#came out of it not feeling real the sun had set & i hadnt gone outside today

[bat-bestie]

putting enrichment in my enclosure

[pbandjesse]

Im in a really good mood right now. My allergies are bothering me a little but I feel really positive. Which is nice. I havent felt that easy all day, but for the most part today was pretty positive. 

I slept alright but  I had very weird dreams. Getting up was a little easier today. James told me he was going to leave to do errands. Something I asked to do together last night. So then I was upset and I went to started getting dressed and I heard him in the other room putting his shoes and coat on and I was like hey what the heck I just said I wanted to go. And it hurt my feelings. But he waited and seemed to get why it upset me. I just dont want to be left out and I hadnt gone anywhere for days and I just want to spend time together. He is afraid of annoying me and wanted to like. Take care of the chores without making me do it. He wasnt trying to make me sad. 

It was nice going out though. We went to the pet store first. The store we get sweetP's food from is going out of business so we loaded up on the discounted food. It probably would have been weird being in a store that had whole shelves empty if 2020 wasnt what it was. But we got good deals and lots of food and then we headed out. 

We went to the grocery store next. I knew I wanted to make a cheese plate so I was pretty focused on that goal. It was nice just walking around. I felt real cute today and I was just having a nice time being out. We got basically everything we needed and headed out. 

The next thing was our plan to get a christmas tree! Not a big one. Just a little buy. Tucker suggested we get a bush or a topiary. And I liked that idea. James took me to the fancy garden store I had requested visiting someday. And it was fun walking around and checking out the different plants. I want to go back and buy more plants sometime but for now we were focused on small tree. We decided on a legit dwarf tree. Its so cute. I asked James to find the fatest one and I think he did a good job. I have never had a real tree before. I dont think we ever did a real one when I was a kid. I did go to a tree farm a few times with friends' families but I had no concept of price. James said that his family usually went for a tree around $100. Seems wild but alright. So that was our budget. 

And we fell under that budget so I was pretty pumped. I also just like that we got a living tree and not a cut one. I am hoping we can keep it alive for a good amount of time and maybe plant it someday. 

James buckled our tree in the backseat and we headed home. 

We brought everything inside and while James unpacked the food I got the tree set up on one of our small tables. I cut some green plaid fabric to make a base and we just need a pot or something to put the tree inside. But I am pretty pleased. 

I played animal crossing for a bit. It was Peach's birthday And I kept working on the big changes. But I didnt play for to long. Instead after me and James had lunch, I painted his toes in red and green for christmas and then we worked on the next part of our lego train. We did part 3 of the 4 parts. But I didnt want to finish it today. So once we got the top of the engine car complete I tapped out and went and laid in our room and watched videos for a while. I was very tired but I couldnt sleep. 

James was playing video games in the other room. But eventually he came and cuddled me before he had to leave for work. I hope he comes home early again, I have been enjoying that a lot. 

Once he left I sort of mopped for a bit but I decided I would go out and go for a drive. And I ended up going to a few thrift stores. Mostly to look for a pot for the tree. At savers I did not have luck with that but I did find some christmas gift things. Some fabric. And then I headed to the 2nd avenue. Where I had luck finding a very cool pot but the line was literally around the store so I was like. Hah! Nevermind! And bounced. 

Finally I went to the big goodwill. I found a big metal bucket there that I thought I could paint to look more christmasy. And I also found pants with a frog print all over them??? I thought they might be too big but when I got them home and tried them on they fit me great and are hilarious. 

I headed home after that. The sun was almost down by the time I got home. But it wasnt even 5. I put away my stuff and put together a cheese board for myself. Which while it would have been nice to have some more berries or something for color, it tasted great and I ate the entire thing. 

I have had a nice night though. I did a bunch of cleaning. I started painting the bucket I bought but its dark outside so I dont know if it will need a second coat. Im just assuming it will tomorrow. I changed the sheets and cleaned the fridge. Its just been a really nice night. And now I am going to go take a bubble bath and wait for James to come home. 

Tomorrow I hope to have a good studio day. My store has not been having a very good sale weekend. But I will keep trying. I hope to workshop my new patterns too. I hope you all have a great night though. Sleep well yall. Goodnight. 

[ecotone99]

[MF] Nothing Like The Stories

. First attempt at a short story on here constructive criticism welcome....

I awoke in the cell that the Duke's men had assigned to me. Rolling over to look at the window i could see the sky lightening as the sun slowly began to climb in the sky. It had been three months since i had been caught and I couldn't believe that so far this was nothing like the stories i had been brought up on. In those stories, the revolution would begin with a dramatic fire and the fire starter would be hailed as a hero.

I sat on the edge of my cot and scratched myself idly, the bedding appeared to have fleas of some sort. I felt my lank dark hair fall in front of my face and idly brushed it back. I thought back to the night that Sten had recruited me to set fire to the baron's stables. The baron, Sten mainainted, spent our hard taxes renovating his stables and needed to be taught that these things were easy to lose. His plan had been simple creep on to the baron's lands and set fire to his stables. His horses and their bedding would represent a significant loss of money to the cold heated noble.

