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chessdaze · 4 years ago

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Three Wishes Institute: New Locations part 2

I realized I forgot a few locations in my last post about new locations, so I decided to write out the rest here! Under Read more for Length

Crystal Woods:

The crystal woods is a beautiful place, so much so that beautiful seems like a lacking term. The area is full of crystalized trees and nature, yet it’s all entirely organic and the animals who live in the woods have adapted to the environment, eating crystalized foot or grass like it is nothing. Some animals even have crystals growing off of them - it’s an entirely strange and beautiful phenomenon that modern science is still trying to explain.

The woods might be out of the way from a lot of places (the closest city being around two hours away), but it’s not a tourist trap or even a place people visit often. There are people who come to research, people who come to buy land, but they’re all eventually turned away by the residence. The people here are almost all dwarves or descendants of dwarves, and take pride in the land they stand on. There is also a mine, like in the old stories about dwarves serving a princess, and a lot of the residence work there on a normal basis.

It’s a hub of history and tradition, and thanks to modern technology some people have gotten together to properly document all about their land and it’s history - they don’t mind it they simply didn’t want outsiders to do it, not trusting them to really understand or take everything they talk about seriously.

They do however allow new people to move in if they intend to work in the mine or on the fields to pick and sell crystalized crops (this is their major trade item with other cities / countries, and how the town has reminded in good shape for so long). Though it’s rumored that there is an...extensive interview process.

Emil and Otto are from here, and are one of the bigger families within the small town. Not just from the fact that have a lot of younger siblings, but the fact they have a lot of extended family as well. Most of which, are still pure blooded dwarves, while the twins themselves and most of their siblings are only a quarter dwarf, only having pointed ears to show for it.

Thieves Den:

The thieves den is located in a canyon, where ‘houses’ are carved into the side of the canyon wall. If it wasn’t filled with the worst people imaginable, It could be a popular tourist or vacation spot. Sadly, that is not the case. The people who live here are the worst of the worst, stealing from anyone or anything - sometimes even eachother, which starts brawls that could last all night. While they all sort of agree to follow one ‘king’ or ‘queen’ of thieves, there is no honor here, at the end of the day it’s every thief for themselves.

Still, the way they have crafted the homes in the canyon walls is both beautiful and functional. Magic and minor electricity keeps the place let up and functioning with the basics, rooms are filled with gold and other treasures gather Instead of doors there’s normally walls of beads and jewels, or expensive looking fabrics and tapestry that close off areas.

No one from the land of hot sands goes near the Thieves Den, lest they rob you blind and not even leave you with the clothes on your back. Some people from the slums seek refuge here if they have been kicked out for their ‘bad behavior’ and have no where else to go. Sometimes criminals are thrown in here by the guards of the surrounding cities as punishment for their crimes - either those criminals end up joining the den, or they aren’t heard from again.

There are two people who have connections to the den that are correctly At three wishes. One of them is unaware of the other, but the other is all too familiar with the former and occasionally tries to offer advice that only a thief could...

Sand Dune Slums:

A place that is exactly how it is described - a slum area within the Land of Hot Sands. It’s technically in the shadow of the major city (Modern Agrabah, cause idk what else they would call it honestly), so another name for the location is Agrabah’s shadow. People here are sometimes former criminals that can’t get a paying job in the city thanks to their previous record, or just people who had tried to make it big in the city and gave up at some point, or simply those who can’t afford to live in the extravagant city. Their homes are built out of layers of tarp, wood, and stone blocks - and they have to build within a certain area or else the guards from the city get mad at them, saying they’re ‘ruining the scenery’ since the city is a popular tourist spot. This is why the slums are contained to the back side / shadows of the outer city walls.

There’s a bit of a barter system in place of money, as no one really has a decent amount, ad any they’re going to spend would be spent in the city getting better quality things if that could afford it. However there’s still thugs and lowlifes here who try to steal from others without bartering at all - they only get stopped half of the time - the guards tend to turn a blind eye towards crimes that happen in the slums, focusing more on if any of the population of the slums makes trouble within the city, or throwing people out too the slums.

But, overall, the people here are pretty kind and try to welcome everyone with open arms. There’s lots of community events to keep people’s spirits up and they try to share what they get with anyone they can afford to.

Ozan is originally from here, but after stealing one too many things, he was thrown out of both the city and the slums. Left where no where else to go (other than the thieves den, but they wanted to avoid that place at all costs aswell), they wandered until they found a mirror to transport them somewhere else for them to live - which is how he came to steal items from Three Wishes Institute, and later be accepted into the headmaster’s family.

Underland:

(a big thanks to my friend Freya @twstriddle who let me use this idea that they had come up with and make a few tweaks to).

Underland is the organized crime capital of Twisted Wonderland. It is not a place you ever want to be caught in if you don’t know the unspoken rules of the place. Crime happens 24/7 here, you can barely take a look around without catching at least 3 crimes going on around you.

Having mostly been a dumping ground for the Country of Roses in the distant past, the city itself isn’t too modernized but instead has a more steam based system. This is someone’s Steampunk paradise on the surface; clock towers, exposed machinery with running gears all day and night, Crazy new inventions being made - and thrown out - every single day. Steampunk fashion is also popular and the most sold (legal) items in the city.

Among the crime families, there is one that practically rules over them all, the Pillars. They practically have a monopoly over most of what comes in and out of the city. They maintain a decent, working relationship with the other families, but they are also the most targeted because of their status. (and funfact the leaders of the Pillars are two husbands. I would say I don’t make the rules, but I very much do in this scenario).

Some say that there has been an uproar in Underland ever since someone stole items from the Pillars and disappeared without a trace.

Chronos Gate:

A stretch of land between the Country of Roses and Underland, which is a famous tourist destination. The land has been touched with time magic, now pretty much forbidden over all of Twisted Wonderland, and while efforts were made in the past to try and correct this area’s disrupted time, no success came of it and soon people founded it as a tourist destination instead.

Different areas of the land have different time zones and seasons, as time does not match up over all of the land. One step you’ll be in summer at noon, the next it might be a dark and cold winter night. The biggest attraction is at what is considered the ‘center’ of the land, time is completely stopped. A special walkway had to be made so that people wouldn’t get trapped here as they traveled through.

Each time one enters a different time, it’s considered walking through a ‘gate’ of time, hence the name of the location.

There are also research facilities set up in multiple areas of the land, studying the time magic and how to dispel it. There are people who live here aswell, but they tend to stick to the outer edges of the land - the ‘beginning’ and ‘end’ gates, the ones closest to Underland and the Country of Roses. These are the two gates that are the most accurate as far as time goes, even if they are a few hours ahead or behind the mentioned areas.

Someone in Three Wishes is very familiar how the Gates work.

Rosa Castletown:

A mysterious castle-town that only few have heard of, and even fewer been to. Apparently it used to be an entire country, but has been dwindled down to just the castle and the surrounding city - all enclosed within large stone walls.

Silas Rosamund is from here and often praises the castle town for persevering through the times, but also has slight criticism for the town as they have not all decided to keep up with the latest technology or trends. A lot of senior citizens move to the castle town because of this, wanting a nice and simple place to retire and relax. They have the basics at least, so at the very least they aren’t entirely in the stone age.

The castle town is said to be rolled by a beautiful and powerful queen, who only shows herself on special nights of the year. International holidays being a few but also a few holidays specific to the town, such as the rose viewing festival - as the castle town, if known by anyone, is known for their roses - they even have vines of roses encasing the walls of the town.

Silas actually lived in the castle as a servant, and tended to the Queen personally, so he’s one of the only ones who has ever seen her face up close.

#three wishes institute #twst fanschool #twst #twisted wonderland fanschool #twisted wonderland #fictional locations #twst ocs #[i mean technically?? my ocs are mentioned]

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omegaling · 6 years ago

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Allez Cuisine! ~Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen: Deviled Eggs and Leftovers

“Are you sure you don’t want to come?”

“For the last time, Finn, she said she doesn’t want to, so let’s go! If I miss out on Mami Trooper’s deviled eggs I swear to God I won’t give you a moment’s peace all weekend!”

“But…” Finn started to protest, but Rey lay a hand on his arm before another argument could break out.

“Really, Finn, I’ll be fine. I always appreciate your family including me in their holiday celebrations, but this year I just want to be alone. Besides, you need to spend some quality time with Poe instead of always worrying about me for a change. I’m a grown woman; I can look after myself.”

Finn looked crestfallen, and Rey had half a mind to throw him over her shoulders and carry him fireman-style to Poe’s car herself. Luckily Poe rescued her by placing his hand gently yet firmly on his boyfriend’s shoulder.

“I think we should respect Rey’s decision, Finn.”

“Really Finn, I’ll be fine,” Rey insisted, picking up his duffel bag and handing it off to Poe. Finn pouted, but finally allowed Poe to steer him to their apartment’s front door.

Every year, Finn’s grandmother, whom was affectionately known to everyone as Mami Trooper, prepared a Thanksgiving feast of unprecedented magnificence. By the time all her family and guests started to arrive at her brownstone in Brooklyn, her table was already laden with all of her favorite holiday dishes from her childhood in Louisiana: Cajun-spiced turkey, cornbread dressing with andouille sausage and pecans, collard greens slow-cooked with ham hocks, crispy fried okra and oysters, candied yams, ham baked with brown sugar and pineapple, made-from-scratch macaroni and cheese, sweet potato pie and, most importantly, her legendary deviled eggs (the spunky old woman loved to proudly boast how she turned down Emeril Lagasse and Paula Dean both offered to by her recipe from her and she shot them both down after pretending to consider it for a week).

What was even more impressive than the food itself was the sheer quantity of it, as Mami Trooper strongly believed that no one should eat alone on Thanksgiving. Not only had Rey been a fixture in the Trooper family since the first Thanksgiving after she moved in with Finn, but his grandmother also opened up her home to the entire block, inviting every overworked single mother, young man trying to get back on his feet after coming out of a rough patch, and lonely senior citizens whose families were scattered around the country and no one could make the trip to New York that year. Everyone who came always brought something of their own to contribute, and by the time dinner was in full swing Rey was amazed that the dining room floor didn’t simply collapse under the combined weight of the people and the food.

The next day, while the rest of the city was caught up in the throes of Black Friday, the Trooper family (complete with Rey in tow) would drive up to Finn’s uncle’s farm upstate for traditions and activities to ring in the start of the Christmas season. Just a few weeks ago Rey had been adamantly looking forward to the Thanksgiving holidays: then everything with Kylo happened, and she worried that her sullenness would only drag everyone down. Making excuses to Finn, Poe and Rose was exhausting enough; she did not want to have to do the same with people she barely knew all weekend.

Poe’s Fiat was full to capacity, making it look like he and Finn were going on an extended vacation instead of a holiday weekend. Even if Rey suddenly did change her mind she doubted there would even be any room for her. Mami Trooper ran a very tight ship during Thanksgiving and only allowed those she trusted the most into the kitchen while dinner was being made, but she had no objection to letting others take over the cooking duties afterward. From the look of it, Poe was planning on taking full advantage of having farm fresh ingredients to play with all weekend.

As Poe tried to stuff Finn’s duffle bag into the last available slot of space in the car, Finn cursed and made a dash back to the apartment building, shouting that he forgot something over his shoulder.

“You owe me five bucks,” Rey said with a roguish grin when Poe joined her on the sidewalk.

“Yeah, yeah,” Poe grumbled, jerking his wallet out of his back pocket. “I made him a checklist and everything. How is it possible for him to still forget something?”

Rey gave him a half-shrug. “He’s your boyfriend. You own that mystery now.”

They waited for Finn to emerge in companionable silence for the next few minutes. People trickled in and out of the other buildings on the street as they went about their own Thanksgiving festivities. The peacefulness was momentarily broken by a chorus of cheers from an apartment somewhere over their heads, no doubt in response to one of the ongoing football games. The breeze picked up gently, bringing the scent of someone’s cooking with it. Saliva exploded in Rey’s mouth; she was going to miss Mami Trooper’s food something fierce this year.

Finn reappeared a moment later, empty-handed and grinning sheepishly. “Turns out I had my phone charger packed after all.”

Poe cocked an eyebrow at Rey. “Does this mean I get my money back?”

“Nope. The bet was he went back to the apartment to get something, not that he already packed it and forgot.”

“Hardy-har-har,” Finn said with a dramatic eye roll. “Come on, let’s get going. The Saints play in an hour.”

“You’re a traitor to all native New Yorkers, Trooper,” Poe said as he moved to the Fiat’s driver’s side.

“Hey, my family’s roots run deep. I have to represent where I can. Besides, you’re one to talk, Mr. Green Card,” Finn shot back.

“Guys, guys!” Rey interrupted them, laughing. “If you don’t get on the road now I’ll call Mami myself and tell her to ban you from her deviled eggs all weekend!”

“You’re a stone cold bitch, Jakken. Maybe that’s why you do so well in the business.” Poe grinned, his eye sparkling with good humor as he at last ducked into the car.

“You only have yourself to blame for that one!” Rey shouted after him.

Finn climbed into the passenger seat, but before he shut the door he looked imploringly at Rey one last time. “If you do change your mind, we’re only a phone call away. That’s for anytime this weekend.”

“But it’s a three hour drive to you uncle’s farm. You’ll be wasting a whole day if you come back for me.”

Finn shrugged. “Maybe. But you’re kind of worth it.”

Rey felt her heart swell with affection for her friend. The backs of her eyes prickled hotly as she gave him one more long hug and thought, in spirit of the season, how thankful she was to have such wonderful friends.

I don’t deserve them, Rey thought as she waved Finn and Poe off until the Fiat turned a corner and disappeared. She knew she had been mopey and distant over the past few weeks, but instead of pushing the issue they respected her need for space and never attempted to coax the information from her. Even when she told Finn she wouldn’t be going to Mami Trooper’s for Thanksgiving he didn’t so much as ask for a reason, even though he looked heartbroken when she broke the news to him.

It’s time to let go of this Iron Chef ordeal and everything tied to it, Rey vowed as she returned to their apartment. Poe and Kylo Ren could claim that she had all the makings of being a great chef in her own right until the cows came home, but after everything that happened following the their now infamous episode Rey firmly decided that the celebrity chefs could go right ahead and keep their fame and glory for themselves. She was perfectly happy where she was in her life and grateful for it. Very few people ever had the privilege to say the same thing.

