#because qt the same time dad's been getting a lot better

[theramseyloft]

After Ankhou died, I have had a very hard time keeping up with both manual loft maintenance and media work.

Manual loft maintenance is the higher priority of the two, so that's were the energy I have has been focused.

The birds are happy, but I have failed to advertise availability for two months.

The birds currently available do not meet the specifications of anyone on my wait list, and to prevent the loft from getting crowded, we've frozen rescue intake and implemented strict hatch control.

Breeding pairs on the roster are only permitted to hatch their first clutch with another bird also on the roster.

Every subsequent clutch will be swapped with fakes at least until all currently available cocks go home.

As I am not caught up on editing photos yet, I will have to make due with listing the name, parents, and temperament of available birds.

Please message me privately, email theramseyloft@gmail.com, or call/text 706-993-7452 for more information.

1. Raddish

Mia x Cara

Retired. ($20)

Was friendly as a young bird, but has not had the opportunity to express temperament in Qt.

Not to be bred under any circumstance due to one known and a second possible cancer in his blood line.

2. Wukong

Blue Check Chinese Owl cock

Loft Bird $30.

Wukong is an excellent father that will definitely benefit a breeding program.

He's very human shy, unless his mate isn't.

Chances of him bonding with a patient person that will let him make friends at his own pace are decent, but I can't guarantee it in good conscience.

3. Farthing

Pied Almond Blue T-pattern het for Toy Stencil mixed cock.

Betty x Hagrid

Comfortable ($50)

A bit of a himbo, Farthing is one of our better known cocks.

He likes people and often gets in my lap or on my shoulder, when not distracted by being the loft bi-cycle.

He's pretty and sweet, but Giant Homer and Frillback ancestry make him a big boy with long flights and tail feathers that will need a lot of room.

4. Leela

Khaki T-pattern mixed hen

Cody x Rigby

Comfortable ($50)

Leela is a mellow little sweety that likes my lap and shoulders.

She's a great pumper, but chain lays and starts a new clutch INCREDIBLY early! Leaving nestlings well fed, but largely unguarded.

5. Todoroki

Tippler

Sooty Ash Red Bar cock

Rescue ($20)

Todoroki is an EXTREMELY high energy breed that will need a LOT of space to free fly most of the time.

He would be happier in a loft than as an indoor pet.

6. Amiga

Blue T-pattern mix hen

Pippin x Cookie

Retired ($20)

Amiga is going to be a pain.

She hates people to the point of trying to break herself to get away from them, and she cannot under any circumstance be allowed to hatch an egg.

She provides her own hatch control by nest cup dancing on her hatchlings. She has been given two chances to hatch clutches, and eviscerated all three peeps this way.

So she will need to be housed in a loft with minimal interaction other than obsessively switching her eggs with fakes.

7. Dolly

Blue Bar mixed hen

Pippin x Cookie

Loft Bird ($30)

Dolly is her sister Amiga's opposite in almost every way.

She's only retired from my program because she's the hen on the roster that likes people the least.

She is an amazing, devoted mother and would make a fantastic foster hen.

8. Wess

Blue tailmark mixed cock

Wukong x Suki

Curious ($40)

Wess is shy and dislikes being approached directly, but often chills nearby preening my clothing and occasionally hops up on my knee.

He is a TERRIBLE dad! It took him two weeks to start helping Dolly feed their nestlings and never sat on them when they were little enough to need it.

9. Arco

Pied Ash Red T-pattern mixed cock

Vito x Cookie

Loft Bird ($30)

Arco is uninterested in people, but not afraid of them.

He'd be a good partner for a nervous rescue bird, or an absolutely amazing foster dad!

He's devoted to his mate and her nest and doesn't start shit with flock mates once he's settled.

10. Bridget

Blue T-pattern feral cock

Rescue ($20)

This is the boy we found with a broken wing and foot on the sidewalk under an overpass.

He's healed entirely and though flighty and skittish, gets along very well with his flockmates.

Like Arco, he takes a mate, picks a nest, settles, and doesn't start shit.

He'd make an excellent foster or partner for a skittish rescue.

11. Scan

Pied ash red cock

Cherub x Tandy

Loft Bird ($30)

Scan is Cherub and Tandy's first hatch.

I was initially going to keep him, but his brother, Nimbus, has a better temperament.

Scan is a flamboyantly aggressive pain in the ass, constantly starting shit with established pairs to earn himself a spot in the hierarchy.

He'd likely mellow out with fewer birds, but isn't interested in being social with me, so I don't think he'd be the best house pet.

12. Acer

Ash Red T-pattern mixed cock

Pippin x Cookie

Loft Bird ($30)

Acer's classification as a loft bird is maintained by technicality.

He has to come in after repeatedly attacking nestlings.

If he does it again with different ones when he goes out on Thursday, his status will be changed to Retired foe unusually severe aggression.

This seems to be a pattern developing in the Pippin x Cookie line...

Which is going to make the birds afflicted hard to place.

13. Bell

Blue T-pattern mixed hen

Pippin x Cookie

Loft Bird ($30)

Bell is the same intense degree of skittish as the rest of her siblings, but gets along well with her flock mates.

She has the best chance of them of being ok as a house bird, but she'd honestly be happiest either in a loft or with a bird friend.

14. Rusty

Pied Ash Red T-pattern mixed cock

Ginger x Danica

Curious ($40)

Rusty is an energetic boy with places to be and stuff to explore!

He occasionally lands on my shoulder or head, or hops briefly up into my lap

He isn't afraid of people, but not liking to hold still makes him hard to interact with.

He's very fun to watch, though, and would be a good match for any one who wanted an independent bird.

15. Checkers

Pied blue check mixed cock

Ginger x Danica

Loft Bird ($30)

Checkers is less interested in people than his brother, Rusty.

He's energetic, gorgeous, and fun to watch, and would make a lovely addition to a pet loft.

He probably wouldn't enjoy being a house bird unless he had a hen to interact with.

He's very combative with other cocks, and has not yet learned the virtue of "Don't start none, won't be none."

16. Frieda

Khaki tailmark mixed hen

Wukong x Suki

Comfortable ($50)

Frieda, though not super outgoing, is friendly in spite of her shyness.

She often gets up in my lap to loaf, but doesn't like being reached for, even with treats.

If you just want warm, quiet company while you read, watch videos, or do desk work, she'll be an excellent match for you.

17. Berry

Pied blue bar hen

Cherub x Tandy

Loft Bird ($30)

Berry is not remotely interested in hanging out with me. She isn't even curious.

She's not afraid by any stretch, she just would rather do literally anything but interact with me.

With lots of enrichment or another bird, she could be ok inside, or she'd make a pretty loft bird.

18. Shinobi

Black pied mixed hen

Leonard x Elliot

Comfortable ($50)

Like most of her siblings, Shinobi is friendly and interested in people, but too energetic to really hold still for long.

She is sweet and polite about taking treats when she feels like it.

She'd be quite happy as a house bird with lots of flight time.

19. Mote

Blue check mixed hen

Wukong x Suki

Curious ($40)

Mote is shy and reserved, but mostly seems overwhelmed by how many of her older and younger flockmates want to be in my lap or on my shoulders at any given time.

When my lap is free, she will usually hop up unto it and loaf for a bit.

She has a good chance of coming out of her shell as a house pet.

20. Tye

Pied tiger grizzle ash red cock

Ginger x Danica

Loft Bird ($30)

Tye is a drop dead gorgeous little man, the spit'n image of his father, Ginger.

He's not afraid of people, but literally everything else is more interesting.

Being a roller and tumbler mix, he's a delightfully acrobatic flier who is a joy to watch.

He'd be a striking addition to a pet loft, or, with enough enrichment or a friend provided, a great addition to a household.

21. Slate

Dirty, smoky blue bar mixed hen.

Satin x Chiffon

Interactive ($60)

Slate's brother, Cotta, is my new therapy prospect.

Slate is mellow and sweet tempered, happily accepts treats, and occasionally tries to play with my fingers like she would a stick.

She's quite happy to loaf in my lap and occasionally lets me stroke her little neck with a fingertip.

22. Flint

Blue check mixed cock

Nobu x Leela

Comfortable ($50)

Flint is a sweet little man that has started jumping into my lap at every opportunity, and often flailing his way up to loaf on my chest.

