some sort, or perhaps just rented a nice space somewhere. You’ve gotten performers with excellent credits in the city - Broadway and Off-Broadway for sure - with at least one recognizable name who will perk ears up. You have found, or are courting, a director you really like who has great connections, whose interest in the piece could really move you forward. Scripts are in hand - contractually - but the performers like the material and care, so they’re basically off-book anyway. There is light staging and some good lighting. It feels theatrical. The audience is excited to be there - since they’ve all been invited for xy or z reason. This time it’s not about getting critiques - though necessary always - it’s about garnering interest in the piece and getting it out there into the world/the NY theatre scene’s psyche.

It goes well. You get good feedback, potentially even great feedback. You get industry people interested and/or attached. Or you don’t. Many factors are involved. You’re stoked about your piece. Lots of celebration after the reading. Everyone goes home, having had a great experience and looking forward to next time. You go home, knowing there has to be a next time. You’re not getting produced quite yet. The balloon deflates. Or perhaps you are! Congratulations! Depends on who you know, who came, where you are in your career, and what exactly happened. But there’s still more work to do.

If you’re getting produced, it’s time now to get the piece in perfect working order for production. Lots of work, much of it minutia. If your not getting produced, it’s time to get the piece in perfect working order to be sent out to every submission opportunity you can think of or find. Lots of work to do. Lots of cover letters to write and samples to be created. Demos to be recorded. Formatting to detail. This thing is great now. It’s totally what you want it to be. You’re pretty sure at least. YAY.

Home Reading - Whoa. What are we doing back here?

Well, you need to make sure you’re not crazy and that this thing is indeed where it should be. Friends love to hear and be a part of good pieces in good developmental stages. It’s actually a lovely time, despite how much work went into this little reading. You’re happy, they’re happy. It’s a good evening. Yes, there’s always more work to do, but you’re, like, totally there.

The show gets produced! Wahoo! (If it doesn’t, see above instructions for another Invited Reading and also do tons of submissions. Perhaps you’ll win a contest or be accepted to an opportunity where they will put on a Staged Reading for you. In that case, see instructions even further up.) Production went great. Much happiness. Not perfect though, and it needs revision before the next production and the next step. Okay, yay!

Workshop Reading - There’s a lot that’s great about this one. Like what?

It’s produced for you. Hells yes! Now you can be the writer, and only the write,r during a reading process - isn’t that a luxury? You are given more time. BOOYAH. It’s not rushed and everyone can take time to engage in the creative process together. It’s memorized. It’s rehearsed on its feet. There’s a dedicated creative team - and some cast - that are likely to remain attached to the project. The piece is finally starting to resemble what you had envisioned all along. The reading takes place for for backers and the next production step is discussed - will you be able to do a big regional premier? A pre-Broadway contract of some kind? Off-Broadway? West End? Minor tour to gain interest? Many possibilities.

From here, it’s likely production to production with tweaks in-between until you get to your final destination (Broadway, Off-Broadway, licensing, etc.). Perhaps another Workshop Reading takes place, but it’s unlikely to go too many steps back up on the list. I think you did it. You think you did it. You broke the cycle. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, until you do it all over again with your next show, at least. But that’s for another day.

Whaddya Say, Old Friend?

There are many lessons to take away from the reading cycle. There are many emotions attached to each step of it, as well as the entire concept. It’s a lot. And it’s easy to get caught cycling between a few of those steps. It’s difficult to break out.

But you know what helps at every single stage? The people. The friends. The artists you know and love who help you, support you, sing for you, read for you, and give you the most honest-yet-kind feedback throughout the entire journey.

Never underestimate their value. Cherish them. Pay them, even if all you can afford is some pizza and booze to share. They are you biggest fans and your best allies.

Short Personal Application

This past weekend I held a Home Reading (version 3 from above) of The King’s Legacy in preparation for this summer’s production. It was wonderful.

The show is in a fantastic place, the people were lovely and helpful and generous and kind, the food was good, the booze was better, the critiques were tops, and it was the best. And readings can totally be the best.

I am so incredibly grateful to all of the artists who have been involved in readings of my shows over the past decade+, for without them I could not do what I do. So, here’s to all of you who support writers through the chaos that is the reading process - you are loved more than you could know. Cheers!

[hotelmenetekel]

Hey! I’m a traditional artist (mainly cause no money) but I’ve been wanting to start drawing digitally. Any advise on what type of brand tablet and software I should get?

I’m happy you wanna expand your horizons and try new stuff!! that’s always a great decision!!!

I don’t have the perfect solution for everyone but i can tell you my setup and hope that it helps!! :^) im gonna put this under a cut for length!

TABLET:

I’m using a really old wacom bamboo pen & touch graphic tablet (i dont think theyre even being sold anymore?)its small but absolutely sufficient imo!! it looks like this:

the great thing about it being old is that its going for pretty cheap on ebay (german ebay has it for 20€?) so there’s that!!the only minor issue ive ever had with this tablet is the original cable breaking, but since its a standard micro usb cable its really cheap and easy to replace! :^)what youre missing with wacom’s bamboo series compared to the more expensive intuos series is a number of quick access buttons on the tablet itself but having worked with both types i can say the buttons arent all that useful? might just be me tho

ive also worked with a huion tablet in the past but cant really recommend it. theyre a bit cheaper than wacom tablets but not really durable? for example mine slid off of a couch unto the ground like..very slowly.......from a very low point and the port on the tablet immediately broke lmaomightve just been my bad luck tho!! who knows!! lol

but yeah all in all the bamboo is a safe bet imo but older models of the intuos series can be bought for little money as well :^)

SOFTWARE:

this obviously depends on what exactly you wanna draw and make!im using krita and firealpaca, both of which are 100% free programs. there’s the ocassional bug here and there of course, but expensive alternatives like photoshop arent safe from those either.especially when starting making digital art, i would recommend getting a program that is focused on drawing. programs like gimp (free) and photoshop (cs2, a kinda really old version but hey! it works!, is also available for free) are not solely for drawing but instead put great emphasis on photomanips and photo editing which imo can be confusing if you dont have a workflow or just general knowledge of digital drawing programs just yet.

