#doing this a day early b/c February only has 28 days this year

[lanternlightseer]

30 Days of LP. Day 1: A song that was your introduction to Linkin Park

⚝ Crawling ⚝

There's something inside me that pulls beneath the surface Consuming confusing This lack of self-control I fear is never ending Controlling I can't seem To find myself again My walls are closing in (Without a sense of confidence and I'm convinced that there's just too much pressure to take) I've felt this way before So insecure

[insp] Thanks @fabiana-walles for the new photoshop challenge.

[citizenscreen]

On September 8, 1930, in the midst of the Great Depression, the world was introduced to Blondie Boopadoop, a dizzy blonde flapper created by Murat Bernard ‘Chic’ Young. Blondie debuted in newspapers across the country on that day. She was Chic Young’s fourth strip featuring a young woman, but this was the one to catch fire and eventually become iconic in the world of comics and media at large. It is hard to believe that the blonde hero of blissful domesticity turns 90 and that her stories remain tops with audiences the world over.

Blondie’s early days featured the star popular in dating circles. Her courtships made for several storylines. Blondie’s main squeeze, however, was bumbling playboy Dagwood Bumstead, son of millionaire industrialist, J. Bolling Bumstead. Dagwood introduced Blondie to his ill-natured father in the very first strip announcing their plans to marry. The elder Bumstead was aghast that his son would be interested in a woman of Blondie’s lowly social status.

For the next couple of years, the Blondie comics centered on the couple’s struggles to get the Bumsteads to agree to the pairing. Blondie does everything imaginable to no avail. In the meantime, she also entertains several other admirers – although Dagwood was never far away. With readership dwindling, Chic Young and the comic’s distributer, King Features Syndicate, decided Blondie and Dagwood should finally get married and in February 1933 they did much to the chagrin of the Bumsteads who disowned their son and heir. Mr. and Mrs. Bumstead only grudgingly acknowledged the union because Dagwood went on a hunger strike that lasted over 28 days spotlighted by daily coverage and countdowns that helped circulation. Every day people tuned in to see how Dagwood was doing on the hunger strike. After all, one of his favorite pasttimes has always been eating. One of my favorite Blondie scenes is of Dagwood emerging from his bed after the hunger strike to reveal loads of dishes under the covers.

It was after the marriage of the disinherited blissfully happy Dagwood and the carefree vivacious Blondie took place that audiences truly warmed to their humorous domestic escapades. Blondie and Dagwood became a happy family whose troubles reflected those of the readers’ in many ways. The couple started their married life penniless, as were most during the Depression, which lent itself to many enjoyable scenes. First Dagwood’s need to find work made great stories and eventually so did his relationship with his boss Mister Dithers. However, the charms of Blondie the strip relied on the couple’s home life and its place in the pantheon of all things domestic comedy, which was a revolutionary one at that as Chic Young insisted that the young Bumsteads share a double bed, not the twin beds audiences saw on all other domestic stories in media. (loc.gov) In fact, the Bumsteads did not share a bed in their movie incarnations.

As the strip continued its run, Blondie and Dagwood changed as did their family. Blondie, who started as an airhead of sorts, became the Bumstead voice of reason and Dagwood became the flake to whom all things happen. Part of Dagwood’s charm is he remains a child of sorts, an innocent whose zany antics we cannot get enough of and all because he can’t seem to get things quite right. Except his sandwich, which is a masterpiece every single time.

On April 15, 1934, the couple welcomed their first child, Baby Dumpling (later Alexander) who received almost as much media attention as baby Ricardo on “I Love Lucy” two decades later. Except without the power of television.

In 1941, Blondie and Dagwood welcomed a daughter, Cookie, whose name was chosen by hundreds of thousands of submissions in a contest run by Chic Young. Blondie’s popularity soared when the Bumsteads became a family in earnest in their home in Joplin, Missouri, including Daisy (family dog and Dagwood’s best friend) and the pups. At the height of its popularity, Blondie rivaled Peanuts. No doubt, this creation by Chic Young is one of the all-time greats in the pantheon of comic strips. I would say a masterpiece people have enjoyed for its love conquers all stories and wonderful drawings. It has been one of my favorites for years.

Aside from daily strips and Sunday editions, the Bumsteads have enjoyed comic book popularity as well with seven versions spanning from 1947 to 1976.

  As you probably know Blondie’s popularity jumped to screens and the airwaves as well. As far as the movies go, the story is that as the strip’s popularity grew, Columbia Pictures’ boss Harry Cohn decided that the characters had potential for a B-picture or two so he signed a deal with Chic Young. The result was a 28-picture, 12-year run between 1938 and 1950. All twenty-eight movies star Penny Singleton as Blondie and Arthur Lake as Dagwood. The first and best is Frank Strayer’s Blondie. Strayer directed more than a dozen of the Blondie pictures.

Some of the signature gags from the strip made it into the movies such as Dagwood running into the mailman every morning as he is late for work causing the mail to fly all over the place. That happened early in all of the movies welcoming devoted fans to the hijinks of their favorite family. Following Dagwood’s signature,” Blondieeeeee.” Dagwood’s legendary sandwich also made its way into every single one of the movies and into Webster’s New World Dictionary.

The first movie in the series sees the Bumsteads about to celebrate their fifth anniversary, but money troubles ensue. They have money troubles often in their history. In fact, the Bumstead budget, as Blondie mentions in one of the movies, is the pulse of the family. Dagwood asks for a raise from Mr. Dithers (Jonathan Hale), owner of the J. C. Dithers Construction Company, with whom Dagwood is always at odds just like in the strip. Blondie, on the other hand, orders new furniture (from an uncredited Charles Lane) since they just finished paying off other furniture. Her logic is impeccable, a logic inherited by an almost-too-cute Baby Dumpling (Larry Simms). Dagwood loses his job after getting into a jam at work, but makes up for it by wooing a wealthy businessman (Gene Lockhart) into investing with the Dithers Company.

Staying true to the comic strip, Blondie (1938) features several of the same characters throughout the series played by the same actors. Aside from Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake, Larry Simms plays Baby Dumpling in all of the movies. He was so popular in the role that he was credited as “Baby Dumpling” in Frank Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) where he plays the Hopper Boy. Marjorie Ann Mutchie (as Marjorie Kent) makes her debut as Cookie Bumstead in Frank Strayer’s It’s a Great Life (1943), the thirteenth movie in the series and one of the few without “Blondie” in the title. More on that later.

Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake as Blondie and Dagwood in the first movie in the Blondie series

Rounding out the regulars that make up the Bumstead family is Daisy, the cocker Spaniel/Poodle/Terrier mix whose real name was Spooks and plays the Bumstead’s trusted pooch with flair. Spooks appeared in a good number of movies in character parts, but is best remembered as Daisy. The prolific Willie Best appears as a porter in the first movie and does what he can with the stereotypical part he is given. Best plays varied roles throughout the series and remains mostly uncredited. Fay Helm appears in several Blondie movies as Mrs. Fuddle, neighbor to the Bumsteads and Blondie’s best friend. Danny Mummert plays her son Alvin, Baby Dumpling’s nemesis.

The Blondie movies are typical B-fare. They are fun, perfect for Saturday mornings, but substance is hard to come by. There are a few hearty laughs like the one in Blondie with the talking scale in the hotel men’s bathroom. It advertises your favorite radio voice will talk to you and when it does, it tells Dagwood he’s a loser.

Probably the best part of the series, however, are the actors that appear throughout. If you are a fan of the great character players you’ll get to see the likes of Donald Meek, John Qualen, Edgar Kennedy, William Frawley, and Mary Wickes to name a few. Many future major Columbia stars also make appearances. I was quite surprised to see Rita Hayworth, for instance, play prominently in Blondie on a Budget (1940). She is an old friend of Dagwood’s who plays right into Blondie’s jealous hands. When Blondie was not trying to finagle the family budget in order to buy something, she spent her time worrying that Dagwood would leave her for another woman.

  Larry Simms, Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake and Rita Hayworth in BLONDIE ON A BUDGET

The Blondie movie series ended with Edward Bernds’ Beware of Blondie (1950) where we see Dagwood in charge of the Dithers Construction Company while the boss is on vacation. You can just imagine how well that goes. Adele Jergens plays Miss Clifton, a con woman who takes advantage of Dagwood’s innocence to get to Dithers’ money. Of course, all turns out fine in the end with one important resolution to the series to close out a continuous loop. The mailman (Dick Wessel) decides to end Dagwood running into him finally by delivering the Bumstead mail on his own time at night. No more dirty uniforms. No more bruises. No more scattered mail. Unfortunately, the day he decides to do his first night delivery is tax day and guess who runs out of the house to mail his taxes at the last minute.

By the time Beware of Blondie was made the stories were stretched thin. The familiar Bumstead elements held the movies together as the family survived all sorts of domestic misadventures. According to AFI, Columbia had lost interest in the series after the first fourteen installments. They released two movies without Blondie’s name in the title and stopped producing the series in 1943. However, audiences wanted more and production resumed for another fourteen movies making this series the longest in terms of pictures to date. When the Blondie pictures ceased altogether in 1950, Columbia intended to replace it with another comic strip series, but that fell way short at the box office forcing the studio to reissue all 28 Blondie pictures.

Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, Larry Simms, and Marjorie Kent in the final picture in the series

America’s love affair with Blondie, Dagwood and the gang was not limited to movies, as we well know. The comic strip continued to strong readership and between 1939 and 1950, Blondie was also heard on radio. Arthur Lake played Dagwood in this version as well with Penny Singleton replaced by Alice White, Patricia Van Cleve and Ann Rutherford at various times. Blondie originally aired on CBS with Camel Cigarettes as its sponsor and later moved to NBC and Super Suds. Lake and Singleton made an appearance as Blondie and Dagwood on The Bob Hope Show following the 1938 release of the first movie, which led to their own show as a summer replacement for The Eddie Cantor Show. They originally aired on Monday evenings at 7:30 and just as the strip helped Depression-era audiences forget their troubles, the radio show helped them through World War II. Enjoy the following episodes of Blondie out of the funnies and into your homes…

From October 1939, “Dagwood Buys a New Suit”

https://ia800201.us.archive.org/13/items/OtrBlondie/Bd1939-10-30018DagwoodBuysANewSuit.mp3

  From April 1940, “The Gypsy Queen”

https://ia800201.us.archive.org/13/items/OtrBlondie/Bd1940-04-22043TheGypsyQueen.mp3

  From March 1944, “Abbott and Costello with Blondie and Dagwood”

https://ia800201.us.archive.org/13/items/OtrBlondie/Bd1944-03-02AbbottCostelloWBlondieDagwood.mp3

  From July 1944, “Plumbin Problems”

https://ia800201.us.archive.org/13/items/OtrBlondie/Bd1944-07-21PlumbingProblems.mp3

  From May 1945, “Socialite Blondie”

https://ia800201.us.archive.org/13/items/OtrBlondie/Bd1945-05-27SocialiteBlondiesocialAspirations.mp3

  From July 1947, “Three Week’s Vacation”

https://ia800201.us.archive.org/13/items/OtrBlondie/Bd1947-07-27ThreeWeeksVacation.mp3

  Unlike radio and the movies, attempts to bring Blondie to television proved unsuccessful. Its power were in the mediums already discussed, but it’s at least worth a mention that those in charge thought enough of the characters and their stories to give them several attempts at TV productions. The first such attempt, Blondie, premiered on January 4, 1957 on NBC and ran for one season. Pamela Britton starred as Blondie with Arthur Lake reprising his famous role once again. Stuffy Singer, Florenz Ames, Ann Barnes, and Harold Peary were also in the cast. In 1968, CBS gave Blondie a turn with The New Blondie, which also ran for one season. Patricia Harty and Will Hutchins star as Blondie and Dagwood in this version with real-life married couple Jim and Henny Backus as Mr. and Mrs. Dithers with Pamelyn Ferdin and Peter Robbins playing the Bumstead kids. As you can tell from the short run of both series, neither managed to capture the charm of the Bumsteads the other versions of their stories did.

Chicago native Chic Young drew Blondie seven days a week from 1930 until his death in 1973 producing more than 15,000 strips. His legacy, continued by his son Dean Young, is one of warmth and humor and home. No matter the decades that have passed, people still visit with the Bumsteads – 90 years after meeting them. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude for the laughter during difficult times.

Chic Young’s BLONDIE turns 90! On September 8, 1930, in the midst of the Great Depression, the world was introduced to Blondie Boopadoop, a dizzy blonde flapper created by Murat Bernard 'Chic' Young.

[joysmercer]

b99 season 6: a timeline

*****ONLY ACCURATE FOR 6x06 AND LATER******

E1 (“HONEYMOON”): Tuesday, 5/15 - Tuesday, 5/29/2018 

First day of Jake and Amy’s Holt-less honeymoon – Wednesday, 5/23, which also happens to be the date Jake was originally planning to propose on (x)

E2 (“HITCHCOCK AND SCULLY”): Wednesday, 5/30/2018 E3 (“THE TATTLER”): Thursday, 5/31/2018

E4 (“FOUR MOVEMENTS”): Friday, 6/1 - Friday, 6/22/2018

Jake’s Birthday – sometime between 6/18-6/20 

E5 (“A TALE OF TWO BANDITS”): Day 1 – Day 2 2018 (?)

Gas Explosion on Halloween – Wednesday, 10/31/2018

The Santiago’s visit for Thanksgiving – Thursday, 11/22/2018

Secret Santa, hosted by Jake and Amy – around Tuesday, 12/25/2018

The Coldest Night of the Year – Sunday, 1/6/2019

E6 (“THE CRIME SCENE”): Monday, 1/7 – Sunday, 3/10/2019

Amy punches Jake – Wednesday, 2/27/2019

E7 (“HONEYPOT”): Wednesday, 3/13/2019 – Sunday, 3/17/2019 E8 (“HE SAID, SHE SAID”):  Monday, 3/18 - Friday, 3/22/2019 E9 (“THE GOLDEN CHILD”): Monday, 3/25 - Wednesday, 3/27/2019 E10 (“GINTARS”): Saturday, 3/30 - Tuesday, 4/2/2019 E11 (“THE THERAPIST”):  Monday, 4/8 - Wednesday, 4/10/2019

E12 (“CASECATION”):  Friday, 4/19/2019

Waterpark – Saturday, 4/20 - Wednesday, 4/24/2019

E13 (“THE BIMBO”): Thursday, 4/25 - Sunday, 4/28/2019 

B-Plot ends – Tuesday, 4/30/2019

E14 (“TICKING CLOCKS”): Wednesday, 5/1/2019 E15 (“RETURN OF THE KING”):  Thursday, 5/2 - Saturday, 5/4/2019 E16 (“CINCO DE MAYO”): Sunday, 5/5/2019

E17/18 (“SICKO & SUICIDE SQUAD”): Wednesday, 5/8 – Wednesday, 5/15/2019*

* if 7x01 begins right where 6x18 left off, Season 7 will probably open on Jake and Amy’s actual wedding anniversary. Cheers!

explanations for the dates are under the cut!

Things to keep in mind:

The B/C-plots, for the most part, are not included in the calculation of the times here, because they rarely line up with the A-plot. For example, it’s unlikely that Terry spent more than a few days unable to have enough confidence to make decisions in “Honeymoon,” let alone a few weeks.

I didn’t take weekends into consideration unless otherwise noted. There is a weekend squad, but we know that the regular detectives also sometimes work weekends (enough so that on more than one occasion, Holt has rewarded them with “weekends off”). 

Time-stamps within the episode are used as guidelines, but not always as the rule, unless there is a specific number of days given.

Jake’s birthday is somewhere between 5/21 and 6/20, so the one that Gina missed (referenced in “Return of the King”) had to have been the 2018 one, which means that Gina had to be out of the office before 6/24 (the Sunday after 6/20) – hence why the first 4 episodes are all squeezed together.

E1 (“HONEYMOON”): Tuesday, 5/15 - Tuesday, 5/29/2018

The first post-cold-open scene probably happens on Thursday, 5/17: Gina says that Holt is taking “another personal day,” implying that he was gone at least one day after the wedding. 

Jake and Amy reach Mexico two days later after, so Saturday, 5/19. Based on dialogue / events they attend / shirt changes, Holt leaves on Tuesday, 5/22. Jake and Amy’s extension begins the next day, 5/23. They are back at work “one week” after Holt leaves, so Tuesday, 5/29 (it could also be Monday 5/28, but it doesn’t really matter because the start date of 6x04 is locked in on a Friday anyway, so might as well give them a full week.)

