#for the remaining 45 or so minutes that are available to me :p

[orcelito]

Tfw maintenance comes around (unannounced!!!!) and ruins your last hour of sleep (which you really needed, because you were already gonna be short on sleep!!!!) and they're gonna be back again tomorrow (which Sucks bc vet in the morning that I'm Already nervous about!!!!!!)

It was. To fix some of the water damage from the leaks. Which is. A good thing for them to do. But I just wish. They'd given me. Some God Damn Notice first.

[fridge-reviews]

Void Bastards

Developer: Blue Manchu Publisher: Humble Bundle Rrp: £24.99 (Gog.com, Humble Bundle and Steam) Released: 29th May 2019 Available on: Gog.com, Humble Bundle and Steam Played Using: Mouse and Keyboard Approximate game length: 15 hours

In space no one can hear you panic, or your screams of frustration from having to work with a overly polite yet overbearing AI that keeps sending you on quest after quest after quest... that may have been ever so slightly specific. Well at least you aren't powder now, thank heavens for small mercies.

Void Bastards is a First Person Shooter Roguelite in which you have to gather up scrap and components in order to build the items to survive and eventually escape the nebula that the ship you're on is stuck inside. You play as a client... actually more than likely over the course of the game you'll play as several clients. Of course, when the AI calls you a client what they really mean is convict, one that has been dehydrated to the point of a powder for transport and now rehydrated so that the ship can leave the nebula.

Now a moment ago I said you'd likely play as several clients. This is because permadeath is a thing in this game, however when one client dies another is rehydrated to replace them. All the items and materials that you have crafted and gathered in the previous runs remains so it's not a complete restart. Each client comes with a trait or two which can either help or hinder you. For example; In one of my first runs the client had a trait that would cause them to cough at odd intervals which would alert citizens to your presence. Another I had later made the client half the height which was actually oddly helpful. You can attain more traits by finding gene clinics aboard certain ships or by stumbling into a genetic scrambler in the depths of space. You can only have three traits at a time but they can be immensely useful in the right combination.

All the of the enemies in this game are classed as 'citizens' regardless of how mutated they are... this doesn't mean that they won't attack you though. These citizens have been warped by the energies of the nebula and to be quite honest have lost their grip on reality. Then again I can't imagine its too easy to remain entirely sane when you've been mutated into an ambulatory blob of goo that explodes when hurt or excited.

It's got to be said that this game is very very British and has a dark sardonic humour to go with it. Examples of it are everywhere for those that know much of British culture, like when your character dies a P-45 is filled in. Anyone who has lost a job in the UK would know this as the 'you are now unemployed' form. There are many other examples of it around but I'd rather you find them for yourself, most of the time I was playing this game with a wry smile on my face because of it.

The artstyle is cel shaded and puts me in mind of the game XIII. It even uses some similar conventions that XIII had such as seeing the footfalls (although some citizens hover in which case it says 'hover') of those on the other side of doors giving you some indication of what to expect. I have to say I wish more games would embrace this look.

Between ships you are taken to a crafting screen that is separated into two sections the items screen and the components screen. As you explore the various derelict ships that fill the nebula you'll be searching for the components you need to escape and also improve your equipment. You'll also be wanting to look for food and fuel because each time you travel to a ship you consume one of each. You'll also end up picking up a lot of scrap that can be recycled into components. I quite like this as a mechanic because it means you can occasionally skip a step in looking for a component and instead make it for yourself.

On board these defunct vessels you'll find that you're on a timer as the oxygen you have is limited and once you run out you start to choke which eats away at your health. Thankfully all ships come with an Atmo room so you can refill your tanks but even those have a limited number of uses so you can't spend too long on any given ship. That being said, even the largest of ships should take no more than ten minutes to explore to the point of exhaustion. In honesty the main issue you'll have won't be oxygen, though that will be something to keep an eye on, it'll be the other denizens of the ship. The citizens aboard a ship all have different abilities depending on their type and seniority (a citizen that is classed as senior is basically an elite version). Some can fade away and will reappear behind you, others will simply explode when shot or excited. What makes things a bit more stressful is that you can never fully clear a ship of citizens, as they periodically respawn in 'rifts' that you find. To make matters worse these ships often come with traits of their own and again they can be quite beneficial, hugely detrimental or mildly inconvenient. These traits can range from the mini map no longer working through to an inordinate amount of hazards populating the map.

As is the case with any roguelite sometimes a run can be ruined from the very start and there really very little you can do to change that, some of your equipment later in the game can help to mitigate it a bit but sometimes you just have to know when a ship just isn't worth exploring.

I really enjoyed my time with this game and loved its dark sense of humour. But I must admit that toward the end the main gameplay loop of 'go find the thing' got a bit on the repetitive side. However for those of you who enjoy a challenge you'll be pleased to hear that once you complete the story mode a challenge mode called 'workplace challenges' opens up.

If this appeals to you perhaps try;

Crying Suns XIII Prey

[jinniesxlamp]

Goodbye, Hello - Chapter 8

LIST OF CHAPTERS –> Masterlist

Y/N’s POV

The succeeding days had gone by in a blink of an eye, a few adjustments were made to cater Min Yoongi’s absence due to a conflict of schedule. His agency had formally asked for him to join his members in Japan, which we granted with no hesitation. It was BTS after all. Most days were uneventful, occupied with field work and paper works to say the least. Although things did get better in terms of my interpersonal relations between my colleagues, the staff and my seniors. Tension was less, and the power struggles had slowly diminished between them and I. It was nice to have mutual trust and respect established within my workplace.

Upon Yoongi’s return the subsequent week, he personally apologized, taking advantage of the privacy we had in the elevator on the Monday of that week. I accepted right away. A mutual, though unsaid agreement was made on both ends—that we remain civil and professional towards each other for the remaining days we have left working on this show. That was that. For the both of us.

Lee Jooheon however, had seen me walk towards the bus stop a day after my vehicle was sent to the shop after the hit-and-run, offering to give me a ride home. I did not allow it though, for his own sake. Who knows who and what follows him around. He was an idol after all. Even so, I did not decline him of a meet up. I still owed him an apology for that night. I offered to buy him dinner which he ended up paying for, creating an excuse for a second meeting, then a third. Since then, I had to constantly remind him that our meet-ups were strictly social and non-romantic. He seemed to have accepted my terms, while we continuously, casually saw each other for dinner, if not, a drink or two. Nothing more, nothing less.

Eventually, the show had to end. Today was the last day of taping. I was stuck in my office the entire day, with five piles of contracts, scripts and whatnot to review, it was not even possible for me to peek down the studio for a full five minutes. I did however, make sure to attend the season-end-party later this evening. While I was busy flipping through the pages of terms and conditions, Soojin came in to inform me about a visitor whom I allowed to be brought in.

Jooheon’s POV

“How could you be so cruel?” I snarled at the lady who wasn’t even paying attention to the stranger walking inside her office.

“What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be downstairs?”

Her eyes flickered at the sound of my voice, finally closing the folder she had been reading for who knows how long.

“Aigooo, is that how you greet your guests gwangjangnim?” Again, I teased earning a glare in return. 

There was something about her gusty stare that made me smile beneath my exterior affect. It didn’t intimidate me nor anger me, but it simply drew me to her. It wasn’t intended to scare people off, just to protect herself from anything or anyone that can strip her vulnerability off of her. That’s the last thing this woman wants.

“Anyway, you didn’t answer my question” she snared at me with eyebrows raised.

“We finished earlier than expected, so everyone else went home to freshen up before the party”

“So...why exactly are you here? Shouldn’t you be doing the same?” 

I patiently watched as she began to flip on the folder again, waiting for me to respond.

“I wanted to see you” I said. This time, with a different tone. One which she picked up right away.

“Y-you could’ve waited until the party...pabo” flustered, she managed to execute her sentence, purposely mumbling the last word.

“I’m leaving tonight.”

Y/N’s POV

“Don’t miss me too much” kept repeating itself inside my head as I stared across the studio-turned-dance floor at the ground floor of the building. 

This wasn’t the farewell party I expected since we usually just went out for barbecue and drinks to celebrate. But somehow, Chairman Byeon was generous enough to dispense a more decent amount for this party. Perhaps it was the show rating which gained the highest among all stations that caused this big celebration to take place. Or was it to please the influential personalities involved in this project? Who knows.

Amidst the dinner tables where everyone else socialized, I stayed seated at the minibar on the left corner at the back of the room, barely finishing my first glass of wine. There were times when thoughts of Jooheon flashed through my mind. Scenes of earlier, when he bid goodbye. A few weeks ago he had told me he was leaving for a two-month world tour which I had completely forgotten about. Though our relationship was nowhere romantic, I did enjoy his company. He made me feel comfortable and safe whenever we spent time together. And frankly,  it did make me feel a certain way. I wouldn’t exactly call it love though.

As I was about to grab the second glass of Chardonnay passed by the bartender, another hand managed to sweep it away from my grip.

“Eonnie” 

I cleared my throat, wishing I could hide from Soojin whose arms folded towards me. She sighed, taking the seat right next to me.

“Eonnie” she repeated firmly. 

Of all people, she knew me the most. Happy or sad. Well or ill. Sober or drunk. I knew what she had to say. I wasn’t allowed another glass. 

Since I was under Myunghwa’s care, I had been sober. And because of that, my resistance to alcohol had become very weak to the extent wherein a second glass of lightweight champagne would be too much for me.

“I’m just worried about you....especially knowing that Jooheon isn’t here to take care of you”

“G-gabjagi—“ I felt my face blush at her sudden remark. I composed myself right away

“A-arasso, arasso” surrendering, offering the glass to one of the secretaries who arrived just in time. 

Soojin had left early to rest, meanwhile, the rest of the staff were still all over the place, dancing, drinking, laughing. It was a nice sight to watch, but it wasn’t for me. I stood in the same place, not sure of what to make of the rest of the night. Though I loved the comfort of my home, my energy was not fit for bed, not yet. I remembered the remaining last pile of documents that needed to be done in my office.

8:57 pm

“I might be able to finish around midnight if I leave now”

Yoongi’s POV

To my own surprise, I was fairly enjoying myself at the party, mostly due to Loco and Hwasa who I discussed a potential collaboration with if everything is agreed with all three agencies. Had Suran not called me to work on our current project, I would have stayed. Dragging myself to the parking lot, taking all the time I needed, a familiar figure stood by the lobby, speaking to the receptionist. What could she be discussing at this hour? Not long after, their conversation had ended, allowing an encounter for the both of us.

She greeted me with a bow, which I returned right away. This was probably the last time we’ll be seeing each other for awhile, so I gave myself some time—to remember her face, and to say the things I thought were necessary for a proper farewell.

“You’re great at what you do, Y/N. Keep it up.” I said. Hoping she would acknowledge the sincerity.

“Thank you. I wish the same things for you, Min Yoongi. I’m glad to see you’re living the life you’ve always dreamt of. I mean it.” She said, with the same amount of sincerity behind her weak smile.

“Don’t work to hard” I said, she returned it with a smirk.

“I wish I could say the same, but I know you too well.” 

Maybe she didn’t mean to say that out loud. 

She seemed taken aback by her own words. I allowed silence to dominate for just a few seconds, and then decided—it was time to say good bye. For good, this time.

“Geureom“ I bowed, allowing her to reciprocate before going our separate ways.

“Goodbye, Y/N” I whispered to myself.

Y/N’s POV

“Goodbye, Min Yoongi” I whispered to myself.

I was down to the last contract when I noticed the time. 

12:37 am

“Shit” I cursed to myself, recalling the agreement I had with the security department awhile ago. The building normally closes around midnight on a daily basis, however, the last security patrols at 1:00 am. They agreed to let me stay for an extended amount of time, provided that I leave before the last patrol ends. 

Fortunately, there were a lot of pages which didn’t require reading for this packet, allowing me to finish at exactly 12:45 am. That’s enough time for me to grab my belongings and rush towards the parking lot.

The building seemed a lot more sinister at night, with most of the lights off. Chills started building up my spine as I walked down the narrow hallways, leading to the basement. At first I thought it was just the eerie sight that made me feel uncomfortable. But the further I walked, the more uneasy I felt. As if someone was watching me. I quickened my pace, determined to keep myself calm though failing desperately. My eyes searched for any signs of patrol officers around the premises, but to no avail. I continued to walk across the parking lot, not daring to look back at any cost. However, a faint reflection on one of the parked cars confirmed my suspicion. 

I wasn’t alone. 

I only had one thing in mind.

Run.

Three men were following me from behind, all in black, each with a cap and a face mask to hide their identities. I screamed for help, but no one seemed to hear me. I continued to run, desperate to survive. I managed to buy myself some time, trying to lose the bodies that were tailing me, moving as slow as possible. I didn’t have much time, I pulled out my phone with trembling hands, calling the number security had left me earlier in case anything were to happen. 

Ring. Ring.

“Yeoboseyo?” Just my luck!

“Y-y-yeoboseyo? J-jebal”

“Gwangjangnim? Odi isseoyo?”

“P-parking lot” 

Regardless if I had delivered my message clearly, that was the last thing I could say before I felt a strong pull from behind me. The tight hand sealed above my mouth prevented me from screaming as I was dragged across the parking lot, helplessly.

“Gwangjangnim!”

“Gwangjangnim!”

My eyes widened at the sound of hope, my abductors began to panic hearing the patrol guards. I struggled to squirm out of their grip. 

“Be still if you don’t want us to silence you in any other way” threatened one of the men. I didn’t comply.

“Aish. Ya. This won’t keep still” cursed the other man beneath his breath, trying to keep quiet themselves. 

I noticed one of the men pour a substance of some sort onto a piece of cloth while we hid behind a parked car. Whatever it was, I knew I had to do something if I wanted to get out of this alive. The voices of the patrol officers began fading, I had to do something quick. Upon scanning the scene for anything I could use to my advantage, a different hand appeared in front of my face, attempting to suffocate me with a particular smell, a chemical I could not recognize. Observing as I slowly lost my consciousness, the men became lenient, loosening their hold onto me, leaning me freely on the parked vehicle, expecting me to collapse. I struggled to hold my breath, not wanting to inhale the chemical any further. Then, with all the force I had left, I carried my head swiftly, banging it as hard as I could on the vehicle causing its alarm to go off.

Hearing footsteps running towards me, I let go of my breath, allowing the smell to enter my system. Hearing faint voices as I slowly felt my eyes shut

“Aish! We need to leave now! Leave her!” 

“Micheosseoyo?! We’re good as dead if we leave a mess like this!”

“The boss will take care of it! Aish! We don’t have time for this!”

“Ya! We’ll get caught at this rate! Leave her!”

“Aish!”

“Gwangjangnim!”

“Gwangjangnim!”

Hoseok’s POV

I found it unusual how we came up with a decision to watch a drama series all together in this neglected living room. It wasn’t untidy or un-cared for, just that it’s not used as much as it should be. All I could recall was Namjoon watching the local news, complaining about political issues and debates, Jin-hyung and myself were merely accompanying him in silence, left with nothing to do ourselves. Eventually, Taehyung sat in at around eight thirty to watch a program airing his good friend Park Seo Joon. The two maknaes joined in some time after. In the end, we were basically glued to our spots, engrossed in Jun Ji Hyun’s newly aired drama. 

“Aish, why do they always cut it during the climax!?” Gnawed Jungkook in agony.

“At least it’s just a commercial break. Imagine if we were left with that until next week’s episode” consoled Jimin.

Everyone started fiddling with their phones, waiting for the program to resume.

“Breaking News. Sirens were reported to have awakened the residents of Gangnam as they rushed towards Seowon building around 1:00 am today—“

Seowon...why does that building sound familiar?

My eyes widened, turning to Namjoon who had the same reaction on his face.

“Ya, Jiminah, turn it up” I demanded.

“Seowon...isn’t that.....HYUNG!” It wasn’t long until everyone got the idea.

“—reports gathered information regarding an attack that happened inside the parking lot of the building itself. The victim is said to be a VIP, who is now receiving appropriate medical treatment at Samsung Medical Center. The identity of the victim is kept confidential for the time being.”

“He isn’t picking up” Jin-hyung broke the silence, beads of sweat now visible along his temples. 

“Aish! Answer your phone Yoongiah” he tried again, but to no avail. 

This went on for fifteen minutes, only to be halted with the sound of someone entering the apartment. 

We waited anxiously and hopefully to know who had just walked in.

“Wasseo” finally, a voice we were relieved to hear. Jin-hyung and I both collapsed on the couch as the rest of us sighed in unison.

“Oh, you’re all awake” said Yoongi, surprised.

“Ya! Micheosseoyo?! What use is that phone of yours when you can’t be reached at all?” The intensity in Jin-hyungs voice was very well justified with the protrusion of his jugular vein on his neck.

“Hyung, you scared us” sighed Jungkook, rubbing his chest to calm himself down.

“What’s going on?” Asked Yoongi more confused than ever.

“There was news of someone being attacked at Seowon building a few minutes ago.”

“That’s ridiculous. Who on earth would be there at this ho—“ 

Now, it was our turn to get confused, watching his whole body freeze and pupils dilate to its max.

“Ya, kwenchana?” I asked, attempting to redirect his attention. Although, it wasn’t necessary as his phone rang from his pocket.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

“Yeoboseyo?”

[papermoonloveslucy]

THREE FOR TWO

December 3, 1975

Directed by Charles Walters ~ Written by James Eppy

Synopsis

Lucille Ball and Jackie Gleason play three married couples in three stories about married life. 

Cast

Lucille Ball (Sally / Rita / Pauline) was born on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. She began her screen career in 1933 and was known in Hollywood as ‘Queen of the B’s’ due to her many appearances in ‘B’ movies. With Richard Denning, she starred in a radio program titled “My Favorite Husband” which eventually led to the creation of “I Love Lucy,” a television situation comedy in which she co-starred with her real-life husband, Latin bandleader Desi Arnaz. The program was phenomenally successful, allowing the couple to purchase what was once RKO Studios, re-naming it Desilu. When the show ended in 1960 (in an hour-long format known as “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”) so did Lucy and Desi’s marriage. In 1962, hoping to keep Desilu financially solvent, Lucy returned to the sitcom format with “The Lucy Show,” which lasted six seasons. She followed that with a similar sitcom “Here’s Lucy” co-starring with her real-life children, Lucie and Desi Jr., as well as Gale Gordon, who had joined the cast of “The Lucy Show” during season two. Before her death in 1989, Lucy made one more attempt at a sitcom with “Life With Lucy,” also with Gordon.

Jackie Gleason (Herb / Fred / Mike) was born in 1916. He became one of America’s most recognized all-around entertainers but is perhaps best remembered for his iconic character of bus driver Ralph Kramden on “The Honeymooners” which was seen on CBS just like “I Love Lucy.”  On “The Lucy Show” Lucy Carmichael frequently referred to Gleason even borrowing his “Away we go” exit in a couple of episodes. In 1968 he did a wordless cameo on “Lucy Visits Jack Benny” (HL S1;E2) as bus driver Ralph Kramden. He died in 1987.

Gino Conforti (Waiter in “Herb & Sally”) began his TV acting career in 1968 and has been continually working since, although mostly as one-off characters. He had a recurring role as Felipe on “Three’s Company” from 1980 to 1982, a series Lucille Ball admired. He played the burglar in “Lucy Plays Cops and Robbers” (HL S6;E14) in 1974. He was also seen in “Lucy Gets Lucky” earlier in 1975.  

Vanda Barra (Hostess in “Fred & Rita”) made over two dozen appearances on “Here’s Lucy” as well as appearing in "Lucy Gets Lucky” (with Dean Martin) earlier in 1975 . She was seen in half a dozen episodes of “The Lucy Show.” Barra was Lucille Ball’s cousin-in-law by marriage to Sid Gould. 

Irene Sale (Woman #1 in “Fred & Rita”) was a stunt double and played Louise (uncredited) on Desilu's original “Star Trek��� in 1966. This is her penultimate screen credit. 

Eddie Garrett (Man #1 in “Fred & Rita”) did two episodes of “Here's Lucy” and also played a party guest in Mame (1974). He retired in 1986 and died in 2010.

Mel Pape (Man at Table in “Fred & Rita”) was Jackie Gleason's long-time personal assistant. As such he played small roles in such Gleason projects as Smokey and the Bandit (1977), Nothing in Common (1986), and The Sting II (1983). He died in 1995.  

Due to the darkness of the nightclub only Lucille Ball and Jackie Gleason's faces are actually visible on screen. Barra, Sale, Garrett and Pape remain in shadows.  

Tammi Bula (Maureen in “Mike & Pauline”) played the recurring role of Marcia Woolery on “The Waltons.” One of her six episodes aired a month before this special.

Maureen is Mike and Pauline's daughter. She is engaged to marry her boyfriend Steven.