A sudden epiphany hit Rey, like a soccer ball getting kicked into the side of her head. She might not have felt up to a big family gathering this year, but that didn’t mean she had to confine herself staying home and feel sorry for herself all weekend. A quick Google search provided Rey with the information she needed, and ten minutes later she was headed out of her apartment donned in a fleece coat, scarf and knitted beanie, making her way to the Bowery neighborhood in the crisp November morning.

When Rey arrived at the Bowery Mission homeless shelter her heart sank. The building’s main dining hall was already packed with both people in need and volunteers; she hadn’t even thought about calling ahead to see if they even had any openings for additional help in her off the cuff decision to volunteer for the afternoon. To her relief the smiling receptionist assured her that more help was always welcome. There was a waiting list to work in the kitchen and serve the meals, so until a spot opened for her Rey opted to spend some time with the shelter’s youngest patrons.

Rey was directed to another room off the main dining area, which was filled with about twenty toddlers and younger children being looked after by half a dozen or so volunteers while their parents had the opportunity to shower and rest. Looking out at them, Rey felt her heart clench painfully in her chest, accompanied by a surge of guilt that squeezed the air from her lungs as her mind became awash with memories of spending much of her young childhood in similar places. While unwelcome memories of Unkar Plutt still resurfaced from time to time, she hadn’t given any thought to her earliest years in the system since before she started working for Poe. The last time she had seen Kylo Ren she had railed on him about forgetting where he came from, but hadn’t done the same as well?

A tug on her hand brought Rey back to the here and now. She looked down to see a small boy of about six or seven staring up at her with wide, limpid eyes. Rey smiled at him. “Well, hello there, sweetie. What’s your name?”

The little boy didn’t answer her question, but instead proffered to her an extremely battered copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone . Rey understood immediately.

“Do you want me to read this to you?”

He nodded eagerly.

Rey walked over to one of the furthest corners of the room, away from the louder cartoons and video games, and settled on one end of a small futon sofa. The little boy perched at the other end, like a cat that still didn’t fully trust her. Rey opened the book, mindful of the first few pages that wanted to come loose from their binding, and started to read.

“ Mr and Mrs Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were very proud of say that they were very normal, thank you very much…”

By the time the wizards all raised their glasses to toast The Boy Who Lived, the little boy had moved across the couch to snuggle into Rey’s side. Another four children came over to listen to Harry talk to the boa constrictor, and when Harry’s Hogwarts letters started pelting out of the Dursley’s fireplace her audience swelled to ten. She had to take a break when someone started pounding on the door of the shack on the rock out at sea, her throat dry and scratchy from reading for almost two hours. The children started to protest as she got up, but she promised to be back to tell who was on the other side of the door after she got herself some water. When she reached the volunteer’s break room, one of the Bowery Mission staff members informed her that there was an opening in meal service, but Rey politely declined. She didn’t want to disappoint her audience.

“Um… Excuse me?”

A soft, timid voice made Rey stop in her tracks on the way back to the play area, a bottle of cold water in her hand. Standing behind her was a full-figured teenager of about fifteen or so, wringing her hands together in a nervous gesture. Rey smiled kindly at her. “Can I help you? Are you okay?”

“Oh… Yes, I’m okay… I was just wondering… I mean, I’m sure I’m completely wrong, but…” The girl clasped her hands so tightly together than her knuckles started to turn white. Rey waited patiently until the girl visibly gathered her courage and blurted out almost faster than Rey could follow, “Were you just on an episode of Iron Chef America ?”

The question caught Rey off guard, and she answered that yes, she was, without really thinking. She kicked herself mentally for doing so - the whole point of this weekend was to try to get over Kylo Ren - but the girl suddenly lit up so brightly that Rey forgot her own grievance.

“Oh… Oh, wow ,” the girl said breathlessly. “I thought that maybe it was you because of how you hear your hair, but lots of girls started wearing their hair like that after that episode and…” She trailed off, looking deeply embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I know I’m rambling and you’re busy. I just always loved Iron Chef America but the episode you were in was just so...so good . I mean, Kylo Ren is always fun to watch and Chef Dameron is really hot, but you were my favorite part.”

Now it was Rey’s turn to blush. While her coworkers and the other chefs of the Village complimented her fairly often on her work, she didn’t consider herself particularly exceptional. True, she could imitate any dish down to the exact amount of salt used, but it wasn’t the same as coming up with the recipes on her own. Getting compliments from someone she didn’t know humbled her to the core.

“Thank you. So much,” Rey said, her throat tight with emotion. “Do you like to cook, too?”

“I do!” the girl said enthusiastically, only to deflate a bit immediately after. “When I can, that is. A lot of the homes I stayed in don’t let the kids in the kitchen, so I don’t get to practice a lot. I mostly only watch shows like Top Chef, Chopped and Iron Chef. I don’t think I’ll ever be as good as someone like you.”

“I’ll let you in on a secret,” Rey said with a mischievous smile. “The first time I tried cooking for myself I ended up exploding eggs all over my new roommate’s kitchen. The whole front of the apartment smelled like a fart for a week.”

The girl tried to capture her laughter by clapping a hand over her mouth, but her giggles still managed to slip through her fingers. Her reaction prompted Rey’s smile to widen even more.

“And I’ll tell you another secret. I didn’t learn to cook until I was nineteen. That wasn’t even three years ago.”

Now the girl was openly gaping at her, all signs of mirth wiped clean from her face. “But… But what you did on Iron Chef was incredible… It was like art…”

“How about this? How about you come with me and hear how Harry learns he’s a wizard, and afterwards we can talk about cooking.”

For a second Rey was worried that the girl was going to faint on the spot. Thankfully, she only ended up nodding. “My name is Lucy, by the way.”

“I’m very pleased to meet you, Lucy. Now let’s go see a man about an owl, shall we?”

Two chapters and a trip to Diagon Alley later, Rey and Lucy sat at an unoccupied table near the back of the Bower Mission’s dining area with a mug of tea and a glass of soda, respectively. Lucy peppered Rey with every imaginable question pertaining to cooking, jumping from what it’s like working in the kitchen of an upscale restaurant to how certain kinds of meals are prepared to what was it like being on TV (and is the Chairman like that all the time or is it just for the show?). Finally she calmed down enough to ask - at least in Rey’s opinion - the most crucial question of all.

“Where do I even begin? Like, what is the first thing I need to know?”

It took Rey a few minutes to wrack her brains to remember the first lessons she had, way back when Poe gave his cooking seminar at NYU. Everything she did as his prep cook was now so ingrained into her that it was difficult to remember that there was a time when she could hardly tell the difference between one end of a knife and the other. She ran through all the basics that not only aspiring chefs should know, but everyone as they came into adulthood. Lucy didn’t look particularly impressed when Rey told her the importance of learning how to properly prepare eggs and pasta and vegetables, but Rey quickly set the record straight.

“It’s all about the foundation,” she told Lucy, bobbing a tea bag into a fresh mug of hot water. “DaVinci didn’t paint the Mona Lisa the first time he picked up a paintbrush any more than Beethoven composed the Fifth the first time he sat down at a piano. If you don’t have a proper foundation lay down, anything you try to build on top of it will just collapse sooner or later.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Lucy said. “But how do I even start?”

“Like anything else that requires practice: at the beginning. Offer to help your foster parents prepare meals, even if it’s as simple as something as cutting up vegetables or making side dishes. Take a cooking class if you school offers it, or see if there are any programs for high school students you can enroll in. Start looking into culinary schools for after you graduate; there are a ton of them in New York, not just the CIA, and a lot of the city colleges have basic cooking courses you can take while you work on your general education courses. And when you apply to work at a restaurant, don’t turn your nose up at the grunt work, like dish washing or the messier, more time-consuming prep work. It will prove to the head chef that you want to be there because it’s something you’re passionate about and not because of romanticized assumptions.”

Lucy nodded slowly, and Rey could tell by the set of her mouth that she was worrying the inside of her cheek. Rey knew exactly what she was feeling, as clearly as if it was projected into her own mind: a fear and self-doubt born from living a life in the system, that no matter how well Lucy behaved or how hard she studied or worked, she would always be inadequate in the eyes of “normal” society; that being a foster child was a sigma that marked her for failure for life. The ghosts of Unkar Plutt’s hurtful words started to crawl into Rey’s own mind, a cruel taunting slur that dogged her throughout high school. Without thinking Rey’s hand shot forward to grasp Lucy’s. Lucy jumped at the unexpected contact, but she didn’t yank her hand away.

“Hey,” Rey said, looking Lucy straight in the eye. “I was just like you when I was your age. I was in the system since I was five, and it was thirteen years of being bounced between homes of sub-par care, falling behind in school every time I got transferred and living with the certainty that it was never going to get better. And it did, not only because I worked for it, but also because I got help. So I want you to do this: if you need to put down a reference for a college application or a work resume, you give them my name and the number to BB8. I’ll put in a good word for you.”

“But you don’t even know me!” Lucy blurted out, looking very much like she wanted to cry.

“And Poe Dameron didn’t know me, but he took that leap of faith anyway. And someday I’ll take that same leap for you. You just have to promise me one thing.”

It took Lucy a moment to calm down, wiping the tears off her face with the sleeve of her sweatshirt to ask Rey what she wanted her to do. Rey felt her heart go out to her. She wondered how long it was since the poor girl was given even the smallest sliver of encouragement by an adult.

“No matter where you end up, never forget where you came from.”

It wasn’t until later that Rey realized Poe Dameron’s cooking lessons were not the only ones she tapped into while she was talking to Lucy.

Rey might have missed out on Mami Trooper’s Thanksgiving feast, but that didn’t mean that she had to give up a traditional meal altogether. And while she could just as easily make herself an upscale dinner of cranberry-glazed roast turkey and French aligot potatoes, she chose a much more non-hassle option. She could not put her finger on an exact reason why, but there was something deeply satisfying about eating a sandwich made of pre-cooked turkey breast, instant mashed potatoes and stuffing, canned gravy and cranberry sauce on plain white bread. She had picked up all the items on a whim on her way home from work on Tuesday, and now she was glad she did. Preparing Michelin quality food day in and day out made her appreciate the simpler, nostalgic foods and the comfort they brought. No matter how good their food was, that was something that chefs like Poe and Kylo could never replicate in their restaurants.

Rey paused, her sandwich halfway to her mouth. Her last conversation with Kylo rose from the recesses of her mind she banished it to, but now she made no effort to stop it. She had told him that she would rather keep her sentimental memories than trade them for a lucrative career, but wasn’t she already kind of guilty of that? When she came to New York she suddenly had the entire culinary world at her fingertips to explore. Before that she had no idea that so many different types of food existed; she could eat at a different restaurant every night and never go to the same place twice. Hell, there were still places in the Village she’d never been to. And yet there was nothing else she’d rather be eating at that time than her Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich.

A new idea materialized, which was quickly followed up by a plan. She was still of the opinion that Kylo was a pretentious asshole and she doubted now that that would ever change, but she didn’t want to leave things as they were.

Maybe, like her, he just needed a reminder.

Rey finished her lunch, changed into warmer clothing (it was decidedly colder today) and set off for the nearest grocery outlet.

The store was virtually empty when she arrived. The one cashier on duty gave her a smile just large enough to acknowledge her presence before returning to fiddling with their phone.

Rey moved up and down the aisles, tapping into her memories of when she was a college student living on a very limited income. She grabbed pasta, ramen packages and rice that only cost a few dollars for several boxes and two jars of generic tomato sauce; Kraft macaroni and cheese and a few cans of soup; peanut butter, jelly and bread; half a gallon of mind and half a dozen of eggs; a couple of frozen dinners on sale for a dollar each; and finally a small package of ground beef that was marked down two dollars because it was going out of code tomorrow. By the time Rey checked out she had spent just under thirty dollars and had enough food to make meals for the next two weeks, three if she really stretched it.

With her purchases made, Rey called for a Lyft car (she wasn’t even going to attempt the subways, even with the hub of Black Friday shopping on the other side of the city) and went straight to Walker Tower.

Roger was off-duty when Rey arrived, but the doorman who was there knew her well enough to not give her any issues as she walked in. The Tower’s lobby was already adorned with beautiful Christmas decorations, but Rey did not give them so much as a second glance and she went to the elevators. On the ride up to Kylo’s floor, she re-adjusted the note she prepared in the Lyft car so it sat in plain view on top of the bag. When she arrived at Kylo’s apartment, she dropped the bag outside his door, then immediately turned around and went back the way she came.

About twenty minutes later Kylo’s neighbor, fresh back from a refreshing jog, took notice of the lumpy plastic bag sitting outside his reclusive neighbor’s door. Curiosity prompted the man to go over to investigate. He couldn’t see what was inside because a note that read “This is where I came from” lay over the top.

The man’s interest immediately vanished, his mind back on the shower he was looking forward to. He didn’t know his neighbor other than what he heard from the other Tower’s residents, and that the unanimous decision was he was a grade-A jerk.

Rey was reading on Saturday morning when her phone pinged with a new text message. She was sure it was going to be another text from Finn telling her how much he missed her (complete with a crying emoji face) so her heart skipped a beat when she saw it was from a number she was sure she would never see again. The whole apartment felt to tilt under the weight of the two words on her phone’s screen.

“I’m sorry.”

Rey stared at her screen for a full five minutes as she deliberated on the best way to respond, because she knew no matter what, it would send her down a road of no return.

Finally, she made up her mind.

“ Come over to dinner. My roommate it out of town. I’ll cook.”

She held her breath as she waiting for an answer.

Ping.

“I’ll bring the wine this time.”

#reylo #reylo fan fiction #reylo au #reylo chef au #allez cuisine!#omegaling writes

16 notes · View notes

divinefishingtips · 4 years ago

Text

TGIWednesday and having money run to ME!

TGIWednesday News

My brother and I were taught early on about the value of money. Our father while very generous was also a disciplinarian. I have no doubt that I observed and adopted his work ethic of go go go. Money became a desire for all of us back in the day...next new car, home or exotic vacation. Today however it is more important than ever to not just do anything for the money only. Whatever you do, make every effort to find joy in it, even if it’s the benefits, comradery of co workers, or some abstract part of the job that you enjoy. Over time, it’s important to lead a well balanced life between work/job/career, family, money, health/well being. As we age, the last thing you want to do is trade any one for the other. Instead of running after the money, this whole month, we’re going to entice money to run to us!