Continuity Problem: “Captain Holt is at a 49 & improving 8.6% per day” implies that the first scene takes place ~5-6 days after the cold-open, but given Holt’s lack of usual Holt-ness the rest of the episode, we can assume his calculations are off. 

Continuity Problem: Amy says that “This is the first time all week” Holt has left them alone, but based on the activities they’ve shown, he’s really only been tagging around with them for, like, 4 days. I’m using the shorter version because 6x04 has to end as early as possible.

E2 (“HITCHCOCK AND SCULLY”): Wednesday, 5/30/2018

Jake is wearing a different shirt here than he was wearing in 6x01. So, the earliest that 6x02 can take place is Wednesday, 5/30. 

E3 (“THE TATTLER”): Thursday, 5/31/2018

The next day. It’s a bit odd to have a reunion on a Thursday, but roll with it.

E4 (“FOUR MOVEMENTS”): Friday, 6/1 - Friday, 6/22/2018

Like I said before, because of Jake’s canonical birthday, Gina has to be out of the office before 6/24.

Gina gives her two-week notice in the cold-open. 

She stays back Monday-Friday the week after she’s supposed to have left, implying that her official last day was a Friday (assuming that the squad had the weekend off after the Gina-rama festivities, and, of course, she meant exactly 2 weeks). Therefore, she gives her two-week notice on 6/1, her official last day is 6/15, She leaves 6/21, and the episode ends on 6/22.

This timeline locks Jake’s birthday in to the very end of Gemini season, between 6/18-6/20 (with his birthday drinks being the weekend after). Either that, or he (for whatever reason) decided to hold his celebrations a week or more after the actual day.

E5 (“A TALE OF TWO BANDITS”): Day 1 – Day 2 2018

I literally have no idea when this is supposed to happen, except that Day 1 happens on the same day as some kid’s Bar Mitzvah (so probably over the weekend) and the whole thing takes place before Christmas (Trudy says “see you at Christmas!” at the end).

It’s probably also before Halloween/Thanksgiving (so over the summer/early fall) because those events + the holiday season happen pretty close together and we would have probably gotten some indication of those dates approaching during the episode otherwise. 

E6 (“THE CRIME SCENE”): Monday, 1/7 – Sunday, 3/10/2019

The murder happens on a Sunday, so Day 1 is a Monday. 

Day 51: the briefing room shows 2019 monthly stats on the board, indicating that we’ve officially gotten to the new year, and it’s already February (or later)…

Since it has to be February by the time Day 51 rolls around and Day 1 is a Monday, the episode can start on either December 17, Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, or January 7. 

December 17 as a start date means that they were working straight through the holidays, which seems unlikely. Christmas/NY Eve as start dates are also unlikely, for obvious reasons. Therefore, Day 1 is Monday, January 7 (and Day 51 is 2/26/2019).

Day 52: Amy punches Jake – 2/27/2019

The Episode takes 8 weeks, 6 days (56 days + “one week later”): the episode ends 3/10/2019.

E7 (“HONEYPOT”): Wednesday, 3/13/2019 – Sunday, 3/17/2019

The episode starts with Jake saying, “this is the third secretary you’ve fired in 3 days,” which indicates that it’s been at least 3 days since the end of 6x06.

E8 (“HE SAID, SHE SAID”): Monday, 3/18 - Friday, 3/22/2019

Day 1: start case

Days 2-4: amy working nonstop; Beefer gives text messages

Day 5: final 2 scenes

Everything has to happen on a weekday because the office that they’re investigating is open throughout.

Continuity Problem: Amy has 3 weeks off; she’s caught up on her paperwork (by which the show meant that she really had no Sergeant duties), and it’s unlikely that Holt would let her sit around and do nothing for that amount of time. However, things always come up unexpectedly, and she’s not doing much anyway in E9-10.

E9 (“THE GOLDEN CHILD”): Monday, 3/25 - Wednesday, 3/27/2019

E10 (“GINTARS”): Saturday, 3/30 - Tuesday, 4/2/2019

Nikolaj probably isn’t in school during this time, at least in the beginning.

E11 (“THE THERAPIST”):  Monday, 4/8 - Wednesday, 4/10/2019

As per the B/C-plots, and the fact that therapists probably don’t schedule appointments on the weekends unless absolutely necessary, all of this had to have happened on a weekday.

E12 (“CASECATION”):  Friday, 4/19/2019

The earliest this could occur is 4/17; otherwise, it’s illogical to say “our anniversary is coming up.”  It’s also been “almost a month” since 6x09 (when they last “hung out”).

I made it a Friday so they could take “next week off” without having to go back to work first. 

E13 (“THE BIMBO”): Thursday, 4/25 - Sunday, 4/28/2019

Continuity Problem: 

The B-plot takes 6 days (5 tallies on the whiteboard, plus 1 more where Amy’s squad tells her to stop competing for lunchtime greatness), which poses some…problems. 

Four of these happen at the same time as the A-plot; two are unaccounted for. However, there aren’t enough days left if Jake and Amy come back from their week off on Monday, 4/29 like they’re supposed to. The latest date they could conceivably come back to work (which would also serve as the first day for the episode) is Saturday, 4/27.

There were three choices here: 

Jake and Amy return on Saturday, 4/27. The A-plot lasts until 4/30. The two “remaining” days for the B-plot occur at the same time as “Ticking Clocks” (5/1) and “Return of the King” (5/2). 

Jake and Amy return on Friday, 4/26. The A-plot lasts until 4/29. 1 remaining day occurs on the “Free Day” of 4/30, and the other happens at the same time as “Ticking Clocks,” on 5/1. 

Jake and Amy return on Thursday, 4/25. The A-plot lasts until 4/28. Both remaining days occur on the “Free Days” of 4/29 and 4/30.

Logistically, it wouldn’t make sense for one of the remaining days to happen during 6x15: Terry would have to a) randomly change his shirt multiple times/day for some reason, and b) comes back to the Precinct more times than shown while dealing with Gina’s problem. Option 1 doesn’t work.

Amy’s dentist appointment is the morning of 6x14, and the last day of “The Bimbo” is 9:07am-lunchtime, so Option 2 doesn’t work either.

Therefore, Jake and Amy start work again on Thursday and The B-plot continues into the afternoon of 4/30. I mean, do you really need a whole week at the waterpark anyway?

(why was the heist on Cinco de Mayo, instead of, like, anything in June. why)

E14 (“TICKING CLOCKS”): Wednesday, 5/1/2019

E15 (“RETURN OF THE KING”):  Thursday, 5/2 - Saturday, 5/4/2019

Day 1 is a weekday – Gina has a business meeting on this day.

Continuity Problem: Jake tells Gina that she’s been blowing him off for “the last few months,” but it’s been much longer than just a few months.

Continuity Problem: The B-plot supposedly takes place on Mariano Rivera’s birthday, which is actually in November.

E16 (“CINCO DE MAYO”): Sunday, 5/5/2019

E17/18 (“SICKO & SUICIDE SQUAD”): Wednesday, 5/8 – Wednesday, 5/15/2019

Day 3 is a Friday (at least, that’s what CJ says in his video). Considering that Terry is only just receiving his Lieutenant’s package, the finale probably occurs right after 6x16.

The episode takes 7 days (until 5/14); I’m assuming that the final scene of Holt as a Patrol Cop occurs the day after, or 5/15/2019. This should also be when the first scene of 7x01 happens. Happy anniversary, Jake and Amy! 

[duggardata]

All The Data:  Josiah + Lauren

The Couple—

Josiah Matthew Duggar  (b. August 28, 1996)

Parents   Jim Bob + Michelle Duggar

Child #   8 of 19

Hometown   Tontitown, AR

Early Education   ATI/IBLP Homeschooling  (to 2013); Graduate (2014), International ALERT Academy  (Big Sandy, TX)

Higher Education   [ None Apparent ]

Credentials   Licensed Private Pilot—Single Engine  (2016); Commercial Driver’s License (?)  (Note—As of November 2019, Josiah is not listed as a real estate agent in Arkansas.)

Occupation   Self–Employed  (Car Flipping and Real Estate)

Lauren Milagro (Swanson) Duggar  (b. May 18, 1999)

Parents   Dwain + Lana Swanson

Child #   1 of 9

Hometown   Milledgeville, GA

Early Education   ATI/IBLP Homeschooling  (to 2017)  (Note—Josiah + Lauren met at an ATI Regional Conference.)   

Higher Education   A.A. or A.S. in Pre–Nursing (2017; Dual Enrollment), Georgia Military College  (Milledgeville, GA) (Note—Lauren said that her degree was is “nursing,” but GMC only offers pre–nursing.)  

Credentials   [ None Apparent ]

Occupation   Homemaker  (2018—)

The Relationship—

First Meeting   April 27–30, 2010

Location   ATI Regional Conference; Big Sandy, TX

Timing   In 2010, ATI’s Regional Conference in Big Sandy, TX was held between April 27–30.  (Permalink.)  Later that same year, the Swansons appeared on 19 Kids & Counting (9–14–10), “Duggars Do Dinner.”

Pre–Courtship   c. September 8, 2017

Location   First Baptist Church; Siloam Springs, AR

Timing   Apparently, “it all started” for Si + Lauren during the set–up for Joe + Kendra’s Wedding (September 8, 2017).  Miss Cindy, the wedding coordinator, played matchmaker and had Josiah + Lauren work together on various decorations.  Lauren said:  “Her [Miss Cindy’s] plan worked!”  (See Counting On (7–17–18; Webisode), “Josiah + Lauren’s Wedding—Part 1,” ~3:15.)

Courtship   January 2018  (Duggar Data uses January 6, 2018.)

Location   Marketplace Grill (Restaurant); Springdale, AR  (See Counting On (7–30–18), “It’s All Greek To Me!”)

Timing   Josiah + Lauren’s exact ‘courtposal’ date remains unconfirmed; however, we know that they courted “for six weeks.”  (See Counting On (7–17–18; Webisode), “Josiah + Lauren’s Wedding—Part 1,” ~3:50.)  We can then factor in what’s known about their engagement, and figure out that they started courting in the first half of January 2018.  An unusually–credible tip from Pickles puts the ‘courtposal’ on January 6, 2018.  Since this fits neatly into that six–week timeline, Duggar Data uses January 6th as Si + Lauren’s estimated ‘courtposal’ date.

Details  Shortly after the Swansons moved to Arkansas, Josiah’s Sisters took Lauren out for “girls night.”  Josiah surprised Lauren by showing up, crashing girls night, and casually asking:  “Wondering if you wanna go to the next step?”  She said yes.

Announced   January 23, 2018 by People  (Exclusive; +17ish Days)

Featured On   Counting On (7–30–18), “It’s All Greek To Me!”

Engagement   c. February 23, 2018

Location   Swanson Family Land; Milledgeville, GA  (Note—Many years before, Dwain + Lana Swanson got engaged at the exact same spot.)

Timing   According to Lauren, she and Josiah’s engagement lasted “for fourth months.”  (Counting On (7–17–18; Webisode), “Josiah + Lauren’s Wedding—Part 1,” ~3:50.)  They married on June 30, 2018, so that puts their engagement in late February.  While we don’t know the exact date, we know it happened within days of Duke Swanson’s birth (on February 21 or 25, 2018), probably before February 27.  (See Counting On (8–27–18), “Josiah Pops the Question.”)

Details   Immediately after Duke Swanson’s birth, Josiah visited Lauren and her family in Georgia.  On the second day of his visit, everyone had a nice lunch.  Afterwards, Josiah + Lauren took a walk across the Swanson Family’s land.  Josiah led Lauren to the exact spot where her parents got engaged, years prior.  He got down on one knee and proposed in front of a hay bail draped in string lights.  (Id.)

Announced   March 5, 2018 by Us Weekly  (Exclusive; +10ish Days)

Featured On   Counting On (8–27–18), “Josiah Pops The Question”

Wedding   June 30, 2018, 4:00 PM  (Saturday)

Location   Cathedral of the Ozarks at John Brown University; Siloam Springs, AR  (Note—Jinger + Jeremy also tied the knot at Cathedral of the Ozarks.  This was the first repeat wedding venue for the Duggars.)

Officiant   Dwain Swanson  (Bride’s Father)

Maid of Honor   Lily Swanson  (Bride’s Sister)

Best Man   Joe Duggar  (Groom’s Brother) (See Counting On (7–17–18; Webisode), “Josiah + Lauren’s Wedding—Part 1,” ~7:30)

Announced   June 30, 2018 by People  (Exclusive; Same Day)

Featured On   Counting On (10–1–18), “Josiah + Lauren’s Prank–less Wedding?”

Honeymoon   Vienna and Salzburg, Austria  (See Also Counting On (2–18–19), “Jinger Has A Baby”) 

The Quiver—

2019 Miscarriage / “Asa”

Due Date   June 5, 2019   (Per Jessa Seewald, Asa and Ivy shared a due date.  Ivy’s due date was June 5, 2019.)

Date of Loss   October 4, 2018  (36 Days Along)

Loss Announced   February 11, 2019 on Josiah + Lauren’s Instagram  (Note—That same day, People released a TLC preview of Counting On, which discussed the miscarriage.)  (+130 Days)

Duggar–Swanson #1  (In Utero)

Pregnancy Announced   May 20, 2019 by People  (Exclusive; 99 Days Along)

Sex Revealed   June 25, 2019 by Us Weekly  (Exclusive; 135 Days Along) (Note—Joe + Kendra revealed their second child’s sex that same day.)

Due Date   November 17, 2019

... and that’s “All The Data” for Josiah + Lauren, so far!

[thepermanentrainpress]

EVERYBODY LOVES FIN: EPISODE 19

Canucks Twitter has never been more passionate, divisive and heavily opinionated; let’s go with an all-encompassing—vibrant. Any fan base is a community of people with thoughts to share, and luckily for others, content to create for a wider audience. I have to admit, I’ve been largely on the outside of Canucks Twitter, merely because I tend to direct my opinions to a TV screen rather than on social media. That being said, lately my sister, Pass it to Bulis contributor and Botchford Project recipient, Natalie Hoy, has been encouraging me to listen to more Canucks-centric podcasts. It’s been a fun time.

2010s: Does Vancouver really need two all-sports radio stations? 2020s: Does Vancouver really need 741 Canucks podcasts?

— Jyrki21 (@Jyrki21)

June 9, 2020

The world of ‘audio blogging’ has only grown over the past few years. Listeners are able to multi-task - exercising, cooking, cleaning, driving or on public transit - while plugged in to a new episode on practically any personal device. It’s a form of entertainment, often interactive, and a perfect creative outlet for amateur (and experienced) broadcasters looking for a new project. There is no shortage of podcasts courtesy of Canucks Twitter, a testament to the commitment and drive of fans, and the accessibility of the art form. With the Qualifying Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs just about underway, there is much to be talked about. Let’s take a look at what’s out there.1

C4 Podcast

Founded: July 2013

Players: Chris Golden (@lyteforce), Anna Forsyth (@aforsyth03),Matt Lee (@mattlee_61)

Premise: The longest-running, active Canucks podcast (birthed from Canucks Hockey Blog) has been on-air for 7 years! Originally co-hosted by Chris and parody song creator Clay Imoo (@CanuckClay), the podcast offers commentary about current Canucks and NHL affairs, prospects, expectations, reminiscing on the team’s past (memories of the retired taco lover Eddie Lack and past playoff runs), and features interviews with guests. This past season, they’ve had Patrick Johnston (The Province), Satiar Shah (Sportsnet 650), Cam Robinson (Elite Prospects, Dobber Prospects) and Dan Murphy (Sportsnet) in the hot seat.

Twitter | Patreon | Discord | Listen

In the "longest-running" #Canucks #PodcastLikeThat, @risingaction joins @aforsyth03 @lyteforce & @mattlee_61 to talk about the summer training camp so far, how the Canucks match against the Wild, Rathbone, Tryamkin and so much more! https://t.co/ACreWPcPWC

— #PodcastLikeThat (@TheC4Podcast)

July 21, 2020

Area 51

Founded: December 2019 (relaunch)

Players: Sean Warren (@SeanyeWest234), Samantha (@samanthacp_), Malcolm Ert (@malcolmert), Bradley Thomas (@bradthomas_96), Eric (@breakawayeric), Bailey Broadbent (@baileybroadcast)

Premise: Area 51 celebrated a relaunch last December since their inception in July 2019, and in May welcomed a team to join host Sean Warren. Aside from their cool, alien conspiracy branding, at the mic they cover a broad range of hockey talk with notable guests (writers and broadcasters in the media, content creators, musicians, WHL players, fellow blog/podcast owners, Canucks Autism Network). I love that they’ve started to cover important topics beyond the gameplay, like anti-racism, inclusivity, and diversity in sports, and have actively sought out the guests to do so.

