#he has no shortage of food and he's a nice size with no issues

[savageboar]

i get so sad seeing people posting their bloated as fuck adfs and calling them adorable chonkers or whatever. you are overfeeding that frog and killing it with bloat.

[grenade-cephalopod]

You are right on one thing, I did neglect to put a recipe for potato chips. My bad. It's actually really easy. Just cut thin slices of potato with a peeler or knife and pat dry with a paper towel, then place the slices in a deep pot full of oil heated until shimmering (that's when there's little bubbles at the top!) and cook until the edges brown lightly (About 30 seconds.) Then place them on a paper towel for ten minutes in a single layer to get some of the oil off and hit them with your seasoning of choice! Very easy to do.

Now that the fun potato portion of the post is over, time for the rest! ...Yay!

Your first point, that Americans are too poor to make chips, is incredibly reductive. Yes, there is food shortages. Food *is* expensive. A bag of potatoes, a roll of wax paper and a small bottle of oil is five to ten dollars. Most Americans that choose to do this will be able to spare five to ten dollars.

Additionally (and this is the funny thing about literally everything) not everybody will have the time to do this. If you do, however, it's a nice way to give back to your community in a small way. Also "kids these days don't know how to boil water" is just patently false. Young people, just like any group of people, have some people good at some things and some good at other things. If the kids around you don't know how to boil water maybe you should teach them.

As for your notion that delivery people are not a part of the community and are just "soulless, faceless entities," delivery drivers are in fact people with flesh and blood and bones just like you and me. If they are local delivery drivers, that means they live locally. In your locale. You know what else you can call your locale? Your community! So it sounds like delivery drivers are in fact community members, not meaty flesh puppets that only serve to bring you McNuggets.

And the delivery driver totally can buy or make his own chips! And he might not trust yours! And that is fine! Not every delivery driver will trust or want them. Some will. We trust a bunch of strangers to give candy to children every Halloween and I know that sometimes it's homemade and this is basically the same. The main point is that it's an attempt to break through the shell that capitalism has taught us should be normal. He can buy them, but also someone made some, free of charge, to show they appreciate him. Maybe even if they don't trust the chips they'll appreciate the sentiment and realize that an insular world is a lonely one.

There's also a very easy way to resolve the property issue! If you write "FREE FOR DELIVERY DRIVERS!" or even just "FREE!" on a piece of paper and tape it to the container you keep the bags in, most people who can read the English language with at least some proficiency will assume it's free for delivery drivers. Also the fact that anyone is able to shoot somebody else so easily is a problem, but that's one for later.

Thank you so much for telling me the size of the Great Lakes compared to England! I would love to go to England one day. And I also hate going to work. Working fucking sucks. And I do have social anxiety! That's why cooking and putting the chips out is better than directly interacting with people to make a change.

I'm very glad as an American that you did not immediately recognize me as an American. It means I'm not the boorish stereotype people perceive as "American."

If you read all of this, thanks for listening to someone else's opinion! I hope you make the chips. I hope they're good. I hope you share them with someone you love.

The most important tool in your boycott toolkit is spreading knowledge and kindness. Find brands that serve alternatives locally, yes, but also consider producing your own alternatives and offering them to your community. Capitalism's worst quality is its insular nature. If you have social anxiety, consider making something simple like potato chips and putting them in wax paper bags. You can leave these bags out for delivery drivers and possibly convince them to not support a company fueling genocide. From there, the influence can only grow. Prove to those who doubt that we are not the bloodthirsty antisemites they paint us as.

[not-a-coral-snake]

Damen is planning to propose on Valentine’s Day. Which is cheesy as hell, Laurent thinks. 

But then, “cheesy” is probably the operative word to describe all of Damen’s plans where the proposal is concerned. “Cheesy,” or “sentimental,” or “soppy.”

Dinner at a fancy restaurant is one thing, in Laurent’s opinion, and ordering a bouquet of flowers for the table is a nice gesture, even if the floral arrangement Damen has selected rather excedes the size limit a bouquet implies. And Laurent is relieved that the ring is meant to arrive at the table on its own silver-domed dessert plate, and he doesn’t have to explain to Damen the perils of hiding it in some part of the food. The violinists on the other hand, which are meant to emerge from hiding during the dessert course and play a five part arrangement of the Beatles’ “Something,” put the proposal firmly in the territory of “extravagant.” 

But then, that’s really none of Laurent’s business. He’s just the maitre d’ responsible for organizing the whole affair. Managing the florist and the string quartet on top of his regular duties, and making sure they don’t interfere with the regular operations of the restaurant. 

The fact that he’s had a terrible, unabating crush on Damen since he started bringing business clients here years ago is irrelevant. The fact that Damen is always courteous, always asks Laurent about how he’s doing, always asks after his brothers, and seems legitimately invested in the answer is irrelevant. The fact that they have banter, sometimes, at the beginnings and ends of Damen’s work lunches and family dinners and drinks with friends is irrelevant, as is the way that banter reveals the books and shows they know in common, the similarities in their senses of humor. The fact that the sight of Damen’s dimple makes Laurent’s heart flip over in his chest is irrelevant.

Laurent had been, at first, too shy to ask Damen if he was single, ask Damen if he’d like to get drinks sometime when he’s not working. Then Damen had started bringing Jokaste to the restaurant on dates, and it had been too late for any of it to matter.

So now everything--florist, customized dessert, musicians, ring--is all prepared. Damen has arrived at the restaurant thirty minutes before his reservation to make sure everything is prepared according to plan. “Not that I don’t trust you,” he tells Laurent. “Only that I’m excited and need something to fuss over. But I’m sure you’ve done a lovely job.” And there’s that smile, and a flash of that dimple, and there’s Laurent’s treacherous heart leaping at the sight like it always does.

And all there is to do is wait for the lady to arrive.

The hour of the reservation comes. And goes--dinners are not business meetings, with the parties arriving on the dot. Laurent isn’t sure, after, when exactly the server for Damen’s table had begun to worry. Valentine’s Day is always a busy night, and he has plenty of fires to put out elsewhere in the dining room.

But he notices about thirty minutes after Jokaste was supposed to arrive that Juliet, Damen’s server, is getting nervous, waiting as she is with nothing to do. If Damen is made nervous as well by the delay, he hides it well.

It’s when Jokaste is nearly an hour late, and Damen has tried to minimize it by ordering an hors d’oeuvre and a bottle of wine, that the facade of easy confidence Damen had been wearing begins to crack. Laurent notices the change in his body language with a pang as he sorts out a seating issue on the other side of the dining room. It had been painful to organize Damen’s proposal, of course. But it’s perversely more painful now to see it maybe falling apart. 

There is a critical shortage of tables, as a truly absurd number of people arrive without reservations hoping to be seated. Juliet wants to know if she should be encouraging Damen to order dinner while he waits for the rest of his party to arrive. Laurent watches Damen as his posture grows more closed off. As he picks at his bread and olive oil, twitchy in a way Laurent has never seen him. 

“He has a reservation,” Laurent says at last. “We’re not going to hurry him along in order to seat idiots who forgot about making plans for Valentine’s Day until twenty minutes ago.”

When Jokaste is an hour and ten minutes late, Damen is picking up his phone to call someone. Then putting it down after a minute or two--it must have rung out. He tries again, and a third time. No luck. He looks conspicuously lonely, a man sitting alone in a restaurant full of couples. The impression is made worse by the fact that the sheer ridiculous size of the floral arrangement had forced Laurent to seat Damen’s party at a table usually intended for four.

When Jokaste is two hours late, Laurent decides it’s best he cancels the rest of the flowers, the musicians. He puts in an order for the garlic butter shrimp scampi he knows is Damen’s favorite entree. “On the house,” he tells Juliet to say. He has a sneaking suspicion that she instead tells him, “Compliments of the maitre d’,” because after she leaves the table Damen looks over at Laurent, quiet gratitude visible atop the rain cloud that is the rest of his expression.

When it is near the three hour mark, Laurent personally brings over dessert. Not the custom black cherry mascarpone Damen had asked the kitchens to prepare, but the warm chocolate mousse that is usually Laurent’s comfort at the end of a long week. “I don’t know why I’m still here,” Damen says. “I guess leaving just feels like defeat.”

Dessert finished--Laurent notes, satisfied, that he ate the whole thing--Damen heads over to the bar. Vannes is tending bar that night, and she seems to be trying, and succeeding, to get Damen to open up about it. During his first drink, he’s silent, sitting hunched over the bar. By his third some time later, he’s sitting up straight, talking animatedly with her, gesturing with his hands for emphasis. 

Vannes will have the situation in hand, Laurent knows. She’ll be able to manage comforting Damen while providing prompt service and maintaining a cheerful atmosphere for everyone else. So now Laurent can keep two eyes on his job, as the last of the dinner rush subsides and things finally grow quiet. 

But he keeps looking back at Damen at the bar. And in the quiet of the last few minutes before closing, when he customarily puts someone else in charge heads to the kitchens for a bite to eat, he convinces himself that it wouldn’t be a disastrously inappropriate idea to eat at the bar instead. 

Hardly anyone is left there besides Damen.

“Sorry for all the inconvenience this whole”--Damen waves a hand expansively to encompass the restaurant, the night, the situation--”must have been for you and your staff.”

“I’m sorry about what you went through. I hope it was just some kind of miscommunication, or some sort of emergency that came up.”

But it turns out Damen knows the reason. And Damen is just drunk enough, or just bitter enough, to show Laurent the instagram photo open on his phone. “You remember Jokaste,” he says, pointing to a familiar blonde woman, face painted blue and pink by the lights at some club, a man who looks vaguely familiar too pulling her close. “And this is my brother Kastor,” Damen says. “They were out clubbing tonight, apparently, and don’t they look friendly. . . “

Laurent draws in a sharp breath. “That’s terrible,” he says, and knows terrible doesn’t begin to encompass it, but he’s never been good at working at life’s great pains with words. 

“It’s my fault,” Damen says. “My fault for not seeing it coming, not being what she wanted, giving her what she needed. My fault somehow. For not--not being someone my brother respected or cared about enough not to pull some crap like this, it’s gotta be, I just don’t know--” 

He cuts himself off, then, realizing he is talking in circles and angry for it. 

“It doesn’t have to be,” Laurent says, words precise. “Sometimes people are just assholes. Sometimes they don’t treat you like you deserve.”

“You think?” Damen says, all bitterness and irony.

“I think that you’re punishing yourself in the hopes that this will make sense. I think that if you want to make sense of your brother and Jokaste’s actions, you should probably start looking for answers with who they are, not who you are.”

Damen opens his mouth, then closes it again, and Laurent is more grateful than he has any right to be that he actually seems to be considering Laurent’s words.

“Thank you,” Damen says. “For everything. Not just organizing the thing, but for the whole night, for after it all went to shit.”

And Laurent would shrug and say, ‘it’s my job,’ except that it mostly wasn’t. “You’re welcome,” he says instead.

His food arrives, and they sit for a while without speaking.

“You know, it’s a shame you have to work Valentine’s Day,” Damen says, when it looks like Laurent is getting ready to leave.

“Oh, well,” Laurent shrugs, trying not to read anything into the words. “It’s not like I have anything else going on.”

“Well, what do you like to do when you’re not at work?” Damen asks.

And again, it’s probably just idle chatter, but--”I like to explore indie bookshops,” Laurent says. “There’s a great one downtown by the river, a bookshop cafe that makes a mean chai latte.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Damen says. “Maybe sometime you could show me?” 

“I’d love too,” Laurent says, and he and Damen exchange numbers. Damen is texting him about his weekend availability by the time he’s finally done closing the restaurant and grabbing his coat. 

And it’s not a date, not really, not yet, but it could be the beginning of something. And Laurent holds that thought against his chest, warm against the February air. 

[ixalit]

can i assume that you like htp? if so, are there any favorite htp fics you can rec? 👀 my favorite one is dragging you down, demon bucky series and i love it tbh

I do!

Here are my favorites, some very popular, and others that are lesser known. As always, heed the tags and only read what you’re comfortable with!

(Here’s part 2)

Lamb and Martyr by @dsudis

40k, 5 chapters, complete

Steve/Bucky

graphic depictions of violence, rape recovery, rape roleplay, kink negotiation, under-negotiated kink, unsafe kink, subdrop, topdrop, complicated consent

Summary: "You could, though," Steve said. "If you were willing to hurt me."

Motions series by Nonymos

Steve/Bucky, Pierce/Bucky

Story 1: Training Motions

19k, 4 chapters, complete

alternate universe - modern, no powers, spies and secret agents; secret agent steve; torture; sex slavery; humiliation; object insertion; non-consensual body modification; forced feminization; dead dove: do not eat

Summary:

If Alexander Pierce, notorious weapons dealer, can be tricked into selling to SHIELD, his entire business will be exposed and the planet will be just a little safer. Steve's not the best at undercover work, but there was nobody else for the job and he would do anything to close the deal.