another great program for digital art is the ever popular paint tool sai of course!! i think sai2 costs about 80$? which is..so cheap compared to adobe’s creative cloud subscription lmaoi havent used it in a long time but back when i did use it, it was really really good. one clear advantage it has is the brush customization. its very simple, accessible and fun! sai’s whole interface is really simple and omprehensible as well.thats about the only thing i miss about sai though and especially if you’re just starting, krita and firealpaca might be just right for you!!

as i’ve said they’re both free and a joy to work with. if you would prefer to start out with a program with basic features, i’d recommend fire alpaca! its got all the important basics to learn and understand how digital art programs work.if you’re already planning on going big from the start tho, i’d recommend krita! it’s got a massive library of default brushes and a lot of useful features! creating your own brushes is kinda tricky but the library is huge already!!

if you wanna work with krita though, i recommend using a seperate program for text editing lol, krita isnt too good with that imo.. BUT most programs allow you to save files as .psd which can then be opened by most programs!! so working across several programs isnt a problem! hooray!!!but yeah bottom line is..dont pay for software? or like, do it if you wanna but there’s a lot of good free programs out there!!

i could’ve made this a lot shorter but in summary:

old wacom model (bamboo or intuos) bc theyre relatively durable, cheap and absolutely sufficientfreeware like krita and firealpaca bc theyre free (wahoo!!), focused on drawing and dont miss any important features a paid program might have

or at least those are my recommendations!! i hope this sorta helped!!if anybody has any other opinion or ideas, please leave them on this post! :^DD

[orbemnews]

How to Get a Peloton-Style Workout Without Splurging Lisa Whitney, a dietitian in Reno, Nev., came across the deal of a lifetime about two years ago. A fitness studio was going out of business and selling its equipment. She scored an indoor exercise bike for $100. Ms. Whitney soon made some additions to the bike. She propped her iPad on the handlebars. Then she experimented with online cycling classes streamed on YouTube and on the app for Peloton, a maker of internet-connected exercise devices that offers interactive fitness classes. Ms. Whitney had no desire to upgrade to one of Peloton’s $1,900-plus luxury exercise bikes, which include a tablet to stream classes and sensors that track your speed and heart rate. So she further modified her bike to become a do-it-yourself Peloton, buying sensors and indoor cycling shoes. The grand total: about $300, plus a $13 monthly subscription to Peloton’s app. Not cheap, but a significant discount to what she might have paid. “I’m happy with my setup,” Ms. Whitney, 42, said. “I really don’t think upgrading would do much.” The pandemic, which has forced many gyms to shut down, has driven hordes of people to splurge on luxury items like Peloton’s bikes and treadmills so they can work out at home. Capitalizing on this trend, Apple last year released Apple Fitness Plus, an instructional fitness app that is exclusively offered to people who own an Apple Watch, which requires an iPhone to work. But all of that can be expensive. The minimum prices of an Apple Watch and iPhone add up to $600, and Apple Fitness Plus costs $10 a month. Then to stream classes on a big-screen TV instead of a phone while you exercise, you need a streaming device such as an Apple TV, which costs about $150. The full Peloton experience is even pricier. With the economy in a funk, many of us are trying to tighten our spending while maintaining good health. So I experimented with how to minimize the costs of doing video-instructed workouts at home, talked to tinkerers and assessed the pros and cons. Here’s what I learned. The Pros and Cons of Free To start my experiment for working out at home on the cheap, the first question I tackled was whether to subscribe to a fitness app or stream classes from YouTube for free. Both largely provide videos of instructors guiding you through workouts. So I bought an $8 yoga mat and a $70 pair of adjustable dumbbells and turned on my TV, which includes the YouTube app. I then subscribed to three of the most popular YouTube channels that have free content for exercising at home: Yoga With Adriene, Fitness Blender and Holly Dolke. One immediate downside was almost too much content — often hundreds of videos per YouTuber — making it difficult to pick a workout. Even when I finally chose a video, I learned I had to brace myself for some quality issues. In the Yoga With Adriene channel, for instance, I selected the video “Yoga for When You Feel Dead Inside,” which felt appropriate for the time we are living in. The video looked good, but at times the instructor’s voice sounded muffled. Production problems were more visible in the Holly Dolke channel, which has a collection of intense workouts that you can do without any equipment. When I tried the video “Muffin Top Melter,” an instructor in the background demonstrated how to do a more challenging version of each exercise, but the other instructor, in the foreground, constantly blocked her. Then there were the ads. As I lifted weights while following a 10-minute fat-burning workout from Fitness Blender, YouTube interrupted the video to play an ad for Dawn soap. That left me holding a dumbbell above the back of my neck while I waited for the ad to end. Those issues aside, I was able to do all of the exercises demonstrated by these YouTubers, and they left me winded and sweaty. For the cost of free, I can’t complain much. Most important, Yoga With Adriene succeeded in making me feel less dead inside. What You Get When You Pay To compare the free YouTube exercise videos with the paid experience, I subscribed to Peloton and Apple Fitness Plus on my Apple TV set-top box. I did workouts using both products for the last two months. Peloton and Apple Fitness Plus addressed many of the problems plaguing the free exercise content. For one, workouts were organized into categories by the type of workout, including yoga, strength training and core, and then by the difficulty or duration of the workout. It took little time to choose a workout. In both Peloton and Apple Fitness Plus, video and audio quality were very clear, and the workouts were shot at various angles to get a good look at what the instructors were doing. The bonus of Fitness Plus was that my heart rate and calories burned were displayed on both my Apple Watch and the TV screen. In short, paying those subscriptions provided convenience and polish, which led to a more pleasant workout. I concluded that Peloton’s videos were worth paying $13 a month. And $10 a month is reasonable for Apple Fitness Plus, but only if you already have an Apple Watch and iPhone. Making a D.I.Y. Peloton So what about exercise equipment like spin bikes? If you want the tech frills of a Peloton but don’t want to spend on the equipment, there were two main approaches. To go the cheapest route, you can make use of a bicycle you already have. Here’s where home tinkerers can be especially crafty and resourceful. Take Omar Sultan, a manager at the networking company Cisco. He modified his road bike with a few add-ons: a bike trainer, which secured the rear wheel and bike frame and costs roughly $100; a $40 Wahoo cadence sensor that tracked his energy output and speed and transmitted the data to a smartphone; and a heart rate monitor that strapped around his chest, such as the $90 Polar H10. Then he used a streaming device to follow Peloton classes on his TV. “The D.I.Y. setup is 80 percent of the way there” to a Peloton, Mr. Sultan said. The more expensive option was to buy an indoor exercise bike and use a tablet or phone to stream cycling classes via YouTube or the Peloton app, as Ms. Whitney did. The $700 IC7.9, for example, includes a cadence sensor and a holder for your tablet. You could then buy a heart rate monitor and a pair of $100 indoor cycling shoes that clip into the pedals. But if you use your own bicycle or a modified spin bike and try Peloton’s app, you won’t be able to participate in the app’s so-called leader board, which shows a graphic of your progress compared with other Peloton users online. With a D.I.Y. bike, it can also be difficult to figure out how to shift gears to simulate when the instructor is telling you to turn up the resistance — like when you are pretending to ride up a hill. Nicole Odya, a nurse practitioner in Chicago who modified a high-end indoor bike, the Keiser M3i, said there were major upsides to the D.I.Y. route. Using her own iPad, she has the flexibility to choose whatever fitness apps she wants to use, such as Zwift and mPaceLine. It also gave her the freedom to customize her bike, so she swapped out the stock pedals for better ones. “I didn’t want to be locked into their platform,” she said of Peloton. Source link Orbem News #PelotonStyle #Splurging #workout