Twitter | Instagram | Listen

HERE WE GO! @CanuckClay enters A51 in GLCPC to discuss: -Sports debates -Being a hockey media creator -Plan a Vegas trip -Drinking and Parenting tips And complete the famous Guest Shootout! Find out whether Clay is responsible for the Luongo trade!https://t.co/Zg629tWvLG

— Area 51 Hockey Podcast (@Area51Hockey)

July 24, 2020

Cap Space Wins Cups

Founded: February 2020

Players: Hassan Ahmed (@_hassanahmed9), Ahsan Ahmed (@ace103196), Hussain Ahmed (@hussain11ahmed)

Premise: The newly formed podcast has a light, humorous tone - evident by their inaugural episode introduction about their lack of social media followers. They cover quick hits of the Canucks week, roster situations, hockey culture, and of course, cap space. They’ve hosted fellow podcast hosts and media (Satiar Shah, J.D. Burke, Matthew Sekeres, Jeff Paterson), and even a fellow Burnaby kid, Massimo Rizzo. Rizzo was a 2019 Carolina Hurricanes draft pick. It’s clear they have a lot more to share, including takes in on their corresponding blog – see: How the Canucks Can Acquire Dougie Hamilton & Build a Cup Contender. I’ll read anything related to Dougie Hamilton.

Twitter | Instagram | Listen

🚨🚨Another HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT the boys have their own website 🚨🚨https://t.co/JfQXqiXcz2, the site has all the podcast epidoes and links to all their social media. The boys have also started blogging and have 2 big article out already! It’s 100% free sign up on the site to L&C!

— Cap Space Wins Cups Podcast (@capspacecups)

June 21, 2020

The Broadscast

Founded: July 2020

Players: Vanessa Jang (@vanessajang), Georgia Twiss (@georgiatwiss), Samantha (@samanthacp_), Mallory (@sports_lesbian), Danielle Huntley (@danihuntley)

Premise: Your ‘local hockey girl gang’ talks Canucks, sports culture, and soap operas. All 5 hosts have a significant following on Twitter and are bold and uncompromising, which makes for great statements and table chatter. This was written with only their Teaser episode released, but you can expect no shortage of pop culture references, fashion discussion, NHL wives and girlfriends (WAG) and pet content, along with team analysis. It’s trailblazing for a group of females in Vancouver to start their own podcast that’s hockey-focused, meant to be a casual chat amongst friends. They know the team, know their media, can gossip, and are having fun with it.

Twitter | Instagram | Listen

The Broadscast is officially LIVE!! 🎙 Just 5 girls and some light-hearted hockey talk with a soap opera twist. Catch our teaser episode NOW on your podcast medium of choice!https://t.co/91KE8LnOJE pic.twitter.com/XH0fIfhmHy

— The Broadscast (@BroadscastPod)

July 27, 2020

PUCKS ON NET

Founded: September 2013

Players: Ryan Schaap (@schaaptop), Geeta Reddy (@geetanjalireddy), Paul McLellan (@McLellanPaul), Dave McPhail (@PucksOnDave)

Premise: The group of 4 has created a casual, honest atmosphere with their roundtable conversation. They’re good friends, which equates to great camaraderie. They run a ‘contradictory’ fantasy hockey league and don’t talk ‘fancy stats’ (while still being very knowledgeable). I think they’re engaged with their listeners, and relatable as human beings amongst their talk of Tim Hortons NHL trading cards, player safety, current signings and acquisitions, and Green Day at the All-Star Game. Reaching 7 years of consistent hockey talk and recapping the team’s evolution is a feat in its own.

Twitter | Patreon | Instagram | Listen

And on Sunday, Ryan sat down with his old man for Father's Day to talk about growing up playing minor hockey in Calgary, bonding over the Vancouver #Canucks and even his words of wisdom when it comes to talking to your kids about drugs.https://t.co/BaQFM53Yws

— PUCKS ON NET (@Pucksonnetca)

June 24, 2020

The Canucks Conversation

Founded: November 2018

Players: Chris Faber (@ChrisFaber39), David Quadrelli (@Quadrelli)

Premise: Faber was joined by Quads in 2020, and the pair has perhaps the most praised local podcast so far. They’re both BCIT Radio Arts and Entertainment students (and writers for CanucksArmy), and their dedication, preparedness, branding and reporting level are top notch. They break down topics with great chemistry and perception - roster moves, Nikita Tryamkin, Olli Juolevi, and the Judd Brackett situation. Some of their notable guests include Utica Comets Kole Lind and Brogan Rafferty, and ‘bionic’ Finn Sami Salo.

Twitter | Patreon | Instagram | Listen

🎉SURPRISE! 🎉 Episode 91: “Jake Jets out of the lineup” ft.@CraigJButton We dropped our episode early! Craig Button stops by to chat about the NHL and #Canucks prospects. We breakdown the exhibition game against the Jets & some exciting news at the end!https://t.co/NMWBVOU7ko

— Canucks Conversation Podcast (@CanucksConvo)

July 30, 2020

Canucks & Pucks

Founded: April 2019

Players: Matthew Zator (@MatthewZatorSC)

Premise: Matthew Zator, writer for The Hockey Writers and Hockey Ops Director at Overtime Heroics, made a return to the airwaves this past July (after a lengthy regular season hiatus). Since getting back up and running, it’s full steam ahead – Zator has been joined by contributors from The Hockey Writers, The Canuck Way, college hockey newsletter Fresh Ice, and fellow podcast hosts. He has good insight and as a writer who goes into depth about NHL draft picks, the Vancouver Giants, and both the Nucks’ positives and negatives in his work, it gets noticeably transferred to the on-air conversation.

Twitter | Listen

🚨 NEW EPISODE 🚨 Episode 7 ft @CanuckClay, @JDsays2much, and @BaileyAJohnson_! - #Canucks & #mnwild with Jack & Clay - Will Lockwood and Quinn Hughes with Bailey - The Mailbag segment debuts and of course news from the #NHL and @TheHockeyWriter! #THW https://t.co/lW9FQms35P

— Canucks & Pucks Podcast 🏒🎙️ (@CanucksPucks)

July 28, 2020

Canucks Speakeasy

Founded: August 2019

Players: Pete Edwards (@pete_gas), Doug (@dougvenn)

Premise: Pete and Doug are 2 “mildly educated Canucks die-hards” who chat about current team news and trending topics. They’ve covered trade talk, the Collective Bargaining Agreement, prospects at the World Juniors, scouting, and the BLM movement. They’re occasionally joined by guests including podcast friends, and fellow fans/Tweeters Chris Conte, Jenna Fabulous and Ray Hatt.

Twitter | Listen

We're back with Episode 37: Powderkeg. Playoffs, play-ins, Judd and BLM are all discussed. Give'r a listen!https://t.co/dwoEQVNudThttps://t.co/7ZSogAjWsuhttps://t.co/r5HqX26czU pic.twitter.com/QKScnR9Q6G

— Canucks Speakeasy (@CanucksSpeak)

June 4, 2020

The LarschCast

Founded: June 2019

Players: Tej Dhaliwal (@DrTejDhaliwal), Sat Oberoi (@SatOberoi), Nav Dosanjh (@NavDosanjh1983), Ryan Cassels (@cassels_music)

Premise: The Larschcasters are known for their entertaining banter and debates, mostly on hockey and a little NFL. They’ve picked the minds of seasoned media (Scott Oake, James Duthie, Joey Kenward), legendary broadcaster Jim Robson, and former Canucks Kirk McLean, Chris Higgins and Shane O’Brien. They’ve been generating healthy content during the pandemic, including a spirited debate with Minnesota Wild podcast hosts, discussing media personnel moves, prospects, NHL Award contenders, and the toxicity in the Vancouver Canucks market. In June, they released a special with hockey coach/trainer Jennifer Chefero, sharing her story facing sexual abuse and harassment in her career, while candidly discussing women’s rights and sports culture.

Twitter | Facebook | Listen

Episode 61 ft. @hustlerama!#NHLJets centric epi, with an outlook of the Jets vs #flames. Not a lot of love for Calgary in this one😬. Also insights into the #nhlbubble, before ending with #Canucks talk & Rapid Larsch! 🍎:https://t.co/vZ2lyQ9zoO Spotify: https://t.co/XdV1y3ls7V

— The LarschCast (@larschcast)

July 29, 2020

The PP1 Podcast

Founded: October 2019

Players: Brayden Ursel (@bkursel23), Ted (@tee3ree), Ryan Hank (@always90four)

Premise: A tagline like “three guys from Kelowna bringing the heat and spitting the takes” doesn’t need further explanation. Appearing at the beginning of this season, the podcast (which features writers from The Canuck Way and CanucksArmy) has had some nice guests like the Canucks inaugural captain Orland Kurtenbach, retired centre and current Kelowna Rockets Assistant Coach Vern Fiddler, and Paul “Biznasty” Bissonnette. They’ve been nominated for Kelowna Now’s Best Local Podcast, and have a ‘Dudes and Guys’ segment where they pit 2 players against one another and talk it out (criteria is debatable).

Twitter | Listen

Episode 46: Bouncy Castles, Boeser Bombshells, & Backchecking w/ @mattsekeres. We chat Boeser rumours, cap crunch, Rathbone, Tryamkin, Markstrom, Sundin vs. Vanek, the best cold-open since Nikolay Goldobin, and how you can win a #Canucks jersey. https://t.co/KouGJr6GKH

— The PP1 PODCAST (@ThePP1Podcast)

July 15, 2020

The SCT Show

Founded: September 2018

Players: Nam Mann (@CanuckAgent007), Tanbir Rana (@TRana87)

Premise: SCT is Strictly Canucks Talk. Aside from reminiscing about ‘where were you when’ pivotal moments in franchise history occurred and the regular shop talk of performance and #NamStats, they draw in guests to talk about trade value (The Athletic’s Harman Dayal) and stickhandling (specialist/trainer Pavel Barber). They’ve also hosted local defenceman and last year’s 4th overall draft pick Bowen Byram, and hockey analyst/retired winger Anson Carter for a chat about the pressure of the market in Vancouver and the Sedins. Like any good heated debate, there are also trade and Team Tank vs Playoffs scenarios.

Twitter | Listen

.@CanuckAgent007 has a proposal to get Loui Eriksson off the #Canucks books 🤔 EP 14 - Links below ⬇️ 🍎 https://t.co/Z9snNdSuI1 📱 https://t.co/AJILh0IaWJ pic.twitter.com/LZblDE8GLW

— The SCT Show (@SCTShow)

July 17, 2020

Johnny Canuck Talk

Founded: August 2019

Players: Adrian J. Haug (@adrianjhaug), Roy Styles (@roy_styles)

Premise: Takes from 2 arm chair GM’s, the pair discuss a wide variety of topics like losing streaks, hockey safety, report cards, line-ups, and trade deadline. They’ve also shared an insightful chat with Harman Dayal (The Athletic) about his career and the late and great Jason Botchford. It’s laid-back and conversational, with mentions of farmers’ tans, celebrating birthdays during quarantine, and the school system strung across introductions. What’s cool is they record the podcast from near and far away places – Kamloops, BC and Germany (!).

Twitter | Listen

(1) Episode 37 is uploading now! @roy_styles and I talk #Canucks #hockey and @Canucks topics, issues, news, etc. We also talk about the incredible impact our Jim Carey impressions have had on our wives. Yikes. Featuring tweets from: @Canuckgirl20 @TSN1040 @DanRiccio650 pic.twitter.com/6oA7mZh6jb

— Johnny Canuck Talk (@JohnnyCanuckPod)

June 28, 2020

1 This list is not exhaustive, but there is something for everyone and I hope you find your Canucks fix. There can be an argument made that the podcast market is oversaturated, but I like to see it as an opportunity for any fan or audio bird to let their voice be heard! So, don’t be negative about it.

Posted by: Chloe Hoy

[bccity]

DECEMBER 2019 BC ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULES & REVIEW

Members may earn 3 points each (up to 6 points) for writing, by the end of January 7 KST:

A solo para of 400+ words based on their monthly schedule (does not count toward your monthly limit).

A thread of six posts (three per participant, including the starter) based on the monthly schedule.

Threads and solos do not have to take place directly during an important date listed on the schedule, but must be related to what the muse is mentioned to be doing in the paragraph explaining their schedule/the company’s schedule for the month and/or their thoughts on the mentioned activities or lack thereof.

These schedules may be updated throughout the month if new information needs to be added.

Reminder: November schedule posts are due by the end of December 7 KST.

Overall Company

CEO Kim has been around less this year, supposedly to focus on fatherhood, but he’s made his presence very known with a less minute insistence that all of his idols attend a large birthday party he’s throwing for his fiance, Seri, for her 41st birthday. He’s the CEO and it’s impossible to say no, so all BC idols will be expected to attend Seri’s party, thrown in a luxury hotel ballroom in Seoul with a semi-formal dress code. The party will be in the evening and will not interfere with Shared Home cast members’ picnic filming that day. At the party, the couple will announce they plan to finally wed after three and a half years of engagement in February of 2020. Some photos from the event are planned to be released to the public.

Important dates:

December 3: Ma Seri’s 41st birthday party in Seoul, South Korea.

BC Soloist 1

Awards season continues with the Mnet Asian Music Awards within the first days of the month. She’s not big enough for BC to negotiate her into year end shows yet, but they would like her to be by this time next year. The first step toward that is continued work on her comeback now that the mini-album has been recorded. She’ll be introduced to the choreography for “Roller Coaster” for this month, as well as choreography for “Offset”. Fittings for stage outfits happen early in the month as well so that she can focus on continuing to perfect her performance throughout the rest of the month. Though she is hard at work, she and the dancers she’ll rehearse with will get time off on the 31st (and January 1st) to celebrate the start of the new year.

Important dates:

December 4: Mnet Asian Music Awards at Nagoya Dome in Nagoya, Japan (also attending: BEE, CHARM, WISH, Alien, Gold Star Soloist 2, Origin, and Impulse).

December 8: Comeback stage and MV outfit fittings.

Decipher

Their comeback comes mid-month and while there’s not a major promotional push for it due to the time of year, but they will be performing at two year end shows. BC isn’t dishing out for overly extravagant stages for them, but they’ll be performing both “Remember That” and “Overcome” at both festivals. Additionally, as a promoting group during the holiday season, they’ll be participating in Music Bank’s special stage Christmas special and will do a performance of “Joy to the World” that will transition into a performance of their b-side “VVITH”. As the year comes to a close, Nene Chicken will release a commercial song recorded with CHARM earlier in the month.

Important dates:

December 14: Performance at KMet Festival at Union Mall in Bangkok, Thailand.

December 16: Release of “Overcome” & Q Is showcase, promotions continue until January 16.

December 20: Joy To The World special stage on Music Bank broadcast.

December 21: Fansign in Gangnam, Seoul.

December 25: Performance at Gayo Daejeon at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea (also performing: BEE, Lipstick, WISH, CHARM, Alien, Lucid, Aria, Origin, Impulse, Fuse, and Femme Fatale).

December 27: Performance at Gayo Daechukje at KINTEX in Ilsan, South Korea (also performing: BEE, WISH, CHARM, Alien, Unity, Lucid, Aria, Origin, Impulse, and Fuse).

December 30: Release of Nene Chicken CM Song with CHARM.

December 31: Fansign in Yongsan, Seoul. 

December 31: Performance at Gayo Daejejeon at MBC Dream Center in Ilsan, South Korea (also performing: Lipstick, CHARM, Alien, Unity, 7ROPHY, Lucid, Impulse, and Fuse).

              ↳ Decipher R & V

No schedules for the month.

Important dates:

N/A.