Of course, things get complicated when the deal turns into a competition. Things get more complicated when the competition starts hinging on who can hurt Pierce's submissive the most. Steve's not certain James is here on his own free will, and Steve's not certain he can compromise his morals, even to save millions of lives.

Story 2: Motion Training

78k, 31 chapters, complete

past rape/non-con, rape recovery, rape aftermath, consent issues, post hydra trash party, mutual pining, flashbacks, discussions of suicide

Summary:

After three years of slavery, Bucky's suddenly free again. He's not sure how to come back from that. Doing everything right just feels like going through the motions, but he has to keep going anyway - because there are some very wrong things he cannot afford to want.

Humans as Gods by Hyperthetical

5k, shrinkyclinks

rape/non-con, hurt/comfort, size kink, minor character death, dubious consent, hydra made them do it, happy ending, cuddling & snuggling

Summary:

HYDRA scientists successfully de-serum Captain America, only to discover that they are utterly unprepared for Steve Rogers. Meanwhile, the Winter Soldier follows his instructions to the letter. This works out just great.

So Familiar A Gleam by Lauralot

10k, stucky

nightmares, victim blaming, self-hatred, self-harm, drug use/abuse, overdosing, hallucinations, mental instability, past sexual abuse, past rape/non-con, electrocution, psychological horror, emotional/psychological abuse

Summary: Steve is always honest when Bucky’s sleeping.

Hallowed Ground by @shinelikethunder

12k, stucky, steve/hydra agents, bucky/hydra agents

rape aftermath, church sex, past torture, past rape/non-con, virginity, comfort sex, no healing cock, misappropriated religious imagery, hurt/comfort, sloppy seconds

Summary:

Bucky thinks about cleaning guns, or doing field maintenance on his arm, and tries to pretend he's repairing something delicate as he traces the lines of violence carved into Steve's flesh.

It'd be nice to believe that's what he's doing.

Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me by Chianine

4k, stucky

humiliation, self-hatred, physical abuse, rape/non-con

Summary:

When he's not being raped, beaten, or forced to commit murder, the Winter Soldier has a lot of time alone to dream and wonder what it would be like to not be treated like a piece of trash. He makes up a fantasy friend who would be big and strong and come and rescue him from HYDRA and all the people who hurt him. Then he would take the Soldier home and give him good food and wash him and touch him softly and take him to his nice warm bed and kiss him and hold him close and keep him safe.

Of course when he imagines this friend it's always a blonde blue-eyed handsome man. The Soldier decides to give this imaginary friend a name and the only one that comes to mind is Steve...

He doesn't realize that this person isn't made up - he is a memory.

There Is No Shortage of Blood by @dsudis, @artgroves

246k, 57 chapters, complete

Steve/Bucky

rape recovery, rape aftermath, rape fantasy, flashbacks, suicidal thoughts, self-harm, unsafe bdsm practices, bucky’s broken dick, sexual dysfunction, winter soldier trial, canon divergence, autoerotic asphyxiation, knifeplay, no safeword (just this once), risk aware consensual kink

Summary:

The long slow recovery of Bucky Barnes after his escape from HYDRA.

(And the longer, slower recovery of his sex life.)

to burn your kingdom down by glorious_spoon

12k, 5 chapters, complete

Steve/Hydra agents

graphic depictions of violence, rape/non-con, whump, past rape/non-con, hurt/comfort, rescue, hurt steve, steve/stoicism

Summary:

The Avengers go after a Hydra splinter cell with a nasty habit of brutalizing their prisoners. Steve has some ugly history with them, and when a rescue mission gone wrong leaves him and Sam in enemy hands, the situation gets uglier still.

No Broken Bones, No Permanent Damage by ponderosa121

1k, bucky/pierce, bucky/hydra agents

gang rape, knives

Summary: Something stirs in the dark places beneath his ribs. What does he want?

A Simple Excuse for a Complex Crime by @shinelikethunder

6.5k, stucky

graphic depictions of violence, rape/non-con, torture, interrogation, knifeplay, blood, electrocution, object insertion, bucky barnes’s metal arm, identity porn, memory recovery, the author regrets everything

Summary:

Pierce's motives for bringing the Winter Soldier in to interrogate Captain Rogers are more than a little bit suspect.

Follows directly on Elevator, Take 2, but literally the only thing you need to know about that one is "the one where the elevator beatdown ends in a gangbang instead." Just like the only thing you need to know about this one is "all the filthy trash Cap/Winter Soldier noncon you didn't know you wanted."

The Soldier or the Tiger by Anonymous

2.5k, bucky/rumlow, bucky/hydra agents

rape/non-con, attempted rape/non-con, non-consensual drug use, anal sex, anal fingering, sloppy seconds, dirty talk, multiple orgasms

Summary:

Prompt: I've read a fair share of pretty hot hydra operatives/WS fics. On one hand I like them a lot, but most of the time i have to ask myself, is it really SAFE? The WS is programmed for violence, I can't buy that he ALWAYS submits without any thought.

So I kind of want Rumlow/WS and other operatives/WS (but this is optional, I mostly want Rumlow) non-con sex, but where the risk of getting their heads taken off is very much present. Still, it's like trying to pet a beautiful tiger knowing it can rip off your jugular if you do it wrong... it's addicting.

[catsandstrawberries]

Proud of You

Pairing: OT7 BTS x graduating reader PLATONIC! (also could be seen as 8th member)

Summary: Due to the coronavirus, your whole senior year has been destroyed, chewed, and spit out by the universe. You start to get depressed once your robes come, but the boys know just how to make you feel better.

Warnings: The reader kind of gets depressed, Americanized because American graduation and Korean graduation are a little different, like 2 swear words, but nothing else. Lots of fluff!

A/N: This is intended to be for high school seniors but words for college seniors as well, could be a stand alone read or a continuation of Real Family. 

“(Y/N), your package came!" 

I ignored Namjoon’s yell and cuddled back into the multitude of blankets that swaddled me in a large cacoon. 

Quarantine was not faring well with me. 

In retrospect, I had it a lot better than most people. I was surrounded by my seven brothers who I loved unconditionally and didn’t have any issues with food shortages or internet issues, but I wouldn’t be able to graduate. That was hard to come to terms with. After twelve long, hard years working at school, and only to be denied all of my senior privileges, seeing my friends, and the top of the cake, graduation. It honestly sucked. But, instead of facing my feelings, I’ve camped out in my bedroom listening to Lo-fi and pretending as if my mental health wasn’t suffering. 

”(Y/N)!“ I groaned with protest, rolling out of bed with no care about my ragged appearance. My hair stuck up at odd angles, and my baggy t-shirt and sweatpants weren’t the most attractive outfit I’ve worn. I trudged towards Namjoons shouting voice, ignoring the flambergasted look Jin gave me, and Yoongi’s voice shouting at me to take a shower and that I smelled like Hoseoks dirty socks. 

"Oh, you look…” I gave Namjoon an annoyed look, 

“dead to the world? Depressed? Annoyed? Sad?” I finally looked down at the package, a medium-sized box shipped from the school. 

I frowned, a sneaking suspicion about what it was creeping up on me. I picked up the box and carried it to the kitchen island, quickly grabbing a pair of scissors from the closest drawer and cutting open the top of the cardboard. My frown only grew as I spotted the robes and cap inside the box, the robe that I would never wear because my diploma was going to come shipped to me, like a useless piece of paper. 

I ignored the crowd watching me from the sidelines and crawled back to my dark hole of depression, otherwise known as my room. Little did I know the boys were setting a plan into motion before I even shut my door.

Netflix seemed to be my only saving grace. My little kid floaties as I attempted not to drown in the big kid pool. I was just about to finish one of the most important cinematic moments in history, Jane giving birth in the tv show Jane the Virgin. But the show all of a sudden started to buffer, and soon a notification on my computer was telling me the wifi connection failed. Aggravated, I tried to re-type the password only for my computer to tell me it was wrong. I stomped to my door, ready to scream at Jungkook for messing with the wifi only to find the exact boy and Jimin standing in front of my door.  

“Uh, hi?” The two looked very suspicious and both their hands were behind their back as if they were hiding something. 

“Is something wrong?” Jungkook asked, trying to bite back a smile as if he knew he was messing with me. Before I could interrogate him Jimin was elbowing him in the ribs, 

“don’t be a brat, Koo.” Jungkook grumbled, and suddenly Jimin was shoving a cardboard box into my arms, the same cardboard box with my graduation outfit. 

“Wha-" 

"You should try it on.” Jimin pushed, a gleaming look behind his eyes that told me he was planning something. 

“Why-" 

"If you don’t try it on and come show us, then we won’t tell you the new wifi password.” My jaw dropped as Jungkook let a sly smirk cross onto his face. Those sly dogs. I sent a harsh glare to the two of them, 

“fine, but I’m choosing dinner tonight.” Jimin exchanged a glance with Jungkook then ruffled my poor excuse of hair, patting down some of the large knots.  

“You drive a hard bargain, deal.” I couldn’t help but smile at their ridiculous antics but before Jimin could shove me back into my room Jungkook was adding, 

“be sure to brush your hair though, you look like the walking dead." 

The door shut before the hairbrush I threw could hit his head.

——–

The body length mirror in front of me only made me more anxious and sad as I looked over my uniform. The robes weren’t exactly attractive, but they fit, and the sad memories of never being able to walk with my friends or give a speech, fully appreciate the process of graduation only soured my mood. I ran a hand through my freshly brushed hair, I styled it slightly in preparation of being included in a V-live or some other event that showed my face to the public. I wasn’t an idiot, the boys wanted me out of my room, and to look nice so I assumed they would show me off to Army to try and lift my spirits. I didn’t want to do this. A part of me wanted to crawl back into my bed and snuggle under my fluffy blankets, call Jin and tell him that I wasn’t feeling well. They might buy it if I lie and say I’m on my period. Even though I was close with the boys, that was the one thing that always freaked them out, and got them off my back. Just mention blood coming out of their younger sister’s vagina and you’re no longer being teased, a full proof plan. I sighed and leaned against the cool wood of my door, my hand hovering over the metal doorknob. Maybe this wouldn’t be such a bad idea, just smile and take a few pictures then you can go back to your room, yeah 30 minutes tops, then I’d be out of there. 

With that final boost of confidence, I opened the door only to find Yoongi standing at the end of the hallway, dressed in the fancy blue sweater he only wore to important events. 

"Is this a blue sweater event?” I questioned jokingly, but his gaze was still locked on my outfit, and once I got close enough he fiddled with the tassel on the top of my cap.

“I’m so proud of you.” I snorted at his cheesy words, raising an eyebrow, 

“for what?” He shrugged as if it was no big deal and offered his arm out to me,  

“for being you.”

Yoongi led me into the dark living room, and my eyes barely had a moment to adjust before the lights were blasted on. My own eyes winced at the onslaught of light, but once they adjusted my heart did cartwheels at the sight in front of me. Gold and silver balloons and streamers hung around the room, inflatable letters spelling out graduation hung at the front of the room where Namjoon stood in front of a pedestal, the other boys lined against either side, creating a clear pathway for me. They were all dressed in nice clothes and once I got close enough they each handed me a slip of paper, diploma, written in crayon or colored pencil highlighted at the top of each paper. A personal message below each of them. I couldn’t help but laugh at that, especially after seeing Hoseok misspell graduation in crayon and have to cross it out to rewrite it. Once I was finally in front of Namjoon, he looked at me with one of the proudest and genuine smiles I had ever seen. 

“Wow, (y/n) looks so much better in her graduation robes then you did Jungkook,” Taehyung whispered cheekily and an embarrassingly loud laugh erupted from my chest at his words and the comedic look of betrayal that crossed Jungkooks face. Namjoon cleared his throat and then glared at the two before turning to face me, 

“Dear class of 2020, It is my greatest honor to be your commencement speaker as you head off to do great things in your lives, as you face graduation day, ready to take on a life full of brand new colors, a palette of opportunities and-” Namjoon filtered off and loosed the bow tie around his shoulder before walking around the pedestal and standing in front of me. “(Y/N), I am so proud of you. I can only imagine how hard this must be for you, balancing all the things you do, from school, to work, living with us, I know we aren’t the easiest family-" 

"Excuse you I’m fucking fantastic and (Y/N) appreciates me and our relationship,” Jin spoke up unashamedly, but a grin spread over his face and he was suddenly showing us two thumbs-ups which transferred into hearts. 

“As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, we just want you to know that we’ve seen how hard you’ve worked and that we will always be here for you. Even after you get your diploma, and face other big events in your life.”

I couldn’t hold back, and my arms were instantly wrapping around Namjoon in a bone-crushing hug, tears forming in the corners of my eyes as Namjoon spoke, 

“congratulations (y/n), you graduated." 

I’ve been through a lot with the boys, a lot of good memories. From concerts to hangouts, to awards, that time Jin got his tonsils out and thought Namjoon was Britney Spears, but this by far was my favorite memory with them. Or at least a close tie to the Britney Spears moment. Before I could wipe away the tears forming in my eyes Hoseok popped a confetti launcher, the loud bang scaring me out of Namjoons arms as Hobi attacked me in a hug. 