He accepts treats politely when he feels like it, but doesn't try to play with me yet.

I told y'all there were a TON of birds available. XD

I'll do my best to update this post as there are updates to make, but 22 is WAY more birds ready for homes than I'm really ok with having, especially with winter on the way.

It's my own fault for failing to advertise that they were available as soon as they became available.

Now I'm just going to have to wait before I can do any more rescue work or hatch peeps out for the people on my wait list.

Back to playing catch up...

[wrestlingisfake]

Double or Nothing preview

Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara & Santana & Ortiz & Jake Hager vs. MJF & Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler & Shawn Spears & Wardlow - This is a "Stadium Stampede" match, so the contest will start in a wrestling ring set up on the 50-yard line of TIAA Bank Field. There are no disqualifications and falls count anywhere, so basically both teams can brawl all over the stadium until one guy scores a pin or submission on someone from the other team. If the Pinnacle (MJF's team) wins, then Jericho's Inner Circle will be forced to disband forever.

The Jericho/MJF rivalry has been brewing since the fall of 2019, when the subject of MJF joining the Inner Circle was broached. MJF (and Wardlow) finally joined up a year later, but it was all a plot to destroy the group from within to make way for the Pinnacle. The original five members of the Inner Circle stayed together and collectively turned babyface. The Pinnacle defeated the Inner Circle in a "blood & guts" cage match, where Jericho suffered a real dislocation in his elbow, but the Inner Circle demanded another chance to settle the score. So MJF challenged them to this match, knowing that Jericho's squad lost the first Stadium Stampede last year.

The first stadium match worked because they took full advantage of the format to do a lot of wacky comedy and absurd brawling spots. I don't think these teams can replicate that here, and really shouldn't try. They'll be better off focusing on the brutality of this blood feud and the dangers of an unfamiliar environment. Last year's match was all about finding new things to jump off of that nobody ever used in a wrestling match before. This one should be about finding new ways to hurt people.

I can't see the Inner Circle actually breaking up here, because there's a lot more left for them to do. In theory you could do it and just have Jericho keep targeting MJF all on his own. But they also still need to do Santana & Ortiz vs. Harwood & Wheeler, and Guevara vs. Spears, and I'd even be up for Hager vs. Wardlow. So it makes more sense to just give the Inner Circle the win here, although I can't deny that it's possible they could surprise me.

Kenny Omega vs. PAC vs. Orange Cassidy - This is a three-way match for Omega's AEW men's world championship, so the first man to score a fall on either opponent wins the match and the title. Omega's other championships--the Impact world title and AAA mega title--are not at stake.

As far as I can tell this match was always supposed to be a three-way. A Pac vs. Cassidy match on May 12 was set to decide Omega's next challenger and booked to go a time-limit draw. Omega would then argue that neither man won a title match, only to be overruled and have to face both of them, in a bit we've seen a million times. However, in the match Orange got legit knocked out. So instead of just declaring Pac the winner and sole challenger, which would make more sense anyway, they had to do some wacky hijinx to get back on the stupid track to their stupid draw to do the stupid trope for a stupid three-way.

So yeah, I'm not thrilled with this match, because nothing about it is more interesting to me than if the May 12 match had a winner and this match was one-on-one. Orange just beating Pac to earn the biggest match of his career would have been cool. Orange losing to Pac, so that it takes longer for him to prove he belongs in the main event, would have been cool. But a three-way just says to me "we don't think either of these challengers is a credible draw on their own, and you won't either after they both lose at the same time." Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if WWE hadn't run this sort of thing into the ground, but they did.

Anyway, Omega probably steals a pin from Orange, and the announcers all squabble with Don Callis for 25 minutes. I would really like to see this Omega heel run actually start going somewhere.

Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson vs. Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston - The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick) are defending the AEW tag team title. The Moxley-Kingston alliance came about when Eddie set aside their differences to rescue Mox from the exploding ring on March 7. But the ring didn't explode, so both of them wanted to beat up Kenny Omega for embarrassing them. But they couldn't get at Omega becaue his faction kept getting in the way, and then the Bucks turned on Moxley to join Omega's faction. So Moxley and Kingston started targeting the Bucks, and by the time they stole the Bucks' fancy designer sneakers we had a title match.

I think I actually find the Bucks less irritating as heels than as babyfaces. When they're bad guys, they spend half of their time being all insider-y, like "WOW THAT SURE WAS AN EVIL THING WE JUST DID, THAT SURE WILL GET SOME 'HEEL' 'HEAT' FROM THE 'MARKS' LOL." But when they're good guys, they devote that time to being all "WOW THIS SURE WOULD BE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR A 'HEEL' 'TURN' BUT WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO IT YET YOU 'MARKS' LOL." At least now they're supposed to be annoying.

The biggest missing piece in the Bucks' current heel run has been a team that won't take their crap and just punches each of them in the mouth. So Moxley and Kingston are really the perfect opponents for them right now. Like, I really buy that the Bucks have bitten off more than they can chew here. But I also believe that Mox and Eddie's deathmathch powers won't save them if they get cold spray in their eyes. So it averages out to an even fight, which I like.

I wouldn't book the Bucks to drop the title at this particular time, but I can see where it'd be hot for Moxley and Kingston to cement their bond as a team and get a short title run to set up a rematch.

Hikaru Shida vs. Britt Baker - Baker is challenging for the AEW women's world title, which Shida has held for just over a year. It's been a tough run for Shida, being booked as a dominant champion in an empty building, while Baker got all the glory of getting built up as a cult favorite heel. The fandom is impatient for a title change, and specifically for Baker to get the belt. I knew all along that we'd get here eventually, and the long wait would build it up, but it still feels hotter than I expected.

I kind of want to consider the possibility of Shida surprising everyone by retaining. But I think fans would be genuinely pissed if that happened, after waiting so long to see Baker's "coronation." So this is definitely one match where the "predictable" outcome is the right one. Baker should win the title and feud with all the faces she clobbered to get here for the next year. Shida should have to climb her way up to a big rematch down the line.

Sting & Darby Allin vs. Scorpio Sky & Ethan Page - Sky and Page sort of got thrown together because they both have the same "bellyache about not getting opportunities" gimmick. To that end, they both targeted Darby Allin, but instead of challenging him for the TNT championship they caused him to lose it to Miro. So now they're going to get their asses beat by Darby and his buddy Sting, while Miro gets a big PPV title match. You guys might want to review your strategy.

When Sting joined AEW with the intent to work matches, I think everybody assumed he'd just do "cinematic" matches like the pre-taped brawl on the March 7 show. However, AEW went out of their way to say this will be a normal tag team match in the arena, live in front of the fans. It'll be his first "real" match since September 20, 2015, when a bad bump forced him to retire. I sure hope they know what they're doing.

It's conceivable that Page and Sky will get the win, but it makes more sense to me for Allin to get the momentum on his way to rematch with Miro. Also, I think they'll want to give the live crowd a feel-good moment with Sting getting his hand raised.

Miro vs. Lance Archer - Miro won the TNT championship from Darby Allin a couple of weeks ago, and now Allin's busy with Pafge and Sky so that clears the way for Archer to step up and demand a shot. I felt like neither of these guys got their full due in WWE/NJPW, so it's especially rewarding to see them both get pushed in AEW and then beat the crap out of each other in a MEAN GUY MATCH~!

The money is in building to a Miro vs. Allin rematch for the title, so I don't think Archer is winning the belt and I sure don't think Miro is losing it this early. So this isn't about who'll win so much as it's about BIG MEATY MEN...SLAPPING MEAT.

Cody Rhodes vs. Anthony Ogogo - Ogogo won the bronze medal for middleweight boxing in the 2012 Olympics, but of late he's been training at the wrestling school started by Cody Rhodes and QT Marshall. Then QT turned on Cody, taking several students with him to form a faction called "The Factory." Cody got revenge on Marshall, but Ogogo hit Cody with his deadly body blow. Cody can out-wrestle Ogogo, but it won't matter if Ogogo lands that one punch again.

That's what the story of the match actually is. For some reason, Cody thinks it has to do with whether the United States sucks or rules. Basically, this is the same time of year that the Great American Bash would be held, and Cody wants to take up his dad's "The American Dream" moniker for one night weekend only, so that's how he's justifying it. So yeah.