That night i crept silently onto the baron's land and using a lantern on the outside of the stable door I successfully started a blaze exacerbated by the bedding on the floor. The fire spread quickly and soon i could hear the horses within screaming in un mistakeabe terror. I found this strange as Sten and his fellow group leaders had assured me that horses were unthinking un feeling beasts. When i close my eyes i can still smell the burning flesh still hear that gods-awful noise of those animals burning to their demise.

What i hadnt counted on was the two human screams i heard from inside. How was i to know that the Baron's youngest son and one of his riding instructors had been inside the stable. Looking through the window i could see her dress still pulled up around her waist as it burst into flames and her hair aflame stuck to her head. That sight spurred my fear and i fled into the night. And that was the first strike of the rebellion.

I fled to an old woodsman's hut deep in the forest as i had been instructed and there i sat in the cold and dark for three days before a party of the Baron's guard showed up at the door and barged their way inside. It happen so fast that i was restrained beneath their burly frames and had recieved several “accidental” impacts before i realised i had been betrayed.

Several days of torment followed in a questioning cell or it seemed like several days all i can remember is the beatings and the questions. Finally when i had refused to speak a single word, like those past heroes of rebellion the Baron himself entered, and informed me that they no longer needed a confession. Sten had told him everything. When the baron's men had arrived at his door it took a simple threat to burn his wife and three young daughters alive and he had told them everything with a slight change. He said it had been my decsion as an act of rebellion against the Duke.

The Baron told me that if it had been left to him he would have simply had me out on the gallows before sunset and i would be dancing a merry jig on the end of a rope. However, the Duke had decided that i would be transferred to his private prison until such a time that he could deal with me personally. At the time i had breathed a sigh of relief as the Duke was a fair man and it would give my brothers and sisters in rebellion an opportunity to rescue me or at least provide me with the means to effect my own escape.

That had been three months ago and despite Sten's aunt working the kitchen of the Duke's gaol i had had no contact from the rebels. That is, until last night. Last night a guard i didnt recgognise came to the door and harrassed me that i had some romantic notions of fairy tale hero and that the real world out side my tiny village was vastly different. He had told me that the Baron's youngest had been widely loved and i was filth beaneath his shoe for what i had done.he finnished his tirade by spitting on the ground and left. Shortly after a hunched fugure had crept to the cell door and whispered insistently to get my attention. When i relocated myself nearer to the door a raspy female voice told me that one night hence i would be find my cell door unlocked and simple to open and i only had to head down the stairs at the end of the hallway and out the door to find the main courtyard with the main gates unlocked and unattended directly infront of me. I just had to last one more day which would feature a visit from the Duke's Inquisitor. This was the main questioner for the Duke's court and only reported to the Duke and the King. All others were expected to give him way. This first day would only be questons about things he already knew about and thus i should answer truthfully and fully or he would know i was lying and would begin a more robust form of questioning involving one of the cells in the basement. The speaker did not need to tell me what happened in the underground cells as my imagination could extrapolate that nothing hidden from the gods underground would be good. So, she reiterated, all i had to do was answer the questions he already knew the answers to in is as much detail as possible then he would depart and that evening i would be able to basically walk out of there and meet Sten and a spare horse and be gone to his sister's farm in a neighbouring antoagonistic Duchy where i was unlikely to be returned to this one. I knew that my fellow rebels had not abandonded me and i began to prepare my mind for my daring escape.

The Inquisitor had departed around an hour ago and i was pacing my cell to warm my muscles up to run. He had asked several questions consulting a piece of parchment in front of him with every answer i gave. I followed my unknown advisors instructions i gave him the information as i had known it before my imprisionment. The location of the meeting halls. The names of group leaders and our safe houses and weapons caches. Nothing he didnt already know from the months he had been gathering his information. He turned to leave and commended me on my honesty and said he didnt see a need to resort “downstairs questions” if continued in this honest and trustworthy way. I decided to lie on my cell and rest before my flight.

I was awakened by an incessant but quiet knocking on the door. When i sat up it gently and silently glidely open outwards. Poking my head out cautiously i looked both ways and despite the fairly good lighting of torches in sconces on the walls i could see no source of the knocking. Glancing out the window i realised that it was dark enough to try for the gate. Tiptoeing quickly down the hall towards the stairwell i glanced quickly around to make sure that none of the other residents on this floor heard me. So far so good.

I couldnt restrain the soft slapping noise my feet as i descended the stairs as quickly as i could. The cold stone of the walls echoing the sound back at me but so softly i could barely hear it. My breath was coming in little gasps of exertions as i tried to hurry silently, which i discovered is not as easy as the stories made it seem.