"Our strong girl graduated.” He wrapped his arms around me and jumped up and down excitedly, forcing my body to jump with him. 

“Let her go Hyung, I want a hug too.” I jumped into Tae’s arms as soon as Hobi let go of me, and smiled while he gently wiped away the tears trailing down my face. 

“You better be hungry (y/n), because I made every single dish you ever remotely mentioned you liked.” At the mention of food, I suddenly became aware of the onslaught of smells coming from the kitchen, sensations that made my stomach growl in hunger. Jimin pinched my cheek adoringly and I swatted his hand away, 

“I know we said you could pick dinner, but Jin-Hyung really wanted to cook for you-” I cut him off and stood on my tippy toes to kiss his cheek, 

“thank you Jimin, really." 

"Don’t thank Jimin, this was all my idea!” Jungkook shouted from the other room while Jin smacked him for trying to get into the food without the rest of us. 

“Excuse you! This was a joint effort, don’t try and get all the attention.” Yoongi joined in on the shouting while Namjoon sweated, 

“if anything I should get extra credit for giving the speech-" 

"You begged to do the speech!" 

I chuckled while Tae wrapped an arm around my shoulder, 

"Congratulations graduation girl, you deserve it.” Before I could thank him, shouting erupted from the kitchen, while Tae blanked in front of me. 

“Shit, they got into the silly string.”

[artsninspo]

Butterflies - IV

Butterflies - IV

MASTERLIST

“So, you’re never home, anymore” your bestie comments as you fluff your curls out.

“You know I’m busy and when I’m not I’m here talking with you” you laugh.

“And your swear that’s it? Are you still dating Gabriel?”

“Ummm hmm?”

“Seeing him tonight?” She pries.

“No not night brunch” you correct.

“Date number?”

“I don’t know?”

“Dang! So many you’ve lost count? How many times a week to you see him”

“Three” you admit and she screams. Your cheeks burn with a serious blush. These are the things you like to keep to the chest.

“So you like him”

“I don’t know…” Thats a lie you think to yourself "Yes” you admit. “But he has to be too good to be true” you groan closing your eyes.

“Have you had sex yet?”

“No”

“Maybe he’s small” she jests but that isn’t funny.

“Maybe, something to keep me grounded. It’s an icky but addictive feeling” you admit. “I feel like I’m losing brain cells cause all I want to do is be a giddy fool” you swallow and she laughs.

“Don’t overthink it, you deserve to be happy. Just enjoy your Prince Charming while it lasts”.

“Good advice” you agree finishing your eyeshadow and spraying your perfume. You’re out of the house and G is sitting outside on the hood of his car like a GQ model.

“Hey handsome” you smile  and he pulls you to him pecking your lips.

“Hey babe” he smiles letting you go and opening the door. The sun is bright and you cover your face.

“I forgot my shades” he takes his off instantly.

“You’re driving, I’ll be fine” you smile kissing his cheek and you end up at the brunch place. The food is amazing and G is attentive as always. He smiles as the waitress flirts with him amusing you.

“You have the whole staff a giggly teenage mess” you smile having another piece of fruit.

“We’re you like that?”

“I’ve always had pretty good self control. But I had my time to embarrass myself on behalf of a good time” you smile.

“You don’t have a jealous bone in your body do you?” He asks and it’s relief on his face.

“Us wanting to spend time with each other is our choice if that changes it changes I’m not good at coercion”

“Yeah right, you have the soft power” he says dropping twice the amount of breakfast on the table in cash. “Come on” he says and you end up in Saks. The sunglasses section he buys you everything you want without flinching at the completely indecent price tag.

“Why are you trying to butter me up?” You ask suspiciously sitting on his lap at the park where you spend time together on nice days.

“I’m going away for a week, so I’m trying to make up for lost time”

“Court for the kid?” You ask getting comfortable and he holds your hips adjusting your position with his big hands.

“Yeah, her mom wants to take her globetrotting” He’s annoyed. “Just to spite me, she knows work is busy so she’s testing what I care about more” he vents.

“Nothing to worry about. You don’t seem like you’re easy to pull the run around on” you smile.

“But, Izzy… social services said she needed a shrink and if you heard what the shrink says. Apparently she’s sad, she has emotional delays, trust issues. Babe, she’s only four” his words resonate and you rub his back before giving him a hug.

“Everything will be fine” you assure and he nods.

“Here’s my keys while I’m gone and some cash in case you need anything” he says reaching into his pockets.

“I don’t need your money”

“Take it, please” he urges.

“Fine” you put it in your purse and he smothers you in kisses.

“We’re official now, right?” He asks.

“What do you mean”

“Exclusive, you’re only seeing me. I’ve always only been seeing you.”

“I guess so” you shrug.

“I’ve been telling people I’m not single anymore” he admits.

“Interesting” you tease making him laugh.

“I’m not a coward or a cheater. You don’t have to worry. It’s getting hot out let’s go to your place” you stand and he follows taking your hand.

“I’m not a cheater or a coward either” he asserts. The ride home is full of casual conversation. And he has his fridge stocked with your fav wine when you arrive pouring you a glass before the two of you sit on the couch.

“I have a question” he says a little nervous.

“Go” you shrug putting the glass down. He swallows putting your legs across his.

“Are you a virgin or celibate and waiting for marriage?” He asks.

“How do you get there”

“Well, I know you’re attracted to me. But you don’t react like women have previously when I touch them or kiss them. I’m not comparing what I’ve done. Shit this is coming out all wrong. I guess you have a lot of self control and I was thinking it’s because you’ve never had sex” he swallows making you laugh.

“And if Im celibate is that a problem?” His face says how he feels about it instantly. Stressed.

“I need sex, I just do” he shrugs. “I’m not pressuring you I have my hand and respect your wishes. I’d rather it be with you than looking at a screen and jacking off but I guess I gotta do what I gotta do” he shrugs making you laugh.

“I’m not abstinent but I am a virgin” you admit and he looks stunned. “It’s really not tat deep. I’ve always just been focused on other things. I’d rather it not be terrible and with someone who can at least make it pleasurable, and take care of me. Everyone our age plays games and I take relationships more seriously” you shrug. He smiles.

“So you’ve just been breaking balls huh” he asks looking at the ceiling and chuckling a bit. Like he’s hit the jackpot. “I hope you know I can take care of you”.

“Are you experienced in that field?” You ask feeling oddly comfortable for the first time

“I’ve never slept with a virgin, having dated mostly older women” he explains. “But I’m a quick learner and you have nothing to worry about. Once it happens you’ll be all in and in love with me” he smiles.

“Don’t ruin your chances with that” you tease getting comfortable as he cuts on a movie.

“It’s a warning, I guarantee it” he asserts.

“Then I gotta be careful” you smile and he pulls your in closer. There’s no shortage of fireworks when he kisses you soft and then harder. But you can feel his heart beating just as fast. He pulls you in in closer kissing down your neck. His hands drift up your sides.

“Now I’m terrified” you pull away breathlessly.

“Just be ready when I get back, I’ll take care of you”

“Thanks for the presents today” you smile pecking his lips more harmlessly.

“A way to show you how I feel” he smiles kissing your cheek. “Stay the night, drive me to the airport in the morning”

“I don’t have nightclothes, my toiletries nothing”  you remind.

“Take the keys get what you need and come back. I’ll keep my hands to myself, promise” he crosses his heart.

“Drop me home I like my car better” you smile.

“What’s wrong with mine?” He asks.

“It’s you but it’s not me” you comment as he stands behind you already ready to go.

“Why don’t we just go get you some things you need then pick up your car so you don’t need to remember to bring things back and forth”

“You’re strange” you comment as he heads to the mall.

“I know what I want” he reminds.

He walks into the lingerie and sleepwear shop cool as a cucumber.

“What size?” He asks looking at an underwear display.

“XL” you comment looking for soaps and lotions. He rings everything up paying and holding your bag as you shop around getting necessities.

“You’re buying so much stuff, I’m Not Moving in”

“Well start with weekends” he ignores making

You laugh.

“I didn’t agree to any of that, just to tonight” you remind.

“One Step At a time” he reasons kissing your hand. His eyes are taken with a lingerie display in a boutique window.

“Like that?” You ask.

“Is it your style?” He asks. You smile taking his hand as you keep walking.

“So is that your thing? Dress up, shopping, you know?” You ask.

“It’s been over three months of dating. I figure unless I make a move I’ll be waiting forever”

“Well if it counts for anything I like that you aren’t rushing.”

“It’s Nice to be wanted for something other than my body for a change” he teases playfully.

_______

Tags:

@keiva1000 @damnitaa​ @ju5tp34chy @ljstraightnochaser​ @soufcakmistress​ @corajanejordonnn @soulfulbeauty19​ @twistedcharismaaa​ @l-auteuse​ @chaneajoyyy​ @cyntgefel01​ @itsjustyazz​ @damienwitcher @thotyana-in-this-hoe @aanairb @cocotheclown​

[mzyrimworld]

Duster Part 18: Quadrum 19

Last time Henry died on her first away mission in a very long time (because some people got themselves injured social fighting), leaving us with just one of the original three colonists. Is the whole project going to fail?

Whilst everything dramatic was happening elsewhere, the homebodies have finally constructed a better prison cell for captives. Blackrose may have been divested of her clothing for the botched parka delivery, but perhaps she’ll still choose to join the colony now. You never know when another member of the colony might die...

Speaking of bodies and home, the away team returns, with Henry’s corpse in the saddlebags.

Skissor puts her to rest in a nicely decorated sarcophagus of better times, with an animal bed for Jethro to use when he visits her.

*Licensed sad music plays*

Beatriz Henry, the very first volunteer to the challenge. She was never particularly sociable, but it seems she came to get away from her old life with its anxieties and pressures, to take on a challenge with her beloved therapy dog. In the early days her medical and shooting abilities were invaluable to the small group, saving many lives and limbs.

For all her flaws, she was a talented woman, and versatile. The colony gained members with greater individual skills than she had, but she could always find a way to be useful. With help she even overcame her anxiety, but kept loving Jethro all the same. Before that final mission, she was one of the most (literally) valuable members of the colony.

Her death was entirely unforeseen, and unavoidable at that point. All the armour and weapons in the world cannot protect from a plague in an unknown area of the map, far from the pile of advanced medicines they’d accumulated.

May she rest in peace, and watch over poor Jethro with fondness.

Ahem. Anyway, the base expands, with crop fields everywhere to prevent the recent food shortage from reoccuring.

There appears to be a bit of an issue about where the base was made, however...

Two hives burst through, one in the dining area and another in a bedroom corridor!

Oh, these bugs are vicious - poor puppy Cleo is immediately brutalised without the slightest defense-

The dogs are brave, but against insects of that size?

Even pregnant Kilo dived in, with probably many regrets on that decision.

The bugs are dispatched, and then so are the medics, desperately trying to save lives even if some limbs are unsalvageable...

It wasn’t just the dogs, either, though it seems that Rich may have suffered friendly-fire rather than bugs for the most part...

But the humans don’t really have it that badly...

Poor puppy Cleo got it the worst. Her life was saved, but she now has to try and manage on two legs...

And Kilo’s pregnancy couldn’t last under the circumstances.

Meanwhile, some people find themselves being viciously assaulted by a single rabbit. I don’t think Steroid’s going to get much sympathy.

Morales might get a bit more for a warg at least.

Somebody else puts paid to the terrible rabbit, so Steroid drags himself back for medical care. I expect the greatest danger would be of infection...

Brave Cleo has pulled through with no other scars, but as you might expect, the poor dog can only move quite slowly.

A trader stops by! And the colonists seize on the excellent opportunity to reduce the number of animals they’re dealing with, selling both spare alpacas and muffaloes, in exchange for more medical items.

Though they’re not exactly short of either afterwards, with these being the female animals...

And located a long way from them to prevent more pregnancies, the male animals. The dogs live in the main building, as you probably realise by how badly they were injured by the hives.

While making some valuable trades with passing ships for medical supplies, the colonists are offered a mission with a valuable reward.

The old away-team is assembled for the journey, which will hopefully not mirror the last...

It’s a far shorter distance at least, less time for things to go wrong.

Back home, Blackrose is recruited! Another person for the night shift, with some good skill at shooting and not bad for medical care. Could be useful for the away-team...

The mission’s target doesn’t look to be a hard one, with just the one turret and energy from a solar panel...

The away team conquers the base with ease. Not very much of value to be found, but that wasn’t the reward they were doing it for.

And they’re back home safely the next day!

Ah, it’s not been long since Jay’s last relationship, but it’s no bad thing for our colonists to seek comfort in each other!

Having missed the conversation, it’s not quite clear if Nobreitra was for or mocking aiding the downtrodden, but whichever it was worked on Jay.

The colonists have made a lot of progress with respect to technology research. They’re not far off being able to construct a ship themselves. That may be necessary if Zeiph (and Jethro?) dies, but they’re supposed to be trying to reach the ship provided on the other continent.