TGIWednesday Download

~ MONEY IS RUNNING TO ME ~ Today I will remain in the blessings of abundance, money, prosperity and good fortune. I believe, think, know and feel that money is making a run in my direction. I am ready, willing and able and have released all blocks that held money at bay. I know, when, where, how and why to allow the frequency of money rain on all that I am doing. I am asking for this in all languages & throughout all time lines and so it is.

Live Show Appearances

YOU WEALTH REVOLUTION hosted by Darius

New Energy, New You™! New Season Happening Now! It's the biggest energy healing event of the year - best of all it’s FREE from your home!

During this online event, the world’s top energy healing and life transformation experts will conduct daily live energy healing calls with hundreds of life-changing energy processes.

REGISTER NOW and Get Your FREE Gift ($67 Value) The incredible new Soul Spa 2.0™ and 741 Hz download which works to cleanse your aura and release toxic stress, worry and old anchors. Jimmy's LIVE Interview is Thurs. May 13th & he will be taking LIVE callers!

------------------------------------

As you know by now, I will not be returning to our weekly Jimmy Mack Healing Radio show in 2021. We will of course be guest or co-hosting on a variety of other shows on occasion. So stay tuned to this section of TGIW as a variety of future show line ups will be posted!

Watch hundreds of replays for FREE here in the archives: https://thejimmymackhealingshow.com/

Monthly LIVE Zoom Event

These calls are unique in that you have the benefit of tapping into a multitude of issues that our participants with truly insightful comments have submitted for the group each month on a different topic.

We compile that list of dozens of write-ins and one by one, Jimmy clears them ALL together during the live calls. And know too that during the LIVE call, Jimmy brings in additional pieces from Spirit in the moment of reading each item that really expand on things and cover the clearings in a much deeper way. The value in this is tremendous! Instead of paying $68 for a half hour one on one with me where we might clear a dozen or so items, you can join our group each month for just $22 where together in 30 minutes you will watch in silence and amazement as you hear and feel the shifts of over 100 items - most of which you haven’t even thought of until you hear them LIVE!! NEXT LIVE ZOOM EVENT Wed. March 31st at 7:30pm EDT Register now - $22 (includes replay) https://calendly.com/jmh-calls/march31-switches

Book A Session in Tampa

SWANN HOLISTIC HEALTH SOLUTIONS

Jimmy Mack will be offering sessions at Dr. Charla Tempone’s office at Swann Holistic Health Solutions on FRIDAY MARCH 26th from 10-4pm

403 S. Habana Ave. Tampa, FL 33609 Just south of Azeele next to Skin Savvy http://www.ctholisticsolutions.com

Please call their office directly at ☎️ (813) 873-7773 in order to get on the schedule for 15-minutes $38 or 30-minutes $68. If you’re new to working with me, I suggest you schedule 30 minutes.

Fish Food

The Daily Bread To Feed The Fish

Tell the Fish - 365 Daily Inspirations and Affirmations - by Jimmy Mack MARCH 10th "Today, I will extend patience in all of my dealings. I will make amends to those who I have wronged and those who have wronged me. I will extend an olive branch to those who have slighted me and let bygones be bygones. I will amend that which I did not think could be amended. I will compromise and make peace."

From the Fish Box

"Hi Jimmy, Thanks very much for your amazing service! The court case is moving forward in the best way possible. I got an update from our lawyer yesterday. He said the case is moving in the direction he wants it to go. My husband and I continue to grow in our love for each other. I am making progress in real estate investing. I found a program that provides transactional funding for deals. And the biggest news is:.. we just received news of money in the multiple six-figures! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am definitely signing up (for daily prayers) again! I am very grateful for your invaluable spiritual support." - Lorna

Receive 24/7 Prayers from Jimmy

Nightly prayers include COVID-19. Each night we work on scrambling the frequency for everyone on the prayer list. Your name will be added to a special VIP Prayer list where Jimmy will use his intelligent computer software, src4you which runs 24/7, to delete the negative and increase the strength of the positive creating a higher probability of favorable outcomes for you.

In addition, throughout the full 30-days, Jimmy will be dialing into your energetic signature each day upon rising and make certain that you are a clear yes, unclear to no and running forward before you start your day. He is doing the heavy lifting for you around 3am NY time while most of you are asleep in order to smooth out your way and increase your most favorable life outcomes.

The 30-day service is now being offered exclusively and you also have the option of selecting an ongoing subscription ($95/month) which is managed through PayPal only.

Upon written email request, for each new order we offer a one-time email analysis via the intelligent healing software that Jimmy uses on your behalf. Most clients have had amazing results and outcomes!

You can add yourself and those living in your immediate household and yes you can include pets! Merely include everyone’s names and Jimmy will add them to his daily prayers.

You can run this monthly and stop at any time after the 30 days is up, you will have the opportunity to renew and update your list each month but are under no obligation. I believe you will experience magical transformations and make progress every day!

For those who aren't familiar, below is a list of the 30+ audios in the MyBeliefWorks series.... Find a topic that addresses your issue(s), click on the link to read more. We had a lot of help downloading & channeling these over the years & they keep getting better. Don't forget... you can share these with your immediate friends and family.

Receiving Abundance Freedom from Abuse Overcoming Addiction Body Scan: Head to Toe Healing Experiencing Bountiful Harvest Igniting Creative Spark Daily GPS Reset Releasing Dark Energies/Fears Focused Decision Making Diet & Exercise Support Education & Learning Support Improving Family Relationships Attracting a Financial Windfall Gold Coin: More Money in All Forms Healing Body Disorders Healing Mental Stress

Relieving Holiday Stress Increasing Intuition Ease Dealing w/Tax Time Finding Love & Romance Positive Money Mindset Moving Forward Chronic Pain Relief Pet Healing Support Improving Sales & Success Improving Sex Improving Sleep Traveling with Ease Work & Career Success Weight Loss Support Restoring Youth & Vitality

**Can't See The Full Email? Click Here to View Online**

Go deep sea "fishing" with Jimmy!

Level 1 is open to ANYONE at anytime! Click here to watch the Mastery video playlist

The Certificate of Mastery Program includes 2 best-selling ebooks and 2 clearing audios plus written & video instructions, AND one-on-one time with Jimmy ALL for about the cost of a single 1-hr session! This online course is for anyone who is familiar with OR new to "fishing" and is ready to dive into the deep end & get results that are beyond the ordinary! It includes The Tackle Box & The Dowser's Handbook ebooks PLUS 2 MP3s "Clearing Dark Energies" & "Increasing Your Intuition" to help clear, strengthen and prepare your energy field for optimal “fishing” results. This is a work-at-your-own-pace curriculum that will TEACH & CLEAR you at the same time! In under 2wks you will be finished with the program and ready to fish on your own with greater results! Level II offers Practitioner Certification for those who qualify.

LEARN ABOUT CERTIFICATION HERE

TGIFunny

Forward

Jimmy Mack | Appointments Skype: Jimmy.Mack55 Clearwater Florida USA Book a 15 minute session Book a 30 minute session Book a 60 minute session Transformational Healing of Body, Mind & Spirit, People, Places, Pets & Situations! Download the My Liquid Fish™ Starter Kit (*Updated December 2020) Audio MP3 Downloads and books to improve your life! Get Certified in My Liquid Fish™Change Made Simple™ Watch Free Videos on YouTube Radio Show Archives Shop for Supplements http://www.jimmymackhealingshop.com www.jimmymackhealing.com Copyright ©1998-2021 All Rights Reserved

-------------------------------------------------- TGIW newsletter managed by: Sandy Bidinger Digital Marketing Specialist at SMBeConnected Solutions www.smbeconnected.com

Stay connected!

Our mailing address is: Clearwater Florida 33756 USA

0 notes

365dailyaffirmations · 4 years ago

Text

TGIWednesday and having money run to ME!

TGIWednesday News

TGIWednesday Download

Live Show Appearances

YOU WEALTH REVOLUTION hosted by Darius

New Energy, New You™! New Season Happening Now! It's the biggest energy healing event of the year - best of all it’s FREE from your home!

During this online event, the world’s top energy healing and life transformation experts will conduct daily live energy healing calls with hundreds of life-changing energy processes.

------------------------------------

Watch hundreds of replays for FREE here in the archives: https://thejimmymackhealingshow.com/

Monthly LIVE Zoom Event

Book A Session in Tampa

SWANN HOLISTIC HEALTH SOLUTIONS

Jimmy Mack will be offering sessions at Dr. Charla Tempone’s office at Swann Holistic Health Solutions on FRIDAY MARCH 26th from 10-4pm

403 S. Habana Ave. Tampa, FL 33609 Just south of Azeele next to Skin Savvy http://www.ctholisticsolutions.com

Please call their office directly at ☎️ (813) 873-7773 in order to get on the schedule for 15-minutes $38 or 30-minutes $68. If you’re new to working with me, I suggest you schedule 30 minutes.

Fish Food

The Daily Bread To Feed The Fish

From the Fish Box

Receive 24/7 Prayers from Jimmy

The 30-day service is now being offered exclusively and you also have the option of selecting an ongoing subscription ($95/month) which is managed through PayPal only.

You can add yourself and those living in your immediate household and yes you can include pets! Merely include everyone’s names and Jimmy will add them to his daily prayers.

**Can't See The Full Email? Click Here to View Online**

Go deep sea "fishing" with Jimmy!

Level 1 is open to ANYONE at anytime! Click here to watch the Mastery video playlist

LEARN ABOUT CERTIFICATION HERE

TGIFunny

Forward

-------------------------------------------------- TGIW newsletter managed by: Sandy Bidinger Digital Marketing Specialist at SMBeConnected Solutions www.smbeconnected.com

Stay connected!

Our mailing address is: Clearwater Florida 33756 USA

0 notes

isaiahrippinus · 4 years ago

Text

15 Wine Experts You Should Be Following on Instagram

No drink is more essential to the holiday season than wine. With stay-at-home orders potentially on the horizon, there’s no better time to explore the world of wine through the eyes of tastemakers who make it exciting.

Whether wine is a new hobby or a lifelong passion, there’s always more to learn. Luckily, social media now allows us to educate ourselves at home, so why wait? From certified sommeliers, to journalists and podcasters, to wine-loving jokesters, these experts are here to share their knowledge, humor, great finds, and so much more.

Chasity Cooper

Chasity Cooper is a Chicago-based wine blogger, educator, and journalist who has contributed to a variety of publications (including VinePair). On her blog, Wine With Chas, Cooper teaches readers about wine in a “fun, non-intimidating way.” On her blog as well as her Instagram profile, Cooper keeps wine content fresh and educational.

View this post on Instagram

I know we’ve all heard of meditating, but whatchu know about Medi-Tasting?! 🧘🏾‍♀️🥂❤️ Luckily, I’ve been getting into my meditation bag for the last several weeks, so opening a bottle of @champagnehenriot’s Blanc de Blancs and practicing mindfulness while tasting it was a breeze. With all the wine I’m tasting these days, it was nice to pause, use all five senses – see, smell, hear, touch and taste – and experience all of the different dimensions of this yummy champagne. What are y’all sipping on this beautiful summer day? I hope it’s something that makes you feel delightful. Cheers! Shirt: @messinabottle Glass: @shopraylo Wine: @champagnehenriot — #winewithchas #winetasting #champagne #henriotchampagne #sundayfunday #winelover #blackgirlsdrink #blackgirlswine #meditasting

A post shared by Chasity Cooper (@chasityscooper) on Aug 9, 2020 at 1:12pm PDT

Eric Asimov

Eric Asimov is a wine critic at The New York Times whose articles have been educating readers for decades. He covers everything from wine basics to lesser-known wine regions. On his Instagram account, Asimov shares bottle shots of the wines he’s tasting, as well as his most recent articles.

View this post on Instagram

Back in 2017, when you could buy an N95 mask at any hardware store, I covered the aftermath of the fires in wine country. I remember clearly the toll taken on my health by spending just three days breathing that smoky air. I can’t imagine what a more extended period would be like. Please be careful, everybody on the West Coast, and please stay as safe as possible.

A post shared by Eric Asimov (@ericasimov) on Sep 16, 2020 at 1:48pm PDT

Rajat Parr

Rajat Parr is a sommelier-turned-winemaker producing wines in California and Oregon. His wine club, the Raj Parr Wine Club, sends members two shipments of his exclusive wines every year. Parr also shares his phone number with members, whom he encourages to text him with questions about all things wine. An avid Instagram user, Parr has multiple profiles on the platform, sharing food, wine, and farming photos.

View this post on Instagram

I am blessed to spend time with a lot of Incredible humans. Darrell is on a different level. Every minute I spend with him, I learn more than any book. SO GRATEFUL to learn the history of wine from someone who was there well before me. Thanks Darrell 🙏 #DarrellCorti 📸 @scholiumwines

A post shared by Rajat Parr (@rajatparr) on Oct 14, 2020 at 11:14pm PDT

Shakera Jones

Shakera Jones is a sommelier, activist, blogger, and podcast host. On her blog, Jones writes about everything from racism in the wine world to reviews of restaurants. Jones also interviews influential wine professionals such as Dwyane Wade about their lives and careers every week on her podcast, A Glass for Every Palate . On her feed, Jones shares mouthwatering food shots, highlights Black voices in wine, and reminds her followers to “save water, drink Champagne.”