Cody's storylines seem to operate in a parallel universe from the rest of AEW, but if you go along with that and buy what he's selling, it works. I can't decide if it's more important to deliver the happy ending for the white-meat babyface or to put heat on the up-and-coming future star. It probably depends on whether Ogogo's ready for a sustained push, and we won't know that until we see how he performs in this match.

Hangman Page vs. Brian Cage - This match actually relates to the company's rankings, in that Page was the #1 contender until a loss to Cage knocked him down a peg. So the inevitable rise of Page to complete his story arc by challenging his ex-partner for the world title can't proceed becaue Brian Cage is in the way. That's enough to get me motivated.

Cage has been lowkey teasing a face turn since he and Ricky Starks lost to Sting and Darby Allin. That's mainly important because Page is playing into that, suggesting he expected more integrity from Cage than the rest of Team Taz and daring him not to bring his goons to the match. It feels natural for Cage to lose this match because he refuses to accept help from his heel allies, who then turn on him for doing the right thing. Then again, Cage could just win to send Page spiraling further into despair and drag that issue out a while longer. But I really hope we're done with that.

21-man Casino Battle Royale - This is a gauntlet battle royale with timed entry, sort of like WWE's Royal Rumble, but five wrestlers start the match and every three minutes another five enter, until the 21st man enters alone. Once a wrestler enters the match, he can be eliminated at any time by exiting the ring over the top rope and landing on the floor. The match can only end once everyone has entered, and all but one is eliminated; the last man in the ring wins the match and a future world title shot.

Twenty of the 21 participants have been announced: Anthony Bowens, The Blade, Brian Pillman Jr., Christian Cage, Colt Cabana, Dustin Rhodes, Evil Uno, Griff Garrison, Isiah Kassidy, Jungle Boy, Lee Johnson, Marq Quen, Matt Hardy, Matt Sydal, Max Caster, Nick Comoroto, Penta El 0M, Powerhouse Hobbs, Preston Vance, and QT Marshall. The final participant hasn't been named; I'm guessing he'll just happen to enter last as luck #21.

A lot of AEW's factions are represented in this match, but the Hardy Family Office stands out for getting four of their guys (Blade, Hardy, Quen, and Kassidy) in this thing. I'm interested to see if that plays into the story of the match. But the heavy favorites have to be Christian Cage (a big acquisition that is already on track for a title match later this year) and whoever the mystery man is. Of course, last year's surprise entrant was Matt Sydal, so don't assume this one is going to be a huge deal.

Serena Deeb vs. Riho - Deeb is defending the NWA women's world championship on the pre-show. We haven't seen a lot of either of these women lately, because Deeb was out with an injury and Riho's international travel has been severely limited by the pandemic. (The NWA itself has also been out of commission for months, but they're back and probably anxious to book the winner of this match on one of their shows.)

So this match feels like it came out of nowhere, but it still manages to feel important. I mean, Riho ought to be the favorite, but doing a title change with another group's belt is no small thing. I'm really not sure what's going to happen, which is more buzz than I usually get for a pre-show match.

[deobis]

hello!! just thought I'd stop by and say thank u for making content for us!! your little creations help make my day go by a little better :) also I thought I should ask whats your favorite thing about each tbz members if you dont mind? I'm in the mood to adore these boys more! 💞🥰

Heyo <3 been seeing this ask around my dash and i just want to say thank u!! this is so sweet and thoughtful <3<3 

my favorite thing about each member goes as follows:

Sangyeon: One of my favorite things about Sangyeon is his smile. There are also other things like the way he shows that he cares through both actions and words, his god awful dad jokes that always make me laugh, his absolute horrid losing streak at games; but none of them compare to his smile. If I had to say why, it’s because his smile incorporates all the things I love about him. I’ve said this before but TBZ’s smiles can be split into two categories: the pretty smiles and the dorky smiles and Sangyeon just happens to have one of the prettiest smiles out there.

Jacob: With Jacob, it’s his voice. You could say Jacob’s singing voice is what attracts people to him (which is true), but for me his tone is what I really love. Jacob speaks the language of the clouds. When he talks, it’s soft and warm but not too thick. His voice is sort of transparent? But in a good way. He speaks with care and almost always with a smile. 

Youngjoon: For Younghoon it’s his thoughtfulness. He thinks so much about how others around him act and feel and he’s not afraid to say it. A recent example is when he said he explained how he felt when he wasn’t able to go dance the RTK stage with his fellow members. I think this plays into why hes so emotional (and a cute crybaby haha). 

Hyunjae: Hyunjae’s duality is my favorite quality about him. Not duality like “sexy vs cute” but duality with seriousness and goofiness. He plays and interacts comfortably with the maknaes (they have said this many times) and he was a big part in making them feel comfortable in the group. But at the same time you can see his dedication and hard work. 

Juyeon: My favorite thing about Juyeon is his stage presence. Even though I tunnel vision on Sunwoo, He’s always able to catch my eye in any performance he’s in. His dancing skills and facial expressions really do make you want to focus on him. The amazing thing is: he can do this whether TBZ is doing a cute or sexy concept. He has so much control with how he presents himself on stage it’s amazing. 

Kevin: With Kevin, it’s his awareness. He pays attention to many things around him and continues to learn. Him being an artist might have helped him with this. He sees small details and it not only helps him adapt to those around him, but also to be as creative as he can be. 

Chanhee: Chanhee’s patience takes the cake. This isn’t a really obvious one, but I get the feeling that hes a very patient person. You can tell by the way he literally sits through TBZ bullying him. He also shows this trait through his vlives and the way he interacts with fans. He knows when he should be patient and when he shouldn’t tolerate misbehavior. Though he looks like he could be the youngest member, he’s very mature.

Changmin: Changmin is a Qt ball of mischievousness. He likes pulling pranks and taking risks. For such a smiley boy, he love horror and doesn’t seem to be afraid of anything. There’s literally no way to predict what he’s going to do next. Sometimes I wonder what goes through his brain or what he ate growing up for him to think the way he does. 

Haknyeon: Haknyeon’s confidence is one of his most attractive points. It hurts to think that everything Mnet/Broduce did to him might have lowered his confidence for a short period. But now we know hes ambitious and confident (thank god for the GENZ video). He holds himself with pride but can appreciate the talent of others.

Hyunjoon: My favorite thing about Hyunjoon is his boldness. Whether he expresses this through his fashion or dancing, he never seems to care what other people think (at least in regards to what he likes). Some might see his fashion sense as over the top or his dancing as too expressive, but he’s never backed down from his own style and continues to do what he likes.  I miss Hyunjoon so much 😔 he will forever be irreplaceable.

Eric: I love Eric’s, well, love. He has so much to give and I hope he knows he’s receiving even more. What’s even better is that he’s never afraid to show his love as well. His love for pink, his love for his family, his love for Juyeon his members, and of course, his love for his fans. As Kevin said, he has a big heart, maybe even the biggest one in the world. 

Sunwoo: I saved Sunwoo for last because I know I’m going to have a lot to say haha Just listing off the top of my head, some of the reasons I love Sunwoo are: His rapping, lyrics, humor, personality, cowardice, effortlessness, and much more (basically I love everything). But if I had to narrow it down to one specific trait, the thing I love most about him is his mannerisms. Sunwoo has many tiny little quirks that are so specific to him that I just can’t help but fall in love over and over again. On stage and off stage, there are so many small details that make Sunwoo Sunwoo. His habit of licking his lips, crossing his fingers, talking with his hands, rubbing his eyes, scrunching his nose, laughing with his mouth wide open, etc. Every little detail is precious and there are probably even more I haven’t noticed. His mannerisms aren’t just in visible actions we see in videos, he also updates the fancafe almost every day. It’s almost as if he treats it like his own little diary. Even if its just one line long or a ‘I love you deobis,’ he always remembers to connect with his fans. Of course, he has his flaws, but they’ve helped him grow. Sunwoo without his quirks isn’t Sunwoo, and I love him through every little detail.

[tuwasduwillst]

Shadowbringers (pt 4/end)

This just has spoilers for everything, basically. :U I finished it and don’t feel like splitting stuff up because I have over 1k screenshots to go through...

Katana-bearing Centurion: Besides, there is but one hand that can make me whole again. My enemy... my friend...

