#how much things are localized versus how theyre not

[aranarumei]

this is smthing i've been thinking abt recently but like. as someone who is has been a fan of like. various kinds of foreign media since i was pretty young (and by foreign here i mean things made outside of the usa and not in english, which is obviously not the same meaning of foreign for everyone) i am, in some ways, quite happy at the growing popularity for things i like. yknow anime, bollywood movies, and the like. but there is this growing frustration at seeing like... how the translation is treated, i suppose?

everyone has their different preferences for how translation should be done, of course, but nowadays it just feels like. translation happens so fast, for so many things, to the point that i lot of things i love i often feel don't get a fair shot. like. i'd say the extent of my hindi knowledge is less than 20 words. yet i will watch hindi-language movies and KNOW the subtitles are incorrect, because first off, there's plain english dialogue thats just not being relayed, or even the few words i can catch are off.

i won't speak on nuances of translation when it comes to japanese or mandarin, because it's just absolutely not my expertise, but like. there's this scene at the end of 3 idiots where the characters meet this guy who'd been nicknamed as "millimetre" when they were in university. and when they reunite, the subtitles i was watching had him say something to the effect of "i've grown up" or the like. and anyone who can like... hear the words he's speaking will catch that the line he says has the words "millimetre" and "centimetre" and its like... ahh! ah!! he's making a quip about growing from a millimetre to a centimetre! and me, who has, again, zero knowledge of hindi, can understand that's happening. but these subtitles just... breeze past that line so easily and lose like, some of the wit that makes this movie so charming. i dunno. it's just... sad, i guess. i feel insulted when i see subtitles like that, and i always wonder if people who are perhaps bilingual and fluent in both the translated and original language see misunderstandings propagate due to shoddy, rushed translation (as apart from just. differing readings of a work) and just... idk. i bet it's not a great feeling.

[crow-talks-hockey]

oh and have i mentioned how much i despise the "homer" haters especially in this league? like. that's their fucking team they're announcing for. of course there is going to be bias because fun fucking fact they want things to right for their team. and it's a localized/team-based broadcast. there is going to be bias. obviously sometimes there's disagreement with some calls they make versus reality but it's just so annoying to me to relentlessly bash on YOUR teams HOME announcers. it makes me nuts. you can't just hate on "homer" announcers and then turn around and miss them when it's national broadcast because NATIONAL BROADCASTS SUCK AND THEYRE BIASED WHEN THEYRE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE. HOME ANNOUNCERS ARE ALLOWED TO BE BIASED TOWARDS THEIR TEAM. USE YOUR BRAIN

[aviaris]

i know youre not the op of the strikes post, but i would offer the thought that these recent strike calls are originating from palestinian journalists and activists, not to get concessions from employers (except in the case of bds movements to boycott or divest from companies involved in the occupation), but to gain political traction and exert pressure on these governments who are happy to ignore other communications and protests. like one can argue about effectiveness of tactics but theyre two different tactics in the discussion (prolonged targeted strike versus shorter general strike) not one like the post conflates. and i think one can definitely talk about local infrastructure for mutual aid in the US to counter the strikes in the US but the post seems to want that from… the people calling for the strike(s). the palestinians. like cmon. ( sorry to ramble at you but i think op is removing replies )

I mean my main problem with calls for spontaneous general strikes is precisely the ineffectiveness of the tactic, and even before the recent calls for Palestinian support I’ve seen other attempts to rally general strikes just from like, an instagram post (this happened mostly during the Trump presidency iirc…).

Either way I personally don’t think that any concessions will be gained from employers or the state without sufficient organization, no matter who is calling for support or how justified they are. I don’t even really have a problem with the requests themselves (mostly harmless, or at least not the worst kind of adventurism) as much as people expecting them to accomplish anything, calling in sick to work for one day and then patting themselves on the back as if they’ve done all they could do.

In short I think the ideal effect I would really want to come from reblogging posts like that one isn’t to convince people to avoid trying to support Palestine, but for them to consider more organized (and thus, more effective) tactics to accomplish that, which is obviously a more difficult and long-term project that has to be done locally and not just on social media. Existing labor unions have the greatest chance of accomplishing anything in the short term probably… though I don’t know any off the top of my head in the US that are actually doing all that much to specifically support Palestine. Would love to be wrong about that though.

(I hope this doesn’t come off as hostile or defensive at all, I imagine we both have the same values and want the same things. I just wanted to lay out my amateur-ish thoughts on the matter.)

[crippledasinfuckyou]

Hi Stevie. I hope this is okay to ask as I wasn't sure where else to turn, or if there's other blogs suited to this sort of ask. I saw a post you reblogged about being chronically exhausted and struggling due to being exhausted all the time/with small tasks versus what's a normal amount of tired and realized I may have been living with something for a long time that I didn't know wasn't normal, but I didn't know who to ask for advice since the original poster has left Tumblr and most of the notes were just saying it wasn't normal to have all of them but not how to get help. I was going to seek out a doctor but didn't know what specialists to consult as I've dealt with so many doctors who say my health problems are in my head or "you're too young to have this" only to go through years of testing and FINALLY find the thing that's wrong on some tiny test or other that they didn't think/want to try.

Since this chronic exhaustion crap is ruining my life as it gets worse I don't want to wait years and years to even potentially be heard/get help that isn't being told it's fake or just being told to get even more sleep. I'm losing emotional support of people in my life who think it's laziness or me "not trying" when really it's exhausting and takes a couple hours just to get up and moving at the start of a day much less anything else. Sorry to send such a long ask when I know it's probably a lot and I hope you're having a nice day, thank you for running this blog!

Hi, im sorry this took forever to get to. I know exactly what you're going through and i know how much it sucks.

I dont know if youre looking for advice or just venting, so if you're just venting- I'm here. I know the pain and I will always be willing to listen- If you'd like a quicker response than I give to asks, message me here or on my main @turnaboutstevie, I will always answer DMs asap.

If you're looking for advice, I'll put it below the cut:

One thing I learned, both from my appointments and from my time as a carer is that doctors are more likely to get off their asses and do something useful if you have someone with you when you ask them to. Another person can back you up, can corroborate what was said in the appointment and can help you to complain. Take a friend, family member, someone from a local disability group or even ask the surgery for a chaperone. You are in safer hands if you're not alone.

Secondly, write EVERYTHING down. write what you want to say and what you are experiencing before you go in. Keep a symptoms diary if you can. In the appointment write down what you say, what your doctor says, what treatment course is mentioned etc. Try to get it exact as you can. It is much easier to keep your head if you have what you want to say in front of you, and much easier to push back or lodge a complaint when you have what is said in writing. If they say theyre going to refer you somewhere, ask them to send you a copy of the referral letter. By email or post, it doesnt matter. Just keep it safe. If they refuse, make sure you get in writing why they are refusing to share the details of your care with you. That's information you have a right to. Document EVERYTHING, so that you're never left either not sure you remembered correctly- or in the worst case where you need to complain, without evidence.

Similarly, ask for an explanation for everything. If you're given a reason why you can't be experiencing it, ask for an elaboration. Write it down. If they choose not to test, ask why. Write it down. If they are testing, ask what they think the tests will help detect. Write it down. If they refer you, ask who to and how they might be able to help. And yes, write it down. Understanding exactly what is happening in terms of your care will help you pinpoint things that aren't helping. If they run a blood test and it shows nothing and next time you bring it up they say they'll blood test, its way easier to explain why you don't want another one if you know why you had the first. Many doctors are unfortunately, shit, and will try to do the bare minimum and pull the wool over your eyes to shut you up. Don't let them.

Finally- if they aren't helping, ask for someone else. Most doctors surgeries will have a staff page on their site, listing credentials and specialties. See if there is anyone at your surgery who specialises in what you're going through and ask to see them. Hell, change surgeries if you have to. You can always ask for better care or a better doctor- its YOUR health. Not theirs. You are in charge.

[kettlequills]

ok... but fun facts about dragon cult hcs incoming. anon inspired me to let loose with some of the spicy ones ive been holding under my hat.

lower ranking priests were sometimes locked in their masks. half masks, often, like the one ldb laat wears (and often made out of less durable materials too, and therefore significantly less preserved in the archaeological record) were the masks of the lower ranking. these ranged from crappy things of leather to enchanted metals, and could be made in cult villages. this was to help with both preventing people being unmasked without their consent and help people who might struggle to remember to keep them on (e.g. children) if it wasnt a regular thing. they weren't worn all the time, but certainly if a visitor was there, they would be. of course, this varied massively depending on the temple, time, etc. example, sinawen is definitely not wearing any kind of mask in how the dragon chases his tail, and nor is baby miraak.

the Super Sexy dragon priest named masks were forged in dragonfire specifically however, which imbued them with their special properties, and were expected to remain all the time except for rare and specific occasions. whether they would be locked on with magic largely depended on the dragon/priest but generally they weren't, for the sake of emergencies and ease of living. the priests were expected to be powerful enough to defend themselves.

but even high priests, the named guys we fight, could be locked up and often were if a dragon was feeling jealous (or wanted to punish them... these included gags and hobbles that could stop a priest from running away or removing their mask to blend in with the rest of the humans, if it was feared that a priest was rebellious or the dragon was feeling vindictive. (sahrotaar mentions these in sahrotaar ziil los dii du, they also had a protective function against other dragons since there's a clear sign of where theyre supposed to go so they dont get dragon-napped)) in general, high priests really weren't supposed to socialise with non-cult folk and anyone who saw them unmasked would have been punished at the least if not killed.

a popular one for lower ranked or subordinate priests being caught unmasked was removing the eyes/tongue of the onlooker, if they didn't force them to remain within the temple. beloved sons and daughters being whisked away after spotting a lonely priest bathing in a lake while calling out songs of glory to their master and immediately falling in love was a persistent folk-tale - how often that actually happened is anyone's guess. tales of those who came back from the temples is quite rare, but it did, we imagine, happen a few times. what they saw there, however, remained a tightlipped secret to most of the common folk. you have to assume, however, that in practice it was not nearly so strict as all that for ease's sake alone.

they also reused masks. e.g. krosis might have been an ageing old man two years ago, but now he's a short woman, having to act as best as possible the way the original krosis acted. sometimes a blood relative, sometimes not. the idea is to cause as little disruption to the dragon they served as possible.

new masks were made, when a priest was particularly exceptional (miraak is first of his name, for example) or when a new space opened up (a lot of new priest masks were made when the expansion to skyrim happened and more temples opened) - zahkriisos was one of these. for the most part though, they were recycled.

named dragon priests became familial legends and characters passed down through generations as much as they ever were people. they were highly respected by the people that didn't live in the cult villages, but regarded as terrifying. this is in fact where the popular myth of dragon priests using blood sacrifices from their followers to sustain their own life comes from. technically, said follower was sacrificing their life for the dragon priest - but to become them, in utmost secrecy. the follower's previous life was considered dead, they were treated as such, and their family would mourn them ritually. in this way, it took an entire community to support one dragon priest and many of those in cult villages felt directly loyal and involved in temple hierarchy since they were usually tangenitally related through some bond or other to the high priests themselves. and of course, to inherit the mask was a huge honour!!

this cultural division between the cult villages and the non-cult but devout settlements (e.g. windhelm, run by a jarl, versus labyrinthian, run by morokei) was part of how the dragon cult fell in such staggered but immense amounts as it did. the cultists were raised to the life and therefore were much more ready to accept the impositions of the dragons, and deeply isolationist also. equally, while fear of their magics and armies of undead initially dissauded rebels, the cultural split allowed for a much faster disavowal of and eventually near-total eradication of dragon cult culture.

extra-fun fact: covering yourself completely was also obviously a practice done by many local and non locals of common folk and cult alike (as it remains in modern skyrim, a protection against cold weather and wind). it did not always mean you were devout to the cult - that was mask-specific. usually, priests focused on the head and shoulders (things that might be seen from above, e.g. miraak's dragon scale epaulettes and gauntlets paired with his mask made in eyecatching gold), but it was more about the idea of it than a strict rule (e.g. laat's half mask works just as well, even if its not that fancy).

[rhinos-crafts]

Wanted to talk about yarn and the whole 'vegan yarn' thing. The first thing ive learned about veganism/vegeterianism, is there is no good answer to a lifestyle these days, except to do your best to educate yourself on where your stuff comes from, and how it affects the environment.

With yarn, natural (animal fiber/plant fiber) vs synthetic yarns. The first question you have to ask yourself, is how much you want to prioritize ppl over animals. Im not kidding, for every animal you believe doesnt suffer for your prpduct, unless you personally know the person making your product and that it doesnt come from a factory, at least one person has suffered instead. Additionaly, synthetic products add to pollution either because they dont break down at neadly the same rate as natural products, or everytime it is washed, synthetic fibers are released/ worn off and released into the water ect.

In terms of use, wool and other animal based fibers are heck warm, and most of them are better at staying warm while wet. Wheras with synthetics you have to work much harder for it to be warm, and in my experience any water ruins its insulation abilities. Natural fibers are also much, much easier to dye, and require less chemicals. With wool you literally just need some vinegar (and even that can be optional depending on the dye used) and a natural dye. Walnuts, pine needles, flowers, food, all can make very nice dyes without creating chemicals that go who knows where when washed down the drain.

Now the actual gathering of natural fibers. In terms of wool and animal fibers, obviously if you go cheap and buy off of amazon ect. the chances of buying wool from a less than optimal farm are fairly high. But consider that even then, wool even on the animal, has to be kept clean. The animal also doesnt die for the product, and can live long lives producing tons of wool, that they would have shed off naturally anyway. With breeds that dont shed naturally, if they arent sheared their coats become over grown, matted, and home to many gnarly bugs that are bad for the animals health. Shearing also helps mothers protect their babies from the weather, as theyre just as sensitive to the temperature as newborn babies, and are better at staying in a warm shelter with ther child. There are also tons and tons of small farms with just a couple animals that you can speak with their owners personally, that are gauranteed to be as vigilant and compassioante about animal health ect as you are.