View this post on Instagram

Thank you to everyone that has been checking out my Weekly Wine Picks on @sommtv_streaming ! I try as best as I can be to the change I want to see. There is a LOT to learn, to know and to love about wine, but first and foremost, it’s meant to be shared and enjoyed in fellowship and community with others. It is a joy to have the opportunity and platform to work with so many other amazing wine professionals that are working hard to make wine more accessible, more diverse, more inclusive, more equitable, more approachable and more fun to others. Im committed to always bringing my authentic self to the party! I’m a little nerdy, a little goofy, sometimes clumsy (😂), but always on an endless search for for knowledge and thrilled to share great food and great wine wine with others! 🍇 I am driven by a few very simple principles : 🍾Representation 🍾Kindness 🍾Equity 🍾Agency 🍾COMMUNITY 🍾Empathy 🍾Integrity 🍾Opportunity 🍾Advocacy 🍾Joy 🍇 I look forward to sharing many more great wines, great food, great people and great stories (and laughs) with you all! 👗: @ovonion 🍷: @brownestate, @houseofbrown.wine 📸: me 😂😂😂 #aglassforeverypalate #wcw #blackwomeninwine #womeninwine #winemedia #dothework #bethechangeyouwanttosee #winelover #winewriter #winestudent #sparkjoy #blackwinelovers #sommtv #sommtvstreaming

A post shared by Shakera Jones (@blackgirlsdinetoo) on Aug 5, 2020 at 6:15am PDT

Julia Coney

Julia Coney is a Washington, D.C.- and Houston-based wine pro who serves as VinePair’s contributing editor. Coney recently founded Black Wine Professionals, a resource highlighting Black professionals in wine, from sommeliers, to retailers, to educators, and more. She has also written extensively about wine and has been featured in VinePair, Forbes, and beyond. On her Instagram page, Coney posts about recent bottles she’s been drinking, chats with wine pros on Instagram Live, and shares her most recent articles.

View this post on Instagram

Looking at the launch of @blackwineprofessionals this week with a smile in my heart, tiredness in my body, and overall joy! We can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on.⁣ ⁣ Photo: June 2019 in beautiful Uruguay sipping on some delicious wine. I need more Uruguay in my life when the world opens up.

A post shared by Julia Coney | Wine Journalist (@juliaconey) on Jun 28, 2020 at 8:32am PDT

The Hue Society

The Hue Society is a community for “all things related to Black wine culture.” Founded by sommelier and entrepreneur Tahiirah Habibi, the group specializes in celebrating and connecting the Black wine community, as well as supporting mentorships and increased access for underrepresented minorities in wine. On Instagram, The Hue Society shares fun videos and uses its platform to highlight Black wine professionals.

View this post on Instagram

Hola! This is Habibi. Habibi was burnt out so happy is on vacation this week. Habibi will holla at you and the flooded inbox later. K? Thanks. Byeeeeeee. (And yes this is getting posted on all fiftyleven pages 😜).

A post shared by Hue Society • Wine & Culture (@thehuesociety) on Oct 19, 2020 at 3:01pm PDT

Sam Mushman

A man of many talents, Sam Mushman can provide a much-needed laugh, or the perfect glass of Pinot. The NYC-based sommelier is a food and beverage director by day, and a stand-up comic by night. In fact, much of his comedy focuses on the subject of wine, poking fun at pros who take wine a little too seriously.

View this post on Instagram

By far the most fun I’ve had designing a wine program.. @vintedge_winebar 🥂 … . 📷 credit @ginam46 😘 #winelover #winebar #somervillenj #somerset #njwine #newjersey #njwinebar #sommelier #sommelierlife #vintedgewinebar #vinocomic

A post shared by Sam Mushman (@vino_comic) on Oct 23, 2020 at 7:21am PDT

Philippe André

Philippe André, a.k.a @niquesomm, is a Chicago-based sommelier and the U.S. ambassador for Charles Heidsieck Champagne. He’s also the founder of Grand Cru and Co. and a board member of the United Somms Foundation. On Instagram, André goes live for “Charlie Chats,” conversations with fellow wine pros. Follow André for lots of fun, luxury, and, of course, bubbles.

View this post on Instagram

OK y’all, we did it!.. I’m very thankful to celebrate my first #grandcru year with #TeamCharlie is in the books!!! 🎩 When I look back at the incredible moments this past year and reflect on the community we have been able to grow my heart instantly fills. A #sizematters thank you to everyone for all your support as we change the world one Magnum of Charles at a time! I cannot express how proud I am to share my journey alongside these wines of soul, passion and heart. To our small family @charlesheidsieckchampagne – This year we showed the world that Champagne Charlie is back! I couldn’t have done it without each and every one of you, I’m forever grateful- to many, many more, cheers Team Charlie!!!! 🍾 #SoCharles #ChampagneCharlie #CharlesHeidsieck

A post shared by Philippe André 🎩 (@niquesomm) on Nov 13, 2019 at 10:23pm PST

Black Girls Wine Society

The Black Girls Wine Society is a membership-based “social organization that offers you the opportunity to connect, expand your palate, and build sisterhood through rewarding experiences.” The society hosts events and get-togethers for its members, including everything from yacht parties to virtual tastings. Its instagram profile reflects the organization’s inclusive and fun community.

View this post on Instagram

Want to know a secret? 👀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I love emailing you guys and talking to you about what I’ve been up to! Vlogging has been fun so far and I love that you guys are enjoying them + my emails too! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Tell me what else you want to see behind the scenes! 🥳⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Shopping? Me at work in my office? Got questions you want me to answer? Let me know! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ And if you haven’t already make sure you tap the link in our bio (over on our profile) so you⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 1) Subscribe to the BlackGirlsWine YouTube channel⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 2) Become a LIST member and get my exclusive Friday emails! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Happy Thursday y’all! 💁🏾‍♀️🥂🍷🍾

A post shared by Black Girls Wine ™ (@blackgirlswine) on Oct 22, 2020 at 4:01pm PDT

Vivian Rocillo

Those who love to travel can live vicariously through Vivian Rocillo’s Instagram feed. The Toronto-based sommelier travels the world eating delicious food, taking Insta-worthy photos, and, of course, tasting wine because, as Rocillo’s bio reads, “#Wine is a lifestyle.”

View this post on Instagram

Happy Friday! Anyone out there celebrating this unusual 20°C October weather? 🇨🇦☀️ I know it’s Global Champagne Day, but the little things like this deserve to be celebrated too! 🥂🍷 (Plus we already drink our fair share of champagne in this house) 😎

A post shared by Vivian Rocillo | Wine Travel (@vinfatuation) on Oct 23, 2020 at 1:48pm PDT

The Wine Wankers

Drew and Conrad, also known as @winewankers, are wine lovers and bloggers who believe wine should be served sans pretension. Educating about wine through comedy, the writers share wine tips, reviews, and more. On Instagram, the Wine Wankers post funny memes, gorgeous wine photos, and more.

View this post on Instagram

Caption contest, Coronavirus Edition! The meme with the most amount of likes in 24 hours is the winner! No prizes, just Instagram glory! . #postbydrew #winewankers #wine #coronavirus #covid19

A post shared by The Wine Wankers 🍾🤛🎉🥂 (@winewankers) on Apr 16, 2020 at 6:05am PDT

Anna-Christina Cabrales

Anna-Christina Cabrales is a New York-based sommelier and the former general manager and wine director of Morrell Wine Bar & Café. Cabrales now serves as an educator and advisor at Wine Unify, an organization that promotes diversity and inclusion in the world of wine, and as an educator for the Somm Society. She also recently created #SOMMATION, an organization on which she goes live with fellow wine professionals to discuss important issues in the world of wine and hospitality, as well as highlighting diverse voices in wine. On her Instagram page, Cabrales shares delicious wine and food photos and more.

View this post on Instagram

Currently in the clouds with Prieure Roch. Leave a message after the beep. #BEEP

A post shared by Anna-Christina Cabrales (@annachristina722) on Jul 8, 2020 at 8:49am PDT

Georgia Panagopoulou

Georgia Panagopoulou, or @wine.gini, is a digital wine marketer and wine educator with one of the most followed wine accounts on Instagram. On her feed, she shares travel photos, wine pairing tips, and impressive wine swirls.

View this post on Instagram

Thank you @corriere, @sommelierschoiceawards, @institutsuperieurduvin to choose @wine.gini in your go to 2020 accounts 🏅, and of course @decanter, @vinepair, @wineenthusiast, @winefolly for supporting my work 👌! 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹! 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂? A big thanks to all the beautiful wine brands that trust me as their digital ambassador, and behind the scenes as their digital strategist / social media 🤳 manager. Last but not least thanks to ALL of you 🌏 who support me since day 1, for almost 4 years now, in this crazy wine journey! You are simply the most fab community! The best is yet to come! 💟 Yours, G. xxx 💟 #winegeek #winetime #winelover

A post shared by Wine Gini™ (@wine.gini) on Oct 5, 2020 at 10:38am PDT

Regine T. Rousseau

Regine T. Rousseau is a Chicago-based wine professional and the CEO and founder of Shall We Wine, an “experiential marketing, event planning and media powerhouse.” Rousseau created the community with a mission to make the drinks world more accessible to all. On Instagram, Rousseau shares inspiring quotes, wine news, and more.

View this post on Instagram

Video day! I love shooting videos! AND I Love, love love @masmakeupartistry !! I look to good to be sheltered! Someone take me out!

A post shared by Regine T Rousseau (@reginetrousseau) on Oct 8, 2020 at 12:39pm PDT

Keith Beavers

Keith Beavers is a wine writer, podcast host, and tasting director at VinePair. Never taking wine (or himself) too seriously, Beavers is here to educate his followers and listeners about wine in a funny, inclusive, and easy-to-digest way. On Instagram, Beavers chronicles his process researching for the Wine 101 Podcast, shares ideas for festive wine pairings, and more.

View this post on Instagram

#wine101 Ep 23 drops tomorrow Which is it?! Is it any of them?! ARGH

A post shared by Keith Beavers (@vinepairkeith) on Oct 27, 2020 at 8:49am PDT

The article 15 Wine Experts You Should Be Following on Instagram appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/15-wine-experts-instagram/ source https://vinology1.tumblr.com/post/633778672720052225

0 notes

johnboothus · 4 years ago

Text

15 Wine Experts You Should Be Following on Instagram

No drink is more essential to the holiday season than wine. With stay-at-home orders potentially on the horizon, thereâs no better time to explore the world of wine through the eyes of tastemakers who make it exciting.

Whether wine is a new hobby or a lifelong passion, thereâs always more to learn. Luckily, social media now allows us to educate ourselves at home, so why wait? From certified sommeliers, to journalists and podcasters, to wine-loving jokesters, these experts are here to share their knowledge, humor, great finds, and so much more.

Chasity Cooper

Chasity Cooper is a Chicago-based wine blogger, educator, and journalist who has contributed to a variety of publications (including VinePair). On her blog, Wine With Chas, Cooper teaches readers about wine in a âfun, non-intimidating way.â On her blog as well as her Instagram profile, Cooper keeps wine content fresh and educational.

View this post on Instagram

I know weâve all heard of meditating, but whatchu know about Medi-Tasting?! ð§ð¾ââï¸ð¥â¤ï¸ Luckily, Iâve been getting into my meditation bag for the last several weeks, so opening a bottle of @champagnehenriotâs Blanc de Blancs and practicing mindfulness while tasting it was a breeze. With all the wine Iâm tasting these days, it was nice to pause, use all five senses â see, smell, hear, touch and taste â and experience all of the different dimensions of this yummy champagne. What are yâall sipping on this beautiful summer day? I hope itâs something that makes you feel delightful. Cheers! Shirt: @messinabottle Glass: @shopraylo Wine: @champagnehenriot â #winewithchas #winetasting #champagne #henriotchampagne #sundayfunday #winelover #blackgirlsdrink #blackgirlswine #meditasting

A post shared by Chasity Cooper (@chasityscooper) on Aug 9, 2020 at 1:12pm PDT

Eric Asimov

View this post on Instagram

Back in 2017, when you could buy an N95 mask at any hardware store, I covered the aftermath of the fires in wine country. I remember clearly the toll taken on my health by spending just three days breathing that smoky air. I canât imagine what a more extended period would be like. Please be careful, everybody on the West Coast, and please stay as safe as possible.

A post shared by Eric Asimov (@ericasimov) on Sep 16, 2020 at 1:48pm PDT

Rajat Parr

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rajat Parr (@rajatparr) on Oct 14, 2020 at 11:14pm PDT

Shakera Jones

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Thank you to everyone that has been checking out my Weekly Wine Picks on @sommtv_streaming ! I try as best as I can be to the change I want to see. There is a LOT to learn, to know and to love about wine, but first and foremost, itâs meant to be shared and enjoyed in fellowship and community with others. It is a joy to have the opportunity and platform to work with so many other amazing wine professionals that are working hard to make wine more accessible, more diverse, more inclusive, more equitable, more approachable and more fun to others. Im committed to always bringing my authentic self to the party! Iâm a little nerdy, a little goofy, sometimes clumsy (ð), but always on an endless search for for knowledge and thrilled to share great food and great wine wine with others! ð I am driven by a few very simple principles : ð¾Representation ð¾Kindness ð¾Equity ð¾Agency ð¾COMMUNITY ð¾Empathy ð¾Integrity ð¾Opportunity ð¾Advocacy ð¾Joy ð I look forward to sharing many more great wines, great food, great people and great stories (and laughs) with you all! ð: @ovonion ð·: @brownestate, @houseofbrown.wine ð¸: me ððð #aglassforeverypalate #wcw #blackwomeninwine #womeninwine #winemedia #dothework #bethechangeyouwanttosee #winelover #winewriter #winestudent #sparkjoy #blackwinelovers #sommtv #sommtvstreaming

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Julia Coney

Julia Coney is a Washington, D.C.- and Houston-based wine pro who serves as VinePairâs contributing editor. Coney recently founded Black Wine Professionals, a resource highlighting Black professionals in wine, from sommeliers, to retailers, to educators, and more. She has also written extensively about wine and has been featured in VinePair, Forbes, and beyond. On her Instagram page, Coney posts about recent bottles sheâs been drinking, chats with wine pros on Instagram Live, and shares her most recent articles.

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Looking at the launch of @blackwineprofessionals this week with a smile in my heart, tiredness in my body, and overall joy! We canât wait to show you what weâve been working on.â£ â£ Photo: June 2019 in beautiful Uruguay sipping on some delicious wine. I need more Uruguay in my life when the world opens up.

A post shared by Julia Coney | Wine Journalist (@juliaconey) on Jun 28, 2020 at 8:32am PDT

The Hue Society

The Hue Society is a community for âall things related to Black wine culture.â Founded by sommelier and entrepreneur Tahiirah Habibi, the group specializes in celebrating and connecting the Black wine community, as well as supporting mentorships and increased access for underrepresented minorities in wine. On Instagram, The Hue Society shares fun videos and uses its platform to highlight Black wine professionals.