              ↳ CHAMPION

Decipher’s maknae/main dancer/lead vocal is brought into a meeting on the morning of the 8th. They’re not told why, but when they arrive at the BC Entertainment meeting room, they’re joined by Knight’s main vocal 2 and main dancer/vocal/rapper and Unity’s leader/main rapper/lead dancer/vocal, main dancer/rapper/vocal, and lead rapper/vocal. Representatives from management announce to them that they’ve been chosen as members of a BC and Dimensions joint sub-unit effort in collaboration with an American music label. The group will be called CHAMPION and will be marketed as “the Avengers of K-Pop” with a goal of capturing the hearts of the American market and will be a major focus for both companies in 2020. Debut album preparations will not begin until the new year, but this month, the members will begin to be pushed into English lessons in addition to public speaking and US-specific media training both individually and all together. The members have been hand-picked for their performance ability and perceived potential execution of the supergroup concept by top executives of their respective companies. BC Entertainment will work alongside the American label in marketing and management for the sub-group while Dimensions will mostly focus on the group’s music and concepts. This is a major and planned-to-be permanent project between the two companies, with a higher budget for their debut than is planned for any of their respective original groups’ next comebacks and plans for a tour are already underway before they’ve even been announced to the public. This information is all dropped on the chosen members during the meeting. Before leaving, the members are told that the news is meant to be kept strictly secret from the public with no spoilers or hints yet, as a careful promotional campaign is planned for its unveiling.

Important dates:

December 8: Announcement meeting.

BEE

Though they continue to prepare for their end of the month Seoul concerts, BEE will get the chance to warm up their performance skills at the Mnet Asian Music Awards and two year-end song festivals. “Something” will be their main performance song with different stagings for different events due to its great reception this year, but at KBS Gayo Daechukje, they’ll also do a special stage appealing to the more fun side of their sexy concept (admin note: the reference stage only includes three members, but all BEE members will participate in it). At the Mnet Asian Music Awards, their stage will be combined with Gold Star Soloist 2′s (admin note: Gold Star Soloist 2 will be performing “Room Shaker” instead). On top of all of the rehearsals, the BEE members will also be in meetings for their next comeback and will record the entirety of their planned March comeback mini-album this month. BC hopes to recreate “Something”’s success by having a somewhat similar concept for this comeback.

Important dates:

December 4: Mnet Asian Music Awards at Nagoya Dome in Nagoya, Japan (also attending: BC Soloist 1, CHARM, WISH, Alien, Gold Star Soloist 2, Origin, and Impulse).

December 25: Performance at Gayo Daejeon at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea (also performing: Decipher, Lipstick, WISH,CHARM, Alien, Unity, Lucid, Aria, Origin, Impulse, Fuse, and Femme Fatale).

December 27: Performance [+ special stage] at Gayo Daechukje at KINTEX in Ilsan, South Korea (also performing: Decipher, WISH, CHARM, Alien, Unity,  Lucid, Aria, Origin, Impulse, and Fuse).

December 28: BEE Winter Party concert at Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium in Seoul, South Korea.

December 29: BEE Winter Party concert at Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium in Seoul, South Korea.

Knight

After the Japanese version of Now or Never drops early in the month, Knight takes off on the Japanese leg of their tour, which will have them flying to and from Japan three different times throughout the month for concerts at different venues. When they’re in Seoul, they’ll continue preparing for their comeback next month with rehearsal for their stages and the MV filming at the end of the month, though they’ll get some time off when their peers are attending year-end shows and award shows, which BC doesn’t seem to have much interest in sending them to this year in favor of focusing on tour profits.

Important dates:

December 4: Release of Now or Never (Japanese Ver.).

December 6: UNLIMITED tour concert at Marine Messe Fukuoka in Fukuoka, Japan.

December 7: UNLIMITED tour concert at Marine Messe Fukuoka in Fukuoka, Japan. 

December 8: UNLIMITED tour concert at Marine Messe Fukuoka in Fukuoka, Japan.

December 9: Secondary comeback stage and MV outfit fittings. 

December 11: Comeback teaser photo and photo book shoots.

December 16: Filming of Idol Star Athletics Championships in Seoul, South Korea (also attending: Lipstick, CHARM, Dimensions Soloist 2, Alien, 7ROPHY, Lucid, and Aria, )

December 20: UNLIMITED tour concert at Osaka-jo Hall in Osaka, Japan. 

December 21: UNLIMITED tour concert at Osaka-jo Hall in Osaka, Japan. 

December 28: Enough MV filming.

December 30: UNLIMITED tour concert at Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan. 

December 31: UNLIMITED tour concert at Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan.

               ↳ White Knight

No schedules for the month.

Important dates:

N/A

               ↳ CHAMPION

Knight’s main vocal 2 and main dancer/vocal/rapper are brought in to a meeting on the morning of the 8th. They’re not told why, but when they arrive at the BC Entertainment meeting room, they’re joined by Decipher’s maknae/main dancer/lead vocal and Unity’s leader/main rapper/lead dancer/vocal, main dancer/rapper/vocal, and lead rapper/vocal. Representatives from management announce to them that they’ve been chosen as members of a BC and Dimensions joint sub-unit effort in collaboration with an American music label. The group will be called CHAMPION and will be marketed as “the Avengers of K-Pop” with a goal of capturing the hearts of the American market and will be a major focus for both companies in 2020. Debut album preparations will not begin until the new year, but this month, the members will begin to be pushed into English lessons in addition to public speaking and US-specific media training both individually and all together. The members have been hand-picked for their performance ability and perceived potential execution of the supergroup concept by top executives of their respective companies. BC Entertainment will work alongside the American label in marketing and management for the sub-group while Dimensions will mostly focus on the group’s music and concepts. This is a major and planned-to-be permanent project between the two companies, with a higher budget for their debut than is planned for any of their respective original groups’ next comebacks and plans for a tour are already underway before they’ve even been announced to the public. This information is all dropped on the chosen members during the meeting. Before leaving, the members are told that the news is meant to be kept strictly secret from the public with no spoilers or hints yet, as a careful promotional campaign is planned for its unveiling.

Important dates:

December 8: Announcement meeting.

Lipstick

Lipstick wraps up their 2019 world tour this month with two concerts in Japan and an encore concert in Seoul in a bigger venue than the one they played for the beginning of the tour. Music show promotions are pretty easy for the month since they’re only promoting a digital single, but as one of the artists promoting during the holiday season, they’ll be performing a special stage of “Santa Baby” on Music Bank, which they’ll have already performed at their two Japanese concerts earlier in the month. They’re continuing to release singles into the lead-up to their Japanese album in March of next year, so this month they’ll record their last lead-up single “Shh” (line distribution).

Important dates:

December 8: Prima Donna tour concert at Kobe World Memorial Hall in Kobe, Japan.

December 15: Prima Donna tour concert at Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Japan. 

December 16: Filming of Idol Star Athletics Championships in Seoul, South Korea (also attending: Knight, CHARM, Dimensions Soloist 2, Alien, 7ROPHY, Lucid, and Aria, )

December 20: Santa Baby special stage on Music Bank broadcast.

December 25: Performance at Gayo Daejeon at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea (also performing: Decipher, BEE, WISH, CHARM, Alien, Lucid, Aria, Origin, Impulse, Fuse, and Femme Fatale ).

December 27: End of music show promotions.

December 29: Prima Donna tour encore concert at Olympic Gymnastics Stadium in Seoul, South Korea. 

December 31: Performance at Gayo Daejejeon at MBC Dream Center in Ilsan, South Korea (also performing: Decipher, CHARM, Alien, Unity, 7ROPHY, Lucid, Impulse, and Fuse).

              ↳ Lip Gloss

No schedules for the month.

Important dates:

N/A

CHARM

Music show promotions for their digital single end mid-month after they attend the Mnet Asian Music Awards and kick off their world tour with three nights of concerts in Seoul. In addition to their concerts, they’re also attending year-end festivals and are scheduled to record  a commercial song for Nene Chicken alongside Decipher early in the month. That’s not all they’ll be in the studio for, though, as this month, they’re tasked with recording for their upcoming album An Ode, which their latest digital single will also appear on.

Important dates:

December 4: Mnet Asian Music Awards at Nagoya Dome in Nagoya, Japan (also attending: BC Soloist 1, BEE, WISH, Alien, Gold Star Soloist 2, Origin, and Impulse).

December 6: Ode To You tour concert at KSPO Dome in Seoul, South Korea.

December 7: Ode To You tour concert at KSPO Dome in Seoul, South Korea.

December 8: Ode To You tour concert at KSPO Dome in Seoul, South Korea.

December 11: End of music show promotions.

December 16: Filming of Idol Star Athletics Championships in Seoul, South Korea (also attending: Knight, Lipstick, Dimensions Soloist 2, Alien, 7ROPHY, Lucid, and Aria.)

December 25: Performance at Gayo Daejeon at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea (also performing: Decipher, BEE, Lipstick, WISH, Alien, Unity, Lucid, Aria, Origin, Impulse, Fuse, and Femme Fatale).

December 27: Performance at Gayo Daechukje at KINTEX in Ilsan, South Korea (also performing: Decipher, BEE, WISH, Alien, Unity, Lucid, Aria, Origin, Impulse, and Fuse).

December 30: Release of Nene Chicken CM Song with Decipher. 

December 31: Performance at Gayo Daejejeon at MBC Dream Center in Ilsan, South Korea (also performing: Decipher, Lipstick, Alien, Unity, 7ROPHY, Lucid, Impulse, and Fuse).

              ↳ CHARM U

CHARM U will be performing their future single at all of CHARM’s concerts leading up to its April release (including their Seoul and Japan concerts), so an initial “live” version of the song has been recorded and members should have an idea of the choreography even if rehearsals haven’t been very intense. By the end of the month, they’ll be brought in to lay down some final vocals for a more polished version of the track.

Important dates:

N/A

WISH

After their short break last month, the members of WISH are back in action with year-end shows and award shows, for which they’ve be performing both of their singles this year for the most part, “Fancy” and “Whatta Man”. On New Year’s Eve, they’ll be skipping the normal Korean year-end show as they have the past two years in order to perform on a Japanese year-end show. Additionally, they continue in their roles as Estee Lauder brand ambassadors by shooting a new CF for their foundation.

Important dates:

December 4: Mnet Asian Music Awards at Nagoya Dome in Nagoya, Japan (also attending: BC Soloist 1, BEE, CHARM, Alien, Gold Star Soloist 2, Origin, and Impulse).

December 8: Estee Lauder CF filming.

December 25: Performance at Gayo Daejeon at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea (also performing: Decipher, BEE, CHARM, Alien, Unity, Lucid, Aria, Origin, Impulse, and Fuse).

December 27: Performance at Gayo Daechukje at KINTEX in Ilsan, South Korea (also performing: Decipher, BEE, CHARM, Lucid, Alien, Unity, Aria, Origin, Impulse, and Fuse).

December 30: Pre-recording of Gayo Daejejeon performance.

December 31: Performance on Kōhaku Uta Gassen at NHK Hall in Tokyo, Japan.

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Fri., Feb. 7, 2020

St Parthenius

Saint Parthenius, Bishop of Lampsacus, was a native of the city of Melitoupolis (in northwestern Asia Minor), where his father Christopher served as deacon. The youth did not receive adequate schooling, but he learned the Holy Scripture by attending church services. He had a good heart, and distributed to the poor the money he earned working as a fisherman.

Filled with the grace of God, Saint Parthenius from age eighteen healed the sick in the name of Christ, cast out demons and worked other miracles. Learning of the young man’s virtuous life, Bishop Philetus of Melitoupolis educated him and ordained him presbyter.

In 325, during the reign of Constantine the Great, Archbishop Achilles of Cyzicus made him bishop of the city of Lampsacus (Asia Minor). In the city were many pagans, and the saint fervently began to spread the faith in Christ, confirming it through many miracles and by healing the sick...keep reading

New Hieromartyrs,  Vladimir Metropolitan of Kiev  

The holy Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev was the first bishop to be tortured and slain by the Communists at the time of the Russian Revolution.

Basil Nikephorovich Bogoyavlensky was born in the province of Tambov of pious parents on January 1, 1848. His father, a priest, was later murdered. The young Basil graduated from the Theological Academy in Kiev in 1874, and taught in the Tambov seminary for seven years before he was ordained to the holy priesthood.

His wife died in 1886, and their only child died shortly thereafter. The bereaved widower entered the Kozlov monastery in Tambov and was given the name Vladimir. In 1888 he was consecrated bishop of Staraya Rus, and served as a vicar bishop of the Novgorod diocese. In 1891 he was assigned to the diocese of Samara. In those days people of his diocese suffered from a cholera epidemic and a crop failure. Bishop Vladimir devoted himself to caring for the sick and suffering, inspiring others to follow his example.

In 1892 he became Archbishop of Kartalin and Kahetin, then in 1898 he was chosen as Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna. He served fifteen years in this position...keep reading Orthodox Church of America

New Hieromartyrs, Peter Archbishop of Voronezh

Archbishop Peter was born on February 18, 1878, the eldest son of a Moscow protopriest, Fr. Constantine Zverev (who later became the spiritual father of Grand-Duchess Elizabeth Fyodorovna), and his wife Anna. He was given the name of Basil in Holy Baptism after St. Basil the Confessor (February 28). Already as a child he loved playing church services, and zealously attended church services with his father.

In his early childhood he had a vision of the Saviour. As he described it: "In childhood I was very fat and pudgy. The adults liked to squeeze me, and I couldn't bear this and pushed them away with my hands and legs. And then I saw a vision. We had a table standing by the wall in the living-room, and there I saw the Saviour sitting, dressed in blue and red clothing and holding me in His hands. And under the table was a terrible dog. The Saviour took my hand and stretched it under the table to the dog, saying:

"'Eat it, it fights.'

"I woke up, and from that moment I never fought, but began to grow up, trying to restrain myself in everything, not getting angry and not doing anything bad. All boys always want to try smoking. My father was strict and said:

"'If anyone smokes, I'll tear off his lips!'

"But I still wanted to try it. I smoked a cigarette and went to the church. It was Forgiveness Sunday and they were chanting: 'Turn not Thy face away from Thy servant, for I sorrow, quickly hear me.' This was my favourite chant. But at this moment my head began to reel and I had to leave the church. From then on I did not try to smoke."

In 1895 Basil finished secondary school. Then he studied for three years at the University of Moscow, finishing two courses at the Historical-Philological faculty. In 1897 he entered the Kazan Theological Academy. There, on January 19, 1900, he was tonsured a monk and given the name Peter in honour of the Apostle Peter, and was ordained to the priesthood. (According to another source, his tonsure took place in 1909.)

On graduating from the Academy, in 1902, he served as a teacher in the Oryol theological seminary and also (until 1906) as a missionary in the diocesan house in Karetny Ryad, Moscow. There he acquired some spiritual children who remained with him to the end of his life. In 1909 he became an inspector at the Novgorod Theological Academy.

In 1910 he became rector of the Saviour-Transfiguration Belev men's monastery in Tula province with the rank of archimandrite. He remained in this post until 1917, and raised the monastery from steep decline to a flourishing state. The church was filled during services, especially with children.

During the First World War Fr. Peter was also a preacher at the front...keep reading St NIcholas Orthodox Church, Dallas, TX

2 Peter 1:1-10 NKJV 

Greeting the Faithful

1 Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have [a]obtained like[b] precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the [c]corruption that is in the world through lust.

Fruitful Growth in the Faith

5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control [d]perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither [e]barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;

Footnotes:

2 Peter 1:1 received

2 Peter 1:1 faith of the same value

2 Peter 1:4 depravity

2 Peter 1:6 patience

2 Peter 1:8 useless

Mark 13:1-8 NKJV 

Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple

13 Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!”

2 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age

3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?”

5 And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 6 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many. 7 But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet.8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines [a]and troubles. These are the beginnings of [b]sorrows.

Footnotes:

Mark 13:8 NU omits and troubles

Mark 13:8 Lit. birth pangs

New King James Version (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

[miky91ftw]

The Stravaganza Series: An attempt at in-universe timeline (2/3)

See part 1 and the general premises here: [X]

hey everyone! It took me a while, but I was finally able to re-read and annotate both City of Flowers and City of Secrets, thus compiling the second part of the Stravaganza series timeline. Although the death bell tolls like crazy in these two chapters (especially in CoF), luckily the space-time continuum is pretty much stable, and time flows at the same speed on both end of the gate, allowing us to trace a perfect one on one correspondence between the events in Talia and what is going on in London.

This said, let’s get started with the analysis without further ado:

CITY OF FLOWERS

General timespan: from early March 2005/1579 to late April 2005/1579 (approx. 2 months). To commence, let’s fix some points to orient ourselves: Easter in 1579 falls on April 19. The day Sky stravagates for the first time coincides with the last day of Carnevale in Talia, Martedì Grasso (Shrove Tuesday), which happens exactly 40 days before Easter. Thus, we can pinpoint March 10 as the day when the story starts to move (despite the wedding being in the works supposedly for a couple of months at least). 

