#and guy 2 and his son went to the maintenance person to complain

[ladysophiebeckett]

i had to visit the laundromat today to wash the thick blankets that don't fit in the washer and while i was waiting for the loads to finish, a kid walked in with two little birds on his shoulder, like a disney princess.

[intrepidmare]

MARE'S RECAPS ~ THE MANDALORIAN: CHAPTER 9 "THE MARSHALL"

Oh wow! It's been a while since I've done something like this. Last year, I caught up with season 1 about 2 days before the finale, so I didn't have the opportunity to write reviews/recaps. This season, though, I'm going to 😀 so here it is the first one! 

For the folks that haven't seen the premiere and don't want spoilers, scroll past this, fast and furious, because it's full of them. If you want to blacklist tags to avoid spoilers from me, I suggest that you add #mando spoilers, #the mandalorian season 2 spoilers, and #mare's mando recaps to the list.

I've seen the episode a few times (yeah, I'm that obsessed with the show) so some of my reactions are more visceral than others since I was too excited the few first times I watched it and I missed a lot of details (another reason to rewatch the episode more than once). This recap is loooooong, which is an indication of how amazing it was.

So this my final warning to those avoiding spoilers. Stop reading, right now. The rest of you… enjoy and let me know if you share some of my opinions. I'm always open to chat 😊

Chapter 9 ~ The Marshall

So it begins! It's so exciting!

I knew that Mando and baby Yoda walking in the street at night was going to be the opening scene. I started to think about it after watching the second trailer, and I'm glad that I was right.

It turns out that the red-eyed creatures were not jawas as I saw some people saying.

Baby Yoda was not happy with the little excursion to the fighting arena. Not walking on the streets nor inside watching the fight. I still laughed when he locked himself up in the pram, even if I've watched the trailer like a gazillion times by now and I knew he was going to do it.

And talking about the baby, he's getting more vocal I think. He's making a few new noises, whimpering more, which I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing. That he complains more means that he feels safe with his buir and isn't afraid of retaliation for it as he probably was with others in the past and the reason he didn't cry much in season 1. But it breaks my heart that he is stressed. And that child is anxious, I can tell you that much.

The fight with Gor Koresh's thugs was awesome! The gamorrean flying to squash Mando and failing had me cracking up. And omg! Din'd moves! Using his helmet as a weapon and throwing his vibroblade. And leaving Gor Koresh to be eaten! Man of his word, he didn't kill the guy.

On a side note, I would've never guessed it was John Leguizamo who gave voice to Koresh until I saw the credits. Of all the actors who could play the part, I never thought of him.

Umm, I'm curious about the time Mando has spent in Tatooine, which according to him it's been a lot and it makes sense since he knows so much about the Tuskens, their language and culture. I'm guessing he spent a while among them. He had to learn all that somehow. 

When I speculated that Mando was going back to Tatooine after watching the trailers, I said that I was going to riot if he didn't visit his favorite mechanic. Thankfully, I didn't need to worry. I loved Peli in episode 5 of season 1 and I loved her even more now remarking on Din's dislike of droids and trying to keep the baby for herself. Not to mention she complaining about not getting good help these days 🤣

And I ADORE the (improvised?) Birikad Din got for the baby. Of course, the baby is safer in the pram, right (guessing that's why he used it when he met Gor Koresh), but there's something sweet watching him carrying his son so close to him.

And I tell you, Mando has been spending credits lately in baby stuff. I mean, he got a new pram (which I initially thought it was the original that he had somehow retrieved from the garbage in Nevarro, but no, it's not the same, and neither it's the one that Kuiil made) and he also got the bag/birikad thing, which looks brand-new. I wonder what else he bought.

Watching the droids doing maintenance of the Razor Crest makes me think it's all for nothing, knowing that in a few episodes (it might be even in the next one) Mando is going to crash the ship. More than once perhaps.

😆 The baby still loves speed! I think riding on the speeder bike was the only moment that he truly enjoyed in this episode. Look at that happy face 

When they arrived at Mos Pelgo and Din went into the cantina, leaving the baby outside, I was like: Din! That's not responsible. How can you leave your son out in the inclement sun, alone! Then baby Yoda peeked in and I went: never mind. I take back what I said.

Oooh. Cobb Vanth! I love him! For a moment, I thought it could actually be Boba but it seemed illogical and that's what Mr. Feloni and Mr. Favreau wanted us to think. I was correct.

My gawd! Din's shock when Vanth took the helmet off. I just knew he would freak out the moment Cobb asked for drinks and I said to drink they need to remove their helmets and Mando is going to lose it when this guy does. And the standoff! Was so good! "Take it off or I will" is going to become a quite popular phrase in fics from now on, not in the same context, but yeah…

The krayt dragon… oh shit! Or rather Dank farrik! We can't see Mando's face or expression but I can imagine which one was when he saw the dragon eating the bantha the first time.

Oh my goodness. The baby hiding in the pot! Too adorable! 

I know every hardcore SW fan lost it watching Vanth modified speeder because is a callback to the Phantom Menace and Anakin but my first thought was: is he compensating for something? Sorry, I couldn't help it 

The dog-lizard creatures were kinda scary at first but then became adorable. Almost as much as baby Yoda getting out of hiding

Baby Yoda doesn't like dog-lizards things. He looked afraid to be eaten I think. Poor little guy.

And look at that! Din showing such growth! To think he was the one incensing others in negotiation 😆 this is a total callback to the jawas in Arvala-7. And I gotta tell you, Din freaking loves his flamethrower. He doesn't waste the opportunity to use it.

The krayt dragon eating the Tusken raider instead of the bantha was quite of a plot twist 😆

When they were planning the attack on the dragon, Cobb Vanth's face when Din told him that the bones and pebbles were to scale, and then when he had volunteered the villagers to help… priceless! 

I like the fact of banding together with others for a greater good, relying on others to accomplish something is going to continue being the theme of this season. It started last season but I think it's going to be stronger this time around along all of the episodes.

😳😲😳😲 this thing vomits acid?! What. The. FUCK?!!!

Cobb: I don't think it's dead

Mando: me neither

Me, at the same time as Din: yeah, nope it's not dead

Oh yeah! Teaming up with jetpacks!

When they showed the bantha with the remaining explosives my first thought was why didn't they use all those before?! That's why they didn't kill it!! Of course, it was just an excuse to grant Din a more grand win in the end, but you know, it's stupid not to use everything you have to kill the monster on the first try. Just saying

Wait, what? Din! What are you going to do? No! Taking care of the child is your responsibility, not Cobb Vanth's! I hate this plan of yours, Din Djarin!! Whichever it is!

Oh! Nice callback to the flaw on that jetpack. But makes me wonder, do all the rising Phoenixes have the same flaw? Cuz unless Din knows Boba in person and that it's his armor with that particular flaw, it means it's a common problem for all and I don't like it.

Get away, Din! Get away, Din!! FLY AWAY!! AAAAAAAHHHHHH! NOOOOOO! 

There he is! Damn, Mando! Don't scare me like that! Altho, it was a nice move.

Okay, but now I want someone to explain something to me. If the dragon's acid melted people at contact before, how the hell is Din so whole? I mean, sure for argument' sake let's say his beskar armor provides some protection, but he's not entirely covered in it. His cape and undersuit seem just fine, albeit sticky. Where's the logic in that?

The tuskens getting the pearl reminded me of the jawas and the mudhorn's egg, chanting zukka, zukka (or however egg is spelled in Jawa).

That's quite a piece of meat. The baby is going to be happy eating off it for days🤣

😮😮😳😳 BOBA FETT!!!!! Yesssssss!!

Okay, I've seen other people's thoughts and some think that Boba was after Cobb Vanth because he had the armor, but I don't know. If that was true then why he hadn't gone to Mos Pelgo and got it? It seems to me that it's more likely that Boba is following Din somehow because it's the second time in as many Mando's visits to the planet that they sort of cross paths. Could they know each other? Have some score to settle? It's possible. Din has spent much time on Tatooine -his words, not mine- so it wouldn't be so out of consideration that they actually know each other. That if Mando knows Boba is (fake?) Mando, I don't know. Probably not, but who knows?

Extra thoughts

I gotta say that Ludwig Göransson is killing it with the score music! Oh. My. God! So so so so good! I could tell from the trailers that it was going to be awesome this season but it astounded me in chapter 9. Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous! My favorite piece is when they're going to the dragon's cave to kill it. The orchestral sound of the already familiar music blew my mind!

[thatsaweirdwaytospellundead]

Winter Troupe’s 7th Play: Hotel Compass 3/ 4

In a certain region, in a certain town lies Hotel Compass.

Established over one hundred years ago, the hotel sits far from popular tourist destinations and even the nearest train station. Unfortunately with its poor location, competing hotels have quickly snatched up many potential guests and this once grand hotel has begun to fall into disrepair.

The hotel has also been short staffed for quite some time, forcing the owner, Owari, and manager, Tsuzuki, to perform the majority of the maintenance and upkeep of the hotel. They spend each day tending to the needs of their few, but always eccentric guests.

Characters

Note: The theme of this play is “compass” with all the characters have direction-based names. I have included the character’s names in Kanji along with the double-meaning.

Azuma as Owari (尾張, sounds like “終わり, End”)

Guy as Tsuzuki (津々木, sounds like “続き,Continuation”)

Homare as Higashikawa (東川, East river)

Tasuku as Minami (三波, sounds like “南, South”)

Hisoka as Nishi (西, west)

Tsumugi as Kitami (北見, north view)

Due to the length of this play, I will be posting it in 4 parts.

[ Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 ]

Owari

Hey, is Mr. Minami alright?

He’s been sitting in the same position at that table for a while now.

I think by now its time to lay down the pen for a bit.

Tsuzuki

Really now...

Owari

Mr. Minami.

Is everything alright?

Minami

That’s it...

Yessss....

It’s all coming to me now...

HUH?

What is it?

Owari

Oh, is there anything we can do for you?

Minami

Some coffee please.

Owari

Right away, sir.

Tsuzuki, if you please.

Tsuzuki

It will be ready right away, sir.

Minami

My brush is flying.

My zest for life is overflowing...

I can still write my novel!

Owari

I am glad to hear that.

Minami

Oh, hey Kuroda!

Owari

...?

Minami

I have finished my rough draft, wanna see?

Hello, hello, Kuroda?

I have finished my rough draft so aren’t you gonna come have a look? 

Huh, what? You’re at my house?

Wait, you’re not at the hotel!?

Huh, uh no it’s nothing.

Understood. I’ll email you right away.

Yes, I am alright.

There is no problem at all.

This is going to be my next masterpiece!

Owari

So Mr. Kitami had nothing to do with Mr. Minami after all...

After eavesdropping on Nishi’s story, Minami is suddenly filled with inspiration and begins writing again.

Whilst writing, Minami also feels his will to live flowing back into his body.

Kitami appears and Minami tells him he is finished with his rough draft, however Kitami seems perplexed and simply walks away.

After a phone call with his editor, Kuroda, Minami realises that he had mistaken Kitami for his editor after all.

Owari

Sigh...

Finally some time to catch my breath.

Tsuzuki

Today has sure been eventful.

Owari

I feel like we have had more troubles than we have guests.

Owari: Why does it feel like our hotel is filled with only the most eccentric of guests?

Tsuzuki

Well our hotel is a place for lost travelers to come and rest after all, right?

Owari

Lost travelers, huh?

I feel like I’m the one who’s lost my way.

I’ve been slaving away trying to take care of the hotel that’s been around since my grandfather’s time, but for what?

After my wife and children walked out, I feel as if I have been working my ass off for nothing.

This hotel has been so dead ever since they left.

Does that mean I’ll be the last owner of this hotel?

I should really just quit before it’s too late.

But I don’t think I could bring myself to really do it.

This is the worst.

Well, no use dwelling over it now I guess.

I suppose if things keep going downhill we’ll just have to file for bankruptcy.

Tsuzuki

There are a lot of people that depend on this hotel.

Tsuzuki: If Mr. Minami could get back on his feet, I don’t see a reason why we couldn’t do the same.

Owari

I suppose you’re right.

That evening, Owari takes a moment to catch his breath and take a much needed break. Owari complains that he feels like their hotel has been taken over by only the most eccentric of guests. Tsuzuki tells Owari that their hotel is a place for lost travelers to stay.

Owari confesses to Tsuzuki that he also feels lost. He reveals that his wife and children had all left him some years ago. Owari wonders if he can even continue to keep his grandfather’s hotel open or if he will become the hotel’s last owner. Tsuzuki tells Owari that there are many people that depend on the hotel.