I finally reached the bottom step and halted before the small door catching my breath. It must be late at night i thought as i could see my breath misting in front of my eyes. Once i caught my breath i slowly pushed the door open and prepared for the sprint acroos the lit courtyard. As the door swung open with a gently creak of protest i realised that the courtyard was pitch black.

Just like the rebels in stories they had managed to coerce or enlist some guards to abandon their posts. Across from the door i stood infront of i could make out a dimly lit gatehuse and an open gate through which i could see a saddled horse; riderless and waiting. I began to jog towards it focusng on the dim latern hanging to one side of the gate. As i reached the halfway point, some one hundred yards between gate and door i heard a loud bang. Turning back i saw the door behind me had slammed shut. From the other side i heard a creak and a s i turned my head back i was just in time to see the gate close. The click it made as it locked was audible in the deathly silence of the courtyard. Suddenly, bright lights began to appear on the wall around me. Looking up i thought them to be a mages spell or some demon that guarded the prison. As my eyes adjusted i saw that they were shuttered lanterns that had been uncovered and illuminated the courtyard. What they illumunated on the wall turned my blood to ice, there was easily a hundred crossbow men situated between me and every lamp. I knew why their backs were to the light, it was a hunters trick to save your night vision when hunting at night.

“Did you think it would be so easy to kill our son” a voice called out.

I searched for the source of the voice and my heart sank as i realised that the speaker was the Baron. Beside him stood his wife, the inquisitor and a girl in her mid to late teens. They gazed down at me and i could see no trace of compassion in those identical cold stares.

“You starve us while you buy and race hounds and horses and falcons. Your son's death was regrettable but when he died he was in the arms of his riding instructor”

The Inquisitor stepped up

“Mybrother”, He said, “was in the arms of his new wife, who was indeed teaching him how to ride. He had a blood affliction which the saintly healers in the Capital's church cured him of. He was newly wed and was merely celebrating this with his new bride.” “And you Inquisitor? Getting involved in personal matters is surely beneath you”

The quartet on the wall laughed the Barons wife moved forward.

“Oh you simpleton. I knew you could be tricked but didnt realise how simple it would be. My son is no Inquisitor. This lady” she gestured to the girl “is our daughter and thanks to dance classes, is nimble on her feet. Nimble enough to, say, unlock a cell door and vanish without a trace.”

My stomach rose to my throat as i realised. “Oh no” i muttered as i realised how it all had panned out. I had given the Baron's son information about the rebellion. Information he had feigned knowledge of and i had betrayed every last one of my rebel brethren. I felt the bile rise in my gorge as i realsied i had doomed the rebellion. That stopped as i saw the Baron raise his arm and the crossbowmen took aim. I had just enough time ot think: “this is nothing like the stories” as the arm swept down.

submitted by /u/sociallyintrigued [link] [comments] via Blogger https://ift.tt/2NZJn76

[helafontrecs]

Journal of Sivart Samoth the Immortal Hammer Colony Assessment Tour Day 038 We are 2 days out from the Alpha Sierra colony & i am still haunted by the smell of Ifri. I pleaded w/ her to join us back in continuum city ( i even offered her a good position in the immortal army ), but she was far too engrossed in her royal guard training to even give the prospect any real consideration. The king is his normal oblivious self today ( literally whistling while walking ) while i am torn inside. It is getting late & we are unsure where to make camp. I suggest that we ascend into the olympian mountain range, but the king ( always the overachiever ) said he heard news of a small rogue colony in a nearby bayou named boogi & wanted to go break bread w/ the inhabitants. It is a slightly longer trek & considerably more unpredictable, but i acquiesce to my liege. As the sun set we came upon the edge of the forest line where we found a surprisingly well maintained trail penetrating the thick vegetation. As we traveled down the path the surrounding flora gained an eerie quality that made me increasingly more uneasy as we proceeded, the king seemed unaffected. At the end of the path we found a town that was quite a bit larger than what we had been expecting ( there were probably at least 20+ structures radiating from a central water source ). Just as i began stating that I had a bad feeling about this place we were greeted by a man who gruffly introduced himself as CHIEF! He explained that him & a couple of the other founders of the town had been somewhat ostracized back in olympia & felt a pull to explore further lands, in time they set out on their own & were eventually all drawn to boogi. When CHIEF learned of the kings stature, he was eager to have him survey their land. Being an outlaw, I felt he might have reason to fear us, but he seemed quite interested in becoming part of the continuum kingdom. After the 2 finished talking CHIEF rustled us up a place to stay for the night & we parted ways. Colony Assessment Tour Day 039 A lot has transpired since yesterday. It all started last night after we turned in. The king easily slipped into slumber once inside our temporary lodgings, but i stirred. The bayou was terribly hot & i could not shake thoughts of ifri from my mindspace, so i decided to go out for a walk around the bayou. The scene appeared serene, but an odd presence hung in the thick air. I walked the perimeter of the water taking in the ramshackle houses cast in the shadows of the night. The little moonlight that escaped through the branches that covered almost the entirety of the towns ceiling crept across the ground in unusual ways that seemed impossible within the rules of our world.

