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atths--twice · 4 years ago

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Per Cor Meum

What happened after the IVF failed in Per Manum? How did they move past it? Together or apart? You know Mulder won't let her be alone in this moment. He is going to make sure she is doing okay. 💙

I wrote this a couple of years ago and I wanted to share it again. This is one of my favorites and I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter One 1/8

Heartache and Healing

Mulder is there for Scully when she comes home from the doctor. The IVF has failed and now they must deal with the aftermath.

“Never give up on a miracle,” he said. She took a deep breath and kissed him on the cheek, the neck, before returning to his embrace, borrowing his strength. She choked on a sob that had bubbled to the surface since discovering the ova implantation had failed. Finding Mulder waiting in her apartment, had been her breaking point. She cannot hide her pain, sorrow, and utter defeat from him.

He held her close, lending her his strength. He hummed as he rocked her slowly, not letting go until she decided to move.

She took a step back and placed her hands on his chest. Looking into his eyes, she thanked him wordlessly for his comfort and support. He nodded and squeezed her hips lightly as she stepped away.

She walked into her room and shut the door. He knew she needed a minute to compose herself, but as he stared after her, his heart ached for her, for both of them. He did not know what to do. He felt wound up and he needed to do something. Something to change fate, to give her what she should have. He cannot do that, however, so he decided to do something he could do and make her some tea. He heard her door open and then the bathroom door close. Filling the kettle with water, he turned on the range and placed the kettle down. Opening the cupboard, he took down two mugs and set them on the counter. Searching through the container that held the bags of tea, he found the nighttime tea one she liked to use to help her sleep.

He heard the bathroom door open and then she padded into the kitchen. “Water should be ready in a few minutes. Do you want the sleepy tea?” he asked quietly, turning his head to look at her.

She looked so small standing there in her flannel pajama pants and a black long sleeved shirt. He could see that she had been crying again, biting her lip to stop now, but made no comment on it, as he waited for her answer about the tea.

“That’s fine, Mulder. Whichever one you pick will be fine,” she said in a small voice, before turning and walking to the couch. She sat down, her back to him, and let out a long sigh. He watched her pull her knees up to her chest and rest her head there.

Fucking hell, he thought as he clenched his jaw and roughly ran his hand across his eyes and mouth. He willed the water to hurry so he would have something to do with this angry energy. At the same time, once the tea was ready, it would mean facing her. He did not know if he could do that right now without blubbering like a goddamn baby.

When she had asked him to be the one to help her have a baby, he was overcome with a myriad of emotions. More than anything, he was worried. But his worry was for her, that this would not work and she would be exactly where she was right now. He braced himself on the counter, took a deep breath, and stood up.

The tea kettle whistled. He shut off the fire and poured the water into their waiting mugs. He let the tea steep, then added a couple of ice cubes to each mug. He took a small plate from the cupboard and placed it under his arm as he grabbed the mugs and headed toward the couch.

She raised her head as he set the mugs down, on the coffee table; the plate next to them. “For the teabags,” he said at her questioning look. She nodded and rested her cheek on her knees.

He sat at the opposite end of the couch, his hands folded in his lap. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and saw a single tear slide down her nose. She took a shuddering breath, wiped it away, and raised her head.

She sat cross legged with her back against the end of the couch, facing him, her eyes closed. He glanced at her again, waiting for what, he was not sure.

He could hear the kitchen clock ticking as they sat in silence. He leaned forward and took her teabag out of her cup, setting in on the plate. He then picked up the cup and blew on it a few times before handing it to her.

His movement had caused her to open her eyes and she had watched him. Seeing him blow on her tea, was such a small gesture, and yet it brought tears to her eyes. She tried to blink them away before he noticed.

But nothing escaped him. As he handed her the mug, he brushed his fingers across hers, offering her a small amount of comfort.

“Thank you, Mulder,” she whispered, as she held the cup in her hands, letting the warmth seep into her fingers.

“Did you want some sugar? I forgot to add it,” he asked as he started to stand up.

“No, Mulder. I don’t use sugar anymore. This is fine. Thank you," she said, giving him a small smile.

He nodded and sat back down, grabbing his own tea as he did and placed the teabag on the plate beside hers. He remembered now that she had recently stopped using sugar or eating overly sugary foods. She had told him some sciencey reason, but he had only half listened. He knew her. Knew how much she loved sweets. He had figured she would give up this kick like she did with the bee pollen thing.