Detective

....

Owari

Welcome.

Detective

We are with the police. Could we have a moment of your time?

Higashikawa

Huh!?

Detective

Have you seen a man who looks like this?

His name is Hashima Ryou.

He is wanted on account of murder.

A man who looked like the suspect was last seen at this hotel.

Owari

Suspected murderer...

I don’t think I have seen anyone that fits that description...

I think I would have remembered if I saw someone with hair like that.

Detective

Some features may look a little different to this image.

Well if you have any leads, please contact us right away.

Owari

Understood.

Higashikawa

By the way...

If they’re looking for someone suspicious maybe that Mr. Kitami has something to do with it.

Owari

Well we just haven’t seen his true face.

.... It does seem suspect.

AH!

Higashikawa

What is it?

Owari

It’s just Mr. Nishi said earlier that one person will disappear from this hotel.

Higashikawa

HUH!?

WHAT’S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!?

WAS HE ANNOUNCING HIS PLAN TO MURDER SOMEONE!?

Owari

Maybe...

Tsuzuki

What’s going on?

Higashikawa

Big SOS, Tsuzuki!

We have a murderer amongst us! ALLEGEDLY!

Tsuzuki

A murderer you say....

Higashikawa

And on top of that, someone in this hotel is going to die, probably!!!!

Owari

I think you’re overthinking it.

Higashikawa

We need to see Mr. Kitami’s real face!

I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight if we don’t!

Owari

However...

Higashikawa

The police did tell us to tell them if we had any information. We gotta try at least!

Owari

And what will we do if he is the murderer?

Higashikawa

Then I’ll let Tsuzuki take the wheel!

Kitami

....

Higashikawa

Mr. Kitami!

Kitami

-- 

Owari

Hey, Higashikawa.

Higashikawa

Sorry to bother you, but we just got a visit from the police. We were wondering if you could take off your mask and--

Kitami

-- AH!!!

Tsuzuki

STOP RIGHT THERE!

Higashikawa

But Tsuzuki!

If we don’t see his real face--

Tsuzuki

There is no need for that.

Because, I am the one the police are looking for.

Higashikawa

HUUUUHH!!!?

Tsuzuki

I apologise for causing trouble.

I will now go turn myself in to the police.

Owari

So you’re saying you really are....?

Kitami

....So we meet at last, Hashima.

Owari

HUH?

Tsuzuki

You are--

Kitami

I am the son of Shimoi, the man you killed.

Tsuzuki

That you are...

I can see it in your face.

Higashikawa

I-Is this some sort of plot to avenge his father!?

Owari

RUN, TSUZUKI!

Kitami

Not at all.

Actually I wanted to give my thanks to Hashima....

Owari

Thanks?

Kitami

My father, Shimoi, was truly the most despicable type of human being.

He was known for committing numerous frauds, blackmail, and extortion, he even was violent towards the rest of our family. He was the type of person who was really just asking to be killed.

I felt so relieved when I heard the news of my father’s death.

It felt as if I was finally released from hell.

Tsuzuki

No one deserves to die.

I am no better than him as I am a man who has also attempted to run from his sins.

Kitami

But you are the one who saved my life.

Tsuzuki

---

Kitami

I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am, Hashima.

Just in case anyone staying at this hotel knew who you were, I made sure to wear a mask so as not to draw any further suspicion. I am truly sorry for all the trouble I have caused.

Tsuzuki

No, the secret would have gotten out eventually.

It is not like I could run forever.

The time has come.

It is a good thing we had this chat.

That evening, the police came to look for a suspected criminal. Owari recalled Nishi’s words and wondered if the two are somehow connected and if Nishi really knew a murder would happen.

Naturally, Owari and company first suspect their masked guest, Kitami. However, when they went to try and apprehend him, Tsuzuki makes a startling confession that he is the murderer. Owari and company are left in shock.

Kitami then removes his mask and reveals that he is the son of the man that Tsuzuki had murdered.

Owari and company tell Tsuzuki to run for fear that Kitami had come to avenge his father. To everyone’s surprise, Kitami tells the group about his father’s awful behavior in life and in fact felt relieved upon hearing news of his father’s death.

Kitami continues to explain that he came to the hotel to thank Tsuzuki for his actions. However, to avoid raising suspicion from the police and others at the hotel, Kitami wore a mask.

To be continued.... Read part 4 here!

[jrangermachine-blog]

Tales From the Checkout Line

TALES FROM THE CHECK OUT LINE

By JR

 Chapter 1:

This Job was an Escape Hatch…It Led to Another Trap

           Two years ago, I hated my job. I had a genius idea: quit it and go work my old grocery store gig from college. At the time looked at the experience as a fond return. I didn’t like internet marketing much either and in my mind I was leaving the corporate world to return to my youth and perhaps find my roots. I’d worked at this grocery store while I was in college (though at a different college, not the one near the store) and it had been wonderful….or perhaps that was how I remembered it. I liked the physical labor and I’d enjoyed my regulars the people who always came in. The store wasn’t far from a section 8 building and I found the customers who walked to the store from there were interesting and funny and made an otherwise mundane experience, relatively enjoyable. These were some of the realest people I knew during my time there.

           So, when I returned in the summer of 2017 I was looking forward to more of the same. My situation was such that I  could work part time and concentrate on my fiction writing. I foresaw a magical rebirth of past experiences, old memories coming alive again. It was summertime and I would be happy again. Everything would be different in the warm weather. The time would be slower, and the pace of the city could be more conducive to the pace my mind runs at. I could stock bags and ring up people in exchange for this.

           There were good people when I first came back. I enjoyed being there. I wouldn’t say they were the most productive group of people, but they were great to be around. There was Frank in the deli. He was this hilarious guy who always wore a comb in his hair and used to sing rap songs while we were closing. There was Sara, this heavyset tall woman with long black hair. She worked in the deli too and occasionally did some work in the back room.

           I remember there was this one night when Frank had a hip hop show in town and I went to it. Afterwards we all went out for drinks in the city and just shot the shit for several hours. At this point, I didn’t even feel like I was at work. I only came in a few days a week. It was great.

           Then about a year ago I had a genius idea to start working 5 days a week there….well 6 days initially. I made A LOT more money and become  A HELL OF A LOT more miserable. There was a direct correlation between the hours I worked and the unhappiness I felt.

           I’ve been doing this for about a year now. I don’t enjoy it and I’m actively looking for a  new job right now….these are my observations about working here over the years.

 Chapter 2:

The Illogical Cash Register Policy

           One of the things that drives me nuts about working here is the non-committal approach to EVERYTHING. Our policies are one thing on Tuesday and something completely different by Friday. There’s no reason to it. One of the areas I notice this is at the cash register.

           During the day, it’s essentially a non-issue  because there isn’t as much business as there is at night. We only need one cashier to handle the traffic at that time. Occasionally there might be a long line but provided something crazy isn’t going on in the back room, we can usually have a person open up to cover the spill over traffic.

           At night though…that’s when shit becomes infuriating, specifically on Friday night. So, the thing is it’s a family owned grocery store. The owner only works during the day and at night he’s at home. He’s at home, but that isn’t to say he isn’t watching things. About a year ago, they had cameras and microphones installed in the store so they could spy on the employees. Nico, the manager who I work with day to day, claimed they were for security. The point he stressed was that these cameras would be vital to everyone’s safety. I’ve got issues with this claim and with surveillance in general, but ignoring that, I think everyone knew that the installation of cameras would implicitly give them the ability to spy on anything and anyone at any time…and who’s in the store longer and more often than the employees?

           So, cut back to Friday nights at the store. Statistically, it’s a busy time for us. It’s the time when we do the most sales and it makes sense. It’s the weekend and these college kids want to get drunk. We supply the beer and they come buy it. So, the store wants us up by the registers most of the time when this is going on. They specifically want two cashiers if there is a line of more than two people. Gretchen, an older lady who works a second job, more or less sits on the primary register. She stays up front. As the back up cashier, my job is to maintain the aisles and stock/fix shelves if they become depleted. In the event that there’s a line I’m expected to open up immediately. The assumption is always that the owner could be watching at any time. Of course, he could be sitting outside enjoying the sunset or appreciating the life that his 50 plus years in the business have afforded him. But, he chooses to log in to his computer and watch what we do. So, if anything is going on that he doesn’t like, he’s not the least bit shy about calling his son Nico and asking him to bitch at us. So, I have to operate with the expectation that any moment this man is watching the camera and may be displeased.

           As part of my shelf facing/store maintenance duties that I do in addition to running the register, I also need to check dates on things sometimes. When things expire it puts us at risk just as much as it does the people who might by them. If a health inspector comes in and sees something out of date we could get in trouble. Checking the dates on these things is important and I believe in doing right so I take my time, I pull things out from the shelf completely to make sure nothing with a different date is hiding in the back. Unbeknownst to me, a line might be building in the front and all of the sudden I’m needed. I have no idea that this is happening and now I have to stop whatever I’m doing and go take care of these people, even if I’m right in the middle of it. Sometimes, I take care of the customers for like 20 minutes and then I’ll go back to what I was doing and find that one of the managers has put all the items back on the shelf! So, I need to start all over again! This has happened multiple times AND IT’S INFURIATING!

           As an added treat to my Friday routine, the owner of the store will sometimes be watching the surveillance cameras from his house. If he happens to see there’s a line by the register and that I’m not there IMMEDIAETLY, he calls the store to complain about it. So more or less, I have to remain by the register in order to satisfy his desire that nobody waits ever.

           So, what follows is the owner and his son Nico come in the next day, Saturday now, and they’re upset that the shelves weren’t faced as much or they’re mad because a bunch of things expired. The thing is you can’t have it both ways. They completely overlook the fact that for most of the evening I was covering the register and collecting cash for them. It leaves me feeling rather frustrated. If you’re going to have someone find things that are expired and face the shelves well then hire another person or ask someone else to fill in on the shift to augment the staff.

           In fairness to them, it’s a small store. They aren’t a chain or anything. Its family run and they’ve only got so much money. They’ve got competition from people who buy online and at bigger stores in the area which are chains. It makes sense that there isn’t a pool full of money waiting around to be poured into. BUT, they’ve done a lot of work to renovate the store and make changes to it. They should have planned for that expense instead of banking on people to simply tolerate these kinds of working conditions. I’ve been at good companies and bad companies and the places that do the best work generally had happier employees who cared about the store. It’s leaderships responsibility to set the pace of how things will go. If you work in a company where the leaders are realistic and are prepared to take care of their employees and make the place a good environment, you get a really good company where people do good work. If you get shitty, entitled leaders who don’t understand the challenges their employees face fully, you can expect lousy results.

           95% of the reason I don’t want to be here anymore, is because of how I feel about the people who own the store. I guess I thought that would change magically because I’m an adult and no longer a teenager…or maybe I just told myself it would be worth it because there were other aspects of the job I enjoyed….only…….what are those other aspects again?

  Chapter 3:

The Dreaded Section 8 People and How Their Petty Theft is What’s Secretly Killing Our Business. (Duhn Duhn Duhn!)

           As I’ve mentioned previously, our store isn’t far from Section 8 housing. The building is used to house the disabled and old people. Some of them have mental and financial issues and they don’t always conduct themselves in a way that the pretty white people of this rich college town would like. Sometimes they come into the store drunk or high. Some of them yell or curse for no reason. Occasionally some of them steal things.

           About six months ago I got a text in the morning from Nico, my boss. I wasn’t due at work for another four hours, but he decided it couldn’t wait. It was a video clip of a guy walking into the store and stealing a can of beer out of the cooler. He tucked it in his jacket and walked out of the store. I recognized the man in the video. He’d stolen from us once before and my boss had made quite the show of it.

           I came into the store later on that day and my boss called me back into the office.

           “I want you to see something,” he said.

He hadn’t looked at me yet. He was gazing at the computer and fondling the mouse. He clicked open to the video, but this time it was at a different angle. At this angle, you could see that I was in the shot. The video was from the previous night. In the video, you could see I was hunched over some products trying to pull them forward. The guy was in the same aisle as me, maybe ten feet down. He looked at me to see if I was watching, stuck the beer in his pocket and walked out.

“How does that happen?” Nico said.  “How does he feel comfortable enough that he can just take the beer can and walk out with it….you weren’t watching him.”

“I was facing your shelves,” I said.

“Well it doesn’t matter we need to…”

What followed was a speech about how I need to play security guard and profile people based on how they look and whether or not I can read their mind and determine they’re about to steal something.

“I hate to say it JR, but we need to start profiling people…” he said.

“I don’t think that guy who stole you from…” I started to say.