All of this versus acrylic / yarn factories and the people working in them.

I understand the point of veganism, at least in some peoples eyes. Not forcing animals to produce for their human overlords.

But unfortunately at this point in human society, there are many many animals (and insects like honey bees) that have been domesticated and interwoven into human society so heavily, that abandoning them could cause more harm than good. The vegatables and fruit ect are pollinated by bees, both native and 'captive'. Abandoning them and local keepera harm their population and ability to make our food possible does more harm than good. Abandoning wool products makes it harder for the owners of those animals to care for them, and will leave then in neglect.

If veganism is what helps you sleep at night, by no means do i want to stop or judge you for it. But please for the love of this society and natural world, do real research. Look at more sites than just 'vegan' sites as they already are biased and will give you biased information. Everyone will have a bias, but it helps to understand more than just one to make informed decisions.

Tldr: acrylic/vegan yarns arent the best for the natural world including the animals living in it, and its entirely possible to buy animal products without supporting corporate abuse, and infact supporting local businesses and honest work. Also its important to be as informed as possible in your products, where they come from, and what they donin the end.

[gg-astrology]

I am quite curious about this year 2019 for Seventeen. Recently, someone did the tarot readings for the boys. She said that the boys were exhausted both mentally and physically. I am quite worried indeed, since seventeen has been working really hard but the result was not as expected. Can the seventeen bomb can explode this year? If you have free time, please take a look at this *sob* Thank you so much :333>. Seventeen Debut day is 26 May 2015, at 6PM KST

Hey there!! 💕💕💕 Sorry you had to wait for so long ksdjnn but I hope I can do it for you now!! 💕💕

[Natal and Solar Return for Seventeen (2019/2020)]

Alrighty let’s start with natal:

Okay! Gemini sun babies with Scorpio Ascendant!! 

Driven, hard-working, intense – physicality that’s known in Scorpio is prevalent, but on the DSC (Taurus) also talks about comforting side, homey, reassuring and nurturing that they also balance/align themselves with (planets in 7th). 

The Sun/Mars/Mercury are all in Gemini (7th) all in opposition to Saturn rx in 1st – there’s a balance of maturity, trust/foundation building at the fore-front of the mind. But at the same time they do acknowledge the type of youthful, liveliness and certain restriction/maturity that Gemini brings as well.

This aspect to saturn (representing maturity or maybe even authority figures) can sometimes be a mindset of ‘what? we’re gonna talk about it/discuss it amongst ourselves’ and a kinda ?? hesitance, towards accepting things immediately if they haven’t thought it out/communicate and ‘be on the same page’ as well 

Generally, even as they age (Saturn in 1st) or appear ‘older/mature’ than how they are before– there’s a strong part of them that would oppose and try to retain a youthfulness and that charming nature of Gemini in order to ‘not get jaded’ by things. 

Or rather that’s what the chart would like to suggest, because there’s an energy/strong indications with those Gemini stelliums that certain things that ‘may’ seem good or logical can still be missed out if they were to sacrifice a ‘part’ of them that they may not take back (so to consider the possibilities of that as well) 

Because of it’s mutable energy – they can sometimes ‘appear’ one way but also notice another. Think of it as ratios. ‘This’ much play ‘this’ much subdued. There’s genuine affection and effort in interactions, but also besides that is a vulnerability that needs to be acknowledged for as well (7th house)  

 There’s an association here to having fun, being able to communicate/speak freely within their mind and ‘staying true’ to who they are even if it comes across as a little bit more traditional sometimes (Taurus ruling the DC). 

Besides this– they can also be active engagers in self-reflection and one-on-one evaluation of themselves. In the 7th house (in this context) they may value communication and reflecting/seeing where they can improve on alot. 

Gemini as an air/mutable sign in the 7th house of reflection may often drive their strength and support from the stability of one-on-one interactions with fans (or rather, concerts or direct-communication with people without a third hand involved/barriers in that regard) the Mars (Gemini) Mercury (Gemini) and Sun (Gemini) aims for versatility, engagement and also interests from others that evoke responses from them. 

It’s a playfulness to the nature but also a reliance on trust/foundation because Taurus rules the house these Gemini placements are placed in. So underneath all that teasing/playfulness, is also a deep rooted bond and loyalty that is seen/felt by both sides as well.   

Alright, back to that Saturn in 1st. There’s a seriousness to their image, or what they want to construct/build it with it. The goal/idea is along the line of longevity and transformation. Scorpio rules the 1st house and thus the Saturn that falls into it may be going ‘okay so we don’t want to stay stagnant, we can only do this for so long (this concept/image) what else would we want to progress into in order to transform?’ 

Continuity from building on a foundation– they had a strong start, so the idea is to figure out how to continue the story line and go about it from there. Because Saturn is in retrograde (and Sagittarius) a part of the dilemma has to do with second-guessing choices/themselves but perhaps putting on a brave front in order to not let those vulnerabilities show. Another thing about it is also the idea of internationality, fame, foreign travels and engaging in different demographics (diversity) that can make them nervous. 

The nervousness is amplified by that Gemini opposition– kinda like ‘can we engage with them?? will they like this?? is this too simple/not complex enough?? do we need to do more?’ – because Sagittarius is expanding on that idea of making a bigger vibration to their Gemini, and it’s also squaring their Neptune (Pisces) in 4th which also talks about ‘how will parents percieve us? family oriented? what about our families?’ things like that.

It could– come up, due to having foreign members in the team. Particularly because it may be an experienced the member might’ve shared with them which is why it’s on the mind/awareness of the issue and seeing it reflected as part of the self (they are a gemini group after all, and also placements in 7th – which can sometimes be looking at a problem and seeing if the self goes through the same situation as well/if it comes up what will you do) 

This particular Pisces Neptune in 4th is also squaring the Gemini placements in 7th –  dreams/hopes versus family/rootedness. Certain things have to be decided on– the youthful energy will have to be engaged in a way that talks about maturity/independence (Sagittarius Saturn in 1st) not wanting to grow up but also internal maturity and dreams/collecting goals (Gemini in 7th/Neptune in 4th) hopefully it can become a topic that they can put into their sounds– but for now, Gemini Mercury in 7th does talk about communicating in relationships, experience (finding new experience) and engaging in different interests independently as well (not about the member but about the group’s musical taste). 

Let’s look at Venus– Cancer Venus in 9th opposition to Capricorn Pluto in 2nd. Travelling/going on tour or even vacation to other places can be jarring if not necessarily in order to make coins. There’s a building sense of self and self discovery from Pluto Capricorn in 2nd aspect to Virgo Moon in 10th– helping them edit, refine and work out part of their subconscious/motive/identity. 

As well as it’s aspect to Neptune Pisces in 4th – inspiration, muses, feeling at home but also a tight-knit sense of ‘If I’m not with these people I wouldn’t want to be here at all’ and reclusivity in certain times (staying at the hotel) if the turbulence from Pluto (Capricorn) becomes too much (in order to regain internal balance/work shit out by themselves) 

Whilst travelling definitely inspires their muse (Cancer Venus trine Pisces Neptune) there’s also intense awareness that unexpected things can happen and turbulence and appear at any time (square Capricorn Pluto/authority figures like the embassy and how Jun/Minghao couldn’t come on tour sometimes – also square Aries Uranus in 5th, performance having to adapt/erratic nature due to lack of control/wanting to do something but not being able to)

– there’s imbalance in certain external circumstances that takes ‘control’ out of their hands and can leave impressions on them (Cancer) but at the same time– they ARE a communicative and ‘what can we do about this now that we’re aware of it’ group and talk/communicate alot amongst themselves as well. So it’s kinda like a Crab?? who ducks out of it’s shell to scurry around/have fun and then it sees an incoming human and ducks back in/hides quickly in order to deal with things sometimes as well.

Phew, next is Virgo Moon square to the Sun/Mars/Mercury. Virgo Moon here is in the 10th– people know them for their detail-oriented, humbling, organized and stream-line persona. In a way the Moon here is focused on ‘team’ and ‘teamwork’ – as part of an organized micro-unit that makes up a bigger structure (Virgo – small parts that makes bigger things, focusing on the details, what they can do, what they can put their effort into, taking what is given at a bigger scope when they ‘deserve’ it) 

It’s squared to their Gemini in 7th because the Virgo here may engage with the public a certain way, may be more subdued, a little more ‘see what my efforts are’ whilst Gemini in 7th wants to show itself to others around them as well– there’s a fear of disrupencies, kinda like ‘what if they misunderstood me? I have a this Gemini side to me too and i want to be open about that/be recognized for that but what if they think we’re a little– boring?’ 

Which is– y know, its anxiety/nervousness that comes with mutable signs but it can make things hard for the team themselves bc Virgo Moons ARE pretty hard on their effort/energy and what they’re obsessively doing/showing as well. 

Whilst the hard-working Virgo Moon nature isn’t a bad thing to be seen as with the industry/community theyre in (locals) perhaps the intention isn’t aligned with what they had in mind or they may want to communicate more– communicate openly and on an interpersonal level (thank god they got instagram) 

Their moon being in the 10th house (public/expression) with harsh aspects to the 4th and 7th house can often ‘sacrifice’ things (family/consistency/support, relationships/self) in order to bring this ‘forward’

Minor things to talk about: Aquarius Ceres in 3rd-- loves to communicate, contemplate, think about things. Sibling relationships (3rd house/sibling, neighbourhoods) nurturing comes from this sense of trust, progression, bond and individuality. It’s also where their pars fortunae is-- so what they are noticed for, why they seem ‘close’ and also how ‘boy next door’ (get it? cause its close to the 4th house) they seem to be

If I have to summarize this really quickly: things to look at are Gemini placements opposing that Saturn in 1st and a lot of a ‘;) we’re gonna do it anyways!’ attitude sometimes towards listening to people (in a good way, not in a bad way)

Now with the SR

Alrighty, now onto their solar return!

Moon is in 4th house in Pisces-- resting, period of recovery, self-analysis (aspect to Mercury and Sun in 8th and 7th) building back relationships and also at the apex of it all --- ‘home’

Isn’t that the song they came out with? Anyways Pisces Moon in 4th aspecting Cancer Mars in 8th -- a lot of growth coming from this period, doing a lot of relationship building, self-investigation, analysis of one’s self and balancing intuitive placements into something that can manifest/work for them in something more ‘grounded’ or ‘stable’

One thing to note is Leo MC and Pars Fortunae in 9th -- if they were to perform internationally (Pars fortunae in 9th) it could be very beneficial for them, particularly because Leo MC gives way to an impactful performance as well. Now is a fortunate time to do so, and their NN is in Cancer in 9th -- travelling could be potentially good for them if they’re looking for things to consider. 

Neptune at the apex of a talent triangle between Taurus Venus (7th) and Capricorn Saturn/Pluto (3rd) points to a lot of foundation building (Taurus/Capricorn) nurture, healing, and maturity and carrying on those growth/dreams into performance, building up muses and conceptual ideas, working on regrouping and manifesting the things they want to do can be helpful in this aspect (Pisces Neptune in 5th). 

Mostly it’s that Capricorn Saturn (domicile) and Pluto in 3rd -- relationships with siblings have grown to be more mature, changes are made, giving back to people and also just evaluation of long-term goals, established reputation, what they can do with that nature and how they can use it to help others as well. 

Ceres in Sagittarius 2nd as well as Sagittarius Jupiter-- expansion, using resources to travel (perhaps) caring for others, listening for others. Again, this a period of recovery and absorption-- sometimes it’s kinda like, you’re kirby and you open your mouth really wide to absorb things in. But eventually you also have to release it and take care of yourself away from that as well. So it’s kinda that nature. A certain stability towards it-- mutable/water energy but that doesn’t mean they’ve lost the ‘drive’ they are well known for

In fact it’s more about working on the conceptual muse for the performance, regathering details and re-aligning what they want/need in their work. There’s certain hardships that comes with it (Chiron Aries in 5th) but also a lot of inspiration and dreams/focus towards it as well (Neptune in 5th) 

If they draw inspiration from their childhood/youthfulness and combine that with their progression/how they’ve come-- seeing that manifest into a tangible piece of work can be rewarding this year considering their placements.

Uranus conjunct DC in Taurus -- considering Taurus Uranus and it’s nature, unexpected push/attraction to certain things that are less planned out or doesn’t utilize the full ‘work through’ can cut down on their effort. In another regard, if they stay ‘stagnant’ in this period for too long (earth/fixed) they may become frustrated and would have to learn how to get a co-ordinator (time management) to work with them in moving things along (stages to stages)

Aquarius IC -- movement, perhaps at the dorm. Maybe they’ve already moved, but it can talk about shifting base as well. 

Oh and Taurus Uranus in 6th being in a talent triangle with Cancer Mars in 8th and Pisces Moon in 4th -- drawing from the analysis/relationships of Cancer Mars and balancing that with the intuitive/compassionate nature of Pisces Moon in 4th can help a lot with coming up with new innovative ideas, perhaps a darker or more homey concept (can u believe) but also environment/aligning their environment to be more conductive like that as well. 

Not a lot to say because everything is turning out nicely for them? Compared to their natal -- their sr this year seems to be more harmonious than the usual, a lot of just chill-ness, regrouping, the only thing that should be addressed is Sagittarius Jupiter in 2nd square to Pisces Neptune in 5th -- whether or not they make it big this year (bigger than they are!) is up to them!