She had stayed true to her word though, and no longer bought sugary treats. However, it did not stop her from sneaking a piece of a brownie he bought before a plane ride, or taking small bites of a dessert he had ordered.

He took a drink of his tea and he grimaced. “Nope. You may not want sugar, but I definitely need some. How can you drink that without some kind of sweetener? I’m getting some honey,” he said as he stood up and headed toward the kitchen.

He opened the cupboard, happy to see she still had some in there. He squeezed a generous amount into his tea. He grabbed a spoon, stirred it, and gave it another tentative taste. Yeah, that was better. He started back toward the couch when he heard her call out his name. He looked at her, holding out her own mug, silently asking for some honey. He turned back to grab it with a smile. Yeah, she “gave up” sugar.

He walked to her and squeezed some honey in her cup, but not as much as his. He stirred it and stepped back, watching her. She took a drink and nodded. He brought the honey and spoon back to the kitchen. Picking up his mug, he joined her on the couch.

They drank their tea in silence. Any discussion, aside from what happened today, seemed unimportant. He wanted to know more, but he did not want to push. He glanced at her, but her eyes were down, looking at her feet and holding her mug in her lap.

She took a deep breath and uncrossed her legs. Leaning forward, she set her mug on the coffee table. Standing up, she looked at him.

“I think I want to go to bed, Mulder.”

He stood up and grabbed her mug, moving around the couch, with her following behind. He put the mugs in the sink and turned to her, finding her standing with her head down. Things unsaid were stilling hanging in the air, but tonight would not be the night.

“Okay,” he said quietly. “I’ll let you get some sleep then, Scully. I’ll see you tomorrow?” Her head snapped up and her eyes were wide. “Okay, maybe not tomorrow..” he said half-jokingly.

She stared at him. Trying to relay what she wanted without actually speaking; her eyes were desperate and almost scared.

“Or I could stay. If.. I mean.. if you’d like me to,” he said even quieter, giving her a chance to say no, as if he had not spoken at all.

She let out a breath and nodded slightly. He nodded back and she turned toward her room. He headed to the couch, where he had been waiting earlier, before she came home and shared the heartbreaking news.

“What are you-“ she said brokenly, her breathing ratcheting up.

He looked at her in surprise, pointing to the couch with raised eyebrows. She shook her head and gestured toward her bedroom, walking out of the room and he followed. She was opening her closet when he walked in the room. He did not spend much time in there, always feeling it was her sacred place and he should ask for her permission.

He stood looking around, before she walked up to him and handed him some clothes. He looked at her in surprise once again.

“These are my clothes, Scully. Where did you get these?” He was holding a pair of his sweatpants and a dark grey shirt, and under the shirt a pair of his underwear. He looked at her as she smiled softly.

“Mulder, do you know how many times I’ve had to pack for you or grab what you've forgotten over the years? I’ve brought it home and kept it here. Inevitably, at some point, I knew you would need them. Looks like I was right.”

“Good looking out, partner,” he said, as he stepped back to head to the bathroom.

“Uh.. you can change in here. I’ll use the bathroom first?” She stated it like a question, as though looking for his approval. He nodded and she left the room.

It was odd to be undressing in her room. The last time he had been undressed in here, he had been suffering from toxins in his water. He did not remember much about that night, waking in only his underwear, thinking he could no longer trust her.

He shook his head as he slipped his sweatpants on then his shirt. He folded his clothes and put them on the table in the kitchen. Hearing the toilet flush, he went to stand in the hallway, leaning against the wall and waiting for her.

She opened the door, surprised to find him right there. “There is an extra toothbrush on the counter, it’s new. I just opened it.” She walked past him heading for her room.

He went into the bathroom and used the toilet, washed his hands and face, and brushed his teeth. It was strange how being in her bathroom, getting ready for bed, was more intimate than when they had shared a bathroom for a few days in San Diego.

They had gotten ready for the day, together in that bathroom. He had brushed his teeth, shaved, and brushed his hair while she had done what she needed. He was fascinated to watch the small amount of time she took to get ready, fixing her hair and makeup, yet she looked as if she had spent hours doing so. Standing in that bathroom with her had felt... comfortable.

He had gotten up earlier than her while they were there, going for a run and making coffee when he had returned. As he had waited for it to brew, he smiled, knowing she was upstairs either still sleeping, or possibly just waking up. When it was ready, he had taken their mugs upstairs, and knocked on the door, entering at her sleepy “come in.” He had set her coffee on the nightstand as he went to get ready, bringing his own coffee with him. She had shuffled in not long after, yawning-her hair tousled and carrying her cup.