With all the huskies wandering around, it’s good that some bonds are being forged with the human colonists. Though whether that will just make it hurt the more when one of them dies...

Another mission! The colony’s interests and abilities with regards to prosthetics is apparently getting around...

A further distance than the last, back towards their old bases, but mostly by roads and easy terrain.

As seems to be becoming a tradition, those who do not want to go on missions get into fights so they’re too injured to be considered.

But Gazelle is forced to go anyway. They need those prosthetics!

Final Stats:

Henry: Laid to rest v.v

Zeiph: Under increasing pressure...

Blackrose: Recruited!

Jay & Nobreitra: Coupled up!

Cleo: The bravest and best girl in the universe, yes she is!

The rest of the huskies: Also incredibly good boys and girls

[ovalleba]

As if all the gardening I’m doing isn’t enough, I ordered half a beef. I don’t really want to have issues with food shortages and pray I don’t lose power! It came in and my freezer is full. I’ve a large chest freezer and it is now stock piled. I’m thankful I didn’t follow up on getting a pig. As it is, I have a turkey thawing in my fridge that just wouldn’t fit in either freezer!

Besides having two garden beds, I started growing herbs. Since my daughter is moving, I’m doing a set for her also. I’ve containered them in pint glass jars. It seems to be working well. Stones in the bottom to help drainage and it lets me check on the roots and water amount. I don’t want to drown them.

  The only issues I’ve had is the cilantro seems to be dying off around the edges and I’ve had no luck growing chives. Luckily, I was garage saleing yesterday and found someone selling them. Rather than containerize them, I’m going to see if I can plant them around the bed of my raspberries. Better than the creeping charlie that has taken over everything!

Besides the appeal of fresh herbs for cooking, I bought a book, Medicinal Herbs, to get information on how to use them for health. To be honest, I’ll probably experiment on myself, lol. But, it is mainly for research for the next book in a Dragon’s Fated Heart Series.

The one after Reviving Mara which I’m working on now.

Rog’s book needs to be done. He is the healer of the group and I think it is appropriate if his mate is interested in the same. Beginning to grow herbs and researching is as far as I’ve gotten, but I have to start somewhere.

Now, on to news of my garden. My jalapeno peppers are flowering. My cherry tomatoes are flowering. Carrot, turnip and radishes have made an appearance. I thought my carrots never would! Sweet corn has come up. My broccoli are forming and my garden is flourishing.

My parents came over and my dad was shocked at the size of them. He’s the gardener. My tomato plants are anywhere from a foot to two feet in size already and hopefully will be blooming soon. I had 24 plants set aside for my dad. My parents were thrilled. They bought some from the store that are only a couple of inches tall. The ones I had for them were a bit over a foot already so will bloom sooner.

I’m sending a few tomato plants off with my daughter also to her new house.

My lettuce is growing good. I made a salad with the greens I harvested. I won’t ever have a ton, but enough to not have to buy too much from the store. A nice supplement to keep costs down! I watch every penny since I retired. I’m growing that in my greenhouse, but pull it out to bask in the sun every couple of days. I’m going to try to start romaine lettuce from the bottom of the head I got from the store. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Have a healthy and happy week! Let me know if there are specific herbs or books I should be checking out.

Herbs and Containers As if all the gardening I'm doing isn't enough, I ordered half a beef. I don't really want to have issues with food shortages and pray I don't lose power!

[jeninthegarden]

Wet & Wild

Reflections of the Gardening Projects of 2019

This is my 12th year of garden logging.  What did I just say last year in my decadal review?  That’s right: “the deer remain the big issue”. Well, this past summer, they jumped the temporary netted fence around the corn and tomato patch, and ate all my tomato plants.  And I had a lot of tomato plants!  The deer did not even wait until the fruit had set!  Meanwhile, the ground hog got in and dug up all my corn the same day I planted it (twice!).  Then I planted sunflowers for my beans and squash to trellis on in place of the corn, and the deer hopped in and ate all the sunflowers and squash, and pumpkins and beans.  So, the field crops, although perfectly mulched with cardboard and woodchips a la Back to Eden gardening method, for water conversation and weed barrier, were a complete loss.  It was particularly sad because I started all my squash and melons from seed this past year, with great variety.  The plants were vigorous and blooming before I transplanted them. I hardened them off on the patio before lovingly transplanting them.  Years past when I have tried to direct sow squash, the squirrels have always dug up the seeds and newly germinated seedlings.  

As noted last year, the past few years have been wet and wild - too much rain and too many snap heat waves that have been the most disruptive events.  Still considering rain barrels, but still haven’t done it because there is no shortage of rain in this region. The spring was very wet.  The summer was fairly cool.  The fall was quick and dry.  If anything, we just didn’t get enough sun and heat for the fruiting crops or the long growth crops.  For instance, peppers were drowning in the garden until I rescued them, re-potted them and put them on the warm stone patio. Potato crop was measly though not reduced by disease, insects or rodents. The beets also did not grow, though hilled up in the same conditions under which carrots flourished. They germinated nicely and then stopped growing when they were only 3 inches high.

By contrast, we had a huge crop of peas in the spring and well into June. Unfortunately that meant I had nowhere to plant the cucumbers because I had planned to put them on the pea fences. I won’t make than mistake again.  Fresh raw peas were abundant in the first 3 months. But when I sacrificed all the saved peas and tried a fall crop, even though it was warm enough, it was too dry and the shoots didn’t grow more than 3 inches before it frosted and I had to eat them.  Even the fall greens did not germinate well.  Carrots, we had a bumper crop of and harvested plenty fresh for Thanksgiving dinner, and we had several rows still standing in the garden, in January. Turnips did fine; I pickled them. 

The broccoli and kale did well this year but the cauliflower and cabbage faltered, very disappointing because theses too were started indoors from seed to give them a good head start. And they were hilled up to keep them from getting too wet, but there was not enough sun or heat and their growth was severely stunted.   There was never a chance for the Brussel sprouts – they need nearly as much heat and a long growing season as pumpkins.  Collards just did not germinate. I was using old seed and it failed.

Spinach, a very fickle crop in recent years germinated and grew well last year, particularly where I was extremely brutal about thinning it.  And like the peas, we had a bumper crop of bush string beans, the purple variety, which enjoyed an extended season of about two months.  Did not get a chance to make pickled dilly beans because the dill did not germinate; the seeds were too old. 

Shocker of the season, I grew and harvested radishes! Have not harvested radishes in 10 years.  This variety was the Spanish black, sometimes used to pad out prepared horse-radish, very white and picante.  These were the large breed that should have been the size of an orange, but mine were only the size of golf balls. Meanwhile I ate a vast quantity of watermelon daikon radish bought from the farmer’s market. I made radish and feta salad, shredded radish and cabbage slaw, thin sliced radish with burrata and honey. So aggravating that I could not grow my own!        

Salad greens did very well, particularly in the spring and lasted well into summer because it was so cool. Again, ruthless thinning produced excellent results. The claytonia and the purple orach are still my favorite spring greens. Nasturtiums really took over the garden and they lasted well into fall, they crept and trailed all over the garden.  I love the leaves in salad and the blossoms in scrambled eggs.  I really like squash blooms in my eggs too, but Bambi ate all the squash.

Onions were tricky this year.  The Egyptian walking onions, which are self-seeding and in my herb garden seem to be petering out. Not sure if the last crop tried to seed in the lawn and got mowed or were subsumed by the rampant wild violets I keep tossing in the herb bed.  The leeks, I am sorry to say, did not get enough sun or heat.  Result – NO LEEKY DANCE; very unsettling to the delicate balance of the universe, although the kids are teenagers now and would have been horrified if I had tried to make them dance.  I bought some leeks in the fall because I am very fond of baked leeks au gratin, with some millet or brown rice.

The chives, as always were abundant. And they are perennial so I had to divide them this year.  Love the blossoms scattered in salad like minced red onion.  And, speaking of red onions, I planted about fifty red Cipollini onions, and harvested about fifty.  They were neatly hilled up so they did not drown. Maybe they were smaller than they should have been, egg sized, but they dried and stored well; we are still enjoying them.

I had numerous gardening projects going this past summer and I am surprised at my own progress: 

 The community garden.  I have joined quite a few gardening groups, both online and locally this year. One of them is the InterGenerate community gardens of my county, and specifically the communal garden in my village.  The community plot I cultivated this past year was an experiment in high yield food production in a 16 square foot raised bed.  The violetto string beans were part of that and a smashing success. This year there has been a lot of discussion about subsistence farming and the pretentiousness of growing the perfect tomatoes. The aim of the group is to teach people how to grow their own food and in that vein we donate both seeds and the harvest back to the community.  So this year the focus will be on real subsistence crops: potatoes, beans and squash.  I am enthusiastic and have gone completely overboard ordering potato seed, beans and squash which will proliferate my own garden this year as well.

 The Pollinator Pathway. This is a national movement subdivided down to extremely local chapters working to connect greenways, nature preserves and public lands with private properties where no pesticides are used to create green corridors that are pesticide free.  Very enthusiastic participation on our cul-de-sac; we all registered our properties with the Pathway and promised not to use pesticides. This is very impactful because our cul-de-sac abuts a 200 acre Audubon nature preserve so we are an important bridge piece in the corridor.  I am also very self-interested in joining this movement because this was my first year of bee-keeping and I harvested some superb honey. And I want to add a second hive this year

.  Provence in New York. While puttering around Cape Cod this past spring we discovered a family garden farm selling huge lavender plants at irresistible prices. And while I would very happily have purchased one or two for my herb bed at home, my dear husband had a vision of the fields of lavender in Provence. And since the price was right, and we were driving my Toyota highlander from which I had not yet removed the winter weather mats, he bought 24 huge lavender plants and we brought them home. We planted them in place of the wildflower bed that had petered out and started to go back to grass.  Applying my knowledge of lavender plants that have not survived the winter well in my herb garden, we planted each plant in a hill with gravel and sand under it for drainage.  If the lavender field (conveniently located in the flight path of my bee hive) survives the winter, we will expand it by another 10 plants this year

 The Wildflowers. All three of the windflower beds disappointed us and have petered out. We replaced the one in the back yard with a lavender field.  The one behind that against the back property line is getting the Back-to-Eden treatment this spring so we can plant fruit trees there in the fall. Plums – I’m feeling a plum tree obsession building. Santa Rosa weeping plum trees...  The wildflower patch in the front lawn has already received the Back-to-Eden cardboard and woodchip treatment, and we hugeled the old, rotten woodpile into it. This fall I planted the front of that bed with bluebells and the back of the bed with blueberry bushes. And I threw in a bunch of foxglove seeds in the western wall bed that have set six hardy rosettes I expect to bloom this summer (it’s a biannual).  I may move those to the front wild-flower bed, behind the blueberry bushes.

 The Western Wall – I moved the rhubarb, asparagus and horseradish to the new flowerbed by the western wall of the house.  I also planted a couple of kiwi berry vines that now need a trellis. The asparagus had already been thinning in the vegetable garden and did not appreciate being moved, so I ordered 25 new roots. The rhubarb seemed to like the new location and actually needed dividing so I have high hopes for this spring. Horseradish is a weed so it will be happy anywhere, and oddly enough, I read somewhere that rhubarb-asparagus-horseradish is a good companion planting formula. But I’m a little confused about digging horseradish out of a bed without disturbing the asparagus and rhubarb roots. I couldn’t quite work that out so I planted a patch of each, in the same bed but not mingled.

 Hugelkultur. (You have to say that word with guttural gusto!) What??  It is the method of building a raised bed over buried logs.  We made a really good start in the spring and got the old woodpile in the front yard entirely buried and covered over with cardboard and woodchips, and planted with blueberry bushes and bluebells. The backyard wall of wood is much bigger (leftover from the nine pine trees we lost in hurricane Sandy) and quite a challenge because it is always a jungle of weeds and poison ivy. But we persevered and got half of it hugeled and covered over with woodchips. And we even got some hyssop and salvia, dogwood and a couple rhododendrons planted.  This summer we’ll get the rest buried and then I want to plant an Echinacea patch and add a couple dwarf pear trees, and put bluebells in the front.     

    Back to Eden. Scored 20 cubic yards of wood chips, for free this past summer from getchipdrop.com. The woodchip and cardboard weed barrier method of gardening worked really well in the corn/squash patch. Such a shame the deer got in and ate everything. The children’s garden, mulched two years ago, was still so weed free that I planted a weeping persimmon there.  It is a chronically wet area and persimmons don’t mind wet feet.  I am thinking of adding a swath of river rock and making a permanent rain garden.  Need to add some button bushes and Siberian iris, and cardinal flowers. I still have 10 cubic yards of wood chips and I am busy hording up more cardboard boxes for spring. 