“That NIGGER. You mean that nigger that just stole from me?”

I was quiet after that because some things you just don’t have a response to.

           Let’s leave the racism aside for a moment, although it’s difficult to do that since the people who own and run this business tie almost everything wrong with the store back to race stereotypes. Now granted, I don’t condone stealing. It’s wrong and the business owners have every right to be upset. After all, they paid money for the products and when people take them it’s not good thing. Theoretically, it could cut into our profits if it happened enough. I get that.

           But let’s do some math here, since at the end of the day that’s all determining your profits is about, doing math. We probably get 50 boxes at least of perishable items like produce  twice a week. Each case is probably worth $20 low end. So that’s $1,000 twice a week. So, $2,000 on produce right there. Of those 50 boxes we probably have to throw out or not use 5 of them each week. So, $100 a week are just thrown out or not used. 52 weeks in a year, that’s $5,200 thrown in the fucking trash.

           Flip side, we’ve got the occasional theft. Let’s allow that it happens, I don’t know three times a month, I’m being generous here, I don’t think it happens even that much. Let’s say it’s a $10 loss each time. So, $30 a month gone. That’s $360 a year.

           $360 a year lost to theft versus $5,200 a year lost because the owner doesn’t want to eliminate some of the produce….and the $5,200 was only for the produce, that’s not counting the boxes of cookies and crackers and cartons of yogurt and milk that expire. So, even when I’m liberal with the amount of money people steal and conservative with the amount of money we lose of our own accord, the difference is still staggering.

           So, given this, why has my boss spent an hour talking to the police on multiple occasions, to stop a $30 a month problem, but he hasn’t spent time trying to figure out which grocery products he should eliminate. How does he rationalize this fixation on the petty theft by homeless and mentally disabled people?

           Ah, and now we can bring race in. The most frequent claim by my bosses is that it’s the blacks who are stealing. They’ve actually had me, or my coworkers stop what we’re doing and spy on black people, which is extremely uncomfortable and also a monumental waste of time. I’ve paid attention to who steals, and the common denominator isn’t race at all. It’s social and financial circumstances. It’s the people who live in that building who are poor and whose brains work differently than the average person’s. These aren’t black people specifically. These are desperate people with disabilities.

So, when my boss says to me things like “JR, we need to start profiling people,”  what I want say in response is “How? How do you read somebody’s mind and tell they’re desperate? Do you want me to go up to everyone in the store with slightly baggy clothing and a tan and accost them?” Hmmm, as a matter of fact, I think that’s  EXACTLY what they want me to do!

I’m not asking the store owners to finance people’s criminal activities. I’m not suggesting they shouldn’t confront people who ACTUALLY steal. But I think they should be realistic about it. It’s not exclusively black people and the frequency with which it happens doesn’t even begin to justify the energy we exhaust chasing people down these blind alleys. We have more vital things to focus on. The other day I was working at the register and I saw two of my coworkers carrying out 30 boxes of these weird off brand cookies that never sell. The boss had purchased them hoping they would. They were expired, every last one.

The next time they ask me to spy on a black person I’m tying my fucking shoelaces…

[truthisgoldenau]

Character Bio: Frederick Fazbear Sr.

Born: July 24, 1957

Race: Mixed (Mom was white, dad was black)

Sexual Orientation: Bi

Tattoos: 2 dates, wedding anniversary and kid's birthday, on his right arm.

Personality: Early on, extremely outgoing and excitable, easy to get along with. Later, closed off and distracted.

Married: February 14, 1980 to Madeline Hartford.

Franklin Isaiah Fazbear was considered one of the luckiest people in Spring Valley. He struck oil. He successfully found gold (by accident, at that!). And he scored one of the prettiest young women to ever make her way to the small Colorado city, a socialite from back east named Eliza Ann Farnsworth.

They got married early, and money was never a problem. They were rich and practically famous. Franklin's oil business was booming.

Then they had a child. He would be their only one. Frederick Fazbear was a careful decision; both of them felt it was the natural next step in their relationship. They assumed it would be easy to raise a child.

They both realized rather quickly that it wasn't so easy as they imagined; being parents didn't come naturally to them and their relationship with this new piece of their family was politely... Detached.

It wasn't so much that they didn't love him; they very much did. They just had no idea how to go about showing it without feeling like they were bribing their child to love them.

Fred grew up aware of his parents lack of knowledge on how to parent; he often felt far more attached to the family cook than his parents and often found himself envious of the families where the parents put effort into their kids lives. Not that he didn't love his, but they sure didn't feel like parents.

He started getting the idea for what would later become Fredbear's and Freddy's while in high school. He had a friend (really, only the one) who convinced him to sneak out to this small family place out of town. Despite it being just the two of them, Fred found he loved the atmosphere the place had and wished he could come up with something like that.

He went to college aiming for a business degree. At the time he still hadn't mentioned to his parents that he might use the degree for something other than continuing the Fazbear Oil Company. He still didn't know if he was serious; but the more he thought about it the more he liked the idea.

It was during the first year of college that he met Madeline Hartford. She was a barista at this gimicky little cafe on campus that also advertised open mic nights for singers, comedians, and poets. He tried to ask her on a date immediately; she turned him down, but in amusement said she'd gladly be friends with him first.

After 3 months she finally let him ask her out on a date and he took her up on the offer.

Maddie did have to constantly remind him that he didn't need to buy her love. Fred had no end of access to his family's money, and he just kind of expected that the best thing to do was buy her nice things. Once Maddie talked him out of it, he was just... An incredibly hopeless romantic. And Maddie loved it.

He shared his idea with her about a family centered place and she loved it. She encouraged it and helped him start forming ideas for it. They'd stay up late talking about the kind of place it ought to be and what kind of things it should have.

He asked her to marry him in early 1979. She said yes. They both graduated from college in May, and spent a lot of time planning both their wedding and the future restaurant. Fred's parents were offering to pay for the wedding; and they had after a lot of long talks decided to fund the opening of Fred's dream restaurant. They were a little worried that the idea might fail; Fred promised if it did that he'd take over the family business instead as he'd always been somewhat destined to.

By the end of 1979, the animatronics for Fredbear's Family Diner, as Fred and Maddie had taken to calling it had been commissioned. It was a steep price that Fred's parents gladly paid off. Anything to help him get started.

Fred and Maddie's Valentine's Day wedding in 1980 was gorgeous and perfect. Fred had tried to convince Maddie to go big or go home (saying she deserved it) but it ended up being a rather small event. Maddie had a more notable guest list than Fred; he never seemed to mind.

They honeymooned in Paris, Maddie letting Fred spoil her on that end.

Once back in Spring Valley, the rest of the planning for Fredbear's got going full force.

Fredbear's Family Diner opened in January of 1981 with Fredbear and Spring Bonnie front and center. They were also able to be worn as suits, and Fred and the Fredbear's mechanic Henry Emily were usually the two to suit up. At least for the first six months- an accident with the springlocks meant the suits stopped being worn. Henry was able to keep them in good condition so that they could continue performing, and despite them being somewhat quarantined to the stage, everyone loved them.

Near the beginning of 1983, Fred's parents died in a freak plane accident.

The company was left to the Vice President; but a majority of the fortune was left to Fred with a note from his parents in his dad's will that if something were to happen to them, that the money was to be used to continue his dream. That his dad was proud of him and what he'd accomplished so far and that he hoped the Fazbear family luck would live on for him.

As sad as it was to lose both his parents at once, he knew it wouldn't do to be sad forever. And that if his dad had been proud of him despite never setting foot in his place, it was no time to mope around.

By the end of 1983, Fred had begun planning for a bigger, better place. With more animatronics, for more people to spend time in. Fredbear's Family Diner closed its doors just before New Year 1984 with the tease that soon something bigger was coming.

The planning for his new place, which he started calling Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, felt like it took forever. Ben Anderson, one of the employees from the diner who had worked the whole time in the kitchen, stuck with him and actually helped him plan a lot alongside Maddie.

Henry Emily decided to move back to Hurricane, Utah with his family. He'd enjoyed working at Fredbear's, but his and his wife's extended families were both still in Utah and he wanted his toddler twins to be able to get to know the family. Fred made him promise to stay in touch (it was a promise Henry never broke).

Planning for the new place was chaotic- Fred was often so excited about ideas he'd cut himself off mid sentence with new plans. They hit a small roadblock when the Spring Bonnie animatronic was heavily damaged during its move to storage- but Maddie convinced Fred that whoever they'd find as a new mechanic could fix it. With that and the designs he had for new animatronics, they plowed ahead.

In the middle of 1984 Fred started hiring for his second place. People who'd worked at Fredbear's rarely made the return (a few stopped by just to see the building). But it was well known throughout town that Fred had paid his employees ridiculously well and was a great boss.

Ben of course came back, Fred once again having him run the kitchen. Ben liked that job enough, at least.

Sometimes Maddie was convinced Fred hired certain people because they had sad stories. Fred had always been a talker, and half his interviews were somewhat sidetracked casual chats.

Like Damian, the kid who applied to work the prize counter, who Fred had told Maddie about as "this punk kid who lives in a trailer with his mom and aunt and three sisters. Poor kid sleeps on the couch, can you believe that?!"

Or Hailey, the high school student who'd told him she really wanted to run her own restaurant someday.

Maddie was always amused by how astounded he was at things like that but sometimes the rich kid Fred had been still came through. Unsurprisingly, they were still stupidly rich, even with all the money poured into this new place.

There were only two applications for mechanic- one from some guy who'd worked at a car dealership for 10 years named Scott something that Fred interviewed and complained about having the personality of a brick.

The other was Pierce Graves, and Fred wasn't sure about him at first because his application was very vague on whether or not he even knew how to fix things. Maddie remembered the name, having looked over a lot of applications from Fredbear's with him. Fred remembered they had only not interviewed him back then just out of curiosity because they'd already had Henry and two mechanics for two animatronics was a little much.

Anyone else would have taken one look at the 21 year old kid with a full sleeve of tattoos that he'd forgotten to hide, in a rival company's uniform, showing up late to an interview as a complete 3 strikes. Fred was not "anyone else". Fred was fascinated. And Pierce aced the easy routine maintenance stuff Fred had left on his new animatronics. So he hired him as soon as he got back around to it (he had a lot else going on can you blame him?).

With help from Pierce designing Foxy the Pirate, and the rest of the pieces falling into place, Freddy Fazbear's Pizza opened in December 1984. The crowd opening day was huge- Spring Valley had loved Fredbear's, and word of a bigger better place had gotten out.

Henry and his family even showed up to see the full extent of Freddy's.

It was a hit from day one- the different sets of animatronics performed on different days, they had a full arcade of as many games Fred could get, the food was great, and people kept coming back. Fred knew a lot of the regulars by name, and Maddie even often spent time at Freddy's.

Business got even better after Foxy the Pirate was introduced; it was a hit. Particularly with this little red headed kid who Fred wasn't so sure spoke English, and pretty soon Fred had become friends with the very shy Katherine O'Malley and her son Finn who had moved to Colorado from Ireland. They were almost constant fixtures at Freddy's, and Fred would always make sure to mention when new Foxy merch was going to show up at the prize counter. When the plushies started coming out, he offered to give Finn one since they were going to be a high ticket item, but Finn excitedly turned it down so he could win it himself.

(Later, Katherine would ask him to please thank the mechanic for helping her and Finn get the remainder of the tickets for the Foxy plush, as apparently they'd been close to getting enough when the mechanic had given them all the ones he hadn't needed to use. Fred did and Pierce just shrugged it off)

Discovering Pierce had powers similar to his own that he'd never tried to learn was an accident- but a good one. He'd been terrified of them, and Pierce was a little concerned he'd never learned how to use them. Pierce offered to help him learn so it'd be less of a startle reflex that could potentially backfire- Fred accepted on the condition that Pierce not mention it to anyone.

On his and Maddie's 7th wedding anniversary, she told him they were going to be parents. Fred was ecstatic- him and Maddie had both wanted kids, but he'd wanted to make sure Freddy's was running smoothly first, and they'd made a decision in mid '86 that it could be time to start seriously trying for kids, and finally here they were.

1987 was a good year for Freddy's at first. Business was still booming, the Spring Bonnie animatronic was getting closer to being show ready again, and Fred finally got the cheesy TV ads he wanted airing. The local news station even ran a whole half hour special about Freddy's that featured Fred and Pierce (by this point Pierce and Fred hardly needed to have full coherent conversations about what kind of show changes they needed, both kind of picking up what the other meant when it came to certain things. Pierce wasn't well liked by the other Freddy's employees, but Fred and him were close as hell and for the most part Fred kept Pierce from pissing people off at work more).