Paul Linke (Alfred in “Mike & Pauline”) also appeared on “The Waltons” in an episode that aired the day after this special was first broadcast. He spoke at the memorial service for his good friend John Ritter, who had appeared on “Life With Lucy” in 1986.  

Alfred is Mike and Pauline's son. He recently broke up with his girlfriend Betty Dorsey.

Director Charles Walters was an uncredited director on Ziegfeld Follies (1945) which starred Lucille Ball, although not in the segment he staged. He also directed two episodes of “Here's Lucy” and will also direct “What Now Catherine Curtis?” in 1976.

This special is billed as “Renee Taylor and Joseph Bologna's 'Three for Two'” which may indicate that the material was originally written for the married comedy team (who often performed together) instead of Lucy and Gleason. This is James Eppy's only screen credit which may indicate that this was merely a pseudonym for Taylor and Bologna as writers. Screen writer Joseph Bologna will act in Lucille Ball's next special “What Now Catherine Curtis?”

This was Lucille Ball's third prime time special after the end of “Here's Lucy” in 1974. The first two were “Happy Anniversary and Goodbye” and “Lucy Gets Lucky” nine months earlier.  

This special is available on DVD from MPI video or can be streamed online. It was originally aired on CBS in the USA and ITV in the UK.

There is no studio audience or laugh track.  

Although he made a wordless walk-on cameo as bus driver Ralph Kramden in the second-aired “Here's Lucy”, this is the first time Lucille Ball and Jackie Gleason have acted together on screen.  This continues Ball's employment of “Honeymooners” alumni:

Art Carney (Ed Norton) in “Happy Anniversary and Goodbye” and “What Now Catherine Curtis?”

Audrey Meadows (Alice Kramden) in “Life With Lucy” (1986)

Jane Kean (Trixie Norton from 1966 on) in “The Lucy Show” (1966)

In form and content, this material resembles Neil Simon's 1968 play and 1971 film Plaza Suite, which is also divided into three stories with actors playing multiple roles. The fact that the first story of the special takes place in a hotel suite strengthens the comparison. The year after this special aired, Simon wrote a similar play titled California Suite which was filmed in 1978.

Like the two previous Lucille Ball Specials, the show reunites many “Here's Lucy” production staff, including hairstylist Irma Kusely, prop master Kenneth Westcott, costumer Renita Reachi, and script supervisor Dorothy Aldworth.

This special was berated by the critics and the ratings were not as large as Lucille Ball's previous specials. CBS worried that it would lose its number one place after more than twenty seasons at the top. This pretty much spells the end of CBS's confidence in television shows featuring Lucille Ball.

“Herb & Sally” (20 minutes) ~ Lucy and Jackie Gleason play Herb and Sally Wolbert, a middle-aged couple from Cleveland with grown children who are on a month-long vacation in Italy after 24 years of marriage. After Rome they are traveling on to Venice, Capri, and the ruins of Pompeii.  

As Sally, Lucille Ball has on a black wig with silver highlights. She wears a peach chiffon nightgown (which she also owns in blue and black).

The story opens with Sally singing a carefree verse of “Volare,” a song that Dean Martin sung on the previous Lucille Ball special “Lucy Gets Lucky.”  

Oops! When the waiter hands Herb the room service menu, it opens far enough to see that Jackie Gleason has his lines written on the inside. Gleason was not a big fan of rehearsing, while Lucille Ball was a stickler for it.  

SALLY: “I gave up a successful career to marry you!” HERB: “You were a screw counter in a hardware store.” SALLY: “I was learning the business.”

Lucy Barker will be co-owner of a hardware store in Lucille Ball's last television series “Life With Lucy” (1986). Herb reminds her that his own career as a bamboo furniture salesman is no fun. Herb demeans himself by entertaining buyers in nightclubs and doing his Peter Lorre impersonation.  

HERB: “Do you mean you don't like my impersonation of Peter Lorre?” SALLY: “It stinks, Herb.” HERB: “Then our whole marriage is based on a lie.”

To prove his Peter Lorre impersonation is good, he does it for the waiter: “Did you get the information, Mr. Miller?  You didn't get the information, Mr. Miller? You were supposed to get the information, Mr. Miller.” Gleason is paraphrasing Lorre's dialogue from All Through the Night (1942) in which Gleason himself co-starred with Lorre, Humphrey Bogart and Ludwig Stössel as Mr. Miller. The waiter incorrectly guesses he is imitating Gina Lollobrigida!  

HERB: (to Sally) “I'm fat!  I'm fat!  And every pound I've put on you've put there!”

Sally says there are three men in Cleveland that keep her sane: Lou Fergazi, her butcher; Andre Molan, her decorator; and Stu Bridgeman, her family doctor.

SALLY: (yelling to the street from the balcony) “I'm a pleasure object!” HERB: “She's 45 and in two months she'll be a grandmother!  You hear that?  A grandmother!”

Lucy Ricardo visited Rome in one of the most memorable episodes of “I Love Lucy,” “Lucy's Italian Movie” (ILL S5;E23), where she soaks up local color for a movie role by stomping grapes with her feet.

“Fred & Rita” (5:30 minutes) ~ Lucy and Gleason play banker Fred N. Schneider and homemaker Rita Fledgeman, a couple carrying on a discrete affair and trying to decide whether they should tell their spouses. They meet at Cookie's Tip-Toe Inn, a dimly lit hideaway nightclub.

RITA: “I Love the touch of your aftershave. The sound of your hair when it moves.” FRED: “And I love the smell of your boa.”

Lucille Ball wears an upswept blonde wig and a feather boa. At first, both Fred and Rita wear sunglasses, despite the darkness of the club.  

RITA: “I'm only alive when I'm with you. I'm dead at the supermarket.  I'm dead at the PTA. I'm dead at the beauty parlor.” FRED: “You think you're dead? I'm dead at the bank. I'm dead at the little league games.” RITA: “Are you dead with Myrna?” FRED: “Of course I'm dead with Myrna. Why?  Aren't you dead with Harry?” RITA: “You know I'm dead with Harry.  I live only for you!”

Fred is married to Rita's best friend Myrna. Rita is married to Harry, Fred's second cousin. They've been married twenty years.

RITA: (about a possible time to meet again) “The only possible day is Veteran's Day.” FRED: “I'd love to, but I'm marching.” RITA: “You'd rather march than go away with me?” FRED: “I can cheat on my wife, but not the National Guard.”

“Mike & Pauline” ~ Lucy and Gleason play domineering parents involved in a New Year's Eve family crisis as they are forced to recognize their college-aged children's declaration of independence.

As Pauline, Lucille Ball wears a honey-brown wig, topped with a paper crown (because it is New Year's Eve).  

Mike lists his best friends as Johnny Bridges, Georgie Shry, Tommy Ritzo, Eddie Kunz, and Lefty Bryan.  

MIKE: (about his best friends) “I always listened to their viewpoints and made sure that I had all the facts – before I punched each one of them out. It happens to be the code I live by: logic – and then violence.”

Mike mentions the family's New Year's Eve traditions of watching the ball drop in Times Square, listening to Guy Lombardo, and the kids watching Mike and Pauline dance to “Apple Blossom Time.”  "(I'll Be With You) In Apple Blossom Time" was written by Albert Von Tilzer and Neville Fleeson in 1920. It was introduced on big screen by the Andrews Sisters in their 1941 film Buck Privates. In “Lucy and the Andrews Sisters” (HL S2;E6, above), Lucille Ball, Lucie Arnaz, and Patty Andrews sing it as part of a medley of the Andrews Sisters' greatest hits. Guy Lombardo was mentioned on “Lucy and the Drum Contest” (HL S3;E4) when Harry calls him his favorite musician.  

MIKE: (to his grown children, angry) “Nobody's going anywhere. No how, no way, no chance!  The case is dismissed! Through!  Finished!  Done!” PAULINE: (calmly) “Now that's fair.  Your father's very fair.”

Only one episode of a Lucille Ball sitcom was ever set on New Year's Eve: “Chris's New Year's Eve Party” (TLS S1;E14), originally aired on December 31, 1962.

Alfred wants to quit college and become a nightclub comic. Mike tries in vain to give his son some pointers about the timing of his jokes. Before being signed to a film contract, Jackie Gleason worked as a nightclub comic at New York's Club 18.  

In the end, the children go out to be with their dates and Mike and Pauline watch the ball drop on TV to the strains of “Auld Lang Syne.” As they dance in the living room to “Apple Blossom Time” Mike and Pauline become Lucy and Jackie dancing together as the credits roll.  

This Date in Lucy History - December 3rd

“Men Are Messy” (ILL S1;E8) ~ December 3, 1951 

“The Ricardos Visit Cuba” (ILL S6;E9) ~ December 3,1956

“The Celebrity Next Door” (LDCH S1;E2) ~ December 3, 1957

"Vivian Sues Lucy" (TLS S1;E10) ~ December 3, 1962

“Harry Catches Gold Fever” (HL S6;E12) ~ December 3, 1973

The writing here (whoever is responsible) is what makes the difference.  The first segment is familiar territory and feels expected. The shortest segment is the best written and most interesting.  The final scene is a family dramedy with some unfunny inferences to spouse abuse and violence.  Ball and Gleason are not Meryl Streep and Laurence Olivier, but they do well enough to make it a mostly entertaining hour. 

[soap-brain]

Ooohh. Your "leaving spirk hug" broke my heart -.-" It's sad because it's pretty obvious that Spock had no idea that Jim would lie on report and that he wrote his own report to make sure the mission's failure was on him alone. How about "hug from behind" spirk that is a continuation of your "leaving hug" ?

:DDD and it wasn’t even the worst thing i’ve ever written :p but thank you for reading it and liking it and sending me a new prompt!

yeah i think spock was totally flummoxed that someone would *gasp* lie on an official report. 

so let’s see what we can do about it! this took a while longer than i thought, mainly because i have no self control and kept checking tumblr lmao. sorry about that! but here you go:

They feel the next hit reverberating in their bones even after the ship stopped shaking. The Bradbury had not been made for this kind of heavy firefight.

Spock picks himself back up, and immediately crosses over to their communications officer, who is holding their head.

    “Nurse!” he snaps at the attending nurse, and she makes her way over to them, carefully sidestepping the debris from the half caved in ceiling.

    “Lieutenant Peterson! Return fire at will!” Spock orders next and punches in the channel to Engineering. “Mitchell, what can you do for the shields?”

    “Barso here, commander. Mitchell is dead!”

    “Then you have just inherited his position as Chief Engineer,” Spock retorts, oddly calm. It’s reminiscent of a different battle, years and lightyears away, but this time he does not get a sarcastic reply. Instead, it’s “Yes sir!” and “Shields are in a bad shape, but I might be able to jury-rig something.”

    “Then get to it, lieutenant.”

The Romulan battle cruiser sweeps back into the focus of the viewscreen.

    “Salar! Evasive action, now!”

The navigator complies, but she’s too slow. The next salve hits the Bradbury like … ‘like a wall across the highway at 150 miles per hour’. A comparison Jim had enjoyed to employ. Jim, whose tactical genius far surpassed Spock’s. Jim, who should be the one in charge during situations like this.

    “What did I say about returning fire?!” Spock barks, maybe a bit too harshly. Peterson flinches.

    “I’m doing my best, sir, but they surprised me!”

    “Make sure that doesn’t happen again, or it will be the last time any of us will be surprised!”

Where is Captain Amott? Spock wonders. From the corner of his eye he sees Lieutenant Beverley slip into the communication officer’s chair, replacing the injured one.

    “Beverley. Priority One distress call to Starfleet and all available ships, now! Salar, begin Tewe maneuver, it might buy us some time.”

Engineering is contacting.

    “Barso.”

    “Sir, I think I managed to put the shields up again, but after the next hit they’ll be forced to draw power directly from the Core.”

    “Shields are up,” Peterson confirms.

    “Barso, retaining power to the shields and phaser banks. That is your top priority now. We cannot outrun them. Acknowledge.”

Barso’s response is drowned out by the crackling static of another hit to their shields.

    “Beverley, do you have a reply yet?”

    “None, sir - wait! There’s - Come in, Enterprise! This is the USS Bradbury, requesting urgent assistance in a heavy firefight with the Romulan Empire.”

The Enterprise. If Spock were prone to emotional responses or metaphors, he would say that his heart jumped into his throat.

    “On screen, lieutenant. Salar, continue evasive maneuvers. Peterson, continue firing.”

The cracked viewscreen produces a grossly distorted picture of Captain Pike.

    “Commandrrk Spock! How crzzht is it?”

    “We have almost completely lost functionality in both nacelles, hull integrity is down to thirty-three percent. We are rapidly losing power to the shields.”

Pike swears colorfully. “We’re maybe ten minutes out. Can you hold position?”

Another blast shakes the ship and eight different alerts flare up.

Hull integrity at less than thirty percent.

Primary communications array compromised.

Phaser bank three offline.

Bridge viewscreen damaged.

Hull breaches detected. Beginning defensive maneuvers.

Pike’s image fizzles out and fades.

    “We won’t make ten minutes,” Peterson says, voice trembling.

    “That is your assumption,” Spock replies. He hadn’t feared death in the volcano on his last mission with the Enterprise, but now …

    “Sound the alert to abandon ship. Lieutenant Beverley, begin a deep space transmission containing all data recorded by the Bradbury, including information on the battle.”

Spock sits down in the chair and opens the shipwide channel.

    “Attention all hands. Abandon ship. I repeat, abandon ship. The USS Enterprise is closing in and will receive you. Spock out.”

Addressing the bridge crew, he says: “We will attempt to draw their attention away from the fleeing shuttles so they can have a chance at survival.”

There are nods all around, shoulders straighten and people taking deep breaths.

The next salve loosens a beam from the ceiling, crashing right next to the captain’s chair. Spock suppresses a flinch. Sparks from ripped out wires bounce off his unflammable uniform. He feels cold.

    “Computer, stop all alerts. Voice authorization Spock-beta-eight-eight-three.”

Acknowledged.

The bridge is eerily silent.

The Romulan ship rounds into the viewscreen again, phaser ports visibly glowing because of how close they are. The next round of hits will be the last; the Bradbury will not be able to withstand them. If they are lucky, the hull around the bridge will crack, giving them the merciful quick death of vacuum and subfreezing temperatures.

    “It has been an honor serving with you,” Spock says, loud enough for everyone on the bridge to hear. It has been. Even though it took him time and effort, in the five months he spent on the Bradbury, her main bridge crew and several other officers have come to … respect him, and he is thankful for that. Of course they could not replace the Enterprise and her crew, but it had been Spock’s mistake that took him off the ship.

Then, two things happen in such quick succession that they almost seem simultaneous. Their viewscreen is filled with a bright grey expanse, and then the impact thunders through the Bradbury, knocking the bridge crew off their seats, tritanium walls screeching like demons from Hell.

Miraculously, the bridge doesn’t breach. The viewscreen has gone entirely black however, and they have no idea what’s going on outside.

    “Commander Spock!” Lieutenant Beverley exclaims. “The Enterprise is hailing us!”

    “Speakers,” Spock orders.

    “Bradbury? Come in, Bradbury. This is the Enterprise.”

    “Bradbury here, come in, Enterprise.”

    “Bradbury,” Pike’s voice crackles over the comm line. “The Romulan vessel has fled. We are preparing to receive your shuttles. Bridge crew, stay put. We’ll tow you back to the nearest station and try to free you in an artificial atmosphere there, our transporters have been … unreliable at best.”

    “Captain Pike. It is a relief to hear your voice,” Spock admits.

    “Yours too, commander. How’s the remaining crew? Any major injuries?”

    “None, sir.”

    “Good. Stand by for further communications. Enterprise out.”

None of the bridge crew have been injured worse than a few scratches, burns and bruises, so the medical bay at the station lets them go pretty quickly.

    “Well, you seem all patched up, Commander Spock,” his attending doctor says. “Captain Pike wants to talk to you, he’s in briefing room 45.”

Spock nods. “Thank you.”

Pike looks far worse for wear, hair in disarray and dark bags under his eyes, seeming years older than when Spock saw him for the last time.

    “Sit down,” he says, gesturing at a chair.

Spock complies.

    “I’m going to make this quick because it’s been a long couple weeks. The Bradbury can be rebuilt, yes, but she’ll be in limbo for a while. Captain Amott has been found, relatively unhurt in the wreckage, and he’ll be on trial for gross neglectment of duties and so forth, I think you’ll have to testify. Now, normally that’d mean you’d wait on your assigned ship while she’s rebuilt, but that would be one hell of a setback for your career. She doesn’t deserve you and never has. I’ve convinced Command to give Kirk his captaincy back though - because he deserves it and because my health doesn’t allow me to be the captain the Enterprise needs. Means: she’ll need a first officer. The post is yours, if you want it.”

Spock can only stare. He can go back to the Enterprise? To Jim?

    “Don’t give me that look, say yes already so I can mark it down. Jim has been sad for the entire mission, even more so because because of its top secret nature he couldn’t contact you. He doesn’t blame you for losing command, by the way, but he missed you like crazy. Now are you going to sign up or do I have to force you?”

A smile forces its way onto Spock’s lips. He’s going back to the Enterprise! And he’ll be with Jim again!

    “I will sign. Thank you, sir.”

    “Yeah, don’t mention it. I’m gonna be happy with my boyfriend on Earth and you’ll be happy with your boyfriend in space. Jim should be on level E, corridor 6, room C30, I think. Go and hug it out.”

    “I will. Thank you again.”

Pike motions towards the door with his chin. “Out with you before I fall asleep.”

Giddiness is bubbling in Spock’s gut. Jim! He will see Jim again! Jim is not angry! Jim and his beautiful, lovely blue eyes, bright smile and golden hair and-

A pair of strong arms wrap around Spock’s middle and there’s an excited giggle in his ear, a pitch too loud to be really comfortable.

    “Spock! You’re here! You’ll be back on the Enterprise! You’re coming home!”

Spock disentangles himself to turn around and hug Jim properly, so hard he almost fears crushing him. Jim smells of burned plasteel, singed uniform and whiff of standard Starfleet shampoo, and he’s warm and solid against Spock.

    “Yes. Yes, Jim, I am.”

Home. Yes, he is coming home.

again, in this house we disrespect rereading, so if you find any major errors, you can point them out and i might correct them ... or not.

also please note that the enterprise couldn’t have collided with the bradbury, because physics (yes, that’s what that post was about), but in this house we also conveniently ignore the laws of physics :p/also/ please note that since everything is a bit different (ie pike didn’t die), they took care of the khan-and-admiral-marcus problem differently and consequently, into darkness kinda didn’t happen 

(props to tumblr for eating half the italics. good job dude!)

hey @vulcankirkspock, i fixed your prompt!

[siva3155]

300+ TOP DENTAL HYGIENIST Interview Questions and Answers

DENTAL HYGIENIST Interview Questions for freshers experienced :-

1. Explain average day as a hygienist? Describe the routine job of a hygienist's functions, such as removing and cleaning dental deposits, examination of teeth and gums for signs of disease, sealant and fluoride application, partial periodontal therapy, x-rays, diagnostic tests, and assisting the dentist during treatments or examinations of patients. 2. Do you have any experience in performing tasks outside of your role? Occasionally, dental hygienists are allowed to remove sutures, administer anesthetics, apply fillings and dressings, work with metal restorations, take radio-graphs and impressions, and even administer minor treatment under the dentist's supervision. If you have ever performed any of these, mentioning them will be a plus. 3. How to prevent with tooth decay? Decay can be prevented in any of the following ways familiar to dental hygienists: gum margin maintenance, teeth whitening and bleaching, timely detection and/or prevention of gum disease or oral cancer, dental care facilities, etc. 4. How you communicate with clients? Talk about your experience of working with clients, including interactions such as instructing patients on dental care and creating awareness of hygiene; proper brushing methods, diet, and timely checkups. 5. Have you ever worked with children as dental hygienist? If you have, you may tell about your experience in dental services and instructing on health education, working with schoolchildren, etc. 6. List A few clues of teeth grinding? Unexplained headaches, especially early morning or late in the day Achy or tired facial muscles when you wake Trouble sleeping Extreme cold sensitivity throughout your mouth A clicking or popping jaw Front teeth seem sharper and chip easily, or have become uneven 7. What are toothpicks? Avoid them. They can traumatize gums. Use floss to remove food from between teeth. 8. What are interdental brushes? These small pipe-cleaner-looking brushes are bent at a right angle so they move between teeth above the gum. They're ideal for people with areas too difficult to clean with a regular toothbrush and floss, such as bridges. 9. What is tongue scrapers? These remove bacteria from the tongue, but a toothbrush does the job just as well. Make sure to scrape daily for best results. 10. What is gum massagers? These tools are available on their own, and you can find them at the end of some toothbrushes. They stimulate gums to toughen up tissue so they won't bleed as easily. Massage gums once a day.