He probably just says “friend” there in Japanese, but I don’t have my whole game switched, so I don’t get to know for sure. Good to know you’re still being weird, Zenos.

Don’t you smirk at me like that, mister.

Here’s Urianger being handsome, as usual

I hated fighting this old dude as Thancred.

1) I still can’t believe he can easily take out the WoL like he did

2) Stop making me be sword dudes!!

3) I get why they wanted people to see the dialogue here, but it was so slooooow and I died once near the end and had to do it all over again and ughhh, just go away

Ryne looks cute with her new hair and eyes, at least. :) Thancred is still a bad dad, but at least he’s doing better now... I guess.

Also, Urianger’s reaction to finding out that Thancred was paying attention to some of his talks about pixies was really good, haha.

...I wanna listen to Urianger give a pixie lecture...

Wow

This was something the game threw together when I asked it to pick recommended gear. It’s... some kind of look.

The Exarch/G’raha Tia is a qt. Y’know, I figured it was probably G’raha Tia, but I didn’t remember him being so short... and the lack of cat ears also made me doubt myself, haha.

I’m really glad I did the Crystal Tower stuff, though, because otherwise I’d... well, I’d still think that G’raha Tia/the Exarch is cute and like him a lot, but it wouldn’t have had the same impact.

I took a bunch of screenshots of Mikh’a. :U

& Emet-Selch, ofc

that one old dude: If you would pass me, you must endure all that I have learned on the battlefield... For I am a weapon forged in the fires of war!

~*oooh, I’m so scared of you and your tiny amount of health left*~

My MP doesn’t even have a dent in it, really. This is why I had such a hard time believing this dude could take out the WoL!! Even the first time we fought, I had tons of MP available to me and could’ve made a full recovery from being brought down to 1 HP. (...well, I have Benediction which is kind of cheating, but still.)

At least this was the last time I had to deal with him. He’s probably the worst thing about the expansion, which I guess I can deal with since the rest of it was so good.

Lots of really pretty screenshot opportunities in this expansion. c:

Mt. Gulg is something I thought was common to a bunch of FF games for some reason, but apparently it was in the original Final Fantasy, FFIX, and some random spin-off games. Weird.

How did Mikh’a hear him talking from that far away??

Emet-Selch has such a good design and you can tell that a lot of work was put into him. The expressions he makes, the way he stands and walks--it’s all unique to him and it makes him stand out a lot.

Even after everything that happened in the expansion, I’m really fond of him. They made the right move in having him kind of forge a more personal relationship with you/the WoL, because if he hadn’t been obnoxious in the background throughout most of the expansion it wouldn’t have been anywhere near as interesting/good as it ended up being.

I obviously chose to say that they were all Alphinaud’s assistants. :P

This little scene was so cute... lali-hos for everyone...

Crystal Exarch: Ugh! I would thank you not to shoot me!

I’m sorryyyyyy ; ~; You were there and I wanted to see what would happen!!!

Crystal Exarch: Ah heh... It may interest you to know that Mikh’a is a great hero in the land whence he hails. Some would say the greatest.

This little venture made me feel like I’d suddenly gotten married and adopted a child

(Which I’d be totally fine with, tbh.)

I loved this thing, actually!! I got to heal G’raha Tia, he healed me, we both healed our new tiny dwarf child, it was great.

c:

I’m still using the Mogrod. I’m never going to stop using it. Give me another thing that has a flower and swirly rainbows all over and maybe I’ll switch weapons, but until then? No.

...unless there’s, like... a really, really pretty plant weapon, especially if it matches Mikh’a’s outfit... but I don’t think there is.

I got to put my bubble on them. :D

He’s so cuuuuuute. And Mikh’a clearly agrees with my thoughts on him, considering the expression on his face when he looks at him.

One of the reasons I keep Mikh’a wearing the WHM gear is because I really like the contrast I get--a lot of the major characters wear black, so it looks nice when they stand next to each other. :D

Katana-bearing Centurion: The whereabouts of my one true friend, however--they interest me greatly. I but hope the beasts of this “First” are providing him proper sport.

Zenos is so funny to me. He just pops up like “did someone mention my friend” while his dad and Elidibus are having a serious conversation.

Innocence has beautiful hair and if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes I’d never believe that he was Vauthry.

You can kind of see @tarifu in this screenshot! :D

You can definitely see her here--wait... why is half the party wearing dwarf beard outfits...

This is probably weird to say, but I genuinely like when characters I play in games like this suffer/are in pain. Not, like... constantly. I just like it when NPCs get to express concern and you aren’t some kind of unbreakable hero 24/7. >_>

Obviously I was going to say his name, who wouldn’t.

This made me cry!! I thought he was dead. :C

But thankfully Emet-Selch didn’t want him dead, so he did not die.

...why’d he even need a gun? Has he always had a gun?

I wish I could just float off into the sky after ruining everything and being a big jerk

sad kitty

I died when I came here with Jack and Mari because I didn’t realize I was being targeted by the boss until it was too late. :,)

I got to practice using my shield, though!! I’m not used to having one so I’m not super great at remembering it exists and using it; the tether thing is a good visual for “this specific person is going to be damaged soon and a shield would be Good”. ...unless everyone’s bunched up and I can’t tell who has it until it’s too late, I guess.

I know I’m level 80 now, but there’s still a lot I haven’t done and I’m still trying to figure out what the best way to do things is sometimes... I still need to mess with my hotbars and stuff, actually. I think I might switch some things around more than I already have, because some useful things aren’t as easy to use as they could/should be and I’ve been wanting to mess around with stuff for a while. The Trust dungeons should be a really good opportunity to test new configurations! Or the squad dungeons, I guess. :/a

I’m still not Ardbert’s biggest fan, but I don’t dislike him.

Poor Urianger, getting stuck with the role of the only other person to know the Exarch’s plans. :(

& then everyone died going to the bottom of the sea and the game ended

I got to help put dwarf helmets on sineaters :U

I also remembered that I have fancy wings now, wheee

I got a nice new outfit after doing my last Healer role quest! :D I like it a lot~ The whites are brighter than the last outfit, and the bit in back accommodates his tail much better than the corset did.

I might play around with mixing and matching some pieces once I get newer stuff, but for now this is what I’ve got! c:

...and I refuse to wear the hat. 100%. I’m not making Mikh’a look like a weird nun. :|

Amaurot was really good, even if being there mostly just made me sad. >_> The not-people were so cute and nice, though...

Big

The WoL hanging out on this giant bench is so cute.

I liked getting to talk to Emet-Selch’s friend. c: Well... kind of, anyway. Since it’s not really his friend...

tiny

Emet-Selch: I have broken bread with you, fought with you, grown ill, grown old! Sired children and yes, welcomed death’s sweet embrace.

I still don’t 100% understand how Ascians work, but I guess it’s canon that Emet-Selch fucks :/a

I regret typing that, I think, but it is apparently true

i think your fireplace has something wrong with it

Really though, this dungeon was excellent.

Alisaie decided that she wanted to LB right as one of the bosses was doing one of those “hide behind a rock Or You Will Die” things so she died & I accidentally walked right off the edge near the end of the last boss fight (oops), but other than that things went okay!

D:

ardbert could you please clean your axe somehow before you point it at me like that. tia

This was a really neat moment :U

I’m not calling Emet-Selch Hades ever. Sorry, Emet-Selch.

I was kind of afraid to do this trial and almost waited until someone would be able to do it with me, but it really wasn’t that bad in the end!

...except for when I died five times to the same attack... orz It was that arm-sweeping one, too, so it’s not like it’s not obvious that it’s coming. My problem was that I kept getting Raised in bad places right before it happened, so he basically just kept smacking me down over and over again.

(Which was partially my fault, because I should’ve waited to accept the Raise until I knew it was safe to be alive, but... I don’t like leaving the other healer alone and I don’t want to just be lying there uselessly if I can avoid it.)

Fortunately(?) the party wiped due to something completely unrelated (a failed mechanic I had nothing to do with) and I didn’t die at all the second time around! So at least there was that.

I liked this bit in the dark. c:

I also liked when I got trapped in the bubble and didn’t have to do anything. Thanks, Emet-Selch!