After Easter, we know that the weddings, the Nucci massacre and the flooding of the Argento rivers all happen on the following Tuesday (April 21). These are the most important dates for the overall plot, but, taking into account that (aside from the short Devon holiday) Sky stravagates almost daily, we can deduce most of the dates for all the other notable events in the book, such as:

Sky performs his epic coup de theatre, calling Nick Falco and revealing his status as Stravagante the day right after his first Stravagation, on March 10*, 2005 (England Time)

On March 11 (Talian Time) Sky and Suien visit Colle Vernale, while everyone else is freaking out about the weddings.

On March 12 (TT) Niccolò gets poisoned, and Carlo kills Davide Nucci in retaliation.

Between March 13 and April 6 (the day after Alice stravagates) the events can be placed with absolute precision - this is mainly due to the fact that, while we know that on Easter (March 27, 2005) most of the Barnsbury kids are in Devon for the school break, there are not exact indication of the dates they leave and return to London. Yet, we know that the day after Alice stravagates is less than two weeks away from the wedding, so it should be at least April 7 (TT). This sort of makes sense since we know that all the preparation for the wedding stravagation, the talisman exchange and Alice’s involvement in the operation takes at least a week, at the beginning of which Colin (aka Rainbow Warrior, Sky’s dad) celebrates his birthday (which is stated to be on April 1). Meanwhile, people in Giglia are still freaking out about the weddings.

the Holy Week in Talia starts on April 13 (Monday). On Thursday (16) Jacopo and his family arrive in Giglia, while Alfonso & co. arrives only on Friday (17). Finally, the pope arrives on the day before the wedding (Monday, 20) as he had to stay in Remora to perform the Easter Mass there. On Monday, after the celebrations are over, Niccolò proposes to Arianna (ew.) 

In England, meanwhile, Loretta discovers about Sky’s existence only on April 17, and Rainbow Warrior meets his son on the following day (April 18).

After the bloody events of the wedding, the following week has the Nucci surrendering on Wednesday (April 22, TT), and the fateful duel between Niccolò and Luciano on the Friday (April 24, TT). With the death of the Duca  and the Bellezzan delegation departure, the day after the duel is also the one where Silvia and Rodolfo get married (April 25), thus concluding the main plot of the book.

Concerning the age of the characters during the book, here’s what we can infer from previously known information:

Luciano and Arianna are both 17, turning 18 the next fall. Georgia is 16, and will soon turn 17 (as briefly mentioned in chapter 4). Falco is 15, and will turn 16 in November per my previous headcanon.

As for Sky, we know that he’s in the same year as Georgia, but it is hinted in chapter 17 that he already urned 17. This most likely puts his birthday in the first part of the year, probably between January and February (as Capricorn and Aquarius both fits his character, astrologically speaking XD)

Now, if you think that packing all the action of City of Flowers in a timespan of less than 50 days may seem too intense, get ready for the next entry, aka

CITY OF SECRETS 

General timespan: apparently, people in Padavia run on caffeine 24/7**, as all the main events take place in less than a month, specifically from October 11 2005 (ET) to the night of the Manoush execution, November 4 1579 (TT). Padua is a crazy city, no matter the timeline. 

We can pinpoint the starting date by the fact that Matt’s first Stravagation happens on the night of his 17th birthday, and he arrived in Padavia on the day of Arianna’s 18th birthday (October 12). Since we can infer from the text that, when you stravagate, you arrive in Talia on the day after the one you were back in England, this means that Matt’s birthday is on October 11. This means that Matt was born in the same year as Georgia and Sky, but, since his birthday is after August 31, he is in the year behind them (a search on the web informed me that the threshold for school admission in the Uk is August 31. Can anyone confirm this? FYI, in Italy we go by solar year, aka all children that turn 6 by December 31 are in the same year).

The final date, November 4, marks the Manoush execution, the solar eclipse*** and the  great Padavia fire. We know his as soon as chapter 22, when the date for the execution is fixed two days after the Manoush’s capture, which happens in the night between November 2 and 3. 

Similarly to what happened to CoF, Matt is seen stravagting almost every night, so we can keep count of the passing days to date the main events in the story, mainly:

Rinaldo arrives to Padavia around October 14, and the laws are passed in the following days (most likely on October 16 - a Saturday - which, as stated by Constantin, is considered a working week just like the others in Talia).

Deathridge arrives to Padavia on Friday 15, where he holds his first lesson at the University. We know that the third lesson is the following Friday (October 22), so the second lesson must have taken place between these two days (I’d say either on Tuesday 19)

The aforementioned assumption are strengthened by the fact that the Monday after Matt’s arrival is a holiday, more specifically St. Luke’s day, falls on October 18.

The day after the third lesson (thus, Saturday 23 October) we are introduced to our favourite red-haired bastard prince, the problematic fave™️ of the saga, Ludovico Vivoide. 

Given that the day of St. Raphael falls too on a Monday in Talia (October 25), we can place on the day before (Oct. 24, ET) Ayesha’s encounter with Jago, followed the day after by Matt cursing his “rival” with the Evil Eye. The situation gets solved on the 27, with Lucian returning briefly in England and meeting his parents. After he returns to Talia, on October 28 he manages to do well at his lecture, eventually sealing his fate as far as Filippo di Chimichi is concerned.

Also, sometimes around the 25, our favourite spy Enrico gets captured by Lucian, who forces him to take a bath, despite his protest. One of the highest moment of the saga, tbh.

The day after the lecture (Friday, October 29) we are introduced to Doc. Angeli and we know about the public dissections held at University. Luciano will be saved from Angeli’s unknowing tolls the following Thursday, on November 4.

To conclude, the final arc of the story takes place between Halloween (October 31, in England) and the three days of the Manoush festival. While Matt falls asleep in his room and the party at Chrissie’s goes on, the boy is kidnapped and beaten up in Padua (November 1, day of the Dead). Filippo accidentally stravagates, is scared by Ayesha, and finally everything gets solved before morning (November 2) arrives. 

As said before, the Manoush are captured on the night of November 2, the trial takes place the morning after (Nov. 3) and the execution is set for the 4th.

The events in the epilogue stretched between November 4 and January 1st 1580, the day where Bino is born in Giglia. Although he is “a little ahead of his time” we can infere that he was conceived right after the wedding, no later than April****. 

Aside from that, the epilogue informs us that Barbara and Marco get married, Matt gets his driving licence and we can only hope that Luciano finally manages to study for more than two days without being interrupted. As i said, CoSe is a wild ride. Go read it.

ADDENDUM 1: By the end of the fourth book, the character’s ages are: Luciano and Arianna > 18 Matt and Georgia > 17 Sky > 17, possibly already 18 Nick > 16

ADDENDUM 2: FOOTNOTES

*: the reason why I believe that the arrival day in Talia is the one right after the starting day in England, as explained, can be inferred mostly by looking at the CoSe timeline. 

**: it IS a university city, after all.

***: look, the moon phase seems to be pretty much on pair between worlds, but there is no records of a partial moon eclipse on November 4, 1579 (none that I’m aware of, at least). We can, however, headcanon it as Doctor’s Deathridge illusionary magic extravaganza, as A) they needed a distraction/something to cause a sensation among the crowd and solve the situation B) he’s actually a proficient astronomer, and knows how this kind of phenomena looks like, and the effect they have on people C) he’s Rodolfo’s master, and heaven knows what sort fo great magic he is actually capable of D) the fact that he used a mass illusion without telling the others but knowing that Luciano and co. would still be able to use it as a tool to free the Manoush is objectively cool as heck. 

****: or, it could have been conceived before the wedding, who knows 👀

IN CONCLUSION: THAT’S ALL FOLKS SEE YOU FOR PART 3 IN [redacted] MONTHS!

[biggirlshortruns]

Today’s Run 1/16/19

Today’s run was great! 

I had crappy runs on Friday, like I wrote about, and a crappy one yesterday (because my schedule is screwed up this week for a couple reasons so I tried to run yesterday early afternoon before work (it was my first time back in the classroom in over a month and damn, I low-key missed work.) but it didn’t work out in my favor) but I woke up today determined not to have a bad run again.

According to my training schedule, I’m supposed to be doing 2.5 miles of running within 3.1 miles. Now, I had to walk a little bit more than .6 miles, but honestly not that much when you take out my warm-up and cool down. I wasn’t really sure I’d be able to do that much running, but I got it done.

I was on the treadmill for an hour counting a 5 minute warm-up and a 7 minute cool down (I wanted to hit the even hour) and I went 3.85 miles. Now, I know that seems slow as hell (I mean, that is legitimately 3.85 mph) but remember, my mile is a 14:11 one (or was, I haven’t run a straight mile in months now) which is only 4.23 mph. So, that doesn’t seem that off base from what I was running when you think about how slow the Planet Fitness treadmills make your cool down if you’ve been alternating between 5 mph and 3 mph.

I started off doing 3 minutes running (so a quarter mile since I was going 5 mph) and then 1 minute walking. I got 1.25 miles done that way and I took that as a win. Then I switched to 1:30 of running followed by 30 seconds of walking for another .75 miles because I was just not getting 3 minutes at that point (I did 1 interval where I tried and got to 2 minutes then did 1 minute of walking) and the last .5 miles of running I did 1 minute running and 30 seconds of walking. So my intervals took me 48 minutes all together. I’m hoping that next Monday (the next time I will be able to run), I will be able to get 2 miles done doing the 3 minute/1 minute intervals.  Or at least 1.5 miles.  At this 2.5 miles of running stage of my training, I want to be doing 3.1 miles within 40 minutes. That’s my goal by February 8th. 

So, what got me feeling better about doing these intervals? Listening to Jill Angie’s “Not Your Average Runner” podcast is a huge part of it. I’m nowhere near caught up to the episode she’s doing now at all, but in one of her earlier episodes, she answers a runner’s question by reminding them they can do intervals. She suggests 3 minute running, 1 minute walking and even though this person was running like, 9 miles a day or some wild shit I will never be doing, it reminded me that that was okay. Before, I had been beating myself up about not doing .5 mile intervals-- like, why couldn’t I run for 6 minutes straight at this point? I’ve done it before! I did 28 minutes straight during C25k! But a) that was in October and this is January and b) that was outside where I could alter my pace at my will as need me which is more difficult to do on a treadmill and c) so what?? If I have to walk more often right now than I did, that’s okay! I’m still running! It still makes me feel better and it’s still good for me. And I can work up to running the whole 5k. My first race this year isn’t until March 23rd (Rockford’s Meltfest 5k) and if I don’t run that whole way, I’ve got another trace April 13th that’s gonna feed me a brat and beers afterwards. 

But along with Jill Angie’s podcast, I also got motivated to make today’s run great because my best friend Kelly has started doing C25k to train for what will be my June race (Chicago’s PAWS 5k) because she wants to be able to run the whole thing then and she’s let me bitch to her as much as I need to and she’s told me “hey, just go do it!” when I need to hear it. Having someone to commiserate with and is going sort of the same pace as me has been great. Plus, she told me to listen to Kesha’s “Learn to Let Go” and honestly, paying attention to that song and just telling myself that if that helped Kelly get through a run it could help me too helped so much.

I’m so glad I went today and told myself I could get back on the right track and reminded myself I was doing okay. My run put me in such a good mood and I am ready to tackle all the projects I want to with the rest of my night.

[sheithdirectory]

The Sheith Directory (Mobile Version)

❤️🖤 Direct Sheith: Events ❤️🖤

Big Bangs:

Sheith Big Bang ★ Big Bang with minimum 10k for writers and at least 1 artwork for artists. First ran from Winter 2016 to Summer 2017. Second round from February to August 2018.

Sheith Reverse Bang ★ Reverse Bang with 10k word minimum for writers and at least 3 artworks for artists. First ran from Fall 2017 to July 2018.

Sheith Prompt Bang ★ Big Bang in which writers and artists will be matched based on criteria of interests, and given a set of prompts to choose and create a work for. Run from August 2018 to April 2019.

Event Weeks:

Sheith Week ★ Sheith-centered week that ran on Twitter from August 21st to the 27th, 2016. Included SFW and NSFW (prompts)

Sheith Week Unlimited ★ Sheith-centered Week that ran from January 27th to February 2nd (prompts). Second round March 18-24 (prompts).

Sheith Positivity Week ★ Sheith-centered weeks. Sheith Summer Week ran from July 24-July 30th in 2017 (prompts).

Sheith Quote Week ★ Sheith-centered Week featuring relevant quotes as prompts. Ran on December 17th to 23rd 2017 (prompts, explanation of quotes.)

Sheith Participation Week ★ A week where all Sheith fans can participate such as sharing headcanons, favorite fics, and so forth. First run May 2018. (prompts)

Sheith Anniversary Week ★ A week celebrating the ship’s name with prompts. First run from May 28 to June 3rd, 2018. Hosted by SheithNetwork.

Sheith Summer Week ★ A Sheith-centered week for summer-themed fanworks. First run July 15-July 21, 2018. (Prompts) 

Event Months:

Sheith Month ★ A full month celebrating the relationship of Sheith, with a prompt or two for each day of the month. First ran on August 2017. Second round July 2018.

Exchanges:

Sheithlentines ★ Valentine’s Day Exchange. Posting of gifts from 14th to the 24th.

Sheith Flower Exchange ★ Exchange centered around the language of flowers. First ran during Spring 2017. Second round from March to July 2018.

Sheith Birthday ★ Celebrating Keith’s birthday; run on VLD Exchange during the Fall Season 2017. Postings on October 23rd. AO3 Collection.

Sheith Halloween ★ Sheith Halloween gift exchange. Run on VLD Exchange during the Fall Season. Postings were between October 24 to the 31st. AO3 Collection.

Sheith Secret Santa ★ Winter holiday exchange. 2016 round hosted here.

Kink Memes:

Sheith Kink Meme ★ Hosted on Dreamwidth. NSFW.

Sheith Kink Meme on AO3 ★ Hosted on AO3. NSFW. 

Zines:

Silver & Gold ★ Sheith zine that ran during Spring 2017 by Amegafuru.

Guiding Light ★ Sheith zine that ran during early months of 2018 by Amegafuru.

Infinite: Sheith Zine ★ Charity zine that ran during Summer 2017.  

Between Two Points ★Collaborative zine between writers and artists that ran during Fall 2017.

Stargazing: Sheith AU Zine ★ Twitter-run zine being run during Winter 2017-2018.

Hanakotoba ★ Sheith zine centered on the language of flowers. Profits to benefit charity: water. Being run during Winter 2017-2018.

Lightning Strikes ★ Numerous Sheith zines on sale 2018.

Sunkissed ★ A Sheith zine by Owlette. On sale during Spring 2018.

As Many Times/When You’re Away Zine ★ A Sheith zine by rou-tan-tan (and guest artists and writer) 

Heartlines ★ Sheith wedding-themed zine. Preorders to open on June 23 2018.

This And Every Other Universe: Sheith Edition ★ Sheith-centric zine happening summer 2018 on the theme of whatever universes the creators enjoy. Preorders opening June 16, 2018. 

Miscellaneous:

Sheith Prompt Party ★ Give a prompt. Take a prompt. Create fanworks based on your prompt. Run from May 2018 to October 2018.

Sheith-a-Palooza ★ Prompt fest. First run from August 2017 to October 2017. Hosted by SheithParty on Dreamwidth.

❤️🖤 Direct Sheith: Resources & Other Sites ❤️🖤

Shirogane Network ★ Shiro-centric network

Kogane Network ★ Keith-centric network (gen and ships)

Sheith Network ★ Sheith-centric network (gen and ships)

Fuck Yeah Sheith ★ Sheith-centric blog

Fuck Yeah Shirogane ★ Shiro-centric blog (gen)

Fuck Yeah Kagone ★ Keith-centric blog (gen)

Positively Shiro ★ Shiro-centric blog (gen and ships)

Positively Keith ★ Keith-centric blog (gen and ships)

Pics of Sheith ★  Screencaps of Sheith from the series.

a Sheith Every Day ★ Sheith Pics every Day for your Twitter timeline.

Songs That Are Sheith ★  Sheith-centric blog of songs that are Sheith. 

Wreath of Sheith ★ Sheith-centric blog; part of the Shance Support Squad, Klancin’ Around network!

Sheith Fic Ideas ★ Sheith fic ideas looking for a good home.

Sheith Fiction Catalogue ★ Blog dedicated to categorizing Sheith fics into a A-Z library based on genres and tropes.