[nocancer]

Tryna by Cancer moon

Before Young T went to bed he poured a glass of water and looked out the kitchen window to his backyard and noted how the snow made 3:00 A.M. look like 6:00 P.M.. Only difference being that if he stepped outside with his glass of water to the seeming twilight he wouldn’t be able to hear the rush-hour traffic like he usually could if it was Friday and 6:00 P.M.. Young T didn’t bother going outside because the snow was still falling a little and it’d be there when he woke up. And the neighborhood would still be silent, as it always was.

Young T woke up and his fan was still humming its white noise which he needed to sleep at night even though it was January and his dad was reluctant to leave the heat on over night. The small fan sat on his dresser and was pointed away from his bed towards his window which emitted a sharper and more blinding afternoon light than what he was used to. He checked his phone for the time, it was about noon - about the time where his parents bedroom door would open and their TV would blast the local news and his persian cat, Jo Jo, would meow at his door from which would force him out of bed to open the door so Jo Jo could jump up on his bed to sleep on his pillow from which he would either start his day or keep doing nothing. This time he laid back down, idly on his bed, with the covers pulled over his head to lessen the effects of his slight cat allergy. Jo Jo had a flat face and was grey and fat, and he occupied the entire pillow. Young T thought of how he wanted to trade lives with Jo Jo.

Young T couldn’t fall back to sleep, so he looked at his phone. He bireifly looked at worldstarhiphop, Twitter, then Instagram.

Then he went to bed with a head ache and woke up in college.

9/27/17 wednesday

Tycho: excuse me, hey, getting along just fine, I see? Yolandra: hey, and yeah, sort of, just studying, whats going on with you T: Nothing, the usual, i guess, being responsible, trying not to offend anyone. Y: Oh but you're so innocent. If anyone's offended its on them, not you. T: But my presence alone, I dont know, like I'm out of place or something. And I just want to tell people,  Yeah, so, I know how strange it is, me being here and all. Y: You're a free spirit amongst prisoners. That was my favorite part about getting to know you.

Tycho: After all these years, not for a second did i think you were right for me. And thats why i liked you. Cus I'm crazy. Yolandra: thats okay? what do you mean?, i want to get inside your head again. T: [pause] Most people wouldnt understand. Y: Don't be too cool for school. Im not most people. If I knew what was good for me, I'd have cut ties with you a long time ago. But im a crazy bitch too. Havent you realized? T: Yes. Youre highly psychic when it comes to "free spirits" like me - and you, though maybe, "lost soul" would be a better term for me. Though I dont mind being lost. It keeps things interesting.   Anyway, you should spend your energy on solving world hunger than worrying about me. Y: dont be so difficult. catching vibes isnt easy you know? coming for your type. Who knows, maybe youre worth it. Tycho: well, your the first to try me like this. im mysterious for a reason. Yolandra: And do you know why exactly? T: Thats for me to decide. Y: It's so damn frustrating. But I guess some things are better left unsaid. T: Most people wouldnt understand that, what youre saying. Indescribable feelings we know happened but fall short in explaining. That sort of thing. Y: I call those. "You had to be there" moments. Tycho: Honestly i never gave up on you, only myself, thinking you were different from my dream girl.   it took months for me to realize that but when i did the only thing i wanted to do was forget i ever met you. Yolandra: than what? T: the rest of these simple people that surround us, they see in a way thats opposite of what i am. Y: how convenient it must be. to blame your problems on people you dont even know. and just say "fuck it." I envy you. T: just my luck haha. of being born into myself, my personality forgive me, i dont mean to be such a downer. thats my ego talking Y: you had to be there T: where? Y: in my memories. T: it matters that much to you? Y: if I could find you in a crowd, just to say something, anything, even if i have to scream it in your ear,  then you'd know how much it means to me. Tycho: I'll be waiting for you to say hola.

9/30/17 saturday In the midst of an obnoxious trap beat I remember what my grandpa used to tell me. It's the harsh realities of life that stick with us the most. A dream is only a dream until you make it come true. Never hit a women no exceptions." He would say to a 7 year old me. Now I wish I had the balls back then to tell him that his strict army ass probably never had a dream that went beyond what he already knew. Like revisiting the same shitty cloud of meaningless thoughts every night till you reincarnate into someone who revisits a slightly less shitty cloud over and over until they become someone like me, who lives on the cloud everyone strives to be, forgetting those elvish looking folks of the below who never leave the house except to get groceries. There's comes a point in life where you just gotta be honest with yourself, and say hey, i just dont match the freqeuncy anymore. It's okay. I can still pretend like that one MGMT song, but im fading away. Fuck. I get naseous and imagine a cop coming around the corner which kills my vibe for a second so I take my headphones off, spit on my finger tip, ash the blunt, and walk to my dorm. I'm in water so muddy that the surface is all I have to cling onto. What lies beneath is my past, housing the memories like demons. Of course, her face, would be in the middle. Falling more faintly in detail as I wake up sober and go to sleep high and dream nonsense that somehow doesnt go away like the usual forgotten dream you usually wouldnt give a second thought to otherwise but this morning my head feels foggy and theres a vague recollection of a search going on but I dont know what it's for and my chances of knowing diminish as I go deeper into the day. A search, it's on repeat, like my brain is an actual TV. Thats probably a normal thought to have, though I've never heard it in real words. "Is my brain a TV." I say to myself.                                                                 if you can call it that. but those take the shape of monsters of which, as if I had no choice, I find myself preparing for so when the moment really matters, I can either go down in a blaze of glory or come out on top like the badass I imagine myself to be. All I know is that I was born and now I have to live.

Maybe because my past is so glaringly depicted onto a person I refuse to acknowledge. All that shit was a dream. The only thing that matters is the present, right? Bill Nye the Science Guy would agree with that. Back in elementary whenever we had a sub for the day, a cart would roll in and thats how you knew. I watched his show in elementary school, when we had a substitute teacher. Those were the best days. I had no worries then, able to speak freely with no inhibitions as if duality had nothing to latch its mechanical claws onto. Wait, I'm thinking about the past again. And thats going way back. Fuck! Okay.. On your feet soldier! That baby momma drama dont fly out here in the real world. out here  it's the winners and the losers, haves and the have-nots,  thats the way it is.

We're here to endure anxiety. I dont care about this slave shit. I think im gonna drop out. These fucking people bro, I shouldve known better than to come here. Deep down in the recesses of my highly realized capacity for recognizing everyday objects I'm  hearing the voice my computer makes. It just so happens that I'm a little different from everyone else. I see things. Feel them. Some are expressed. Others proccessed. Though most get put away for later. These things I speak of is all they'll ever be to Some bad. Some good. But in the end I understand the root cause  is nothing and thats where I pretty much exist anyway. In between any and all things, including people. At least that what it feels like. So although I may come off as shy and maybe a bit soft to the average layperson I aint no bitch and I wont hesitate to put my body on the line to make some headway when it comes to cementing my place as a savage demon in the halls of said layperson's memory bank. Someone who is wise would recognize the virtue of my conviction It is only because I must prepare for that singular moment, an unknown point in the fabric of time and space. To where if theyre not careful, a life's worth of energy should be pitted against me as if one were to stand a chance against the power housed within my vessle. Theres no such thing as a polite gesture. Nobody asks me how my day is "going" for no other reason than to relay to me how their own special day is "going". reckoning between a humble acknowledgement that I can never truly grasp the reason for existing and therefor should play my part in keeping the peace, versus pure badass in a world of sheep. And the more I get to know my surroundings, the more I reach erradically for the inherent bliss found within the path of satanism.

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Spmewhere off in the distance, Crermoth sits on a palm tree idly sculpting astral suspensions into a tattered fervor of mesh for working the keys of ineptitude. She is oblivious to her surroundings, not caring for chatty and gossip which she cant seperate between her reality and theirs because she is sensitive and when the the fully recognized sage, Esoh, confronts her about she says she much prefers it that way.

Their balance among them. With the wind at her side, Hojihka refuses the initial preference of her stillness and moves in a nameless precession by the whim of her ancestral birth right. "aaa may-ee soo shay-noo"

Her possession wakes up without a name. a new and more elaborate transposition of jubilee onto each successive indifference. The attention to one area renders the outer confines a vacuum enveloping the excess span unto both of their liable to taken over like a plain, sole, unconscious will. It certainly does its job Crermoth and has become something of a plan b pill thats taken during one of her many unpredictable episodes of self hate and general spiritual torment. One time she told J-Money she was a demon in a matter of factness that still haunts J-Money in moments when he pretends it doesnt bother him.. Reliant upon the interaction of her world and the next. Crermoth normally prefers being to herself on nights like these, that way she can answer any calls at a moments notice. A dimension close enough so that she may assist her friends in earthly manners of which, by the natural law of limitation, those lacking the incessant nobility of the Orisha cannot be bothered to see to themselves, less the tether between her world and theirs be rendered a useless tattered fervor of mesh that gives way to any varitable knock of an over arching brood of usurpment of the mundane frequency. “I need space. I only have but so much light of see to her calling as a being of light, assisting the pieces of herself that we’re lost during the falling. You remember that don’t you?” She says “Of course I remember. But only as a matter of fact. Upon closer reflection I fail to see the relevance of a subtle hunch with no bearings in the present.”

I must know that I’m allowed to be straight up with you, else I run the risk of straying from my calling. If there’s anything I hate more than being ignored its catching myself being lazy to the voices. “She musn’t veer to far.” Esoh said on a mountain.

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The woman wakes up to look around. Store-bought soil, empty bike-rack, office building. "Harder. Think harder. Come on girl." She stands for dignity's sake. A car traces a hilltop in the distance. She raises her cold arms to the sun in defiance of stillness. Nothing is in tune with the nature of her being besides the stale wind of a coming day. "Where are you?" The car freezes as it reaches the horizon, but the sound remains on loop. Whirrrrr A portal manifests abruptly and Elegua arrives on a chariot of skulls. "Erzulie, madame, how nice it is to see you this early in the morning." A whisp of fire cleans her face and the car continues over the horizon. "It really shouldnt be, not like this. Where Im at should tell a lot you know." Erzulie said. "Quite a dense reply to a longtime friend, dont you think" "Hmm, considering how I slept in a bush last night and dont remember a thing. I shouldnt need to explain myself." "No? is the friz on your hair not matching the blood on your knees? I can't tell which." Elegua said.     Or is the attitude possessing you as if theres no consequence for ill-manneredness? I cant tell which." So long as one's not so dense up his selfish ass that he aint notice." "Oh so now all a sudden you about the finer things in life? We can switch places less you miss me. Erzulie said. Im only pointing out the obvious." Elegua said. Erzulie replied with silence, forcing life to flash before his eyes. She learned this from her Mother, Darkness. "Attitude is possessing you. I cant tell why but its a poison I dont deserve. I was only trying to help" He continued. "I just dont fuck with being called too early. So long as youre not too dense up your ass to take notice, safe to say i'm in some shit right now." "Clearly. A product of consequence." Elegua said randomly. "Yeah, recognize. Please, for me, baby?" "No more testing your patience, Goddess immortal of justice. Save that for what I came to tell you about." "Take me to cleanliness, saintly promise of wisdom. For im not feeling myself." They left the scene to the past and pondered on the pyramid they had just made with each other. "It's nice to be home." Erzulie said. Flying over the palm trees brought Elegua back to his power. "On the basis of love." Elegua said. The salt-water washed away all glimpses of doubt Erzulie had of her beauty. And she harnessed the pastels of the ocean. Thus, all guilt was abolished and unconditional love was convinced to dance within them. Drying his body under the rays of Amen reminded Elegua of his first words. Long ago, before Time was born. "O Father, you are so brilliant." "Thank you, son. I am the Light" "Then tell me, Father, if you are the Light, and are so brilliant, then why is it you flee from Darkness?" "All I do is my purpose, which seeks to balance harmony with creation. Although it is much more complicated than that. Like always I suppose. I'm afraid you ask me a question that I cannot answer. Here, because you are so curious, I will show you." "I'm ready, Father." Light grew brighter causing Elegua to cry in his recollection of what it felt like to say words. The links in his mind straining to pull in the right words. Not too plain to where the moment would be lost in happen stance, and not too radical so that his manhood could stay irrefutable (to convey meaning.) Then Light disintegrated into everything and Elegua searched for Light ever since. So Elegua went to the crossroads, and prodded Darkness for Light's wherabouts, "I want to relive the the moments before he left for eternity. Where can I find him?" Without a hug or a kiss, she told him to let go of his experience in order to live in the now, "Take his place and move forward. Grow up, your Daddy's gone cus you never did." "How could you say that me? I love you, Mom. Yet all I get is hate. Why are you hiding the truth from me?" "If I don't hate you, then who will? You got so much to learn that my heart breaks into brass. You must leave, understand me? LEAVE, before I do what your Father did and them some. I'm this close. Believe me." With nowhere else to go, Elegua obeyed the commands of his Mother. Although lonely at first, the spirits of the dead related to his despair, and offered to guide him through all the known and unknown realms of Ether, so long as he guided the spirits of the living to his Mother. So that the dead could learn for themselves the origins of their being dead. And when Light came back, they could say "Father, we know of Hate, now teach us Love." Elegua tried telling them that it was hopeless, that his Father was there, just not in the way they imagined, that they we're actually his Father and they had to realize it through an altered perception. but that negativity only made them more adament to their cause which annoyed Elegua into a manic spell of existential irony which persisted during times of war with the Snakes on 5th density. One battle in particular Badly wounded, he pulled his chariot with his arms to the middle of a corn-field on a full-moon during the Solstice, it was there he made a pact with his self, to never be ignorant to the fact that fate was an inescapable constant within all contributors to existence. That the very fabric that distinguishes the dead from the living was comprised of scattered shards of an indestructable essence that attached itself to the spirit-body via fate which is the Father of destiny. That the collective conscious is woven by the thread of Fate, thus binding a common goal, or Destiny, inherent to all beings of both polarities, thus setting in motion the spiral of gnosis, which lends itself to the spreading of keys that open the doors to helping each other fulfill each others Purpose. "I will collect the pieces of my Father so that I may speak with him again as I did as a child. I will never forget you because I love you. You are everything to me, which is all I ever could be. Please, I want to know why you flee in the face of Darkness."