 The Herb Garden. I had a little problem with the herb bed this year.  I had 3, robust, Scottish thistle rosettes in the herb bed in the spring, and I decided to let them grow.  And they grew. They grew about 9 feet tall and 5 feet around.  Now, there is nothing prettier than a bright yellow gold finch flock hanging all over a giant thistle plant covered with vivid purple blooms.  But, thistles are really really sharp and I couldn’t weed under them. And when they finished blooming, I still couldn’t cut them down because the birds needed the seeds.  So the herb garden was a thistle and weed garden this past summer.  I really was impressed with the thistles but think for their size they would look better from afar. So, I dug up a fine, large rosette (they are a bi-annual) in the fall and moved it to the back of the big hugel, in a patch that has already been mulched with cardboard and woodchips.  And I see plenty of little thistle seedlings in the herb bed that will have to be weeded out in spring, but I might save a couple and put them in the hugel too for next year. 

 House plants. They were sadly neglected this past summer.  First year in a long time that I did not put them outside.  They suffered for being kept inside – the air-conditioning is not good for them.  I won’t make that mistake again.  My wax plant vine “Hobi” (Hoya Obovata) finally died, after 25 years!  So sad because I took cuttings of a plant that I had grown up with. I am going to order a new one. My “Brutus II” (a kidnapped Philodendron Hope Selloum cutting from an apartment sublet 20 years ago) is down to a single green leaf.  My Dracaena Warneckii (given to me by my mother-in-law as an engagement gift) is still alive after 23 years and thriving. The other Dracaena varieties which I adopted after a friend took a summer-long, cross country motorcycle ride and never reclaimed them, are still alive after 25 years.  I gave my giant poinsettias away after the holidays – they are always dead by March no matter what I do. So I am only left with one, sad little Christmas cactus I don’t know how to care for.  The Areogrow planter is up and running and the basil, parsley and dill have sprouted.  It is an excellent little hydroponic system. The art glass terrarium was beautifully replanted in the summer and lasted a couple months before dying out.  So it needs to be re-planted again, this time with plants that want less light.

   The seed list this year is a fresh start and I’m scaling back, except when I’m not.

  Seed List:  will follow as soon as I stop buying seed packets.

[monalisaliveshere]

“The most sophisticated people I know – inside they are all children.” – Jim Henson

The photo above is of me and a whole bunch of cardboard on October 8, 2019 as I waited to introduce our Cardboard Creature project to an incoming class. It was all down hill from there!

Here’s how we did it:

I introduced this unit by showing Caine’s Arcade, a film by Nirvan Mullick. I’ve been showing this video to students for years, but this is the first time we’ve followed it up by working with cardboard. And I’m so glad we did!

Students started by responding to a bell ringer prompt in their sketchbooks: Design a figure you could make 3D. This prompt is purposely vague and open-ended, allowing for creativity and active imagination. It also initiates first consideration of thinking in 3D. This was a great opportunity to differentiate between creative drawing and scientific diagrams, although they both require creative thinking. These are a couple of the responses:

After sharing designs with the students at their table, groups were formed by students based on friendship, like-mindedness, and similarity of creature design. I encouraged groups of three, and when necessary due to class size, groups of two or four were formed. During their first group meeting, students compared designs and discussed possibilities for a design that either combined individual drawings or elaborated on one of the drawings.

Together we also looked at the cardboard artwork of artist Justin King:

Cardboard Animals By Justin King

And after a couple of classes as an inspiration boost, we also looked at the work of Monami Ohno:

Cardboard Sculptures By Monami Ohno

I also shared these three attachment attachments with the students through Google Classroom. We went over the various ways to construct 3D forms with cardboard so it becomes a mechanical endeavor, well thought out and conceived for prime support and bonding.

Students then began the design process with one person sketching for each group. I asked students to show me their plan for mobility for the figure and for attachments.

This went very well. Clearly there is no shortage of imagination in the 5/6 art classes! Here is a slideshow of some of the group drawings:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The Creative Constraints for this project were:

Attachments must be made with attachment techniques and hot glue

Creatures must be self supporting and have mobility

Finished creature width and depth must fit within the designated box

Checking the size of the creature against the designated “size checker” box

Groups were able to start building as soon as their design was approved by me. We were using Canary Cardboard cutters and scissors, glue guns, yarn, and brass fasteners. No tape. We discovered along the way that fishing line was helpful for Phase Two: Stop Motion/Green Screen (shared in a separate post). A couple of groups also used sand for ballast on top-heavy models.

The cutters were arranged in little “toolkits” with 4 cutters and one scissor in each, enough for one toolkit at each table. At the end of every class students returned the tool kits and the glue guns (also one per table) to the supply table. I took a quick inventory to make sure they were all accounted for as I didn’t want these tools to leave the classroom.

I was thorough in going over the potential hazards of the cutters and glue guns. Early on there were five or six minor cuts and about the same amount of minor burns, for which band-aids and/or cold water soothed all. Fortunately, nothing was serious, and the accidents tapered to zero after a couple of classes. Experience and confidence seemed to build resistance to injury.

Here are some photos of the cardboard artists at work:

Checking the size of the cardboard part against the designated “size checker” box

Dedication!

And a video of one group explaining their project as they put it (her) together:

I teach nine different classes over two days. Classes are 50 minutes long. It took most groups between five and six classes to make their cardboard creature. As groups finished, they started Phase Two – Stop Motion/Green Screen, for which I had demonstrated the apps and process around the fourth class as some groups neared completion of their build. By October 30, most groups were finished building and we took a break from building/filming so I could show them Phase Three – 3D Design (shared in a separate post); how to design for 3D using Morphi App. I was also concerned about working with hot glue and cutters while the kids were wearing costumes on Halloween; I know my own costume was too “drapey” to be messing around with hot or sharp things.

Notorious Ruth Bader Gentili with the cardboard creatures

As the Cardboard Creatures were completed, they graciously posed for photos before being herded to the school lobby for display there. As two students and I were finishing up the display near the end of the block, students were pouring into the hallways for lunch and recess. We were mobbed with excited kids looking for their creatures.

Above photo credit: Jennifer Mannion

And now (drum roll, please) here are some of the Cardboard Creatures:

Reflection:

If I could bottle the energy the kids brought into the classroom for this project, I would apply it to some of the traditional art projects that cause some kids to check out, disengage, and mutter, “I’m not good at art”. Everyone was at home with this project. It was so different and challenging we all knew and accepted failure as part of the process. The class atmosphere was truly one of discovery, exploration, and true collaboration.

And if I had a nickel for every time a student asked, “Can we just stay here and do this all day?” I could pay for all of the glue sticks we consumed. Kidding not kidding. We went through about 200 glue sticks, necessitating a next day Amazon order in the middle of things to keep us in business. That’s completely my fault. Working groups can get away from you quickly. While you’re helping one group sort out structural issues, another group is using the glue to fasten one edge to another, which intuitively seems like it would work, but doesn’t. Cardboard is heavy and one bead of glue along the edge doesn’t support the weight. Mini-demos about this popped up in the middle of classes as I saw the mountains of glue on certain pieces. What’s the alternative? Tabs, flanges, and Lacing:

Much has been written about the important role of play in child development. This felt like play for all of us. As the teacher, my job was to facilitate the project and interactions. I would intervene with building help or smoothing group dynamics as needed. With group work, certain students struggle to maintain the balance between leading and being led. That’s where the teacher has a role in defining possible tasks within a project and helping groups to either separate out a little to make sure all are busy with defined jobs or to go all-in on one task. For instance, early on, EVERYONE wants to use the glue gun, and the teacher helps ensure that everyone has a chance.

Over the past few years I implemented group projects in November. The past few years, my fifth grade classes were engaged in the WeRMakers Product Design unit and the sixth grade classes incorporated 3D printing in the Game Makers unit. Typically we would have accomplished the important first tasks of creating a portfolio folder, making sketchbooks with covers that are also artworks, learning to photograph art and upload it to Google Classroom and our online gallery, Artsonia, as well as completing at least one additional independent art lesson before moving on to group work.

This year I shook it up a little, going from portfolio folder to sketchbook with cover artwork right into the Cardboard Creature group project. One reason is because at the end of the last school year, when I took inventory of my supplies, I also took a look at the materials I had collected through the years. I had an abundance of cardboard, including large sheets from the packaging of white boards throughout the school. As the project took shape in my mind, I reached out to my colleagues for more. It turns out Gary, a custodian at my school, is the keeper of the boxes from food deliveries, and there is a pretty good assortment in a space right outside the school kitchen. He kept us in cardboard throughout the project. Thank you, Gary!

I liked this scheduling shift a lot, as it tuns out. The group work enabled classes to get to know each other more quickly. This is especially important for my fifth grade students who come together from two different schools when they get to middle school. It also helped them to know me as a teacher earlier in the year – to learn that I value originality over sameness, exploration over duplication, and that when I get their attention, I say what I have to share and then get out of the way. This is a nice foundation to have established as we go forward into the school year.

Lastly, for me personally, I learned a lot about constructing with cardboard. I learned a lot about my students as individuals: the natural leaders, the forceful, the followers, the easy-going, the always helpful, the determined, the rays of sunshine. I enjoyed being in the art space with students, all 200 of them. No  school day or cardboard creature was the same. It was fun.

Holden waves “hello”

Brandon’s Mini-Mona Lisa

My demo for how to make a rounded form ends up as a hat/helmet, of course…

And it was magical. When I would lock up at the end of the day, I’d glance back thinking I might catch all these little creatures coming to life for the night. And when I opened the door in the morning and threw the lights on, I could feel a shift in energy, as if they had suddenly become still…the secret life of Cardboard Creatures.

  Cardboard Creature Project – Phase One – Build "The most sophisticated people I know - inside they are all children." - Jim Henson The photo above is of me and a whole bunch of cardboard on October 8, 2019 as I waited to introduce our Cardboard Creature project to an incoming class.

[emedhelp]