Sheith Fanfics ★ Blog dedicated to fanfic recommendations.

SheithParty ★ Sheith Community on Dreamwidth

Sheith Tag ★ on AO3

AO3Feed_KeithShiro ★ AO3 feed on Tumblr

Sheith Tag ★ on Tumblr

The-Sheith-Tag ★ Tumblr blog that reblogs all relevant content from Sheith Tumblr tag.

Shiro-x-Keith ★ Sheith community on DeviantArt

Sheith Community ★ Sheith community on AminoApps

Sheith Network ★  Sheith-centric message board! 

Sheith Fanlore Article ★ Sheith page on Fanlore, preserving our history. 

❤️🖤 Indirect Sheith ❤️🖤

Bangs:

Keith Baby Bang ★ Keith-centric bang, with works posting beginning on Keith's birthday. Sheith welcome. Running from May 2018 to October 2018.

Alt Shiro Big Bang ★ Big Bang focusing on all alternate versions of Shiro (such as Kuro, Kuron, Sven, Ryou.) Sheith welcome. Running from July 2018 to January 2019. 

Event Weeks:

Shiro Ship Week ★ Shiro-centric event week focusing on all ships. Sheith welcome. 2018 week runs from June 24 to June 30th. (prompts) 

Desert Keith Week ★ Event week focusing on Keith's time in the desert. Sheith welcome. 2018 running from July 2 to July 8th. (prompts) 

Exchanges:

Shiro Birthday Exchange ★ Shiro-centric exchange centered around character’s birthday. Sheith and all Shaladin ships allowed. First ran from January to February 2018.

Voltron Secret Santa ★ Fandom-wide winter exchange that runs annually from September to December. Sheith welcome.

Shaladin Secret Santa ★ Winter exchange for all ships with Shiro. First ran in winter 2018.

Shklance Summer Exchange ★ Summer exchange for the ships of Shklane, Sheith, Shance, and Klance. First run between May to July 2018.

VLD Ship Exchange ★ Exchange that encourages ship exploration. Create a work for a ship you haven’t explored or shipped before. Sheith welcome. First ran in 2018.

Monstertron Exchange ★ For works involving horror and monsters. Sheith welcome. First ran in summer of 2018, from May to August.

AO3 Gift Exchanges ★ This is a special section for all AO3 gift exchanges where you can nominate, request, offer, and create fanworks for Sheith. Each AO3 exchange has its own exchange focus and rules, eligibility requirements, minimums, and other information so do please go to the DW community link provided to familiarize yourself with any exchange you’re interested in. I will only provide a brief summary here. These exchanges are all multifandom, meaning you will need to request/offer multiple fandoms (the numbers vary by exchange rules.)

Chocolate Box ★ Can request Sheith as ship. Theme is Valentine’s Day. Short minimums for fic (300 words) and art (sketch.) Runs from December to February of every year.

Worldbuilding Exchange ★ Can nominate/request Sheith as characters but may request ship in your letter/optional details. Focus of the exchange is worldbuilding such as Galaxy Garrison, History of the Blade of Marmora, or Mechanics of Shiro’s Galra Arm. Runs from January to March every year.

Age Gap Exchange ★ Can nominate/request Sheith as a ship. Focus of the exchange is for all pairings with an age difference. Runs from January to March.

Unusual Bearings ★ Can nominate/request Sheith as a ship. Focus of the exchange is on any pregnancy fanworks that is not cis man impregnating cis woman. (Mpreg of cis man, trans man, nb man are all allowed, as are oviposition, tentacles, and so forth.) Runs from January to May.

Space Swap ★ Can nominate/request Sheith as a ship. Focus of the exchange is on space canons. Runs from February to April.

Smut Swap ★ Can nominate/request Sheith as a ship. Focus of the exchange is on smutty fanworks. Must be of age to participate. Runs from February to April.

Fandom 5k ★ Can nominate/request Sheith as a ship. Focus is to give your recipient a fanfic of at least 5,000 words. Runs from March to June.

Multifandom Drabble ★ Drabbles (100 words.) You request by fandoms but can request ships in your optional details. Runs from June to July.

Nonconathon ★ Nominate scenarios as “A noncons B” or “A noncons B & C” or “A makes B noncon C,” and so forth. Focus of the exchange is on noncon/rape fanworks for any darkfic needs. Runs from May to July.

AU Exchange ★ Can nominate/request Sheith as a ship in any AU setting of choice, from Bee AU or “what if it was Keith who went on the Kerberos mission.” Focus of the exchange is all on AUs. Runs from June to September.

Darkest Night ★ May request single character or pairings. Focus of the exchange is on dark subjects. Runs from July to October.

Trick or Treat ★ Can nominate/request them as character but may request ship in your letter/optional details. Short minimums for fic (300 words) and art (sketch). Focus of the exchange is Halloween: may ask for Tricks (dark work) or Treats (fluff works.) Runs from September to October.

Multifandom Tropefest ★ Can request them as ship. The focus of the exchange are tropes, trope variations, and trope subversions (such as: soulmates, hanahaki, hurt/comfort, and so forth.) Fics must be at least 2,000 words long, and art must be at least a clean lineart illustration on unlined paper. Beginning in August and reveals are Thanksgiving weekend. 

[duggardata]

Meet The Maxwells:  Nathan + Melanie

Previously, in Part 1, we discussed overall Maxwell Family data.  Now let’s take a look at the first of the four Married Maxwells, Nathan Maxwell, and his wife of >15 Years, Melanie!

Before marriage, Melanie was Melanie Sue Maher (b. 9–1–75).  She is one of 8 Children born to Roger + Linda Maher of Easton, Kansas.  It’s unknown when, exactly, Nathan (b. 12–5–76) + Melanie met.  What we do know is that Nathan asked Melanie’s father for permission to court Melanie “right after New Years” 2001.  He didn’t say ‘yes’ right away.  There was a ‘getting to know you’ phase of about six weeks.  Nathan + Melanie got engaged on August 2, 2001, after 5 Months of courtship.  So... That puts the ‘courtposal’ in March, though we don’t know the exact date.  They married on January 26, 2002.  Here’s the timeline—

Pre–Courting   c. January 16, 2001  (~6 Weeks Before March 2001)

Courting   c. March 1, 2001  (~5 Months Before 8–2–01) 

Engaged   August 2, 2001

Married   January 26, 2002   

After marrying, Nathan + Melanie struggled with infertility for ~4 Years.  Finally, in October 2006, they announced that they were expecting.  Unfortunately, the pregnancy was high–risk “due to multiple factors.”  Most seriously, in February 2007, Melanie started having contractions, despite being just 28 Weeks along.  Doctors stopped labor for awhile, but, on March 21, 2007, Susannah was born 6 Weeks Early.  Tragically, she “never moved or opened her eyes.”  She died 3 Days after birth.

Since then, the Maxwell–Mahers have welcomed 5 Children—

Abigail Hope   May 18, 2008

Bethany Faith   August 13, 2010   

Christina Mercy   June 15, 2012

Andrew James   July 5, 2014

Benjamin Steve   February 21, 2017

We’ll talk relationship timeline, child spacing, and probable quiver size...  After the jump!

Nathan + Melanie’s Relationship

From Courtship to Marriage, Nathan + Melanie’s pre–marital relationship was ~331 Days long.  (Adding in their Pre–Courtship, it was ~375 Days long.)  Here is how long they spent at each relationship stage—

Pre–C.S.   ~44 Days  (6 Weeks)

Courtship   ~144 Days  (5 Months)

Engagement   177 Days

Nathan + Melanie’s Entire Relationship (Pre–C.S. to Marriage) is more–or–less exactly Maxwell–typical.  (Maxwells go from Pre–C.S. to Marriage in 378 Days, on average, compared to Nathan’s ~375 Days.)  Considering only their ‘Official’ Relationship (C.S. to Marriage), however, Nathan’s was 28% Longer than your typical Maxwell’s.  Nathan + Melanie were ‘official’ for ~331 Days, compared to the Maxwell average of 258 Days.

Here’s how the stages of Nathan + Melanie’s relationship compares, lengthwise, to the typical Maxwell Couple—

Pre–C.S.   +35 Days  (42% Longer) 

Courtship   –15 Days  (12% Shorter)     

Engagement   +48 Days  (37% Longer)

Child Spacing 

Nathan + Melanie Maxwell married on January 26, 2002, and had Susannah on March 21, 2007.  That’s a Marriage–to–Child 1 Gap of 1,880 Days—or, over 5 Years.  It’s a record and an outlier among the Maxwell Clan.  (Don’t believe me?  Here’s a list of the Married Maxwells Marriage–to–Child 1 Gaps, to date—

Nathan + Melanie   1,880 Days

Chris + Anna Marie   588 Days

Joseph + Elissa   393 Days

John + Chelsy   ~389 Days  (Marriage–to–Due Date)

Excluding Nathan + Melanie’s data, the typical Maxwell’s Marriage–to–Child #1 Gap is ~457 Days—1 Year, 3 Months—and varies by a SD of 114 Days.  Their data is so far (+12.5 SDs) off of the Mean that it’s clearly an outlier.  Thus, as a rule, I’ll exclude Nate + Mel’s data in calculating the Maxwell Family’s average, for Marriage–to–Child 1 spacing, and Nate + Mel’s own average Child Spacing.  (So, their Child Spacing data starts with the Child 1–to–Child 2 Gap, rather than Marriage–to–Child 1.)  

Anyway...  Let’s take a look at their post–Child 1 spacing!  You saw the DOBs of each of their children, above.  Let’s translate that into spacing—

Susannah to Abigail   424 Days  (Shortest Spacing)

Abigail to Bethany   817 Days

Bethany to Christina   672 Days

Christina to Andrew   750 Days

Andrew to Benjamin   962 Days  (Longest Spacing)

So...  On average, Nathan + Melanie have 1 Child Every 725 Days.  Compared to other Maxwells, that’s pretty slow...  14.7% Slower, to be exact!  (The typical typical Maxwell Couple has 1 Child Every 632 Days.)  Additionally, Nate + Mel’s pace is significantly less consistent than a typical Maxwell—varying by a SD of 199 Days, versus the Maxwell–typical SD of only 95 Days.  Ultimately, the data suggests that it is probable (68% Odds) that the Maxwell–Mahers’ children will arrive 526—924 Days apart, and nearly certain (95% Odds) that they will arrive 327—1,123 Days apart. 

Pregnancy–Related Data

When Melanie is pregnant, when in her pregnancy does she tend to announce?  Do they announce the baby’s sex in advance?  Does she tend to deliver late or early, or what?  Let’s take a look!

As for Pregnancy Announcement Timing, Duggar Data couldn’t find exact due dates for any of Melanie’s pregnancies; however, I found solid estimates for 4 of 6.  Nathan + Melanie announced every pregnancy on the Maxwell Family blog—Titus2.com—and I tracked down all those dates.  Based on all this, it looks like Melanie typically announces on Day 82 (of 280)—or 11 Weeks, 5 Days.  Nate + Mel’s earliest pregnancy reveal was with Abigail (#2), at ~Day 52 (or, ~8 Weeks).  As for their latest pregnancy reveal, that was with Bethany (#3), on ~Day 110—or, ~16 Weeks.

As for Sex Reveals, the Maxwell–Mahers don’t do them.  Well...  They did one.  It was with Andrew (#5), their first son, at ~25 Weeks.

Does Melanie deliver Early or Late?  Always early.  Significantly early, actually.  On average, Maher–Maxwell offspring arrive ~37 Days Early—i.e., 5ish Weeks before their Due Dates.  Medical issues seems to play into this, though I didn’t find any details about it.  (And, I don’t really expect them to share such private information, TBH!)  Because of this, I’ve decided to exclude Melanie’s delivery timing data from the Maxwell Family average, much like I exclude Erin Paine’s data from the Bates Family average.

Probable Quiver Size

So far, Nathan + Melanie have 6 Children (5 Living).  The Predictor thinks that that’s all they’ll have.  Melanie is Age 43, as of September 1, 2018.  Her most recent child, Benjamin Steve, was born in February 2017.  Given her average child spacing of 725 Days, she’s theoretically due to give birth to Child #7 on February 16, 2019.  At that point, she’ll be Age 43.46.

I couldn’t find any data about Melanie’s mother’s fertility, beyond the fact that she had 8 Children...  For reference, though, Michelle Duggar had Josie when she was Age 43ish, and Kelly had her last child at Age 45ish.  While it’s 100% possible for Melanie to have another child, there’s no doubt that she’s toward the end of her fertility.  Having no data to support extraordinarily–long fertility like Kelly’s, I think it’s safe to assume she’s done after 6 Live Births.

But...  What if she is still fertile?  Well, in that case, Nathan + Melanie are due for a pregnancy announcement any day now.  Like, tomorrow.  Based on a DOB of 2–16–19, Melanie’s propensity to deliver early, and their historic announcement timing, we could expect an announcement on September 5, 2018 for Baby #7.

Stay tuned, people!

[wonderwonderhowido]

Year-end meme time! I have been answering these questions once a year without fail since 2006. Maybe one of these years I’ll stop, but not for 2017.

Was 2017 a good year for you?

Yes! In February I decided I wanted to quit my job and go to Brazil for 3 months. I quit my job and moved away from NC in July, left for Brazil in August. I had a short-lived but intense romantic relationship from April-July. We drove across the country together. Brazil was really challenging but overall amazing. With the exception of a couple periods when life was too hectic, I kept up with my yoga habit. I think I made it a full 8 months without skipping a whole week actually? Maybe it was 6 months, I forget now, I just know that it was an important milestone for me at the time because I have never managed to keep up an exercise routine that long before. I spent more time at the ocean and by the pool than I have in most other years of my life. I lost some weight. I stayed relatively on top of my shit (bullet journaling really helped, when I was doing that), and stayed sane. I read a fuck ton of Harry/Draco and BTS fic. I took a lot of chances with people I had only just barely met. It has honestly been a pretty stellar year for me personally, the mounting sense of despair over the external world aside.

What was your favorite moment of the year?

Being in the ocean with kids climbing on top of me, demanding to be tossed into the waves.

What was your least favorite moment of the year?

Nothing actually stands out. I had some pretty low moments of crying over certain things in my life, but nothing I can talk about on the online, and besides since none of them were reacting to specific things they all sort of blend together in my memory anyway. I did cry whole buckets while leaving my goodbye party in NC and continued to cry when I got to my ex-BF’s house and then cried myself to sleep, but it feels sort of not right to call that a least favorite moment, just cathartic.

Where were you when 2017 began?

At the same new years’ party I was at when 2014, 2015, and 2016 began. That night was kind of a mixed bag for me, although I did get a new years’ kiss, which I will probably not be getting this year.  

Where will you be when 2017 ends?

One of my oldest friends in SLC is hosting a “polar plunge” at her house, so I’m going to do that. I probably will not be taking any kind of plunge myself but I can provide emotional support to those who shall.

Who will you be with when 2017 ends?

My friend Jennica and her husband. I have no idea who else, I don’t think I know most of their friends these days.  

Did you keep your new years resolution of 2017?

Looking at the half-assed resoluations I made…. Lmao, no I didn’t, but then my goals for the year changed rather drastically in February when I decided to upend everything, and I feel pretty good about how I followed through with all that stuff.

Do you have a new years resolution for 2018?

Have another list of resolution-ish intentions I have, I still would not call this list whole-assed but hey:

-complete a 30 day yoga challenge (I am on day 7 already, actually, so if I keep up with it I'll knock this one out before the end of January)

-don't let more than 4 days go by without going to yoga (other than when I'm traveling)

-don't let more than 2 days go by without writing (other than when I'm traveling)

-write original fiction at least three times a week, even if it's just like, scribbling down 100 words of a writing exercise (again, other than when traveling)

-read at least 25 books

-read at least 20 short stories

What was your relationship status? Did you break up with anyone?

I was in a relationship from roughly April-July, we broke it off before I left for Brazil. I dated other people in there, although no one for as long as I dated him.

How many one-night stands?

I think four? Idk depends on what you consider a one-night stand. And I made out with lots of different people, which was fun.

Did you make any new friends in 2017?

I made a lot of new friends in Brazil! I’ve made some new friends and reconnected with old friends through kpop. I seem to have made some new friends in SLC, which has been really nice.

What was your favorite month of 2017?

Probably September. April really ranks up there, too.