____10/9/17 monday

My pace quickens as I veer away from the crowd onto the handicap stairs. I silently count my steps to give off a pensive, non-assuming vibe. Over by the quad theres crows just walking on the grass. Yet I'm the only one who seems to notice, even from a distance. The busses haul ass down Memorial St. I've learned to always be on alert because I'll never know whats waiting for me when I turn my attention off the floor and become reminded of string theory. Artificial energy, cork boards with grime on the edges, tunnel of dull ends, spongy plywood cielings. as i step with my head down and in every so sudden a demarcation in the bricks, the reptiles answer emails. This is where I'm going. Because my soul chose to live here at some point in time not too long ago considering the relationship between all that the universe has to offer and my general apathy towards said all as in any and all one. Which has become quite of a bore ever since the first week ended I had to come to terms with the reality that friends won't simply fall into my lap like they would     if I wasnt such      a masochist for being lonely. The row of pillars turn to one and all I see is the contentment in the air of the lobby. In the hallway are casually turned faces which glide about in a linear fashion like the ghost of a lost bride.. I get a side-view of the people afraid to admit that this is far from the paradise we expected it to be. The brochure in our acceptance letters didn't include the drunken nights of another dimension. I'm inside the life of an architect. One who's dead by now, but lives on through his work. I'm not going anywhere, the building would say, if it could talk. And I suppose it can. Because I just had the thought, and nothing is ever truly wrong without another thought to compare it to. But then if buildings could speak existed first, and was allowed to grow and find its place in the universe, then it'd be established enough to not warrant an adversary. But the question remains where, if it existed, was its fate organized before coming into my mind, awaiting my final judgement. Substitute me for a unicellular collective conscious and it seems like we're all dealers of fate her on planet earth of the milky way of the universe of the whatever comes next (should we ever know for sure). he or she deserves all the credit for it manifesting onto the grid of my consciousness, which is a zig zag joint's worth of a high right now. The perfect amount for not giving a fuck while still staying slick enough for witty comebacks. Which wouldn't hurt right now. This building isn't going anywhere. Though I wish it would. Because I dread what I'm about to do How he must have pained to communicate something he could call his own while maintaining a dignified and safe, always safe, because god forgive, well, you know, , putting the pen to the pad, drawing  collumns in front of a Victorian fassad Succumbing to authority just to eat with a roof over your head and not freeze your ass off like a homeless freak. Profit margins in the final half of quarter one are lower than 1 standard deviation to what is considered by corporate to be optimal. As of now, the college has no incentive to ship in product from outside sources. All inventory must be stored in house to the buyer's demand. You better not be late.

___ On the parking deck

Tycho: “I had a dream I was on an internet forum. Someone posted the words: “life is an endless hell. With a blurry picture of a street at night-time. Not much different from what’s in front of us. I thought that made sense, until I scrolled down, to see a video looking out the windshield of a vintage rolls royce, coasting along a pacific highway. And the lines kept going. Next thing you know I’m falling down a pitch black waterslide, dreading my destination. If I never woke up I have a funny feeling i know where it was leading.

Preacher: In that instance did you feel the need to repent for your sins?

Tycho: No. that didn’t cross my mind. It was too late at that point.

Miranda: “I used to.

T: What made it stop?

Miranda: Seeing all the happy people around me. And knowing that they’ve been through the same shit. Break-ups, Death in the family, just generally feeling lost.

My heart was broken ”

T: Getting over the mind can be a dark place when it has nowhere else to rest. You can train it to think anything.”

Miranda: True

Tycho: Lately Ive been taking these long drives late at night into the boonies. Just to see where I up. I realized theres so many lives I’ll never know about.

If i wasnt born into money maybe I’d be humble enough to hate myself for even thinking such a thing.

How’d you get out of that?

Miranda:

These know it all professors are getting on my nerves. I fear Im crossing into an abyss I’ll never fully understand. Honestly I can’t fuckin stand these people. What name do I have to make for myself that i haven’t already experienced in the depths of my soul?

Tyco: You know how they try to act like they all official and shit, like I won’t see past it.

Miranda: [agreement] They do that.

Tyco: [stream of consciousness] So I just told her look I know its a rule, but I’m all about learning at my own pace and no disrespect i love her but Mrs. Soso can only go so far in telling me how to write. You can give tips and tricks but at the end of the day, I’ve been developed my writing style.. Like I thought we were done with all this high school shit. Well I didnt say that.

M: And what’d she say?

Tyco: She was like “As you get further into your major 90% of your assignments will be in essay format.. we require full participation “ At this im like she gonna hit me with the book like hell nah THEN outta nowhere She said “However, I also believe in 2nd chances.”. On the outside I was cool but inside I was like “*fist bump* yo i cannot fail outta college like someone watchin out for me idk who but-

Chad: fuck that shiiiiit *holds up white rum in front of street light”

Friend in background: 12! 12! 12!

Abrupt scene change. Camera shows Tyco zoned out. Then police car, as Tyco begins to hide behind the tree hes smoking on.

My black hoodie and phone-call to my dealer will still be with me tomorrow as I do the same thing.

(From a dream 10/23)

Tyco is driving around serving with Shantel when she lights her phone up from the passenger seat and puts the phone to her ear.

Shantel: You are not finna be talkin all that mess on my phone. Be honest with                  yourself. Don’t lie. You a hoe ass bitch.

?? Caller: Why are you even calling me? I dont give a fuck.

Shantel: Wait till I pull up then and slap the shit out you. Would that be better                     sweety?

?? Caller: I’m at Kawaii’s 30 deep. Bring your lil boyfriend and see what                          happens.

Shantel: Try me bitch.

[ The economy sedan turns right on red seemingly without breaking. ]

Tyco: 30 deep huh?

Shantel: With them ratchets.

Tyco: She sounds scared as hell aint nobody sticken up for her like that. You know they gonna talk shit right but soon as we throw them hands they gon be like, I dont know that bitch.

Shantel: nah but she stupid tho like not even worth all that extra

Tyco: We’re going. Wheres that nigga house i’ll waze that shit and we get there we just pop off. Aite?

[Not looking at the road, but to her, coasting down an average 2-lane with box neon trimmed tire shops and drive-thru windows governed stately as immovable beasts of mothership stores lurk behind low-sodium trenches of the new world order’s surveillence agenda for mass poplations en masse. ]

              Just follow me. I’m walkin in and gonna start a commotion just bussin                 and you just break this bottle on her mother fuckin head and we out.

Shantel: haaah what okay

Tyco: You’re gonna fuck her shit up som serious.

Shantel: She talk shit about you.

Tyco: It’s in the stars babe for real.

Shantel: You gonna help me find that bitch?

Tyco: You my fucken queen I love you and I got you.

Neighborhood entrance.

Cars parked for miles.

House identified first glance.

Park.

Car doors..

Hip-Hop

Grass.

Walkway.

Steps.

Porch.

Door opens and yellow tops within the frame.

!! WHERE YOU AT// YALL FAKE AND CANT FINESSEE !!

AAAAAH YOU UGLY DARK SKINNED NIGROS

The caller is sitting on a couch ass to ass with other dudes. Looking stupid.

She never saw Shantel. Who came upon her like The Ring.

She has become a party magnet. It is a Slayer concert now. Nobody knows who’s who. Though Tyco is surely getting his ass beat. He catches of glimpse of Shantel’s fat ass ducking through the doorway and he could die right now and it wouldnt matter.

*GUN SHOT*

FUCK GOIN ON HERE MANE

“This not the place for you bro. - White boy comin up here in my place of business - Tryna pop shit off like you really not a bitch”

Kawaii looks up with his glock-9 extendo at his GD party mostly all gone just like that. The poor girl is still leaking.

“She need to go to the hospital.” Her friend says.

He points the glock at his head. Despair.

“Look around before I kill you.” An invitation.

Tycho: “I sold a 4 oz today after my accounting exam. I could be GD, 74, rock                            purp. whatever it be its nothing but Respect yo. Got connects with chad and Becky nahmean dog. Could put you on to some numbers they white and they fiends. Please OG.

“How much for a zip.”

“80, gas.”

“Was that yo bitch?”

“yea”

Kawaii: You lyin to me?

“No.”

“She eat your ass?”

“Yeah and bounce on my BIG ASS DICK” Tyco says with autism.

K walks away.

T: they don't even sell Molly bruh

K is you fucken high you dummies. Beat this nigga ass. *Tyco imagines the why the fuck you lyyin vine and remembers the exact moment he realized that wasnt an original song but actually a spin off of a classic throwback jam by the 90s R&B group “Next” in their hit single “Too Close”.. He was driving home from the cafe he used to write high school essays in while smoking a menthol american spirit with the windows rolled down on a spring evening playing KISS 104.1 Atlantas classic jams. Then he realized there was a full 6 minute video of the vine on youtube. After watching it he felt gayer. Thats all it did for him.

Tycho wakes up on living room floor.Terry (random G, on couch): *Hands him note× Kawaii said he's sorry. No hard feelings ya heard dog?

Tyco: I guess thugs act on impulse. *looks at note* and don't count on a gahdamn thing you bitchass motherfuckers. Tyco walks into class with a black eye. The Professor talks about interest loans. Tyco meets Moe after class in parking lot.

*Moe: Waddup

Tyco: It's lemon og I just got in.

Moe: Bet. Those last cookies you got. Bomb dude. It had them frar mother fuckers leanin like they can't handle that purp like that nahmean.*laughs*

Tyco: I got some backwoods you wanna hotbox.

Moe: Yo I'm down.

10/24/17 thursday

____ Last night I decided not to hate myself. The look I get from them doesnt bother me. Really, its a simple sign from nature that I’m used to by now. A wrong impression can sustain the fog of memory, of which I will be seen from the lens of another dimension, with not a care in the world, an angel in disguise. Thats the crux of my life up to this point. To no longer hate myself. But appear as if I still do. The nameless place in our past with no address., one of which even a frat boy can relate to. This invisible standard that’s thrown us into the pits of despair must be addressed. To seperate the real from the fake. Like the others are sleep walking through class fronting like they dont see me. The pyramid of perspective is an accordian overlayed on my third eye, televising scenes of sleep walkers who stay fronting like they dont see me. Walking behind the parking deck where green dumpsters were with my phone to my ear is a feeling that remains within me until I do the same thing over again in a few days. Buying in bulk never appealed to me. And if a 20 a g was the price thered be nothing my lonely ass could do. Fuck this worthless paper, I tell myself.

I tell myself. Anyone who catches my glimpse pauses for a split second, calibrating my own opinion of the why in life. A definition of nuance that was never meant to be expressed but felt. To sense what I’ve been wanting, free and alone, after all those wasted days.

I’m signalling. Though I havent been approached yet.

Figuring that would resolve the look I give other people. I mean, christ, I turned 18 last March. And spent the Summer in a last ditch effort to secure an identity before I made my plays in college. For too long I’ve avoided the call of the light and in return have gotten blank stares.

(SOMEHOW gets wrapped up into a petty conversation with sorirty girl (on top of parking deck.)

Clarissa: I was the only one alone in the entire party.

Tycho: Why didnt you leave?

T: Dont worry I dont wanna know your major.

C; Good cus it keeps changing.

T: You think you know everything dont you? This world aint nothin babe.

C: Why do you say that?

T: What do you wanna know? That I get money? Thats nothin.

Clarissa drifts off.

Hannah: So Stacy’s telling me the banners weren’t in that right place and we’re like an hour away from starting and we still haven’t even got the chairs in order and barely anyone who was suppose to be here has shown up yet.

Tycho: Where were they?

“Well for one, Candace, I dont know whats her problem lately, but shes been gone because her best-friends now telling her she’s not rushing anymore but thats honestly a relief because that girl wheres winged eyeliner and thinks shes better than us.”

Tycho: Oh, I think I’ve seen that girl at the library or something.

     I intuit that in order to justify her reasoning for not liking the winged eyeliner girl, that she channeled my very own resonant storm cloud of which I emit silently in the face of vanity..  

H: Well you’ll probably see her there a lot more cus shes definitely not with us.

“Okay so thats one.” I say as if taking notes.

“Then Rachel’s out at some charity event that I never even heard of probably with a guy she’s not telling us about which is so frustrating that of all days you pick friday night at the peak of rush to go be a hoe behind our backs.”

“Did she ever show up to the party?”

“Yeah. And she was fucking drunk.” She said as if surprised but not really because this is Rachel we’re talking about, after all.

“Like wasted orrr “

“Damn I didnt know yall got down like that.”

“Umm when youre stumbling through the door and your first words to all the new girls is hallelujah bitches!

She wasn’t with a guy.

“So tell me more about the party. Like was there”

who nobody knows anyway

is that Cheyenne is just out of it because her friends now telling her she doesnt want to rush anymore and for one its like look,

Wait, who’s hannah?

Hannah’s the leader of her sorority.

Ooooh, Okay, I see why now

-Yeah, I mean if word got around that would literally mean she was going around their backs to cover up that she was lying.

> Right. Yeah I hear what you sayin. She’s trying to make it seem as if it never concerned yall in the first place but if thats the case then she dont need to be acting like she got the right to be trusted.

This goes beyond reputation. Manipulating emotions just cus she has none of her own. Conniving biitch.  just to get her way goes beyond reputation.

Aint nobody wanna be around that energy.