[towingomahane-blog]

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We buy junk cars and pay cash on the spot. Sell your car to us, for we will pay you the amount of money you were offered over the phone, guaranteed. We can also take vehicles as donations and provide you with a tax write off.  The process is simple. Give us a call. One of our representatives will tell you how much we can pay you for your vehicle. We schedule a time to pick up your vehicle within a little as an hour's time. The driver will call you once he is on his way. Upon arrival, you will be paid cash on the spot, and the car will be removed from your location and worry list forever.  We have a time honored tradition of helping people in the Glenwood metropolitan area dispose of their scrap vehicles expeditiously and worry and hassle free. We cannot say this enough: we will pay you the amount of money we offered on the phone, in exchange for your junk car.  We very rarely run into a car we cannot tow. Our drivers are self-starting problem solvers that pride themselves on the reputation of treating people with courtesy, respect, and industry expertise to remove vehicles out of the most hard-to-reach locations. Our drivers have a lengthy track record of towing cars out of any spot. They have driven through suburbs, inner city, and other heavily trafficked areas where only the best defensive drivers can reach their destinations safely and remove a scrap car efficiently.  Further, we are among a handful of organizations who hold an active $500,000 on-hook insurance policy. If there is some kind of damage to your property while we tow your vehicle, you are covered. Since 1996 we have purchased millions of vehicles in all conditions freeing Glenwood residents from having to accommodate an unwanted vehicle for good.  Call us today for your free quote, and find out why we are the leading junk car removal service in town.

5 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU JUNK YOUR CAR FOR CASH TO AN AUTO JUNK YARD

1.  Remove Personal Belongings

Cars are like houses. They have a tendency to accumulate things over time. If you’ve owned your car for a long time, you might have forgotten all the items that you’ve placed in your car at one time or another. When you sell your car to the junkyard, it’s your responsibility to take out all the personal belongings before the tow truck arrives to pick up the vehicle. It’s tempting to leave items you no longer want inside the car, but that can cause problems with the transaction. A junk car is not a dumpster, and the salvage yard can’t be expected to throw away all the stuff you’ve left in your car. It’s also much easier to overlook an important item if you don’t resolve to take everything out of the car.

2.  Get Your Title In Order

You need to return license plates and cancel your insurance. The single most important thing you need in order to transfer ownership of your vehicle to the junkyard is a valid title to the car.  You can sell your car without a title but it’s much harder.

3.  Look for Valuable Components to Sell

If you’ve agreed on a price for your car with a junkyard, you should turn it over to them in the condition that you described when you made the deal. However, if the price you’re able to get for your car doesn’t reflect much more than its scrap value, you may be able to remove a few valuable components from the car to make a few extra bucks. If you have expensive tires with a lot of tread left on them, you can purchase four balding tires on cheap rims and swap them for the more valuable tires on the car. Your car’s battery has resale value if it’s almost new, and recyclers will pay for the lead inside it even if it’s old. If you’re handy, you can remove electronic gear like GPS or stereo systems if they’re valuable.

4.  Remove the License Plates

Unlike when you sell a car on Craigslist, when you sell a car to a junkyard, the arrangements for pickup are often made in a hurry. If your car is disabled and parked at a location like a service station or tow yard, you might have trouble scheduling everyone to show up at the same time to complete your transaction. Time is money for the tow truck driver that’s sent to get your car, so it’s easy to overlook important details because everyone will be in a hurry. Make sure you remember to remove the license plates from the car before it’s towed away. In many states, you must return the license plates to the department of motor vehicles before your registration can be cancelled, and you might not be able to cancel your car insurance policy until the plates and registration have been turned in, either.

5.  Use Up Your Gasoline

If your car is still running before you sell it to the junkyard, you might want to use up the gasoline in the tank before you have it towed away. Depending on the size of the tank in your car or truck, the value of the gasoline in the tank can represent a substantial portion of the total value of the price you’re getting from the junkyard. If your car isn’t running, be careful if you attempt to siphon gasoline from the tank. Use only approved containers to carry the gasoline, and never start a siphon using your mouth. Don’t worry about the value of the gas to the junkyard. They’ll have to drain all the fluids out of your car before recycling or scrapping the parts, and gasoline in the tank is a nuisance for them.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens to my junker when it's sold?

Your junk car will have one of many paths in its near future. Depending on its condition, it will be salvaged, sold to a wholesale buyer, or placed into an auction. Our buyer network consists of people looking to buy all kinds of cars: dealerships, junk yards, auto recyclers, wrecking yards, scrap yards, you name it....

My car is a piece of junk, will you still buy it?

Absolutely, there's a place in our heart for all cars out there, even the scrappiest ones...

Can I sell multiple junk cars?

Please do! If your buddies have a junk car to sell, you can send them our way as well....

Do you offer junk car removal everywhere in Glenwood?

Yup. Our service is available all around Glenwood....

How do you value my junk car?

We work with various buyers across the nation to get you the best offer on your junk car. We consider the condition, title status, location, and other tidbits when valuing your car....