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A post shared by Hue Society â¢ Wine & Culture (@thehuesociety) on Oct 19, 2020 at 3:01pm PDT

Sam Mushman

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By far the most fun Iâve had designing a wine program.. @vintedge_winebar ð¥ . . . . ð· credit @ginam46 ð #winelover #winebar #somervillenj #somerset #njwine #newjersey #njwinebar #sommelier #sommelierlife #vintedgewinebar #vinocomic

A post shared by Sam Mushman (@vino_comic) on Oct 23, 2020 at 7:21am PDT

Philippe AndrÃ©

Philippe AndrÃ©, a.k.a @niquesomm, is a Chicago-based sommelier and the U.S. ambassador for Charles Heidsieck Champagne. Heâs also the founder of Grand Cru and Co. and a board member of the United Somms Foundation. On Instagram, AndrÃ© goes live for âCharlie Chats,â conversations with fellow wine pros. Follow AndrÃ© for lots of fun, luxury, and, of course, bubbles.

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OK yâall, we did it!.. Iâm very thankful to celebrate my first #grandcru year with #TeamCharlie is in the books!!! ð© When I look back at the incredible moments this past year and reflect on the community we have been able to grow my heart instantly fills. A #sizematters thank you to everyone for all your support as we change the world one Magnum of Charles at a time! I cannot express how proud I am to share my journey alongside these wines of soul, passion and heart. To our small family @charlesheidsieckchampagne â This year we showed the world that Champagne Charlie is back! I couldnât have done it without each and every one of you, Iâm forever grateful- to many, many more, cheers Team Charlie!!!! ð¾ #SoCharles #ChampagneCharlie #CharlesHeidsieck

A post shared by Philippe AndreÌ ð© (@niquesomm) on Nov 13, 2019 at 10:23pm PST

Black Girls Wine Society

The Black Girls Wine Society is a membership-based âsocial organization that offers you the opportunity to connect, expand your palate, and build sisterhood through rewarding experiences.â The society hosts events and get-togethers for its members, including everything from yacht parties to virtual tastings. Its instagram profile reflects the organizationâs inclusive and fun community.

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Want to know a secret? ðâ â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â I love emailing you guys and talking to you about what Iâve been up to! Vlogging has been fun so far and I love that you guys are enjoying them + my emails too! â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â Tell me what else you want to see behind the scenes! ð¥³â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â Shopping? Me at work in my office? Got questions you want me to answer? Let me know! â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â And if you havenât already make sure you tap the link in our bio (over on our profile) so youâ â â â â â â â â 1) Subscribe to the BlackGirlsWine YouTube channelâ â â â â â â â â 2) Become a LIST member and get my exclusive Friday emails! â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â Happy Thursday yâall! ðð¾ââï¸ð¥ð·ð¾

A post shared by Black Girls Wine â¢ (@blackgirlswine) on Oct 22, 2020 at 4:01pm PDT

Vivian Rocillo

Those who love to travel can live vicariously through Vivian Rocilloâs Instagram feed. The Toronto-based sommelier travels the world eating delicious food, taking Insta-worthy photos, and, of course, tasting wine because, as Rocilloâs bio reads, â#Wine is a lifestyle.â

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Happy Friday! Anyone out there celebrating this unusual 20Â°C October weather? ð¨ð¦âï¸ I know itâs Global Champagne Day, but the little things like this deserve to be celebrated too! ð¥ð· (Plus we already drink our fair share of champagne in this house) ð

A post shared by Vivian Rocillo | Wine Travel (@vinfatuation) on Oct 23, 2020 at 1:48pm PDT

The Wine Wankers

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Caption contest, Coronavirus Edition! The meme with the most amount of likes in 24 hours is the winner! No prizes, just Instagram glory! . #postbydrew #winewankers #wine #coronavirus #covid19

A post shared by The Wine Wankers ð¾ð¤ðð¥ (@winewankers) on Apr 16, 2020 at 6:05am PDT

Anna-Christina Cabrales

Anna-Christina Cabrales is a New York-based sommelier and the former general manager and wine director of Morrell Wine Bar & CafÃ©. Cabrales now serves as an educator and advisor at Wine Unify, an organization that promotes diversity and inclusion in the world of wine, and as an educator for the Somm Society. She also recently created #SOMMATION, an organization on which she goes live with fellow wine professionals to discuss important issues in the world of wine and hospitality, as well as highlighting diverse voices in wine. On her Instagram page, Cabrales shares delicious wine and food photos and more.

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Currently in the clouds with Prieure Roch. Leave a message after the beep. #BEEP

A post shared by Anna-Christina Cabrales (@annachristina722) on Jul 8, 2020 at 8:49am PDT

Georgia Panagopoulou

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Thank you @corriere, @sommelierschoiceawards, @institutsuperieurduvin to choose @wine.gini in your go to 2020 accounts ð, and of course @decanter, @vinepair, @wineenthusiast, @winefolly for supporting my work ð! ðªð¶ð»ð² ð¶ð ðð¼ð¶ð»ð´ ðð¶ð´ð¶ðð®ð¹! ðð¿ð² ðð¼ð? A big thanks to all the beautiful wine brands that trust me as their digital ambassador, and behind the scenes as their digital strategist / social media ð¤³ manager. Last but not least thanks to ALL of you ð who support me since day 1, for almost 4 years now, in this crazy wine journey! You are simply the most fab community! The best is yet to come! ð Yours, G. xxx ð #winegeek #winetime #winelover

A post shared by Wine Giniâ¢ (@wine.gini) on Oct 5, 2020 at 10:38am PDT

Regine T. Rousseau

Regine T. Rousseau is a Chicago-based wine professional and the CEO and founder of Shall We Wine, an âexperiential marketing, event planning and media powerhouse.â Rousseau created the community with a mission to make the drinks world more accessible to all. On Instagram, Rousseau shares inspiring quotes, wine news, and more.

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Video day! I love shooting videos! AND I Love, love love @masmakeupartistry !! I look to good to be sheltered! Someone take me out!

A post shared by Regine T Rousseau (@reginetrousseau) on Oct 8, 2020 at 12:39pm PDT

Keith Beavers

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#wine101 Ep 23 drops tomorrow Which is it?! Is it any of them?! ARGH

A post shared by Keith Beavers (@vinepairkeith) on Oct 27, 2020 at 8:49am PDT

The article 15 Wine Experts You Should Be Following on Instagram appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/15-wine-experts-instagram/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/15-wine-experts-you-should-be-following-on-instagram

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gracelaramusings · 7 years ago

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Prologue: Family, Together, Anywhere

So before anything, I'll address the elephant in the room. It sucks what's happening to the Rohingya, on the Bangladeshi border. I wish, when I say I'm going to Myanmar, the response would be (other than those who ask "Where???) "Have fun!" instead of "Be careful!" or, "Are you sure? Is it too late to cancel?"

Yes, I'm sure. I'll also say, while I've sought to familiarize myself with the conflict that has reared its ugly head, this blog will not address that, I will not venture into politics, nor state opinions. Can one guiltlessly enjoy a vacation when there is such strife within the borders of the very country in which you are traveling? Well, my response to that is, as a global citizen, there is strife everywhere, but still, sometimes, one just has to take a break, enjoy family, enjoy life. Where I've chosen to make my life ain't so strife-less. I do my part to make life a little better in the country I live and love. Here too, I hope choosing to travel in Myanmar will allow me to touch the lives of some, learn and be able to share with others. So, that's what I've come to Myanmar to do, and by golly, I sure hope that's what I'll be doing, and not anything else. And now, back to the beginning. Why Myanmar you ask? (That is, Burma, for those of you who don’t know it’s other name…) Our family travels start with the best question in the whole wide world, and as the children grow older, posed to them: "If you could go anywhere in the world, where in the world would you go?" Can you think of a more fun question than that? Well, that's actually the second question. The first is, when are we going to take a vacation??? Typically we take a month and go wild. Our first foreign adventure (not including the US) was Thailand, when Paz was 5 and Keshet, 2. Since then we've been to India, Central America (Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama), Vietnam/Cambodia and China. Our last extended family vacation was December 2014 to the depths of Mexico (feel free to read that blog, and my others, below). The kids were in 5th, 8th and 11th grades. Is 11th grade the most challenging year in an Israeli schoolchild's career? Yup. Was it stupid to go on vacation in December of 11th grade (Paz, back then)? Yup. Is it stupid to go in September/October of 11th grade (Keshet, now)? Hope not. Altogether, with the high holidays, the kids will miss 8 days of school during a 3 1/2 week vacation on this trip. So for us, now is perfect timing. Paz just finished his year of volunteering after having graduated from high school last year, and has just a couple of months before he starts his next stage in life: the Israeli army. For Keshet, yes, 11th grade is the most demanding scholastic year and, technically speaking, only an irresponsible parent would remove their child from school for a couple of weeks. But the coolest thing about parenting of adolescents? Shared decision making. We openly talked about it, debated, and decided: the value of our family travel outweighs the pain, pressure and hassle of making up eight lost school days. Sheleg, who takes missed school days with the greatest gravity, also agreed. Woohoo, we're off! So then, after timing is decided, the selection of the location can begin.

First, we had to narrow it down to just a few countries. I admit, I played a role here, throwing out some ideas. I also stated my preference for Asia over South America. After all, Yuval had just spent a month there for his “almost 50th”, and our last family vacation was Spanish-speaking and bean-eating—as a vegetarian, I was in the mood for a different culinary experience.

Since I told the kids they'd be making the final decision, Sheleg made a table where she sketched out the key factors in the decision making process. We brainstormed and she came up with the definitive list, not in any particular order: weather, safety, good beach, nice hotel (well, at least one...), yummy food, interesting sights, fun and cheap.

Weather is perhaps the biggest factor. Philippines and Sri Lanka, top choices on my travel bucket list, are far from ideal in early Autumn. Myanmar was considered transitional, borderline between monsoon and dry season, so we could be blessed with nice weather. Here's hoping!

Safety? We made the decision for Myanmar before the coordinated attack that set off the latest crisis. Might we have decided differently? Don't know, can't tell you. I can tell you Myanmar is a large country and there are no travel advisories for the locations we will visit. Living in Israel, we are very familiar with the concept that certain areas are more volatile than others. In Myanmar, there is an area I would have visited had this not occurred, but that is a small sacrifice.

Honestly, the thought of Isis in the Philippines—with random kidnappings and beheadings of foreigners and serious travel advisories (including European, which are typically less alarmist than American) stating warnings of terrorist activity in popular tourist destinations, put me off visiting there—at least for now, with children. It reminds me of the time when we were considering locations in Central America: in Guatemala, there were consular warnings of kidnappings, particularly of children, for contraband organ donations, rampant at the time. We basically agreed that our parenting style was, let's say so casual that we couldn't with a clear conscience bring our kids there with such a warning. So we weighed all the options. Points tallied, the decision was made: Myanmar!

Since the decision, preparations of course. I bought a Lonely Planet (publishing date, July 2017!!!!), got our flights, started researching where, what, when and how. The excitement has only grown, and even piqued by chance thanks to Israel television: one night shortly after our decision, a new film entitled “Ben Gurion: Epilogue “ was screened on Israeli tv’s Channel 8. As I watched, I couldn’t believe my eyes: there was footage of Ben Gurion walking in traditional dress with the leader of Burma at the Shwedegon Pagoda, where we planned to be in just a matter of weeks. We would literally be following in Ben Gurion’s footsteps, an honor and privilege (says she who has a special affinity for this head-standing leader). Ben Gurion in the Burmese headdress, and his later interview with the Burmese leader, were simply adorable. In short, Israel and Burma, both obtained independence in 1948, the first South Asian country to recognize the State of Israel and now… the Rodnitzki family is coming! A match made in heaven. Yangon/Rangoon/Myanmar/Burma—here we come!

#Burma #myanmar #family travel #yangon #israeli #teens

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kellyzeagman · 5 years ago

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Hello

((I’m not reading this over so I’m sorry for spelling/grammar/repetitiveness))

I don’t even know where to begin in terms of explaining the absolute gong show of a month that December/early Jan was. As crazy as it was, it flew by faster than anything I’ve ever experienced (thank the lord). I remember on November 30th I was working in the nursery with my friend from Russia and we were saying how we couldn’t believe the following day was December 1st. We literally BLINKED and it is January. It’s hard to believe how fast it went by considering the craziness that occurred over those 31 days. I have so many random things to touch on so this will probably have no flow or structure but I’m just going to run with it. Let’s dive in

Firstly, we are currently in Australia school summer season, meaning the kid counts are already high, but throw Xmas/New Years holidays on top of that and it’s through the roof. We had just under 1,000 kids for the 9 day cruise that occurred over Xmas. We have hit capacity in adventure ocean (the kids club) pretty much every single day, morning, afternoon and evening. Parents love their kids enough to leave them with us every possible hour of every day, what can I say! The capacity for the rooms are 80 kids all together. 50 6-11 year olds, 30 3-5 year olds. So, many, many kids missed out on many days, but lots of kids also just were never signed up, presumably because their parents wanted to actually spend time with them over the holidays, weird. In the nursery (where you have to book), we had a 2 year old girl signed up from 5-10pm every. single. day. for 9 days straight, including the 24th and 25th. I had hope in thinking maybe they didn’t celebrate Christmas, but sadly they did and she spent Christmas Eve and Christmas night with us. In the end, the mom spent over 400.00 on her being in the nursery, craziness. At least she was cute. Also sad, we had a 6 year old special needs boy who was a bit of work and had other siblings and cousins on the cruise with him. On Christmas Day we offered a kids dinner where we would take kids to the buffet because it was a formal night and we always offer kids dinner on formal nights (and in this case, maybe for kids who didn’t celebrate Christmas). The only kid signed up for dinner that night was this poor boy, because his family decided to take the rest of his siblings and cousins out for Christmas dinner while he had to spend it alone with the two staff who ate with him. How sad. Lots of really weird and sad stuff happens like that all the time, but it was really frustrating to see over the holidays. So many parents just decide to neglect their kids the entire cruise, it’s shocking. Today we hit capacity (obviously) and a dad stormed into the room and yelled at the front deck while complaining and said “what am I supposed to do with him now then!?” To which every staff had to bite their tongue to not a) die of laugher, and b) tell him to f#%! off and spend time with his kid. Cheers, we love the holiday season! We have all been so excited for the New Years cruise to be over because we all believed the kid counts would drop, but royal caribbean had a “kids cruise free” promotion for the next cruise and we just found out there’s going to be 1,200 of them. Simply amazing. That’s all I’m gonna say because I don’t even want to think about it.