> So what you tell her?

I get schizophrenic when it comes accepting new ways of being. The person I made him out to be was the perfect cure for my suffering. All those forgetful nights of boredom I knew what I needed all along, but was to scared to do it myself.

------ Frat house halloween party kidnap scene ----

GD shaman prays to shango for power to go out by mantra. Squad in car repeats the same mantra. The power goes out at 1:00 (or peak of the party).

Tycho throws blue flare through the side of the window

at the Tycho must find Chad and lure him downstairs near the door so the squad can get the keys to the room full cocaine and adderal. After looking everwhere he’s no where to be found. He walks in on a couple having with the girl in missionary with devil ears. “Yo chad that you?” Its

(fuckem x3) Music stops from power so he sneaks in wireless speaker in his robot costume  and puts it at one end of the room. Squad member 1 will carry bigger wireless speaker and set it down when he storms in. Tycho also brings a timed strobe light to distract people and keep the illusion of the party still going.

Tycho runs down stairs and towards door with chad chasing him. Squad slaps tape and mask on him and carries like a battering ram although theyve already kicked the door.

*Power turns back on*

“Fuck em, fuck em, nigga get out my section

Don’t want to see him, I don’t want to touch him

*waves zippo lighter in front of face so chad can see him through mask*

“Ima count 3 seconds and your dead on 5 if i dont get this combination” says calmly. thus saiyth the lord thy god”

“Three... No mercy”

“Two.. Shall be given unto those”

*gives code*

          “One.”

Love takes many shapes and forms.Tycho never opened up to people, hating himself for being incapable of feeling what others felt. He wanted more so he went spiritual. Which his close friends perceived as going off the deep end."Ayy whatsup bro you tryna smoke?""I have a calc exam tomorrow but I'm down after."Aight good luck on your studying tonight and then kill it tomorrow I know you got this calc is your specialty can't say the same for me but that's why you always tutored me haha."Let me know if you need more help. Figuring their was no bounds and he could be whatever, even silent, and experience irony rather than fate. How bland, he thought, to have a life plan and nothing to look forward to. Running drugs would be a necessary chain reaction. The highest elixer exceeding the bliss provided by the very weight he'd be pushing, itd be getting off on defying his own life, leaving spirit his only option. And so like a blackbird his soul seeks experience only in the clearest degree of visibility. Swerving transgressions of lonliness to levy the burdens of contrived responsibilities at societies every turn until his flight patterns veer from the trodden path to and fro the calling of reality in which he desires to preside over as a God of many statures. Untainted by works, head first into the entity of the adversary, of which he is able to predict the situational consequence in only a glimpsing moment before havoc ensues and the final hour is upon him, his loose wings coated with astral charcoal of depravity. Be caught slipping once and he loses the jump until the enevitable program takes its course - an unstoppable relationship between fate and reckoning that must be fulfilled as day turns to night. Once that happens he reverts back to being like the rest of them. Yet to the world, now desolated beyond repair, hed still be alive, exuding a calm presence that something is not quite right with him existing without remorse. The truth is simple enough, a hint just ever so slight as to never be able to cross the threshold of utterance, thus becoming rendered a convinction of self delusion on the part of the unknowing accuser, who by this time hates himself for even thinking badly of such a good guy to make peace with.  The collage curtails past the illusion of what is already known and at last the watchers take notice and thus regeneration is able to take place along all the land, allowing for new energy to take the throne of anticipation. One that has harnessed the potential to become anything the wonder puts his mind too. So what if I'm imaginative? Yolandra: I mean everyone's different in their own way. Like yeah the soroitys have a dress code and all that Starbucks and capris. But I don't know. You just have to get know a person for who they are and not how the outside world perceives them to be. T: So what'd you first think of me? Yolandra: Honestly not much anything. You were one of those people who could be anything. But then I overheard you say taurus's are gold diggers and I hated you cus I'm a taurus. T: Oh sorry I really didn't mean it like that but c'mon now I can tell you have a taste for finer things you bougie little.. Boob. *laugh\ haha "you know what I mean" It doesn't bother you? What? That so much could go wrong so quickly? Look, deep down he's telling you his heart lies with getting over and you let him because that's /just what you like about him, how deep he gets. cus he's a sad and selfish individual who was never about loving anything other than vanity. The best thing to do would be to trust his actions, intentions aren't what's important right now. Really, forget about the soul connection. Loves comes through all types of people as long as you're open to receiving them. Those energies. Don't lose yourself in the illusion. Without ever taking credit for what truly matters which should be you. Then your fashion made sense to me. T:  I'm so caught up in myself. I mean, it's impossible to know anything else. I'll never get to stand in your shoes. Its just truth. Yet I'm the bad guy. You're not like the other people I've met. T: Yeah I'm kind of loner if you couldn't tell already. I guess that's a good thing.T: Hey it's okay. I get that a lot... Wait what do you mean you guess? Ive found that who evers saying does a 180 in their normalcy.  Knowing your even here right now is a good thing. Knowing that you're with me even when im not. Don't you think? Starting out with confidence and ending strong to be lucky if I'm not hurt. Tell me what you want out of this. Sometimes I feel so lame, then I realize how fun itd be to not care. Through the window screen i see parchments and grass blades, this is an image I've sought to ignore for its blandness thinking I was over recognizing such mundane structures. The sunlight made me drunk with non verbal contemplation. I crave this heat when I'm in low spirits. And a breeze when I'm high. My thoughts are channeled from a lonely place (My thoughts come from a lonely place)  I've had no choice but to become accustomed to for my own sanity. To work faster and breach that veil of reckonning. So unreachable and enticing at the same time.T When I'm alone, welcome something more than the past if you ever cared to help me. This isn't the only world out there. And even if it was the material would eventually reach infinity. Then a black hole would open or something. Don't quote me on that, science is the hottest thing going right now. It cant hurt to butt in unofficially. As long as no one calls you on it. The universe molds to your confidence. That's another story. At the end of the day, I have too much pride to be a scientist.  The God they're serving calls for a lot of self sacrifice. A self that ignores emergency when called to speak. A self i'm not prepared to lose. "Why are you here again, nothing will change, you're gonna be quiet like last time" any handle on reality I had during the sun rise flees like an ex girlfriend into the night. I'm not prepared to lose. Anxiety is that humid feeling you get when roughnecking the time away. Jaded peripherals, internet browsing, and fading friends initiate a color spectrum so cruelly vivid in its inability to be shared with the CVS cashier who looked at you wrong because you bought 3 4oz bottles of robitussin. A man who couldnt care to see the streets, stop signs, and traffic lights. Man is a slang term we use when caught in the moment. Of which matrix programming loves to grasp onto. --- 10/25/17 wednesday So here I am enjoying a piece of lackluster nothing for the sake of something I've agreed to experience in a past life I can't even remember but somehow must make amends to as if its an actual concrete thing I can touch and make sense out of without caring to ponder how life puts us in these type situations like getting your hair done a new way and meeting a friend of a friend superficially without ever following up like aight word up bro I feel you by the way hows life and what's the special fact I should become one with in this moment while not thinking too much in to things or else id be alone as if we're not alive under the stars for any other reason than to be happy but still to me that becomes too much like a flash in time rather than something meaningful because then sex would have to be our purpose for being here but you and I both know it's more complicated than that so we look into it via memories and realize the journey was brighter than the reward as in I don't remember the actual sex part but rather the day as a whole with stained glass sprinkled in on a film reel to push the past into something real and unexplainably alluring to the self of which we projected this light onto in order to perhaps know in advance maybe how to repeat this metaphysical phenomenon for a second time because we're not quite there yet although at this rate if seems that to finally reach a state of thereness would mean we wouldn't be able to be here right now having this conversation like a building block struck from below or a house of cards we have to keep faith that every moment plays its part because we had an emotion for it and therefore couldn't be rendered to nothing in a wreckless attempt force it all together rather let each tile compliment it's neighbor and bypass the need for destruction by allowing enough caring energy to flow through that filter mechanism within you that deems lifes moments as worth remembering or forgetting and pretend you never heard about forgetting and avoid it like the plague because everything that ever was is depending on you to go forth into righteous so that gods original intention for letting go of unwanted baggage be synthesized within your vessel of upgrades intelligence so that the journey can still be appreciated only this time without th deceptive veil of the end. to question the little things that somehow don't mean much but at the same time appear to us daily as conduits for good fortune and thats what we must uphold ___ 11/2/17 thursday

I you and me playcated on a surface of stones that match our longing to search in the wrong places. Convenient are we done such a conceivable time that is time which is also time because what more can be said other than us winding down a fire escape to an inexplicable hatch sitting like paper mache on our transformative spiritual natures. Gone already but not forgotten just make sure to take the negative side of every situation involving 1 or more parties so as to make sure the rythym is in order because you can't go wrong with challenging the status quo of an area you're not suppose to be in even if that seems too easy and superficial it's the right choice because even the idea of rebellion as a bad thing must be able to project into a physical thing prompt for examination so secrets may be revealed. Wouldn't you know i stopped believing in faith due to its redundancy of chasing metaphysical strings too far out for us to put into words and isn't that the source of all our angst. Depraved of propositional phrases and elemental tables it's all so clear to me now. Casandra had a bag and Mikey had his sneakers in the forefront like a low hanging fruit but of course they had personalities that weren't so easy to see unless the hard work of interfacing came into the equation. Lets judge people based on judging for the sake of basing ourselves onto something not within our realm of reality. Perception is a hard question i think maybe inanimate objects could tell us a thing or two. Low pressure sodium lamps.Documentorial lecture hall amps failing to reach the end of the pyramid turned 90 degrees away from its focal point. May disease not reach our unexplainable selves if ever they may inhabit our temporary vessels like a friend who has no friends but you and wants desperately to get along with others but is attached to your ways. Are we in hell? What can our astral travels tell us about signaling locations with Etheric marks of time dialation. Things are what they are by defintion or they wouldn t be things however stepping the observer up a notch sets in motion cancer to grow from the singular notion that we ourselves separate on a cost of lightening our load. I am partly responsible for this mess we have made. Pulling my hair out in thin strands so as to not make a difference. Some people just don't understand what it means to be so far gone yet in a place of enchantment that lets us know we're not alone as Michael Jackson plays on the ham radio and Wikipedia says the song was written by r kelly. I'm a solitary young man, joined at the seams complacency and red-ridden vanishing points to a line of sight I'd rather not identify with if I had a choice. I'm seriously considering becoming rich and famous despite others already forcing me to. I guess eventually my spirit will give in as my soul looks from a distance and says what a fool I am then goes about his day. You can't be like the rest of them no matter how hard you try. Thinking on the sensualities you avoided after this rap shit led you no where. The palace at the height of creation where Jesus stopped and stared to collect his thoughts before he kept going when his alarm rang as his slave bending consistency tracked the new melinnia into a moldy piece of sandstone cheese the better of which tasted nutty with fruity notes and 80% abv shards of liquid glass on the throat thatd make even an immortal weep a shy tear or two. The pigs down in Mississippi feel things we can't understand in their slaughterhouse decrepit and forwarned in a musk ridden air flow that's non existent to hypocritical angels who were supposed to stop atrocity but opted to sit on their ads and play virtua tennis all day. Oink says the pig. Hee haw says the donkey. Give me life says the God and there on the 30th night fags came to tell the story on their faces. The bag lady told them to shut up and stop whining but they wouldn't listen though they lost their ability to speak. Goodness gracious me oh my great balls of fire. Great balls of ball you are the Lord of my lonely century in this dimension I took awareness to when I allowed you into my heart space.And then I left asking my self: Who is this I?

755559888a

Let’s stand for a while and think about the dastardly ways we have gone under the waters and flew away from temptation. Have us saying isnt it so pretty to be in something and have that to fall back on due to the struggles of forgetting the place we come from which didnt always have it out for us this bad in refusing us of inconjunctions we can at least point to and blame our problems on saying “See! There, I told you so. That’s why we cant find our beginning!” And we’ll keep toilling the fields as halflings saving up for a chance to leave the very universe we serve. “So thats more like it. Finally something I can get my flows on to” Shelly the alien said. “The Stars dont have to like you just because you see them. They have their place and so do we” Gerald said. “Oh but they do.” “How do you know?” “Well for one they always shine bright at the most oppurtune times, like when I’m feeling down about the part of myself that conveinently seems to escape me just when I need it most. If that be so then put me on to something else and that’ll do just fine.” “Perhaps you're not as big as you thought ”  Gerald held up his hand to salvage what was left of the dissolving psychic barrier between them. An invisible giant with an ocd issue. For now he could only listen. “No im not here to choose and thats exactly why Im not afraid to go where you can’t. Having the courage to admit your wrongs requires as much energy as universal rotation itself - a force which exists beyond our pleaidien awareness. ” “ But Shel- Okay whatever” Gerald paused and rolled the horizon through his scaly fingertips. “Keep calling on the unknown and you might get lost because it’s been there forever and sometimes Look, Shelly, no offense, you know I love you, but your awareness has no filter on what representation it can cling onto like danger isnt a reality to you. Me and Dazel always had to look out for you and thats just in this world what makes you think you can take on things you cant even see? “But do you believe in me? Anyone can say they love me. I’ve been hearing that my whole life. So much that it holds the same meaning as “um” does in conversation. Is that really the final conclusion we have at the end of the day? That you love me? Besides, I dont think you really meant that.”

“Here goes Miss Type-1 personality again. Always needing to label circles into squares, stars into gods, this as that, out of an inability to cope with insecurity. Leaving the rest of us as unwilling participants.”

“HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT’S WRONG IN NATURE?”  Shelly bawled.  