And the Fazbear baby turned out to be Fazbear babies- Fred and Maddie found out they were expecting twins. Fred didn't think he could be happier. A hell of a lot of planning went into the nursery for the boys, as they learned they'd be, as well as Fred getting Freddy's themed stuff made for both of them. They decided on names long before the twins were born- Frederick Jr and Franklin. Maddie didn't mind that both her husband kind of took over naming.

And then August 1987 happened, and just when Fred didn't think life could get any better, he had to tell his mechanic that Foxy was being decommissioned. The conversation didn't go well, and Fred would later agonize over how he should have handled it. And how he should have waited until he was less stressed and sleep deprived. He knew that his decisions and how he'd worded things basically ended the close friendship he had with Pierce, but he didn't know how badly he'd ruined it until...

November 13th, 1987.

The bite of '87.

That horrifying, wordless scream from Finnegan O'Malley.

The screams from the other kids, ones he saw on the ground clutching their heads in a pain that looked... Familiar.

He had no idea if Pierce orchestrated the bite, but he damn well knew that the other kids in pain- that was Pierce. That was that power. And he lashed out with everything he had to the point he scared himself. And in a moment of clarity he knew that he had to do something to save Finn, and used his power for that.

Pierce and Spring Bonnie disappeared.

6 kids in Spring Valley suddenly had new features that no one could explain. Doctors were uncertain if Finn would even survive, but he pulled through. The accident cost him his memory, they said.

Fred paid all of their hospital bills off. Told the O'Malleys if they ever needed anything, they could call him. Got questioned six ways to Sunday by cops just trying to figure out what had happened, if this was an accident or foul play. Tried not to think about the blood stains on the stage, found the ones in Parts and Services though. Stopped by the main stage on his way out again and noticed, for the first time, the loose board. Right where Foxy's foot path was. Saw the animatronic in his head fail to correct as it hit the uneven surface and fall.

The bite had been an accident, but the other 5 kids had not.

Freddy's officially closed by the end of the year. He kept his night guard on until he could move everything into storage, and kept getting told that the Toy animatronics and Foxy acted "weird". Too human. Confused. Had to play off that he didn't know why.

The Fazbear family moved across town, and for the first few years of the twins lives, Freddy's was only a fun fairy tale their father told them about to get them to go to sleep. Fred hated that he'd had to close, and he wanted so much to open it again.

So in 1990, he started planning the 3rd place.

Maddie said it was a bad idea, but that she would continue to support him.

Ben also had his doubts, but promised to still come back.

Everyone else he tried to bring back hung up on him. Jeremy was silent for a good minute on his phone call from Fred, and finally said he'd recommend another guard he knew. Jeremy had been in therapy since then, convinced the bite was his fault since he was supposed to make sure no one got hurt.

Fred reused the unconnected animatronics for the new place, but all of the existing ones were kept in the building anyways. For parts, he told the new mechanic (Fritz Smith, who was a somewhat nervous fellow). Not that Fred would let anyone touch the Toy animatronics to be used as parts.

Opening day for this third iteration of Freddy's was sad compared to the grandeur of the previous place. People knew about the bite and felt it in poor taste that another place was opening so soon.

It never quite hit the same level of popularity, and as business dwindled, Fred got more and more ... Not himself. Fritz oftentimes didn't have the expertise to work with the dozens of fixes that Pierce had made to the animatronics, either because there were no instructions on what exactly they did or just because they made no sense to anyone but Pierce. When Fritz would ask if Fred could please just call the guy up for clarity (Fritz was not from Spring Valley and had only just moved there so he didn't know about Pierce), Fred would just give him a look.

The turnover rate for employees was often high, the place understaffed, although it was still magical for his twin sons. Maddie is would often tell him, gently, that it might be better to close. Out of a stubborn sense of pride, Fred never did.

Then on August 8th of 1993, his kids were affected by another event. It was like '87 all over again, minus the bite, and Fred only caught a glimpse of his former mechanic in the back of the building before he made the better decision to check on his kids. It was a threat, he knew. Pierce could still find him and would do anything to get back at him.

At the hospital, Maddie pulled him aside and told him that she was furious. That this was the last straw, and if he ever reopened Freddy's again, she'd leave with the boys. He didn't doubt she would.

He paid off the bills for the other two kids affected, and Freddy's closed down, this time permanently.

Fred quietly paid off the entire property so that it wouldn't be demolished without his permission. He couldn't put the animatronics back in storage. He did put heavy locks on the doors and boarded up the place to try and discourage people from getting inside.

They moved again, this time to a somewhat cramped house where the twins would have to share a room. They didn't complain, excited to have a bunk bed at last.

Despite the setbacks, the Fazbear family still had enough money that Fred didn't need to go back to work immediately, and he tried to make things work smoothly as a family. For almost two years after the incident, the family was happy. Just after Fred finally found a job elsewhere (Ben managed to get him a job as a manager at some local place), some new tragedy happened.

Maddie called his work desperate, telling him that Frankie had quite suddenly and painfully lost his voice and they were at the ER, and could he please meet them there. He promised he would and left work in a hurry. Except he ended up driving home instead. Leaving Maddie a note.

'I'm sorry. Give me some time.'

And with some kind of determination, he headed to his former 3rd business.

The place was beginning to show signs of disrepair, plants growing through cracked cement. As he thought, the chain across the main door had been cut with bolt cutters and he knew without a doubt who had been there.

So he was going to leave a message.

He found the spare Freddy he'd had made for this place as a just in case. Set it up, made sure it could run properly. Considering he'd last even done small maintenance back in the early '80s, he didn't know for sure that what he was even doing was working. But it seemed to work enough.

Pierce had told him that things that affected an animatronic connected to someone affected the human in a similar way. It's how Pierce had found issues with the machines. Connect yourself to them, the problem spot on the machine will be a little bit of a painful spot. Then just work in that area and you could find the issue. Worked great with animatronics because they were very much oriented like humans.

Pierce had also taught him a trick. If you bound yourself to an animatronic and didn't let the bind affect you physically, you could essentially program it to do something that it normally might not be able to. It was less useful for repairs and more useful as a fun joke (Pierce had many times made it so some animatronic would not physically stop trying to find Fred for a hug, and in return as Fred had gotten better at it himself he'd sent animatronics to Pierce with notes like 'hello jackass' or 'you're shoe is untied').

This would not be a fun joke. If Pierce was going to send a message that his kids weren't safe, then he was going to make sure Pierce knew he wasn't going to just sit back and let the man intimidate him.

So he bound himself to the spare Freddy with one goal in mind. Keep Pierce away, by any means necessary. It was a strong order for this type of connection, one that kind of pushed the boundary of what it could do, and while Fred didn't gain any features from the bind, he watched with a morbid curiosity as the suit pieces shifted to a dark purple.

Shadow Freddy was now protecting all the animatronics from Pierce.

[thunderbirdcarebear]

Photo Shoot - Chapter 3

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2

Chapter 3 - Visit to England

"Scott, are you done in that bathroom yet?" Alan said, hopping around outside. "You've been doing your hair in there for about half an hour now!"

"Alan, there are other bathrooms on this island, use one of them!" Scott shouted through the closed door.

"Yeah, but the others are all in use too!"

"Well, go dance outside someone else's!"

Alan left, grumbling.

Virgil sat in the kitchen with Tin-Tin with his sleeve rolled up. "How did you manage to cut your arm so deep just chasing Alan?"

"He knocked one of the pictures off the side and I tried to catch it, but ended up landing on a piece of glass instead."

"Oh." She continued to dab at his arm with a cotton bud. He winced a couple of times, as she pressed too hard. "Sorry. Why were you chasing him?"

"He stole one of my CD's and I wanted it back," he replied as she put a dressing over it.

"Right. Go on, go get yourself sorted, we're leaving soon."

He rolled his sleeve back down and smiled at her. "Thanks, Tin-Tin."

"Anytime, but not too often, I don't want to be forever patching you guys up."

John sat in his room reading an astronomy book when Jeff put his head round the door, knocking on the frame as he spoke. "Knock, knock! Can I come in please?"

John looked up and smiled. "Sure. What's up?"

"Are you nearly ready to go? We'll be leaving in ten minutes."

"I was ready ages ago. I've been waiting for someone to tell me what to do for most of that time."

"Oh, well, uh, good. Take your bag down to the plane then, son."

"Bag?"

"Yes. One of those things you pack when you're staying somewhere over night."

"Oh." He looked a little embarrassed.

"Don't tell me you haven't packed one."

"No one told me we were going over night! Gordon only said we were going to visit Penny."

Jeff shook his head, chuckling. "Typical Gordon. I told him specifically we were going over night and to tell you the same thing. Ok, you pack a bag then. You've got about 5 minutes now."

John pulled a face that displayed his embarrassment and his annoyance with Gordon and pulled the suitcase from under his bed.

Finally, they were all ready to go. Their suitcases had been loaded into the plane; the plane itself had been fuelled and had the maintenance checks performed.

On the runway beside the cockpit ladder, Scott and Virgil were arguing.

"Scott, I'm flying!" Virgil said, grinning with his hands on his hips.

"No, Virgil, I am!" Scott answered, in a similar pose. They were both leaned forwards, heads meeting in the middle.

"Scott, it's my turn!"

"No, it's not! It's mine! You missed your turn!"

"I didn't, Alan took my turn!"

While the two brothers playfully argued, Jeff wandered behind them and climbed into the pilot's seat. The boys stopped their arguing and turned as one to glare at their father. Jeff smiled down at them. They narrowed their eyes.

"Dad, it's my turn!" they said in unison then turned to face each other again. "No, it's not, it's mine!" They grinned. "Stop that!"

Jeff watched them from the pilot's seat, amused at their impeccable timing. "Just get in; we don't have time to argue."

They arrived in English airspace and the five boys leaned towards the window to look out and looked at the countryside of Foxleyheath, very close to where Penny lived. Jeff spotted her massive mansion and circled the plane round to land it in a field near the house.

Penny was outside waiting for them with her butler, Parker.

Jeff landed the plane and jumped from the cockpit. The five boys climbed down and stood together in front of the house. They'd been to many places, but never a British stately home.

"Wow!" Alan whispered. He stood looking up at the building, his head tilted back and his mouth open. Gordon looked about amazed, too. The three eldest glanced at each other and smiled discreetly. They snuck up behind the two youngest and pulled on their shoulders, making them topple over. They fell to the floor and lay there stunned, looking up at the others.

"What was that for?" Gordon asked, sitting up and rubbing his head.

"Because you didn't give me the full message and I nearly got left behind!" John responded.

"No, you didn't! They wouldn't have left you!" Gordon said.

"And why did you knock me down?" Alan asked.

"Dunno, didn't want you to feel we'd left you out!" Scott said and Virgil chuckled.

"Thanks!" Alan said, sarcastically.

"You're welcome," Virgil said. "Isn't he polite?" Scott, John and Virgil all laughed and wandered off.

Jeff looked up in time to see Alan and Gordon tumble to the floor. "Oh dear, I hope they behave themselves!" Jeff said, watching them nervously.

"I'm sure they will, Jeff. They just need a change of scenery. Maybe you should stay here for a little while after the photo has been taken. The island is all very well for hiding a secret organisation…"

Jeff looked at her, wide-eyed and threw a glance at Parker who was emptying the bags from the plane.

"It's alright; Parker is in this with me. He knows everything."

"But, Penny, he was a criminal!" Jeff said, the shock registering clearly in his voice.

"Jeff, please don't be so judgemental. I've found him to be very trustworthy."

Jeff seemed clearly uncomfortable about this new revelation, but shut his mouth and let her finish.

"As I was saying, Jeff, the island is all very well for hiding a secret organisation, but there's very little for the boys to do and explore there. They're restless, they need something to do."

Neither of them had noticed that Virgil had snuck over to the plane and had climbed on nor that he had started rummaged through the bags. He found what he was looking for, a clean, white football and jumped back out.

Jeff noticed him at this point and watched him curiously. Curiously, that was, until he saw them start a game of football between them. He smiled and turned back to Penny. She had seen them too. "How often do they play football on your island?"

"Not very, they keep kicking the ball into the sea and only Gordon's ever willing to go get it back so they stopped."

"Precisely my point. This change of scenery is already doing them-"

A loud crash made them both jump. Behind them, the ball had gone through one of the downstairs windows, shattering it.

Jeff stared at them opened mouthed, while they stood there, looking as surprised at their action as their father. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry, Penny. I'll pay for it to be mended."