On Christmas Eve I worked during the day and then spent the evening alone watching the Christmas carol show by myself because all my friends were working during the evening. It was cute because people were all in the Christmas spirit but I was a little sad thinking about the fun times I could be having at home in Newmarket with the crazy Zeagman side of the family while I was standing alone amongst hundreds of families. There was a balloon drop with about 2,000 red and green balloons while people sang Santa Clause is coming to town and Santa walked across the stage and I was just standing there alone haha, kind of sad but it was fine. On Christmas Day I was able to get off in Lifou and go to the beach. Was pretty weird spending Christmas on an island boiling hot. However, I experienced a Christmas miracle that day. As I’ve written before, I have been dying to come across a sea turtle. I went out snorkelling by myself to find one on Christmas and had no luck. It was kind of overcast and the water was not as clear as it usually is. I also don’t know why I think i have good odds of randomly coming across a turtle when it has the whole ocean to live in. But these islands are known for having them which is why I’m so keen. Anyways, we decided to leave and I was a little defeated because I thought that seeing a turtle on Christmas Day would be so amazing and I really thought it would happen. As we are in line to get into our tender boat to take us back to the ship, the clouds cleared up and the sun became so bright and the water literally turned to a different shade of blue and became super clear again after being pretty dark all day. We sat in our tender and started to head back to the ship. My roommate and I look to our left and there is a DAMN sea turtle coming up for air right beside us. I truly couldn’t believe it. It was huge. It was too good to be true (but would have been better if I was in the water). It was literally a Christmas miracle and the timing/irony of it blew my mind. My Christmas Eve/day mess were the furthest thing from a miracle. They made special Xmas eve, day and New Years meals for everyone with crazy seafoods and meats and cheeses, but literally had nothing I could eat. All my special holiday meals were pretty much rice and potatoes. No desserts either. I’ve just been nursing a huge chocolate bar I bought 2 weeks ago for my holiday treat.

Speaking of the holiday season- perhaps the worst case scenario (minus the ship sinking) happened over the Christmas cruise and extended into the New Years cruise aka the two most expensive and expectation filled vacations. There is an acronym on all ships referred to as “OPP” (outbreak prevention plan) and there are 3 levels- 1 being minor, 2 being more severe and level 3 meaning chaos pretty much. When more and more people become sick, the level of OPP increases and each level requires different ways of doing things and different duties from staff. Illness spreads so fast on ships and everyone has to be dealt with immediately otherwise the whole ship will go up in flames in terms of germs and sickness, which has to be avoided at all costs for safe operation. Side note- vomiting/diarrhea is taken so seriously that if you don’t report it/report it too late, you can get fired. And when you do, you can get confined to your room for anywhere from 48 hours-7 days. Guests also get confined to their rooms when they report Ill Getting to level 3 is like, a BIG deal and rarely happens. A certain % of passengers/crew on board have to be sick in order to reach it. On December 26th there were roughly 10 people reported ill just a few hours on top of everyone else already sick and the number kept rising. (This number honestly didn’t seem like a lot to me but who am I to say anything) And as a result, guess what level we got to over the end of Xmas and beginning of New Years? Level 3 baby. Buckle up.

During level 3 in adventure ocean (the kids club), we had to put away all the video games, couldn’t have colouring sheets, had to put away 90% of the toys and could only let the kids play with one ball. This was to minimize the spread of disease. Entertaining 50 kids with 1 ball for 3 hours was not fun. Every parent had to sanitize their hands before touching the pen to sign their kids. The few toys that the younger kids were allowed to play with had to be dishwasher after each session. It was truly an experience. I helped in hosting a ginger bread house making event on Christmas Eve where 80 ginger bread houses were made by families. People weren’t allowed to eat them or take them back to their rooms hahahaha (germs). We told everyone that they were getting put on display on Christmas Day and that’s why they couldn’t eat/take them. The whole OPP level 3 situation is pretty hush hush for guests because they aren’t really supposed to know how severe it is.

We were very lucky during this whole mess though, because in most level 3 situations, staff has to serve the food to guests in the buffet so they aren’t touching everything. So on top of already working 11 hour days during Xmas, we would have to help serve each meal in a buffet setting which is apparently the worst. However, for some reason, we didn’t have to (bless the lord).

On turnaround day (the day the Xmas guests leave and the New Years cruise comes on) we had to do a “barrier clean” of the entire ship. Every single thing needed to be sanitized. My team was responsible for sanitizing adventure ocean, the ice skating venue and the sports deck. Every arm rest on every chair in the ice theatre, every railing on the stairs, every toy, blah blah blah. Then, each room had to be sprayed with chemicals. After all this was done, we were finally able to get off in Sydney for a few hours and the new guests came on like nothing had even happened.

It was really cool to be some of the first people in the world to enter 2020. We were also the first royal caribbean ship to do so, pretty neat. We all had to dress up in formal attire (I wore my grade 12 prom dress lol). Myself and roughly 30 other staff were allowed to stand on a bridge that looks down into the ships promenade (which is pretty much a big open space with shopping and food). We stood on top getting roughly 2,000 people below us hyped up during the moments counting down to midnight. At midnight they did another balloon drop with hundreds and hundreds of balloons. I posted pictures to my Facebook. Both sides of the bridge were filled with people dancing and popped balloons. I felt like a no name Ryan secrest in mini Times Square. It was such a cool and unique way to ring in the new year as I usually just sit at home eating food in pyjamas with friends. (Not that I didn’t miss that, it was just more intense this way). After that, the crew all had a huge party in our special area and people got extremely drunk, which wasn’t too nice for them the next day, especially considering the ocean conditions- will expand below.

The Christmas/New Years cruises were soooo rocky. The movement/rockiness of the ship has never bothered me but oh my goodness some days it is just so bad. (Especially on New Year’s Day after having drank the night before). The ship was very quiet on New Year’s Day because of the partying that happened the night before and because of how rocky it was. My room is located at the very front of the ship on deck #1, so it is really easy to feel the waves. You will literally be laying in bed and can feel your body being moved from left to right because of the waves. Also, so crazy, but where the crew/staff live, we can literally hear the waves crashing into the boat. It is so incredibly loud that it sounds like insane thunder. The waves sometimes are just constantly crashing into the sides of the ship. It sounds like we are crashing into ice bergs. Thankfully, the last few days have been quite calm. And thankfully, there are no icebergs in the South Pacific.

I was just responding to a friends email and was telling her that I couldn’t believe I only had two months left and then I told her that I kind of got butterflies of not wanting to leave as soon as I typed that sentence out because the time left really hit me for some reason. Then I sat there for a minute trying to figure out if it was butterflies from that, or butterflies stemming from excitement of getting out of here in 2 months to come home HAHA. I can’t figure my emotions out. Still can’t decide.

I’ll tell you what, one of the best things about this contract is something that I only noticed just the other day. 3 friends and I and our amazing and cool manager were out for drinks for around 3 hours after our day was done. When I was laying in bed that night, I realized no one even looked at their phone once the ENTIRE time. How unfathomable. Maybe it’s because we were having a great time, maybe it was because we have no service or wifi (haha). No but really, the lack of wifi/service results in the best/funniest conversations because there are no distractions and no one feels the need to check a phone, not like they can anyways :D. I’m now realizing that this pretty much happens every day. No one has their phone out practically ever, which is amazing and is something that I hope stays with me when I get home. If you can even believe it, it’s very easy and possible to get through each day without knowing what people are posting on Instagram, or what celebrities are dating or even what stupid things trump is saying. Is he even president anymore? I’m genuinely not sure.

Lastly I will speak of my day on Mystery Island in Vanuatu before I end this blog because it’s far too long. Mystery island sure was a mystery. It is an island off of one of Vanuatu’s big islands that has no one living on it. Vendors and people drive over in boats when cruises are docked so they can sell things and provide excursions, food and souvenirs for cruisers, as there is literally nothing else there. Actually, there was an airport there if you can even believe it. It was an old building about the size of a garage that had one little desk and chair. The landing strip was an open area of dead grass that we were all allowed to walk on. Thankfully, no planes landed that day. My friends and I saw a shark and turtle snorkelling tour advertised for only 30.00. It was written on a wooden plank with white paint, super sketchy. But we decided why not go on a 30.00 shark tour. So, the 4 of us hopped into a tiny little plastic boat with a driver and our instructor and boated our towards the open ocean. They took us out to a very choppy part where there were a lot of waves, but that was where the shark caves were. It was a bit scary jumping off the boat into water where you know there are sharks. The snorkelling and reefs were absolutely amazing and there were so many different types of fish (better than the Great Barrier Reef). The sharks live in these caves that were below us, and were being quite shy, however I did see one about a metre long swim around to the other side of the cave, and then we could all see a big ones head through some open rocks. That was our only encounter. I was feeling very safe so I wish they had come out more, so I will definitely do this tour again next time I can get off. The tour then escalated. Our guide drove us further away from land to try and find eagle rays. We jumped out of the boat and then he just said “follow me” after this, we quite literally swam the distance of approximately 6 football fields. He didn’t ask any of us if we were strong swimmers, but thankfully we all were otherwise it would not have been pretty. It was so choppy. And it got quite scary because the way we were swimming started to become more and more deep. Before we knew it we couldn’t see the bottom anymore and we were swimming through pitch black shark infested water. After just having seen sharks, I kind of went into panic mode being in the open pitch black ocean. No life jacket, no boat or land near us, and our tour guide was light years ahead of us. But don’t worry we all made it back alive. Amongst the minor panic, the whole situation and being stranded was hilarious. We could have more easily swam up to the other main island or the cruise ship than mystery island where we started the tour. Before we knew it, we had practically swam to the cruise ship. I can’t even explain how far we swam that day. And, no eagle rays. Our guide felt bad about the rays, so we got back in the boat and slowly started to make our way back to mystery island. He stood on the top of the boat looking. After a while, we told him that it was okay and that we wanted to head back to the island. He said okay, and then 5 seconds later he spotted a sea turtle. Literally what are the odds. We all jumped out and swam with it. Such a peaceful way to end our crazy experience. I’m glad my mom bought me a sun-resistant long sleeve shirt to wear while snorkelling because the sun HITS different in this part of the world. If I can at least save my arms and back from horrific burns, that’s okay. It has saved me many times.

This blog has taken a few days to write and as I finish it off we are now on the last day. 12 days is just far too long to go cruising. Such a shame as the rest of my time here is all 9,12 and 14 day cruises. Too much. Onto our next 12 day cruise now with 1200 kids. The most we’ve had so far. Rip. I hope it goes by fast. I’m really interested/worried to see what Sydney will be looking like tomorrow morning. I haven’t seen much of the news, but from what I hear things have got much worse with the fires. The waters we are cruising through right now already look a bit Smokey.

Alright, I’ve talked your ear off for far too long now. Hopefully my pictures upload.

8 more weeks left!

Ciao for now

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raisingsupergirl · 5 years ago

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Stumbling Through the Start Line

Some years don't go as expected. Who am I kidding? No year goes as expected. Not if you're doing it right, anyway. Monotony leads to the grave, which is probably why God is constantly spicing up our lives. And looking back on 2019, I can say, without a doubt, that it was a spicy year—a wild ride from beginning to end. And 2020 looks to be just as exciting. So, like so many others, I think I'll take a moment to look back on what I've gone through, and then look forward to what's on the horizon (while trying to avoid as many 20-20 vision puns as possible…).

I started 2019 at a sprint. With the help of two amazing co-owners (whose talents extend into areas of marketing, branding, technology, and organization that I cannot fathom), I launched Havok Publishing, a short fiction publication literally unlike anything the world has ever seen. It came with so many challenges, misadventures, unexpected speed bumps, sheer cliffs of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, bottomless chasms of… okay, you get the picture. But we three owners (collectively known as Cerberus) and over twenty volunteers pressed forward as one force—the Havok Hive. We looked at each wrecked plan as potential for growth. We saw each curveball as a chance to take our ever-growing experiment in a new direction. And with every victory came increased momentum. Our quality improved with every new writer. Our reach expanded with every new reader. And our excitement grew with every new realized dream, no matter how crazy it seemed. The work has never stopped, but neither has the satisfaction. Havok is truly changing the literary world. It has painted every other aspect of this last year in a positive light, and I'm more excited than ever as we move into season three with even better ideas and bigger ambition (check out GoHavok.com to keep up with us).

And then, in February of 2019, while Havok was just getting off the ground, I decided to go on a weeklong hermitage. Yes, it's exactly how it sounds. I stayed in a glorified hobbit hole overlooking the Mississippi river, cut off from the outside world, with the sole purpose of getting my crap together. Primarily, I finished writing and editing the novel I'd been working on, but in those quiet moments when I would watch the sun rise over the icy river, watch a train go rumbling by, or have a purposeful meal alone in prayer, I learned to listen again—not to a thousand sounds and distractions, but to a single, small whisper. It was like sticking my head in the freezer on a sweltering summer day. And when I returned to my family and the real world, the resulting inner peace acted as a deep reserve for my spirit in the craziest parts of the rest of the year.

Over the summer, I represented Havok at a few writing events (which allowed me to see the Space Needle, visit a favorite YouTuber's shop, and experience my first comic con), which really solidified the reality of all our hard work. I went on my very first cruise (to Haiti and the Bahamas) to celebrate ten years of marriage with my wonderfully talented and patient wife, I watched my youngest sister-in-law get married, I started a fitness journey (originally intended to improve common ground with my wife, but it has also continued to transform me, personally), I started my year-long appointment as Senior Warden at my Freemason lodge, and I cooked a ton of food on my new grill. I watched my oldest daughter start full-day summer school, start t-ball, and get accepted in to pre-k for a second year (instead of being pushed into kindergarten too early). I watched my youngest go from walking to running, from babbling to talking in full sentences, and from a baby to a real person. It really was a great summer, and I felt like I was falling into a sustainable rhythm. And then, once again, God shook things up.