The beach of Temofose was out of walking distance from the orange cottage they grew up in with there Mom. When they were young it was somewhere theyd go when they had nothing else to do. Euweu Sister Beach was the brighter of the two, but now too populated for their liking. Temofose is less frequented by other families and polluted by cargo ships and a lack of open views but as they stood there a semblence of twilight through the holographic cages offered closure to the purpose of them arguing in the elements about a timeline Shelly was going to step into  And no matter what argument he could put forth, Gerald thought of it fruitless unless he spoke from his heart, a heart of which Shelly was currently taking the place of, so that he could not use it against her. “Shelly, I just hope you can understand how I dont want to let you go.” “I’m sorry you feel that way. But it’s my choice. Have a good njght Gerald. I love you” She said as she went into darkness.

Summer Break 2018

As a street light exploring strip malls, I am a linoleum tile on top of a trapezoid emitting frames of rave scenes. Heres where I find myself walking through last nights dream of the gang member selling duck pussy then getting assaulted by a pizza guy and a cop. Alone after those nights. Seems love was never meant to be expressed but felt. I look inside to see if I’m about to die, seeing diamonds mixed with sky. Materializing in the backdrop of my memories. Now I know why.

Now I know.

Then a wren on the fence manifests when it needs to. The perspective pyramid is that I pleaded for a higher calling. There’s nobody bohemian as me.  One day I’ll take this civic off the road and escape into my sacred grove. If only I wasnt such a bitch.

I carry my single briefcase through the airport parking lot. I’m hot and out of breath. Everyone watching me. I can read their thoughts but not my own. They say look at the guy who isnt me but is still conscious enough to move his vessel.

The a/c runs down to the end of the terminal, but my spirit is squared by the stores selling vain material. The pyramid of perspective is an accordian overlayed on my mind’s eye televises scenes too chaotic to put into words. Walking through customs is an event to be remembered, I tell myself. Anyone who catches my glimpse pauses for a split second, calibrating my own opinion of the why in life. A definition of nuance that was never meant to be expressed but felt. To sense what I’ve been wanting, free and alone, after all those wasted days. I board the flight to say finally I am my own religion. If I was flying over africa I’d see bon fires, but over Georgia I only see street lights. Thinking how absurd that they will speak of me as crazy. Others will listen. A vibration through these amber aisles to look no further than my destiny. Because everyone has their destination is the way it goes. I refuse. I’m tired of being a number. Atlanta had its place. Now I’m homeless in Tokyo. This is the not-so perfect end to the chapter planned out for me by the higher power. Not-so bad neither.

Save me. I’m on the other side now.

[whx-m]

Im barely a highschooler so can u give me a rundown on credit cards, credit unions and all that jazz, cos like... I've got no idea what the fuck it's all about LMAO

ok so a lot of ppl, me included, prefer credit unions to banks... the difference between them is banks are a business and credit unions are like, a union of ppl putting their money together as members to fund the credit union. theyre both federally backed and insured but the structure of the organizations are different. they both have savings accounts (put money away) and checking accounts (hold money for use, take money out, debit cards) and loan programs and such. the pros and cons of them imo-

- con: not quite as high tech as most big banks but it really depends on your local credit unions bc mine does have online banking and a mobile app where you can take a pic of your checks to deposit them in your account. some dont tho- con: joining one has some requirements on membership. some credit unions are by county or state residence, some are by profession, etc. - con: sometimes it takes a little bit longer for deposits and such to transfer or process just bc there are less ppl working or less processing power or whatever, versus a multi billion dollar business bank with all sorts of bells and whistles+ pro: credit unions are community minded, theyre more involved directly in communities so you can feel like you’re not just banking but a part of your community. in my experience the customer service is way better+ pro: interest rates and just rates in general tend to be a lot better than at banks bc credit unions depend on member satisfaction to keep it rolling+ pro: when you open a savings accnt with a credit union the % of interest you gain from dropping money on them tends to be better than a bank. + pro: theres things called “certificate of deposits” aka CDs and what they are is you take a sum of money, say 500 bones, and agree to drop it as a CD in the credit union for a specific amount of time. 6 months, a year, even like 10 years. what happens is you agree with the credit union to basically loan that money out for a specific amount of time, but the return you get on it is pretty great. you get a return on it bc in effect youre loaning the bank cash to loan out to other members during that time, so you collect interest. every month that interest gets added and then the interest for the next month is even higher bc of added money. might not be a big deal when youre young with little income to spare but it can really help you out later in life+pro: tend to be better for small business owners+pro: umm m i cant think but google “bank vs credit union” and you can decide for yourself which ones more attractive to you

credit cards are like... ok so when you get a credit card they check your credit score and put a limit on how much money you can charge to a card. say you open your first credit card and you dont really have anything on your credit score so theyll probably offer you a “credit builder” type card, which has a limit of like idk say $500. REMEMBER THIS: NEVER SPEND MORE THAN 30% OF YOUR LIMIT!!!! that means on a credit card with a $500 limit, you should never charge more than $150 on it before paying it back. once you go over that 30% limit, it triggers a flag on your credit report that you’re sort of a risky spender. even if you pay it back on time every month and stay in the clear, it will STILL flag it and hurt your credit score.

if you want to build up your credit, its a good idea to open a feasible credit card account and do just that. small limit, never spend over 30%, and pay it off every single month. every time you make a payment, the credit card company reports it to the credit bureaus, and they post it to your credit report as on-time payments with no flags.

so, say you open a credit card with a $500 limit. you also have a bank/credit union checking account with a debit card attached to your account (debit cards are different than credit cards... credit cards you have to pay back. debit cards take money out of your account and when you account is run dry, the debit card will get rejected if you try to use it.)... when you get paid at work you have your paycheck direct deposited into your bank account, and you mostly use your debit card to buy stuff or whatever. but you want to work on your credit score and get some activity on your credit report and build up a good credit history. so you take this limited credit card and you choose one thing to use it for- a good idea is gas or something that you wont need more than $100 a month for. so you buy gas with this credit card, maybe some snacks, whatever it is, and you make sure to not charge more than 30% of your spending limit. then when you get your credit card bill you pay it off immediately, on time, every month. your credit score is going to be awesome!

your credit score is A LOT to do with: how often companies (like credit card companies) are reporting your payments, if you make late payments, and how long youve been making payments. the longer reporting history you have the better your score is, and the more payments you make on an account that is in good standing the better. stuff like loans, student loans etc, are on your cedit report too.

idk this is getting long.... and its kinda messy and hard to read so IM gonna wrap this up. GOOGLE!! google google google theres lots of great simplified stuff out there. also youtube videos for ppl your age and ppl new to credit and all this stuff! just if nothing else pls remember the rule not to spend more than 30% of your credit card limit thats the biggest thing. and dont get a credit card if you dont have a job or a way to pay it off, its not free money of course. they wont be nice about it since youre young and they might try to take advantage of you for being young. definitely talk to your parents or guardian before opening ANY!! accounts. they can help you navigate all this stuff and start building your credit history if thats what you want to do.

[patriotsnet]

Is The House Democrats Or Republicans

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/is-the-house-democrats-or-republicans/

Is The House Democrats Or Republicans

House And Senate Odds Preview

Should Democrats or Republicans be optimistic for midterm elections?

In 2020, the market expectation was a Democratic sweep of the three elected positions, and while it took two months and quite a lot of Georgia-based panic, Democrats did sweep the Presidency, Senate control, and House control, albeit by nowhere close to the margins they were expected to. This time around, the question is whether or not the GOP can gain one or both of those chambers again, and whether or not the PredictIt odds for any of the four possible combinations provides any value.

There are four possible combinations either party to control both chambers or one party to control either chamber.

In theory, if these were independent events, any of those four combinations would be equally as likely as each other, but given politics are correlated, you see thats not really the case. A GOP sweep of both chambers is the favorite at $0.45, which makes sense, given the widespread narrative that the GOP are favorites because of history and the way midterms generally go badly for the party of the Presidency.

However, Donald Trump did win Senate seats in his only midterm, and that same historical argument would have suggested Republicans would romp home easily in Georgia in January.

If you are a Democratic optimist, then the $0.29 on split government a Democratic Senate and a Republican House or the $0.21 on Dem unified control might be appealing.

Poll Finds Startling Difference In Vaccinations Among Us Republicans And Democrats

A Washington Post-ABC News poll has found a startling difference between Democrats and Republicans as it relates to COVID-19;vaccination.;The poll found that while 86% of Democrats have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot, only 45% of Republicans;have.

In addition, the survey found;that while;only;6% of Democrats said they would;probably;decline;the vaccine, 47% of Republicans;said they;would;probably not;be inoculated.;

The poll also found that;60% of unvaccinated Americans believe the U.S. is;exaggerating;the dangers of;the;COVID-19;delta variant,;while;18% of the unvaccinated say the government is accurately describing the variants risks.

However, 64% of vaccinated Americans believe the government is accurately describing the dangers of the;delta variant.

Iran fighting COVID 5th wave The variant is having a;global impact.;Irans;President;Hassan Rouhani;has warned that the country is on the brink of a fifth wave of;a COVID-19 outbreak.;The;delta variant of the virus, first;identified;in India, is;largely;responsible;for the;rising number of hospitalizations and deaths in Iran, officials say.

All;non-essential businesses have been ordered;closed;in 275 cities, including Tehran, the capital.;Travel has also been restricted between cities that are;experiencing;high infection rates.

Reports say only about 5% of Iranians have been vaccinated.;

Oregon House Republicans Say Theyre At Impasse Over Democrats Redistricting Plan

Oregon lawmakers, shown here during a January 2021 swearing-in ceremony, are set to meet at the Capitol Monday to approve new legislative and congressional district lines that will determine how voters are represented for the next decade in Salem and Washington, D.C. House Republicans’ leader on Thursday said her caucus would not support Democrats’ plans.Brooke Herbert/The Oregonian

Oregon Democrats congressional and legislative redistricting plans set for a vote in next weeks special session face a roadblock in the state House, where Republican Leader Christine Drazan said on Thursday that her caucus is united in its opposition to Democrats proposed maps.

State lawmakers wrapped up four days of lengthy public hearings on their initial congressional and state legislative district proposals Sept. 13, and they are scheduled to meet Monday for a special session to vote on final plans.

Democrats and Republicans privately discussed potential changes to the Democrats proposed maps over the last couple days. But Democrats, who hold supermajorities in both chambers, had not released any final plans for the public to see until Thursday night.

Under Senate Democrats plans, both chambers would likely continue to have Democratic supermajorities, meaning the party would hold at least 60% of the seats in each chamber, even though Joe Biden only claimed 56% of votes Oregonians cast in the 2020 presidential election.

You May Like: Did Trump Say Republicans Are Stupid

Y Leaders Of The United States House Of Representatives

Party leaders and whips of the United States House of Representatives, also known as floor leaders, are elected by their respective parties in a closed-door caucus by secret ballot. With the Democrats holding a majority of seats and the Republicans holding a minority, the current leaders are Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Minority Whip Steve Scalise.

Balance Of Power: 2022 Senate Races

If Democrats want to win the Senate again, they need to win the four competitive seats they currently hold Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and New Hampshire. That or augment any loss with a gain in any of their three competitive targets Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, or North Carolina.

This Senate preview still holds up, but the shorter version is Democrats are easily favored in Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada. They should also win New Hampshire if Chris Sununu doesnt run .

The thing is, theyre also favored to win in Pennsylvania, where they have a strong field of primary candidates and where Joe Biden won.

They have to be no worse than, and admittedly probably better than, a tossup in Wisconsin, where Republicans have candidate issues and Democrats have a strong likely nominee.

So even if New Hampshire goes Republican because of some local candidate factors, Democrats are in a good spot to win the Senate again.

That means if youre trying to make a bet, you can essentially box out two of four combinations where the GOP wins the Senate, and focus your attention on the two remaining options, if youre looking for the values.

Read Also: How Many Seats Do The Republicans Have In Senate

The Party Thats Actually Best For The Economy

Many analyses look at which party is best for the economy. A study from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that Democratic presidents since World War II have performed much better than Republicans. On average, Democratic presidents grew the economy 4.4% each year versus 2.5% for Republicans.

A study by Princeton University economists Alan Blinder and Mark Watson found that the economy performs better when the president is a Democrat. They report that by many measures, the performance gap is startlingly large. Between Truman and Obama, growth was 1.8% higher under Democrats than Republicans.

A Hudson Institute study found that the six years with the best growth were evenly split between Republican and Democrat presidents.

Most of these evaluations measure growth during the presidents term in office. But no president has control over the growth added during his first year. The budget for that fiscal year was already set by the previous president, so you should compare the gross domestic product at the end of the presidents last budget to the end of his predecessors last budget.

For Obama, that would be the fiscal year from October 1, 2009, to September 30, 2018. Thats FY 2010 through FY 2017. During that time, GDP increased from $15.6 trillion to $17.7 trillion, or by 14%. Thats 1.7% a year.

The chart below ranks the presidents since 1929 on the average annual increase in GDP.

President

1.4%

A president would have better growth if he had no recession.

The Houses Balance Of Power Is Tipped Toward Democrats

The Democrats;have a narrow six-member margin in the current House of Representatives, meaning if just a handful of seats flip, Republicans can regain control of the House.

Democrats;advantage;will grow to seven when Troy Carter is sworn in;to fill a seat in Louisianas delegation left vacant;by Cedric Richmond, who left the House to join the Biden administration as the director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.;

Read Also: Who Controls The Senate Republicans Or Democrats

Census Data Sets Up Redistricting Fight Over Growing Suburbs

The once-a-decade battle over redistricting is set to be a showdown over the suburbs, as new census data showed rapid growth around some of the nations largest cities and shrinking population in many rural counties.

From Texas to Florida, some of the biggest gains reported Thursday came in states where Republicans will control the redistricting process, but often in and around cities where Democrats have been faring well in recent elections.