Penny smiled. "Boys will be boys. No worries, Jeff. At least it wasn't stained-glass."

They left the scene of the accident and went inside. Out of her many rooms, Penny had put one aside for each of them and Parker was taking them on a tour round the house, stopping at the various rooms to put down their luggage and inform the relevant person that this would be their room for the next day or so.

Leading the way, Parker was at the head of the group with as many bags as he could possibly carry on and under his arms and in his hands. He stopped outside a door and Scott stepped forwards and opened it for him.

"Thank you, sir," Parker replied. "H'if you'll follow me, h'I'll show you your room."

Scott looked at Virgil who glanced back. They dropped behind the group.

"You know, some of these English accents and dialects are so hard to understand!"

Virgil tutted and shook his head.

"What?"

"You never change, do you, Scott?"

"What d'you mean by that?"

"I mean that you said a similar thing about Brains when he first arrived. You complained that you didn't fully understand his stuttering."

Scott opened his mouth to reply but no noise came out. He closed it again.

"You know, they probably think the same thing about us, so don't worry about it, just stop going on about it."

Scott grinned at his brother and was about to say something to respond when someone jumped in.

"Come on, you two, don't wanna get left behind or you'll be sleeping on the couch! Sightseeing later!" Gordon shouted.

Scott and Virgil exchanged glances then, after rolling their eyes, ran to catch up.

They had each been shown to a room now, all on one corridor as well. There were four rooms on either side of the corridor with stairs leading to the kitchen at one end. Down one side of the corridor were the rooms occupied by Scott, Virgil, John and Gordon and down the other side were the rooms occupied by Jeff, Brains, Tin-Tin and Alan.

Penny's room was on another corridor, quite a distance from her guests' rooms. 'Presumably,' Jeff thought, 'because she knows what this lot are like.'

He settled down on his bed, looking up at the ceiling then glancing round at the luxurious décor. He had a four poster bed with curtains running between each post, various portraits dotted round the room, and many, many expensive looking ornaments. He worried about this. With all the extra energy the boys had, he could see something else getting damaged.

He sighed then settled down for a nap, which he'd just realised he desperately needed after such a long flight with them in the plane!

Alan was in his room, exploring all the cupboards, drawers and anywhere else he could have possibly poked his nose into. He also took time to look at the impressive collection in his room. His curiosity was getting the better of him as he wandered round and he picked up a small model of a very old car and looked it over carefully.

"What are you looking at, Alan?" came Tin-Tin's voice from the doorway. He hadn't heard her come in and jumped, dropping the model on the floor. He cringed as pieces of it fell off on impact. He looked up at Tin-Tin who smiled. "What were you looking at, Alan?"

He smiled back. "A model of a car."

"Ah, no surprises there then." She looked at the pieces on the floor and walked over. She crouched down on the floor, picking up a piece or two and looking at them. She looked up at him and held out her hand. He looked at her, momentarily confused as to what she wanted. Then it dawned on him and he handed her the model. She turned it this way and that. "Shouldn't be too hard to fix. Come on, it's nearly dinner time."

She got up, putting the remnants of the model and the loose pieces back on the mantelpiece.

Alan grinned at her then linked his arm through hers and led her out.

Scott was in his room, dozing soundly on his bed. Soundly, that is, until Virgil wandered in. He opened the door silently and peered in. Scott was lying on his side, snoring. Virgil grinned then crossed the room. Kneeling down silently beside him, he leaned close then pulled something out of his pocket. He grinned again then put it in his mouth and blew hard, making the streamer attached straighten out.

A loud noise ensued making Scott wake with a start. He sat bolt upright staring straight ahead then turned and saw Virgil smirking at him with a curled up party blower in his mouth.

"What the hell did you do that for?"

"It's nearly dinner time, come on, we gotta go downstairs."

Scott rolled his eyes. "And you couldn't have woken me by conventional means? Where'd you get that thing from anyway?"

"I kept it from Alan's last birthday. You know what he's like."

Scott knew all too well. The thought that the blower had something to do with Alan had crossed his mind due to the fact that Alan had once played a trick on him using a very similar item. He didn't like to think about that.

"Ok, ok, I'm coming. Just let me sort myself out."

"F.A.B." Virgil grinned widely. The phrase was new to them but they'd just got to grips with using it. Using it too often as Jeff had noticed. They seemed to say it whenever they would say all right, yes or ok. "I like that phrase."

"Mmm, I've noticed. You use it more than any of us and we haven't even started operations yet."

Virgil looked at him. "Hmm, I'll leave you now. You know you were right about having to sort yourself out first. Does someone drag you through a hedge while you're asleep?"

Scott looked up at him glaring, but Virgil had already left.

[lindoig4]

New York to Montreal to Reykjavik to Oslo to Longyearbyen

Fear not!  Lots of text here covering almost a week and a few thousand kilometres, but lots of pics coming soon.

20 July

We had to get up early, at least early for us, to get a cab to Penn Station for our trip to Montreal and another new country for us.

I had wondered how border control would work between the US and Canada, but it was pretty smooth.  When we checked in at the Penn Station desk, all the Montreal passengers were sent to a different queue and subsequently to separate carriages.  We had to wait in line for quite a while so Heather slipped into a nearby cafe and acquired a couple of yummy brekky rolls for us - and we ate them in the line with the smell encouraging a few other passengers to follow suit.

The trip was uneventful, but service was nowhere near as good on the Zephyr - it wasn’t on the Lakeside train either.  We were seated on the starboard side heading north and about half the trip was on the same line we came down on to New York a few days ago.  I imagined that there wouldn’t have been much to see because we had previously followed the Mohawk and Hudson so had great views of the rivers, but it was actually the best side after all.  There were a lot of marshy areas and low reeds in very extensive wetlands - even if the view was often blocked by swathes of trees.  There was much more variety on the starboard side.  Quite a lot of agriculture, even a few birds, but again, impossible to identify.

Once we passed Albany (All-bany here) and Schenectady, we were on a new track and again, the best views, including of the huge Lake Champlain, were spread out beside our window for over 100km.  It was quite beautiful, very rustic and peaceful, except in one touristy area where we were following high cliffs that dropped precipitously to the Lake (and its bustling hive of pleasure craft).

We arrived at the Canadian border just before dusk and sat there for well over an hour while the Canadian border people did a very courteous inspection and whatever else they needed to do.  Then on the Montreal, arriving an hour late again, but ready for food, a good cuppa and showers.  We caught a cab to the hotel and checked in, then went to the little convenience store across the road for food.  Not much choice unfortunately, but we bought enough spicy noodles and snacks for dinner and brekky tomorrow - not that we want to make a habit of spicy noodles for breakfast, but perhaps better than having to get up and dressed and heading out to scour the neighbourhood for something else on our first day in town.

If this sounds a bit disjointed, it is probably because it is.  It has been written in lots of micro-inscriptions.  We are now somewhere over the Atlantic, having just eaten a very (very, very) uninspiring meal, mainly of grass with a few chickpeas tossed in to justify the 17 Euro price tag.  On Icelandair, water is free, anything else requires one’s credit card.  The joys and expense of travel!  Not complaining though - our seaborne voyage is only a couple of days away, if the international dateline doesn’t take another toll on my calculations.

21 July

We didn’t see much of Montreal.  We were both pretty tired and achy and our coughs were still troublesome, particularly when we were supposed to be sleeping.  We were woken this morning by a few incredible claps of thunder, but it didn’t amount to much more.  Given all that, our unfamiliarity with the area, and being a little out of town anyway, we decided to have a lay-day and catch up on our blogs and photos, sorting and backing up, and generally doing some clerical housekeeping.  The Hotel internet was excruciatingly slow and kept dropping out so even uploading text to FB or our blogs was pretty fraught.  But numerous hours of patient effort delivered a modicum of success.

The Hotel won’t get much of a tick when Heather does her Tripadvisor review.  I had to shoulder charge the door to get it open because the frame had swelled in the humidity.  Very poor lighting and the supplementary desk-lamp didn’t work - and when they fixed it, it still didn’t work.  Serious leak in the shower that had water running out across the floor, mould and water damage everywhere - it goes on, but for all that, we managed.

I went out for an hour or two in the afternoon to look for birds, just walking around the local streets where there were lots of trees.  My count was 9 house sparrows, 9 feral pigeons and 1 cute squirrel.  At least I checked out some places to eat (not noodles again tonight!!!)

We went to Sports Bar a couple of blocks away for dinner and we both had surprisingly great meals.  I had ribs to die for!  We sat and watched the baseball on TV for a while.  We could possibly both get a bit hooked on it if it were more accessible in Australia.  Then we hit the IGA for some brekky and lunch sustenance and strolled back to the hotel on a really balmy night.

22 July

We had a delightful breakfast picnic, very leisurely, enjoying the cheesy croissants, cold cuts, cherries, rabbit pate and other delicious purchases from last night, saving enough to have another excellent repast at lunchtime.  We had brought home a litre bottle of pink rose with us so a little of that set us up for the morning and we finished it with lunch.

We blogged and did related tasks - and reorganised and repacked - in the morning with several interruptions from maids and maintenance men who seemed to think we should have been out by about 9am.  We understood (or misunderstood) that we had the room until 6pm, but arranged a late checkout (2pm) yesterday, so had some difficulty getting the message through to them - especially when they then insisted that we were not checking out until tomorrow!

We took a cab to the airport with only 6 hours to kill.

How I hate airports!  Probably one of my top two or three hates in the world.  We had to check out of the hotel at 2pm so we caught a cab out thinking that we could at least find a reasonably convenient spot to while away several hours with improved internet access.  We had tried to check in online, but the hotel internet was so slow, we got timed out after an hour or so with the task only half completed.

Never mind, we are early so we will use a terminal in the airport.  Only trouble was finding one in the hundreds – or at least one that accessed Icelandair.  We eventually found one and went through the whole process again only to be advised that we can’t check-in electronically, despite the website and terminal advice.  We need to go to a service desk.  I asked for directions at the ‘Information’ booth and was sent to the far end of the terminal, only to find that she had misinterpreted my Ocker accent - Icelandair is NOT Austria.  Back to the same place and got the same directions.  It took some time to persuade her that Iceland was a real place just like Austria, only different.  She eventually gave me a new desk number.

Trekked to the new location at the opposite end of the terminal to find that there was no such numbered desk.  Back to Information again - the desk will acquire that number when it opens in a bit over an hour - so just wait.  At the appointed time, I fronted the desk again to be told fairly curtly that it will be another hour before they start dealing with customers - irrespective of what erroneous advice the Information booth might be handing out.

We eventually lined up with 4 other customers ahead of us immediately they opened the desk.  The first customer took over half an hour with many delays while the attendant sought more information and the customer tried to find documents or information on her phone.  They finally parked her and called the next person whose passport and travel documents were all securely locked inside her baggage so she had to unpack and repack, but then went on her way. They then moved everyone into another queue while they set up some bank queues to control the crowd.  In the process, at least two groups pushed in ahead of the rest of us.  Then they opened two more desks and we were through in just over another hour.  The couple that got ‘parked’ were still there arguing when we left, but they must have finally got sorted because they were on the flight with us.

Security and Immigration are still ahead of us and after sitting around for nearly three hours, I am starting to feel frustrated.

As it turned out, there is no Immigration process here, and Security, although fairly slow and thorough, could certainly teach the rest of the world a big lesson in courtesy and good manners.  And hardly more than a kilometre to walk to the gate.  We bought a bottle of Southern Comfort in Duty Free, marginally cheaper than in Oz, one of Heather’s favourites at present, to enjoy on board the ship.

23 July (possibly sort of)

Our trip from Montreal to Oslo spanned two days so I am not sure what date/s it was/were, but given that it will be a different date if/when anyone ever reads this, it is probably not too important.

The flight from Montreal to Reykjavik was long and horrible.  Initially cold then unbearably hot.  Very cramped and uncomfortable.  I have been in the centre seat each flight and I had a really big guy in the window seat who hogged the armrest and half my seat as well.  He had swapped with his much smaller teenaged son because he wanted to sit near his brother, but it meant I had to sit at an angle to squeeze into the bit of seat he deigned to leave for me.  I was very tired but couldn’t sleep and I twitched and squirmed for nearly 5 of the most uncomfortable hours I can remember.  Did I say, how much I hate aeroplanes and flying?

Reykjavik was essentially a 2-hour and a bit stopover in transit.  Nothing was open when we arrived at 5am local time, but we were able to get a bit of breakfast before we had to board for our next leg to Oslo.  We actually bought a bit extra in the airport to avoid the excessive prices on Icelandair.