The ABSOLUTE FAILURE Of US Public Health... - BolenReport

Our Public Health “Watchdogs” Have Betrayed America… It is Time to Criminally Prosecute Them.. Opinion By “Deplorable” Consumer Advocate Tim Bolen The BolenReport is known for exploring cutting-edge subjects in relation to health care.  The writing and research for this one article disturbed me far more than any other subject I have ever written about.  I had  to keep walking away from it.  Why? You are about to find out.  This all happened right in front of us.  Tim Bolen Let’s begin With A Few Questions… (1)  Whose job is it to generally protect the Public Health in the US?   Easy answer – “We the People,” through a series of legislative acts, gave that job to what we now sneeringly call “US Public Health,” a conglomeration of Federal, State, and County agencies we funded, and empowered, to do the job. (2)  Do they do the job we gave them? Absolutely not…  US Public Health has completely failed America.  They have turned into something completely Anti-American. Look, just below, at my alternate choice for the “Featured Image” for this article.  It says it all… US Public Health does not look, at all, at major health problems facing America.  In their own minds, I think, they feel too important, too special, to privileged, to ask the right questions… To US Public Health, what is important is that pretty new carry-on suitcase they can take to the next conference. Let’s look at a specific instance… Everybody on Planet Earth has heard about the Rockland County, New York State Chief Executive Ed Day who, on the advice of his Public Health Department, issued an order prohibiting un-vaccinated children from visiting public places, so as to “ prevent the spread of measles. ”  Every liberal media source on Planet Earth covered that story with glee. Yes, a New York Judge, with common sense, overrode this order. But, let’s take a hard look at the institutions like “US Public Health,” and specifically, “Rockland County Public Health,” that originated this “measles outbreak” nonsense. Ready? We’ll start with some inconvenient facts – stuff you will NEVER hear on CNN… According to childstats.gov there are 73.9 million (73,900,000) children under the age of 18 in the USA in 2019. Do you get my point? 73,900,000 children in the US right now, and this Public Health leader Ed Day, in Rockland County, New York State is worried about an outbreak of 151 measles cases? (laugh out loud)… In perspective – Measles lasts about five days.  It is NOT deadly, you make cookies with your Mom, your big brother calls you “Spot” for several months, and it leaves immunity with you for a lifetime. Want to see the really BAD part?  Let’s flip this argument over and see the other side.  You are in for a shock. The population of Rockland County is, according to Wikipedia, 328,868 people , 28% of them are under the age of 18 ( 92,083 children ).  So, the so-called measles epidemic of 151 children hit 1 in 2,178 children.   No one died, but a lot of cookies were made.  Compare THAT to 1 in 6 children having life-threatening asthma, or 1 in 48 having autism.   A “measles epidemic” is a joke. Keep reading… (a)  “ American children have never been sicker. Over half (54%) are suffering from one or more chronic illnesses, with the late 1980s and early 1990s viewed as the gateway period that launched the decline.  (b)  Many chronic illnesses have doubled since that time. The “4-A” disorders—autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, asthma and allergies—have experienced meteoric growth, affecting children’s quality of life and contributing to premature mortality. The spike in autism prevalence has been particularly dramatic, with prevalence as high as 3% (one in 34 children) in some regions. Pediatric autoimmune conditions also are on the rise.” Pay attention here people… On a national level that means that 54% of 73.9 million children – 39,906,000 American children , have a chronic disease that will last their lifetime.  And, it all began when the big increase in childhood vaccines started. 39,906,000 American children PERMANENTLY DAMAGED…  Am I getting through to you? But in Rockland County New York State it means that 54% of the 92,083 children, 49,725 of them will have, right now, “ one or more chronic illnesses (that will last a lifetime);  as in the “4-A” disorders—autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, asthma and allergies.” 49,725 children with a lifetime chronic disease, and this Rockland County Public Health leader, Ed Day, doesn’t notice anything amiss?   No, of course he doesn’t.  He is a Public Health official.   He, as well as his ENTIRE Public Health Department, have bags over their heads. They are trained to not notice the bodies.  They don’t smell the vomit.  They are on their way to a meeting in a nice hotel.  They will drive their new Audis to the airport.  Each of them hopes they will be picked to go to the Paris Conference where they can wear their new silk panties… I have just outlined the reality of US Public Health… It gets worse… “The proportion of public school children using special education services is skyrocketing, with estimates ranging from 13% to 25% of school populations. Health authorities are incapable of explaining the reason for these dramatic shifts. Mounting evidence indicates that environmental toxins are the principal culprits. Children are exposed to many neuro- and immunotoxins that interact synergistically to damage their health. These toxins include heavy metals; pesticides and herbicides such as glyphosate; fluoride; bisphenol A; air pollutants; per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances; phthalates; flame retardants; acetaminophen; food additives; and aspartame. Tellingly, children’s health began worsening at precisely the same time that the U.S. started expanding the types and total number of vaccines required for school attendance. Studies have linked vaccines and toxic vaccine ingredients to a wide range of adverse health outcomes, including neurodevelopmental disorders, allergies, seizures and many others. Time trend analyses show strong correlations between autism and total number of vaccines by 18 months as well as exposure to aluminum vaccine adjuvants.” In California, Educators are begging the California legislature for relief.  The costs for “ Special Education” break EVERY School District’s budget. Every State in the US is having this problem.   In Minnesota, the Star-Tribune says: “Soaring special education costs are squeezing the budgets of Minnesota schools — and quickly becoming school districts’ top priority for the new legislative session. While public schools are required to provide special education services, federal and state governments cover only a portion of the cost. That means Minnesota districts must dig in their budgets, pull out money they would otherwise spend paying teachers or remodeling aging buildings, and collectively fill in a gap that this year is expected to balloon to $724 million. For many districts, that exercise has become increasingly painful, resulting in teacher layoffs, program cuts and swelling class sizes. School administrators are quick to note that they cannot — and would not — deny special education students their right to an education that meets their needs, no matter the cost. But they say the mandate’s growing financial burden is threatening their ability to provide the same for all students. “Districts are taking ever-increasing amounts of money out of their general education funds to pay for special education costs,” said Brad Lundell, executive director of Schools for Equity in Education, a group that represents nearly 60 districts across the state. “And that, I think, is reaching a crisis level in the state.” Minnesota Fifth Grade Special Education “Many school administrators and advocates say the problem begins with the federal government, which has never followed through on its decades-old pledge to cover 40 percent of special education costs. Currently, the federal government pays for about 8 percent of Minnesota’s $2.2 billion annual special education expenses. The share of the cost picked up by the state has ticked up in the last decade, rising to about 63 percent this year. But it’s not enough: more Minnesota students are requiring special education services, including a growing number with particularly complex medical, mental health or behavioral needs. The cost to serve them is rising at a faster rate than the overall costs of education, and the federal government isn’t responding in kind. Meanwhile, a shift in the way the state distributes special education money to schools has left some districts with a bigger funding gap than they’d had in the past.” The US Military is saying that within ten years the US will NOT be able to field an Army… This is not a RANDOM FACT.  Read this below, from The Heritage Foundation: “The military depends on a constant flow of volunteers every year. According to 2017 Pentagon data, 71 percent of young Americans between 17 and 24 are ineligible to serve in the United States military. Put another way: Over 24 million of the 34 million people of that age group cannot join the armed forces—even if they wanted to. This is an alarming situation that threatens the country’s fundamental national security. If only 29 percent of the nation’s young adults are qualified to serve, and if this trend continues, it is inevitable that the U.S. military will suffer from a lack of manpower. A manpower shortage in the United States Armed Forces directly compromises national security.” Am I painting this picture for you? None of this has EVER happened before, anywhere on Planet Earth… And, it is ONLY happening in America… As Bobby Kennedy Jr says so eloquently: “Health authorities are incapable of explaining the reason for these dramatic shifts. Mounting evidence indicates that environmental toxins are the principal culprits.” But, as we know, answering these questions, and providing possible solutions is US Public Health’s job, right?  What is US Public Health’s official position? “It’s not our fault that 54% of America’s children are chronically ill… There is no vaccine for that…” Wake up people. We have work to do… Stay tuned…

[wanderonwardsvanessa]

Staying in Casa Particulares (translation – private house/B&B) during your time in Cuba will give you an authentic and meaningful taste of Cuban hospitality. For Americans traveling to Cuba specifically, Casa Particulares are privately owned homes and therefore, your money goes to ‘supporting the Cuban people;’ thus,  staying within the grey lines that come with the difficult Cuban/American relations.

Immigration requirements aside, staying at a Casa Particular will be one of the BEST experiences you could have in Cuba! I was lucky enough to be invited to stay with El Candil Boutique Hotel in the heart of Verdana (the more suburban side to Havana) and I wanted to share my incredible experience.

Overview

Traditional Casa Particular with over 500 years of tradition

In the Verdana district

Amenities: B&B, Rooftop Car & Restaurant, Money exchange opportunities

Casa Particulares are good for:

American tourists

Couples, Groups of Adults, Small Families, Honeymooners

Authentic, Luxurious Cuban Hospitality

Arriving in Havana

After a long day of traveling, there is nothing better than seeing a driver holding a sign with your name on it waiting for you. I had pre-arranged with the concierge of El Candil to send a driver to pick us up at our arrival. Thank goodness I did this because we were unable to exchange ANY money at the airport – yikes.

He was the brother of our concierge at El Candil and he couldn’t have been MORE patient with us. We were running around like chickens with their heads cut-off, trying every card in our wallets and apologizing profusely. He smiled calmly and said that we shouldn’t worry because we could pay at a later time; no problem. We got into his 1970s Russian Lada and drove into the night feeling a little bit calmer knowing that eventually we would find a solution. You definitely get a more personal experience with Casa Particulares in Cuba versus large government chain hotels because hospitality is such a corner-stone in local Cuban culture.

Exchanging Currency at the Airport FYI:

When you exit the baggage claim area of the Havana airport, to your right there are machines that LOOK like ATMs, but they are definitely NOT ATMs. After being delirious with all of the traveling, we walked up to these faux-ATMs with our passports and British debit cards in hand…. And nothing worked. We tried 6 different cards, no luck, and we started to FREAK OUT because we only brought $400 in cash.

Whilst we’re not entirely sure why these faux-ATMs could no longer dispense cash – only exchange it – we were very lucky to have had enough cash on us until we were able to figure out another solution.

Dinner at El Candil

After a long day of traveling and nearly having a heart attack about money, we were SO THANKFUL to arrive to El Candil with a freshly prepared dinner waiting for us. We checked in swiftly and headed to the roof of our Casa Particular to enjoy the Havana night sky. There was a fully stocked bar on the rooftop, a few lounging areas, a rooftop pool, and most importantly…. decent WIFI!!! This was the only place we experienced wifi during our entire time in Cuba, but it was so freeing to experience.

I had booked our 3-course dinner in advance for $30 CUC (equivalent to $30 USD) per person.

Menu:

Appetiser: Gluten-free Croquetas

Main: Grilled Chicken or Pork with vegetables and potatoes

Dessert: Fruit Salad

It was all DELICIOUS and I couldn’t believe there was such attention to detail with my various allergies (gluten and dairy) since most places that I travel to have never even HEARD of gluten before (lol). Of course we washed it all down with Mojitos made with fine Cuban rum as we watched the very clear sky from our rooftop oasis.

Note: When eating at local establishments, be aware that Cuban food can be hit or miss due to the many shortages in food/cooking staples that the country experiences. If you want to ensure that you’ll have a positive food experience, please consult your concierge and be prepared to pay tourist prices. 

Accomodation

Like many Casa Particulares, El Candil is an old colonial house that has been refurbished into a boutique hotel mainly for foreign tourists in the heart of El Vedado district. Not only are the amenities brand new (which is very rare in Cuba), but they also offer a wide range of services and benefits.

Taxi transfers to the airport or anywhere else

Rooftop bar and restaurant

New amenities, in-room safe, spectacular bathroom and products

An in-house spa & salon with massages, nails, hair, etc services

Tours and excellent food recommendations

Money exchange with the same rates as the bank

Another perk that is rare in Casa Particulares and Cuba in general is powerful in-house backup generators. There are loads of power-outages in Cuba all the time, however, we never lost power thanks to the thoughtful planning of El Candil’s management.

Our Queen Suite

Our Queen Suite was divine and exactly right for our requirements. We had a large king-size bed, air con, and easily accessible power outlets that were the same as the typical North American outlets. We had an iron, a safe, and there were luxury toiletries in our bathroom that were very well-appreciated. As it was our Honeymoon, the staff was nice enough to decorate our bed with romantic rose-petals. This kind gesture really hit me in the feels when I saw it. I had put so much effort into planning this trip, I was so happy to see it coming together perfectly.

El Candil Highlights

You can exchange USD, GBP, and Euros for CUC at El Candil for the same rates as the local banks. There are ATMs a few blocks from El Candil that you can easily withdraw money from if you have non-American cards.

The concierges spoke perfect English and communication was never an issue. I know this can be a real anxiety for some travelers and with no internet in Cuba, it becomes that much more complicated organizing things.

The wifi!! It costs only $10 CUC for the entire time you’re there and honestly it was so wonderful to double check itineraries or contacts whilst we were there. We weren’t able to get wifi anywhere else (not that we tried much).

The recommendations were OUTSTANDING!! We were able to discover so many unique things that weren’t even on our radar thanks to the concierges and I am forever grateful. They can also organize tours and excursions for anyone wanting to do traditional car tours or go to other parts of Cuba for a day trip.

Conclusion

Our stay in Cuba was MADE because of our wonderful experience with El Candil. The staff was so helpful and patient with our many, many questions and money problems… I really can’t imagine how we would have coped without them!  I would recommend booking in advance as the entire house was booked when we arrived. This is truly one of the best Casa Particulares in Havana and you just have to experience it to believe it.

Are you heading to Cuba in 2020? Check-out my ‘Guide for Americans Traveling to Cuba in 2020‘ blog post! I share LOADS of American-specific details and details about exchanging money, immigration and more. Here’s a peak at my Top 5 Tourist Things to do in Havana below.

Top 5 Tourist Things to Do

Old Car Tour of Havana: You can organize a proper tour with an English-speaking guide (or whatever language you prefer) for about $130 – $150 USD. Many of the tour guides that I contacted wanted USD over CUC. We were unable to meet our tour operator due to my mistake with times (waahh) so we just asked a random guy with a random old car to take us around for an hour. It was nice enough and only $30.

Sunset Drink on the rooftop of Hotel Inglaterra: The sunset is pretty spectacular looking over the ‘Parque Central’ plaza with the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in the distance. Fair warning, this is a government-owned property.

Free Walking Tour of Havana: My FAVORITE way to see a new city is to always go on a Free Walking Tour. You just have to reserve this online for free and then you should tip your guide at the end.

Stay in a Casa Particular: This is the BEST way to support the Cuban people and to get a real taste of Cuban hospitality. These are not government owned in any-way. Don’t forget to check out El Candil Boutique Hotel and to let them know I sent you ❤

Night out at Fabrica de Arte Cubano: The atmosphere is incredible. There are drinks, live performances, and multiple levels of local art that will give you a better understanding of Cuban life and culture.

Havana, Cuba: Staying at Casa Particulares in Cuba (Ft. El Candil Boutique Hotel) Staying in Casa Particulares (translation - private house/B&B) during your time in Cuba will give you an authentic and meaningful taste of Cuban hospitality.

[batbigblueprint-blog]

Consider Blueprint storage rack for Easy Shelving

People build Blueprint storage rack for a spread of products. These embrace home goods like garments, documents, laptop peripherals and even food and wine. Blueprint Racks Storage are available handy once there's a shortage of area in your home or your workplace.