The new detailed population data from the 2020 census will serve as the building block to redraw 429 U.S. House districts in 44 states and 7,383 state legislative districts across the U.S. The official goal is to ensure each district has roughly the same number of people.

But many Republicans and Democrats also will be trying to ensure the new lines divide and combine voters in ways that make it more likely for their partys candidates to win future elections, a process called gerrymandering. The parties successes in that effort could determine whether taxes and spending grow, climate-change polices are approved or access to abortion is expanded or curtailed.

Black Democrat Collective To Challenge House Republicans

Democrats take House, Republicans keep Senate in historic midterms

A growing group of Black Democrats mostly men is stepping up to try to unseat Republican House members in California, Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina and Illinois.

Why it matters: Although independent analysts like the Cook Political Report think the members’ districts are friendly GOP territory, a Black political group backing the challengers believes the candidates have a chance because of their local ties and the districts’ changing demographics.

Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets.

The backdrop: So far, nine Black Democrats are running to challenge Republicans in these states, but The Collective PAC tells Axios that number will grow by five or more. All but one is a Black man.

What they’re saying: “Our mission is about building Black political power,” said Kevin Olasanoye, The Collective PAC’s political director. It works to ensure equal Black representation at all levels of government.

Between the lines: These campaigns are still in their early stages and the candidates haven’t even conducted polling to find particular vulnerabilities in their Republican opponents.

What to watch: The Collective said it doesn’t intend to get involved in primary challenges to any sitting CBC members, including the one being mounted by Kina Collins against Rep. Danny Davis in Ill.-7.

That said, the group isn’t ruling out getting involved in other Dem-on-Dem primaries, Olasanoye said.

You May Like: Did Trump Say Republicans Are Stupid

Composition Of The Us House Of Representatives By Political Party Affiliation For The 116th Congress In 2019 By State

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The Number Of People Each House Member Represents Will Change

The number of residents represented by each House member will mostly grow;in 2022, though it will decrease per representative in some states.;

Since Montana gained a representative, its two House members will now split the states population currently represented by Rep. Matt Rosendale, a Republican. The addition of another House seat means Montanas House members will represent the least amount of people compared to House members in other states.

Delawares sole House district, currently held by Democratic Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, will be the largest in terms of population.

Recommended Reading: Did Trump Call Republicans Stupid In 1998

With Control Of White House And Congress Democrats Have 2 Years To Make Big Changes

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U.S. Democrats secured unified control of the White House and Congress on Wednesday with the inauguration of President Joe Biden followed by Vice President Kamala Harris swearing in three new Democratic senators.

The three new senators bring the U.S. Senate to a 50-50 Democratic-Republican tie, with Harris as the presiding officer representing the tie-breaking vote.

With the U.S. House continuing under the leadership of Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Biden begins his term with the opportunity to work with the two Democrat-controlled chambers to enact significant legislative changes.;

As a result of the shifting political power on Capitol Hill, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York has succeeded Republican Mitch McConnell as Senate majority leader. The Kentucky senator, who served in the top leadership post for six years, was highly skilled at blocking Democratic legislation, as well as advancing former President Donald Trumps judicial and administration nominees through the confirmation process.;

Schumer acknowledged some of those challenges Wednesday in his first speech as majority leader.

This Senate will tackle the perils of the moment: a once-in-a-generation health and economic crisis. And it will strive to make progress on generations-long struggle for racial justice, economic justice, equality of opportunity and equality under the law, Schumer said.

Y Divisions Of United States Congresses

Party divisions of United States Congresses have played a central role in the organization and operations of both chambers of the United States Congressthe Senate and the House of Representativessince its establishment as the bicameral legislature of the Federal government of the United States in 1789. Political parties had not been anticipated when the U.S. Constitution was drafted in 1787, nor did they exist at the time the first Senate elections and House elections occurred in 1788 and 1789. Organized political parties developed in the U.S. in the 1790s, but political factionsfrom which organized parties evolvedbegan to appear almost immediately after the 1st Congress convened. Those who supported the Washington administration were referred to as “pro-administration” and would eventually form the Federalist Party, while those in opposition joined the emerging Democratic-Republican Party.

You May Like: Did Trump Say Republicans Were Dumb

How The Recall Attempt Made It To The Ballot

Although Gov. Gavin Newsoms critics started their recall attempt because they opposed his stances on the death penalty and immigration, it was the politicization of the pandemic that propelled it onto the ballot as Californians became impatient with shutdowns of businesses and classrooms.

Initiated by a retired Republican sheriffs sergeant in Northern California, Orrin Heatlie, the recall was one of six conservative-led petitions that began circulating within months of Mr. Newsoms inauguration.

Initially, Mr. Heatlies petition had difficulty gaining traction. But it gathered steam as the pandemic swept California and Mr. Newsom struggled to contain it. Californians who at first were supportive of the governors health orders wearied of shutdowns in businesses and classrooms, and public dissatisfaction boiled over in November when Mr. Newsom was spotted mask-free at the French Laundry, an exclusive wine country restaurant, after urging the public to avoid gatherings.

A court order extending the deadline for signature gathering because of pandemic shutdowns allowed recall proponents to capitalize on the outrage and unease.

United States House Of Representatives

United States House of Representatives Flag of the U.S. House of Representatives Type Plurality voting in 46 statesVaries in 4 states

The United States House of Representatives is the lower house of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper house. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.

The House’s composition is established by Article One of the United States Constitution. The House is composed of representatives who sit in congressional districts allocated to each state on a basis of population as measured by the U.S. Census, with each district having one representative, provided that each state is entitled to at least one. Since its inception in 1789, all representatives have been directly elected. The number of voting representatives is fixed by law at 435. If enacted, the DC Admission Act would permanently increase the number of representatives to 436. In addition, there are currently six non-voting members, bringing the total membership of the House of Representatives to 441 or fewer with vacancies. As of the 2010 Census, the largest delegation is that of California, with 53 representatives. Seven states have only one representative: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming.

Recommended Reading: How Many Democrats And Republicans Are In The House

I Do Not Buy That A Social Media Ban Hurts Trumps 2024 Aspirations: Nate Silver

sarah: Yeah, Democrats might not have their worst Senate map in 2022, but it will by no means be easy, and how they fare will have a lot to do with the national environment. And as we touched on earlier, Bidens overall approval rating will also make a big difference in Democrats midterm chances.

nrakich: Yeah, if the national environment is even a bit Republican-leaning, that could be enough to allow solid Republican recruits to flip even Nevada and New Hampshire. And then it wouldnt even matter if Democrats win Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

One thing is for sure, though whichever party wins the Senate will have only a narrow majority, so I think were stuck in this era of moderates like Sens. Joe Manchin and Lisa Murkowski controlling every bills fate for at least a while longer.;

sarah: Lets talk about big picture strategy, then, and where that leaves us moving forward. Its still early and far too easy to prescribe election narratives that arent grounded in anything, but one gambit the Republican Party seems to be making at this point is that attacking the Democratic Party for being too progressive or woke will help them win.

What do we make of that playbook headed into 2022? Likewise, as the party in charge, what are Democrats planning for?

With that being said, the GOPs strategies could still gin up turnout among its base, in particular, but its hard to separate that from general dissatisfaction with Biden.

[crimethinc]

War is Already Here: It's Just Not Very Evenly Distributed

"The future is already here," Cyberpunk pioneer William Gibson once said; "it's just not very evenly distributed." Over the intervening decades, many people have repurposed that quote to suit their needs. Today, in that tradition, we might refine it thus: War is already here—it's just not very evenly distributed.

Never again will the battlefield be just state versus state; it hasn't been for some time. Nor are we seeing simple conflicts that pit a state versus a unitary insurgent that aspires to statehood. Today's wars feature belligerents of all shapes and sizes: states (allied and non-allied), religious zealots (with or without a state), local and expatriate insurgents, loyalists to former or failing or neighboring regimes, individuals with a political mission or personal agenda, and agents of chaos who benefit from the instability of war itself. Anyone or any group of any size can go to war.

The increased accessibility of the technology of disruption and war1 means the barrier to entry is getting lower all the time. The structure of future wars will sometimes feel familiar, as men with guns murder children and bombs level entire neighborhoods—but it will take new forms, too. Combatants will manipulate markets and devalue currencies. Websites will be subject to DDoS attacks and disabling—both by adversaries and by ruling governments. Infrastructure and services like hospitals, banks, transit systems, and HVAC systems will all be vulnerable to attacks and interruptions.

In this chaotic world, in which new and increasing threats ceaselessly menace our freedom, technology has become an essential battlefield. Here at the CrimethInc. technology desk, we will intervene in the discourse and distribution of technological know-how in hopes of enabling readers like you to defend and expand your autonomy. Let's take a glance at the terrain.

Privacy

The NSA listens to, reads, and records everything that happens on the internet.

Amazon, Google, and Apple are always listening2 and sending some amount3 of what they hear back to their corporate data centers4. Cops want that data. Uber, Lyft, Waze, Tesla, Apple, Google, and Facebook know your whereabouts and your movements all of the time. Employees spy on users.

Police5 want access to the contents of your phone, computer, and social media accounts—whether you're a suspected criminal, a dissident on a watch list, or an ex-wife.

The business model of most tech companies is surveillance capitalism. Companies learn everything possible about you when you use their free app or website, then sell your data to governments, police, and advertisers. There's even a company named Palantir, after the crystal ball in The Lord of the Rings that the wizard Saruman used to gaze upon Mordor—through which Mordor gazed into Saruman and corrupted him.6 Nietzsche's famous quote, "When you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you," now sounds like a double transcription error: surely he didn't mean abyss, but app.

Security

Heat map of a massive DDoS attack on a DNS provider that disabled several major websites

Self-replicating malware spreads across Internet of Things (IoT) devices like "smart" light bulbs and nanny cams, conscripting them into massive botnets. The people who remotely control the malware then use these light bulbs and security cameras to launch debilitating DDoS7 attacks against DNS providers, reporters, and entire countries.

Hackers use ransomware to hold colleges, hospitals, and transit systems hostage. Everything leaks, from nude photos on celebrities' phones to the emails of US political parties.

Capital

21st century robber barons at Trump's tech summit, December 14, 2017

Eight billionaires combined own as much wealth as the poorest 50% of the world's population. Four of those eight billionaires are tech company founders.8 Recently, the President of the United States gathered a group of executives to increase collaboration between the tech industry and the government.9

The tech industry in general, and the Silicon Valley in particular, has a disproportionately large cultural influence. The tech industry is fundamentally tied to liberalism and therefore to capitalism. Even the most left-leaning technologists aren't interested in addressing the drawbacks of the social order that has concentrated so much power in their hands.10

War

Programming: war by other means.

Nation states are already engaging in cyber warfare. Someone somewhere11 has been learning how to take down the internet.

Tech companies are best positioned to create a registry of Muslims and other targeted groups. Even if George W. Bush and Barack Obama hadn't already created such lists and deported millions of people, if Donald Trump (or any president) wanted to create a registry for roundups and deportations, all he'd have to do is go to Facebook. Facebook knows everything about you.

The Obama administration built the largest surveillance infrastructure ever—Donald Trump's administration just inherited it. Liberal democracies and fascist autocracies share the same love affair with surveillance. As liberalism collapses, the rise of autocracy coincides with the greatest technical capacity for spying in history, with the least cost or effort. It's a perfect storm.

This brief overview doesn't even mention artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), robots, the venture capital system, or tech billionaires who think they can live forever with transfusions of the blood of young people.

Here at the tech desk, we'll examine technology and its effects from an anarchist perspective. We'll publish accessible guides and overviews on topics like encryption, operational security, and how to strengthen your defenses for everyday life and street battles. We'll zoom out to explore the relation between technology, the state, and capitalism—and a whole lot more. Stay tuned.

If you have a story to tell or a skill to teach, get in touch.

Welcome.