How much does it cost to sell my junk car?

Not a single penny; our service is completely free of charge. We're happy to get that clunker out of your driveway....

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[johnsellph]

Virtual Racing

In the last few weeks we’ve seen several virtual races held online. Necessity is the mother of invention and it’s been a way for the sport to continue with all the cancelled races. It’s a poor substitute for real racing that serves only to remind us just how sophisticated a real race can be with tactics, weather and landscapes combining to create something special. Virtual racing seems designed for a limited audience but this is the start and there’s space to trial a variety of formats.

Unlike other e-sports, cycling actually involves pedaling and physical exertion. This is the unique selling point… and the problem. We’ve seen football stars playing FIFA and motor racing pros racing in Gran Turismo on their Playstations but all from the comfort of their armchairs and sofas. There are innate skills such as reaction times but arguably a large part of the appeal here is the celebrity element, to see Lewis Hamilton on the same platform as you might have; or the tribal aspect where a football club has such huge support that fans will tune in for almost anything being done by a star player, for example Ronaldo cutting grass or loading the dishwasher could still attract plenty. Pro cycling lacks this, Belgium aside arguably it doesn’t have the same celebrity pull. The physical aspect of having to pedal and break out into a sweat should be a selling point but so far it’s proving to be a leg-press competition that’s lacking drama and highlights how much of road cycling’s appeal comes from the landscape, terrain, weather and tactics as well as sweat and fatigue.

The Digital Swiss races have lacked suspense, typically a rider has taken the lead early and kept it to the end. You could watch in the hope some started too fast and would crack but this hare and tortoise scenario never really happened. This is partly down to the Rouvy software platform, it allows users to have virtual rides via footage of real roads which might be enjoyable for lone users in their basement wanting a virtual ride on a majestic mountain pass but the software gives no aerodynamic advantage if a rider places their avatar behind another one. Drafting is the essence of road racing, so to lose this aspect is to forfeit a lot of the sport’s tactical sophistication.

The Zwift races incorporate the slipstream effect but with more of a gaming experience with virtual landscapes and riders able to deploy various power-ups and so far these have been essential to the two wins in the series on Eurosport in the last two days. It’s an interesting contrast and allows for more freedom and creativity in the format but relies on the audience knowing what these features mean and so it’s presumably confusing for people unfamiliar to Zwift.

Team Sunweb’s Nicolas Roche has been an online success in these races and did a good interview with the Chasse Patate podcast (in French) pondering the equality of the virtual world: does your internet connection matter, are everyone’s trainers calibrated the same and so on? He suggested having all competitors in the same building on the same devices as a theoretical solution. Even then it’d be difficult, right now gathering everyone in the same gymnasium is out of the question, plus power meters from the same manufacturer can vary and teams have different equipment sponsors. This brings us to the structural problem where it’s possible to get a peloton on the start line for a real race but how to do this for teams sponsored by Elite, Wahoo and Tacx, and if Geraint Thomas and Mathieu van der Poel are paid to promote Zwift are they contractually excluded from Rouvy? And so on.

The Giro plays in the background of many a bar or caffè in Italy

But the bigger question is who does this interest? If you’re reading a niche blog here then you’re a hardcore cycling fan but pro cycling works because it reaches the mass market, not you or I. It literally travels to people, visiting towns and even villages that other sports don’t and when it’s on television it attracts millions who aren’t big cycling fans but tune in for the Tour of Flanders, the Giro and especially the Tour de France. This explains why the likes of Sunweb, CCC, Bora, Soudal or Groupama pay millions for title sponsorship instead of Wahoo, Tacx or Powerbar. The virtual Tour of Flanders got an audience of 600,000 compared to the habitual million or more which is good but probably exceptional: this is cycling-mad Flanders, it was a novelty and there was a captive audience locked in their homes and probably won’t translate to the same audience in France or Italy, let alone the UK or USA and isn’t the sort of thing you can imagine on TV or radio in the back of a bar. It’s a few years old now but an opinion poll in France asked what drew people to watch the Tour de France on TV and it wasn’t the race: the largest segment of the audience tuned in for the scenery. As such the Tour de France doubles as a travel program, as do other races, and this segment of the audience is lost automatically to e-racing. If anything e-racing is doubling-down on the niche within a niche element as it’s a blunt version of sport that stresses on-screen displays of watts and power-weight ratios while only a subset of cyclists use power data. Still if the sport can’t reach the mass market today then tapping into the loyal base is still of interest, especially to some technical sponsors.

As a work-in-progress there’s a blank canvas, if something isn’t working today it could be fixed for tomorrow. Ideally a virtual race should have drafting as this is the essence of road racing but there’s a chance to import other aspects from cycling and beyond to make online events more exciting, for example copying a track elimination race where, say, the last rider in the bunch each kilometre gets cut from the race. Perhaps we embrace the idea that these events are no copy and instead try “wacky races” whether it’s a further gamification of the races with more bonuses, virtual patches of oil that cost riders virtual time or even Pellos-style monsters brandishing giant hammers. There’s a lot to think about, fundamentally should e-racing mimic road racing or use the freedom of a virtual world to offer something completely different? Both formats can co-exist and appeal to different audiences.

Conclusion Virtual races are no substitute for the real thing, whether as entertainment for fans or reaching the mass audience that team sponsors crave. These online races seem designed to appear to a subset of hardcore cycling fans but reaching them is still worthwhile and hopefully it doesn’t cost too much to develop, promote and broadcast these races and in turn help make side sponsorship deals with indoor training suppliers more valuable. The formats need work but this is a new concept that didn’t exist two months ago and there’s a blank canvas ahead with open questions about whether to make online racing even more like the real thing or to use the virtual experience to make the racing completely different.

Virtual Racing published first on https://motocrossnationweb.weebly.com/

[justalittlemango]

Entry #20 - 09/03/2020

Well, after a bit of a misunderstanding that last post was a bit dramatic! I guess to update, my bf and I are perfectly fine, probably better if anything as a result of that. We’re still together. On the night where we decided to take a break, there was a big error in communication which got clarified the morning after, which took a different turn of events thereafter.

So yes, that is all fine and dandy now! Stressing over nothing as per usual. Anyway, whats been up in my life? Well, it’s currently 2am now entering the Monday, and I’m at my parents house still. It feels weird to say I’m going to be at a lecture tomorrow, but I’m still at home 80 miles away! Crazy right?