DENTAL HYGIENIST Interview Questions 11. Tell me are other dental hygiene products necessary? If you're taking care of the basics, everything else is just extra, but it still helps. 12. Should patient use mouthwash? It's not necessary if you're brushing and flossing several times a day, unless you have tooth decay, in which case your dentist may prescribe a fluoride rinse. But there's no harm in using a mouthwash for fresher breath. Swish it around after flossing and brushing to remove plaque and kill remaining bacteria. 13) How to brighten the teeth? A yellowed smile doesn't necessarily mean poor dental health. Tooth color is hereditary and affected by what we eat - everything from coffee and soda to berries and wine can stain it. 14. How to floss effectively? Break off about 18 inches of floss, wind it around your fingers, then guide it gently between teeth. When it reaches the gum line, curve it into a C-shape against one tooth and gently rub it up and down. (Never snap the floss in and out of gums.) Repeat this on every tooth, including the back of the ones in the back of your mouth. 15. What happened if someone don't floss? If you don't floss, you risk cavities, tooth decay and inflammation, the last of which can put you at risk for heart attack and stroke. 16. Tell me do I really have to floss? Absolutely. Once a day. It may feel like a chore, but it's essential for removing food particles and bacteria trapped between teeth that your toothbrush can't reach. 17. Why is there bad breath especially in the morning? During the day, we swallow about 2,000 times, which flushes out some bacteria. But at night we only swallow about 200 times, which leaves bad bacteria lingering in the mouth. 18. How to get rid of bad breath? To stay minty-fresh, you must brush, floss and brush your tongue to get rid of those bacteria - especially in the morning. 19. What is bad breath? Bad breath is often a sign of bacteria in your mouth. Odor-causing bacteria can hide in gum tissue, tongue crevices and between teeth. 20. What is sensitive tooth paste? If you experience irritation or shooting pains when eating or brushing teeth, try a desensitizing toothpaste. 21. What is the mean of whitening in toothpaste? These brighten teeth but won't bleach them shades lighter. For that, you need whitening strips, trays with bleaching gel, or in-office treatments, such as Zoom 3 and Bright smile. Ask your dentist which is right for you. 22. What is tartar control? If your teeth build up tartar quickly between dentist visits, this is a good option. But some tartar-control formulas can be too abrasive for teeth. If a toothpaste feels gritty when you rub it between your fingers, stay away. 23. What is the right technique to brush? Position your brush at a 45-degree angle to your gums. Move it back and forth across one quadrant in gentle, tooth-wide strokes. Brush the outside, inside and chewing surfaces of each tooth, focusing on one quadrant at a time. 24. Can patient use an electric toothbrush? Probably not. That basic, soft-bristled toothbrush will work just as well - if you use the right technique. 25. When one should brush? Ideally, you should brush after each meal or snack to quickly remove decay-causing, odor-emitting particles (like food) and bacteria from the tooth's surface. If that seems impossible, aim for at least twice a day. Not brushing increases risk of cavities, bad breath, tooth decay and bone loss. 26. What is the best way to brush? Just because your teeth are made of hard enamel, it doesn't mean you should scrub them like you would a dirty pot. Scrubbing that's too aggressive or a toothbrush that's too hard can harm gums and tooth enamel. Brush for two minutes every time (half a minute for each quadrant of teeth), and use a soft-bristled toothbrush. 27. Share your memorable experiences? Completing my class IV patient. It was very rewarding. Wow every experience was one to remember. 28. What do you wish someone would have told you before you started school? Patient management would be a huge aspect of the daily workday. It takes all kinds to make the world go around and many of them will sit in you dental chair. To clean every corner of my house and train my boys better because there was no looking back. 29. What things surprised you once you were enrolled in the dental hygienist program? The link between systemic health and oral condition. The depth of study and many other subjects to be mastered in DH was amazing. 30. What did you think dental hygiene was all about when you started school? Cleaning teeth. I thought it was all about teeth and gums! 31. Why did you choose hygiene as a profession? I knew health care was one of the fastest growing career areas, good pay, flexible hours. I didn't expect to love the work as much as I do. I wanted to be in a profession that I could apply my communication skills to teach people of all ages how to be healthier. Hygiene chose me! 32. What gave you a tough time that you wish you would have received more help with? More time with the ultrasonic would have been helpful.After four years of work I finally feel pretty effective with the ultrasonic. Also, sharpening the instrument was a challenge.I have worked very diligently to become proficient at this skill. The two biggies for me are coding and scheduling as I had no prior dental experience. 33. What was your favorite and most difficult class? My favorite and most difficult classes were Histology/Embryology and oral pathology we had fun memorizing, questioning and doing a few projects. The most difficult thing for me was to work on group projects. And yes I survived group projects (not a fan of these). I can now admit that these were very beneficial when working with a small group or staff every day! 34. What was the most difficult course or project for you? Periodontics was the most difficult, due to the big picture aspect to the disease. I didn't really understand how it all came together until I got into the work force.Through experience I began to see patients who had health issues that affected their perio status. Working with full blown perio cases brought it all together for me. 35. What courses taken prior to enrolling in the dental hygiene program supported you in the program? Anatomy and physiology (hands down) The Science courses including A & P, Chemistry, Microbiology as well as Psychology, Speech and Communications were all very helpful and necessary. DENTAL HYGIENIST Questions and Answers pdf Download Read the full article

[musemash]

Photo gallery, from top: 1 Vertigo (1958) 2 Spellbound (1945) 3 Breakfast At Tiffany’s (1961) 4 The Stranger (1946) 5 Indiana Jones & The Temple Of Doom (1984) 6 High Noon (1952) 7 The Thirty Nine Steps (1978) 8 V For Vendetta (2005) 9 The Shining (1980) 10 Safety Last (1923)

BLESSED ARE THE CLOCK WATCHERS

(for they shall verily always be on time)

– by David D. Fowler / revised December 14

THE CLOCK is the magnum opus of Swiss-American videographer, composer, and performance artist CHRISTIAN MARCLAY. Created in 2010, it is a breathtaking 24-hour film that uses thousands of movie clips to create an epic collage – blending a multiplicity of experiences together, into a disjointed hymn to the complexity of human existence. It also functions as a literal timepiece, with virtually every minute of an entire day either displayed visually or mentioned in dialogue.

CINEFACETS presents a tribute to this stunning work, as well as an exploration of Marclay's other audio and visual creations. The photo gallery above features images from 10 of the films used to create The Clock. The first video is Telephones, the artist's 1995 precursor to his masterpiece. The remaining four videos, taken together, offer some 45 minutes worth of The Clock. The first set of links below provide plenty of perspectives on this work; and the second section offers videos of Marclay's audio experiments and performances.

The Clock was playing recently at The Polygon art gallery in Metro Vancouver. Since the artist has decreed that it must always run synchronized to local time, the gallery could usually only show the portion that coincided with its business hours, from 10 am till 5 pm. However, a few times a month, they also ran the complete film in an all-night marathon; so I got the crazy notion to attend one of these showings, determined to view the whole enchilada. For what it's worth, here's the account of my valiant but failed attempt to ... wait for it ... "beat The Clock."

I planned everything as meticulously as a military campaign – taking a knapsack containing high-energy food; a thermos of coffee; and a book, in case I had to wait in line. Since I knew it would be popular, with limited seating, I also packed a cushion for sitting on the floor. However, as I was about to enter, I was told my backpack was verboten in the theatre. I had to stash it in a locker, which meant I'd have to leave the movie whenever I got hungry.

I was happily blessed with excellent seats. I started watching around 11:30 am, and lasted until well after midnight. For the most part, I found the whole experience captivating. But there were a few drawbacks: the many clips from foreign films had no subtitles; my neck gradually got mighty sore over that 12+ hours; and anytime I took a bathroom break, I ran the risk of losing my seat.

Despite these misgivings, I was still seriously contemplating staying all night; but then I saw that the standing-room-only folks were now sprawled out on the floor. My cushion was stuck in the locker downstairs; and I was not encouraged by the thought of taking a pee break in the middle of the night – only to be forced to sit on the floor for who knew how long, while I waited in discomfort for the buses to start running again.

Aside from that, the guy sitting right next to me was a distraction. He spent half his time watching the movie, and the other half looking down and scribbling into his notepad; it was annoying, considering that we were sitting on the front row centre sofa – and he was occupying one of the best seats in the house, while depriving someone else who would likely have given the film his/her full attention.

Luckily, since The Clock was synchronized to the local time zone, I was constantly aware of the exact time; and I recalled that the last ferry to the Vancouver Skytrain would be leaving soon. So I reluctantly hoofed it out of there; I got the boat, then the train, and finally caught the 2nd last available bus home around 2 am. I breathed a sigh of relief, unpacked my knapsack, and finally got to have my coffee.

Don't get me wrong, though. All told, despite my occasional minor discomforts, I was simply knocked out by this iconic production. The Clock is a truly monumental creative achievement, and Marclay has done us all a great service by making it available to a number of art galleries worldwide. I am hoping it will return some day, to another local gallery, so I can plan my trip more wisely, and see the portions that I missed.

Since Marclay designed The Clock to coincide with the actual time that its audience members are experiencing, he would obviously be reluctant to present it any other way – and I respect that. But I also suggest that such a brilliant feat of editing and audio mixing deserves a wider audience. The way it is currently exhibited means that most people will never see more than seven or eight hours of the complete work. It strikes me as strange that Marclay went to so much trouble, creating it so painstakingly, but then chose a mode of presentation that drastically limits people's access to it.

One solution would be to split The Clock into four six-hour parts, and show them on consecutive weekdays during business hours; and then have the full marathon on the weekend, for those who want to experience it as a timepiece. Another solution would be to make the whole thing available as a box set on Blu-Ray and DVD – remastered, complete with stereo sound, and subtitles. It would be delightful to watch it at our leisure in hour-long segments, over a period of several days.

Nevertheless, The Clock was a wonderful experience. I was greatly privileged to see it, and I am most certainly grateful to have viewed so much of it. My only cinematic disappointment was that it didn't include one of my very favorite time-related film clips, from The Big Sleep. Bogart, awakened by a phone call from a cop, growls into the receiver: "Don't you know any better than to wake a man up at 2:30 in the afternoon?"

ON THE CLOCK Clock Overviews https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB3CgEnxnYY https://theculturetrip.com/europe/united-kingdom/england/london/articles/make-time-for-christian-marclays-the-clock-at-tate-modern/ Creating The Clock http://mikehoolboom.com/?p=8770 Can't Believe She Watched The Whole Thing! https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/09/arts/design/the-clock-christian-marclay-tate-modern.html Talking About Time https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/marclay-the-clock-t14038/where-does-time-go Marclay Interviews https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQ_wKD6XQTM https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/sep/10/christian-marclay-the-clock-tate-modern-london https://frieze.com/article/about-time-christian-marclays-clock-receives-its-tate-modern-premiere https://www.designboom.com/art/conversation-christian-marclay-the-clock-tate-modern-11-23-2018/ The Clock & Copyright https://ial.uk.com/marclay-clock/ Cinematic Influences https://www.acmi.net.au/ideas/read/experimenting-cinematic-temporality-clock/ Clock Reviews https://www.stageandcinema.com/2015/08/18/the-clock-lacma/ https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/sep/11/the-clock-review-christian-marclay-tate-modern-london https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/clocks-for-seeing-christian-marclays-the-clock/ http://www.recentfuturearchive.com/2013/01/christian-marclays-clock-words-by-max.html https://www.memoreview.net/blog/christian-marclay-the-clock-at-australian-centre-for-the-moving-image-by-rex-butler https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2011/apr/07/christian-marclay-the-clock https://femmeartreview.com/2019/07/29/early-riser-a-perspective-of-marclays-the-clock/ Stray Clock Moments https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKHmj83VC78 List Of Film Sources https://letterboxd.com/thisisdrew/list/the-clock/ Further Adventures In Time https://www.acmi.net.au/ideas/read/what-watch-if-you-loved-clock/ Clock Tower Stunts https://adelaidescreenwriter.blogspot.com/2013/01/clock-tower-stunts.html Time’s Slave https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V5GbJwQ9rg

OFF THE CLOCK Marclay Profile https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yqM3dAqTzs Marclay Quotes https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/christian-marclay-quotes Telephones https://publicdelivery.org/christian-marclay-telephones/ White Cube 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y1phQ9BKkQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5EoAJVkIk4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x1T6smY7vA Sound Stories https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVx0i5tEukg Night Music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIFH4XHU228 Kozgaz Jazz Club https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7FQ-WXjfKg Spheres https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj_Ns9NlHww Grooves https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40wIshGUIq8 Pandora's Box https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veTtkMju-aA Meta-Concert https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_sfAkwbZ5A Minton & Marclay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCS4vUym0_8 Found Objects https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTp8PsLTNsU Record Without A Cover https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QArTJnze6c 48 War Movies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyHgpdi7KWw Marclay Interviews https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riIyiPMGu0U http://www.furious.com/perfect/christianmarclay.html https://bombmagazine.org/articles/christian-marclay/ Marclay Projects https://www.whitney.org/Exhibitions/ChristianMarclay https://hammer.ucla.edu/exhibitions/2003/christian-marclay/#gallery_0252fc63b82b768cc8161cf6a22b3716a004e067 https://www.paulacoopergallery.com/exhibitions/christian-marclay-2019-09-12/press-release http://www.artnews.com/2019/07/19/christian-marclay-snapchat-lacma/ https://www.theartnewspaper.com/review/in-a-panoply-of-sounds-and-images-at-lacma-christian-marclay-communes-with-snapchat https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/christian-marclays-new-exhibition-compositions-will-make-you-a-better-listener/ https://www.paulacoopergallery.com/exhibitions/christian-marclay-phones/press-release http://www.graphicstudio.usf.edu/GS/artists/marclay_christian/marclay.html https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/celine-christian-marclay-2019 https://www.montreuxjazzfestival.com/en/content/christian-marclay-designs-poster-2018 The Art Of Disruption https://frieze.com/article/john-armleder-and-christian-marclay-art-disruption Artist Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U-waMJ64rg Record Player: Christian Marclay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62EbjlGU5Os

[itinerantscribe-blog]

Day 4 of 56

I had white bread for breakfast today. I don’t even care. I fancied a German breakfast. I call it a German breakfast but I have no idea if this is typical or specific to a German diet. I’ve just always called it such since the days of my footloose and fancy free travelling. I was young then, earning well, spending more than I was earning mind you, no rules, no sense of responsible living. Ha! Responsible living? Whatever that is. I met a whole bunch of German folk, my age, when I was living in Rome. Even started an affair with one of them. I say affair, it was just sex on the hoof. But after I left Roman climes for English shores, I maintained contact with these beer swilling, fun loving individuals hailing from Dusseldorf. They used to invite me to their Saturday night parties which I would invariably attend, heading off to the airport Friday night, indifferent to the dimensions of the airport terminal, no difficulty with the landscape that has come to sabotage so many similar efforts these days. Off I’d go, drinking in anticipation, making them all laugh, having a weekend carved from the monument to pure hedonism, back in Blighty by Sunday evening ready for Monday morning travail. Then, a midweek call informing me it was happening all over again the coming weekend, that I was welcome once more, and true to my devil may care attitude and my lack of ties elsewhere, true to my indifference to an ever inflating Amex bill that should really have counselled otherwise, off I’d trot again to my newly discovered Dusseldorf drinking haunts. And to my Doris. Not Doris as in old English vernacular, but Doris as in appellation, Doris as in her name! Well, my meine liebe Doris would now and then prepare a breakfast composed of rolls divided into 3 parts of which one part would be layered with cheese, one with jam and the other plain for the purposes of the boiled egg which sat enthroned at the centre of  the courtiers encircling its regal presence. I was a right gadabout was I. Not a seeming care in the world, untroubled by family ties, there were none, untroubled by responsibility, untroubled by anything. I remember an aunt once asking me a question in this period, to which I reacted with some typically frivolous response. ‘Do you just laugh at everything?’ she replied, her manner anything but jocular. ‘Don’t you ever take anything seriously?’ I laughed. I wasn’t taking anything seriously. The laughter would never stop, would it? No, of course not!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdXAUKcjejI

Well, the laughter may not have stopped, but the cavalier spontaneity certainly left me for some greener pastures. An example of crossing the road was a modest example of difficulty, but I see no reason not to introduce areas of greater, almost impossible variety, current and real, requiring all manner of preparation just to enable an attempt whilst promising no surety of successful outcome. You listen and you be the judge of the correlation with the alcohol that inevitably snakes its way into the following story, this one story from a catalogue of multiple examples but the one most recent that makes me consider the futility of further resistance despite my gung ho message of defiance not more than 24 hours ago.It begins some months prior to the event itself, an event I have desired to witness in person for many years, the need to compete for tickets for PMQs always in heavy demand the reason for an early bird approach. Successfully booked, I awaited the day with increasing trepidation until my mounting disquiet penned an email on my behalf. 'Sorry for short notice, unexpected developments dictate the need for a cancellation, preferably a postponement if this email alienates not its recipient with its last minute composition.' The email was more expansive than this, I piled it on, obsequious too flaccid a word for my written prostrate supplication,  desperate to receive a second chance, desperate to ensure only a battle it was I had lost, not the war. The response to some measure mollified my worried soul, it was indeed, only a battle, and as if some unseen, silent force had allied itself to my cause, the revised date coincided with what would be Mrs May's last ever PMQs, a splendid event I have witnessed on TV oft times previously with other prime ministers, more than worthy of a real life visit when the house would be full and the jousting less toxic albeit robust and boisterous nonetheless. This time I would be ready.

The tickets came in pairs and whilst I was quite content to make my personal pilgrimage a solo affair, I considered the merits of inviting a guest, part altruistic my consideration, part self interest not entirely absent from my deliberations. I began in earnest my preparations 2 weeks in advance, enjoying my last real ale until the completion of my endeavour. Gradually my research intensified, entrenched habits, virtually and remotely examining the lay out of the building that was the equivalent of my Everest, availing myself of the official website which offered the facility of virtual on line tours, many of which to my undiluted interest and surprise, was aimed specifically at those individuals who are placed within the autistic spectrum and whose symptoms and difficulties clearly coincide with my own. Hmmm. That notwithstanding, it became clear from my forensic scrutiny that this was going to be no slice of sponge, so many elements conflating to produce a moving sequence of a slide show of horror. Tall buildings, long open halls, heavily armed police, security more intensive than airport terminals, an entire panoply of Danny's worst vignettes beautifully crafted together in loving preparation for his bestest possible experience. What was not to like? Yumbloodyyum! Westminster Hall held particular beauty and promise for me. I felt my hands moisten in the tranquil security of my small abode as I watched from a screen the reality beyond my door and beyond. By the time I had finished my laborious but distant familiarisation process, I knew the co-ordinates and dimensions and the procedure like the proverbial back of my hand, although I suspect I knew them better. The back of my hand instils in me not one iota of fear, Westminster Hall is already instilling me with terror...

https://www.parliament.uk/about/podcasts/video-tours/westminster-hall/

So, emboldened by a good period of abstinence, the morning of departure I was quietly confident. I felt healthy, I had subjected myself to a hard bout of high intensity exercise (always a wonderful antidote to all things malign, alas, normally after the event, not before), eaten an athlete's breakfast and was prepared for the inevitable escalating surge of adrenaline the nearer the time for immersion into the event arrived, an habitual surge that is as permanent a feature on my existence as the nose on my face. I had with me my emergency measures compendium, lavender for my wrists, a paper bag if my breathing needed assistance, Valium, that loathsome, odious Valium which I so detest, chewing gum and the omnipresent sunglasses, grateful that their prescription based origin would allow their use contrary to stated parameters for their non prescribed equivalent. It did cross my mind to pick up a cheap miniature whisky en route for last resort circumstance but it almost certainly be held at security and so of little productive benefit. I was as ready as I was going to be. 

https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/3733/famous-grouse-miniature

Arriving in London, my home town, with buckets of time to spare, I tested my status, defiantly surveying the tall buildings at Fenchurch Street to their very apex, excellent litmus paper for my state of mind to judge the levels of my anxiety. I was able to maintain my gaze for a not unreasonable length of time. Not bad I thought, not bad at all. I know London well, born and bred I am conversant to an intimate degree with its geographical nature. The Houses of Parliament, well, what London visitor cannot at once visualise that corpulent and imposing vista, let alone an indigenous fellow? I had established that on PMQs day, the queue for security can take 45 minutes, not my best but I was still fine. Ha! Silly me! There was no need to worry! That benevolent unseen, unspeaking force was still with me! There was no queue at all!! This was going to be fine! I breathed a sigh of relief. I could now walk the route blind, so familiar had I made myself with the logistics, but Westminster Hall still played on my mind and I knew this was coming up fast. The coffee shop was exactly where it should be, and I suggested to my companion that since we had more than an hour to spare, perhaps a brief pause might be in order. I of course, would not dare risk coffee, the additional  caffeine in moments of potential crisis a guaranteed source of heightened woe and chaos, adding as it would to the adrenaline that would certainly flood my interior should things even yet take a turn for the worse. 