A surplus of AK-47s. Tanks left behind by U.S. military. Malware infected networked computer transformed into DDoS botnets. Off the shelf ready to execute scripts to attack servers. ↩︎

Amazon Echo / Alexa. Google with Google Home. Apple with Siri. Hey Siri, start playing music. ↩︎

What, how much, stored for how long, and accessible by whom are all unknown to the people using those services. ↩︎

Unless you are a very large company, "data center" means someone else's computer sitting in someone else's building. ↩︎

Local beat cops and police chiefs, TSA, Border Patrol, FBI… all the fuckers. ↩︎

Expect to read more about Palantir and others in a forthcoming article about surveillance capitalism. ↩︎

Distributed Denial of Service. More on this in a later article, as well. ↩︎

Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison. In fact, if you count Michael Bloomberg as a technology company, that makes five. ↩︎

In attendance: Eric Trump. Brad Smith, Microsoft president and chief legal officer. Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO. Larry Page, Google founder and Alphabet CEO. Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO. Mike Pence. Donald Trump. Peter Thiel, venture capitalist. Tim Cook, Apple CEO. Safra Catz, Oracle CEO. Elon Musk, Tesla CEO. Gary Cohn, Goldman Sachs president and Trump's chief economic adviser. Wilbur Ross, Trump's commerce secretary pick. Stephen Miller, senior policy adviser. Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO. Ginni Rometty, IBM CEO. Chuck Robbins, Cisco CEO. Jared Kushner, investor and Trump's son-in-law. Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee and White House chief of staff. Steve Bannon, chief strategist to Trump. Eric Schmidt, Alphabet president. Alex Karp, Palantir CEO. Brian Krzanich, Intel CEO. ↩︎

We'll explore this more in a later article about "The California Ideology." ↩︎

Probably a state-level actor such as Russia or China. ↩︎

[themoneybuff-blog]

How Long Could YOU Survive a Job Shutdown? This Simple, Reassuring Tactic Can Help You Prepare

The partial government shutdown has had a serious impact on 800,000 federal employees, including those with essential jobs who are required to work without pay. A quick look at news and social media (especially at Twitters #ShutdownStories) reveals tales of anxiety and sometimes outright terror. If we arent affected ourselves, an all-too-human reaction is to avert our eyes from the misery, silently thanking Deity Of Choice that we arent government employees. Wed do much better to take the shutdown as an object lesson. Even if we dont work for Uncle Sam, we cant truly know that our own employment is rock-solid. We cant predict layoffs, illness, or our companies closing down or being sold to a new owner who slashes personnel by one-third. However, theres a way to prepare for such crises. Its called a Financial Fire Drill, and its both simple and crucial. The FFD is a focused look at essential expenses and how you might cover them during a no-work period, plus a list of resources that answer all the what-ifs. Sound scary? On the contrary! Its liberating as heck to determine how little you could get by on if push comes to shove: If I lose my job or theres another shutdown, we could actually get by on as little as $1,000 dollars a month until times were better. A healthy emergency fund is useful for such an occasion. Some money wonks suggest you have three to six months worth of expenses saved; others insist you need a years worth. While thats a fine theory, it isnt always possible. Besides, the whole point of having the EF isnt just to spend it! Its there in case of emergencies that cant be covered any other way. And if it took more than three months to find a new job or recover from your illness, youd still have bills to pay and no more financial cushion. Thats why a financial fire drill is multifaceted. Rather than relying solely on the money you already have, it gives you a range of strategies. How Much Do You Need? Start your FFD by determining your households absolute baseline expenses in four categories: food, rent/mortgage, utilities, and essential debt service (things like child support and your auto loan). Baseline is the key word here. For example, if you currently pay extra on your mortgage, youd stop doing that temporarily. Luckily, food is the simplest (although not always the easiest!) thing to cut back on; during a crisis youd nix meals out temporarily and switch to basic (but still healthy and delicious) home cooking. As for utilities, consider whats essential. Cable television isnt really a baseline expense, for example you could do without for a few months. If you keep your house overly heated or cooled because you like it that way (versus because someone in your home is medically fragile), then it would be time to look for ways to cool off naturally or to stay warm while turning down the thermostat.(This isnt punishment. Its prudence. Its smart use of available resources and, maybe, a little bit of short-term sacrifice for the sake of your future financial goals.) Add up the baseline expenses and youll have the number you need to beat. If you can come up with that amount every month, youll manage. Finding the Funds Now that you know how much you need, where will you get the dollars? Best-case scenario: Your household has another income source that will mostly or completely cover those essentials. Obviously this would be super-double-awesome, but it probably isnt going to happen in every case. Not everyone can apply for unemployment. (I cant, because Im a private contractor.) If you dont know whether youre eligible, find out. Then bookmark the U.S. Department of Labors CareerOneStop page, so youll be ready to file if necessary. The page also has links to employment and training programs and other useful information. One of the most important things to note is how much you could expect to get if you qualify. Ideally, it would be enough to cover your monthly baseline. But even if it is, thats not the end of your financial fire drill. Pulling in Extra Dollars Going from month to month on just-enough can mean serious anxiety. Were doing OK now, but what if the car breaks down and I cant job-hunt? For this reason, your FFD needs to include ways to bring in extra dollars. A part-time or occasional job (side hustle) is one way to do it. Websites like SideHusl.com and 1099Mom.com are a good place to start. They have job possibilities you might never have imagined. While the gig economy has its issues, it can be a godsend to those in temporary straits. Driving for Lyft or Uber can take a toll on your vehicle beyond, but some say the pay and tips can be lucrative. Non-gig-economy jobs could be available near you, too. Now before you need one start investigating possibilities like delivering pizza, taking on a newspaper route (theyre screaming for drivers where I live), or working in retail or food service. If youve got a college degree, you could look into becoming a substitute teacher. Applying takes time due to the need for a background check, so look into the requirements now. Start by contacting the school district to see if the demand is high. Or create your own income stream. Let it be known through friends and on social media that youre available to walk dogs, babysit, clean houses, or whatever youre good at doing. Tutor kids or teens in math, Spanish, or whatever subject you know well. (Pro tip: Find out what tutoring goes for in your area, to keep from undercharging.) Fix up the spare room nicely and look into options like hosting guests through Airbnb and Homestay.com. Fun fact: If you rent part or all of your primary residence for 14 days or fewer in a year, you dont have to pay taxes on the money you earn. Really! See Chapter 5, page 18 of this Internal Revenue Service publication for the details. Finally, take a hard look at what you own. Make a list of what could be sold on LetGo.com or OfferUp.com if worst came to worst. Listing Possible Resources The unemployment website mentioned above is just a start. The Benefits.gov site features more than 1,200 state and federal benefit and assistance programs. One you really need to learn about is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the new name for food stamps. Each state has a different process, so take some time to learn about yours. For example, you might be required to provide your childs birth certificate got any idea where it is? Feeding America has a food bank locator. Take a minute to look for local resources, and either bookmark the locator or make a list of whats available nearby. Another excellent resource is 211.org, a clearinghouse for social services. Put it on your list of places to call when things get hairy. However, no single resource is all-encompassing; fledgling or hyper-local organizations might fly under even 211.orgs radar. For that reason, be prepared to ask this question of any agency you wind up contacting: Are there any other resources that could help someone in my circumstances? Anyone with student loans should learn about forbearance and deferment. The U.S. Department of Education tells more in this article, which also offers information on student loan consolidation and income-based repayment plans. If youve just been laid off youre likely to be frozen with shock, fear or rage; learning more about your options now, when youre calm, is a good idea. Cut Some Costs, on Paper As noted earlier, youd cut back on extra mortgage payments and meals out. Brainstorm some other ways to pare down expenses. If push comes to shove, you could suspend that gym membership, cancel your cable service, put a temporary halt on529 plancontributions, throttle back on your kids extracurricular activities, cancel any subscription services, re-think the way you entertain yourselves, and look for better deals on cellphone service. An optional (yet recommended) tactic is to do some real worst-case scenario planning. Would it be possible to find a cheaper place to live? If so, could your buddy with a truck help you move vs. your having to rent a moving van? Speaking of friends: If the tough times lingered, would a friend rent you a room vs. your getting an entire apartment? Would really good friends take turns letting you couch-surf? Maybe your sister would take temporary custody of your cat or your cockatiel until you could afford to feed both the pet and yourself. Perhaps you could hire yourself out as a live-in nanny, to avoid having to pay for housing at all. (I know a young woman who put herself through college that way.) Finally: If youre carrying even a little bit of consumer debt right now, make it your mission to vanquish it as soon as possible. Paying interest is a horrible idea even when times are good; paying extra money out when theres no money coming in is infinitely worse. Yay! Youre Done! Now: What to do with all this information? Why, you put it into a folder (real or virtual) and file it away under Hope This Never Happens. Nobody wants to think about losing some or all of their household income. But better to think about it now than the day when your boss greets you by saying, Clean out your desk or your doctor calls and says, We need to talk. Relatively few schools burn down each year, yet we have fire drills anyway. Its part of keeping our kids protected. Give your finances the same kind of care and forethought by starting your own financial fire drill today. Award-winning journalist and veteran personal finance writerDonna Freedmanis the author of Your Playbook for Tough Times: Living Large on Small Change, for the Short Term or the Long Haul and Your Playbook for Tough Times, Vol. 2: Needs AND Wants Edition. More byDonna Freedman: https://www.thesimpledollar.com/financial-fire-drill-how-long-could-you-survive-a-job-shutdown/

[themoneybuff-blog]

HelloFresh review: Is a meal delivery service worth it?

Hey, Kim said one day last week as she was leaving for work. Theres a package coming today from one of the doctors I work with. To thank all of his hygienists, hes sending us a trial of HelloFresh. Whats HelloFresh? I asked. Its a meal delivery service, Kim said. Anyhow, itd be great if you could bring in the package and put the food in the fridge. And itd be even greater if you made one of the meals for dinner! I kissed her good-bye, then promptly forgot what she had told me. (This is par for the course.) How Does HelloFresh Work? That afternoon when I returned from walking the dog, a package from HelloFresh was waiting on the porch. I took it inside to open it. The box contained three brown paper sacks, each with a different meal from HelloFresh. Oh yeah, I thought. Im supposed to make dinner from one of these. I wonder what they are. I opened the bag labeled Pineapple Poblano Beef Tacos. Inside was an illustrated recipe card and a set of pre-measured ingredients. Seems simple enough, I said to the dog. Tahleuqah just looked at me as if I were supposed to feed her. That dog is always ready for food.

When Kim got home from work, I made the tacos. They were amazing. Im not joking. They were delicious. (The dog agrees.) You know, I should have taken photos along the way, I told Kim. I should write about this at Get Rich Slowly. Well, you could always make dinner for us again tomorrow night, she said. So I did. And this time, I did take pictures. For round two, the dog and I prepared Sweet-as-Honey Chicken. Heres the bag and recipe card:

Here are the ingredients from inside the bag and the other side of the recipe card (with actual instructions):

Heres some of my meal prep:

And heres the final product:

You know what my favorite part of this is? Kim asked as I served her dinner. Its that you can use the paper sack to dispose of your trash while you prep the meal. (Im kind of messy in the kitchen.) The dog look hurt. Shes always happy to help us dispose of kitchen trash. While not quite as delicious as the tacos, the chicken was still very good. And simple. (The HelloFresh recipe cards estimate 20-30 minutes of prep time; for me, that was more like 30-45 minutes. But then Im always slow in the kitchen.) How Much Does HelloFresh Cost? How much did this cost? I asked. Im not sure, she said. The doctor paid for it. But I think its something like $20 per meal. So, since he sent us three meals, thats about $60 for the week. That seems expensive, I said. I should research the numbers. So, like a good money nerd, thats exactly what I did. First, I checked the HelloFresh website to find out how much the service costs. There are three plans Veggie, Classic, and Family each with similar costs. Veggie Plan: three recipes per week at $9.99 per serving.Classic Plan: your choice of two, three, or four recipes per week at $9.99 per serving. If you choose the four-person plan, your only option is three recipes per week. If you choose two recipes per week on the two person plan, theres a $7.99 delivery charge.Family Plan: two or three recipes per week at $8.74 per serving. In other words, HelloFresh costs between $9 and $10 per person per meal. Thats much cheaper than eating in a restaurant, obviously, but its more expensive than normal home dining. Or is it? I decided to dig deeper into the numbers. During the first four months of 2018, I spent an average of $477.33 per month on groceries and $332.01 per month on restaurants. Thats a total of $809.34 per month on food. Given 90 meals in a typical month, my food spending averages $8.99 per meal. Holy cats! Thats right: My average monthly food spending is almost the same as the cost of subscribing to HelloFresh. From this perspective, a meal delivery service seems like a good deal. But what if I were to simply make my own versions of the HelloFresh recipes? I wondered. What would my costs be then? Armed with the Sweet-as-Honey Chicken recipe card, I made a trip to the local Wal-Mart. I browsed the aisles, pricing out the individual ingredients.

From my calculations, itd cost me $6.10 to purchase the ingredients needed for the meal. (This counts only the quantities Id need for that specific meal, not the extra garlic, rice, chicken, etcetera that Id end up with.) Thats a total of $3.05 per person per meal versus $9.99 per person per meal. From this perspective, HelloFresh isnt such a good deal. If I were a subscriber, this meal would have cost me more than three times what I could pay for the ingredients at Wal-Mart. Is HelloFresh Worth It? Ill confess: As much as I wanted to not like HelloFreshI liked it. A lot. The meals are fun, tasty, and convenient. From what I can tell, here are the advantages of a meal delivery service like this: Ingredients are precisely measured so theres no waste. (This is a huge advantage. If I were making the chicken recipe on my own, for instance, what would I do with the big container of chicken stock Id have left over?)Its easy to track calories. Each shipment includes detailed nutrition info, just like youd find on pre-packaged food in the store.The meals are relatively healthy. (From my perspective, theyre very healthy; Kim thinks theyre only moderately so.)The three recipes we tried were all delicious. That said, all of the HelloFresh recipes are available for free on their website.The meals were relatively easy to make. There were a couple of times I thought things were unclear, but as I mentioned earlier, Im a little slow in the kitchen.Making these meals is a great way to learn new cooking skills. After making the chicken glaze, for example, I feel like I could create other similar glazes. In fact, I only have good things to say about the entire HelloFresh experience with one obvious exception: the price. But heres the thing: The meals were better quality than what we usually eat at home. And theyre much cheaper than what we pay to eat out. We didnt eat out a single time last week. (Actually, we went two weeks without eating in a restaurant, which must be a new record for us.) I dont feel like the HelloFresh prices are outrageous by any means. Theyre just not frugal. So, I cant see recommending a meal delivery service to a family on a budget or to somebody who already does a lot of cooking and knows how to co-ordinate meal plans. On the other hand, HelloFresh could be a terrific option for people who might otherwise spend a lot on food. As for us? At this point, we dont plan to become regular HelloFresh subscribersbut we havent ruled it out either. Although Im slow and unsure as a chef, I enjoy cooking. Instead of using HelloFresh, I think Im going to make an effort to prepare more meals at home during the coming months, meals that are not from a can. If that doesnt work out? And if my $8.99 spending per meal doesnt drop? Well, then HelloFresh is an excellent option. Another option for somebody interested in a service like HelloFresh but not willing to pay the price? Check out $5 Meal Plan from my buddies Erin and Jim. Their service doesnt ship you the ingredients, but it gives you meal plans and recipes that work out to about $2 per person per meal. https://www.getrichslowly.org/hellofresh-review/