We was meant to go back to Chelt today, however, all of us got up pretty late lol, which is pretty typical of my family honestly. Especially me, I’m always getting up late. Mornings practically don’t exist for me unless they’re the super early mornings! So yes, we will be going in about 12 hours or so instead so wahoo. I’m quite looking forward to being back, though I have enjoyed my 8 days back here in Birmingham, it’s nice. I feel rather stress-free when I’m here.

So yesterday I was out with a friend from school just because otherwise I would not have left the house all week! but yes, I met up with him and went to the pub for a drink. He was very drunk safe to say, and was a little uh, well, a little close for comfort. He is a horny bastard. Luckily I can keep stalling and never have to fall into that trap lol.

Still, it was nice to be out and seeing a friend. I would’ve gone out more but my sleep schedule this week has been catastrophic. I might be able to fix it tonight by sleeping late and waking up early, giving me only like 5 hours of sleep or so. Meaning I will fall asleep earlier in the day! just in time for the uni week to start! 

I also did my own hair today. I was quite proud of myself, because I also expected that to look rather catastrophic! however, I did quite a splendid job. No idea why I turned so posho there. Watching a lot of YouTube, playing a lot of Splatoon and chilling with my parents in the evenings is typically how I spent my days here. Quite nice and chill.

However, past couple days I have been worrying about money. As a student, I’m really fucking bad with money as I don’t really get much at all. I have been lucky to have my bf who has been helping me pay my way with like food shopping and bills, and that’s pretty much all I’ve been spending money on honestly.. I don’t think I will be taking the bus to uni for the rest of the semester as I can’t really afford it now, and I’m glad I was able to do my haircut myself and saved myself £15 there, yay!

But I’ve been worrying, stressing and not being able to sleep because I can’t stop thinking about freakin money dude. Like, I am on a £2000 overdraft, that my bank is expecting me to pay back (by £500 each year until I’m clear starting from August) - this is because they think I have graduated! I have not graduated! It is because my first uni attempt in 2016, and I would’ve graduated by now but no! I am in my first year again so I really need to speak to my bank about getting that sorted. If they can put me back on a student account and change me to a graduate account when I actually graduate, then that would be a huge sigh of relief for me. However, not giving up my hopes too much.

I tried looking up “work from home” jobs which of course give you results that sound too good to be true, and honestly, if it seems too good to be true, then it is. I signed up for this site that I guess gathers like offers and rewards for people, and if you do like 20 of them then you’ll get paid. You get paid like £60 or so. However, there’s a pretty big catch on it. Some offers require you to have a 7-day trial, completely free, and then the site will give you £5 as a reward. Sounds good right? Nope! Not until you realise that you won’t get the reward until you complete the full trial, where you will then be charged the normal price for the service, which actually ends up being more expensive than the freakin reward!! So yeah, you are losing out on money. I am glad I didn’t invest much in this site. I knew it was a little sketchy but now it’s clearer. Sneaky. This is why y’all should read T&C’s on these dodgy ass sites!!

So I thought I could get a small amount of money from that, but I think I give up with it. In all fairness, I don’t know why I’m stressing about money anyway since as a student there’s really not much I can do rn. Especially at this time of year where I’ve almost finished the year. I’m 2 months away from finishing and then back in Bham for like 3-4 months. I better hope I can find some part time job during the summer so I can at least have some kind of money.

My main reason why I am trying to save so much is not because of the overdraft debt, I mean, it will be if they cannot change my bank account back to student, but it’s mainly for going to Canada (if it even happens) I need to save like £1400. It seems pretty far off. And it is. So I am highly doubting that I will be going there at this point now. Even with the cheaper rent next year, it’s only cheaper for the 2 terms so I’m still really not getting that much. Sad!

That’s pretty much what’s been going on with my life. Seems like even back at home I can’t stop stressing about stupid shiet! However, I think I am just going to accept that there really is nothing for me to do. I gotta wait til summer. Maybe if I can save some money from my birthday perhaps? Who knows! 

-mangie

[724towingserviceomaha-blog]

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724 Towing Services Omaha is a company that provides a selection of services such as towing services, accidental recovery service, and 724 Towing Services Omaha to residents, car owners, or even visitors within Omaha NE or its vicinity. Our services are available every day of the week including holidays and weekends. If you are in Omaha NE and you experience any kind of problem with your car, simply give us a call and our well-experienced technicians will evaluate the problem and give the best solution to your problem based on their knowledge, skills, training, and experience. With 724 Towing Services Omaha and their network of licensed affiliates experts, you don’t need to worry about encountering problems with your car at the most inconvenient times of the day because we offer recovery services Omaha NE. We are always there for our customers and we offer the best solutions for effectiveness, speed, and precision. We provide different car solution services with high quality and which can be categorized into towing services, accidental recovery service, and 724 Towing Services Omaha.

Average Cost of Accidental Recovery Service

In dollars, the estimated mean cost per crash attendance was $82 for 315 crashes in 724 Towing Services Omaha and $125 for 3,880 crashes in the data were much more complete than the Omaha NE data. Using data on the percentage of crashes attended, we broke the estimate down by police reported crash severity.

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How much should I settle for after a car accident?

Your average car accident settlement might be approximately $21,000. It is likely to fall somewhere between $14,000 and $28,000. The settlement is generally higher for more severe or permanent injuries. You'll also get paid more if the other driver was found to be driving under the influence

How much is average settlement for pain and suffering?

Many personal injury lawyers have been trained to multiply the actual damages by three to reach a reasonable damages amount. So, if your medical bills were $5,000.00 and your lost wages were $1,000.00, you would multiply $6,000.00 by 3 for a total of $18,000.00.

How long does it take to get a settlement after an accident?

After a settlement is agreed upon, how long will it take to get my settlement injury check? Usually, it takes between four to six weeks to complete the settlement process (this varies on a case-by-case basis). First, the insurance company will require you to sign a release that settles your claim.

How much money can you sue for pain and suffering?

There is no one right answer. When valuing a client's pain and suffering, a lawyer will typically sue for three to five times the amount of the out-of-pocket damages (medical bills and loss of work). Therefore, if you were out of pocket $500, you might wish to ask for $1,500, the overage being for "pain and suffering."