Genuinely though, it was a nice little chance for me to calm the hell down because my anxiety was getting real bad before/during this fight. >_>

Poor dude. :c Obviously he’s responsible for some absolutely terrible things and I’m not going to try to deny that or anything, but he’s lived for so long and he’s had to deal with the loss of basically everyone he ever cared about for that whole time. He recreated that entire city and all of its people, that’s how much he cared.

Still no excuse for basically trying to kill all of the people he didn’t consider “real”! But also still sad, IMO.

This made me go “awww” out loud and start to tear up, haha...

I didn’t want to leave him ; ~;

Estinien said a full sentence here about how these guards were dead, too (in a way that implied he assumed that’s what they’d find), and the localization translated it as “hmph”. Kind of a weird choice there, but okay.

Zenos basically went Full Yandere since he killed his father just because he could potentially get in the way of his thing with the WoL, so... that’s something that’s going to have to be dealt with at some point.

I’m interested in seeing how things go, but I’m also a wee bit concerned that other people might get caught up in whatever this obsession is. I don’t want anyone to get hurt or killed because of Zenos’s yandere tendencies. :(

Elidibus is being Boring on the moon.

But who cares about that! I got to lead a Girl Scout meeting for my level 80 WHM quest.

Oh! Almost forgot about the story I got to tell the girls: “The tale of a man who crossed time and space to save the world... and me.”

I think the second one is about (original) Minfilia, maybe? :/a I wanted to tell them about G’raha Tia, though.

Aaaand that’s all I’ve done! \o/ I unlocked a new dungeon and I know there’s more than one post-80 dungeon, so I’ll probably check those out when I get a chance... but I finished the main stuff.

Which is kinda weird, because now I’m done again, haha... but I’ve got plenty of stuff to do before the next new stuff comes out. Especially since I discovered that Vamo alla Flamenco is the “dancer’s theme”, apparently. Need to dance ASAP >:O

[mndoughboy1918]

Letter to Dad

March 22, 1919 - Letter to Robert’s father:

Dear Dad,

Your letter of March 2nd came this morning. I am surprised to hear that you are not getting letters from me regularly. I write often but when we are anticipating a move toward home the days slip by faster than usual.

The men in B Co. are receiving a great many news clippings telling of the hardships the 35th encountered in the Argonne. Everything that has been said is true I guess but why do they keep it up? That is over long ago. I did not expect to find a grocery store in No-Man’s land when I started. I knew that I had sixteen oz. of corned beef, the same of hard bread + 1 qt. of water to last till I got out. They told us that before I started in. A man can live on it too.

“The Lion that eats a full meal will lose a battle with a starved wildcat.” I am afraid if they don’t quit the 35th may get to stay here. They might spoil things for us.

I am still a corporal so do not worry about that, and it sure pays to be one now too. All we do now is grade roads in this camp + non-coms act as bosses. I never did care much about pick + shovel work anyway. Today is the first day I have had to be boss even. I just sleep or read.

I am sorry that you are having cold weather now. It may make a late spring which is bad for fruit.

There will be four divisions returned in April before the 35th. We are supposed to go to St. Nazaire April 1st and will sail about the 25th. I do not think they will hold us long in the states so I should be free by May 15th.

In every letter I get from you, you mention a different job for me. They all sound good but I will not decide til I can talk things over with you.

I notice that Mr. Miller is preaching sermons on war subjects. I would like very much to hear what he has to say. You know a “Y” man sees a different side from the soldier, usually. “Y” men have a full stomach and no pack on their backs.

The reason I do not write any more about my experiences is that I can’t do them justice in a letter and anyway I would rather tell you all about it when I get home.

There seems to be some talk still about the amount of venereal disease in the A.E.F. There is a prison here built by the Belgian Army when they had this camp. It covers about 4 city blocks + has a 20-foot barbed wire fence about it. I passed a guard on duty there this morning and asked him how many prisoners they had. He pointed to a group of men and said there they are. There were about 50 I think. the camp here is for all men passing through the Le Mans area.

Well Dad there is plenty of food + rest here. It is better than ever before. We get 15% more food than regular issue. There are shows in the many YMCAs but time drags pretty much and I shall be mighty glad when the next six weeks will be up. I think I will get no mail for about three of those weeks which will make things worse but I guess I can stand it if the rest can.

If you have promised the green cottage to Bess or anyone else, Elinore + I could get one at Lake Sarah or somewhere else but I would like to be at Rebecca. I want to be there where I can see all of you till you get tired of seeing me around. I am especially anxious to see Ruth. I bet she has changed an awful lot. Not in nature but in looks. I believe Ruth is my favorite sister if I have one at all. I love them all so much that I never had any favorite. 

I am tired of France + the army and want to take a rest.

Aunt Aggie sends the Gartshores’ love to the Wests.

Your loving son, Corp. Rob.

P.S. I hope Mother is over the bronchitis now. Rob.

You have to admire Robert’s attitude about the hardships he and the 140th faced in the Argonne. I’m not surprised that they were seeing newspaper clippings about it, because the Governor of Kansas, Henry Allen (who had been in France with the 35th Division back in July) had delivered some fiery speeches in Washington D.C. in January and February about the Division’s shameful lack of supplies and artillery support. He also accused the Army of underestimating the number of casualties suffered in the Argonne. It was a very big story in newspapers across the country. This is from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 18, 1919:

Also, regarding Robert’s fear that the 140th’s complaints could cause them to be kept longer in France: it may not have been something to worry about, but Robert was not alone in feeling this way. From Richard S. Faulkner in Pershing’s Crusaders:

One doughboy recalled, “Everyone said that getting assigned to a transport depended on good behavior. There were stories of outfits being kept two months at Brest because they straggled when they marched, or were shy the proper number of tent pegs per man. We believed everything we heard.” A rumor spread that one regiment was yanked from the ship taking them home because one of its members had yelled, “Who won the war?” to the dockside MPs.

Interesting that Robert made a point of saying he was still a corporal, and even underlined it in his closing line. I’m not sure if he needed to tell his parents that he had not been promoted again, or if he was telling them that he hadn’t been busted back down to private.

Where was Robert today? See the timeline.

Next: Letter to Mother

[heliumrelish1-blog]

August 2018 Goals

August 2018 Goals – Goal Setting Using Lara Casey Powersheets – Setting and working towards goals for August and checking in on July’s goals.

Whew. July was amazing/stressful/wonderful/exhausting/busy/restful all at the same time.

I spent most of July in the states welcoming my newest nephew to the family. He’s the sweetest and I miss him already. He made his appearance a few weeks early and it changed my summer plans a bit. I was supposed to be gone most of this month, but this actually worked out better. August is going to be a doozy.

I know that I might be a *little* biased, but is he NOT THE CUTEST THING YOU’VE EVER SEEN?

Squishy babies are the BEST.

Also, these might be my two most favorite pictures I’ve ever taken. I love everyone in this picture and I absolutely loved watching them become a family of 3.

August and September are jammed packed with weddings and I’ll be spending a lot of time behind the computer.

My time in New Jersey was so nice. Normally when I make the trip, we are there as a family for a couple of days and we pack in as much as we can and while super fun, I leave needing a real vacation. This time, I did pack a ton of stuff in, but over the course of 3 weeks. I got to spend some real, quality time, with people and it was just what I needed. I missed Wes and the kids so much, but it was surprising how quickly three weeks went by.

I was able to see my grandmother almost every day when I was in NJ. That woman makes me laugh. She’s the absolute best. She has a birthday this month, so if you see her out and about, wish her a Happy Birthday.

I spent a week in Annapolis meeting my nephew and spending time with my brother and sister-in-law. I was also there for his bris. It was a beautiful service and I was so grateful to be home to be a part of it.

Then I made my way to DC. I stayed with a friend for one night and then treated myself to a very fancy hotel the second. I could (and will) do a whole post about hospitality. My friend is the absolute best hostess and staying at her house felt like being in a warm hug. It was such a treat. It was also strange to drive by our old exit and be in our old stomping grounds. P.S. DC traffic is still the WORST.

I also went to New York City to have the most amazing meal at my sister and soon-to-be brother-in-law’s new restaurant. I stayed at The Standard and I loved it. It is right near Chelsea Market, I love the West Village, and the views are BREATHTAKING. I have a soft spot for NYC. Even with all of the traveling we have done in the last year+ NYC still holds a special place in my heart.