After i had almost completed my loop around the jagged circlet of water i saw a faint glow coming from a nearby dock. I slowed my pace & crept quietly to obtain a closer look. I ducked behind a nearby brush patch & peeped a bizarre scene through the reeds. It was CHIEF struggling w/ a peculiar large headed young man. The glow appeared to be emanating from the young man ( most notably his eyes ) which seemed to project light like miniature spotlights. The young man was bound & gagged, he was struggling & noticeably petrified. His fear intensified as CHIEF began dragging him towards the water. Believing that this poor boys life was in danger i rushed out to intercede, but when i attempted to tackle CHIEF i passed through him like he was a specter, leaving me to watch helplessly as he flung the boy into the water, the glowing body sinking helplessly to the bottom until there was only a faint glow deep in the water. Horrified i turned to run & alert the town, but when i did, the glowing eyed young man was now standing face to face w/ me. His eyes were mesmerizing... The next thing i knew i was back in my bed. The kings bed was already made, but his pack was now sitting on top of it. I quickly dressed & began searching for him. I followed the smell of cooking food to a building w/ a small dining hall in it, I spotted the king breaking his fast w/ CHIEF & some of the other founders. I rushed up to him & murmured something about classified kingdom business & whisked him away. Once outside I blurted out all the things I had witnessed last night. A lot of people would have been skeptical of my tale, but the king & I had a trust that I’ve never experienced w/ any other being on this planet. He instantly recognized the strange predicament we were in, we knew no one in this town except our potential murderer & something very sinister was transpiring. Being honorable men of the highest order we could not turn a blind eye.

The king went back inside in an attempt to not arouse suspicion ( & to finish his food ), I began doing recon around town. I silently watched the townsfolk for the remainder of the day. Most of them seemed normal as could be, but eventually one girl stood out to me, she did not seem to be talking to the rest of the group, she also seemed to be the only person in the village that did not appear content. In one of her isolated moments I snuck up & pulled her aside. As soon as I looked into her eyes I knew this was the person I was looking for. Her eyes were mesmerizing... I reconvened w/ the king later that day & explained that the girl was the sister of the young drowning man & his name was lantern. A couple months ago he began confiding in her that the founders were not who they appeared to be. He became more & more paranoid until one day he just vanished. Everyone just assumed he ran away because he never fit in, but his sister knew he would never just leave her like that. Later that night after everyone had gone to bed the king & I crept through the town to CHIEFs abode. We peeked through his window to behold a strange scene, CHIEF was standing behind a small podium leading a chant w/ the other founders sitting in a circle surrounding a fire. The flame leapt around like it was being manipulated by great winds even though it was inside an enclosed space. I was mesmerized by the shadows dancing across the walls until I saw a pair of ominous eyes open on the opposite wall from the group. The shadow slowly started to take physical shape as a creature pulled itself from some distant realm. An overwhelming terror came over me but the king turned to me & said Ive seen enough then walked to the front door & opened it before I had any chance to dissuade him.

The shadows spilled out of the small cabin like someone released a flood gate. Once outside the shadow creature was 2x times its original size, but the king stood steadfast. I ran towards it & swung my war-hammer at the creatures head, but just like w/ the apparitions on the dock it was completely unfazed. The creature immediately spawned a multitude of dark tendrils that wrapped around me & I felt all willpower instantly drain out of me as I slumped to the ground. The creature turned back towards the king who silently unsheathed his weapon & released the blade. The silky smooth form of the creature bristled at the light emanating from the quantum sword. More tendrils appeared from the innards of the creature & they went straight for the king. He effortlessly swung his sword severing all the tips of the tentacles as he moved towards the demon. Once close enough he sunk his blade into the living shadow & it let forth a sound like air screaming, then dissipated into smoke. As soon as the creature was gone I was released & fell into a deep slumber. Colony Assessment Tour Day 041 I awoke in my bed to see my kings bed made w/ his pack on top again. Still exhausted I dragged myself to the dining hall & found him there once again eating w/ the founders, I sat down to join them. As we ate the king explained that a shadow spirit had taken over CHIEFs body back in olympia & that it had used its power to lure all these people to boogi. It turned out that lantern had a sort of spectral vision that allowed him to see the shadow spirit inside the townsfolk & when the spirit realized this, it killed lantern to keep him quiet. As he concluded his tale, laterns sister walked in & asked if we could go for a walk. She thanked me for all that we had done, I explained that the king had actually done most of the heavy lifting, but she was adamant that her brother had chosen me to help & if I hadnt found her they would have never cracked the case. She told me there was nothing left for her in boogi & asked if she could join us on our trip back to continuum city, I regretfully informed her that we weren’t going home yet, the king had more colonies to see & I must accompany him. She seemed disappointed, but she took my directions & said she would go anyways & that hopefully one day we would meet again. I told her I would hope for the same thing.