If you've known me for long, you know I get a little bored with routine. And as much as I love my job as a physical therapist, I don't like when it feels like I'm doing the same thing every day without growth. And so, when I learned about an opportunity to develop a conditioning and injury prevention program for the local high school's wrestling team, I jumped on it (especially since I'd been pushing for a similar program for the past eight years). I mean, who needs sleep anyway, right? Well, as you'd expect, it was way more work than I'd planned for. But it was also way more rewarding. Those kids are amazing. I threw everything I had at them, and they thanked me for it. They saw change in their level of fitness, control, and competition. They gained confidence on all levels, and I formed relationships that I wouldn't change for the world. But yes, it was a lot of work, too. And it will continue to be a lot of work into the new year as the program grows. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

In the fall, I finally shot my first deer after nearly a decade of what felt like failure, I did all the Halloween things with my family, and I made sushi for the first time. We're only a month into winter, but a trip to Colorado to see my new nephew-in-law, another on the Polar Express to see the North Pole, and plenty of other holiday shenanigans have been a great start.

And so, as I stumble through 2019's finish line, it feels like I'm starting the race all over again. Havok is growing exponentially, as are my high school fitness classes. My kids are getting older and more amazing every day. If my Freemason brothers vote in my favor, I'll become Worshipful Master for the next year, meaning I'll be responsible for all that happens in my local chapter. I'll continue to pursue my own writing journey (which will most likely include another hermitage and another novel that I have brewing…), attend more writing conferences and comic cons, and create as many awesome memories with my family as possible, which just might include a grand vacation (stay tuned). Oh, and I'll finally be paying off my student loans in the spring, which will either bring financial freedom or financial ruin. Guess we'll have to wait and see on that one. Regardless, it's going to be another year filled with excitement.

I knew 2019 was going to be crazy—crazier than any other I'd know before. And I was right. I knew it was going to be the start of many new endeavors and experiences. And I was right there, too. But despite the crazy pace, I've felt something else in the rare quiet moments. A still, small voice that sounds a lot like that one I heard during my hermitage at the beginning of last year. A voice that's telling me that it's not over—that 2020 will be a continuation of 2019, because some years are too big to fit into 365 days. And so, I'm taking a quick breath before I plunge forward again. I truly believe that these two years will be ones I will look back on and see as an exception. They'll be novel. They'll be transformative. And they'll set the stage for the rest of my life. I'll never settle for mediocrity or routine, but life comes in waves, and right now I'm surfing the break. I'm cresting the peak. I'm climbing above the clouds to get a better view of my future, to see 2020 and beyond with clearer—oh, wait. I promised I'd avoid 20-20 puns, didn't I? Oh well, I think you get it. Last year was great. This year is going to be greaterer. And with the help of my amazing family and friends, it'll set the course for a greaterest life than I could ever wish for. Happy New Year, y'all. Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, I hope you'll appreciate it for what it's meant to be.

#2019 in review #2020goals #2020 resolutions #year in review #momblr #mumblr #dadblr #gohavok.com #bring on the future

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gttherapygroup · 5 years ago

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Let's Talk About Kids' Safety and Bodily Autonomy During the Holidays

The holidays are full of joy, surprise, and sometimes pain. This is a similarly challenging blog post, especially for folks who have been survivors of sexual assault, abuse, and violence or who have a loved one who has experienced trauma. Please tread mindfully of the following content.

Let’s talk about teaching our children bodily autonomy, age-appropriate sexual education, boundaries, and how to be an “askable” parent who kids can come to when they are worried or scared or confused. The holiday season is a time when we gather as extended families, and our families bring their new partners and loved ones into our worlds*. During the holidays, kids are expected to keep secrets, give or receive sometimes unwanted physical touch and are encouraged overtly and covertly to not ruin the holiday spirit around them. With the increased number of folks who gain private and intimate access to our kids during the holidays, here are some ways we can keep them safe and teach them lessons about body autonomy and safety year-round.

Teach kids that a surprise is something that is hidden temporarily and people are excited to learn about, e.g. presents, a new puppy, a vacation, or a party. During forensic interviews, I often asked children if an adult had ever asked them to keep a secret, I was shocked to hear the clear distinction children made in what they understood to be a dangerous secret vs a surprise. Nearly all the children to whom I posed the question responded with an answer. The kids who were offering secrets like, “my mom told me not to say where she keeps her candy” or “my grandpa asked me to keep it a secret that he got grandma a new bathrobe” had no hesitation in sharing those secrets. Children who shared secrets about sexual abuse or physical abuse in the home would pause, become somber, and ask to know the consequences for telling a secret. Most people who sexually abuse children request that the survivor keep a secret and sometimes will threaten harm to the child or child’s loved ones if the child were to tell the secret.

Teach kids that if anyone asks them to keep a secret they should tell a grown up right away. This helps keep other kids safe, many children disclose sexual abuse to a peer before they disclose to an adult. You can help distinguish unsafe secrets from surprises by giving your child language about secret vs. surprise.

Teach children that they do not have to hug, kiss, or physically greet anyone. A warm hello and a wave hi are more than sufficient. And wow! It is super special when a child does choose to hug a family member.

Find out who is in the home (any guests visiting?) before allowing your child to spend the night at a friend’s house.

Teach children that if other (especially older) kids ask to see areas covered by bathing suits or to touch those areas, it is not okay and not either child’s fault. It just means grown ups need to know and figure out a way to help keep everyone safe. A 2012 study from the Crimes Against Children Research Center found that as many as 40% of child sexual abuse instances were perpetrated by children who were older and/or more powerful (social-emotionally and/or physically) than survivor children.

Children express boundaries all the time with people in their lives--it is our privilege as adults in kids’ lives to help enforce and support those boundaries. Teaching kids to have strong emotional and physical boundaries--even with adults they know--is a helpful tool to prevent abuse. It also is a great way to practice respectful communication. Children with healthy physical and emotional boundaries are less likely to be targeted by perpetrators.

It is hard to be a parent. Sexual assault of a child is never the child’s nor the family’s fault. And there are ways to reduce the risk and to mend the emotions and safety of kids and families who have survived an assault. Some of that healing happens in therapy, some of it happens with time, and a lot of it happens because an adult believed a child at the child’s first disclosure. So this holiday season, and every season, thank you for listening to your child’s boundaries.

Below are some resources for families about body safety, starting those conversations to keep kids safe, facts and figures, and a great couple of books on healing.

https://depts.washington.edu/hcsats/PDF/factsheets/CSA_flipbook_final_WEB.pdf

https://www.seattlechildrens.org/globalassets/documents/for-patients-and-families/pfe/pe1703.pdf

https://www.d2l.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/all_statistics_20150619.pdf

https://www.rainn.org/safety-parents

*This is not to incite fear of new people around the holidays. The National Institute of Health, RAINN, and Darkness to Light all indicate that childhood sexual abuse is most commonly perpetrated by people the child knows: immediate or extended family members, parents, and close community members (like members from church, after school programs, or other extracurriculars).

#clairea #parenting #safety

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treeyo · 6 years ago

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When its been six months since your last blog, where do you even begin? Many changes happened in my life and am still processing them all but very much in the forward motion with the learning lessons acquired. With that, well I finally moved to Treasure lake, like finally really landed this March once I got my vehicle situation sorted and its been practically non stop work since. I will try to keep it short by using headers and pics then be more regular with it all so its not so much to cover and more valuable detail can come out. In essence, this places sheer beauty continues to amaze me and the people who observe and interact with it are a true blessing.

Community

You know the hokey part of permaculture about community and all of that social permaculture. Well it’s so true in the end. My Cincinnati, city based friends, have largely disappeared from my life, all but a select few now that i have properly moved here (only 35 minutes away). My Northern Kentucky network grows constantly. And to state it plainly, much of my successes or this places growth hinges upon selfless acts from others, service, community. Gifts beyond value but that also save on finances allowing me to stay with this project fully during the growing season. (Yes foreshadowing). It’s quite a mix here and i honor diversity and am enjoying this blend of Appalachian and river town culture scores to the city.

Past student and dear friend Kaila from BC, Canada stopping on her way across country. What a reunion, giving her a glimpse of the KY culture

Gil, such a generous person, getting ready to transport a beehive from his land to the lake to support both the garden and ecology here

Annie and her rolling around ways in the garden

Mike Lobb, a fishing enthusiast and proud supporter of the lake. and and his restaurant wastes help to feed the worms

Tom and his crafty skills and silly look helping me build artificial fish habitat

permablitz implementation of mushroom beds in hedgerow. it was almost all people from my town of Petersburg, Ky

Mary and Luke, two beautiful souled people who volunteered here often

Bryan and Daniel, two of my besties, jamming together. love them both

Stream Rehabilitation

Over the winter myself and part of the Berea, KY crew, who actually are connections from Portugal, implemented heaps of what I categorize in the PDC as restoring natural hydrology. The one rock dams, large and small woody debris jams have simply worked. The sediment has been trapped, the lake hasn’t muddied other than in the crazy amounts of rain that break or meet records. It’s helped as well with the nutrient overload which to deal with this problem we met it with these elements but also microbial blocks and pellets and also ducks.

one rock dams working to hold sediment back

Pools forming

one rock dams and small woddy debris

stair stepped approach

Animals

How much duckweed could a duck weed if a duck could weed duckweed?

Well it’s a lot and they do weed duckweed. As the nutrients pour in from the large watershed of the lake it causes each year relentless growth of duckweed. And I have been eating duckweed through the eggs that the ducks have steadily been producing. These ducks, mostly pekings, were gifts from the community and their rich golden eggs have delighted many. The golden color comes from the high amounts of lysine in the duckweed, just as I teach it in the PDC.

Also goats were lent to me and are fun, productive in their clearing, good at leaving fertility behind, but also a lot of work. Part of that comes from their sheer numbers, 17 in all. They require a lot of fencing moves to keep them on fresh pasture and their health in good shape. I have been really enjoying it but it in the end is consuming lots of hours. I did, of course along with the help from my NKY community, move their cages which had been in the same place for a few weeks. Instead of cleaning the cages and moving the manure to the compost area I decided to leave it right there and mulch on top so it didn’t all wash away in the rains just after the move. Next year i can carry seeds down there instead of manure to the compost area. an idea….

Alex welcoming the goats on their first day

Goats from the boat, having cleared back lots of weeds, mainly invasive

Compost

As always, as my students know, I am making, along with the help of many, lots of hot compost, completely square on the edge and at least one cubic meter in size. I did invest in a compost thermometer which has been helping with the quality control. The best compost piles have been coming from the lactobacillus rich beet kvass wastes from my friends at fab ferments. It quickly finishes and i am stockpiling lots of it right now for future use. Annie, the lead gardener of her brand Dark Wood Farm that leases land from us, has even used a bit. Also vermicompost has been expanding. I have the unique opportunity to sell worms to the fishing customers or simply give them away. We have scaled up to 275 gallons. Next door to fab ferments is La Terza coffee and their wastes have also been helping to feed the worms.

Beet Kvass waste

loading up the worm bin with Romain

Business

All these farming ventures of perennial systems are running concurrently to the running of the business here already. Pay fishing lake, bar, camping and events to be exact. It’s a lot of work and requires me to answer the phone, market, mow, weed eat, provide customer service and provide a better experience for those who come. It’s been a good year, the camping helping a lot in terms of revenue. And of course through community, Daniel, one of my closest neighbors has helped bring a lot of bar business in the last month or so through starting a tuesday night ping pong and a friday night open jam. Eternally grateful to him and his extended family as well as his front yard that has no grass in it which i drive by when i do leave the property. And the event production, we have many successful concerts, parties, weddings, and educational events. Plant based, not permaculture as i just cant seem to get people to sign up for my permaculture courses around here. And that is ok, i needed a break and its fun to have such a diversity. but yes its a lot of work. I work every weekend from friday morning to sunday evening here at the bar/ fishing lake/camping registration. I sneak away for farming ventures on the weekends by leaving my number on the door which is part of why i haven’t written a blog in so long.

Bryan in serious prep mode for our July 4th event

Park here!

Positive reaction laying down on our fourth of july event

the lists that make it happen, my goodness this project management is intense

Maria and Ron post marriage ceremony at the campsites

entrance to the bar

Campsite 2

biodiversity

As always my pursuit of biodiversity rages. I am still hacking away at the invasive and overcrowded natives. It helps my paw paws. Paw paw paradise is coming to fruition. We also planted in our some of our wonderful forest native medicinal herbs. Ginseng, goldenseal, bloodroot, blue and black cohosh, and wild ginger. They have done ok but are so far away its hard to get to them. It’s definitely a zone 4 and future plantings will be on the edge of zone 1 in sandy soil. I have also planted a hedgerow with different tree crops, berry bushes, and perennial vegetables. Taking care of the one we planted in the fall of last year also has been a continual maintenance. We also did quite a bit with mushrooms through both logs of oyster and wine cap on wood chips. It’s definitely developing a nice zone 1 for me around the edge of Annie’s 1 acre market garden. And in general this place is alive, teaming with biodiversity to create stability, resilience, and abundance!

More wooded wood chip beds and remay cloth covering logs to keep woodpeckers away

mushroom spawn in chunks of wine cap being placed in between layers of cardboard and wood chips

caterpillar on milkweed, i guess monarchs?

Phoebe babies in the same nest spot as last year on the back patio of the bar

the beaver is back!

freshwater mussel shell, food for other wildlife

oyster mushroom logs

Foraging

You cant have a paw paw paradise and not then go out and harvest. Hauling well over 50 lbs from the lake property and already another 20 or so lbs from 1 tree at my parents house, its been great. I have been saving the seeds and these will turn into hundreds, maybe 1000’s of more paw paw plant for the land and for sale. I am saving seeds of the big ones and random ones with great flavor. We also have stumbled upon some great mushroom patches and will we get to the spicebush harvest with all that is going on?

25 lbs plus haul in one morning, mainly thanks to the beavers chopping trees down years ago to give this patch space

native black capped raspberry that went in Annie’s CSA fruit add on

just a bit of the paw paw on the bar, giving lots away

huge wild fruits at the lake. giving thanks to the natives who once lived here and probably worked on the genetics

Abby and me looking for paw paw just before our successful event. thanks abby for referring a spark for foraging

Holiday

I end with the vacation i got to go on to the Asheville, North Carolina area for the SE Permaculture gathering. It also included a professional gathering and i loved meeting others from the area and finally meeting Courtney Brooke who Robina McCurdy, our common mentor, connected but we never got to meet in person until then. They have a great culture built down there and was inspiring to say the least. I know it will grow here, we have done an amazing work in this area over the years but i look forward to treasure lake being a growing point of culture.