Blue Print Rack for storing product facilitates to form the most effective use of the vertical area within the space or the garage. These days there are sensible wanting racks on the market altogether forms of styles, shapes and colors. You’ll be able to either select readymade storage otherwise you can go for customized storage. The customized storage can price you over the readymade racks as they're to be built from scratch and per your specification. For customized Blueprint Plan Rack you'll be able to merely contact a reliable provider and provides some specifications like the categories of fine to be keep and the way a lot of area is there in your space or garage. Once you provide him the specifications he will style the storage system that creates the optimum utilization of your area. Today storage racks are quite cheap. They’re ordinarily made of sturdy steel or wood. But for storing high-priced wine bottles or similar the racks are made of maple. The racks may be designed per light-weight product or heavyweight goods. Those created for serious duty product weight a minimum of three hundred pounds. For storing industrial product, the racks ought to be created in such the simplest way that golf shot goods and additionally retrieving the products is incredibly simple. This fashion there's less time and energy concerned. If you would like to place things like mountain bikes in your garage while not wasting on precious area then you'll be able to order for a storage system that have hooks. You’ll be able to merely suspend the bike on the hook so it doesn't occupy precious area on the bottom. Thus we have a tendency to see that storage racks facilitate to store your stuff in a very safe place until you utilize it. They ought to be placed a minimum of four feet higher than the bottom just in case the things is risky for youngsters. Today you'll be able to customize the planning and color of your rack per the color of the walls. This fashion the system can match the complete setting of the area. It’s not necessary that a storage unit can have racks of identical size. You’ll be able to build them larger than the others so totally different sized stuff may be simply placed within the Blue Print Rack. The Blue Print Racks are pretty handy, regardless of wherever they're placed. You must make sure that they're made of waterproof and fireproof material. They ought to simply last for some years with none special maintenance needed. Just in case of victimization metal you'll be able to use steel racks whereas in case of wood you can use teak wood racks. When price and sturdiness are necessary, storage racks can give some simple shelving ideas to form the foremost of the area that you simply have. Shelves are typically expensive and may become broken way too simply, and at identical time they'll be inadequately designed to showing neatness store the things that you simply are aiming to organize. Racks will encourage be additional price economical than standard shelving units, additionally, they're far more versatile, fitting into virtually any on the market area. Shelves vs. Racks Shelves themselves are available every type of designs, colors, materials, and sizes, with Blueprint storage systems typically being substituted once worth is a problem. The largest modification between shelves and racks revolves around appearances. Shelves are usually thought-about article of furniture, which suggests they need a clean, finished look, whereas racks are virtually strictly useful, that means they're supposed to carry stuff, instead of show it beautifully. This doesn't mean that racks can not be used effectively, however, and an easy rack could provide skillfulness that typical shelves lack. At Home and within the workplace At home, individuals sometimes use storage racks in their closets for wardrobe and connected things. Smart locations for racks are pantries, laundry rooms, garages, workshops furthermore as sheds. A fine-looking room rack will make a pleasant place to show books, dishes, or condiments, and racks may be placed within the rest room or sleeping room for utilitarian functions. The wide shelves and robust construction of racks makes them usually utilized in workplace and geographical point locations, as they're nice for holding giant boxes of files or workplace provides. Racks even have a sturdiness that's superior to typical shelves, that makes them appropriate for areas that don't seem to be specifically climate-controlled. the most effective cause for choosing racks rather than commonplace shelves could also be cost; even so the price of a fair giant rack is often but half a archetypical shelving unit. Choosing the right style With such a big amount of racks to settle on from, you've got to know your area and your wants. Points that ought to be unbroken in mind whereas picking storage racks are: Functionality. Practicality lead once the thought is to prepare. File boxes are sometimes uniform in form and size, and lots of storage racks are designed specifically for the boxes. For storing things that are oft used, on the opposite hand, utilizing sloppy racks and also the addition of wheels will build it simple and convenient. Building provides the racks are created of metal or steel that ensures longevity and sturdiness. The racks manufactured from plastic could also be additional appropriate in areas that have excessive wetness and warmth but. Plastic additionally has the advantage of being additional immune to harm from chemicals or grease that makes them ideal for many industrial uses. Dimension Racks are available a spread of sizes, and that they don't seem to be all applicable for holding any size of item. An in depth rack will handle the larger things like pallets, while smaller racks will handle the smaller things like file boxes and excess provides. Pallet racks are on the market with wire or furrowed decks, adding stability once pallets ought to be keeping high. Assembly solutions The setup of racks is usually the foremost necessary issue once it involves the general economical use of area, and there are variety of rack solutions to settle on from once it comes satisfying a selected would like. Though' ideal for boxes and alternative stable things shelf racks could embrace the choice of wire baskets for items that don't sit firmly in situ. Cantilever racks, on the opposite, build a convenient rack answer for unwieldy things like lumber, whereas sheet racks ideal for storing sheets of drywall, plywood, or maybe doors. Once larger solutions are required, stack-able racks could also be most popular, as extra these permit additional levels to be once necessary. Big blueprint Hanger provides different Blueprint storage rack to shelves in several storage things, as they're each sensible and useful, and much more cost-effective than typical shelving units. Choosing the proper size and materials is vital, however, as each the setting and also the storage things will make sure materials and styles additional favorable than others. You’ll be able to notice smart rating on storage racks from several retailers and suppliers each on-line and in your native space, that build them a superb alternative for straightforward shelving ideas

[gosupplychain2016]

E-commerce supply chain challenges – who is pulling the strings?

Photo from Search Engine Journal

It’s all about the customer

Demanding and techno-savvy customers are effectively re-shaping supply chains in the e-commerce world. Customers expect to receive their order within a day or two whether it’s food, fashion or new bed linen. They can choose not only what to buy, but who to buy it from. E-commerce is becoming so competitive that companies with inefficient supply chains can expect to lose business.

Communicate – a lot

The challenge here is to implement a fail-safe web-based online communication system with customers. They want to have real-time visibility over their orders – track numbers are not enough. Expectations are high, deliveries must be exactly as per specification, on-time and complete. According to a recent Forrester Research Inc. report, consumers own an average of 4.5 digital devices, and they expect a smooth, consistent shopping experience regardless of what device they’re using. E-retailers may be understaffing their customer service teams, and that can lead to missteps and frustration.

Inadequate infrastructure

The three main features of an intelligent warehouse: visibility, mobility, and flexibility take on a critical meaning in e-commerce. Smaller order sizes, greater frequency of picking and packing mean that warehouse layouts may need revamping to utilize the existing space as effectively as possible. It becomes especially challenging for companies that are doing more than one type of sales fulfillment from the same physical facility. The increased volume of single-item orders is requiring companies to introduce software solutions such as warehouse management systems (WMS) which up to now may have been a “nice to have”. These WMS systems use sophisticated automation tools such as mobile smartphones that assist with streamlining of warehouse space and activities which enable the business to deliver every order on time, every time.

Inventory levels

E-commerce has introduced new demands on inventory management. An increased number of stock-keeping units (SKUs) is inevitable. High-value electronic items are a particular headache, buffer stock must be kept low and problems arise when the supplier or distributor does not have available stock. Knowing the exact status of your inventory (and that of your key supplier) is vital to ensure you are not losing these orders to competitors. Fast fashion, an area where e-commerce seems to be achieving its biggest growth around the world, comes with its own inventory problems – today’s best seller is tomorrow’s special offer. Replenishment is a real trial where there is little or no turnover predictability.

Where more than one sales channel is being satisfied from a single facility, the challenge is managing the common inventory. Inventory planning may be an area where technology tools will pay for themselves. There is no shortage of inventory software solutions available, but how do you choose which one is right for you?

Picking and packing

Orders that consist of only one item must be picked, packed and delivered seamlessly to an individual consumer. The picking processes for e-commerce are very different and do not easily fit into a system designed to deliver to brick-and-mortar stores. IKEA separates its products into high-flow and low-flow facilities to drive down costs-per-touch, an asset management tactic that says the more hands that touch a product, the higher that product’s costs. Labour is often the single biggest cost and inefficient picking systems can have a huge impact on operational costs.

Transport logistics

Lack of experience in e-commerce and the cost of technology tools is causing many companies to consider outsourcing fulfillment to third-party service providers (3PLs). Specialized 3PLs focused on e-commerce are more likely often have the material handling equipment, systems and expertise to more efficiently process online orders. Each has their own strength based on their delivery network and hub locations. The question is: contract with one dedicated logistics company or use two or more? There are some risks in both options; having multiple delivery vendors may increase costs due to idle time but it means there is a backup service. According to the Forrester report “retailers [that] master logistics will command a market advantage through faster, more reliable customer delivery experiences”.

Let’s get back to customer expectations

Visibility of a customer’s order status is paramount. The customer wants to see where the driver is and exactly when he will deliver the order. Speed and data accuracy are not negotiable, these are not likely to be satisfied by manual systems and processes. Not only do customers want their order on time but they also want the facility to try it out or try it on. This creates issues for the logistics of managing returns. Companies are now increasingly using 3PLs that specialise in returns and reverse logistics.

Whether a customer is shopping on their laptop or mobile device, their customer experience with your business should remain the same, wherever they are in the world. Companies that can adapt their supply chain operations to the new era of e-commerce (using service providers that help them achieve that goal) will have the best chance of success.

The post E-commerce supply chain challenges – who is pulling the strings? appeared first on Go Supply Chain.

[trashcoyote-remade]