The flight to Oslo was slightly less painful and nearly 2 hours shorter and I actually dozed off for a few minutes, something I have managed to do 3 or maybe 4 times before on a flight - in I don’t know how many hundred flights.  I actually saw a bit of the fiord coast of Greenland and the coast of Norway en route, but as they say, ‘nothing to see here’ closer to the ground around Oslo - fog shrouded everything and visibility was under 100 metres.  I am assuming it was an instrument landing or the pilot had some sort of magical night vision goggles because it was far too late to make any adjustments by the time he could have seen the tarmac through the soup.

Amazingly, there was no paperwork required to enter Norway - no forms to fill in, a very quick trip through Immigration (less than a minute) - but a half hour wait for our luggage and a fast walk through the ‘nothing to declare’ exit.  There were a few alternatives to get to the city and after asking at several places, we opted for the fast train to the city and back again tomorrow.  Quite a lot cheaper than Melbourne’s Skybus!!!

It was a very fast, smooth and scenic trip to the Central Station, but then we were completely lost!  How do we find our hotel?  We wandered around for a while trying to get our bearings and finally resorted to asking a couple of cops walking past.  Aha, there is was, less than 50 metres away, still inside the station!  Very convenient and quite a good, comfortable room too.  The fog had even lifted somewhat by the time we got settled too.

We were both pretty buggered, but despite everything, we decided on a short walk and an early dinner instead of falling into bed mid-afternoon.

Our hotel was only 100 metres or so from the water and two cruise ships were in so there were people everywhere but it was warm and sunny, perhaps almost too hot, and we wandered around the wharf area and the park and public space outside our window for an hour or two - and I added 7 more birds to our trip list, all birds that we had seen before, although a couple of different subspecies.

We were hot and sweaty so went to an open air cafe for a cold a one.  I mentioned that the train transfer was cheaper than the Skybus.  Cheapness seems to have ended there.  I had the cheapest beer available - the smallest cost $17 Australian.  And it was interesting to look at all the small things in the huge Duty Free area in the airport.  Lots of small trinkets, lollies and unusual things, but the prices!!!!  500 grams of M&Ms for $31 in Oz money as just one example.  We didn’t buy anything!!!

After our drink, we went supermarket shopping.  Mainly just bought a few bottles of wine to smuggle onto the ship.  A bit cheaper than buying in $US on board.

We bought fish and chips from a food cart for dinner.  Very tasty, but not a huge serve at $21 Australian each.  We ate in the room, quaffed some Chilean red and crashed before 8pm after more than 40 hours on the move.

Not really a good night.  Heather’s cough kept her awake and for some unknown reason, I had a really bad headache and felt thoroughly sick most of the night.  I have been having a lot of reflux problems in the last few months (chronic condition of 40 years), hence our panic buying and restocking of meds in Chicago and New York - and I suspect that was the problem last night.  We had an excellent brekky in the hotel and I felt a bit better, but got worse again until almost ready to board the plane, then was fine again.  I just need to manage it with extra meds until we get home again.  We had deliberately decided on this course of action before leaving home to avoid a last minute gastroscopy before the trip.  Something to look forward to.......

We took the train to the airport again and as much as I hate it all, I have to commend the Norwegians on their courtesy and respect going through security. They were at least as good, if not better, than in Canada and I wish some of the arrogant offensive mongrel bull terriers in Australian airports could see how humans should be treated.

We arrived in Longyearbyen to 6 degrees cool and caught the bus to our hotel.  It is very much a frontier town and polar bears are obviously an issue.  There as a warning video in the airport not to go out without a suitable gun!  Not sure what ‘suitable’ means, but we don’t have anything more potent than our hiking sticks.

The town, such as it is, is very spread out with lots of pretty awful industrial-looking processing plants and crap laying around everywhere.  But it is awesome country.  We are surrounded by very steep mountains, mainly black with lots of areas of snow.   It is clearly glacier country with at least one extinct volcano just across the water from town.  All very dramatic, but I suspect the next few days will dwarf its grandeur with even more spectacular scenery.

We are more than 12 degrees inside the Arctic Circle.  Who would ever imagine we would be in the land of ice and snow?  Haven’t seen Santa yet, but I am sure he will be around somewhere.  (We saw quite a few of his reindeer during the next week or so!)  It is certainly the Land of the Midnight Sun. It never gets dark at all at this time of the year, and I was intrigued to realise that at least today, the sun will set BEFORE it rises.  Sunset is at 12:04am and sunrise is an hour later at 01:09am.

We spent quite a bit of time reorganising our gear for the cruise, then went out for a walk - without a gun.  It is obviously safe in the daylight and around the housing areas but there are plenty of stories about polar bears roaming the streets and being quite difficult to move back into their own territory.

We went to the supermarket and bought more booze and walked toward the water, but ran out of steam doing it so headed back to our digs.  The supermarket was one of several buildings with signs outside prohibiting guns inside.  I am not sure what the intrepid outbacker does when he comes to town for supplies and can’t enter the supermarket or buy an icecream with his guns.  Does he leave them outside the door – and possibly lose them – or take them home and get eaten by a bear on his way back for his icecream?

Of course, high latitudes come with high prices.  We ate in the hotel where main courses are about $70 Oz.  We celebrated with a glass of their cheapest bubbly. Pretty ordinary drop, under 75 ml for $AU16.  We snacked rather than ate and it still cost almost $100 each.

There are shutters and blinds on the windows so we made it as dark as we could and slept on and off but woke early and were up and facing the continuing day well before breakfast.

[ecotone99]

Broken Promises [HF]

“Dad, what exactly does a paramedic do?”

I was taken aback by that. My son usually does not care much about my job (or any other job for that matter). He’s always dreamed of being a police officer and just doesn’t listen when people tell him there are other jobs out there. Of course, I don’t tell him that. It’s a naïve time for him, a time where his dream job is the job he actually has a passion for, not the job that pays the most money. Why would I ever want to take that away from him early? I’m not saying that paramedics even make a lot of money, god no. I barely get paid 30k a year and I’m already 5 years into the job.

“Well, Jack, do you know what a doctor is?”

“Yes,” he confidently replied.

“Paramedics are the people who get the people, who are hurt, to the doctors,” I said, not realizing how boring that would sound to a 7-year-old.

“Oh…” he unenthusiastically replies.

“Hey, we do get to drive around the city in an ambulance with sirens and we get to go really fast,” I was trying to regain his attention.

“Oh, so they are a less cool version of a police officer?”

“… Well, yeah, pretty much.” This time, I unenthusiastically replied.

God, did he lack any empathy! Well, I guess it’s my fault for expecting empathy from a seven-year-old. Still, maybe if the divorce hadn’t happened, his mother could’ve taught him those skills. She was one of the most empathetic people you’d ever meet. She was a wonderful person, sucks that drugs got to her.

“Jack, how would you like to go to the Statue of Liberty with me? We can visit a police station on the way there. I’m free on Saturday so maybe we might even stay at a hotel overnight.” I was bluffing on the last part, but I don’t think he’d care if he got to go into a police station. Anyways, he’d be already be passed out by 10 pm by all his excitement, mark my words.

“Really, dad? OF COURSE, I will!” he said as he came running towards me, arms out, looking for a hug, “Thank you so much, dad.”

I felt better after that. We finished up the game of Monopoly we had started (if it could even be called a game, it’s pretty much ‘land on a property, buy property for free, bank pays you money, you win the game if you go to jail’. I’m beginning to wonder if this police officer craze is having a bad influence on what’s right and what’s wrong for him) and I tucked him in to sleep. I grabbed a bottle of wine from the counter and poured myself a glass. Tomorrow was Tuesday, somehow always one of the busiest days of the week, even though it made no sense. I’d understand Monday, people are mad that the week started so they stab each other. Don’t think that’s ridiculous, I’ve had at least 20 cases of that happening. Anyways, don’t know how it happened but 1 glass turned into 2 and 2 turned into 7 and before I knew it, I was passed out on the kitchen table.

Woke up dazed the next morning. It was only 7:30 am, so, thankfully, Jack didn’t get to see his old man drooling on the kitchen table, passed out from just some wine. Alcohol was my worst enemy. I always get really drunk from just 1 glass of wine and pass out immediately after just 1 shot of whiskey.

I passed the time by playing the Xbox. It’s embarrassing but I spent a lot of late nights on that thing. Shelled out some big bucks to get it for Jack for Christmas and he barely ever plays it so why not? Also, the nostalgia that comes from playing those fighting games. Ah, I remember those long ‘evenings’ (which would last until 9 pm) at the arcade. As our arcade was cheap, they didn’t have the best machines. I remember I used to insert the coin in almost all the way in, and then, once the machine recognized the coin and loaded up the game, I pulled the coin out with tweezers. My mom would always wonder how I could spend hours at an arcade with only 1 dollar.

I wonder what kind of nostalgia my son would have? I’d probably be there, in a decade or two, pointing fun at him for playing those stupid games in front of his grandchildren. Those would be the days. I’d be retired, have a bunch of money and would be living in my very own gated community.

*BEEEEEEEEEEP*

Jack’s alarm snapped me out of my daydream. I always told him to turn that thing down or get a new one, the people in the apartment right next to ours have already complained a bunch of times and I didn’t want a lawsuit on my hands. I quickly rushed over to his room and turned the alarm off. I woke him up and told him to get ready for school. As he got ready, I checked my phone.

Oh crap! I had 4 messages telling me to get on the job immediately. I knew today was a rough day and I still wasted time by playing that stupid Xbox!

“Hey Jack, can you walk to school today, bud?” I asked, half talking and half stuffing cereal in my mouth.

“Yeah sure dad. Why? Is there an emergency?”

“Yes. See Jack, being a paramedic isn’t that boring. We have lots of emergencies, especially on Tuesday.” I said. I don’t know why I was trying to make him convince that being a paramedic was not boring. I hated when other people forced other jobs on him and now I was doing the same.

I readied myself and left in a hurry. Halfway to the station, I realized I forgot to kiss Jack goodbye. Darn it! Today’s a tough day and I hate to talk when I get back home but the least I can do is have a chirpy attitude in the morning. Anyways, once I got to the station, my superior drilled me for almost half an hour, lecturing me about how I should always have my cell phone on my person in case any emergency happens. After that though, finally, I got to have the keys to the van.

“Tough day, Reggie?” My friend asks me while helping me load up the car.

“Don’t even ask. I was late for some 15 or so minutes, got drilled for 30 and now have to stay an hour extra today to review that cell phone maintenance book.”

“Wow, that seems like a pretty hectic…” he was cut out by screams outside the station.

I was running outside to see what could’ve happened when I heard it. BOOM. Made a sound so loud that any New Yorker could hear it. By this point, the entire station stopped working and there was pin-drop silence all through-out the 20,000-cubic foot building. I told them to wait inside and I’d go check it out. But, when I went outside, I had no words to describe what I saw.

Smoke coming from the mid-top section of the World Trade Center. I couldn’t tell which one it was, but it was one of the two biggest buildings there, heck, in all of New York. I ran back inside to inform the crew. We got ready instantly while our superior told us that he’d been prepped on the situation and, to his understanding, a fire had broken out in the building and had reached a bunch of compressed air canisters and had exploded. I didn’t believe that though, no way a bunch of compressed air canisters exploded a hole big enough as the hole that I was seeing right now.

Driving there was a frenzy. Civilians and cars and pretty much everyone sane was running away from the Towers which made my job as the driver about 10x harder. Midway to the towers, the walkie talkie came to life.

“By the way, it turns out our reports were false. What actually happened was that an airplane, no idea commercial or private, flew into the northern side of the North Tower. This is now officially a code red, I repeat, this situation is now officially a code red.”

A bunch of swears could be heard around the van. Who could blame them? Someone had just crashed an airplane into the tower, killing possibly hundreds of people. I know I said Tuesdays were the worst, but this was a whole new definition of ‘worst’.

When we finally reached ground zero, we noticed a bunch of other firefighters and paramedics already outside the building.

“We’re late to the show” I said while exiting the ambulance.

I ran to one of the firefighters and requested a prep on the situation. He told us that a commercial airplane, carrying hundreds, had crashed into the North Tower. Rescue was deemed dangerous due to the jet fuel catching on fire and providing extreme heat that the firefighters couldn’t go through.

“So? What do we do now” I asked in a hurried tone.

“We wait it out” he replied, not noticing the cruelty in his sentence.

“You’re going to wait out people’s lives? Are you serious?” I couldn’t believe it, and, what made it worse was that the firefighter showed no remorse even saying that, “You know what, ‘New York’s Bravest’, you guys can sit out here but my crew is going inside to save the lives.”