I Can Feel It ( bb ) contains samples from In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins from the album Face Value & Bayou Boogie by David Wise from The Donkey Kong Country soundtrack which also samples In the Air Tonight.

This is part of the 7 dmnsns mixtape available on:

BANDCAMP

DATPIFF

SPINRILLA

[mentalrubikzcube-blog]

Confront Yourself Ch. 2

Chapter 2 We arrived at the hospital and I was rushed inside. I only caught a few images of what was going on because my eyes were still very strained and sore. My head was also still trying to work up the strength to make sense of all of this. Daya stayec at my side. She was alwats there for me. I even saw Spitz there. Daya threw him out. Apparently there was a bit more to the story. Daya woukd later on confide in me that Spitz originally was gonna bring me to the hospital in his car and as he was "helping" me in he got rather "handsy". Daya had been looking for me and checked if I was smoking, which was the go to spot if I'm not waitressing. She saw Spitz and called the police and 911. I was completely unconcious the whole time and dont remember the assault or the fainting. It had to be from lack of sleep. Once the nicotine hit my sytem combined with Spitz's rage, I guess it was too much and I collapsed. I cant belive, well actually I can, but still. How could you take advantage of your employmee? Who am I kidding, its Connor Spitzman were talking about. Scoundrel extrordinare. After sometime in the ICU, I was aloud to go home and told to get rest and take a week off work. Daya stressed to the nurse that she would make sure I made a full recovery. She definitely would hold hold up her end of the bargin. She took me home and tucked me into bed. Very little was said. We both knew that I needed to just rest. What was there to talk sbout anyway, it had been a traumatic day for us both. She needed rest just like I did. When I suggested she stay the night she about cried. Daya was one of the few who knew that extending an invitation like that wasnt common for me. She thanked me and got the couch ready for her to sleep later. After a wonderful dinner of chicken cordon bleu and golden potatoes we both headed to bed. I fell back into my deep space sleep. It felt good to let go and finally recharge. As I lay there, I Kofeel tears roll down my cheeks. Why am I crying?  I thought to myself. I wiped them away and fell again into my comatose sleep. Numb. Black. Perfect. Serene. Gone too quick. Before I knew it Daya had brought me breakfast in bed. Waffles, eeggs, bacon, mixed berries, orange juice, even a side of cinnamon butter, and finally a little vase with wildflowers. The works. "Wow, thanks D." I was so grateful to gave someone who cared about me so much. She smiled and headed out of the room. Returning with my Firefly mug filled with rich Columbine coffee. "Three packs of sugar and just enough cream to coat your throught so you can drink more, right?" Daya chuckled I smiled. She knew me so well. Now before you getbthe wrong idea. No, she is not my girlfriend. She is however my best friend and I would literally die without her. She keeps me grounded and I do my best to do the same for her. After breakfast, coffee, and a morning smoke I wanna get out and go for a walk. If I'm gonna be on sick leave then I atleast wanna get some fresh air and get outside. That's the best way to feel better if youre system is upset. I tried to go for walks whenever I need to clear my head or just feel better in general. As I was getting ready Daya was in my ear telling me about how what if I fainted again and that I needed to be careful, I assured her I would be and she finally relented and let me go on my walk. I walked up the street and around a few corners. I passed pretty neighborhoods and not so pretty ones. I finally came upon a small strip mall. I wondered along the siewalk gazing st the colorful and vast stores that were included by one another. Matress store. Carribean dining. Hat repair place. Subway. I kept walking and then I saw a shop worth looking into, it was called Miss Lovely Lovely's Curio Cabinet. From the outside it looked like a vintage bookstore. I opened the door and it triggered a little bell. A lady emerged from a chair and greeted me warming then the sun after a long frost, "Hello traveler, may I offer you some Egyptian cinnamon tea?" She was a very sweet old lady. She had long almost transparent white hair and her eyes were an emerald green. Very shiny and flawless. "No thank you." I repiled. I looked around the shop in amazement. There were so many things. Clothes, books, toys, trinkets galore, and so much more. "Look around dear and let me know if you need anything." She said sitting back down. I did just that. This place was fasicinating. Vintage and modern stuff mingled together. It was beautiful and kept blinking thinking it was a dream. How have I not been here before? I ask myself. After looking at the jewlery and clothes, I gravitate to the books. After looking throught many titles I was compelled to ask her if she had a book that could help me sleep. That space sleep was temporary and I know it. "Ma'am, do have anything about insomnia?" She smiledcat my request. She disappered to the back and reappeared with a small brown leather bound book without a name. "I was hoping you would have come sooner, Reylnn Yorfath." Shd said my name, How did she know my name? I pondered in horror "Wwww-ho arrrrre you?" I stuttered "Miss Lovely Lovely of course." She chuckled "I go by many names, but that isnt important, you need this book to fix what you have broken." I didnt know what to do, so I accepted the book with no name and looked it over. It was rather tiny snd the pages were stained from the years. It also had a vintage air about it. Flipping through I saw that many of the paragraphs had multiple sentences underlined. It was very intriguing. I still didnt understsnd how she knew my name, but I wanted that book. "Hhhhh-ow much?" I asked, sounding like an idiot "No dear, this is a gift, before you can be at peace you must confront yourself." She said lovingly "Thank you." I said quietly tucking the book into my purse, I slowly made my way out of the store still amazed and looking around. Once outside I immediately light a cigarette. What just happened? I asked myself I began to make my way back to the house before Daya got worried. When I got to the front door, I looked in the window and saw Daya was sitting on the couch reading a book. I love the way her hair shimmers in the sun. To be honest