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[designcompanys-blog]

What the In-Crowd Won't Tell You About Wahoo Concealed Carry Class

Triangle Shooting Academy was elected among the very first ranges to start this partnership in 2019. North Carolina gives the legal and law-abiding citizens the ability to get a Concealed Carry Handgun Permit concealed carry. We offer the necessary class to receive your Utah Concealed Firearm Permit. If you aren't physically able to take care of a handgun your permit is going to be denied. Firearm If you don't have a firearm, an individual will be supplied for you. You are going to be certified to submit an application for the NC Concealed Carry Handgun Permit which will enable you to carry in 38 states, and permit you to purchase in North Carolina!

First I don't charge a great deal of money for the class even though I need to rent a classroom and pay range fees for my classes. Since it's all inclusive students do not have to bring anything to the class or range. I highly suggest this class to anybody who's interested in a concealed weapons class. This class is a rather great class. It does not teach you how to shoot. Rodney Reddick This class is an incredibly great class.

You should understand when you're justified to shoot and when you must attempt to de-escalate the circumstance. So that by the moment you get your permit, you're likely to be prepared to go, already on your way to mastery. Don't rush, sights and trigger and you'll do fine.

When you fill out the classroom and shooting part of the class, you are going to take a proficiency exam to become certified. Residency will be set by your state-issued identification. This course will supply the student with the necessary training to make an application for a South Carolina CWP.

Students are going to learn how to engage a number of targets both stationary and while on the go. Attendees are going to receive the RTBAV Student Handbook and see demonstrated lots of safety related products. Speak to the local sheriff to discover the right property at which you are able to shoot weapons safely and legally.

If your state doesn't recognize the Utah permit this doesn't apply. If you attempt to hurt our children in our schools, you are going to be shot. Women have their delusions of fantasy too, she states.

The organization requires you to finish an overall safety program and a specialized course that covers the kind of weapons for which you need to get licensed. It keeps me involved in the business, and I adore the business, she states. We make it simple to aid the student continue their journey after the very first class and ensure you get paid commissions once your students purchase goods, gear, and tools from ConcealedCarry.com. I strongly recommend your class to all handgun owners regardless of what level of experience they have. Not many different instructors can tell you exactly what to expect as soon as you use deadly force like I can.

If your state doesn't recognize the Utah permit, this doesn't apply. Certain residents of North Carolina may be qualified to get a permit which would let them carry a concealed handgun under certain ailments. There's a mile long boardwalk that winds around the marshy areas where you will discover many unique varieties of birds. It is a rather simple hike that follows Parrish Creek up a couple hundred yards until you come to these superb drawings. If you wish to avert the many flies, consider hiking in cooler months.

Frontline Defense's concealed carry training will remain up-to-date on the latest laws. Do whatever has to be done to find this done ASAP! If a date isn't available before the class date, I might have the ability to locate an alternate date during the week to conduct the qualification. The range fee will nonetheless will need to get paid concealed carry nebraska. Once each of the necessary medical information is received by the Sheriff's Office, the remainder of the approval method is started.

The health care documents are needed to ascertain your mental capacity to manage a gun. If it was your intention to go to the official state website, you can access it via this hyperlink. These reasons will allow you to understand why it's required to have a CCW permit, and why carrying a weapon in public is extremely important. This will be decided by your county sheriff who will get medical records for you at the right time of application.

Here are a few of the basics to aid you in making this important decision and to help you to stay responsible and safe. We give you a crystal clear and concise explanation of your choices together with helpful links to official sources and forms. To find out more or general inquiries, don't hesitate to get in touch today.

We'll get in touch with you to go over our payment choices. If it will become feasible, payment might also be made with debit or credit cards accepted by the Nebraska State Patrol. You must have or be happy to attain liability insurance.

Nate Squared pioneered using neoprene in the holster market. Your shots must hit the silhouette so that you can qualify to get your certificate. We can supply you with a handgun, and a holster.

From time to time we do teach in different locations. Our instructors aren't sales folks. Those variables incorporate what it is that you are likely to do while you're right here, what your transportation wants are, the duration of time that you want to stay, of course your allowance.

Besides the mandated material, our instructor is going to teach you just how to carry, and the principles of handling a firearm safely. All instructional materials will be supplied by the instructor. Utah courses do not demand real-time fire exercises so no firearm required for the class.

[airoasis]

motivation monday: october finish up

Hi, and delighted Monday! Today I am publishing a recap of my October running, primarily for my own records and to distill what went excellent and where I require some work. Total I satisfied my (incredibly simple) goals. If any of this works to you, then Happy Motivation Monday!! If you have some suggestions for any parts of it, do not hesitate to share. Thanks for reading, friends.

Many Interesting Workout:

Of numerous excellent exercises this month, it was tough to select a preferred. Sunday, Oct 14th is it. That early morning I ran a slightly fasted (I had actually eaten well the day previously, simply no breakfast) and spontaneous half marathon all by myself, at a pretty smooth pace (9:38 average). I didn't set out to run that long, but it felt fantastic! Every mile felt much better and much better, and I had some extra time, so ultimately, I just went for it. It's far from my ultimate time goal for 13.1, however considering I did this with no breakfast and no hydration or calories along the method, I'm delighted. It gets me thinking about what is possible when I am effectively sustained. And I had gobs of energy all the time after that! It's insane. Adaptions are happening.Worst Day: I attempted

operating on the extremely first day of Shark Week * this month, and I paid the rate. My other symptoms had been so mellow leading up to "The first day," I thought undoubtedly a 6 -or 7-mile simple day was possible. I had a hard time through 2.5 then walked another 1.5 while talking myself out of a pity party. Ha. It's great. I went house and poured my minimal physical energy into other things and counted my blessings that a difficult run was the worst of my health difficulties. I moved on with my life.Longest Run: Wednesday, Oct 24th: 15 even at Lake Hefner, with Mickey cyclingbeside me. This

was actually my longest run in numerous months, and I was happily surprised by not only a constant speed (9:46 average)but by the reality that I was not truly tired later. Nor was I the least bit sore the next day. Like, in general, it felt similar to an average 8/easy day. Huge thanks and high fives to my buddy for keeping me business!! The miles passed happily, and I got to hear numerous terrific stories about his life. I hope we do that together more frequently! Fastest General Run: Early on Sunday the 21st I shocked myself by running a little over 8 miles at an average speed of 8:47