I walked back angrily to the group and told them my decision to go in. They agreed, if I agreed not to go close to the floors on fire. We got the stretcher out of the ambulance and got ready to go in. We even borrowed some oxygen masks, if needed, from a nearby fire truck. They’d let others do their jobs, and then come in and take the credit. New York’s Bravest, my a**.

Right as we were going in, we saw it. The airplane in the sky. In my head, I thought about how funny it would be if this airplane would hit the Tower as well. Oh, how I wish I hadn’t thought about that because, at that very second, it crashed right into the second Tower, creating the loudest sound I’ve ever heard in my life, probably because I was just a couple hundred feet from the impact. Oh god, how many people would’ve just instantly died. In that one second, I probably witnessed the last second that hundreds, nay, thousands of people had.

“We have to split up. Me and Gerald will take the South Tower, the rest take the North one” I said as quickly as I could to snap their mind from staring at the crash and to make them focus.

I rushed to the South Tower, watching above me because, every few seconds or so, a block of concrete would fall down. I entertained the thought of that in my mind, if I happened to be in wrong place at the wrong time. Ouch! Once I reached the building, the only thing I could hear was the crying and screaming. It was almost deafening. I entered the building to the sight of blood everywhere. Amputated people were on the ground, screaming for help and I know there had to be some dead among them. Everyone else was screaming and running outside the building and, when I looked back outside, I saw one of them get hit by a concrete block. That was enough for me.

I told Gerald I was going to drive back to the station to get more people. That wasn’t the full truth though. The truth was that I was overwhelmed, rattled to my very last bone in my body. See, even though I was a paramedic, I was a driver. I usually didn’t see the victims or patients and I’ve sure as heck never seen an amputated person or a person getting smashed by a rock falling from a few hundred feet in the air. It was too much for me, I had to run away from the situation or I was going to pass out. I ran back to the ambulance, being extra cautious about the rocks this time. I hurriedly opened the door and plopped myself in the driver’s seat. I started the ambulance and drove back to the station.

I was driving away from the towers this time. This time, I was someone with a sane mind. That feeling didn’t last long though, because, even though it took us 20 minutes to get to the towers from the station, it only took me 5 to get back. The oncoming traffic probably slowed us down a bunch. If there wasn’t so much traffic, maybe we could’ve helped some of the people in the South Tower before the airplane hit.

I ran inside the station and yelled for any able man to join us and prepped everyone on the situation. Once people started getting ready, I ran to get some oxygen masks this time, so we wouldn’t have to ‘borrow’ any more. Right as I went outside to put the masks in the ambulance though, I saw that man again. It was a hallucination, but it seemed so dang real. He was running, running away from the towers and he was so close but, at the last second, he got crushed by that rock. That was the last thing I saw before I passed out.

I woke up in the station. The hospitals were overbooked due to the towers, so they stored the rest of the patients in the medical services stations across New York (at least, that’s what the nurse told me). Soon as I tried to stand up, I was immediately greeted by a nurse who asked me how I was feeling and then informed me of what had happened. I had gotten a concussion and got myself a huge bruise on my arm because, when I passed out, the box of oxygen masks landed directly on my arm. They believe it to be a fracture, but they couldn’t test it out right now, as all the x-ray rooms were occupied. After she said that, I was almost going to lay back down and get some rest when I realized it. This would be the story Jack would have wanted. This would be what would make Jack respect me and paramedics in general. In the face of absolute defeat, we’re still calm and composed and willing to try again.

I told the nurse that it didn’t hurt that bad and was probably just a bruise. I told her to check on other patients and that I was not as big of a concern as them and she bought the excuse. Guess she was a newcomer because, no matter what the patient says, you don’t let them go without the doctor’s permission. Good for me, I didn’t want to argue with anyone right now. I was already in my uniform, so I didn’t have to go and gear up again. I checked the station clock, it read ‘9:25’. All this and it’s not even time for my mid-morning coffee.

I ran outside to see one ambulance packing their gear. I asked them if I could ride along with them. They offered me a seat in the back and, after getting the fire blankets tucked underneath the seats, they set off. I was thinking of getting some shut eye during the ride, but I guess either the traffic had died down or the driver was going 200 mph or something, because we reached the towers in just 10 minutes. I opened the back doors and stepped outside.

I don’t know what I was expecting. Everything was still the same in ground zero. Screams could be heard, and a bunch of paramedics were carrying away another amputated person. The only difference that I could notice this time was that the firefighters were getting ready to go inside. Thank god they changed their mind, New York’s Bravest were finally being brave.

I told the ambulance crew that I would be heading inside the towers. They looked at me in a quizzical way, but they didn’t say anything. I ran to the South Tower but, this time, I didn’t have to look for the falling concrete. Guess it must have died down after the initial crash.

Once I went inside the building, I was expecting the worst, but it wasn’t that bad. Nobody was amputated this time, you could barely see any blood. A lot of people were still there but, this time, it was mainly firefighters. I asked one of them for a stat and they told me that, even though the majority of the people have been carried away to safety, there were still a bunch remaining and that the firefighters were going up in shifts, to allow some time (even just a minute in some cases) for rest. I thanked them and quickly ran for the stairs, there was no time to be wasted. People were still stuck, and I had to go help them, no matter whether I was a firefighter or not.

It didn’t even take me that long to find anyone. Some 5-10 floors up, I heard the cries. Well, it was more of a sobbing, but it was an indicator that someone was there. I quickly located the source of the voice and deduced it was coming from above. I ran upstairs and found her. Blonde hair, blue eyes, a little bit on the short side but seemed tough. Well, anyone in the building when they were hit by the plane were tough in their own way but still. She was clutching her ankle, guess she must’ve twisted it by falling down the stairs recently but I was wondering why the firefighters hadn’t tended to her. Maybe she was fine when the last batch saw her and only twisted her ankle afterwards.

“Did you twist your ankle?” I asked in the most soothing and calm voice I could mutter.

“I don’t know, I think I might’ve broken it. I-I” she broke out into crying again and I tried to console her.

She was in no condition to walk. Either I had to carry her downstairs or I was to wait for the next batch of firefighters and have them help me carry her down. I didn’t get to make that decision though. Not because I didn’t know what to do. I knew I was going to carry her down myself. She looked as if she was going to pass out soon and I couldn’t just wait for the firefighters while she was passed out. So, yeah, I did know what to do. It was just that I didn’t have the time to do it because, right as I made up my mind, the floor beneath me started to rumble and everything went dark.

​

​

Had to do a short story for school so thought why not post it here as well. :)

submitted by /u/011110001 [link] [comments] via Blogger http://bit.ly/30oD55T

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new auto insurance quote will effect credit score

"new auto insurance quote will effect credit score

new auto insurance quote will effect credit score

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a guy it me on the back wen i was stop on traffic them another hit him, the guy that hit me his insurance wont paid, i'm going to make a claim also with the other guy's insurance but can anyone tell me how i can fight this myself because i have 3rd class card insurance and they wont fight it ,i wane know ifcan i do anything like take them to court myself and how or anything around these lines thatcan help(they said they dodn have to much info on the case to said that they'r at fault""

new auto insurance quote will effect credit score

new auto insurance quote will effect credit score

Car insurance wise..im 16 living in Houston. How much will car insurance cost for a 2006 mustang gt?

Car insurance wise..im 16 living in Houston. How much will car insurance cost for a 2006 mustang gt?

""Impossible to get car insurance, what should I do?""

I'm 18 soon and will be wanting to start driving but the cheapest quote i can get is 6000 etc on a 1.0 litre vauxhall corsa, There is no one i can get a policy with as my mum doesn't drive. is there any suggestions? only British people will understand this problem

How will this speeding ticket affect my insurance?

I got a speeding ticket. The insurance is under my fathers name. Will the insurance price go up because of MY speeding ticket?

DO I QUALIFY FOR DISABILITY INSURANCE ?

I HAVE PAID INTO MY DISABILITY INSUURANE FOR MANY YEARS. I RECENTLY LOST MY JOB BUT GOT ANOTHER ONE WORKING ON A AS NEEDED BASIS, NO INSURANCE, NO RETIREMENT. THEY CALL ME IN MAYBE ONCE A WEEK TO COVER. THIS JOB IS HARD MANUAL LABOR AND BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN DOING IT FOR A WHILE MY BACK HAS BEEN DAMAGED. I HAVE CONSTANT PAIN THAT WILL NOT GO AWAY. MY QUESTION IS COULD I GO OUT ON DISABILITY FROM THIS JOB EVEN THOUGH I AM AN ONCALL EMPLOYEE? THANKS""

Cheap reliable and low INSURANCE!?

OK im 17 monday after next and im a bloke, hence very expensive car insurance. I want a second hand car in the UK which is cheap and likely to keep running. Also low insurance because i am a cheapskate.""

Do you need motorcycle insurance in Georgia?

do you need motorcycle insurance in Georgia

Will a cracked windshield raise my auto insurance rates?

well i am going to get my windshield repaired. it has a crack the size of a dime. it happend about a month ago and i worried that it will get bigger with the hot weather. anyway, i called my insurance company. they are sending someone out to repair it. i am 18 years old but i am on my parents plan. i also have a gpa over a 3.0. my family and i have no record of any accidents whatsoever. my parents just bought me the car on the end of march :( do u think my rates will go up? almost forgot! my insurance company is geico and i live in california""

How much would it cost to insure a harley Davidson sportster iron 883 if I'm 17 ? ?

Rough answers

Salvage title car insurance claim settlement?

I purchased the car with a salvage title over a year ago. I have full coverage with Progressive on my 2003 honda accord ex with 64k, in a recent ice storm my wife totaled the car. The ...show more""

""What are some good, low cost family health insurance plans for us...?""

My husband and I need health insurance. He is a full time student and I am full time worker. We cannot get decent health insurance through his school or my work. We are looking for a low deductable, 0% coinsurance, and we need something with great maternity coverage, since we're planning on starting a family soon. If you know of any great plans like this, please share! Thank you for your help!""

""I got a DUI, will my auto insurance drop me?""

I have AAA, and got a DUI ast year, my insurance hasent gone up yet, but I know it will. Do you think AAA will drop me, since they are such a huge company, and will I have to go get some cheap ol' coverage now? I pay around $125 at the beginning of my policy for the year, then it goes down a little each month, my last payment is around $30, then it starts over again. Ive been w/ them for a few years, w/ a perfect record, until now. The DUI wasnt for alcohol or illegal drugs, it was for prescription medication. I tried a new med, but made the choice to drive also, and this is what I got. Any help?""

How much would car insurance for me im 21 and i want a ford fusion?

How much would car insurance for me im 21 and i want a ford fusion?

""What would a $50,000 cadillac cost per month? + insurance?""

im looking into the cadillac sts (sp=47,000 - 78,000) and i want to know the monthly cost.. $275,000 yearly income (get paid yearly).. which is about $23,000 a month combined. take into account teenager insurance which i heard can be brutal and also... would buying this car stretch my finances? i dont want my family to be uncomfortable for just a car. like someone earlier told me 1k a month for my car payment but i want to know the other estimates""

How much can home insurance cost?

i want to buy a home and i need to know how much my insurance might be.

Ways to check is a business has insurance?

Exactly what the title says, is it possible to check online, or anywhere else, if a business has any kind of insurance? I can't ask them at the moment, because of a legal issue, however, I would like to know if they have any kind of insurance. The business is in Illinois too, if that makes any difference.""

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Pagani Zonda - how much to insure?

My hubby and I were watching Top Gear the other night and James May was testing the Pagani Zonda. Does anyone know, out of interest (or to be honest to settle an argument!) roughly how much the insurance premium would be on this type of car? Thanks!""

Car insurance coverage help!?

Currently I have a financed car. And is still currently paying for it monthly. After doing some research and purchasing my car insurance coverage - State Farm. My dad insisted he will help me with all the process. However, after he and I got done with everything. My coverage are, A - Liability P20 - Personal Injury Protection U, W uninsured and underinsured And finally these two: D - 500 Deductible Comprehensive G - 500 Deductible Collision which I learn online it is OPTIONAL to have: ( SO WHY DO I NEED IT EXACTLY THEN? my dad try explaining it but it didn't get through my hot head. ) So can anyone please tell me is it a requirement for me to have those to coverage D & G, if not I would really like to get it off and save some money instead of throwing it out the window. Thanks.""

Any life insurance policies for someone who is 84?

Why would they insure that age, you ask. I dunno. Do they?""

Cheapest insurance for high school football?

Im planning to play football next year in high school what is the cheapest insurance i can get?