I might have a slight crush on Daya, but I would never tell her. It woukd ruin our friendship. Anyway, I make my way inside and greeted her. She immediately started into how far I walkdd and if I took breaks as to not get too tired and pass out again. "Yes, Mom, I made sure to be careful." I teased her, she got a little frustrated but eventually laughed it off. I set my things down and told her about the little shop. She had never hesrd of it before. Weirdly, she checked the internet for it but there was nothing as if it didnt even exsist. Then Daya became a litte worried and asked me, "Are you sure you went there? Maybe your head is messing with you. I told you, you needed more rest." Daya huffed and looked at me concerned. I had left out the part about the book thinking she would freak out, I was even happier now I hadnt. I knew what I saw. It was real. Everything happened just like that. But then I began to question. Had I really gone there? Theres nominternet listing and my mind has been being weird lately. I swore it really happened thought. It seemed so real. Thoughts swirled around my head and I knew I had to see if I had the book. But I didnt want Daya to see and ask me about it. She woukd think I was crazy. I said rather shyly, "Well, I'm gonna go get some rest then. I guess my head is just still messed up. Anyway thanks Daya." Then I slipped away to my room with my purse. Once insixe inside I closed the door and locked it. I put the purse on the bed and stuck my hand inside. I felt my wallet, perfume, sunglasses, smokes, lighter, and other odds and ends. Where was the book? Had I really imagined all of that? I began to think to myself. Suddenly I panicked and thought once more, Am I going crazy? Did I hit my head harder then I thought? Is this insomnia eating away at my memory and thought patterns? I started to shake a bit, but I looked once more in my purse. Wallet, keys, sunglasses, BOOK! It was there. How had I skipped it the first time? Or was my mind just playing tricks on me again? I didnt know. All I knew was that I had the book and now I could finally cure my insomnia. I sat on the bed and began to read. I was shocked by how accurate and headon this stuff was. Before I knew it Daya was knocking on my door for dinner. I stashed the book under my pillow. Because for whatever reason I didnt wanna spark her curiosity. I wanted this treasure all to myself. I unlocked the door and met Daya in the living room. Waiting for me was shrimp and rigatoni. It smelled amazing. I couldnt wait to dive in. Daya gave me the pills the doctor perscribed and we ate. After a great meal and equally great converstaion we both agreed it was time for bed. "You need anything?" Daya asked as I was brushing my teeth. I shook my head. We echanged goodnights and she shut of the lights. I slid into my room, anxious to see what else the book said. Already it had me addicted. I was somewhat experiencing withdrawl when at dinner. Which I thin was more guilt then anything. I wanted to tell Daya, I really did, but I knew she wouldnt understand. So I would keep it to myself until I knew for sure it cured me of this insanity which I was desperately on the brink of. I read to myself, "Life is defined as the state or quality that distinguishes living beings from dead ones and from inorganic matter, characterized chiefly by metabolism, growth, and the ability to reproduce and respond to stimuli. The period between birth and death. But to Live means something else entirely. Live is defined as to remain alive, be alive, to exsist in a specified way. We all are given Life, but seldom do any of us Live. We need to live. Be alive and go out and enjoy the world. Get out of our comfort zones. Aid our fellow man and conquer the earth the way The Creator intended. For out Creator is Life and we only Live through Him. For the wages of sin are death, but the Gift of our Creator is Eternal Life through His Son. All you must do is believe." I shut the book and rolled my eyes, "Great, a religious book, but still how did she know I was gonna come in there, I mean Im sure she gives everyone the same book but how did she know my name?" I wondered to myself, I didnt know how to explain all of it, so I decided to try an sleep. I place the book on my nightstand, roll over, and pull the blanket up. Maybe I'd give the book another chance tomorrow, even for being a religious book it wasnt bad. I fade into a deep sleep and I'm standing in a meadow. The breeze is light and airy. I gaze around at the cloud filled blue sky and the crisp green grass benath me. Out of nowhere I hear a voice say, "Do not be afraid, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring, and My blessing on your descendants. They will spring upnlike grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams. I am the First and the Last. Apart from Me there is nothing. All who make idolsare nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame. No one stops to think, 'Is not this thing in my hand a lie?' Such a person feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him, he cannot save himself. I have made you,  you are My servant. I have swept away your offenses lime a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you. Sing for joy, you heavens, for the Creator has done this. Shout aloud, you earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all you trees, for the Creator has redeemed you, He displays His Glory before you. Be gratious and humble becore your Creator!" While the voice spoke everything around me was changing constantly. Before I knew it I was no long err in the meadow but up in space looking at earth from above. Just floating along in space with no problems. Then suddenly I was in the mountains looking down on the majesticness of the world down below. Then suddenly I was deep in the woods and the wind wooshed about creating a harmonious rhythm through the branches and the leaves. I was amazed by everything I saw. Out of nowhere there was a flash of lightning and booming of thunder. I instinctively dropped down out of fright. I heard the same voice one more and it spoked louder now, "I am the Alpha and Omega, The beginning and the end, there is nothing without Me. Nothing! Bow before your Creator you miserable creation." I got down on my knees and bowed, and in the blink of an eye I was back in my apartment in my bed like nothin happened. What just happened? I thought to myself. I fell back asleep after much tossing and turning, no crazy dreams this time. Just a deep deep deep sleep.