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 30!!! I think on the day of I went to work, got taken out to lunch by my boyfriend, swam in my apartment’s pool, and started watching Boku No Hero Academia, also with the boyfriend. I had a small party for myself over the weekend, if memory serves. It was really nice, low key and happy, I really enjoyed turning 30 and have been very much enjoying my thirties since. I remember thinking that I was going to feel angsty and panicked about turning this number but that never really hit. It was mostly just good.

How many different places did you travel to in 2017?

Ashland, OR; Wilmington, NC; Charlotte, NC; from Carrboro, NC to SLC, with stops along the way in Birmingham, New Orleans, a town in Texas that I have forgotten the name of; in Brazil: Fortaleza, Taiba, Manaus, Tefe, Mamiraua Reserve, Monte Alegre do Sul, and Sao Paulo.

Did anybody close to you die in 2017?

No.

Did anybody close to you give birth?

Yes, K and E.

Did you miss anybody in the past year?

I missed my NC friends a lot after I moved away. I missed Brazil and my people there.

Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Other than public figures, no, not really.

What were your favorite movies that you saw in 2017?

Loving Vincent, Thor: Ragnarok and The Last Jedi.

What was your favorite song from 2017?

I have not done a great job of keeping track of which songs I’ve listened to the most this year, but: Silver Spoon/Baepsae by BTS; Nights by Frank Ocean; Soldados by Legiao Urbana; Don’t Take The Money by Bleachers; The Louvre by Lorde; Ultralight Beam by Kanye West; Young by The Chainsmokers.

Did you have a favorite concert in 2017?

Bleachers and MUNA in Charlotte! Also Chance The Rapper.

Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2017?

I feel like yes but I think I did less getting super drunk than in previous years.

Did you do a lot of drugs in 2017?

Not ‘a lot’ but I was not expecting this to be the year that recreational drugs came back into my life. So ‘a lot’ by my usual standards, I guess.

What kept you sane?

Yoga, walking, and journaling. This is a very boring and literal answer, sorry, but it’s true. I’m sorry to be one of Those People but exercise and mindfulness are the reasons I’m able to be off anti-depressants.

What did you do in 2017 that you’d never done before?

Traveled to a foreign country by myself. Tried cocaine. Wrote fanfiction commissions. Taught english classes. Learned how to samba. Used a bullet journal. Did goat yoga. Interviewed a creator I admired. Went to a club by myself.

What dates from 2017 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

-August 21, the day of the eclipse and the day I flew to Brazil.

-July 28-29, my last days in NC, the night one of my cats spent in the bathtub of a friend’s apartment, and the days I spent frantically moving out of my apartment.

-The Women’s March. Both because it was one of the very few times this year I felt politically empowered, and because that night I had a really fantastic tinder date with a woman who had also been at the march. This was only a couple days after I’d been dumped by the girl I was seeing, so I felt very spitefully pleased about the timing of it all.

-April 22. At my old job, we opened up a new public preserve, an event everyone in the org had been working to make happen for years. The event itself went extremely well and was super gratifying, and then that night was one of the early and really great dates with the guy I was dating.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Quitting my job in a way I feel good about. Making Brazil happen. Moving out of my apartment. Sticking with yoga. Finishing my otayuri Spy AU. Writing all the fic that people commissioned me for, even though it took me forever and a day. Paying off my credit card post-brazil.

What was your biggest failure?

I am disappointed in myself for not trying harder to write and publish more nonfiction, even though I felt all this momentum in that direction after the McElroy piece I wrote in May. I am also disappointed in myself for losing steam on the novel I started in 2016. There are some conversations I wish I had had with important people in my life, that I always chickend out on having. There are some feelings I wish I had been able to leave behind, but couldn’t.

What was the best thing you bought?

Other than plane tickets, probably my chromebook. It does not feel real at all that I bought that in 2017, though. This year has been five years in one.

Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder? happier

b) thinner or fatter? thinner

c) richer or poorer? poorer

How did you spend Christmas?

With my family in SLC, like I almost always do. We opened presents, my dad and I went to yoga, I read a lot of kpop fic, in the evening we went to a dinner party at my parents’ friends house and I ate a lot of really good food.

What was the best book you read?

If I manage to finish The Female Man today, I will have read 23 books this year, not counting the 6 Animorphs books I reread and the gazillions of BNHA manga chapters. That’s actually more than I thought I had read, and maybe I should make my books goal for 2018 a larger number, hm.

But anyway I think the best book of those was probably The Basic Eight by Daniel Handler or Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. I also loved Swing Time by Zadie Smith but I read that at the beginning of the year so it sort of feels like a lifetime ago.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2017?

Well for half of it I’ve been either living out of a backpack or in my pajamas almost 24/7. Also I got rid of most of my wardrobe. So I guess minimal?

What would you like to have in 2018 that you lacked in 2017?

A new Carly Rae Jepsen album!!! And greater financial security, a home in a city I’m happy about living in.

What do you wish you’d done more of?

Writing original fiction and freelance writing. Exercising more discipline in my writing life, in general. Mindfulness exercises when I was upset. Taking photos of people I wanted to remember.

What do you wish you’d done less of?

Sweet jesus do I wish I had spent less time mindlessly refreshing apps on my phone, particularly twitter. Also pointless angsting about personal relationships. Gone on less Tinder dates that I knew weren’t going anywhere.

What are your plans for 2018?

Going to Japan in May with @corvidyouths and @globsavethequeen!!! And getting a job in New York or LA or DC or, who knows, somewhere else that I haven’t though of yet.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

Well, I don’t know how much of my year this actually sums up, but these lines have been rattling around my head more than anything else. From Nights by Frank Ocean:

I ain't trying to keep you Can't keep up a conversation Can't nobody reach you Why your eyes well up Did you call me from a seance You are from a past life

[travelguy4444]

How to Get Around Thailand on the Cheap in 2019

Posted: 2/25/2019 | February 25, 2019

Thailand is one of the most popular backpacker destinations in Southeast Asia.

It’s also my favorite.

Of course, I’m biased.

Thailand was where I decided to quit my job and travel the world. I lived there for two years. I ran tours there. I speak the language. I feel at home there.

But that aside, Thailand remains popular some thirty years after the first hippies arrived on the “banana pancake trail” for a simple reason: it’s awesome.

The succulent food, the warm people, the postcard-perfect beaches, the lush jungles, the hot weather — Thailand is simply a wonderful place.

That said, Thailand is also a pretty big country.

What’s the best way to get around Thailand?

Well, how you will get around Thailand depend greatly on how long you’re staying. You have options!

So what should you do?

Here’s a breakdown of the best ways to travel around Thailand (including travel times) regardless of budget or the length of your stay in the country:

Table of Contents

Getting Around Thailand By Flying

Getting Around Thailand By Train

Getting Around Thailand By Bus

Getting Around Thailand By Car

Getting Around Thailand By Ferry

Distance/Times for Getting Around

The Bottom Line on Getting Around Thailand

  Getting Around Thailand By Flying

Flying is obviously the most expensive but quickest way to get around. You can get pretty much anywhere in the country in two hours or less, making flying the perfect choice for people who are rushed for time.

Thai Airways is the largest (and costliest) carrier, but there are numerous budget airlines, like Thai Smile, Bangkok Airways, Thai Lion, AirAsia, and Nok Air. But avoid some of the smaller budget airlines like Orient Thai, as their safety records are pretty spotty.

Flights around Thailand generally cost 1,400-6,600 THB ($44-200 USD). Flights to the islands tend to be costlier than those between large cities like Bangkok and Phuket. Flights to Ko Samui are always more expensive than anywhere else, thanks to monopoly pricing by Thai Airways and Bangkok Airways.

Here are some sample fares (as of February 2019) so you can get an idea of how much flights cost:

Bangkok to Chiang Mai – 780 THB/$25 USD (one way), 1,560 THB/$50 USD (round-trip)

Bangkok to Phuket – 735 THB/$30 USD (one way), 1,311 THB/$42 USD (round-trip)

Bangkok to Koh Samui – 3,715 THB/$119 USD (one way), 7,274 THB/$233 USD (round-trip)

Chiang Mai to Phuket – 1,561 THB/$50 USD (one way), 2,997 THB/$96 USD (round-trip)

If you book early, you can save on fares as the budget carriers usually offer around 30-50% off tickets when they have sales — and they always have sales (especially Air Asia).

Keep in mind that each airline has different baggage fees and policies – budget airlines typically charge extra for like credit card processing (the stupidest of all fees), baggage fees, and preferred seating.

Getting Around Thailand By Train

Thailand is one of the few countries in the region with a decent rail network. It covers 2,796 miles and is one of the best and cheapest ways to get around the country.

There are three classes of travel: first class is the most expensive and is available only on night trains. Second class is quite comfortable and has softer seats, as well as air-conditioned cars. Third class is bare-bones cars, with hard seats and no A/C. However, these are the cheapest seats around! (I actually like third class, though, as you meet more interesting people and there are always vendors coming on and off selling delicious and cheap food.)

Trains here move very, very slowly. The Chiang Mai-to-Bangkok night train — a distance of only 430 miles — takes 12 hours.

Day trains are even worse, as there are frequent stops and waiting at stations for reasons I’ve never figured out.

There’s no high-speed train in this country so don’t be in a rush if you’re traveling Thailand by train!

That said, I love traveling by train in Thailand if I’m not in a rush. The trains are spacious, there’s always food and drinks available, most of the cars have A/C, vendors get on and off at each stop to sell meals, fruit, or drinks, and the scenery as you cruise through the tropical countryside is out of this world.

It’s also crazy cheap, especially if you take the day train. Heck, even the night train is super cheap! Here are some example fares for both day and night trains:

Bangkok to Chiang Mai – 890 THB/$28 USD (day train), 1,011 THB/$32 USD (night train)

Bangkok to Chumphon – 550 THB/$17 USD (day train), 920 THB/$28 USD (night train)

Bangkok to Surat Thani – 858 THB/$26 USD (day train), 1,058 THB/$33 USD (night train)

Bangkok to Ayutthaya – 30 THB/$1 USD (day train)

Ayutthaya to Chiang Mai – 866 THB/$27 USD (day train), 1,131 THB/$35 USD (night train)

Ayutthaya to Lopburi – 30 THB/$1 USD (day train)

Bangkok to Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima) – 425 THB/$13.50 USD (day train), 1,010 THB/$32 USD (night train)

Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima) to Surin – 300 THB/$9.50 (day train)

Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima) to Ubon Ratchathani – 243 THB/$7.75 USD (day train), 593 THB/$19 USD (night train)

You can see train schedules and ticket prices on the State Railway of Thailand website (railway.co.th).

You can buy train tickets through a travel agent (there’s a slight upcharge) or directly at the train station. You can buy tickets the day of travel — there’s always space, especially on the day trains. That said, if you are looking for a bed on the night train, I would book at least three days in advance to ensure you have a reservation, especially during high season.

Getting Around Thailand By Bus

As trains don’t go everywhere in Thailand, taking the bus is your second-best option. Actually, buses are the widest form of transportation here. You can go anywhere in Thailand by bus. Though they often show bad Thai movies with the sound turned up too loud and blast the A/C, they are a comfortable and spacious ride.

If you’re taking a day bus, note that they often stop in multiple towns along the way to pick people up and drop them off, and they also pick up people by the side of the road. Don’t expect to move in an efficient or quick manner. They aren’t in a rush.

Be sure to tell them exactly where you want to go, because often there are no signs when you pull into bus stations.

There are also “tourist buses” that, while more expensive, are usually a lot more convenient. They are usually best for long distances (they tend to travel at night), and when combined with island ferry tickets (say, Bangkok to Ko Phi Phi). They are more expensive than local buses, but they are more direct, and you don’t have to worry about where you are or if it’s your stop. They usually pick up in the tourist area and drop you off in the tourist area of the next place — plus there’s no stopping to pick up other people along the way.

You can book these via the many travel agents that line the tourist areas of town.

Here are some sample fares for bus routes in Thailand:

Bangkok to Chiang Mai – 534 THB/$17 USD (day bus), 830 THB/$26 USD (night bus)

Chiang Mai to Pai – 150 THB/$5 USD (day bus)

Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai – 229 THB/$7 USD (day bus), 312 THB/$10 USD (night bus)

Lampang to Chiang Rai – 237 THB/$7.50 USD (day bus)

Bangkok to Phuket City – 643 THB/$20 USD (day bus), 998 THB/$31 USD (night bus)

Bangkok to Chumphon – 373 THB/$12 USD (day bus), 427 THB/$13 USD (night bus)

Bangkok to Surat Thani – 858 THB/$27 USD (day bus), 1,058 THB/$33 USD (night bus)

Bangkok to Hua Hin – 289 THB/$9 USD (day bus), 400 THB/$12 USD (night bus)

Bangkok to Trat – 350 THB/$11 USD (day bus), 390 THB/$12 USD (night bus)

Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima) to Surin – 291 THB/$10 USD (day bus)

Surin to Ubon Ratchathani – 200 THB/$7 USD (day bus)

Getting Around Thailand By Car

Don’t rent a car in Thailand. They are expensive, and the roads in Thailand are crazy.

It’s much better to rent a motorbike and ride across the country. It’s quite a common thing to do. This is a good article to help you plan a trip.

Getting Around Thailand By Ferry

While you won’t be using the ferry to get around Thailand, it will definitely be an important mode of transportation when you’re exploring the islands. Due to the well-established travel trail, booking your ferry ride is simple and straightforward – you can often book tickets online or just show up. Most hostels and hotels will be able to help you with this if you need assistance. They will also have the most up-to-date schedules.

Here are some example routes and fares to help you plan your trip:

Koh Tao to Koh Samui – 500 THB/$16 (one way)

Surat Thani to Koh Phangan – 625 THB/$20 (one way)

Phuket to Koh Phi Phi – 780 THB/$25 (one way)

Krabi to Koh Lanta – 550 THB/$17 (one way)

How Long Does It Take to Get Around Thailand?

Trying to figure out how long it will take you to get from point A to point B? Here is a distance and time chart so you can get an idea of how long it takes to get from place to place.

Route

Distance (km/miles)

Air (hrs)

Bus (hrs)

Rail (hrs)

Bangkok – Chiang Mai

230/115

1:15

10

13

Bangkok – Phuket City

840/525

1:25

12

N/A

Bangkok – Chumpon

466/290

1

8

8:15

Lampang – Chiang Mai

99/61

4:05*

1:45

2

Surat Thani – Bangkok

641/398

1

11

12

Chiang Mai – Chiang Rai

199/124

4*

3:40

N/A

Ayutthaya – Bangkok

81/50

N/A

1:30

2

Bangkok – Koh Samui

763/474

1:15

13-14**

13-16**

Chaing Mai – Krabi

1,465/910

4

27

24

Bangkok – Ubon Ratchathani

609/378

2:30

10

11

*No direct flights. **Includes ferry

What’s the Bottom Line on Getting Around Thailand?

Trains are the best way to get around Thailand cheaply and in comfort, night buses are great for places that aren’t serviced by the train, and if you’re short on time, just fly.

***

That’s it. These are the best ways to get around Thailand. It’s pretty easy, as visitors have been traveling around here for decades and there’s an extensive network to make sure you can get from A to B no matter what!

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments!

Updated! Nomadic Matt’s Guide to Thailand

Want to plan the perfect trip to Thailand? Check out my comprehensive guide to Thailand written for budget travelers like yourself! It cuts out the fluff found in other guides and gets straight to the practical information you need to travel and save money. My guide will help you with:

Budget advice from a budget travel expert

Suggested itineraries with maps to help save time planning

The best things to see and do (while avoiding tourist traps)

My favorite non-touristy restaurants and bars

Finding the best lodgings for your wallet, with advice from a professional budget traveler

Transportation advice that will show you the easiest and cheapest ways to get around

An extensive list of important information for travelers to this region

And much more!

>>> Download my guide to Thailand

Book Your Trip to Thailand: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines, because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the largest inventory. If you want to stay somewher eother than a hotel, use Booking.com, as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. I use them all the time.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it, as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

World Nomads (for everyone below 70)

Insure My Trip (for those over 70)

Looking for the best companies to save money with? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel — and I think they will help you too!

Looking for more information on visiting Thailand? Check out my in-depth destination guide to Thailand with more tips on what to see and do, costs, ways to save, and much, much more!

Photo Credit: 2

The post How to Get Around Thailand on the Cheap in 2019 appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

source https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/get-around-thailand/

[rebelexiled-a]

, Roleplaying Profile Meme

PLEASE REPOST, DO NOT REBLOG!