My companion. It is apposite to say a thing or two about my companion. I chose carefully, bearing in mind that my choice was limited in any event, these long years of a condition that ensured I remained fairly isolated and on the perifery of the social fabric having effectively rendered me largely Billy no mates. I don't mind being no mates Billy, I quite like my isolation and own company, but there are one or two drawbacks. And certainly, other than the period of stewardship of my son ( https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B013CEN8S6/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1) when he would be my best ever company in our various trips about the world, I have often undertaken these things I do alone, not hampered by the need to explain if I suddenly have to break into a sprint, not judged if I have to dart quickly into a pub to drink a pint of courage to move to the next stage of whatever event I am undertaking. I'm a scathing enough judge of myself, I need neither validation nor confirmation from anyone else about my periodic aberrant behaviour and I certainly won't apologise for it. I am best alone. That day I was not alone. The companion was female, an individual who whilst not knowing me well nor for any sustained period of long standing acquaintance, had witnessed by accident a mini 'event' I had undergone once before. I recognised at once her lack of judgement, her lack of condemnation, ridicule or endorsement. She was easy to read, one of those who will do anything for anyone, I suspect even provide a lift to a stranger if asked. Furthermore, her role within a medical environment suggested to me some exposure to the various and copious issues that roam the world and select their victims almost randomly. And finally, her innocence, her lack of experience of the world, extraordinarily devoid of virtually any real exploration beyond her parochial (in a totally non pejorative manner I employ that adjective, it is all literal in its inclusion) existence, geographical and otherwise. This last facet meant that the event that day would provide her with something so outside her normal frame of reference that no matter what happened to me, she would have something memorable to take from the experience. I had briefed her on the train, I had tried to explain and condense the last 40 years of my life in the 45 minutes the journey took, to prepare her in advance for what might happen and how she must no matter what proceed alone and witness a fairly unique experience. I could tell she could not quite grasp the concept, why would she? I mean, let's face it, it is a little weird…

 'I am off to have a quick look round,' I say.

 'Ok,' she says, soaking up the adventure, enjoying the coffee before her, not the only entity she was imbibing as she drank in the atmosphere, the majesty of the place, its unmissable historical aura. Off I go, venturing through a door on the right, marking the terrain, a soldier mapping out the landscape, scouting the territory. I happen upon the small souvenir shop, I have a quick glance round, they sell alcohol!! Expensive alcohol. Port and stuff, wine, oh, and miniature bottles of whisky. Six quid each!!! I could have bought three of these en route, but no matter, these aren't for consumption on the premises and besides, I am not going to need them today. There is a toilet up ahead, I have a look. Oooohhh! Dead plush! Modern interior contrasting unpleasantly with the antiquated exterior that leads to it I am thinking. Back out I come. There is another door, open, I know where it leads, I know, I just don't want to look. I am going to have to look. Tentatively I pop my head through the gap. Tortoise neck. Peering in. Westminster Hall. 72 metres? This is never 72 metres! It is much shorter. They got it wrong!! I smile, I rejoice, this will be easy. I do what I have been avoiding. I look up. Ok, not too bad, it's a buttressed type of ceiling, they at least got this right. It curves, it's only high dead centre. Just don't look. Damn, shouldn't have looked, what's been seen cannot be unseen. I look over at the small desk where stand the various attendants. I have my security badge on, dangling from its lanyard, I have been checked, no need to worry. Nothing to see here. Strange I think, not many people, especially not for PMQs.

'Hi,' I say as I regain the table. 'Nice little shop round there.' I am pointing. 'I think we should walk to the chamber, just see what it's like, collect our tickets and then come back and you have a look round the shop. We still have over an hour.'

'Ok,' she says. I am right about her character, entirely relaxed and easy going, no demands at all. We walk outside and I talk to one of the attendants.

'Very quiet today, isn't it? Especially for PMQs.' I am friendly, keen to elicit as much info as I can, I think I am a bit wobbly inside. I touch my pockets, verify the location of my emergency measures.

'Yes, it is,' he says, old boy, friendly and jaunty. 'Theresa isn't here of course today. Down at Portsmouth with Donald. June the fifth.’

 'Oh yeah, course!' I say, knowingly, having thought that she would be here first before helicoptering down there second. My heart sinks a bit, if she's not here, Corbyn will be absent too. At least Emily Thornberry will be there in his stead, she is better than him at the dispatch box, funny too. There is that. I quickly glance at my companion, to see if she shares my disappointment, that would make me sad for her, for anyone, I'd built it up so much. She reveals nothing, I am definitely right about her, she just doesn't mind. 

We enter the hall. It suddenly seems a lot longer than 72 metres, more like half a mile. I quickly absorb the scene at the end, where the stairs replace the flat floor. There are a pair of armed policemen on either flank. My heart is beginning to flutter, the attendants at the desk are looking at me, what can they see? Can they see through my flimsy veneer, are my forced efforts at relaxation personified that transparent. I smile, it's an effort. It's beginning.

'Do you mind if I grab your hand for a minute?' I whisper, the smile still etched on my face. 'Please don't misinterpret.' 

I had briefed her on the train, she is remembering, Her answer confirms she was the perfect person to ask. 

 'No problem,' she whispers back, her smile all real, no masquerade.

'Oh, and I'll need to walk on the left, by the wall, sorry.' I thought I didn't apologise.

She moves effortlessly into position and greedily I grab her hand as we begin our march to whatever is lurking down the road. The sweat has begun its passage, in no time I feel my armpits sodden, oh my god, we have barely walked 2 feet. 

 'Owww,' she whispers. 'Let me take my rings off.' 

It takes her forever, I seize her hand as soon as it becomes available once more. The steps are getting closer, beyond that St Stephen's Hall, I will be ok with Stephen's Hall. If only I could run, I could cover this ground in seconds, my age would be no match for the fuel of my panic, I know this so well. But I can't. I have to maintain a projection of relaxed calm, the police are well trained, I know this too. They are taught to spot the signs that deviate from the norm. I am standing out like something standing out. I smile at them as we approach wishing I could pass between them and the narrow gap to the wall. I will have to ascend the middle, leaving my precious wall, out in the deep end. I pretend to move slowly up the stairs but this theatre works, I am going up 4 at a time. My companion is having to jog slightly, she cannot make 4 at a time, she is not driven by the petrol of fear. My breathing returns to normal, I release my companion's hand. But now the anxiety is being spurred on, encouraged by its own momentum.

We are in the next hall, St Stephen’s. it is thin, just as I'd researched. Ok, Danny, ok, calm down now, we are fine. I am urging myself, trying to talk myself down. This hall is much shorter, pleasant almost. And then we are there, Central Lobby, gateway to both the Lords and Commons, where the throng assembles, where members of the public can come meet a member from either house, Central Lobby,  the final staging post before entering the House of Commons Chamber, our objective, Central Lobby which I had completely underestimated and to which I had not allocated enough preparation time. The ceiling!! Its height! Oh no! The perspiration takes no time to wreak its second round of mischief, my heart, how does my heart always survive these poundings? Will it always? I sit down, eyes glued to the floor, not daring to look up again. I tell my companion where the tickets need to be collected. She has no idea of the process, I educate her quickly. Whilst she is gone I am considering my options. I am paralysed. I cannot move forward, I cannot go back. What the fuck am I going to do? I am screaming inside. I am aware from my periferal vision of the seriously strong armed police presence in this confined space. I am aware I am courting attention. I embolden myself and sit upright, staring at any official with a weapon staring at me, smiling as broadly as I can as I make childish gestures of enormous excitement. My companion comes back, tickets in hand.

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/jan/16/the-scream-edvard-munch-ultimate-image-political-age-british-museum

'We have to go back!' I whisper loudly, desperately. She doesn't hesitate, no matter what happens here, I will buy her an expensive lunch. She in indescribably tolerant and understanding. I am making a fool of myself and her by association. I stand up, I never knew standing could be so physically demanding, I take her hand without asking and pretend to saunter back whence we came, pointing out frescoes I am not really looking at as we go. Westminster Hall is no easier on the return leg than the original, but we make it, back to the coffee shop, still 45 minutes to go. She is looking at me without speaking, I am looking at nothing, too busy on my inner dialogue. I suggest she takes a tour of the shop, a suggestion she gladly embraces. I am thinking hard, tears not distant as the effort takes its inevitable emotional toll. I have dark glasses on, no-one sees. 

'I am not going back in,' I declare upon her return.

'Really?' she says, this time her disappointment apparent, though I suspect more for me than for her.

 'I can't,' I say, 'but you can, and you must. I will wait for you in a pub I know nearby. I can't go through that again.' I am on the verge of running away, out of that place, back to safety, away from high interiors and wide spaces and everything that hasn’t been sanitised. If only life could be sanitised. 

We sit silent. The cafe is busy, excited tourists chattering, sharing each others joy, the novelty of it all. Ten minutes pass.

'Right,' I say. 'I have three choices. I can leave, I can take a Valium or I can buy a whisky and drink it in the loo.'

She is listening, she listens well, she would make an excellent counsellor I think, reflecting back what she hears without making a definitive statement. 

‘If I take a Valium it will have to be 10mg, there will be no time for a smaller dose, my normal dose. I've never taken 10mg in one day before. But if I do that, I will have a window of opportunity for about an hour, and then I will need a beer as the anxiety will explode after its enforced suppression.’ I know the story, I know what happens, it’s become ritual. I have to get the timing dead right, it has to be impeccable.

‘Or I could drink  whisky,’ I think out loud. ‘Ok, go buy a whisky if you would, here's the money.' I don’t care about the preposterous price. I am buying calm.

She goes. I look at the time. The whisky won't work. Not one. I am not going to leave without seeing PMQs. I take a Valium.

 'I've got it,' she says.

'Thanks. I won't need it now. I've taken Valium.'  Don’t worry, I am thinking, it won’t go to waste.

We sit there for 20 minutes, I am waiting for the little pill to work its false magic. We go back in, I am calm. We get into the chamber. Thornberry is there but she isn't standing in for Corbyn, I am not surprised, she overshadows him. He won’t let her put him in her shadow. We stay for half hour, the pill is already beginning to wear off. That’s fast, and very strange. But I know my companion has had enough anyway, the main thrust, the primary fun of PMQs is the half hour between midday and half past. Besides, it's quite boring today. All the principal protagonists are absent. My principal protagonist isn’t absent unfortunately. Mr Anxiety is preparing his second, more deadly wave of attack.

 'Ready?' She nods. We leave. Westminster Hall again. Bastard. I take her to the pub I know on the bridge. She has tonic water, I have a pint and a large whisky. I have never tasted beer so good. That's a lie. All the other times relief has replaced terror the beer has tasted just as good.

 'I will buy you a fabulous lunch,' I say, and I mean it. She deserves it. 

This effort will drain me for at least 5 days, it always does. Is the effort worth the aftermath? Was what happened an excuse or a reason to have that drink that continued for the rest of the day? Wouldn’t it just be easier not to try anymore? You decide. I’m too drained….

[craftsguide]

Side Hustle Ideas: 50+ Ways To Make Money Fast

New Post has been published on https://craftsguideto.com/awesome/side-hustle-ideas-50-ways-to-make-money-fast/

Side Hustle Ideas: 50+ Ways To Make Money Fast

There are millions of ways to make money – especially extra money side hustling. If you have the drive and the passion to earn money, you CAN do it. But sometimes we struggle to figure out what to do that will actually earn us anything. We simply hit a mental wall and our money-making ideas remain out of reach.

So, instead of staying roadblocked, here is a list of ways to start side hustling, earning your way out of debt, or use extra money to invest.

No matter what your skill set is, or how much hour you have, you should be able to find something on this list that you can do this week to make some extra money. Even( and perhaps especially) if you’re a college student looking to build more money, a lot of these tasks are perfect for you.

Our 53 Routes To Attain Extra Money Side Hustling in 2019 1. Blogging2. Online Surveys3. Just Search The Internet4. Sell On Amazon5. Sell Gigs On Fiverr6. Sell On eBay7. Sell Crafts On Etsy8. Online Coaching Or Consulting9. Online Freelancing10. eBook Publishing11. Sell Stock Photos12. Do Micro-Tasks On Mechanical Turk13. Website User Testing14. Create An Online Course15. Become A Virtual Assistant16. Teach English Online17. Become An Uber AND Lyft Driver18. Deliver Food For UberEats19. Deliver For DoorDash20. Deliver With Postmates21. List Your House On Airbnb22. Rent Your Car23. Renting Out Your Garage or Driveway24. Loan Signing Agent And Notary25. Be A Task Rabbit26. Catering27. Cleaning Service28. Baby Sitting29. Computer Repair30. Recycle31. Resume Help32. Dog Walking33. Estate Sales34. Handyman Work35. Housesitting36. Hauling Service37. Modeling38. Movie Or TV Extra39. Mystery Shopping40. Pet Sitting41. Join A Research Or Focus Group42. Moving Service43. Gardening Service44. Painting Service45. Pool Cleaning Service46. Be Someone’s Friend47. Shoveling Snow48. Donate Plasma49. Participate in Medical Studies50. Volunteer For Overtime51. Employee Referral Program52. Tuition Reimbursement Program53. Get A Part Time Job

Video: Our Top 10 Side Hustle From Home Ideas

Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links and will earn me a commission. These are all things that I have experience with and I am recommending because they are helpful and are companies that I trust , not because of any commission it may earn me.

Online Side Hustling Ideas

For most people, an online side hustle is the easiest way to get started; you can find free WiFi a lot of places and the startup expenses are minimal.

1. Blogging

Blogging is a great side hustle because you can do it at your own pace anywhere you want. It’s not a quick and easy way to make money, but there are a lot of ways to make money side hustling while blogging. You can sell advertising, become an affiliate for other people’s products, sell your own online product, and more. It does take time to build up an audience to be able to make a decent amount of money, but once you have a large following, you could earn over $15,000 per month or more( we do ).

Food for believe – this site started on Bluehost and was soon earning over $1,000 per month. It’s grown much more since then. We love Bluehost because you can get started for only $2.95 per month with our special code. Check it out here.

If you want to start a blog, check out our free guide on How To Start A Personal Website Or Blog. We utilized Bluehost to start because you get a free domain name and cheap hosting at only $2.95 per month.

Tool To Get Started: Bluehost( Get a free domain and $2.95 hosting with this link )

Income Potential: $1,000 per month within 1 year

2. Online Surveys

If you have some time to spare online, you could spend it filling out online surveys. There are sites that will pay you to do so and it’s very easy. All you have to do is register, and these companies will contact you when they have a survey that fits your profile. Typically these are online market research surveys for big brands.

Some of the most popular online survey sites include :P TAGENDSurvey Junkie – Earn cash and rewards for sharing your thoughts and sentiments. Click here.Swagbucks Surveys – Swagbucks now has a dedicated survey section, and you can get$ 5 just for signing up. Click here .MyPoints – Earn a$ 5 giftcard for signing up, confirming your email, and for every 5 surveys you complete. Click here .Opinion Outpost – Earn money for fill out surveys. Lots of options. Click here.Springboard America – A newer site with no bonus but solid payouts inside. Click here.mySoapBox – Share your thoughts and get paid for it. Click here.

Special offer for 18 -2 4 year olds: PineCone offers unique high paying surveys for only your age group. Check it out here.

If you’re a guy, here’s a special deal for you. Swagbucks Males has a special survey promo for guys, who are in demand. Plus, you get a$ 5 bonus as well. Click here to sign up.

Income Potential: $50 per month

3. Just Search The Internet

Do you search the Internet? Want to get paid for it? Swagbucks is a site that rewards you for doing various online tasks like taking surveys, watching videos, and using their search engine. When use their search engine, you get reward phases after several searches, usually in the amount of 10 -1 5 points. You can start cashing out rewards at the 500 points mark.

If you sign up for Swagbucks through THIS LINK you can earn a$ 5 bonus!

If you don’t want to do anything out of the norm, check out Neilson Digital. You simply download the app and do what you commonly do. The app runs in the background and you are entered to win rewards. Simple, easy way to get money for nothing! Download the app here.

Mobile Expression is a similar app for iPad. You can earn rewards for installing it and leaving it on your device for at least 90 days.

Another option is InboxDollars. Similar to Swagbucks, they offer money bonuses for searching the web or shopping online. Simply by signing up with THIS LINK you can earn a$ 5 bonus!

Tools To Get Started:

Swagbucks – Earn a$ 5 bonus for signing upInbox Dollars – Earn a$ 5 bonus for signing upMobile ExpressionNeilson Digital

Income Potential: $50 per month

4. Sell On Amazon

Do you have old volumes, CDs, or DVDs? Then you should consider selling them on Amazon. It’s unbelievably easy to list your items to sell, and you’d be surprised how much you can get for old stuff sometimes.

If you’re a college student looking to sell your old textbooks, you should compare the Amazon prices to your bookstore buyback costs. Amazon is often a better place to sell.

I’ve been regularly selling my old stuff on Amazon for about 8 years. It can be a great side hustle.

Tool To Get Started :P TAGENDAmazon Sellers Account

Income Potential: $300 per month

5. Sell Gigs On Fiverr

Fiverr is a micro-selling site where you can sell all kinds of random projects, from design work to simply recording yourself on video talking about a brand. We merely wrote an article about how you can earn $10,000 by starting a Fiverr gig. It’s possible!

If you don’t know where to start, browsing the site for a little bit. You’ll promptly realise two things:

There are a lot of different kinds of gigsMost people charge more than$ 5 – that’s only the baseline price

A cool gig that I recently bought was a woman who was selling travel plans. She’d traveled to many cities and was passionate about scheming, and would make a travel plan with sites to see, amusement, eateries, and more. It shows that there are gigs for everything!

Tool To Get Started :P TAGEND Fiverr Sellers Account

Income Potential: $300 per month

6. Sell On eBay

eBay is a great place to sell stuff and earn money, especially if you have something collectible.

One of my favorite ways to side hustle on eBay is to go to estate sales and find items that you can purchase for inexpensive, then resell online. Just make sure that you keep the fees in consideration.

At my peak, I was constructing over $2,000 per month buying items and reselling them on eBay. You can read my full story about starting a side hustle and selling on eBay here.

Tool To Get Started:

eBay Sellers Account

Income Potential: $500 per month

7. Sell Crafts On Etsy

Are you creative? Maybe selling your own creative products is the way to go.

You could open a shop on Etsy and sell your crafts to others who are looking for unique products. You could sell paper goods like cards and invitations, or even home decor products themed around the holidays.

My sister in law regularly sells items on Etsy. She generates stationary and other decoration and sells them. For the investment in her time and minor costs of crafting furnishes, she’s able to generate a decent side income.

Tool To Get Started:

Etsy Sellers Account

Income Potential: $500 per month

8. Online Coaching Or Consulting

Beyond blogging, you can also become a coach or consultant for others, especially if you have some skills that people are looking for. Maybe you’re a social media maven, or you have great online business skills. Selling your time and hopping on a Skype call or Google hangout is a great hustle.

A good platform to get started with this is Clarity.fm. You can get paid by the minute for your consulting calls. If you’ve established yourself as a believe leader in your industry, you could also induce yourself available on platforms like LinkedIn as well.

Tool To Get Started :P TAGENDClarity.fm

Income Potential: $100 per month

9. Online Freelancing

There is a lot of freelance work online. You can sign up for sites like UpWork, or you can even become your own online freelancer like I did. I’ve built over $10,000 on the two sides by online freelancing, and I share my story, as well as resources to help you get started, here: How To Start Freelance Blogging and Earn $ 1,000 s on the Side.

One of the more popular ways to make money freelancing right now is by doing SEO consulting. If you’re a little savvy and analytical, you can induce $75/ hr or more. Check out this free SEO Consulting Course to get started.

You could also do something like proofreading or transcription run. Many bloggers and writers need proofreaders to make sure their writing is on point. You can learn how to get started proofreading for bloggers and others here.

For podcasters, having a great transcription can be huge. When you hear the word “show notes”, who do you think helped put that together? Learn how to transcribe from home here.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGEND Proofread AnywhereTranscribe AnywhereSEO Consulting CourseUpWork

Income Potential: $5,000 per month within 1 year

10. eBook Publishing

Have a story you want to tell? Maybe you should write an eBook and sell them on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Michael Piper has made a living selling eBooks about financial topics online, and we recently wrote 14 Ways To Get Paid For Writing Online.