. For me, that is quite

stylish. I rode endorphins the whole rest of that fine day, which we spent driving Klaus up Path 66 and doing a little hike, just the three of us. Then we had a very special dinner with our Sperrys, and my heart was so complete. (My trick that day was understanding that I only had about an hour to run, so I just crammed as numerous miles in as possible, then rounded it out to 8, ha! )Unique Meals Worth Sharing Since Food is Fuel: I continue to favor my odd"warm breakfast salad "over cold protein smoothies for post-run nutrition. Chilly early mornings simply beg for something relaxing, you know

? It's oats prepared with spinach and zuchinni, topped with two eggs. Bam. Love it.I am also caring huge, crisp apples and roasted peanuts, chicken breast sandwiches for lunch, and veggie-heavy soups and pasta dishes in the evening. Some roasted veggies with sticky rice is excellent the night eventually runs. Yes to gorgeous buffet, always, and salads at home get topped with warm things like roasted acorn squash and blended with kale for substance. I can not appear to eat enough eggs and peanuts the past few weeks. I do not comprehend why. Oh! And crepes. Jessica invited me over for breakfast one day, and together with the most beautiful salad ever, she made us a huge platter of warm, thick, chewy, eggy crepes.

Best and tasty. We went with savory over sweet that day. I am so proud of her and her cooking self-confidence and artistry.Horrible Error I Will Never Ever Make Once Again: Last Monday evening we were out at a costumed event behind anticipated and simply chose to get some late dinner at Taco Bell. Taco Bell, friends, around 9:45 p.m. This is not my life. I ate among those"power bowls "with steak and some tortilla chips with really hot homemade salsa. It was all tasty, however I had let myself get too hungry. I slept alright then early the next early morningattempted to run with my rapid friend Sheila. It was not fun. My meal was not digested yet. I had to cut the miles short and stroll back to my automobile . Dumb dumb LOL! Fresh Running Lesson: Vertical Oscillation

had currently been on my mind when I ran with Mickey that day at Lake Hefner. While bicycling behind me, he observed that with each stride I circled up excessive(think, Tigger the bouncing tiger, or perhaps an elliptical device instead of straight-forward motion ). Mickey offered a number of kind tips, which I attempted. Immediately my posture structured and my next couple of sprints were at my

max speed without any additional effort

. It just clicked. Fantastic! I practiced the toe-roll for numerous days after that and believe it is helping me waste less energy. Thanks, Mickey!Weather Considerations: From heavy rain all month to a surprise twister one day and constant temperature level swings, our fall weather condition has actually kept local runners thinking. I braved the treadmill just a few times, enough to see that my dullness endurance is abysmal, haha. I have some major mind callousing to do, you guys. Anyway, I am so happy to have actually satisfied my October objective with so numerous days that could have gone really differently. And the season modification has actually been awesome to see. I am not at

all grumbling. Oklahoma

has not seen this much color and such high water levels in lots of years, and the early morning skies, my gosh. I love everything. Simply extremely appreciative that a lot of miles were taken pleasure in outdoors, which is my favorite.Little Extras Still Happening? Yes, mostly. All month I did the dynamic warm-ups faithfully, and I stretched a little

after each run, but possibly inadequate. I got 8 infant weight-lifting days and about as lots of yoga sessions, but I might be more disciplined with that. Some core work and deep stretching at nights are probably in order, too. It's simply a matter of finding sustainable habits. Overall Miles: 223.1 These miles were mostly easy effort, long run rate, extremely relaxing, and delighted! My October objective was 220, just 10%up from September. It felt pretty uncomplicated, so I am thrilled

. Well over half of my miles were past this specific tree. I watched it alter colors each week. So beautiful!What's Next? My goals for November are to: keep my energy method up and my discomforts way down so I can delight in a month of both running and holiday festivity eat more mindfully, not like I remain in a panic all the time, ha!run 180 miles( a little step back)including two tough Hansons

workouts weekly lift rather much heavier

and regularly (perhaps every 3 days )yoga yoga I am incredibly curious just how much progress I'll see from strength training and coordination drills. After that, I will be a stone's toss from my "Run the Year"goal of 2,018. Wahoo !! What's brand-new in your fitness and health universe? * Shark Week, for this blog's purposes, will always describe a woman's natural reproductive regular monthly cycle. And"The first day" is the worst day for me

. I seem like you knew that already. However thanks for

following the asterisk.

[myfuckofffundjourney]

Money Diary, Week 1

This will be long, and rambly! But it’s good to have it written down.

Tuesday, Jan 2

11 am: feeling like hell, go grab some over the counter decongestants. Pharmacist suggests a proper doctors visit. Make an appointment. 22nis

11:15: grab coffee at cafelix on the way to the bus. 11 nis

11:20: bus. 5.9 nis

12:00: pick up some doctor prescribed decongestants. 16nis.

14:30: bus home. 5.9 nis

14:45: crap. Can’t use transfer - buy another ticket. 5.9 nis

16:30: need water and snacks - 11 nis. I buy a glass bottle that I’ll reuse until I lose it or something. I had a reusable water bottle that i misplaced at a friends house. I keep reminding myself to go find it or buy a new one. That and a portable french press to-go mug, which is the best for my coffee addiction+constantly running around schedule.

22:00: Load my rav kav with 30 shekels. Home, grilled cheese and apple sandwich, TV, free yoga, bed. 30 nis.

107.7

Wednesday, Jan 3

11:00: Woke up feeling good! I planned my day out so that I did yoga, cleaned, and studied for two hours. Breakfast was a few pieces of peanut butter toast and a clementine. Now I need coffee and am out (used the last dregs for a sad cup this morning that just isn’t doing it) so I run out to grab some. 11 nis

14:30: I’m also out of toilet paper. On the way to get some, I drop off a sweater that needs to be dry cleaned. It was free so I don’t mind needing to dry clean it. Plus, its the best sweater ever. Grab a small package of toilet paper. In the future I will try to get to bulk stores and buy in bulk but for now, I’ll go with tiny 4-packs. Successfully restrain myself from buying a snack, telling myself I’m avoiding extra expenses and sugar. 5.5 nis

14:45: Heating up chicken soup for lunch. I see that my maple syrup has some weird blobs floating around in it which means some moths probably got inside. SO ANNOYED. I have more, and I probably didn’t even pay for this one, but it’s still an expensive food item I like having around and it sucks to waste it. Fuck you, moths. Eat my chicken soup, which is nearly finished (thankfully, it was getting a bit boring).