How much might mototcycle insurance cost a 20 yr old male?

I am getting a SV650, and i neeed motorcycle insurance. but i need to know how much it can cost me at an -Average- for me age. the bike itself cost around 7,000$ and it is a sports bike. any thoughts?""

How much will my insurance rise?

I recently got a speeding ticket for going 9 over in a school zone as well as one for talking on a cell phone in a school zone. I was curious as to how much my insurance will rise. I am 18 and recieved the ticket in Texas. This is my first offense(s). How many points for insurance is a cell phone ticket? Thanks so much!

I received a speeding ticket while driving my parents car does that affect there insurance rates.?

I was also issused a ticket for driving without insurance, what should I do about that?""

How much would insurance be on a ford ka?

I am 17 just past my driving test and was wondering round about how much it would cost for a 1998 ford ka 1.3litre engine locked in a garage at night and for social use only. I just want a rough estimate. I have been on gocompare and the prices seem ridiculously high 4,000!!! I know I will have to pay quite a lot round 2,000-2,500 but not 4,000!!! Some of my friends have cars and theres is around 2,000-3,000. thank you for any help""

Car Insurance Question?

I recently had an accident that caused my car to be written off. There have been no problems and I'm now waiting for a cheque from my insurers. My question is this. When the cheque comes and I buy a new car what happens with regard to insurance, will I have to take out a new policy, can I keep the existing policy and add my new car to it, will my monthly payments go up, or none of the above? I'm sure this is very simple for an expert but it confuses the hell out of me.""

new auto insurance quote will effect credit score

new auto insurance quote will effect credit score

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-difference-whole-life-insurance-term-which-best-ethan-bray/"

[furiousharmonykryptonite-blog1]

Cheapest car insurance for a 18 year old male?

"Cheapest car insurance for a 18 year old male?

Cheapest car insurance for a 18 year old male?

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

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What are some cool instant whole life insurance quote sites you have to share? I've looked around a bit but I figured I'd ask here. Any link you can share will be appreciated.

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My dad needs to find some good health insurance in Arizona. He wants to cover himself and my little brother. Any suggestions?

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Should I open a whole life insurance policy or a 401k first?

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In 2009 June/.July l was in a private car park and reversed into a car very little damage to either of our cars, however he wanted to not involve insurance as he had company car so exchanged details In addition, he was going to telephone me to say how much. I heard nothing until September 2009 when l received a call from his insurance company asking for my insurance details so l gave them the information. June 2010 my insurance ended and have changed companies now l find my old insurance company chasing me for details of this accident which happen 10/12 months ago. What should l do please?""

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Im in early 30s, this is my first car... here are my preferences, i'm 6ft 2 inches so i want to feel comfortable in the driving seat and so the people sitting in the rear seats, Toyota for reliability, popularity & availability of parts, less maintenance overhead,nice ROI. I need good night visibility, does it comes with HID lights installed? Good range of colors (esp. nautillica metallic blue). Is stick better than automatic (if so why) ? This is mostly for my commute to work everyday (10 miles) and occasional long driving on holidays and weekends ? I'm not looking for any bells & whistles just the base model. The total cost of the car with tax comes $18K+ ... the APR is 6.39% (scion.com) , so by paying more down payment say $12K will i be able to reduce the monthly interest for the rest of the payment (6K) or should i shop around ? I believe you cant negotiate for price with the dealer. Do you have any more suggestions""

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Cheapest car insurance for a 18 year old male?

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I just need a simple surgery on both my ears. About a year ago I developed a keloid on both ears. I know they can get bigger so I want to get it fixed before it looks like a grape behind my ear. My biggest problem is in finding affordable health insurance. Can anyone tell me a good site to go to for affordable health insurance? All answers would be greatly appreciated.

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Cheapest car insurance for a 18 year old male?

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Hi, I'm fifteen and I'm getting my license soon. I was wondering, what's the average cost for car insurance for a child at the age of 16 driving a Ford Mustang GT? I included my car model if that's any help at all to you. I also live in Central Florida. Thanks in advance!""

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Cheapest car insurance for a 18 year old male?

Cheapest car insurance for a 18 year old male?

Can my car insurance company give my phone number to auto shops?

I was recently in a fender-bender, and as SOON as I made a claim with my insurance company, random auto shops started calling my cell phone (which is my only phone, I don't have a land line) stating they heard I'd been in an accident and basically were telemarketing me into fixing my car at their shop. I have Nationwide insurance, and I'm suspecting it is them who has released my information, as I didn't supply my info with anyone else, other than in the police report! Has anyone else heard of this or had this happen to them? Is there anything I can do about it, other than tell the people not to call me again!?""

Drivers License with Insurance?

Do you have to be on someones insurance if you get a driver's license? I don't know what company my mom gets insurance through but her insurance would go up four hundred and thirty dollars because of my sister's driving record, but the lady said I HAD to be on someones insurance right after I get my license. But I called the local DMV and they said that I don't have to be on someones insurance if I get my license. The car just has to be insured. Who do I believe? Because I heard that sometimes insurance companies try to milk you for money... Who do I believe? Can someone give me a real LEGAL answer?""

Maryland Auto Insurance Premium for teens(19yrs)?

I am 19 years old, living in Baltimore and got my driving license last week. I have a Nissan Sentra. So what would be my auto insurance premium for a year? How is it calculated? Which are the good companies?""

How much do you pay for FULL COVERAGE auto insurance?

I am trying to understand rates more and am interested in hearing what people pay for full-coverage auto insurance. How old are you, where do you live, what insurance company do you have, how much do you pay per 6 months? (Please only answer if you pay for full or maximum coverage) I currently have Allstate and pay around $300/6 mo. I am interested in hearing from CUSTOMERS what they actually pay instead of getting quotes from companies. I would like to gauge cheap/expensive.""

17 years old and my car insurance is way too high...?

I'm 17 years old and I live in the state of New York. A few months ago I had a little accident with my moms cars. My father said he'll buy me a car if I pay for insurance... but my insurance would be 3600 dollars per year which I won't be able to afford making minimum wage. Is there anyways I could lower the price for insurance? I really need some help thank you!

What kind of fine do you get for driving without car insurance in California?

My older brother recently bought a brand new car, and just two days ago the insurance he purchased from the dealership's insurance company expired. He has liability insurance underneath a separate insurance company, but that has not expired. We were stopped for something minor the other day, and the police officer noticed my brother's insurance was expired. What kind of fine will he face?""

Medical insurance?

Im looking for medical insurance in connecticut that covers ivf treatments completely and consultation fees please help!! Thanksss :)

Roughly how much is car insurance for a new driver in uk?

im going to get my license because i've been told it's good to have early. but i can't decide whether or not to look into getting a car. i just need a rough idea of how much insurance is. i have no idea what type of car. just basic. i just need a rough price please.

How much would motorcycle insurance cost for a 17 year old with a Kawasaki Ninja 250 in Texas?

How much would motorcycle insurance cost for a 17 year old with a Kawasaki Ninja 250 in Texas?

How is my motorcycle insurance so CHEAP?

Okay so im looking into buying a motorcycle this summer. Ill be turning 18, and have always wanted a bike. So i was looking at how much insurance would cost me for it because i hear that its expensive and im a full time student and work minimum wage job, so its not like i have money just to shoot out my *** for fun. I was looking at progressive, because they show instant online quotes so i dont have to actually call in and give my real name and social security # and stuff like that. So i go onto progressive's, and enter all my real info like age and stuff(but lie about my actual address and name and email cause i dont want constant ads and spam). And i got cheaper than expected quotes.....So i put in, 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 250r. Male. Turning 18 in july. Put in that i have motorcycle endorsement and taken safety course(i havent yet, but i will by the time i actually own a bike and have to buy insurance for real). No accidents or tickets. 0 years riding experience(although i ran multiple quotes and noticed price drops by $29 for a 12month policy if youve had even 1 year of riding experience, which is nice). And i got a quote for $285 12month policy. For Bodily Injury & Property Damage 50/100/25. Underinsured Motorist Bodily Injury 25/50. $100 deductible on comprehensive for bike(again i ran multiple quotes, and changing the deductible amount on comprehensive only saves a few bucks). $500 deductible for collision(this deductible amount changes your rate incredibly). No other coverage. Got quoted $285...seems kinda cheap to me considering im so young? Not complaining that i save money....just wondering if this sounds normal? Random insurance question, lets say im riding my bike and going at a good speed, say 45+mph. Then fall and completely eat ****. I injure and damage only myself and my bike. Lets say my bike needs some repairs or maybe even replacing, and my leg is broken or something like that. Will any insurance cover any costs since it was my fault to my own personal injury? Is this when health insurance kicks in for medical bills? And would motorcycle insurance pay for any of this? If so, which kind? Like comprehensive, collision, liability, under-insured motorist? Because i have no idea. This next part might be a little hard to understand, so ill try my best. But i ran multiple quotes and changed the age i said i was, for instance, i put in my real birthday on one July 1996, than i put July 1995 on another just to see how much the rate goes for a 18yr old, because once i actually get the bike i will be 18. The quote where i put my real birthday and said i was 17, got quoted $285, the quote where i said i was already 18, got quoted $319.....how is that possible that i get a $34 cheaper quote for being younger??? I feel like someone at progressive online site is trolling me and getting my hopes up now, just to see me go ape **** when i actually go get a real quote. Thanks!""

Can Hit and Run increase my insurance rate?

I parked my car on the street and found on the next morning that it was hit. If I report this to the insurance company, will my premium get increased? It wasnt really my fault that somebody hit me. I have a perfect driving records and no accidents in the past 6 years.""

About a car and insurance?

ok so im 17 goin to turn 18 this decmber and i want to get a this nice car a 1987 Pontiac Fiero and i want to know what would the insurance on it would be

Car insurance question?

Ok so im trying to get car insurance on my grand prix. im doing it over the internet and the final rate says a 3166 dollar premium over six months. is that actually what i pay over the six months or is that what i would have to if something happened. what would be my actual cost over hte six months cause that just seems crazy

Car insurance !!!!!!!!!!!!!?

does anyone no were to get cheap car insurance im 17 male and the quotes im getting are 3000 pound to 5000 pound and they are for 1.1 to a 1.3 and its stupid ive tried go compare mon Supermarket and i cant find any lower quotes can anyone help???

Online auto insurance?

Other than the general, Is there any good online auto insurance providers??""

Where can i locate Leaders speciality auto insurance?

Where can i locate Leaders speciality auto insurance?

I recently moved to Brooklyn and I need to find affordable car insurance for my car. Any suggestions?

I know car insurance in NY is not less expensive in general, but any suggestions would help.""

Any good dental insurance?

We live in the awesome country of America, oh wait, healthcare here sucks, so we need insurance. My family and I need some type of dental and health insurance, any good ones?""

Where to go to get a quote?

Hi people, I'm seventeen, taking my driving lessons but find it incredibly hard to get a quote for insurance. I want a rough estimate so i know how much to save but every site i have checked is for someone who already owns a car. If anyone has any good sites or references for my position it would be appreciated. thanks dudes XD""

Will my insurance go lower if i buy a older car?

I currently drive a 2003 honda civic coupe and i was wondering if the insurance will be cheaper if i traded it in for a 1998 maxima sedan?

Advice between life insurance and medical insurance?

I have 24 yrs old and am hesitating between life insurance which propose a cash back bonus of 25 % every 5 years on a 30 yr term policy and a usual medical insurance.? The premium cost for both are a little bit similar.

What are the consequences of switching to cheaper car insurance company? As in what would you lose out on?

What are the consequences of switching to cheaper car insurance company? As in what would you lose out on?

Insurance For Aprilia RS50: Im 16?

im 16 and im going to get an aprilia RS50 and i was woundering how much the insurance would be?? also? how much would the insurance be on a 50cc moped?

Can I suspend my car insurance?

I am 18 years old, male, clean driving record, good student, going to college. I will only be going home for occasional weekends, and vacations, and I would like to be insured so I can drive my car (saturn 2000 sl) around. I want to have coverage when I need it, but don't want to pay for a whole year of car insurance. I do not know a lot about car insurance but, Is it possible to just call up my car insurance company (MetLife) whenever I want and suspend or unsuspend my car insurance? This way I don't have to pay for a whole year of car insurance when i am only using it for weekends, week breaks, or winter and summer vacations (probably 5 months per year). Is this a normal practice? Thanks!!""

Cheap Health Insurance In New York State for single adult?

Is there any good but cheap health insurance in new york state not based on income?

Cheapest car insurance for a 18 year old male?

Cheapest car insurance for a 18 year old male?

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