Feel free to add to any of your answers!  The purpose is to tell your partners about the way you write!  For the multiple choice ones, BOLD all that apply and, if you want, italicize if it’s a conditional answer!

– B A S I C S –

NAME: Mary or Fallen

ARE YOU OVER 18? Yes / No

IS YOUR MUSE? Yes / No

WHEN WAS YOUR BLOG ESTABLISHED? February 28, 2018 (2+ Years Experience from main blog @fallenlombax)

ARE YOU SELECTIVE ABOUT WHO YOU WRITE WITH ON THIS BLOG? No (anyone) / Semi (most people) / Yes (some people) / Highly (few people) / Private (mutuals only)

ARE YOU SELECTIVE ABOUT WHO YOU FOLLOW ON THIS BLOG? No (anyone) / Semi (most people) / Yes (some people) / Highly (few people)

IF YOUR MUSE IS CANON, HOW MUCH TO YOU ADHERE TO CANON? Not at all / A little / Some / Mostly / Strictly / N/A

WHAT POST LENGTHS DO YOU WRITE? One Liners (starters only) / Single-Para / Multi-Para / Novella

DO YOU USE ICONS AND/OR GIFS? No / Gifs (sometimes) / Icons / Gificons

DO YOU WRITE ON OTHER PLATFORMS? No / Yes (Discord/Waterfall Social)

WHAT LEVEL OF PLOTS DO YOU WRITE? Unplotted / Open Ended Plots (set up a meeting and see what happens) / Semi-Plotted (a few steps ahead) / Fully Plotted Epics (plotted beginning, middle, and end)

HOW QUICKLY DO YOU USUALLY RESPOND TO THREADS? Very Slow (more than a month) / Slow (3-4 Weeks) / Average (1-2 Weeks) / Fast (Less Than One Week) / Very Fast (Less Than Three Days)

WHAT TYPES OF THEMES DO YOU LIKE? (feel free to add!) Fluff / Angst / Smut / Action / Tragedy / Domestic / Family / Conversational / Hurt-Comfort

WHAT GENRES DO YOU LIKE? (feel free to add!) High Fantasy / Supernatural / Science Fiction / Historical / Horror / Comedy /Romantic/ Drama / Action / Adventure / Espionage

ARE THERE ANY THEMES YOU’RE UNCOMFORTABLE WRITING ON YOUR BLOG? (not triggers) Yes / No

DO YOU HAVE ANY TRIGGERS?  HOW DO YOU REQUEST IT TAGGED? Yes / No

– S H I P P I N G –

WHAT TYPES OF RELATIONSHIPS ARE YOU OPEN TO? Romantic / Platonic (also Rivalry and Antagonistic) / Familial / Platonic Queer

WHAT TYPES OF PRE-ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIPS ARE YOU OPEN TO? Romantic / Platonic / Familial / Platonic Queer / None unless we’ve plotted or it has historical background

DO YOU HAVE OTPS? No / Chemistry only / Yes

DO YOU HAVE NOTPS? No, I think not / Yes

WHAT IS YOUR MUSE’S SEXUAL ORIENTATION? Heterosexual / Heteroflexible  / Bisexual  / Homoflexible / Homosexual / Pansexual / Demisexual / Sapiosexual / Asexual / Undecided

WHAT IS YOUR MUSE’S ROMANTIC ORIENTATION?

Heteroromantic / Heteroflexible / Biromantic / Homoflexible / Homoromantic / Panromantic / Demiromantic / Sapioromantic / Aromantic / Undecided

ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WRITING SMUT? No / Selectively / Yes

HOW EARLY IN A RELATIONSHIP DO YOU SHIP ROMANTICALLY? Autoship / During Plotting / After A Couple IC Interactions / Several IC Interactions In/ Slow Burn

ARE YOU OPEN TO TOXIC SHIPS? No / Selectively / Yes / Never Tried It (But I would like to)

ARE YOU OPEN TO PROBLEMATIC SHIPS? (canon history, age difference, complicated, etc.) No / Selectively / Yes (Verse Dependent)

ARE YOU OPEN TO POLYSHIPPING?

No / Selectively / Yes / Never Tried It

ARE YOU AN EXCLUSIVE SHIPPER? No / Sometimes / Yes

DOES CRACK SHIPPING EVER HAPPEN? No / Yes / It Could

DOES CROSSOVER SHIPPING EVER HAPPEN? No / Yes / It Could

Tagged by: I stole it.

Tagging: Anyone really.

[lovemesomesurveys]

1) Are you really ready for 1000000 questions? Sureee.

2) What was the last thing you drank? Coffee. Of course.

3) Do you believe in God? Yes.

4) What did you last say? “Ohhh.”

5) Do you regret it? No?

6) Have you ever been depressed? I am depressed. I have chronic depression.

7) Have a best friend? I don’t even know.

8) Are you a boy or girl? I am a girl.

9) What is your relationship status? In a committed relationship with coffee.

10) How do you want to die? I’d rather not talk about that.

11) What did you last eat? This hotel I’m at has a good breakfast spread. I just had a muffin, coffee, and biscuits and gravy. Yesterday I had a couple muffins, coffee, and an omelette.

12) Play any sports? Nope.

13) Do you bite your nails? I pick them more than bite them.

14) When was your last physical fight? Never.

15) What is the last sound you just heard? I hear the TV.

16) Do you hate anyone at the moment? No.

17) Do you miss anyone? Yes. A few someones.

18) Twirl or cut your spaghetti? I cut and twirl.

19) Do you tan a lot? No.

20) Have any pets? No. :(

21) How exactly are you feeling? I feel okay. I’m on my second cup of coffee, so we’ll see if that gives me a little boost of energy.

22) Ever eaten food in a car while someone or yourself is driving? Yeah, many times.

23) Ever made out in a bathroom? Nope.

24) Would you take any of your exes back? No.

25) Are you scared of spiders? Extremely.

26) Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? Part of me says yes, the other part isn’t so sure. I’d like to change some things for sure, but how does that affect everything else? If it wouldn’t change anything somehow, I’d definitely do it.

27) Do you regret anything from your past? Oh yes.

28) What are your plans for this weekend? Well, today is Sunday so it’s just about over. On Friday we went out of town and stayed in a hotel suite my dad rented for my little brother’s birthday on Saturday. We got to experience it first, and then he and his friends got to yesterday/today. So, Friday night we had dinner at this really good restaurant and then just chilled at the hotel. Saturday my mom and brother saw Rings, and my dad and I just chilled for awhile at the hotel. Then we all had lunch. My mom, dad, and I planned on going home yesterday once his friends arrived, but we decided to also stay another night so we got another room on another floor haha. My brother just turned eighteen, so he wanted to do his own thing with his friends and whatnot. We were like, “We’ll be on a whole other floor you won’t even see us. Just act like we’re not here.” lol. Anyway, we just had dinner and hung out in the room last night. This morning I went and got the free breakfast the hotel provides and now we’re just soaking up the last hour we have here before it’s time to check out and go home. Back to reality. :/

29) Did you ever kiss someone whose name starts with a C? Nope.

30) Do you type fast? Yes.

31) Do you have piercings? Just my ears.

32) Can you spell well? Yes.

33) Do you miss anyone from your past? I do.

34) What are you craving right now? I’m good right now.

35) Ever been to a bonfire party? No. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do, though.

36) Have you ever been on a horse? Once, when I was a kid.

37) Kissed someone in a pick up truck? Nope.

38) Last hug? My mom.

39) Have you ever been cheated on? No.

40) Last thing you watched on tv? The Boss last night.

41) Would you live with someone without marrying them? I think you should live together first.

42) What should you be doing? I already finished packing, so I don’t have anything else I need to be doing right now.

43) What’s irritating you right now? Nothing at this moment.

44) Have you ever liked someone so much that it hurts? Yes.

45) Does somebody love you? My family.

46) What is your favorite color? Yellow, teal, and pastels.

47) Have you ever changed clothes in a vehicle? Yes.

48) Do you have trust issues? I just have a hard time opening up in general.

49) What’s the last thing you said out loud? “You’re always losing something.”

50) Have you ever shaved in the kitchen sink? No.

51) Do you have a good relationship with your parents? Yes.

52) What’s on your mind? I still feel kind of hungry.

53) Last book you read? He Found Me by Whitney Barbetti.

54) Who was the last person you cried in front of? My mom.

55) Do you give out second chances too easily? Yes.

56) Is it easier to forgive or forget? Forgive.

57) Is this year the best year of your life? It’s only early February, but no it hasn’t been off to a good start. Last year wasn’t so great either. Last year’s stuff just carried over, and then some.

58) Do you think you’ re a good person? I would like to think so. I’m not perfect.

59) Do you believe everything happens for a reason? Yes.

60) What is the last thing you did before you went to bed last night? I was watching an ASMR video, and next thing I knew it was morning.

61) Does your mind ever get stuck in the past? Only all the time.

62) What is bothering you? Right now, my stomach.

63) Have you ever been out of province?Out of county? Yes.

64) Do you play the Wii? We have one, but no I don’t play.

67) Are you listening to music right now? Nope.

68) Do you like Chinese food? Yeah, some.

69) Do you know your fathers b-day? Yes.

70) Are you afraid of the dark? Yes.

71) Is cheating ever okay? Not to me.

72) Are you mean? No.

73) Can you keep white shoes clean? I can.

74) Have you noticed this survey stopped getting personal? Nope.

75) Do you believe in true love? I believe it exists. Just not me.

76) Are you proud of the person you’ve become? No.

77) Do you like the outside? Not particularly. Depends where I am and what we’re doing. I despise it during the summer.

78) Are you currently bored? No.

79) Do you wanna get married? It’s not something I’m thinking about at this point.

80) Is it cute when a boy/girl calls you baby? I didn’t like it when my ex called me that.

81) Are you hungry? A little.

82) Do you have a bank account? Yes.

83) What makes you happy? My morning cup of coffee brings brief moments of happiness

84) Ever been to Alaska? No.

85) Do you watch the news? Yes.

86) Do you like Subway? I do.

87) Would it be hard to kiss the last person you kissed? It would be. So much time has passed between us. A lot has changed.

88) Who was the last person you were on the phone with? My mom.

89) Do you talk like your friends? It’s been awhile.

90) What’s a word you say a lot? “Nice”, “wow”, “okay”

91) Have you ever seen someone you knew & purposely avoided them? Yes. :X

92) Do you have a friend of the opposite sex who you can act your complete self around? No.

93) Who is the last girl you talked to? My mom.

94) Does it matter if your boyfriend/girlfriend smokes? It would matter, yes.

95) Do you go to church? No. I would like to start.

96) What’s going on between you and your best friend? Nothing.

97) Who is the last person you had a deep conversation with? My mom.

98) Have you ever regretted letting someone go? Yes.

99) Do you enjoy piercings & tattoos? No.

100) What do you wear more: Hoodies, Jackets, Cardies..? Hoodies.

101) You’re a Sharpie marker, what color are you? A pastel color.

102) Do you prefer to shower at night or in the morning? At night.

103) Have you ever said you’d never love again? I’ve said I wouldn’t find anyone again.

104) Do you want to please everyone? Yes. :/

105) Have you heard a song that reminds you of someone today? I haven’t heard any music so far today.

106) Has someone ever made you a promise & broken it? Yes.

107) Are you alone right now? Nope.

108) Did you speak to your father today? Yes.

109) How many months/days untill your birthday? Five months.

110) Did you enjoy this survey? Sure.

[dailyofficereadings]

Daily Office Readings February 03, 2020 at 11:00PM

Psalm 61-62

Psalm 61

Assurance of God’s Protection

To the leader: with stringed instruments. Of David.

1 Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. 2 From the end of the earth I call to you, when my heart is faint.

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I; 3 for you are my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.

4 Let me abide in your tent forever, find refuge under the shelter of your wings.Selah 5 For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

6 Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to all generations! 7 May he be enthroned forever before God; appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!

8 So I will always sing praises to your name, as I pay my vows day after day.

Psalm 62

Song of Trust in God Alone

To the leader: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

1 For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. 2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall never be shaken.

3 How long will you assail a person, will you batter your victim, all of you, as you would a leaning wall, a tottering fence? 4 Their only plan is to bring down a person of prominence. They take pleasure in falsehood; they bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse.Selah

5 For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him. 6 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. 7 On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.

8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.Selah

9 Those of low estate are but a breath, those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath. 10 Put no confidence in extortion, and set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.

11 Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God, 12 and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord. For you repay to all according to their work.

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Psalm 68

Psalm 68

Praise and Thanksgiving

To the leader. Of David. A Psalm. A Song.

1 Let God rise up, let his enemies be scattered; let those who hate him flee before him. 2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before the fire, let the wicked perish before God. 3 But let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy.

4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds[a]— his name is the Lord— be exultant before him.

5 Father of orphans and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. 6 God gives the desolate a home to live in; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious live in a parched land.

7 O God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness,Selah 8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain at the presence of God, the God of Sinai, at the presence of God, the God of Israel. 9 Rain in abundance, O God, you showered abroad; you restored your heritage when it languished; 10 your flock found a dwelling in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.

11 The Lord gives the command; great is the company of those[b] who bore the tidings: 12 “The kings of the armies, they flee, they flee!” The women at home divide the spoil, 13 though they stay among the sheepfolds— the wings of a dove covered with silver, its pinions with green gold. 14 When the Almighty[c] scattered kings there, snow fell on Zalmon.

15 O mighty mountain, mountain of Bashan; O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan! 16 Why do you look with envy, O many-peaked mountain, at the mount that God desired for his abode, where the Lord will reside forever?

17 With mighty chariotry, twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands, the Lord came from Sinai into the holy place.[d] 18 You ascended the high mount, leading captives in your train and receiving gifts from people, even from those who rebel against the Lord God’s abiding there. 19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation.Selah 20 Our God is a God of salvation, and to God, the Lord, belongs escape from death.

21 But God will shatter the heads of his enemies, the hairy crown of those who walk in their guilty ways. 22 The Lord said, “I will bring them back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths of the sea, 23 so that you may bathe[e] your feet in blood, so that the tongues of your dogs may have their share from the foe.”

24 Your solemn processions are seen,[f] O God, the processions of my God, my King, into the sanctuary— 25 the singers in front, the musicians last, between them girls playing tambourines: 26 “Bless God in the great congregation, the Lord, O you who are of Israel’s fountain!” 27 There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead, the princes of Judah in a body, the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.

28 Summon your might, O God; show your strength, O God, as you have done for us before. 29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem kings bear gifts to you. 30 Rebuke the wild animals that live among the reeds, the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples. Trample[g] under foot those who lust after tribute; scatter the peoples who delight in war.[h] 31 Let bronze be brought from Egypt; let Ethiopia[i] hasten to stretch out its hands to God.

32 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; sing praises to the Lord,Selah 33 O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens; listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice. 34 Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel; and whose power is in the skies. 35 Awesome is God in his[j] sanctuary, the God of Israel; he gives power and strength to his people.

Blessed be God!

Footnotes:

Psalm 68:4 Or cast up a highway for him who rides through the deserts

Psalm 68:11 Or company of the women

Psalm 68:14 Traditional rendering of Heb Shaddai

Psalm 68:17 Cn: Heb The Lord among them Sinai in the holy (place)

Psalm 68:23 Gk Syr Tg: Heb shatter

Psalm 68:24 Or have been seen

Psalm 68:30 Cn: Heb Trampling

Psalm 68:30 Meaning of Heb of verse 30 is uncertain

Psalm 68:31 Or Nubia; Heb Cush

Psalm 68:35 Gk: Heb from your

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Genesis 21:1-21

The Birth of Isaac

21 The Lord dealt with Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as he had promised. 2 Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him. 3 Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son whom Sarah bore him. 4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 Now Sarah said, “God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.” 7 And she said, “Who would ever have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away

8 The child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9 But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac.[a] 10 So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.” 11 The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you. 13 As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring.” 14 So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.

15 When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, “Do not let me look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18 Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” 19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink.

20 God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow. 21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

Footnotes:

Genesis 21:9 Gk Vg: Heb lacks with her son Isaac

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Hebrews 11:13-22

13 All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, 14 for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.

17 By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son, 18 of whom he had been told, “It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named for you.” 19 He considered the fact that God is able even to raise someone from the dead—and figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. 20 By faith Isaac invoked blessings for the future on Jacob and Esau. 21 By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, “bowing in worship over the top of his staff.” 22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his burial.[a]

Footnotes:

Hebrews 11:22 Gk his bones

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

John 6:41-51

41 Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.