15:00: a friend is giving away a mattress, which I need. I just don’t know how i would get it to where I am, which is a studio sublet for the next 7 days, and where I’d put it after until I move into my new place. This is tricky.

22:00: The chair and mattress don’t work out, which sucks, because it could have saved me a lot of money. Oh well. I head to Jerusalem after class and get dinner with Shlomi. They end up giving us tons of free drinks because I used to work there. We split the bill. 88 nis.

104.5

Thursday Jan 4

10:00: coffee and a donut to nurse my hangover/sit and plan my day. I’m going to work somewhere that pays really well per hour, so things like a coffee in the morning feel less worrisome, as I need to be focused and Shlomi only has shit coffee at his place. A while after I leave, I realize that the guy forgot to ring up my donut, and make a mental note to remind him next time. 15 nis.

11:00: Take a taxi that I can bill to the client. I don’t in the end though. 30 nis.

18:00: Get paid! I worked really reallllllly slowly today so I end up charging them for an hour less. Still, I made 1200nis, and with reimbursements, it came to a nice 3170 nis. Wahoo!

18:30: Bus to meet friends for dinner. 5.9 nis.

20:00: Ugh. I told friends I’d take them to dinner as a thank you for a huge favor (that netted me a good amount of money a week ago). I put down 350 nis. 350 nis.

20:10: Train to the bus station because it is freezing and I’m tired. 5.9 nis.

21:00: Fill my Rav Kav. 100 nis.

22:00: grab chocolate and cream for my very necessary hot chocolate movie date night with myself. 18 nis.

524.8

Friday Jan 5

13:30: Head to a friend to cook and get ready for shabbat. He bought most of the food, which is nice for me. I pick up my sweater from the dry cleaners on the way to him. 30 nis.

13:45: Pick up necessary dinner items (I brought the rest from home) - noodles and nori. It costs 18 nis.

14:30: Meet up with a friend - I really want to get coffee or something but we just grab a package of cookies that I devour. 12 nis.

60

Saturday Jan 6

Money-free day! Woop woop.

Sunday Jan 7

In a fit of annoyance after waiting at the bank for WAY too long, I impulse buy a fuckton of cake. Whoops. 24 nis. But I made all my meals at home - including a truly vile peanut noodle stir fry that used up most of the veggies that were going off. It’s definitely not enough and I’ll probably get a snack later, but at least I ate my big meals (breakfast and dinner) at home.

20:00: buy some chocolate. I eat them and feel like shit in every part of my body. Dumb move. Ugh. 16 nis

40

Monday Jan 8

Morning coffe - 10 nis. After taking care of the bank (does depositing 5,000 nis into a deposit for an apartment count as spending money? Not sure…) I go to hand in receipts for an event  I did a few weeks ago - will hopefully get paid for it soon. I need to return wineglasses I borrowed for it; the taxi ride there and back to a meeting with an interested potential client who wants cooking lessons costs me a shitload of money - 117 nis - and I’m annoyed that I didn’t bill the people who did the event. On the other hand, it might bring it a lot of work in the future so it’s worth it. I hope. Meet friends for coffee and donuts. I end up paying which is annoying but I know she’ll get me back in the future. 38 nis. Then I get lunch because I’m still getting over my sugar hangover. 33 nis. On the way to the bus I grab a water bottle because I feel faint with thirst - 7 nis. Once at school, I duck into a grocery store and pick up a banana, apple,and yogurt for breakfast tomorrow. 13.5 nis. Talk to a friend about signing up for a CSA which should actually save money - it’s 90 shekel a week plus a 20 shekel delivery fee. Divided by two people, it’s 55 shekel a week and should be enough produce for us, and as a bonus, it’s fresh, local, and seasonal and also will help me cut down on impulse grocery store buys.

I know the next few weeks/months are going to be stupidly expensive - I have to move a house, get new things for the new place, replace my phone because it’s dying. I can see that the cord on my computer charger is fraying - it will probably need to get repaired soon or fixed. That’s not to mention the two huge fees that have been looming over me - getting my license and getting my wisdom teeth out. Those two, plus tuition, are the like, massive things that I need to sort out but don’t even know how it is POSSIBLE. Gah.

Go home. Decide not to buy anything even though I need food that’s healthyish. I make some tea and peanut butter toast.

218.5

Tuesday Jan 9

Meet a friend for breakfast even though it’s not the smartest thing to do, but it’s delicious and we have fun. 50 nis.

Grab groceries on the way home, including some oatmeal to replace from what I took in this apartment. I get her a full container even though I only used a tiny bit. 30 nis

Throw in a load of laundry. Jesus christ I cannot WAIT to have a washing machine again. This blows. 20 nis. Then another 6 nis for drying it. Grr.

Head to class. I’m agressively tired so I go to cofix and get a shitty coffee and energy bar. 10 nis.

Happily I get a ride home! Make us tuna wraps and pack the apartment.

116

Wednesday Jan 10

I pack all morning. Kim is here to help me move which is amazing, so I take her for breakfast. Between the two of us and tip, it comes out to 112 nis.

Go home, continue packing. I need to get trash bags because I have nothing to put my linens in, and also replace some soy milk. 24 nis. While in am/pm I get a call from my health insurance - I need to make a late payment. Bloody hell. :(

We drive to make the second drop off - have to wait outside for a key. I get us both a juice because we are irritable and sore and exhausted. 18 nis.

Buy a soda water. 5 nis.

School. Buy a yogurt and clementine. 7.5 nis.

Head to Jerusalem. I’m starving and assuming Shlomi is in school till ten so I grab pizza with a friend. 45 nis. Meet another friend to kill some time - she convinces me to get ice cream. I dont even want ice cream but we’re stoned. Ugh. 15 nis.

226.5

Weekly Total: 1398

Food (groceries) 109

Food (restaurants/not at home/impulse buys) 870 

Transportation 159.5

Transportation, work related: 147

Misc: 99.5