Zev talking mutual aid, this guy is on it

So thank you to all who have contributed with volunteering, attending events, paying to go fish, to camp, to drink, to rent the place out. There is more for sure that has happened but i had to get this one out to press refresh on releasing these update blogs more often . I also pressed refresh on my life by moving back here, staying in one place for over a year, which basically hasn’t happened in almost 20 years and seeking help with my mental health. Never be afraid to do that. gardening is sometimes not enough, nor traveling the world and living your passion. I am glad i did it, i am blessed to have this place to experiment on. The development goes on here and please contact me on how to get involved. thank you to the community and the treasure lake experience. Never forget the final message of my patterns slideshow, LOVE. and that includes love for yourself. sounds simple but it takes effort that is well worth it!

ps the tip jar at the bar is going well with it being tips for tree planting. so this fall,

#letsplantsometreesyo

Project Update: A long Overdue one for Treasure Lake When its been six months since your last blog, where do you even begin? Many changes happened in my life and am still processing them all but very much in the forward motion with the learning lessons acquired.

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altik-0 · 7 years ago

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Happy December 25th

In which I describe why the holidays have not gone so great for me, and how fucked up my head is.

I’m not a fan of the holiday season. For the last several weeks, I’ve been trapped in a vortex of anxiety and stress fueled partly by projects and goals I’d set for myself independently, but primarily driven by a sense of obligation imposed by this time of year. In general I have a tendency to step up and offer help when asked, even if I don’t actually have time or resources to commit to doing such a thing -- the lesson of saying “no” to projects when I am too busy is one that I still really haven’t learned that well -- and this tends to lead to a lot of stacked deadlines and undue pressure put on myself. And the holiday season amplifies this already intrusive neurosis by echoing a general societal pressure to show goodwill to ALL people, which is not feasible at the best of times, let alone when there are several other ongoing commitments I’ve made and cannot hope to satisfy.

Furthermore, I don’t handle gift giving culture very well. My head twists this practice intended to show generosity into a practice that imposes obligation; “oh, thank you for giving me this item -- now I suppose I need to get you something of equal or greater value, otherwise I’m kind of a selfish asshole.” Worse yet, since I personally don’t care much for monetary value of items, that means I feel the need to mirror sentimental value, which is pretty difficult when you get right down to it. Manifesting how much I care about someone into a physical item is really difficult for me, and this makes finding even a single gift for a single person a really strenuous process. And since it doesn’t scale, I inevitably fail to get gifts for most people I know, which gets spun by my inner voice as me being that asshole I was afraid of being at the beginning.

My defense mechanism of choice between high school and graduating from college was just ignoring the traditions altogether. I was still young enough that nobody really had any expectation of me getting gifts for anyone. But I did begin generating a bit of a toxic perception of shallowness around it all: “Christmas isn’t really about generosity to the rest of humanity -- it’s a celebration of our slavery to consumerism and capitalism.” This Freshman Philosophy analysis of the holiday justified shutting myself off from any celebration, and began convincing me that avoiding participation just demonstrated my woke cultural criticism.

But, of course, this was really just a rationalization for actually being an asshole. Although I’ll still maintain that gift-giving traditions establish problematic notions of emotional value being tied to consumerism, at the end of the day that valuation exists, and disregarding it necessarily means disregarding what other people care about, which is kind of definitionally what makes someone an asshole.

Which brings me full circle back to the beginning: thanks to my wonderful tendency to over-analyze everything, I’m fully conscious of all of these facts. I’m aware how stressful gift-giving is, and I’m resentful of it, especially because my values aren’t in line with the consumerist nature of the practice. That resentment makes me not want to participate, which drives me away from people, and puts me on edge when I’m around them during this part of the year. But since I can’t avoid people forever, I tend to be thrust unwillingly into the holiday anyway, which burdens me with obligation I don’t want and am honestly really awful at delivering on.

So, getting past the rambling diatribe, you hopefully get a sense of my headspace entering into December of 2017. Compounding this were multiple stressors in quick succession:

* I was scheduled to judge a Grand Prix event in Portland, and got assigned to working all three days of the event (I typically only work two days and take one off to play, in the interest of allowing my hobby to continue to be that rather than a job).

* I also volunteered to present at a judge conference the Thursday before that event (effectively extending my work schedule to FOUR days, plus the prep work before the event).

* I ALSO volunteered to help schedule a local conference only a few weeks after the tournament was finished, meaning even more prep work before and after returning home.

* I agreed to travel to San Francisco with my parents the week after the tournament, which proved to be much less of a vacation than I’d hoped.

* In the background, I’ve been ramping onto a new team at work, which has had me feeling all those lovely incompetent feelings of starting a new job, but even better because technically I was still at the same company so “why didn’t I know this better already?”

* I had volunteered to let a remote coworker stay with me while she was in town for a concert, and she arrived literally the day of the local conference.

In other words: between the week before Thanksgiving and about two weeks before Christmas, I was in a perpetual state of ongoing stress, which theoretically was separated by vacation time, but realistically that vacation time got spent working on projects and delivering projects. And all of this happening while I was marinating in the usual misery of the holiday season.

Two weeks ago I broke down. I can recite the triggering event, but I’d prefer not to, especially because I don’t think that one incident was the sole factor. Suffice it to say, after a very uncomfortable conversation, I ended up spending an entire day so engrossed in self loathing that I was unable to concentrate, and actually passed out at my desk on multiple occasions. Not because I was tired, but because something deep inside me genuinely felt that being unconscious would be preferable to being awake and trying to deal with the turmoil I had going on in my head.

I’ve never experienced anything like this before. I mean, I’ve felt Imposter Syndrome, and difficulty concentrating at work. But this was something much more drastic, and I’m still at a loss for words at how to describe it accurately. And although it would probably be unfair to qualify this experience as an emergency (I wasn’t suicidal or dangerously lethargic), I’m still terrified of what this means about me and my own mental health.

Moreover, as I reflect back over the last several months (well before the holiday season kicked in, and all these stressors started devouring my attention), I feel like there have been many moments of general malaise and unpleasantness in my life. I don’t document my day-to-day experiences very well, so I don’t know that I can testify clearly to whether the feelings I’ve had over the last few weeks have been reflected for the last several months, but I’m worried they have. And if they have, I’m afraid I won’t know how to resolve this.

But perhaps the most twisted part of this whole ordeal is that no matter how I contextualize this experience, my head keeps spinning it as being my fault somehow:

“It was just a couple of nagging thoughts. Guess you should have figured out how to push those thoughts away and concentrate on what mattered.”

“It could be burnout. Guess you shouldn’t have screwed up your vacation.”

“Maybe you have depression? Guess that makes you a burden to those around you who have to deal with your insufferable depressive moments.”

It’s currently just past 2 AM on December 26th. I’ve been unable to sleep, despite being exhausted. This weekend I’ve dived into learning to play synth piano, built prototypes of image compression software I’d been reading about online, and gorged myself on YouTube videos debunking “Alt-Right” politics and discussing shockingly nuanced views on social justice in 2017. My mind is a buzzing with a flurry of ideas I want to think more about, and write down, and discuss.

My mind is also still drowning in enough melancholy that I spent the last hour writing about how much I hate the holidays and how crappy the last few weeks have been rather than any of those things.

I tend to put a lot of faith in the concept that the human brain is such an incredibly complex system, these sorts of seemingly contradictory experiences are just expected. It doesn’t lessen the confusion I feel being tangled up in this mess, but it does give me hope that I can learn to embrace the weirdness and move forward with my life.

#personal baggage #emotional garbage #christmas is the worst #december can just end thanks

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robertmcangusgroup · 8 years ago

Text

The Daily Thistle

The Daily Thistle – News From Scotland

Wednesday 12th April 2017

"Madainn Mhath” …Fellow Scot, I hope the day brings joy to you…. Sleep well? I hope so can’t have us all worrying about what’s happening in the world… Good walk with Bella this morning, she discovered cats! Good job she was on the leash as she almost pulled my arm out of its socket trying to introduce herself…. I felt like one of those cartoon characters being rushed down the hill .. but we made it home for coffee and all is well with the world.. Well My world that is.. Not so sure about the rest of it though…

SCOTLAND COULD LEAVE THE UK, AND JOIN CANADA INSTEAD, SAYS AUTHOR…. As Scotland pushes for a second referendum on independence, one man is asking the previously unthinkable - if you're going to quit the UK, why not join Canada? Canadian writer Ken McGoogan says the unorthodox alliance makes sense. "I think it would be terrific for both Scotland and Canada," he says. McGoogan first laid out his proposal in an opinion piece published in Canadian newspaper the Globe and Mail, where he argued that advancements in telecommunication technology and transatlantic travel have rendered pesky things like geographical boundaries "irrelevant". Besides, he points out, Scotland is closer to Newfoundland than Hawaii is to California. Last week, the Scottish Parliament voted in favour of asking the UK government to allow a legally-binding referendum on independence. Prime Minister Theresa May has said the vote should wait until after Brexit. Mr McGoogan says he sympathises with the angst that many Scots are feeling over Britain's decision to leave the EU. "The Scots aren't happy right now, and I don't think they're being treated especially well." Mr McGoogan says that if Scotland were to join Canada, it would enjoy a lot more independence and hold a lot more power than it currently does with Great Britain. Scotland would be Canada's third largest province, with 5.3 million people, which would give it significant political sway. Add to that the millions of Canadians who, like Mr McGoogan, have Scottish ancestry, and you'd have a national-ethnic bloc about 10m strong, he reasons. More importantly, Canadian provinces are in charge of more aspects of governance than Scotland has been afforded as part of the UK. Canadian provinces are in charge of their own courts, health-care, systems and educational institutions. Some provinces also have their own immigration programmes, a fact that has already piqued the interest of a number of British and Scottish MPs.

OLD TRAINS ‘AREN’T SAFE FOR INVERCLYDE PASSENGERS’…. Old trains being used on Inverclyde routes are so overcrowded they are unsafe, it is claimed. Inverclyde’s two rail routes are the only ones in Scotland to have modern trains removed for driver training elsewhere – and there are fears they won’t be brought back. ScotRail insist that, ‘if all goes to plan’, the modern trains will be returned in summer next year. But council election candidate Eddie McEleny says that is not what he has been told by ScotRail staff. Mr McEleny, who is standing as an independent in ward four, Inverclyde North, said: “I have complained about the state of the old trains to staff, who informed me their information is that the new trains would never return to Inverclyde. “Instead, they said, we would get refurbished old trains to go alongside the elderly ones that replaced the modern trains. “I am one of the daily commuters from Greenock to Glasgow who have to endure the toil of being crammed into the old and unreliable trains that offer little in the way of comfort. “No toilets, no wi-fi, no air conditioning and no reduction on our fares, which went up by three per cent in January. It now costs £166 a month for a season ticket to Glasgow. “These trains run at peak times and are so overcrowded that I believe they are unsafe. I can always stand crushed against the doors or stand in the aisle. However, I have witnessed mothers with young children being put under the same pressure, causing distress. “On two separate occasions while on the train the doors would not open. We were asked to vacate our compartment and make our way through another overcrowded compartment before getting off. “We commuters deserve better for the money we pay to travel. This poor standard of service is unacceptable, and ScotRail should act on this issue now.” ScotRail say that, each weekday, 38 out of 55 Gourock to Glasgow and 10 out of 19 Wemyss Bay to Glasgow services are operated by the modern Class 380 trains. The remainder of services are temporarily operated by older Class 314s, they say, to allow driver training. A spokesman said: “We have done everything we can to limit the impact on customers, including, where possible, spacing out the 314s throughout the day. “This means that customers can choose a slightly earlier or later train if they prefer to travel on a Class 380.”

RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE'S SUPER YACHT SAILS INTO GREENOCK…. A MULTI-million pound super-yacht Lady M has arrived in Greenock. The stunning 65-metre vessel has berthed at James Watt Dock Marina. Lady M is understood to have cost $55million and is believed to be owned by Alexey Mordashov, 51, is a Russian businessman and billionaire. He is the main shareholder and chairman of Severstal, a Russian conglomerate with interests in metal, energy and mining companies. In November last year, Bloomberg reported that Mordashov was Russia’s richest man, with an estimated worth of $15.7 billion.

MEN DUE IN COURT OVER ALLEGED NORTH-EAST RURAL CRIMES…. Two more men have been charged in relation to rural crime in the North-east. The men aged 40 and 76 have been charged and were due to appear in Aberdeen Sheriff Court today. In total six men aged 17, 18, 39, 40, 43 and 76 have been charged in relation to 23 crimes which include assaults, road traffic offences and 13 hare coursing crimes which occurred in the Huntly, Rothienorman, Fyvie, Alford, Insch, Turriff, St Katherines, Laurencekirk and Inverbervie areas. This followed early morning raids on Friday at addresses in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. The targeted operation involved officers from the North East Divisional Alcohol and Violence Reduction Union as part of Operation Black Falls. Two vehicles were also seized as part of the operation.

EASTER TRAFFIC DELAYS ‘SIGNIFICANT’ AS 20 MILLION CARS DUE ON ROADS…. Drivers have been warned to expect “significant delays” over Easter with more than 20 million cars expected on the roads between Maundy Thursday and Easter Monday. Traffic is set to peak at 28% above typical levels at 5pm on Thursday a s motorists embark on the bank holiday getaway as soon as the working week is over, according to transport information supplier Inrix. It said the worst affected roads will be major motorways, with some journeys taking as much as three times longer than normal. Drivers between Junctions 9 and 21 on the M25 should expect delays of up to 90 minutes, extending a typical 40-minute journey to more than two hours. Motorists heading in both directions on the M6 and southbound on the M5 towards the West Country should also prepare for hold-ups of almost an hour, according to the report.

Inrix said the worst times to travel will be:

:: Thursday between 4pm and 6pm

:: Friday between 10am and 2pm

:: Monday between 12pm and 5pm

Easter Sunday is expected to be the quietest day on the roads with 25% fewer vehicles compared with an average Sunday.

On that note I will say that I hope you have enjoyed the news from Scotland today,

Our look at Scotland today is of the sunset in Wester Ross.. not that the sun ever sets on Scotland..

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Wednesday 12th April 2017 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in ….. Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus

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