I’ve met several writers you’ve never heard of that sell tons of eBooks on Amazon every year. One author has almost 100 different books he’s selling on Amazon.

If you don’t want to put together a blog, you could go this route of selling your content online.

Tool To Get Started :P TAGEND Get Paid To Write

Income Potential: $750 per month

1 1. Sell Stock Photos

Perhaps taking pictures is your forte. If you are a great photographer, you could possibly sell your photos online. Sites like iStockPhoto are always looking for contributors, who get paid a royalty every time their photo is bought. This could be a great way to turn your art into some extra cash.

Even if you don’t like to take images, more and more stock photo sites are also looking for digital art as well. If you’re strong at creating digital images( like the one we’ve used for this article ), you could also consider selling your work.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGENDDepositphotosiStockPhoto

Income Potential: $500 per month

1 2. Do Micro-Tasks On Mechanical Turk

Another micro-task site is Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. The gigs on this site pay incredibly low amounts – less than a nickel typically. However, they take seconds, and you can earn around$ 6 per hour if you keep at it.

This is one of the first side gigs I started doing in college. I would sit in the back row of my college class while on my laptop, and do random undertakings on Mechanical Turk. I wouldn’t construct much, but I’d make something.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGEND Amazon Mechanical TurkMTurk Subreddit

Income Potential: $50 per month

1 3. Website User Testing

Did you know that you could get paid to try out a new website and dedicate feedback?

Sites like UserTesting.com are always looking for users to rate and dedicate feedback about websites. Website proprietors post gigs to the site, and you simply login and dedicate feedback and usability ratings on different websites and online apps. You can earn up to $ 10 for each test you participate in.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGENDUserTesting

Income Potential: $100 per month

1 4. Create An Online Course

Do you have something you can teach? You can teach something online at sites like Udemy.com. There are courses online for just about anything, and you can charge whatever pricing you feel is right for your instruction.

You’d be surprised on what topics are out there that people want to learn about. Maybe you don’t think that you can teach anything, but it’s possible that you have a skill that others want to learn.

Tool To Get Started :P TAGENDUdemy

Income Potential: $500 per month

1 5. Become A Virtual Assistant

Do you enjoy writing, social media, and blogging, but don’t want to start your own blog? You can find virtual deputy chores where you help other people run their sites and social media accounts. Depending on the amount of hour you have, this side hustle could even become a full time gig.

I’ve been using virtual assistants to help me with this website for years. It’s great to have someone help me with tasks throughout the week and keep the blog on track. You can induce great money as your skillset improves as well.

Tool To Get Started :P TAGENDUpWork

Income Potential: $3,000 per month

1 6. Teach English Online

Are you a teacher? Or do you at least have a bachelors degree from an American college or university? If so, you could teach children in other countries English online!

VIPKidis an innovative platform that connects native English speakers that have a degree with children in other countries like China or India. You can setup a “class” time, and people will sign up for your class online. You get paid when you teach.

The cool thing is that teachers are building $14 -2 2 per hour online, from the convenience of their own home!

Another similar service is QKid – where you can teach English even if you’re simply enrolled in college!

Tool To Get Started :P TAGEND VIPKid QKid

Income Potential: $1,000 per month

Micro-Entrepreneurship Ideas

These ideas are a little different than the typical hustle – they are more based on entrepreneurship and asset leveraging to make even more money for you. These can lead to passive income over time if done well.

1 7. Become An Uber AND Lyft Driver

I love the idea of ride-sharing as a side hustle because it’s one of the few “jobs” on here that you can truly do 100% on your own time. If you want to drive in the middle of the night from 2am to 6am, you can!

All you need is a car and some spare time. Just sign up with Uber and start driving people around. You’ll stimulate what you put into it.

To maximize your earning and profit potential, you need to sign up for both Uber and Lyft and use both tools at the same time.

Harry at The Ride Share Guy has a lot of great resources about getting started, including a course about starting to RideShare for Profit.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGENDSign Up For UberSign Up For Lyft( and ensure their current bonus offers )RideShare For Profit Course

Income Potential: Varies by marketplace and driver

1 8. Deliver Food For UberEats

Don’t like the idea of having people in your vehicle? Then maybe delivering food is the best boulevard for you to take advantage of your automobile and stimulate extra money.

Or, perhaps you don’t even have a car? You can make money delivering for UberEats with a bike or scooter as well!

One interesting thing about delivering with UberEats is that you can have other people in the car, since you’re merely delivering food. This is a great gig for households – you can have the children in the car while the parents work. The ultimate side hustling multi-tasking gig!

Tools To Get Started :P TAGENDSign Up For UberEats

Income Potential: Varies by marketplace and driver

1 9. Deliver For DoorDash

DoorDash is another delivering service that has been growing nationwide. Again, it’s an alternative to not having people in your automobile but still getting paid to deliver.

More and more eateries are signing up, so you can likely determine gigs in your area.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGENDSign Up For DoorDash

Income Potential: $500 per month

2 0. Deliver With Postmates

Similar to Uber, except you’re delivering food instead of people. PostMates is an on-demand delivery service where you get paid around $20 per hour to deliver food. In fact, right now you are guaranteed to earn $ 1,000 per 60 deliveries in New York or San Francisco. That’s not bad.

The only problem is that it’s not everywhere yet. However, they are adding more cities all the time.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGENDSign Up With Postmates

Income Potential: $1,000 per month

2 1. List Your House On Airbnb

If you travel a lot, you have the potential to list your home while you’re away on Airbnb. Or, perhaps you have a spare bedroom, loft, camping area, or other place where people can stay.

The bottom line is, if you have a space for people, you can probably list it and potentially make some extra money each month.

Our friend Paula Pant at AffordAnything.com shares how she is averaging over $500 per month listing an apartment.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGENDList Your Place On Airbnb

Income Potential: $500 per month

2 2. Rent Your Car

Do you have a vehicle that you’re not utilizing a lot that you’ve thought, “hey, wouldn’t it be great if I could be earning some extra money versus paying on that…”

Well, with a service like Turo, you can do merely that. Turo allows you to induce your automobile work for you – by listing it for rent in as little as 10 minutes.

Getaround is another rent service that is a bit newer that Turo but gaining traction.

Depending on how often you rent your car, you could earn a nice amount of money!

Tools To Get Started :P TAGENDList Your Car On TuroList Your Car On Getaround

Income Potential: $500 per month

2 3. Renting Out Your Garage or Driveway

If you have extra space in your driveway( or side yard ), you were able to rent that space out as well to people looking to store property, like boats or RVs. In many areas, there are HOAs that prevent people from parking this type of equipment, and you could help solve that problem for them while earning a little extra cash.

Tools To Get Started:

ParkleeJustPark

Income Potential: $300 per month

Offline Side Hustling Ideas

Sometimes, working offline when you side hustle is a more lucrative prospect – especially depending on your skill set. However, these gigs don’t mean you’ll never touch a computer. You might still need to list your side hustle project online or market it online to get leadings and customers.

2 4. Loan Signing Agent And Notary

Being a Loan Signing Agent is a great side hustle because you can build $75 to $200 per hour-long appointment working for yourself on your own schedule. Retired people, running professionals, and students is also available signing agents and earn extra cash when they want. The best part is you need nothing more than a notary committee( which can often be attained by simply filling out an application )! You can automatically get loan signing undertakings by simply putting your name in a database and they’ll call you when there’s a pre-set appointment in your area. Once you get a loan signing undertaking, you only need to know how to walk a homeowner through a define of loan paperwork. Can you say…”sign here, date there !? ” If you want to build $75 to $200 per hour long appointment working for yourself on your own schedule, be sure to get the proper training. One of the top rated courses we found that is really impacting how people make money is Loan Signing System. Loan Signing System is an A to Z course that teaches you how to get your notary commission, how to do a loan signing, and how to get loan signing jobs. Here’s a complete rundown of why it’s a great side hustle for part-time work.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGENDLoan Signing System Signing Agent Training

Income Potential: $500 per month or more within 6 months( top earners are attaining $13,000 per month)

2 5. Be A Task Rabbit

TaskRabbit.com is a place where you can sign up and operate small tasks for others. It can include anything from picking up the groceries to cleaning or helping people move. Typical undertakings take a few hours, but there are a lot of tasks available in most large cities.

This is a very hybrid online/ offline gig, but all of the run you do will be offline.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGENDSign Up For TaskRabbit

Income Potential: $300 per month

2 6. Catering

Do you want to side hustle merely on Friday and Saturday nights? Well, you should team up with a catering company, as they often need servers and wait personnel just for the events they host on the weekend. Many companies are “call-in”, which means you can work when you choose to.

If you don’t know where to start, head to the Craigslist Gigs section where chores like catering help will be posted. You can earn a nice flat fee per event.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGENDCraigslist

Income Potential: $300 per month

2 7. Cleaning Service

If you like to clean, you could help clean houses. These can be ongoing side hustles, like a weekly or bi-weekly service, or one time deals( such as for when people move ). You could even join forces with some friends and tackle larger projects.

Plus, with a new service that Amazon has launched( Amazon Home Services ), it’s easier than ever to get these kinds of gigs.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGENDAmazon Home Services

Income Potential: $200 per month

2 8. Baby Sitting

This is one of the original side hustles. People have been baby sitting and getting paid for it since the dawn of time.

The great thing about it is that can earn you upwards of $ 100 per night! Many people start baby sitting in high school, but there’s no reason that college students and other young adults can’t keep in the game, especially if you have neighbors or relatives with young children.

Plus, with online services to connect sitters with parents, it’s easier than ever to get bookings.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGENDCare.com

Income Potential: $500 per month

2 9. Computer Repair

Are you tech savvy? Maybe you can help your friends and neighbors with computer mend, from updating and installing the latest operating system to helping them get a virus off their computer. If you have the know-how, people will pay.

However, it takes a bit more than know-how to be successful. You also have to have the patience to work with older people who need the help and don’t understand technology well.

Income Potential: $200 per month

3 0. Recycle

Recycling can be a great way to earn some extra money. I’m not talking about becoming a bum at the park rummaging for cans( although you can do that) – I’m talking about encouraging your friends and neighbours to leave their cans and bottles aside for you.

If you want to take it up a notch, look for recycling metal and scrap to get even more money. This is even easier if you have a truck and are willing to haul for others.

Income Potential: $150 per month

3 1. Resume Help

Are you working at a company right now and assure a lot of resumes? Do you hire people? Maybe you’re in HR or a hiring manager.

Perhaps you can help others with their resumes and cover letters( for a fee, of course ). If you want an example of what you can do, check out our Professional Resume Templates For College Students.

You could even do this gig virtually over email and Skype for many candidates.

Income Potential: $200 per month

3 2. Dog Walking

Do you have friends or neighbors with puppies? Do they work in the day? Maybe you can offer your services to them as a puppy walker. Not merely is this a great side hustle that can earn you a little extra money, but it also get you exercising every day.

If you don’t know who’s dog you were able to stroll, online services are stimulating it even easier to connect with clients.

And if you’re willing to pet sit for long periods of time, you could make even more money!

Tools To Get Started :P TAGENDCare.com

Income Potential: $300 per month

3 3. Estate Sales

Instead of only selling stuff on eBay, you can also host estate marketings. I used to host estate marketings online and offline, and it can earn you a nice amount of money if you have clients with a full house of stuff.

This was one of the early side hustles that I did to earn extra cash. I would resell items on eBay and Amazon, and eventually went on to conduct estate sales.

To be successful, though, you’re going to need to get some friends involved to help.

Income Potential: $3,000 per estate sale

3 4. Handyman Work

Do you have a knack for home mend? Then you were able to side hustle as a handyman on nights and weekends to earn a little bit of extra money. Just be up front about your abilities defined – repairing fences, doing small plumbing tasks, whatever it happens to be.

You could also help a contractor out with labor as needed. You can find all sorts of handyman gigs online.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGEND Craigslist

Income Potential: $1,000 per month

3 5. Housesitting

One of the easiest side hustles to do: simply sit and sleep in someone’s house while they are out of town. This is a great side hustle, but too bad it’s usually not a consistent revenue stream for most.

The only part is – it does take time out of your life. You’re committing your time to being in someone’s house and taking care of things.

If you don’t know where to start, online services like Care.com make it easy to connect with people looking for house sitters.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGENDCare.com

Income Potential: $300 per month

3 6. Hauling Service

Do you have a truck? You could sell your services helping other people haul stuff to the dump, or even picking up big items at places like Home Depot.

Don’t have a truck? You could work at a hauling company and do the manual labor for others. You can find all sorts of these labor gigs online.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGEND Craigslist

Income Potential: $600 per month

3 7. Modeling

This is the side hustle for the good appearing people of the world. You can go to school or work, and still take modeling tasks at night and on the weekends.

For many models, there isn’t always a steady creek of work, but if you have success at a few gigs, this could become very lucrative. Check out our jobs for college student job committee and see if there are any gigs near you.

If you don’t know where to start, check out online classified ads.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGEND Craigslist

Income Potential: $500 per month

3 8. Movie Or TV Extra

Depending on where you live, you could become an extra on a Tv prove or movie. Many studios are always looking forward to a steady river of extras, and you can get paid a couple hundred dollars for simply standing or walking around in the back of a movie set.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGENDBackstage Extras Casting

Income Potential: $200

3 9. Mystery Shopping

Do you enjoy fast food or going into retail stores? Many companies hire mystery shoppers to test the customer service of their stores. A common one is Subway, which hires mystery shoppers required so that “Sandwich Artists” are following all the franchise guidelines. If you have time and can travel to different places, this could be a good side hustle.

The cool thing is that mystery shopping has transitioned almost exclusively online. You can do most mystery shopping on your smartphone. Check out these apps to get started.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGENDField AgentSecrete Shopper

Income Potential: $100 per month

4 0. Pet Sitting

If you love pets, taking care of your friends’ and neighbors’ pets while they are out of town can be a great way to earn some extra cash. It can be fun to make a new furry friend and get paid for it at the same time.

The only hard part of pet sitting is that you’re waiting for people to travel, which can be tough. Luckily you can use the Internet to help you find clients. Rover is an app that connects pet sitters with those looking for help. Check it out here.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGENDRover

Income Potential: $200 per month

4 1. Join A Research Or Focus Group

Have you walked through a college campus and seen the flyer for research studies and focus groups? Companies are always looking for people’s opinions about products and services, and for sitting in one of these groups for a few hours, you could earn upwards of $ 100.

Some of these groups have moved online as well. Check out these tools below and see if you qualify.

Tools To Get Started:

Permission ResearchQuick Thoughts

Income Potential: $200 per month

4 2. Moving Service

If you have time on the weekends, and are okay lifting heavy boxes and furniture, you could join up with a moving service and get paid to help people move. It’s not easy work, but most people tip the movers as well.

This is another one where if you don’t know where to start, check out online classified ads.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGEND Craigslist

Income Potential: $400 per month

4 3. Gardening Service

A lot of entrepreneurs got their start mowing lawns, and it’s still a great side hustle today. If you live in an area where people need gardeners, knock on doors and offer your horticulture services. It’s a great way to earn some extra cash.

If you don’t know where to start, check out online classified ads. There are always gardeners looking for help with their existing projects and clients.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGEND Craigslist

Income Potential: $400 per month

4 4. Painting Service

Painting services are another common side hustle for college student. If you have time on weekends and during the summer, you can paint homes or join a painting company. It’s not easy, but it can pay well in the right neighborhoods.

If you don’t know where to start, check out online classified ads. There are always painters looking forward to laborers to help with their existing projects and clients.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGEND Craigslist

Income Potential: $400 per month

4 5. Pool Cleaning Service

Pool cleaning is another one that can be easy money, as long as you know how to do it. Matt Giovanisci started cleaning pools, and then turned it into a great side hustle at SwimUniversity.com.

If you don’t know where to start, check out online classified ads. There are always existing pool cleansers looking for help with their existing projects and clients.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGEND Craigslist

Income Potential: $500 per month

4 6. Be Someone’s Friend

Did you know that you could actually be paid to be someone’s friend for a period of time. We’re talking strictly platonic stuff here( although we’ve heard that being a sugar baby can be extremely lucrative ).

Maybe someone wants to go see a movie but they have a phobia of going alone. You could be that friend for them!

Check out RentAFriend and see if you can find a friend that will pay for your time.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGENDRentAFriend

Income Potential: $100

4 7. Shoveling Snow

In the winter, shoveling snow can be a lucrative side hustle depending on where you live. If you’re able bodied, have a truck, shovel, and/ or snow blower – you could earn a nice side income.

While you used to go door to door and see if your neighbors wanted to pay for your services, there’s now an app that can help you find work and get paid.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGENDShovler

Income Potential: Up to $50 per hour

4 8. Donate Plasma

This is one of the more interesting ways to make money. You go to your local blood bank or plasma gift center, and they will pay you a small fee for your blood plasma.

It doesn’t voices astounding, but if you need extra money, this could be a great way to earn it. You can expect to be paid anywhere from $20 to $50 per donation.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGENDMake Money Donating Plasma

Income Potential: $20 – $50

4 9. Participate in Medical Study

One of our favorite unique ways to make money, this can earn you several hundred dollars or more for being a guinea pig.

A recent analyze that a friend participated in was to get her knees numbed over night – a different numbing medication in each knee. She then had to tell the doctor which one wore off first the following morning. Odd, but it paid over $1,000 for one night.

Tools To Get Started :P TAGENDCenter Watch

Income Potential: $1,000 or more per trial

SaveHustle At Work

Sometimes, side hustling isn’t about starting something else, but it’s really about stimulating better use of the job you currently have.

These instances below are styles that you could potentially earn extra money at work – without doing any of the “stuff” we’ve talked about to this point.

If working online or doing odd gigs isn’t your thing, don’t forget about these more “traditional” ways to induce extra money. They’re still side hustles!

5 0. Volunteer For Overtime

If you are working at a task, this might not be a true side hustle, but it is a way to earn some extra money fast. In many companies, you can volunteer to work longer and earn extra pay.

If you don’t have an idea on what side hustle to do right now, this could be an option. I remember when I was younger I would always volunteer for the overtime opportunities. Not only did you get paid well, but you would stand out to your manager, which would also reward you at review and create time.

5 1. Employee Referral Program

Again , not a true side hustle, but a great way to earn extra money. Many companies offer referral programs where you can earn anywhere from $25 to $1,000 per employee you refer. That could go a long way.

If you know someone who would be a great fit for your company, refer them and see if you can get a bonus for the effort.

5 2. Tuition Reimbursement Program

Many companies also offer tuition reimbursement programs to help pay for school. Maybe your short term hustle is to better your education. Why not have your company pay for it while you’re at it?

Check out our guidebook to understanding a tuition reimbursement plan.

5 3. Get A Part Time Job

Finally, if you don’t want to work for yourself, run expend your time hustling for someone else at a part time job. While not ideal for some, it can be a great way to earn some extra money in your spare time.

5 4. Get A Higher Paying Job

Career accelerators like Pathrise are a route to jumpstart your career and increase your starting salary. Pathrise, which provides people early in their career with one to one coaching and tools tools to get a better, higher paying job, can help you get an increased salary of over $12 k for fellows who complete their 8-12 week part-time program.

Not only will you build more the first year, but this advantage will be the base for all your future wages, resulting in higher wages ever year after as well…

Have you tried any of these side hustles? What’s worked for you and what hasn’t? What did you use the extra money for?

Enter your text here…

The post Side Hustle Ideas: 50+ Styles To Make Money Fast seemed first on The College Investor.

Read more: thecollegeinvestor.com

[bokaishu]

Practice 2: Welwyn Garden City - festival of light event (History research)

When thinking about the festival, I have a general idea of the three projects. I hope that they are a big combination. Although their positions are relatively independent, I think that extending from a historical perspective will give me a clearer idea. So I investigated the history of Welwyn Garden City. And made a timeline to make my ideas as clear as possible.

I found a book and a few pages about the history of Welwyn Garden City, which helped me a lot.

Welwyn Garden City is the 2nd Garden city in the world, with Letchworth Garden City the first , only 20 minutes drive away. The town was designed and built on open fields in the 1920's and 1930's. Incorporating many tracks and farm roads in place and naming areas of the town after local farms covered over in the building process. Handside Farm, Peartree Farm and Hatfield Hyde to name a few.  With wide open spaces and gardens and green land built into the designs the town became popular and continued to grow.

There’s very little-to-none evidence that can shed some light on the history of Welwyn Garden City during centuries after the Domesday Book of 1086-87. Welwyn Garden City’s history started in 1920 when Sir Ebenezer Howard laid the foundation of a new city and filled it with nature. Welwyn Garden City was said to be a perfect place to live with scenic greenery, stable political system and amenities to provide a good living for everyone.