I ended my trip by getting the worst sinus infection and basically drugging myself to get on the airplane. I’ve been home a week and just starting to feel human again between that and jet lag. Jet lag, man. It’s brutal. I think that it is much harder going west to east for some reason.

A few random things:

– I pretty much took a three-week sabbatical from social media and it was so refreshing. It wasn’t intentional, it just sort of happened. I would talk to my family early in the day because of the time change and pretty much put my phone down for the rest of the day. Turns out, I didn’t miss anything. The world did not stop turning. I spent more time reading and I got a lot of work done. I wasn’t anywhere near as distracted as I normally am.

– I also didn’t pick up my camera for two weeks. After I got back from my brother’s, I put my camera down and didn’t pick it up until I got back to Germany. I think that the weather had a lot to do with it, it was stormy and gray for the last week I was there. I really missed it and was starting to get a little grumpy. I think that when you are a creative, it is super important to keep creating, even when the work feels like it is garbage.

– Tonight we sat around the table and made our picks for our next duty station. It feels like we just got here and started to get settled, but we are already looking forward to what is next for us. Where to next? Your guess is as good as mine, but I will say that the list had a lot of promising things on it and I think that wherever we go next is going to be great.

– It is so hot. The temps have been in the mid-to-high 90’s since I got back. Air conditioning isn’t a thing here in Germany (Europe, really) and I need to do a photography job for a client and I am afraid to turn on the oven because I’m pretty sure I’m going to melt.

July 2018 Goals

Enjoy my time home with my family and friends. – I killed this one. I had a wonderful visit and got lots of family QT.

Read 4 books. – Also killed this one. You can see what I’ve been reading here.

Write travel series. – I outlined it, but it isn’t written. It’s coming.

Plan August weekend trip. – Instead of an August trip, we planned a November trip to Ireland. I’m also working on a possible kid-free trip to England with Wes.

Work on Pinterest strategy. Maybe take a class. Know any great ones? – Didn’t even think about this all month. This is getting moved to a winter goal.

August 2018 Goals

Clean out and deep clean the master bedroom and bathroom. These two spaces are disasters and I need to spend a solid two days sorting, purging, and organizing.

8 weeks of plant-based eating. Wes and I watched Forks Over Knives and are giving the plant-based lifestyle a whirl. The no dairy part is proving difficult, but the veggie part is great. It’s especially hard because I can’t read all of the German food labels.

Order prints for the kitchen photo wall

Take a new group kid photo. I realized that I don’t have any recent photos of my kids. I have lots of them traveling, and a million of them with their dad, but not of just the three of them.

To read my goals from other months //

Source: https://bakedbree.com/august-2018-goals

[weekend-conspiracy-theorist]

@wristwatch6minslow it's been forever since I did one of these so I'm taking your blanket invitation as gospel likewise, whoever feels like it, take your best shot! the last 1. drink: diet mountain dew 2. phone call: uhhh I think my mom, trying to ask her if she wanted me to stop and buy drinks at the qt on my way to meet her for lunch 3. text message: the last one I got was from my sister but the last one I sent was to a friend 4. song you listened to: some random dad rock song on the radio (and it really was random because I listen to dad rock and normally know what the songs are) 5. time you cried: mmm maybe three or four weeks ago, things have been pretty placid recently 6. dated someone twice: never dated 7. kissed someone and regretted it: never kissed anybody lmao 8. been cheated on: nah 9. lost someone special: my cousin mary, though that's not what you're asking 10. been depressed: ahah. not as far as I know, and I'm scared to ask 11. gotten drunk and thrown up: nah 3 favorite colors 12, 13, 14: blue, pink, and orange, in no particular order in the last year have you 15. made new friends: surprisingly! 16. fallen out of love: nah 17. laughed until you cried: yeah that time captain kirk like bounced himself off a wall to elbow slam a dude to the ground 18. found out someone was talking about you: MY ROOMMATES WERE SHIT Y'ALL 19. met someone who changed you: not at like, a fundamental level 20. found out who your friends are: it's simultaneously an old revelation and not one that's been confirmed in reality, but I know I'll lose a handful of childhoods friends #officially as soon as I come out 21. kissed someone on your Facebook list: ^-- never kissed anyone, see above general 22. how many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: all of them EXCEPT for my cousin jodi who lives in texas. she's the outspoken family liberal. I respect her from afar. 23. do you have any pets: The Nugget 24. do you want to change your name: hmmmmmmMMMMM no I don't think so 25. what did you do for your last birthday: turned in a six page philosophy paper, lmao 26. what time did you wake up: 7 (cst, so really 8 by circadian rhythm since I've been on est for a few months) 27. what were you doing at midnight last night: Asleep 28. name something you can’t wait for: the captain marvel movie 29. when was the last time you saw your mom: she’s in the seat in front of me rn 31. what are you listening to right now: road noise because my dad took over driving and APPARENTLY has something against the radio, the bastard 32. have you ever talked to a person named tom: not... as far as I know, tbh 33. something that is getting on your nerves: the lack of radio playing in this car 34. most visited website: tumblr, netflix 35. hair colour: you know when tiffany aching says she has boring non-protagonist mouse brown hair? she is me and I am her 36. long or short hair: SHORT 37. do you have a crush on someone: ??? I guess so??? 38. what do you like about yourself: this one time I made a really good deus ex machina joke in a fanfic where black canary and wonder woman went on a date 39. piercings: ears BUT I haven't worn earrings in like three years lmao 40. blood type: my mom and I were JUST talking about this, so I know it's the same as her and I think it might be AB+ but tbh ~I already forgot~ 41. nickname: holmes 42. relationship status: single 43. zodiac: taurus 44. pronouns: they/them 45. favourite tv show: I have a lot of eternal classics, but right now star trek owns my soul 46. tattoos: none, but I have plans for a few if I ever scrape the money together 47. right or left handed: right 48. surgery: never 49. piercing: ^-- see above 50. sport: I played soccer for about six years, but I never play any more because a) I'm out of high school and it's way more effort to find somewhere to play and b) I played my entire last season on a sprained ankle and it's still kinda weak two years later so every time I hop in on a pick up game I end up spraining it again 51. vacation: I have never been on a plane, but if it's on the east coast of the us I've probably been there, unless it's in rhode island because SOMEHOW I have never even driven through that state 52. pair of trainers: my mom bought me wonder woman converse but I don't get them till christmas it's so frustrating MORE GENERAL 53. eating: not as of this second? 54. drinking: diet mountain dew 55. i’m about to: get back home (aka my parents' house) after moving my college stuff from last year's house to next year's trailer 56. waiting for: the chance to read the issue of bitch planet I picked up while in tuscaloosa 57. want: to not have anxiety about the future (stealin' watson's answer bc she knocked it out of the goddamn park) 58. get married: like eVENtually if I find the right person 59. career: civil engineering WHICH IS BETTER 60. hugs or kisses: hugs 61. lips or eyes: eyes 62. shorter or taller: I wanna either be the tol girlfriend or have a tol girlfriend (I am a decently average height so. these are achievable dreams.) 63. older or younger: so last year a guy asked me out and I went "yeah sure whatever buy me some dinner and then I'll let you down easy" UNTIL I REALIZED HE WAS /27/!!! I WAS 19!!!!!!! THE FUCK DUDE 64. nice arms or nice stomach: a r m s 65. hook up or relationship: relationship 66. troublemaker or hesitant: these aren't? necessarily opposites? HAVE YOU EVER 67. kissed a stranger: nah 68. drank hard liquor: bourbon counts right? and vodka? actually the only liquor I've ever drank was hard liquor, also bourbon is fucking disgusting 69. lost glasses/contact lenses: does "set aside an obsolete pair of glasses in favor of my new prescription and then never see them again" count 70. turned someone down: ^-- con't from 63: so when I realized adam was 8 years older than me I backed out! he was cool about it, and he did think I was 20 not 19, but that's still weird. idk. also, more amusing: when I was like 9 a guy on my bus asked me to a dance, so I said no and then never sat next to him again 71. sex on the first date: not my speed 72. broken someone’s heart: not as far as I know 73. had your heart broken: nope 74. been arrested: lmao. I have gotten a ticket though 75. cried when someone died: yeah 76. fallen for a friend: never fallen in general DO YOU BELIEVE IN 77. yourself: lmao 78. miracles: not really 79. love at first sight: no 80. santa claus: is this when I facetiously go "I'm jewish!" (my mom is christian so I did still have a santa claus believing stage of my life, but it has long since ended) 81. kiss on the first date: hm yeah 82. angels: nah OTHER 83. current best friend’s name: I have a couple but alex is the one I'm probably talking about if I ever say "my best friend" 84. eye colour: brown brown brown 85. favourite movie: this question doesn't have an answer but I normally default to die hard OR if I'm being persnickety, sharktopus

[365-money-diary]

DAYS 174 - 180

DAY ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-FOUR

8:15 AM - I wake up feeling pretty rested and ready to start my day. I grab brown rice that I cooked last night from the fridge and head out. I double back for my jean jacket because it’s *actually* a little chilly (75 degrees!).