Lean Belly Breakthrough Review

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

Lean Belly Breakthrough Review

ean Belly Breakthrough isn’t your grandmother’s diet program. Our in-depth review centered on the ingredients, facet effects, clinical research and the quality of client service. Additionally, we tend to examined hundreds of user experiences and comments. Then, we have a tendency to summarized and condensed to grant you the info you wish. Lean Belly Breakthrough will be purchased through Amazon. Lean Belly Breakthrough Readers: Click here to search out out why we have a tendency to're giving freely samples of our product, Burn HD. What is the Lean Belly Breakthrough? The Lean Belly Breakthrough Diet is a program developed by Bruce Krahn. It's supposed to help break the number of fat a person has engineered up over the years. Bruce is a celebrity fitness instructor. He says it’s regarding regaining balance and finding the happy medium to keep up your new weight. With his program, he claims you may lose weight and regain your health and wellness that is not possible due to the shortage of balance customers usually face in their weight loss journey. The program is targeted at individuals who are 30 years or older. Bruce Krahn developed the program with Dr. Heinrick. Dr. Heinrick isn’t the doctor’s real name – it is a pseudonym to safeguard the real identity of the doctor. He developed the program when his father-in-law had a heart attack while on an airplane. The program from the doctor helped his father-in-law quickly lose the belly fat and restore his health. The program conjointly helped his wife lose a considerable quantity of weight in an exceedingly short period of time. The company believes in using real nutrition for weight loss and a few exercises the days that they say will facilitate your lose weight quickly. Some of the claims appear unrealistic because the promotional video tells you that you only must work out for 2 minutes per day. It conjointly claims that you'll reverse serious diseases caused by your unhealthy lifestyle. Product Similar to Lean Belly Breakthrough Product     Price      Review Nourishing Traditions          read KetoForce          browse Sauna Pants          read Belly Fat Cure          scan Burn HD (Sample offer)        browse How Did the Lean Belly Breakthrough Start? This product may be a Clickbank product, which means it is an electronic product sold by many people for an affiliate bonus. Bruce says the doctor’s real name is on file with the compliance department at ClickBank. Everything is digital and delivered in PDF format. There’s no physical product to be shipped. There are many “official” trying websites, all promoting the diet to entice people to get the product. None of the sites offer a nice deal of information regarding the program and the way it works. We tend to are not sure when the program was first created on the market for sale, or how several affiliates are out there selling it. Scroll below for one in all the simplest merchandise we have a tendency to’ve seen during the last year. Lean Belly Breakthrough Client Testimonials How Does the Lean Belly Breakthrough Work? The Lean Belly Breakthrough is created of nine completely different parts. The first part includes the list of foods that may help dispose of belly fat, including herbs and spices are known to manage fat storage. There’s half of the program dedicated to libido-boosting foods, too. The second part may be a list of bad foods that hamper the progress that can cause serious health conditions. You conjointly get a list of desserts recommended for folks with blood sugar imbalances. The core of the program is the ritual program that is a methodology for decreasing fat in numerous components of the body. This section includes specific details and scientifically sound tips for addressing body weight problems, but these are typically things individuals consider to be common information. You’ll get recipes to help you manage heart disease and diabetes, as well as an simple to follow heart attack forestall guide. You’ll get a metabolism boosting meal plan, and a collection of tutorial videos to assist you follow the program. The program claims that you'll cut 1 to three inches from your waist in as few as 2 weeks. 1st, you scale back your intake of dangerous cholesterol. The sorts of foods counseled during this program are geared toward lowering your caloric intake to a healthy level. The author claims the most reason most folks gain fat is due to functions of the liver. A key issue with the liver is insulin resistance. This happens mainly as a results of diet issues and genetics. There isn’t a nice deal of information about the main points of the program obtainable to the general public, though client reviews say it's a advanced program that’s tough to follow. From what we have a tendency to were ready to determine, it’s primarily based on core principles that we already know are essential to overall health and wellness. These embrace: It's incredibly necessary to eat breakfast every day because the meal can break the long quick of whereas you’re sleeping. granola for breakfast Breakfast allows you to manage your hunger and avoid eating snacks later during the day. A healthy breakfast aids in increasing your body’s metabolism. Skipping breakfast will please your body into starvation mode inflicting it to conserve energy, really creating it attainable to realize weight. [1] Drinking enough water is important to weight loss. If you discover yourself stuck during a weight loss plateau to despite the very fact that you’re following your diet strictly, it might be that you simply’re not drinking enough water. Your body needs water for a variety of biochemical processes. Water helps the body convert fat reserves into energy. When the body is dehydrated metabolism processes or slows down which impedes the breakdown of fats within the body. Water fills the stomach that will naturally help management your appetite therefore you eat less. Drinking enough water can also help in the prevention of sagging skin, which could be a common aspect impact of weight-loss. The conventional wisdom says you ought to drink 8 eight oz glasses of water per day. However, there's no scientific evidence to support this claim. Alternative claims counsel that you ought to drink at least [*fr1] of your body weight in ounces of water each single day. For example, someone who weighs 200 pounds ought to be drinking 100 oz of water per day for optimal hydration. Water can return from tea, occasional, soup, and other foods. It is necessary to remember however that caffeine will cause additional dehydration so decaf coffee and tea is best for water intake. According to Nutrition Reviews: “Healthy humans regulate daily water balance remarkably well across their lifespan despite changes in biological development and exposure to stressors on hydration standing. “Acute or chronic body water deficits result when intakes are reduced or losses increase, however day-to-day hydration is usually well maintained therefore long as food and fluid are readily out there. “Total water intake includes drinking water, water in beverages, and water in food. “Daily water desires to be determined by fluid balance, water turnover, or consumption studies provide similar values for a given set of conditions. A daily water intake of three.7 L for adult men and a pair of.7 L for adult girls meet the needs of the vast majority of persons. “But, strenuous workout and heat stress can greatly increase daily water wants, and the individual variability between athletes can be substantial.” [a pair of] Getting enough sleep for your age is critical to allow the body to rest, rejuvenate, and heal. Poor sleeping habits will be connected to being overweight or obese. A study in Child Development showed, “Controlling for baseline BMI, youngsters who slept less, visited bed later, or got up earlier at the time of the first assessment had higher BMIs five years later and were a lot of seemingly to be overweight.” [3] Depending on your age, you'll be able to urge away with as little as six hours of sleep, but anywhere from seven to nine is the advice. [4] Learning the way to browse food labels. To effectively experiment along with your day nowadays eating and still select nutritionally solid foods, you want to understand nutrition labels on packaging. Quite often, the companies that manufacture totally different foods will claim that they are low fat or healthy but the reality of the matter is there are many hidden dangers. Being in a position to scan the labels will create a large distinction within the potential success of your weight loss plan. Pay close attention to the portion size,  along with the share of the daily suggested quantity of nutrients that a portion covers.If something contains vi grams of sugar in a very thirty-gram serving size, then 20p.c of that product is sugar. It’s conjointly necessary to appear at individual ingredients since terms like “sodium” will be used in place of the word salt and numerous words ending in “lose” will be used to cover sugar. By using a lot of skilled names, makers hope it will sound healthier despite the actual fact that it’s not. Focus on a Ketogenic approach. The ketogenic diet is well-known for being a coffee-carb diet where the body produces ketones within the liver for use as energy. If you eat one thing high in carbohydrates, your body produces glucose and Insulin. By removing the bulk of carbohydrates from your body, it's forced to use fat as the most form of energy. When you follow a ketogenic diet, you are doing not eat grains, sugar, fruit, or to birth like potatoes or yams. You eat lots of fish, beef, poultry, eggs, leafy inexperienced vegetables, higher than ground vegetables, high-fat dairy, nuts and seeds, avocado and berries, and low carb sweeteners. You’re additionally allowed to own other fats. You should be aiming for a balance of about 70% fat, twenty fivep.c protein, and fivepercent carbohydrate. Your carbohydrates ought to return from healthy sources rather than grains and sugar. Aim to get not more than twenty to 30 grams of internet carbs every day. Net carbohydrates visit the entire carbohydrates minus the whole grams of fiber during a food. If something has seven carbohydrates but 5 grams of fiber than there are solely 2 internet carbohydrates. Eliminate all sugar from your diet. The creators of the program say this is important if you’re attempting to lose fat while at the identical time improving your health. You should balance blood sugar levels to burn fat.

[jamagotchi]

Lean Belly Breakthrough Review

Lean Belly Breakthrough Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ab4piojQ0Tk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7-McVe3o08

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRQBsXzh4A0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0624cdE-txc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGZLbGJ0Awc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqtKNTeO0HI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0IpoZL3RaU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COg0HKrlZXE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gN8XPtMuLSY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf2Xg0X020E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qkQntYJfgQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPQLGw-6ilg

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmnbHIA9iTU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjBZMGZDF2c

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1GdAxXfYJo

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atrR-yCHfGE

ean Belly Breakthrough isn’t your grandmother’s diet program. Our in-depth review targeted on the ingredients, side effects, clinical research and the quality of client service. Additionally, we have a tendency to examined tons of user experiences and comments. Then, we summarized and condensed to relinquish you the info you wish. Lean Belly Breakthrough will be purchased through Amazon. Lean Belly Breakthrough Readers: Click here to find out why we have a tendency to're giving freely samples of our product, Burn HD. What is the Lean Belly Breakthrough? The Lean Belly Breakthrough Diet could be a program developed by Bruce Krahn. It is supposed to help break the number of fat a person has built up over the years. Bruce could be a celebrity fitness instructor. He says it’s regarding regaining balance and finding the happy medium to maintain your new weight. With his program, he claims you will lose weight and regain your health and wellness that isn't possible thanks to the shortage of balance shoppers sometimes face in their weight loss journey. The program is targeted at people who are thirty years or older. Bruce Krahn developed the program with Dr. Heinrick. Dr. Heinrick isn’t the doctor’s real name – it is a pseudonym to safeguard the important identity of the doctor. He developed the program when his father-in-law had a heart attack while on an airplane. The program from the doctor helped his father-in-law quickly lose the belly fat and restore his health. The program additionally helped his wife lose a substantial amount of weight during a short amount of your time. The company believes in using real nutrition for weight loss and some exercises the times that they are saying will facilitate your lose weight quickly. Some of the claims seem unrealistic because the promotional video tells you that you simply need to work out for two minutes per day. It conjointly claims that you'll reverse serious diseases caused by your unhealthy lifestyle. Product Similar to Lean Belly Breakthrough Product     Price      Review Nourishing Traditions          scan KetoForce          browse Sauna Pants          read Belly Fat Cure          browse Burn HD (Sample supply)        scan How Did the Lean Belly Breakthrough Start? This product may be a Clickbank product, which means it's an electronic product sold by several folks for an affiliate bonus. Bruce says the doctor’s real name is on file with the compliance department at ClickBank. Everything is digital and delivered in PDF format. There’s no physical product to be shipped. There are many “official” trying websites, all promoting the diet to entice folks to buy the merchandise. None of the sites provide a great deal of knowledge regarding the program and how it works. We aren't sure when the program was initial created offered for sale, or how several affiliates are out there selling it. Scroll below for one among the best merchandise we have a tendency to’ve seen over the past year. Lean Belly Breakthrough Client Testimonials How Does the Lean Belly Breakthrough Work? The Lean Belly Breakthrough is made of nine different components. The primary phase includes the list of foods that may help lose belly fat, as well as herbs and spices are known to control fat storage. There’s half of the program dedicated to libido-boosting foods, too. The second part could be a list of unhealthy foods that impede the progress which will cause serious health conditions. You conjointly get a listing of desserts recommended for individuals with blood sugar imbalances. The core of the program is that the ritual program that is a method for decreasing fat in various parts of the body. This section includes specific details and scientifically sound tips for handling body weight problems, but these are typically things people take into account to be common knowledge. You’ll get recipes to help you manage heart disease and diabetes, with an simple to follow heart attack forestall guide. You’ll get a metabolism boosting meal arrange, and a set of instructional videos to assist you follow the program. The program claims that you'll cut 1 to 3 inches from your waist in as few as two weeks. Initial, you scale back your intake of bad cholesterol. The types of foods recommended during this program are geared toward lowering your caloric intake to a healthy level. The author claims the most reason most individuals gain fat is due to functions of the liver. A key issue with the liver is insulin resistance. This happens mainly as a result of diet issues and genetics. There isn’t a nice deal of knowledge about the small print of the program obtainable to the public, though customer reviews say it is a complex program that’s troublesome to follow. From what we tend to were in a position to see, it’s based on core principles that we tend to already recognize are essential to overall health and wellness. These include: It's incredibly important to eat breakfast each day as a result of the meal will break the long fast of while you’re sleeping. granola for breakfast Breakfast permits you to control your hunger and avoid eating snacks later during the day. A healthy breakfast aids in increasing your body’s metabolism. Skipping breakfast can please your body into starvation mode causing it to conserve energy, really making it potential to achieve weight. [one] Drinking enough water is important to weight loss. If you find yourself stuck in a weight loss plateau to despite the very fact that you just’re following your diet strictly, it may be that you just’re not drinking enough water. Your body desires water for a range of biochemical processes. Water helps the body convert fat reserves into energy. When the body is dehydrated metabolism processes or slows down which impedes the breakdown of fats within the body. Water fills the stomach which will naturally facilitate control your appetite therefore you eat less. Drinking enough water can additionally help in the prevention of sagging skin, which could be a common facet result of weight-loss. The conventional wisdom says you ought to drink 8 eight oz glasses of water per day. But, there is no scientific proof to support this claim. Different claims recommend that you should drink at least [*fr1] of your body weight in ounces of water each single day. For example, someone who weighs 200 pounds ought to be drinking 100 oz of water per day for optimal hydration. Water can return from tea, low, soup, and other foods. It's important to remember but that caffeine can cause more dehydration so decaf coffee and tea is best for water intake. According to Nutrition Reviews: “Healthy humans regulate daily water balance remarkably well across their lifespan despite changes in biological development and exposure to stressors on hydration status. “Acute or chronic body water deficits result when intakes are reduced or losses increase, however day-to-day hydration is usually well maintained therefore long as food and fluid are readily accessible. “Total water intake includes drinking water, water in beverages, and water in food. “Daily water desires to be determined by fluid balance, water turnover, or consumption studies offer similar values for a given set of conditions. A daily water intake of three.7 L for adult men and 2.7 L for adult ladies meet the wants of the overwhelming majority of persons. “But, strenuous exercise and warmth stress will greatly increase daily water desires, and also the individual variability between athletes will be substantial.” [2] Getting enough sleep for your age is critical to permit the body to rest, rejuvenate, and heal. Poor sleeping habits will be connected to being overweight or obese. A study in Kid Development showed, “Controlling for baseline BMI, children who slept less, went to bed later, or got up earlier at the time of the primary assessment had higher BMIs 5 years later and were more possible to be overweight.” [three] Depending on your age, you may be ready to urge away with as little as six hours of sleep, but anywhere from seven to nine is the advice. [four] Learning how to scan food labels. To effectively experiment along with your day today eating and still select nutritionally solid foods, you want to perceive nutrition labels on packaging. Quite usually, the businesses that manufacture completely different foods will claim that they're low fat or healthy but the truth of the matter is there are several hidden dangers. Being in a position to scan the labels can make an enormous distinction in the potential success of your weight loss arrange. Pay shut attention to the portion size,  and the proportion of the daily suggested amount of nutrients that a portion covers.If something contains six grams of sugar in a very thirty-gram serving size, then twentypercent of that product is sugar. It’s also necessary to look at individual ingredients since terms like “sodium” can be utilized in place of the word salt and varied words ending in “lose” can be used to cover sugar. By using a lot of skilled names, manufacturers hope it can sound healthier despite the actual fact that it’s not. Focus on a Ketogenic approach. The ketogenic diet is well known for being a coffee-carb diet where the body produces ketones within the liver to be used as energy. If you eat one thing high in carbohydrates, your body produces glucose and Insulin. By removing the majority of carbohydrates from your body, it is forced to use fat as the main type of energy. When you follow a ketogenic diet, you do not eat grains, sugar, fruit, or to birth like potatoes or yams. You eat lots of fish, beef, poultry, eggs, leafy green vegetables, above ground vegetables, high-fat dairy, nuts and seeds, avocado and berries, and low carb sweeteners. You’re also allowed to own alternative fats. You should be aiming for a balance of concerning 70p.c fat, twenty fivepercent protein, and fivep.c carbohydrate. Your carbohydrates ought to come back from healthy sources rather than grains and sugar. Aim to urge no more than twenty to 30 grams of internet carbs each day. Web carbohydrates talk to the whole carbohydrates minus the overall grams of fiber during a food. If something has seven carbohydrates but 5 grams of fiber than there are only 2 internet carbohydrates. Eliminate all sugar from your diet. The creators of the program say this is important if you’re attempting to lose fat while at the identical time improving your health. You need to balance blood sugar levels to burn fat.