One of the key themes of the garden city ideal was self-containment: providing jobs, services, leisure facilities and housing all within one town in a high quality, green and open setting.  This has some parallels with modern ideas about sustainable development in the sense that providing a mixture of land uses in close proximity reduces the need to travel.

The town’s historic significance in the field of town and social planning is global, attracting study and visits from tourists and representatives of civic organisations from abroad to visit.  Its success led directly to the creation of other new towns such as Harlow, Stevenage and Milton Keynes in the UK.  It is often held up as the best example of civilised, sustainable new settlements and a model for others to follow.

By choosing the young architect de Soissons, Howard and his fellow directors had ensured the success of the town’s development.  Louis de Soissons was barely thirty when appointed as architect and town planner in April 1920.  He submitted his masterplan for Welwyn Garden City less than two months later,  and it is this plan (available by clicking here) that over the years has been modified here and there, but has remained the essential backbone for its future development.  It remains one of only two garden cities in the UK.

Louis de Soissons chose a red brick Neo-Georgian style for his building design and was keen to conserve as many hedgerows and trees as possible, exploiting the landscape to its fullest extent.  But he truly excelled as a street designer and there is no doubt that his finished plan is a masterpiece of town planning.  It is still regarded so some ninety years later.  In planning terms its significance is global.  It is featured in most – probably all – university architectural and urban design courses around the world.

Welwyn Garden City was designated as a New Town shortly after the end of World War II and the fact that its original designer, Louis de Soissons, was in charge of its development from its inception until his death in 1962, was able to maintain its unique status.

However, the ability to maintain its unique status has become more difficult over the years.  It remains one of a number of Section 19 towns.  This includes Letchworth Garden City, Hampstead Garden Suburb, Bourneville, Port Sunlight and Poundbury but Welwyn Garden City remains unique in being the only Section 19 town not to be controlled by an independent trust.

The fact that a trust was not set up at the dissolution of the Commission for the New Towns was probably a grave mistake.  The role of a trust for Welwyn Garden City is essentially born by the local authority planning department which it administers through an Estate Management Scheme – an almost impossible task due to its own conflicting interest as a planning authority.

The uniqueness of the town within the borough has been somewhat compromised over the last few decades but it is hoped that this issue has been recently addressed by the Council re-launching the Estate Management Scheme.

Architecturally, although much of Welwyn Garden City is Neo-Georgian, it is a very simple, pared down Neo-Georgian version, free of too many features and, therefore, eminently suitable for the twentieth century.  Although Neo-Georgian revival architecture was not uncommon elsewhere during the 1920s and 30s, the planned, singularly controlled concentration here is unique.  On the whole, individual buildings of all styles, public and private, form a collection of the finest domestic architecture of the early twentieth century that is of the highest significance, defining the character of the garden city and vital to its integrity.

Ebenezer Howard’s vision of a Garden City was one that would combine the benefits of living in a town with those of living in the country.  It would be a place in which people would both live and work in beautiful surroundings; in a city that would be not only a “city in a garden”, but also a “city of gardens”: an example of good civic design and architectural harmony.

During the war years 1939-45 many local industries were involved in the war effort, Murphy Radio ,building radios and landing beacons for D-Day, and De Havillands (in nearby Hatfield) building aeroplanes and parts. Nabisco have had a factory in Welwyn Garden since the town was built and have been making Shredded Wheat there since they started. 

In 1948 The Times newspaper said: "Welwyn Garden City made The New Towns Act possible". The Cambridge professor of architecture Andrew Saint said: "Welwyn Garden City is one of modern Europe's greatest success stories in town-making". The problems of metropolitan and Regional development and urban sprawl, and the need for harmony and ecology are prompting a current resurgance of interest in the 'Garden City ethos' and the kinds of neighbourhoods and communities Howard advocated.

Amalgamation of City and Countryside:

A New Town of Hertfordshire:

In 1948, Welwyn Garden City was given the status of an ‘a new town’ under the New Towns Act 1946. The Welwyn Garden Company (responsible for planning a city in 1919), handed over the ownership, assets, and rights to the Welwyn Garden City Development Corporation. Several stores and markets were opened in 1984 onwards (including Howard Centre, a shopping centre in Welwyn Garden City) after receiving a green signal from Welwyn Hatfield District Council for green spaces, neighbourhood shopping and housing stock.

Historical photos displayed at Welwyn Garden City (photo by zeyu)

Reference:

Filler, R. 1986, A history of Welwyn Garden City, Phillimore, Chichester.

Tripadvisor.co.uk. (2019). Welwyn Garden City: Background - TripAdvisor. [online] Available at: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g190740-s2/Welwyn-Garden-City:United-Kingdom:Background.html [Accessed 27 Feb. 2019].

Harpendentaxis.net. (2018). Welwyn Garden City: History, Facts, and Interesting Information. [online] Available at: https://www.harpendentaxis.net/blog/?p=443 [Accessed 27 Feb. 2019]. 

Welwyn Garden City Heritage Trust - History. [online] Welwyngarden-heritage.org. Available at: http://www.welwyngarden-heritage.org/history/item/123-history [Accessed 27 Feb. 2019]. 

Welwyn Garden City History (2009). [online] Available at: http://welwynhatfield.co.uk/wgc_society/?page_id=33 [Accessed 27 Feb. 2019].

WELWYN GARDEN CITY'S BEGININGS.(2009). [online] Available at: http://welwynhatfield.co.uk/wgc_society/?page_id=33 [Accessed 27 Feb. 2019].

[michaelfallcon]

Gaggia Classic 2018/19 Review. Do They Make Them Like They Used to? Lets See…

As you’ll know if you read my original Gaggia classic review, I’m really fond of the original Gaggia Classic – as many people are. Released in 1991, the Gaggia Classic was an incredibly popular home Espresso machine and remained largely unchanged (why fix what isn’t broken?) until 2009 when Phillips took over Gaggia & things began to change. 

The original Gaggia classic was made in Italy, had the the 3 way solenoid valve, all brass group and full sized 58mm portafilter, and really was built to last, proven by the fact that there are still so many of the pre 2009 original classics still going strong, it really was a stonking machine for the money.

The only thing this inexpensive (when compared to other home barista Espresso machines) machine was lacking when it came to home barista use, was a proper steam wand – and this simply involved a 5 minute job of removing the factory fitted panarello and fitting a £15 Rancilio steam wand. 

But after 2009, things began to change, they “messed” with a machine that most users agree didn’t need to be messed with.

This came to a head with the 2015 model, which had push buttons instead of rocker switches, a mechanical valve instead of the 3 way solenoid valve, a couple of plastic bits that were previously metal, lower power, and a panarello steam wand that was much more difficult to modify.

This is the 3 way solenoid valve. Most home barista Espresso machines use one of these, to release the pressure from the brew head after pulling the shot. Previous models had a mechanical valve to do this instead of the solenoid, which aren’t quite as good at doing the job, but which require less maintenance.

So the general consensus about newer models, and especially the 2015 model, is: They don’t make them like they used to. 

Then what happened?

It appears, that Gaggia listened to their customers! 

By the way – before I continue, I just wanted to make it completely clear that this not a sponsored or paid for review. I have no business relationship whatsoever with Gaggia, Gaggia Direct, or Caffe Shop Ltd.

I never do any kinds of sponsored or paid posts or reviews on coffeeblog, every post on this blog is 100% based on my own … I wouldn’t go so far as to say expert opinion ;-), but I can say for sure, unadulterated opinion.

I say this because I know that many people (myself included) get fed up of using the web to find genuine, unbiased reviews, opinion & information, only to get to the end of a post with a feeling that we’ve been taken for a mug by a paid advertisement thinly disguised as a genuine review. You can be 100% sure that this will never happen on this blog. With this being such a glowing review, I suspected that some new readers who don’t realise that I don’t ever do commercial posts, may assume it’s a sponsored review, so I just wanted to make it very clear that it’s not, this is 100% my own opinion.

Anyway, to get back to the Gaggia Classic 2018/19 review.

The new 2018/19 Gaggia classic:

Is Made in Italy

Features the famous solenoid valve

Has lost the bits of plastic

Has some other improvements (which I’ll get to shortly)

and…

Features a professional steam wand!

This for me, is a big deal. Call me sad, I don’t care ;-).

The one thing that I feel always kept the classic within the domestic/consumer Espresso machines category, was the fact it comes factory fitted with a panarello steam wand. Other than this, I’ve always seen the Classic as a prosumer home barista Espresso machine. 

It has a proper boiler, not a thermocoil or thermoblock. It has a full sized, metal portafilter, a decent sized water tank, decent sized drip tray, everything about it has always said home barista, to me, except the steam wand.

So the fact Gaggia have finally noticed, after several years that many people who buy the classic, mod it with a Rancilio steam wand, and decided to factory fit a pro steam wand – is great news!

I spoke Raj Beadle, the owner of Caffe Shop Ltd, Gaggia distributor in the UK (he was the MD of Gaggia UK until the Phillips takeover), to see if I could get a loan unit for a week or so to work on a user review, and unfortunately they had completely sold out of all the UK stock of this machine. The only one they had left at the time was the demo unit in their head office, so I headed up there to get my hands on it. Here’s what I thought. 

Gaggia 2018/2019 Review. 

The first thing I think I need to point out about this, is that we’re talking about the latest (at the time of writing) 2018/2019 model. Be very careful if you’re buying this from anyone but gaggiadirect.com, as there are others who appear to be selling the 2015 version as the “2018” based on the manufacture date, however simply being manufactured in 2018 doesn’t make it the new 2018-19 model. Also, if you do appear to be getting a great deal on a Gaggia machine (or any other machine), I’d recommend doing a bit of Googling to ensure that you are actually buying a machine from within the UK, with UK warranty – as there are firms who claim to be selling UK stock, who aren’t. 

They don’t make them like they used to… they make them even better!

I know it may seem strange to put the conclusion of a post at the beginning, but I thought this may be helpful for anyone who just wanted to quickly find out what I thought, overall, of the new Gaggia Classic 2018/19, and that is, that in my humble opinion, it is not just as good, but even better, than the highly acclaimed original Gaggia classic.

To quickly explain why I’ve come to this conclusion – and I’ll get into more detail shortly – but in a nutshell, it has the 3 way solenoid valve, and everything else that was great about the original, but it also has the professional, factory fitted steam wand – it heats up in about 45 seconds, there’s a lower profile drip tray available, its easier to see the water level in the tank, and personally I think just the rounding off of the front of the standard drip tray makes the new classic slightly more aesthetically pleasing.

If that’s all you wanted to know, then there you go, go put your pre-order in at gaggiadirect.com or give them a call on 01422 372554. When I was there (2nd of Jan 2018) they had completely sold out, they have more on the way very shortly but you’ll probably need to get a pre-order in if you want one of these, as they’re selling like hot cakes apparently. 

If you want to know more – then read on

Appearance

On the face of it, the Gaggia Classic looks very similar to previous models.

The front edge of the drip tray is rounded off which I think is a good thing, it’s only a small touch but I think it makes the machine look slightly more modern. The pressure overflow pipe has an anti burn cover on it, as does the new pro steam wand.

There’s a slight cut-out on the side of the metal framework which gives you another way to view the water tank level, which again I think is a positive change. The steam and coffee buttons have swapped positions, which may throw you a bit initially if you’re used to the older models.

Other than these small details, it’s very obviously the Gaggia Classic in appearance. 

The solenoid valve is back

Some other models, including the more recent 2015 version, had a mechanical valve instead of the 3 way Solenoid valve. Actually, switching to a mechanical valve made sense on paper.

Although they’re not as powerful, they actually require less maintenance than solenoid valves. If you live in a harder water area, it’s a bit more important to keep on top of descaling with a machine with a solenoid valve vs a mechanical valve.

But, the people spoke, they wanted the power of the good old solenoid, and Gaggia listened ;-). Actually the new solenoid valve is slightly smaller than the older ones, but I’m told it’s just as powerful, and that size doesn’t always matter…

Aluminium boiler

Speaking of size, the 2015 classic featured a larger (200ml vs 130ml), stainless steel boiler. The new 2018/19 version has gone back to the smaller aluminium boiler.

Anodised Aluminium

If you’re one of the few readers who have emailed me in the past asking if the Aluminium boiler on the Classic is coated to prevent water from coming into direct contact with it, the answer is yes. The Aluminium boiler is anodized, meaning there’s a coating to ensure that the water in the boiler isn’t coming into direct contact with the Aluminium.

One thing to add, though, is that if you do live in a harder water area, one of the reasons it is important to keep on top of descaling, is if limescale builds up and causes pitting on the surface of the boiler, this can, in theory, cause damage to this coating over time, allowing the water to come into direct contact with the Aluminium.

Another thing to note, is to make sure you’re using the proper descaler. Raj mentioned to me that some people use different kinds of descaler, which can also damage this coating. Gaggia create a descaler which is made specifically for their domestic machines, so It’s worthwhile using this – or at least contacting them to ask if the descaler you’re planning on using is compatible, and isn’t going to cause any damage.

Faster warm-up time

One of the benefits of the smaller, Aluminium boiler vs the larger stainless steel boiler that previous versions have used, is that the new Classic heats up quicker, at around 45 seconds (I’m assuming the increase power helps in this regard too, but more on this shortly).

Smaller boiler, less steam power?

The larger boiler size would naturally provide more steam power, but actually, I was very impressed with the steam power on the new classic. 

While Raj was showing me the new classic, one of their regular customers called in to buy some coffee and enquire about purchasing the new model. He’d bought the original classic from them in the early 00s, he told me it was still going strong but he just liked the look of the new one, and he’d had over 15 years use from his classic, so he thought it would be a good time to replace it. 

While he was there he asked about the larger milk jugs that Gaggia offer, so Raj decided to find the biggest jug they had, poured a large quantity of milk into it, and decided to see how it would handle such a volume of milk. I’m guessing there was maybe 500-750ml of milk in the jug, and it steamed it fine.  

The new professional steam wand. 

Yes, I know I’m going on about it ;-), but one of the reasons I think this model is better than previous versions – is it comes factory fitted with a proper, professional steam wand. 

For me, a machine with a panarello wand is a standard domestic Espresso machine. Home Baristas need full control over the steam, for making a wide range of different drinks, not just the thick cappuccino foam that a panarello will provide. 

The new steam wand does look very similar to the Rancilio steam wand that people have been using to mod their Classics for years – but the biggest difference is that it has a two holed tip as opposed to a single hole steam tip.

The idea of having more than one steam hole is that it helps to get the milk spinning, to distribute the micro-foam throughout the milk. It seemed to work very well, although I’d want to spend some time using it before deciding whether or not to swap it for a single hole tip.

The water tank

Not much to say about the water tank really vs the other models, it’s the same large 2.1L capacity water tank. The only thing to note is that I did often find it difficult to tell what the level was by looking at the tank, probably due to the lighting in our kitchen. The new design of the metal frame includes cutouts on the edge, enabling you to see the water level there too, which I think is a nice little touch.

The drip tray

One of the things I’ve missed actually, about the classic after boxing it up and using my La Pavoni Europicolla for a while, is the drip tray. It’s got plenty of capacity for home use, and it’s very easy to remove and clean.

The drip tray on the Europiccola is almost non existent, and any water dripping from the steam wand has a tendency to drip down under the drip tray and make it float – so I do appreciate the drip tray on the classic. 

The drip tray on the new classic has a rounded off front edge, which I think is a slightly nicer look. They also now offer a nice looking low profile all chrome drip tray, which is good idea for anyone who likes to pull their shots directly into taller cups rather than using shot cups or glasses.

New stainless steel low profile drip tray available for Gaggia Classic.

All brass group & portafilter

The older versions of the classic featured an all brass group head, and all chromed brass portafilter (except the handle of course). The 2015 version contains some plastic to aid the locking of the portafilter into the group, the 2018/19 model doesn’t have this, it’s all metal. 

Metal splitter

Metal splitter on Gaggia Classic Portafilter. Photo credit: Rodolphe Courtier

The splitter on the bottom of the portafilter, which does the job of separating the Espresso flow into two sides, is metal on the original versions, but the 2015 version came with a plastic splitter.

On the 2018/19 model, I’m happy to see that they’ve switched back to the metal splitter. 

Traditional baskets and pressured baskets

There are two kinds of baskets you can use with Espresso machines, pressurised or “perfect crema” baskets, and traditional baskets.

Pressurised baskets were developed to aid domestic Espresso machine users to generate the pressure in the basket to create better Espresso. Most domestic machines come with pressurised baskets, while prosumer or home barista machines, and commercial Espresso machines, will always come with standard baskets. 

The new classic comes with both pressurised baskets, and single baskets. 

So if you have no interest in catching the home barista bug, which is really a hobby rather than just a case of buying a machine, and you want to simply buy pre-ground coffee rather than to also buy a grinder and grind your own beans, then you’d use the “perfect crema” pressurised baskets, which will help you to get better results from pre-ground coffee.

You may consider yourself to be a home barista, as I do, meaning you want to do everything yourself including grinding the beans, spending the time to dial in the grind for each bean, before dosing and tamping the coffee into the portafilter, and then steaming the milk and making a proper pigs ear of the latte art

as I often do, it’s so much harder than the professionals make it look, isn’t it??

In this case, then you would use the standard non pressured baskets, and use the perfect crema baskets as mini frisbees, or something, or actually, probably a good idea to keep them for when someone (it’s the thought that counts) buys you pre-ground coffee as a gift, so you can at least use it if you run out of coffee beans ;-).

You may just be considering buying the classic purely because you want a great Espresso machine, and you have absolutely no interest in taking up a new hobby. In this case you’d reach for the pressurised baskets (make sure you don’t lose the small pressure pin that will be in the bag with the baskets, you’ll need that) and put the standard baskets away for a rainy day.

The buttons

Rocker Switches on the new Gaggia Classic 2018/19

The buttons on the 2018/19 model have gone back to the more traditional rocker type switches as opposed to the more standard buttons on the 2015 model, so in this regard the buttons look more like the older models – with one major difference, just for a prank, they’ve swapped the position of the coffee button and steam button. 

Actually I doubt they’ve done it for a prank, although I like to think they have ;-).

I’m not sure what other purpose there would be for doing this, but it doesn’t really make much difference other than the fact it may throw you a bit until you’re used to it, if you’ve had one of the older models of the classic for years. 

Another change re the buttons, is that each one has its own light. It used to be that there was one light above the power switch, and one above the steam which was the light for both the coffee button and the steam. There’s now a separate light for each.

Push buttons on the 2015 classic.

While the 2015 version had push button switches, the 2018/19 model has the rocker switches that we’re used to seeing on the classic.

The power button is a spring loaded rocker switch which actuates a relay, the steam and coffee switches are the same traditional rocker switches you’ll be familiar with if you have used one of the older models.

Auto off

The reason for the change to the push buttons on the 2015 model, and the reason that the power switch on the 2018/19 model is a spring loaded rocker activating a push button relay switch, is the necessity for the auto off feature.

This is thanks to EU regulations (see EU rules force coffee machines to switch off) which came into force in 2015 and applies to most kitchen appliances, not just Espresso machines. Coffee machines & other appliances now can’t be sold with the EU which don’t have an auto cut off function. 

How things will change if we ever actually leave the EU, remains to be seen, but actually I don’t think this auto off thing is a big deal for Espresso machines, at least not for a machine like the classic which heats up so quickly. 

The 2015 version and the 2018/19 version both automatically turn off after 9 minutes. The boiler water is actually up to temp with the 2018/19 classic within around 45 seconds, and just over a minute with the 2015 model.

Some people (I did too when I first bought my Gaggia classic a few years ago, I think I’d read it in a forum thread) seem to think that they need to leave the machine to heat up for 10-15 minutes, which would seem ridiculous if it cuts out before it’s heated up, but this is a bit of a misconception. 

You can actually start brewing with an Espresso machine as soon as the brew temp is reached. The only issue at this point is that the other parts of the machine including the group and the portafilter, won’t be up to the desired temp and the flowing Espresso with the first couple of shots would be cooled down as a result.

So all you need to do in order to bring the other parts up to temp is to run some hot water through the group with the portafilter inserted. The cup, or both the shot cup or glass and the coffee cup (if you pull the shot into a shot class or cup and then decant into a larger cup) should be warmed too, to prevent the espresso being cooled down by hitting cold ceramic or glass. 

So, for example, if you pull your shot directly into your cappuccino cup, you can fill up the cup with hot water from the group head, with the portafilter inserted, to heat everything up at the same time.

This style of shot glass (this one is from Motta)  without a handle, will fit inside most coffee cups.

If, like me, you pull your shots into a small shot cup or glass & then pour this into your larger cup (my cups don’t fit under the portafilter, although they may do with the lower profile stainless steel drip tray that is now available as an optional extra) if your shot glass will fit inside your bigger cup, you can put it inside the cup, and warm both cups up at the same time while warming up the group head and portafilter.