8:45 AM - I arrive at work. I pour myself a toddy from my weekly stash -- I brew it fresh in the office with a MistoBox subscription. I also toast a piece of bread and slather it with Melt butter, a shake of nutritional yeast and Trader Joe’s Everything but the Bagel seasoning and sit down to start my day.

9:30 AM - I realize that I’m caught up on all of my clients, but it’s also the end of the month so that doesn’t come as too big of a surprise. I spend the morning digging through my Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify while casually checking accounts.

11:00 AM - I am super lucky to work almost next door to a grocery story. I walk the long way today and catch some Pokémon along the way. I buy a bunch of stuff: green onion, an avocado, a cucumber, spring mix, shredded carrots, seaweed, ginger, wasabi, Szechuan sauce, and tofu. $22.99

12:45 PM - I make a poke-style tofu bowl out of the ingredients listed above plus the brown rice and it turns out pretty good minus adding way too much wasabi which makes my face hurt. Tomorrow, I will do better.

2:00 PM - I am a DJ and am prepping for a set in the middle of October. Sometimes I have to buy vinyl from discogs to get what I need. It’s not ideal, but they have everything! I check my inbox to see that I’ve been invoiced for a single by The Fall. $12.98

4:00 PM - I buy a Lene Lovich single. $4

4:15 PM - I head downtown to meet boyfriend and his dad (he flew in this morning for a meeting) and brother for dinner at The Vig. Their new menu is void of good vegan options which is a real bummer because usually they do a little better than this. I get a salad and feel pretty defeated when it gets delivered and it appears to have about 300 calories. Boyfriend’s dad pays.

7:00 PM - I arrive at home and eat last week’s leftover spice cake to curb my hunger.

8:00 PM - Boyfriend leaves for a show and I spend the evening binge watching Intervention.

DAY ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-FOUR: $39.97

DAY ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-FIVE

8:30 AM - I wake up, but it takes me a little longer to actually get out of bed.

9:15 AM - I arrive at work and do the toddy toast thing. I don’t have much work to do today again, so I mostly veg at my desk.

9:30 AM - An invoice arrives for another record. It was super cheap but I have to have it shipped from Europe. If it doesn’t come on time, I am gonna flip. $43.66

12:15 PM - I eat lunch -- same as yesterday but with less wasabi. Feelin’ okay!

5:10 PM - I leave work and head home. I am meeting my BFF at Gracies for a drink in a little bit, but I need to eat first. We really don’t have much food at home, so I eat some chips and salsa and a piece of bread with Earth Balance. #nutritious

6:30 PM - I meet friend. I get two whiskey sours and explain my latest woes to him. $13.28

9:00 PM - Last minute idea, but I decide to go to hellogoodbye. I head over to Rebel Lounge to discover that boyfriend has already put me on the guest list. I get a Strongbow and pretend I’m 16. $7

10:45 PM - I am exhausted when I get home. Boyfriend and I hang out on the couch for a little bit but end up going to the bedroom shortly after.

DAY ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-FIVE TOTAL: $63.94

DAY ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-SIX

8:30 AM - I wake up and roll out of bed. The dog was barking like mad last night so I’m a little sleepy.

9:15 AM - Toddy and toast routine.

11:00 AM - I look at bills for the month and send boyfriend what he’ll owe me when rent is due. I’ll be bringing in less from him next month because I have to pay him for my share of Valley Ho. I’m just gonna consider this a wash in less income. ~*~whatever~*~

12:00 PM - I walk to Sprouts and buy a block of  sprouted tofu and an avocado. $5.33

2:00 PM - I do some math and decide that really, this lunch deal isn’t too bad. It was mostly the ginger, wasabi, and Szechuan sauce that added a lot of extra money. Seems like that stuff will last me for a while though so maybe I’ll do this again sometime soon.

5:30 PM - I arrive at home and call my boyfriend to see if he wants to grab dinner before Paramore but he’s already eating. I eat a handful of almonds and a piece of bread with Earth Balance and head downtown.

6:30 PM - I meet boyfriend at his office and we pop down to one of the bars his company owns where we split some fries. I also get a margarita and do not share. NUTRITIOUS x2. Boyfriend pays.

8:00 PM - We walk over to Comerica Theater and find that Live Nation has upgraded our sets to the 10th row! #workperks When we get in, we find that Best Coast has already started. Neither of us really dig them.

9:40 PM - Paramore starts. Sidenote: I saw them once at Warped 2006 and was never super into them, but their latest record is straight up solid pop music and I love it. We stay for an hour of their set and head home.

10:30 PM - Boyfriend plays video games and I stare at my phone for a while and read Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

DAY ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-SIX TOTAL: $5.33

DAY ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-SEVEN

8:20 AM - I get out of bed and hop in the shower. I’ve been sleeping better over the past few nights.

9:15 AM - I arrive at work and realize I’m out of bread. I really need to go to Costco, so I decide to hold off on buying more at Sprouts and just drink toddy today. While I’m getting ready for the morning, my boss mentions to me that he’s looking into getting us health insurance for either November or January 1. I am elated!!!

9:30 AM - My hometown friend has a band that I’ve been really into for the past 12 years, and  he just put out a Kickstarter to help fund his new record. I don’t hesitate to drop in some cash and choose the option that says that he will mail me a copy of the LP when it comes out. $30

11:30 AM - I am starving already, so I make the last of my tofu bowl stock. I’d definitely give this lunch experiment 8/10 and will do it again sometime soon!

12:00 PM - I check my account and see that I’m doing pretty well (given the fact that I have spent my entire monthly budget already and gave myself $240 more because of my UTI business.) I start to weigh the pros and cons of how much my sinking fund should have since I might not have to deal with a lot of health stuff if my boss actually gets us insurance.

1:30 PM - My paycheck comes and I deposit it into my account. I also open a new bag of coffee and my colleague pays me for it. Not sure about this arrangement. I feel like we’re going through it a lot faster than I used to.

3:00 PM - I go to Sprouts and buy pumpkin spice cookies because I am starving. $2.02

5:00 PM - I get home and run the dishwasher. Our house is starting to smell.

6:00 PM - I make cashew mac & cheese with buffalo jackfruit for dinner for my boyfriend and me. I eat it with a glass of wine and try not to feel like a bowling ball but I really can’t help it. I’m so so full.

8:00 PM - I put away the dishes and reload the dishwasher. Everything is much cleaner now.

9:30 PM - Boyfriend has to go back to work and as much as I want to take the dog for a walk, I can’t because I’m at the part in Harry Potter where Snape kills Dumbledore.

12:15 AM - Boyfriend arrives home and we make loose plans to hit up the Suns scrimmage tomorrow in Prescott. I don’t have much to do tomorrow so my boss will probably be cool with me dipping early.

DAY ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-SEVEN TOTAL: $32.02

DAY ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-EIGHT

8:30 AM - I wake up and head to work.

9:00 AM - Too full from cashew mac & cheese for morning cookies, so I just drink toddy.

11:30 PM - Colleagues and I go to Montauk for lunch. I fight the urge to get an alcoholic beverage and just stick to the brussels sprout tacos. $12.80

3:30 PM - I head out to grab my boyfriend from work. It’s a pain in the ass to get to around this time of day but we’ll be in Prescott in no time. I stop at Circle K first for a variety of things:

3:30 PM - Gas and air for my tires. I tried doing this at QT a few weeks ago but their air pump wasn’t working. So much for free air. $26.39

3:30 PM - The past few times of traveling with my boyfriend has made me learn that we will never stop for food and I know we’re going to get hungry. I grab two bottles of SmartWater, two bags of peanuts, and a can of Pringles. $9.02

4:35 PM - I arrive at boyfriend’s work and we hit the road for Prescott.