[rossl32123]

Clear Sky, 19°C

7 Pacific Highway

Easter break Work on the boat at Midcoast Marine was starting to come together but she was still out of the water at the start of the week before easter. The rams were done and ready to be reinstalled, the keyway was ready for the tiller bar to go back in. The through hulls had all been inspected, and replaced as needed. The prep was all done for the antifouling and winch covers were finished, and clears restitched. Still not done was the boom bags, stantions and toe rail. The toe rail work was still an undecided. What was at issue was just how to reattatch the rail with appropriate strength to carry the headsail sheet block, the boom preventer, the running back stay and a block for handling launching and recovery of the RIB. Finally it was decided to glass and clamp the cracks, re tap the bolts once it had set, then set some dozen or so embedded bars by driving through the side of the rail and glassing in. These could be accessed by more bolts through the toe rail that threaded into these bars. This should provide more than adequate strength. Monday was relaunch day, but in the end it didn't happen until Tuesday. I wasnt there, I needed to work, especially after the invoices started rolling in. The work on the toe rail was completed at the maintenance dock, and the boom bags were finally installed on the Wednesday, but the lazy jacks and the end covers still hadnt been done, and neither had the engine been serviced. The stantions had all been reinstalled but not the safety lines, so that was a job for me to do. They all went back together fairly easily, except for the longest one, which was no longer long enough! It was only a matter of 4 or 5 millimeters, but I couldn't pull the line hard enough to close the gap. The boys had all knocked off for the day, so I retasked a spare shackle to bridge the gap, and made a mental note to get the boys to fix it next day. Hunter and I arrived Thursday afternoon to take her away for the easter break. The plan was for a simple jaunt up to Port Stephens, find a good spot to anchor and enjoy the unusual spell of good weather (any camper will tell you it always rains at easter). We had brought the big motor for the RIB, Lindsey having finally completed the service on it, and after borrowing a cart to get it down to the dock, I went to hand back the keycard for the cart, when the lanyard it was on caught the leg of my glasses as I passed it over my head, and with a single bounce on the dock they disappeared under the boat. Not happy. Kyle was kind enough to attempt to recover them, and he spent 20-30 minutes under the boat feeling around in the mud without any luck. Richie had a spare pair he didn't need that were an approximation of my prescription for long vision, but I had nothing but a magnifying glass for handling anything I had to read. On the plus side I did get to test one of the dive rigs, which uncovered a couple of issues, like the airline not fitting the BC, and the dive computer battery being dead. After we had loaded all our gear aboard, Hunter and I spent a pleasant evening walking along the Newcastle docks to the pub, had a meal and returned to the boat the same way. This aspect of Newcastle is a real treat, and will only get better with all the work that is being done to improve it. Once back at the dock, through excellent foresight (even without the best vision), we managed to circumvent security to get back on the dock, using a strategically placed rock underneath the landing ramp. Even better foresight might have prompted a keycard before the marina staff knocked off for Easter, but we had been a bit preoccupied with other challenges. Next day we made an easy start for Shoal Bay, that being the recommended spot to anchor for a few days. When preparing the mizzen to raise, not that there was any wind worth getting excited about, I noticed that all the slides had been removed from the boom to allow the boom bag slides to be fitted, and hadn't been put back! On further investigation I discovered that the main was the same! I wasn't particularly happy, even less so when I realised that the slides on the foot of the main had been cut off altogether! With that discovery I cancelled the idea of raising these sails and we motored all the way to Shoal Bay. I was going to have to rectify this problem, but I couldn't figure out how to get the boom bags off! Oh well, back to Newcastle on the way home. It was a bit of a rolly night at anchor, even though the outside swell was from the southeast, some of it still managed to bend around the entrance and into Shoal Bay. Next day Hunter and I got the RIB launched and made our way into town, chiefly to use the loos. The water was sparkling clear, the sun was bright and not too hot, and the sand was white and clean. Perfect. Or it would have been if my holding tank was useable. Hunter had decided that he needed to be back in Sydney, so after consulting with the bus timetable he gave me a hand to do some shopping and get it back to the boat, then he was gone. I had it all to myself, if you ignored all the other people on holiday there. It was a good thing that I was offshore, but the boating activity was intense, especially those annoying bloody jetskis. Sunday was set aside for entertaining. Keri, Bronte and Janice were heading up for lunch. I met them on the beach with the RIB. The beach at Shoal Bay is perfect for picking up a party from shore, but we still managed to make a spectacle of ourselves. I had the boat turned around to face offshore so