Hot water dispensing

With the 2015 and some other previous versions of the classic, due to the type of valve in use, you couldn’t dispense hot water purely via the steam wand. You could only get it flowing via the brew group and the wand at the same time, which is a bit of a pain if you’re just wanting to get some hot water through the wand. 

With the new 2018/2019 model however, as with my 2003 model, you can actually turn the steam wand into a hot water tap, by turning on the steam, then turning on the coffee button, and then turning the steam knob – and water will only flow from the wand.

Power

The original classics were 1425 Watts, including my 2003 model. After the Phillips takeover, the power dropped to 1300W, so not a huge drop, but the 2015 model dropped still to 1050W. While I assume that this, coupled with the smaller Aluminium boiler is why the 2018 heats up quicker than the 2015 model, I doubt it makes a huge deal of difference.

Other well respected and more expensive home barista Espresso machines have a similar wattage to the 2015 model, including the Rancilio Silvia (about £425) & the Nuova Simonelli Oscar 2 (about £700), which is what makes me say this. 

Price

The one thing that the 2015 model, has against the new 2018/19 model, is price. The 2015 model had an RRP of £310, but is currently on sale at Gaggiadirect.com for £190 to subscribers (so, erm, subscribe before you buy… maybe). 

This new machine costs more to build, therefore it costs more to buy. The RRP is £425, but is currently on offer at Gaggiadirect.com for £399.

At the moment having just launched, they’re flying out of their doors, so I’m not sure what offers they’re going to be doing in the very near future, but I would expect promotions in the future once the initial surge slows down a bit.

As with the 2015 model, though, the best offers will be sent to subscribers, so it is well worth subscribing. I’m on their list, and they don’t sent a huge amount of emails, it’s usually only when they have a new machine or a special offer. 

Should you go for the 2015 model while it’s on offer??

There are two main markets for manual Espresso machines. The standard domestic market & the home barista market. 

The standard domestic market consists of every day coffee drinkers who just want to make the best espresso they can, with a machine they can afford.

The home barista market consists of people who see coffee as a hobby, and are happy to invest a considerable amount of time and money into upgrading their skills and their equipment, to gain a continual improvement in the quality of the coffee they’re able to make.

The classic has always straddled these two markets, as a top end manual semi auto Espresso machine for the standard domestic market, and as an entry level home Barista machine. 

In my opinion, the 2015 model better suits the domestic market. The mechanical valve vs the solenoid I think is fine for a domestic machine, it’ll do the job OK, but it doesn’t require as much maintenance. The fact that the steam wand isn’t as easy to mod doesn’t matter for the domestic market, as most users are happy to use the panarello. The fact that some bits are plastic, will be helping to reduce the RRP, and I don’t actually think it makes a huge deal of difference to performance anyway.

If you’re going to be using the Espresso machine with pre-ground coffee, and you have no interest in things like learning to pour latte art (most people are more than happy with spoonable cappuccino foam, and the panarello wand will do a fine job of this) then the 2015 model is probably a great choice for you while it’s on offer. 

If you’re a home Barista like me, then the 2015 model won’t be for you. You’ll want the pro steam wand, you’ll want the solenoid valve, even if the difference in performance is only slight and that it makes maintenance more important, you’ll want the increased power and the slightly better all metal build quality.

Want an original classic but have a much smaller available budget?

I know some new budding home baristas will be reading this who don’t have anywhere near the budget for the new classic, and this was me when I bought my classic a few years ago.

If this is you – then why not do what I did, look for a used pre 2009 classic, these machines are practically the same as the new 2018/19 machine. That’s my 2003 model on the left, just after I’d bought it and modded the wand.

Yes you may find that a used machine needs some TLC, but if you’re careful enough to read the descriptions properly, look at all of the images, and ask questions if you’re unsure (you may want to ask if it has had regular maintenance such as descaling) you should be able to find a machine with no issues.

I ended up picking up my 2003 model, which was pristine, absolutely no problems with it, for £100 on eBay. 

A tip to help you find an original, is to look at the badge. If it has an etched logo like mine does, on the photo on the left, then it’s definitely a pre-2009 model. If you see one with a stuck on badge, as per the photo over on the right, it may be a post 2009 model. If the seller hasn’t specified the date, just ask them to look at the sticker on the bottom, with the manufacture date.

A tip when it comes to limescale, is to check where the item is, and google to see if this is a hard water area or a soft water area. If you can get a machine from a soft water area (as I did) there’s a lot less chance that the machine will be suffering from any limescale issues. 

Is the 2018/19 classic still an entry level home barista machine?

For me, the new Gaggia classic 2018/19 is definitely a machine for home baristas. When you look at the build quality, the fact it has the 3 way solenoid valve, the power rating, the fact it has a pro steam wand – it’s built for home baristas.  

But, with an RRP currently of £425, I think it’s in a very competitive area price wise, at the same cost as the popular Rancilio Silvia, and with other interesting machines at a similar price point including the Lelit Gilda PL41PLUS which is about £50-£60 more. The Silvia has a 300ml copper/alloy boiler, the Lelit has a 300ml brass boiler, so I can’t help but think that maybe the 2018 classic is punching slightly above it’s weight with this RRP.

But as time goes on, as usually happens with machines, I’d expect to see promotions for the new 2018/19 classic, at around the £300 mark, and I think when available for this kind of cost, there’s really nothing to compete with the new classic at that price. 

Why buy Gaggia machines from Gaggia Direct?

Gaggia Direct head quarterd in Elland, near Halifax, where I went to check out the new Gaggia Classic 2018/19.

When shopping online, most of us tend to buy based on price alone, as if price is the only thing to be concerned with. But when purchasing an electrical appliance such as an Espresso machine, we really need to think about who the after-sales support and service will be handled by, and what kind of experience we’re likely to have when it comes to it.

I don’t think many people would choose to save a few quid on a machine if they discovered that this UK was shipping directly from Italy, would actually take over a week to come, and wouldn’t have a UK warranty – but unfortunately some people find this out when it’s too late.

Gaggia Direct (Caffe Shop Ltd) based in Elland, near Halifax (and with shops in Castleford, Northampton, Braintree, Cambridge, Surrey, Glasgow, Pontypridd, Winchmore Hill & Harrow) are basically Gaggia UK, the UK arm of Gaggia Milano. 

When Phillips took over in 2009, Raj Beadle was the Managing Director of Gaggia UK. In order to keep the company going, and keep his team in jobs, Raj formed Caffe Shop Ltd, bought the business including the Gaggia shops, and continued to run Gaggia Direct via the new company, as the sole UK distributor for Gaggia Milano. 

From what I saw during my time there (and I was there from 10.30am to 2PM, so I had plenty of time to look and listen) these are people who really care about their customers and really know about their products, and it’s no wonder this is the case, given that they are Gaggia UK when all said and done.

When I was there, Raj was taking support calls as the main customer support person was out of the office, and this is someone who clearly knows the Gaggia machines inside and out.

The engineer I met there, who had a look at my 2003 classic for me (which I’ll come to shortly), told me he’d been with them since 1989 – and his level of experience with these machines were clear when he knew just from the sound that my steam knob was making when being turned, that the steam valve needed replacing.

If you’re buying based on price, and you find a deal better than Gaggia Direct, I’d just recommend that you spend 5 minutes checking trust pilot reviews, Google & Facebook reviews, you may well save yourself some potential aggravation.

The end…

There’s no need for a conclusion, really, as I opened with it. Basically, I think the new Gaggia classic 2018/19 is even slightly better than the original, and I think as long as you’re either buying it directly from Gaggia Direct, or from one of their re-sellers (so you have a proper UK warranty with Gaggia direct themselves) then you can’t really go wrong. 

My 2003 classic, in my kitchen next to my Sage Smart Grinder Pro, which is still going strong.

The only other thing to note is that Gaggia Direct will repair and recondition older machines. I didn’t realise that when I went, but as luck has it, we had been decorating the kitchen, and my 2003 classic which had been sat in a box in the kitchen for a while, just happened to be in the boot of my car!

I’d really given my classic a run for its money over a period of nearly two years. I’d treated it at times like a commercial machine, pulling shot after shot, and steaming jug after jug for latte art practice. 

Water had begun to drip from where the wand connects, and I was intermittently getting some poor shots, and the odd really sloppy puck, so I just thought I’d ran it into the ground. I boxed it up and thought maybe I might look at trying to repair it one day, but it had been there for probably a year now, so I was starting to think I’d never do anything with it. 

It was in my boot as there was nowhere else for it while the kitchen was being painted, and I was actually considering just giving it away to someone who reconditions machines, or worse still – taking it to the tip…

When I mentioned to Raj that my classic was in my boot, he very kindly asked me to go get it so he could ask one of the engineers to have a quick look. The engineer (who I mentioned earlier in the review) knew from the sound the steam knob was making, that the steam valve probably needed replacing, and he thought that the group seal probably needed replacing too.

So I left it there and asked them to just give me a shout to let me know what the damage would be to fix, and just a day or so later I got an email to let me know that it was all done, the steam valve was replaced, a new seal had been fitted, and they also found it needed a new thermostat. The cost for all this – £85, which I think is great! 

My 2003 classic will probably go strong for years now – especially given that from now on it’ll probably only get occasional use. I now also have a La Pavoni Europiccola, which also may start to get little use soon due to something I’ll be announcing soon about a new plan I have which involves using and reviewing a range of different prosumer Espresso machines. 

Life is like a box of chocolates, so follow me on Twitter, and that’s all I have to say about that.

The post Gaggia Classic 2018/19 Review. Do They Make Them Like They Used to? Lets See… appeared first on Coffee Blog.

Gaggia Classic 2018/19 Review. Do They Make Them Like They Used to? Lets See… published first on https://medium.com/@LinLinCoffee

[shandragdotson]

Contingency Plans For A Digital Bank Run

When the S&P 500 futures were pointing to another -5% opening on February 6, 2018 I got excited. After all, the S&P 500 closed down 4.5% on February 5. I get aggressive whenever the stock market corrects by 10% or more because history has shown positive returns in subsequent days and months.

The initial down 5% move was blamed on the 10-year bond yield jumping to 2.85%. But since the 10-year bond yield declined from 2.85% to 2.75% after the 5% stock market drop, and futures were signaling another 5% drop in the stock market, I figured it was time to deploy some significant cash. Fundamentally, corporate earnings growth and economic indicators were still sound.

Armed with $200,000, my plan was to use $100,000 to buy the morning gap down and deploy the remaining $100,000 throughout the day just in case the stock market panicked even further (you just never know). I set my alarm clock for 6:15am just in case, brushed my teeth, sat on the toilet, and fired up my Fidelity account to put in my $100,000 buy order.

Preventing A Digital Bank Run

Tried to log on between 6:25am – 7:30am and couldn’t

Of course, when I tried to log onto Fidelity, I couldn’t! I remember this happening to me several times in the past. So, I just kept on trying, all to no avail. While all the previous times, failure to be able to log on immediately was simply annoying, this time it was important because I had some serious cash to put to work compared to my usual $5,000 – $20,000 buy orders.

As you probably already know, the market went from down ~4% at the opening to finish up ~2% that day. We’re talking a 1,000+ point swing on the Dow. My inability to place timely buy orders caused me to lose out on potential gains of up to $16,000. Once I finally got online, I ended up investing only about $20,000, or 10% of my original plan for that day as prices were not as attractive.

I wondered whether other people had the same issue of not being able to log onto their online brokerage account. From the feedback I got over social media, it looks like Fidelity, Merrill Lynch, TD Ameritrade, and some robo-advisors went down as well.

Could it be that financial institutions are purposefully shutting their digital doors to prevent a bank run? I run a website and have had many talks with my system administrator on how to keep Financial Samurai up 99.9% of the time. You would think with multi-million dollar technology budgets, online brokerage firms wouldn’t have frequent outages anymore.

The only time Financial Samurai was down for more than several hours was when a construction worker accidentally sliced a main internet cable underground. Whenever there is a traffic surge or anticipated traffic surge on Financial Samurai, we have proper caching in place. I could tap some keys to shut down my site as well, but I won’t.

If the online brokerage firms are not purposefully shutting their digital doors, then there is some serious incompetence going on because people’s livelihoods are being affected.

If you are an investor, you’ve got to ask yourself this question: during a large and sustained market correction, will you be able to place trades or access your capital?

Based on the historical track record of online brokerage accounts, it’s hard to say yes with full confidence. Therefore, it’s important to develop a contingency plan in anticipation of the next bank run.

Please note I’m not a trader. I’m a long term investor who is trying to build a risk-appropriate portfolio to provide a financial tailwind for my family. Given I have dependents, I need assurances my money will be there if truly needed. If you are a trader, having a contingency plan is important as well because you could miss out on big gains or get wiped out if you cannot exit.

Contingency Plans When Market Freaks Out

1) Have two or more investment accounts. During the Fidelity outage fiasco, I kept trying to log on to their site for 45 minutes until I gave up and decided to do something else. I could have bought stock in my Citibank wealth management account, which was accessible, but by the time I remembered to do so, the stock market was already in the green and I didn’t want to chase. Therefore, the next time there is some huge market move, have all your investment accounts ready to go at once. Unless there is some type of online brokerage conspiracy, hopefully at least one of your accounts will work.

2) Create staggered limit orders before the market is open. I could have potentially bought the gap down on February 6, 2018 if I had put in staggered limit orders the night before or way early in the morning. For example, if the futures were portending to a 5% gap down, I could simply put a limit order on a S&P 500 index fund 5%, 4%, and 3% lower. The same goes for buying individual securities, but their opening prices will be harder to gauge. I just don’t like putting in large limit orders because things change so quickly.

3) Make a phone call. It never occurred to me in this digital age that I could just call Fidelity to place a trade. Perhaps they would have jammed me with a 10 minute hold period, but I don’t know for sure. Again, everything was moving so fast that by the time I could have gotten hold of a live person, the markets would have moved. Therefore, the strategy is to call before the market opens to deliver the trading instruction before things get too hectic. It’s just hard to know exactly what the market will do because the futures market isn’t a 100% reflection of normal market trading.

Feb 6, 2018 DJIA intrada day chart. Tried to buy the open but couldn’t, then the Stocks app on my iPhone froze, hence the straight line.

If There Truly Is A Bank Run

So far, we’ve just discussed three no-brainer things we can do if we wanted to make a trade, add, or withdraw capital. You’re never going to get your timing right, even if you are a full-time trader, so don’t beat yourself up too badly if you miss things. But if you can envision things getting really bad, then it’s probably a good idea to spread around your capital across various banks, and limit each account to $250,000 per person.

The standard FDIC deposit insurance coverage limit is $250,000 per depositor, per FDIC-insured bank, per ownership category. Deposits held in different ownership categories are separately insured, up to at least $250,000, even if held at the same bank.

For example, a revocable trust account (including living trusts and informal revocable trusts commonly referred to as payable on death (POD) accounts) with one owner naming three unique beneficiaries can be insured up to $750,000. This is straight from the fdic.gov website.

If you shorted volatility, you got taken out on a stretcher

During times of uncertainty, everybody needs to do a thorough rundown of their cash holdings. It’s cash that allows you to survive a prolonged downturn without having to sell anything at fire sale prices. It’s cash that allows you to take advantage of panic selling. And it’s cash that allows you to sleep better at night so you can be energized to take care of your family every day.

As for the future of the stock market, I’m still relatively bullish if the 10-year bond yield doesn’t breach 3%. I don’t want to see another 5%+ gap down again, but if there is, I’ll be ready to buy.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Related: Things To Do Before Making Any Investment If You Don’t Want To Lose All Your Money

Readers, have you ever been blocked from accessing your online investment account? Do you think these financial institutions purposefully deny access to stem any large transactions? How do you protect yourself from a digital bank run? Is this the beginning of the end of the bull run?

https://www.financialsamurai.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Contingency-plans-For-A-Digital-Bank-Run.m4a

The post Contingency Plans For A Digital Bank Run appeared first on Financial Samurai.

from Finance https://www.financialsamurai.com/contingency-plans-digital-bank-run/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

[liberalcom-blog]

The Blue Angel Oracle

https://liber-al.com/?p=43243&wpwautoposter=1568488983 Be guided by the Blue Angel, Archangel Michael, to a sacred space filled with eternal wisdom. On this journey of light, he will offer protection, help you overcome fear, and lead you toward the profound beauty, truth, and beauty. You will discover that every question has an answer, and the answer is always within you. Editorial Reviews Summary The Blue Angel Oracle blends science and spirituality, angels and fantasy. The deck of 45 cards presents a diverse and complex world, a fitting tool for exploring the depths of our own truths and the twists and turns of our lives. The text provides concise illumination to light your way as you search for meaning and five spreads to help reveal that meaning. In-Depth Review TheBlue Angel Oracle is so named because the Archangel Michael is associated with blue light and Michael is Toni Carmine Salerno’s main spiritual inspiration, although judging from this deck, it is not his only one. Toni is tapped into and familiar with many angels and higher level beings. Consequently, his vision is broad and complex and not one that most people recognize. Or perhaps you would. For me, this deck was a heady trip with interesting connections between science and spirituality, between biblical angels and world mythology. The idea that “all is one” is popular and Toni brings that concept to life in this deck. This is truly a deck for the open minded, for those who are not bound by what some would call rational structures. Look for order in this deck and you will be disappointed. There is no unifying mythology, no does Toni try to pretend there is. There is simply truth and truth has many faces. Even the art pays tribute to the wide variety of ways to depict the truth. Some of the art is incredibly potent in its raw, primal expressions (we assume this is Toni’s art, although we are not told). Some of the art is elegant and abstract, bringing to mind science and the Mandelbrot set (we assume these are Walter’s, although, again, we are not told this). Some cards have quotes, some have phrases, some have affirmations. Some of the cards are vertical. Some are horizontal. Consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds and this deck is not for small minds. This lack of rhyme or reason could be seen as a hot mess of a deck, but it actually is a case of letting the medium reflect the message. A wide range of truth, a wide variety of ways that truth can be expressed or experienced. The complex dance that is life. The cards have names and key words on them but no numbers, nor are they listed in alphabetical order in the guidebook. Be prepared to search for meaning. Again, fitting…the method is the message. Perhaps it is best to let the text speak for itself. Here are a few examples of the card interpretations: 41. Pendragon Sword This consecrated sword represents balance, power, and wisdom. Qualities bestowed only to those who have earned them. This is a coming of age for you. Much can be accomplished now with relative ease provided you remain balanced and grounded. You are bestowed the power of the Dragon, Ruler, King, Magician. This is a great honor and privilege but a great responsibility as well. You can hold this power indefinitely provided you honor it, respect it, and use it wisely. Every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.Walt Whitman 42. Deva Magic Minute particles called nanoparticles exist in strange invisible realms. We cannot see them because they are incredibly small. And yet these invisible particles hold immense power that influences and shapes our world. There is a visible reality and an invisible one, yet both are equally real. Within the strange world of nanoparticles there are worlds within flower cups, cities in buds, universes within dewdrops. This card is asking you to look again. Something you’ve discounted or consider to be irrelevant may hold great potential and power. Side by side, we have myth and science, which Toni deftly juggles, inviting us to shuffle the cards and see what we discover for ourselves. Deck Attributes Name of deck:The Blue Angel Oracle Publisher:Lo Scarabeo ISBN:9780738738987 Creator’s name: Toni Carmine Salerno Brief biography of creator:Toni is a self-taught artist and author from Australia and works with Blue Angel Publishing. Artists’ names:Walter Bruneel and Toni Carmine Salerno Brief biography of artist:Walter is an emerging young artist from Belguim. Through his work he translates the energies of archangels and other higher-dimensional beings into a graphic visual form. His work is primarily digitial. Name of accompanying booklet:Blue Angel Oracle Guidebook Number of pages of booklet:76 Author of booklet:Toni Carmine Salerno Available in a boxed kit?:No. Magical Uses:None Reading Uses:General Tarot, Divination Deck, Other:Oracle deck Does it follow Rider-Waite-Smith Standard?:No – From the Publisher

[torentialtribute]

MARTIN SAMUEL: Confounding and thrilling… why a Test on the final day has no equal

So what's your favorite sport? In this position you lose the number of times you are asked that question. And most people who broach the subject probably feel the answer. You are going to say soccer. And I love soccer.

Always different, always the same, as John Peel said about The Fall. But I also like rugby and hockey and baseball and a good fight. I love everything well done. I was even dragged by the weightlifting at the Olympic Games.

Still nothing matches Test cricket – or let me reformulate it. None of this is Test cricket on the last day, perhaps the last session, when the best part of your week is invested in the competition. Nothing is Headingley 2019 or Adelaide 2010 or Edgbaston 2005. Or even Karachi in 2000.