6:30 PM - We arrive just in time to the Prescott Valley Events Center for the annual Phoenix Suns scrimmage. The event is free, and we’re both still hungry so I treat boyfriend to some nachos and grab a marg and kettle corn for myself. $17

8:00 PM - 32 minutes of basketball is over leaving us wanting more and excited for the 2017-2018 season to start.

9:40 PM - I drop boyfriend back off at work so he can shake hands with the agent of the band who is playing his company’s big venue tonight and head home. I’m happy to find that the dog isn’t too mad at me.

10:30 PM - Boyfriend comes home and the dog gets crazy. She is pretty bad throughout the entire night but I can’t really blame her since we weren’t home. We very very rarely do this to her and if we had been any later, we would have had someone let her out. I try to be patient, but my Fitbit sleep report looks like pure trash the next morning.

DAY ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-EIGHT TOTAL: $65.21

DAY ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-NINE

7:30 AM - I go outside for the third time to plead for Katy to come inside. She won’t stop barking.

10:30 AM - I wake up and am surprised at how late it is.

10:45 AM - I strap the dog and take her for a walk to Cartel. She is definitely happy to be exercising though and the concrete is still cool enough from the morning that she’s not bothered by the heat.

11:10 AM - I get a toddy and the barista gives it to me for free (I am super upset that I don’t have a dollar to tip, but he says not to sweat it.). Katy and I sit down for a minute so she can catch her breath. I try to give her water but she is uninterested. Her loss. I down it and we head out.

12:00 PM - Boyfriend’s up. We both shower since I’m sweaty from the walk and I eat a piece of toast with vegan cream cheese, nutritional yeast, and “Everything but the Bagel” seasoning before we head out to the AZ Mills -- a hybrid outlet / normal mall we frequent 1-2 times per week.

12:15 PM - We hear that the adidas clearance outlet is closing which is a really really big bummer for us. I buy 25% of my wardrobe there and now I’m cringing that I might actually have to spend $75 on a full-priced sweatshirt in the future.

1:30 PM - We decide that we want to eat at Sushi 101, but a bump in our plan arises when boyfriend’s brother calls. He needs help moving a mattress and box spring, so boyfriend drops me off at home. I chill for a while and eat the rest of the Pringles I bought yesterday.

3:00 PM - Boyfriend picks me up and it’s off to sushi we go. I get a Gardenfire roll and a shiitake mushroom roll. We split a basket of veggie tempura. Boyfriend pays.

4:00 PM - We’re stuffed but need to grab groceries. We stop at Target first and I get some foundation. I also grab a bottle of sparkling Smartwater at the checkout line. $18.12

4:30 PM - Trader Joe’s is next. I don’t get many things because I mostly want to grab stuff at Sprouts, but I walk out with a package of wontons, a can of black beans, Spindrift seltzer, and a block of sprouted tofu. ($11.46) At Sprouts, I get a loaf of bread, some celery, 3 carrots, a bag of frozen corn, a can of coconut milk, Skinny Pop white cheddar crisps, 2 red potatoes, a red bell pepper, an onion, a couple heads of broccoli, Tofutti cream cheese, Field Roast breakfast sausages, 2 sweet potatoes and 2 Big Sur breakfast burritos. ($39.15) $50.61

6:00 PM - We arrive home and I’m not feeling so great. I think the excess soy sauce really put me over the edge. We already decide that we’re staying home for the evening so I take the opportunity to drink some water and veg on the couch while I start Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. At some point, I eat a Big Sur burrito and a container of coconut milk yogurt. It’s been a hot minute (over 10 years) since I’ve really had any kind of yogurt, but this isn’t bad! I’ll probably buy more in the future.

DAY ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-NINE TOTAL: $68.73

DAY ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY

9:30 AM - I wake up to a text from a client. His website is down and I need to pause all of his ads. He’s a really big client so I don’t sweat it, but I feel for our web developer who is moving this weekend.

10:00 AM - I make breakfast for boyfriend and me: pancakes, hashbrowns, and Field Roast veggie sausages.

11:30 AM - I strap up Katy again and take her to Cartel. The same barista gives me my toddy for free and again, I am ashamed that I don’t have cash to tip. I tell him I will tip him extra next week when I have cash on me. He’s not even remotely upset but I feel terrible about it.

2:00 PM - It’s Costco day! I stop at Petsmart first to stock up on Katy’s dog food. $40.99

2:15 PM - At Costco, I buy tampons, paper towels, a flat of La Croix, two loaves of Dave’s Killer Bread for the office, 8 ears of corn, fig bars, Mikasa wine glasses, vegetable and barley soup, and -- get ready for it -- an orange tree. Boyfriend will be so surprised! $125.40

3:30 PM - I stop by Home Depot to get citrus food and soil. $14

4:00 PM - I arrive home and surprise boyfriend with the tree. After putting away groceries, I dive deep into making vegan corn chowder and roasted sweet potatoes to bring to the office next week. I eat a bowl of it for early dinner and it’s delicious!

6:00 PM - It’s cool enough outside to plant the orange tree. I finish just as the sun sets and will pack in more dirt tomorrow to ensure it’s really in there. In three years, we will have oranges assuming I can keep this thing alive.

9:00 PM - I spend the rest of the evening relaxing with boyfriend and reading Harry Potter.

DAY ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY TOTAL: $180.39

[thediariesofwholesomebrothe-blog]

Long overdue

Hey Paul. Sorry this is so late. I started working 2 months ago at YJ International. It is a refurbishing company that has an exclusive contract with Winix America to sell refurbished air purifiers within the United States, Central America, and Canada. I got hired to be in charge of the ecommerce, but since then have created my own title of Director of operations haha for the resume.  It’s tough work and long hours, but I’m honestly blessed to be in this position and getting out of the house everyday with a purpose has given me more energy and confidence these days.

I don’t know if I told you but I actually went to a doctor to get prescribed medicine for my anxiety/depression. It’s been a long going issue and in the past and I neglected it because I thought things would turn around, however I really believe I have a medical problem and have found a prescription that has been working. There are still tough days and darkness, but with the medication and work now, I feel like I have gotten a lot better and things are looking optimistic again.

No yuhjahs on my mind these days haha. I don’t get out of the house enough to scope.  I’ve been consistently going to church but my QT game is weak atm. Same with the gym/diet. Im the kind of person where if one thing is going well in my life, I build discipline and the capacity to do more, so hopefully other parts of my life will fall back together again. Im on the path of getting my life back on track becoming the man I want to be for Her haha. However, I still need to pray that I focus on becoming the man that God wants me to be and prioritize that in my life.  

Pastor Min once gave a message about spiritual capacity and spiritual power.  At work I am working hard and being disciplined so that I can grow my capacity so that one day, given the opportunity, I’ll have the power and skills to move onto better positions in my career. In the same way, I need to build that spiritual capacity by growing in my relationship with God and being disciplined in my prayers/qt/daily life so that in time, when a huge obstacle arises, I can call upon God and he’ll give me the spiritual power to overcome.  

I’m buying a car this week so I can be more available for hang outs/visits to Madison. I hope you can host me and we can have lots of fun haha.  I owe a lot to the friends I’ve bailed on this past year and am trying to build those relationships again.

Speaking of relationships, family life has been okay. I feel honored to be able to help out my mom with bills after being a bum for so long.  Brother and sister are alright. They both are going through a moody season so it’s hard to be as patient/understanding with them especially when I’m tired from work, but I’m trying to be faithful there. I’ve been praying a lot to be able to forgive and love my dad. It’s hella hard and there are still days that I get super angry that I’m shaking haha but things are getting better between us.

That’s just a quick update on my life. We’ll talk more when I visit or you come down again. I’m planning on making a trip up there at the end of the month so keep your schedule free for me haha. I want to meet your friends and your friend.  I hope all is well. Pray that I stay disciplined, thankful, and trust in His plan for me. I will be praying for you in this difficult time too. Love you brother. Have a great week!