that everyone could get in over the stern. But this just encourages people to jump in with their shoes on between the waves. Even though the beach shelves quickly, once there were three people in the boat it sat on the sand and I couldn't move it. I insisted that they all stayed put, it would just take a little patience waiting for a bigger wave, or the tide to come in a bit, but Janice decided she would do the right thing, take her shoes off and hop back out. This was all very well, but by then, without her weight in it, the boat was ready to go and when she gave it a heave it almost left without her! So she was sprawled across the side and I'm trying to heave her the rest of the way in, and we are all laughing too hard! Needless to say, when boating off a beach it is always wise to accept that there is a better than even chance you will get wet at some stage. Just how wet, now that's the thing. So we had a lovely day just chilling over some wine and wraps. The sun was perfect, the breeze was just right and the swell had slackened off a bit. There was no need to motor off to anywhere else, where else could have been better? Bronte stayed that night, to help me get her back to Newcastle next day, which turned out to be a carbon copy of the day before. So we motored all the way, again. I did get the main up at one stage, I thought it might be OK with a reef in it, but there was no wind and so down it came again. I probably should have stayed in Port Stephens for the rest of the week, after all, this is cruising, and this is what I wanted to do with this boat, but that would have meant coming back without help, and the possibility that the weather might turn, so Monday afternoon saw us back at Midcoast Marine. Not on the maintenance dock, as Joe had bagged that spot, but through some excellent skill, and a big pinch of luck, I managed to manoevre into a slot on the NCYC dock. After the last docking attempt on that dock I was amazed at how easily we pulled off a reverse 90, with bow in, without bending anything. That night we had a nice feed at a Thai restaurant up toward the railway station, wherein I left Bronte to return home. My plan was to attack the boys at the marina regarding the safety rail and the foot pumps which weren't working, and at East Coast Sails over the deficiencies with the sails. I was also keen to get the motors serviced, something else I was determined to get an expert to do first up. With the sails the response was, "that's how it is done these days, loose footed mainsails are the fashion". Who knew. On the foot pumps, after spending a number of hours trying to follow hose lines, the conclusion was that whereas I had assumed that they were saltwater pumps, in fact that was not the case. The foot pumps were all installed to allow fresh water to be drawn up without the need for the pressure pump to be turned on. Except for the galley pump, which wasn't even connected. The problem with the safety rail turned out to be an issue because the bent stantions had all had their feet reset to 90° which caused them to lean outward, whereas those on the other side of the boat were set to be vertical. Consequently the top safety rail had further to go. We tried bending them back to the vertical, or atleast Brent did (I didn't want to be the one to break them), but I didn't want to push them too far, the shackle solution remains. The mechanic finally agreed to show the next day, he had all the filters, bar one which I fortunately had on board. For some reason he didn't bring any oil, I guess he wasn't sure how much he was going to need and was planning on assessing that based on how much he got out of each engine. Well he spent most of the morning trying to extract the oil out of them, and the gearbox as well, and failed miserable. The air was blue, I couldn't hang around because I felt I was acting as a conduit for his frustration. I kept out of the way servicing the winches when I wasn't off at the loo or getting something to eat. In the end he came to the conclusion that there wasn't any oil in either engine, but he did manage to get the gearbox drained. Well that came as quite a shock, especially when he managed to put 8l of oil into the main engine, and 2l in the gen set! So I'm wondering if I've dodge a bullet here, or if this one is really going to bite a bit further down the track? The next day I decided I had to get out of town. This place had cost me a fortune and there was no sign of it slowing up. Matt had finally finished the lazy jacks and the covers on the boom bags, and the motors were all serviced, so I got up before the sun and made it out of dodge. The sun came up as I motored down river, and past a couple of coal ships with attendant tugs working their way up to their dock. I was keen to get the mainsail up to see how the lazy jacks and boom bags were going to work, but once again there was no point wasting my energy. I did note that the lazy jacks on the mizzen were quite tight and remain in contact with the sail. I think it might be an idea to allow them to be loosened off once the sail is up, and spend some time working out a solution for this, possibly using sister clips, but otherwise I wiled away a pleasant 6hrs putting down the coast. The only concern I had was how I was going to manage picking up the mooring at Claireville on my own. This turned out to be easier than I thought it was going to be, although there is the potential there for this to turn into a regular diaster, as I was soon to discover.

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