England duo Nasser Hussain (right) and Graham Thorpe (left) celebrate their victory over Pakistan

Let me tell you about Karachi, because it explains a lot. I was the lead sports writer of the Daily Express, not long-termed, and flew away hoping to get an interview with the English captain, Nasser Hussain. He wouldn't do it. He was a miserable beggar then, much nicer now.

The series was also right after two draws, so it was all on the last. Pakistan kneaded a first inning of 405 in total and on the second day, England came in and Mike Atherton started to hit. And bat And bat He was not close, with Hussain, who played a little slower than milking.

Michael Henderson, a brilliant cricket correspondent for the Daily Telegraph, among others, knew Atherton well enough for a rather surprising intervention. He drafted a letter that he poked under Atherton & # 39; s door in the hotel of England.

It was announced that Saturday was Henderson's day off and planned to visit Karachi & # 39; s market that morning looking for carpets.

However, he would sit in the press box after lunch and if Atherton was still beating and batting the way he made his night, he would stand and loudly boo him from the front of the stand all afternoon.

There were not many in the National Stadium that week. Any expression of dissatisfaction would certainly be heard.

The response to this ultimatum was a call from bluff. Not only did Atherton not change pace, Hussain became slower. Atherton & # 39; s 50 lasted three hours and two minutes, Hussain & # 39; s four hours and 17 minutes.

Close by, England had made 198 more runs. No one even wanted to go boo. This would complete the boring draws.

One family correspondent had to fly home prematurely for family reasons and no substitute was sent in his place. The guy from a Sunday newspaper packed himself to return home for Christmas at the office. At the end of a stunning day four, I had no idea what to write.

The cricket correspondent would record the match as it was. My task was to find a theme, a problem, a point of discussion. There were none. There was an available flight mid-morning on the last day.

I took a quick vox doll from colleagues & # 39; s. Is there a chance of a result? Is there a chance of a change? For a man, the best observers of the game advised me to save myself. Nothing would happen in Karachi on day 5.

I stayed because you never know. And at lunch, when the game got closer, there was a lot of fun at my expense. I could have broken out. I could have been on my way. Instead, I was watching here – wait a minute, what am I watching?

For those last hours, the most amazing thing happened. The game has shifted from this swamp of everyday life. There was a small chance that England would win. Ashley Giles and Darren Gough skimmed Pakistan, and England were set at 176 at a speed of four per lake, given the time remaining.

Pakistan then went on a go-slow match throttling. Saqlain Mushtaq took eight minutes to throw one, Waqar Younis took four minutes to settle the field. The hero of the hour was referee Ranjan Madugalle, who used the tea break to emphatically inform Pakistani captain Moin Khan that these overs would be completed, whatever.

Towards the end, Pakistani field players complained that they turned down the winning points in almost darkness when Graham Thorpe. It was the kind of light that you only played as a child in the backyard. Five more minutes and they should interrupt the game.

And against this bleak pressure, England won their first series in Pakistan for 39 years. Of course Atherton & # 39; s 125 in nine hours and 39 minutes earned him the man of the match. It was completely compelling, completely exciting. It was one of the biggest things I saw on a sports field.

However, in the near darkness England changed the game and won in the most compelling fashion

Why? Because so much was invested in it at the time. Just as much was invested in Headingley in 2019 or 1981, or when a test competition reached an insane conclusion.

There are so many moments when a game is ebbing and flowing in one of three directions, so many nuances, passages of complete boredom, followed by sparks of a wonderful life.

You would think a certain session contains the key to the whole game, only to discover a red herring. For example, who would have thought that Friday morning and England & # 39; s 67 all-in this week would not be the most important phase of the game?

Who would have thought that Jofra Archer & # 39; s six for 45 would not be the highlight of England's performance?

For five days, Test cricket has many more options for confusing, wrong footing and surprising. It is a sports team that exerts great pressure on individuals.

Football analysts talk about players hiding & # 39; hiding & # 39 ;. There is nowhere to hide in cricket. Nowhere to hide, even to the greatest test batsman in the world, Steve Smith, nowhere to hide when he threw the ball at Ben Stokes.

Cricket rewards the strictest technology, but also the most casual flair. It has elements of grace and beauty, but also shocking, visceral danger. It rejoices in softness and deception, but also in energy and brute force. And those who play it also love it.

Even in a numb defeat on Sunday, there was a feeling that the Australian players knew they were 50 percent of one of the biggest matches the sport had witnessed. That bowling from England for 67 was an achievement, and one that increased Stokes' performance, and therefore the story.

Players who also invest in the test arena. The white ball game, the Cricket World Cup, can be great, but it can never match the required concentration as the long form unfolds.

Perhaps, with football, familiarity disregards. There is so much of it, and at elite level, so much that it is good that we are almost full.

Ben Stokes again the star of the show in another stunning win for England this summer

Tottenham defeated Ajax in the final minute of a Champions League semi-final and it was the biggest comeback since – well, the night before when Liverpool faced withdrew a deficit of 3-0 against Barcelona, ​​with 4-0.

Then there are deadlines from a personal perspective. Most of the best memories – the 2003 Rugby World Cup final, Andy Murray & # 39; s first Wimbledon victory, Stokes at Headingley, the squares without squares that protrude Canada eight hundredths of a second in Athens – have time by their side .

Football has Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and Leicester and the Nou Camp in 1999, but it is also loaded with late kick-offs and hectic rewrites. Too busy to report it to view it is no joke.

I was present for the Miracle of Medina in the Ryder Cup, which took place after midnight British time. One day it would be nice to find out what the hell happened there.

Cricket test is different. It can be inhaled, luxuriously consumed during the best part of a week.

So when after all this time it comes down to one session, or one over, or one wicket or like on Sunday – one man, makes the difficult progress on that point all the more exciting.

So, as an answer to the question, my favorite sport is Test cricket. Some people find it boring. And sometimes it is. But that is also a bit of the point.

Poch refuses to face facts

Mauricio Pochettino is an intelligent man. So it always seems bizarre that he is neat when he is examined for team selection in the aftermath of the defeat.

& # 39; If the score was 3-0, you wouldn't ask me, & # 39; he said Sunday, he asked why Christian Eriksen did not start. And yes, when a manager wins 3-0, every call is justified.

But the score was not 3-0.

It was 1-0 for Newcastle and Tottenham had no creativity. So, does Pochettino no longer judge Eriksen? Does he want to sell Eriksen? Is he trying to make the player unhappy so that he makes a bid for the European transfer window deadline?

And what advantage would that be for Pochettino, given that he cannot recruit a replacement with the money? It makes no sense – although it does not fail to equate results and talks.

Christian Eriksen shows his frustration during Tottenham & # 39 ; s shock 1-0 defeat by Newcastle

Game passes through Wilshere with

It is no pleasure to report that West Ham will not play for the second consecutive season. competition match won until Jack Wilshere was absent from the starting line-

Both times, the club won its first appearance without Wilshere scoring three goals. Manuel Pellegrini has faith, but Premier League football is steadily passing Wilshere.

It seems that he needs months more than weeks to make a match and no club can afford to wait that long.

] Aluko story has yet to be fully told

Eni Aluko says that many of his English teammates have never apologized for not supporting his claim of racism against Mark Sampson and his treatment by the football association.

She has written an autobiography and says it was low to see her former colleagues race to celebrate a goal with Sampson when the accusations were at their peak.

There is never a convincing explanation for that given public support. Why were the players still behind their manager? And why, even now, don't they support Aluko?

Perhaps more than one book on this subject is needed to make both sides of that story come true.

Eni Aluko & # 39; s autobiography includes his claim to racism against former coach Mark Sampson

Maxine Blythin, the transgender cricket player with ambitions to represent the women of England, also plays at club level for a local men's team.

For Chesham second XI she has an average of 15. For her ladies team, St. Lawrence and Highland Court, her average is 129.

On the weekend, Blythin did not make 145 against Ansty, who all 155 were out. Her figures in the 2nd XI cricket for men suggest a clear average talent. Transported to the Women & # 39; s Southern League Premiership, however, she becomes a star and a county player for Kent.

Blythin identifies a woman, which is her right. However, only those in complete denial would refuse to grant these serious problems around the future of women's sport.

Right to Separate Serena and Ramos

It is very understandable that Referee Carlos Ramos and Serena Williams were held apart this year during the US Open.

It was Ramos who provoked Williams there spectacular loss of control there last season when he dared to treat her like any other player. "You will never, never be to another court of mine, as long as you live," Williams raged.

And not Ramos. Some think the United States Tennis Association has been swept away, but a Williams game with Ramos in charge would have become a circus. To be honest about her, the referee and the opponent, it was best to lie.

As long as it is remembered who was responsible for this unfortunate state of affairs.

was not a Ramos.

Serena Williams (right) argued infamous with referee at Carlos Open

Are EFL after an expert in failure?

The favorite for the football league's chief executive is Jez Moxey, now CEO of Burton Albion, but best remembered for his time in a similar role with wolves.

As such, he helped bring the club to League One with a £ 25m payroll bill because it was not expected that players' contracts would have to be cut in the event of relegation.

It was also Moxey who spoke about establishing Wolves in the Premier League as a priority, in the same season that they fell out.

Yet at least he appointed the man who started to change the club, Kenny Jackett – even though he was Wolves' fifth manager in 16 months at that time. These are difficult times for the Football League and understanding why some clubs turn into absolute disaster areas would come in handy.

Maybe this is what makes Moxey the front runner, it is a subject that he is certainly well versed in.

Source link

[made-from-galaxies]

I made a pact with mum friend involving much pain and sacrifice. Heres why it was worth it

Posted August 11, 2019 06:00:19

Photo: Kylie Mitchell and Freya Petersen completed a half marathon on the Sunshine Coast. (Supplied)

There’s plenty about the start of a big race that resembles a cattle saleyard. Hundreds of warm bodies shuffling about in close quarters, feet stamping, jets of nervous breath visible in the frosty pre-dawn air.

The energy of a crowd of thousands of runners is palpable and, despite the multitude of shapes, sizes, ages and abilities, so is the sense of common purpose.

After months of training, abstinence and rabbiting on about it to partners, colleagues and friends, they’re all here to prove that running 10, or 21, or 42 kilometres before breakfast is doable, perhaps even enjoyable, if not a life goal.

My running partner and I are as keen as anyone to get going on this early-August day in the “Sunny Coast half”. Both full-time working mothers and both in our 40s — ish — we have been “training” for this run for months, but neither of us is entirely thrilled about the 21.09km slog ahead.

Me less so than her. And I’ve run a half-marathon — once, a decade ago in another country, which may as well be another lifetime, as it was before children, ailing parents and mid-career challenges began daily siphoning off any reserves of time, energy and self-focus. It was bloody hard enough then.

Training for the 2009 Rhode Island half-marathon consisted of maybe doing a second lap of my Boston neighbourhood after work and staying off hard spirits for a month.

Training for a run in 2019 meant sneaking 45 minutes here or there to lap the park after work while the kids were at swim training. Or early — so very early — on a Sunday morning.

A well-worn path

Three illnesses in a six-week period in the lead-up to the race tempted thoughts of pulling out. But the idea of dishonouring a pact made with my running buddy Kylie, an equally busy mum friend staring down the challenges of her 50th year on earth, silenced the sook within.

Which brings us to Queensland’s Sunshine Coast last Sunday.

At the starting line, I see a two- to three-hour grind that may leave me feeling, yet again, like I long ago hit my peak and it’s all downhill from here.

Shuffling along for those first few kilometres as the sun rises over the oceanfront course, Kylie remarks on the number of young people running alongside us and we agree that we really should have done more of this when we were like them. Young, and fit, and free.

Good-natured, all-night revellers yell encouragement from a high-rise, and we joke that back then, we were probably more like them. Back then, we could barely start to imagine — not that we’d even try — how life changes for women who take this well-worn path into motherhood and middle age.

And yet each generation seems destined to live out the same fate as ours, rejecting the very notion that the more things appear to change the more they stay the same.

“I feel sometimes that my life and the way I lead it is just so different from what was available to my mum,” said a young friend recently, as we discussed her thoughts about career and family.

I said I’d recently realised how little had changed since I started out in the workforce, a devil-may-care risk-taker to whom no one person or circumstance posed an insurmountable obstacle to achieving my dreams.

But now, the sad fact is the world middle-aged working mums inhabit is defined by its insurmountable obstacles:

Children are your absolute priority

Despite your experience, your workplace seems less interested in what you have to offer

Whether working or not, you are statistically very likely to be shouldering the burden of home admin and housework

You are far more likely to be tapped for unpaid volunteering duties at your school/sporting club

Your good health is no longer a given, as the robo-letters encouraging breast screens and colonoscopies might attest

Photo: Conquering a marathon —even a half — is months of hard work. (Pexels)

The invisibility of middle age

The recently released Australia’s Household, Income and Labour Dynamics Survey (HILDA) would appear to support the argument that women aren’t living their best lives now any more than their mothers did then, or perhaps even their grandmothers before them.

At least when over-the-counter access to the Pill was introduced in 1961 they began to have a choice about whether they even became mothers, which no doubt felt like progress.

Still now, more than half a century later, HILDA data shows women are earning less than men in the workplace — to the tune of $34,000 on average — and doing more than them at home. And confirming what many moneypants mums already knew, female breadwinners in households with children still do the most unpaid weekly work — 43.4 hours to the male counterpart’s 26.

Worse than all of this, said another middle-aged friend, society does not suddenly begin showing you the respect and common courtesies you once might have expected to be offered by now. The invisibility of middle-aged women is, for us, an observable thing.

The feeling that society values you only insofar as you are fit for purpose — ie do the grunt work of raising kids and life admin — is strong. Yet even this quiet usefulness can seem largely unacknowledged.

The very antithesis of extraordinary

The hints about what to expect if you are headed towards middle-aged mumdom, and perhaps a few tips and guidelines, can be found on the pages of Facebook. A little post here saying “I ran a half marathon, yay me”, one there saying “the kids did great today at soccer, yay them”, or “our P&C got the grant for the new sprinkler system, yay us”.

It’s an insight into a demographic that might seem the very antithesis of extraordinary —just busy mums, doing their bit, like they should. Yay them.

And so it was with me, when I let anybody who’d care to know via Facebook that I’d not only run my race but improved my time over 21km by a whopping 15 minutes — 10 years on and several major obstacles in my way.

Amid the virtual pats on the back, a young mum friend said:

“I think you should write about this. About the power of commitment and achievement when you’re suffering through the daily grind and trying to be everything for everyone else. Represent all of us disenchanted women who wonder if we can make ourselves proud after babies and wrinkles and wobbly butts.”

And I had the strange flash, in which I visualised myself not as a middle-aged mum limping around because my body wasn’t ever going to be ready for last weekend’s flogging, but as Pheidippides, the messenger dispatched from the battlefield to deliver the news of a victory.

For a morning, my mum friend and I put aside the doubts, time pressures and troubles of our alternative existences and mowed down 21km of bitumen together. We’ve had harder mornings. Much harder.

To those who suggested a full marathon might now be on the cards, we say no. We are strong, and determined, and resilient and resourceful. But we do actually love our families, sometimes our jobs, occasionally even our unpaid labour, and definitely what remains of our bone density.

We are Supermums, but we are not Captain bloody Marvel.

Topics:

womens-health,

community-and-society,

women,

alexandra-headland-4572,

qld

Source: https://opengeekhouse.com.br/2019/08/10/i-made-a-pact-with-mum-friend-involving-much-pain-and-sacrifice-heres-why-it-was-worth-it/

[theliterateape]

Happy National Active Shooter Drill Day!

By Stephanie McCullough

“TRIGGER” WARNING LOL

Reminder to our Employees…

This coming Tuesday is our National Active Shooter Drill Holiday! 

We’ve got SO many fun and informative activities planned for this year’s ASD Day!  

Here’s just a few reminders about your participation:

Wear your most awkward shoes, No cheating!  As you practice urgently but orderly running from the sound of rapid gunfire, practice in those high heels you might be wearing the day it happens. Or better yet, prepare to feel what it’s like to run barefoot through our office hallways and our dirty fire exits.  

Bathrooms will be used for drill-purposes only; no private use.  If you need to go to the bathroom during National ASD Day, just remember there will be groups of people rotating in protective huddles through our bathroom stalls and there will be no privacy.   

Extra layers of clothes will not be permitted! We learned last year of some ingenious employees who wore several extra layers of clothes on ASD day. You may be trying to avoid the pain and bruising from the pellet-gun assasination-simulation part of the day, but you’re doing yourself more harm by not giving yourself the full experience.  Unless you plan on wearing four layers of shirts to work all year round, it’s counterproductive to our Nation’s focus for preparing you on this day.

Now for the fun stuff!  

We’ve based our company’s ASD day activities after the Government’s national guidelines & requirements, but with a fun added twist of our own!

8:30am - Caffeine* Boost Breakfast!**  

Sarah will be bringing her dark-caffeinated muffins again this year (yum!) and Jerry will be ordering those donuts from Stans w/ the extra mocha-caffeine Icing.  Our regular coffee options will also be available.

*The Government guidelines state that everyone must drink or ingest a minimum of 1000 mg of Caffeine on this day to best simulate the physiology of heart-racing as we tackle today’s Active Shooter Drill activities.  No skimping on those muffins! 

**Waivers releasing our company from any lawsuit against potential harm from today’s activities will be signed & collected**

9am - 10am Session:  Getting your legal stuff in order!

Jenkins from IT will again be walking everyone through how to set-up, compose, and digitally sign an official last-will & testament through your phone!  In less than 4 minutes your online last-will doc will be legal and validated by the courts, taking one less worry off your family & loved ones.  If you haven’t already, you can download the rocket-lawyer app on your phone before the session.  But leave the “last will” section blank, Jenkins will walk us through how to complete it on your phone while your hands are shaking frantically.

10:15am - 11:30am: Smoke & Bullets Immersion Session

Stan and his team have gone the extra mile this year and rented a deluxe stereo sound system & smoke machine!   This year we will get to have our ears ringing and a near-deafness-experience from a larger variety of assault rifle-type machines and their gun-fire sounds.  I’ve reserved conference room #3 this time for its better echo & louder acoustics.  

Please don’t touch the stereo equipment unless you are authorized.  It is not a toy.

Reminder *no earplugs permitted* & people with glasses will be asked to remove them to best simulate confusion.

11:30-12:30 Hardy ASD Day Lunch & Treats 

Mr & Mrs Mitchell have promised to bring back their super taste target-practice cupcakes!  Please also send an email to HR if you require gluten-free, nut-free and vegetarian options.

12:30-2:30:  RUN. HIDE. FIGHT.

We will practice evacuating at the nearest exit without trampling on anyone & how to leave all your belongings behind.   There will be check-points set up along the route to see if anyone cheated and went back for their personal belongings.

For the HIDING Portion, this year, we are adding a team competition & speed race for silencing phones, locking doors & barricading entries.  The team with the fastest, most barricaded room will win dinner gift certificates to Chilis! (Thank you Sarahs’ Aunt Teresa!)

This year we are not permitting people to opt-out of the FIGHT portion regardless of their physical conditions.  The chair, table, & printer-throwing activities is something everyone is now required to participate in.

2:45-3:30pm Bullet Impact Simulation

Reminder again, people will not be permitted to hide protective clothing for this session.  We will lined people up in random groupings, so no coupling up with a preferred work partner.   

Surprise! The rubber bullets have arrived early and Connor was able to get our company insignia imprinted on them!  You can take as many company rubber bullets home for keepsake after today.

Everyone is released after 3:30pm!  We will be handing out the “I Practiced Getting Shot” buttons and wrist bands at 3:30 for you to wear home.  Remember to keep yours for at least 3 weeks as the record of your participation gets processed with the government’s NRA division.  There is a $300 fine and a required weekend active shooter & hostage class if you don’t complete this day.

Get ready for a fun, bonding and informative time together!  

Remember our National ASD Text Guidelines:

911 - always call this number first!

PFM - “Pray For Me”  - A good one to use for your Church group text chains.

TMILH - “Tell mom I love her”  You can also replace M with “D” for Dad

KMD4M - “Kiss my dog for me” You can also replace “C” for Cat or the generic “P” for pet.

ITYTGWC {Employee Name} - “I told you this guy was crazy” followed by the name of the employee who is carrying out the mass murders.  This can be a helpful text for our law enforcement in their investigations afterwards.

IARTM3IP - “I am ready to meet my maker in peace” for those who wish to assure their loved ones of spiritual faith that their death was not in vain.

RIASINBAIFBNFAIBID - “Religion is a sham, I never believed and I feel better now finally admitting it before I die” for those who wish to release themselves of this final burden before their demise.

IAAHWASM - “I am alone here will anyone save me” use this text when you think none of your co-workers have survived and the murderer remains in the building.