He had felt so comfortable with her, no hesitation, no embarrassment to be standing half naked and shaving, while she leaned against the counter and talked to him. She had been so adorable in the mornings.

He put his toothbrush down now, in the cup next to hers. He opened the door and walked back to her room, finding her sitting on her bed, leaning forward, fingers interlocked and her head down. He stood in the doorway, watching her, not knowing what to do.

“Scully, I’m going to head out to the couch. I’ll grab a blanket from the closet.”

She jumped up and stared at him. “Mulder... no... I...” She took a deep breath. “I... could you stay with me? In here? Mulder, I don’t want to be alone.”

He stepped into the room in two strides, wrapping his arms around her. “Of course, Scully. Whatever you need, I’m here.” She pulled him close and held him tightly before stepping back and walking to her bed. Pulling the blankets back, she put the extra pillows on the chair. Mulder walked to the other side of the bed and helped her.

She got in bed, lying on her side, her back to him as she pulled the covers up to her chest. He climbed under the sheets beside her, lying on his back. She reached her hand behind her and he immediately held her fingers in his. She tried to choke back a sob, but she could not keep it in. Mulder squeezed her hand and she began to cry in earnest.

“Can... can you hold me?” she said between sobs, pulling his hand, trying to bring him closer.

He turned immediately, pulling her close to him. She was sobbing, her body shaking. He held her close and let her cry. He knew that nothing he said right then would make her feel better. Nothing he said would stop the feelings of failure, of hopes realized and then ripped away. He let her cry and held her, reassuring her that he was there with her, and he was not going to let her do this alone. She was starting to calm down, her tears slowing somewhat as she held onto Mulder’s arm around her waist, gripping at his forearm.

“Doctor Parenti said they had three ova that were viable,” she said, ending with a sob as he held his breath. He knew this already, as they had been aware of it from the beginning...

They sat in the doctor’s office a couple days after he had given his first specimen. They discussed his sperm count, mobility, and chance of fertilization. It was all said in medical factual terms, yet he found himself blushing. To be discussing his sperm count in front of Scully seemed very personal.

He laughed inwardly at that thought. They had been through so much, yet he blushed discussing his sperm count. Scully sat and nodded, asking occasional questions. He should not even be feeling uncomfortable though, his part was easy. He would need to give one more donation and they would use that to fertilize her eggs and get them ready for implantation.

He felt the need to shift his legs at the thought of her on a table, her legs in those stirrup things, while the doctor put an instrument inside of her body. God... his part was so easy. She glanced at him, and seeing the slight grimace on his face, she put a hand on his arm.

Dr. Parenti was called out of the room at that moment, leaving them alone.

“You okay, Mulder? Not having second thoughts are you? Or is it the sperm discussion?” she teased with a smile. “You know for a guy who has a collection of videos that aren’t his, this discussion sure seems to make you uncomfortable.” Her eyes shone, knowing she just informed that yes, she had seen him blushing.

He smiled as he looked down and turned his hand over, lacing his fingers with hers. He caught her surprised look, but she did not pull her hand away.

He looked at her, really looked at her. She had such hope in her eyes, so happy that the possibility of this chance existed, she seemed to be radiating light. He knew it might not happen, but he would fight anyone who tried to take this from her.

“I was just thinking about your portion of this Scully and what you will have to go through. Seems an unfair advantage being a man sometimes,” he said with a half smile. “My part in this is fairly easy. A little... out of my comfort zone, but bearable. I was just thinking that I wish you had the same easiness I did.”

She looked at him with such tenderness, it almost took his breath away. She smiled and squeezed his hand. “I appreciate the concern Mulder, really I do. But honestly, the procedure is relatively equally as invasive as going to the gynecologist. Been doing that half my life, so this will be similar.”

He was about to say something flippant, when the door opened and Dr. Parenti came back into the room. They both pulled their hand away at the same time, but not before he noticed and grinned at them, causing them both to blush.

He explained more information about Mulder’s next donation. The need to abstain from sexual activities, including on his own, which caused him to blush again and Scully to smile.

Scully and Dr. Parenti discussed what she would need to do, but he was not listening. He was watching her. She was smiling and so happy. He was so worried that this plan would end in heartbreak. He knew better than to say anything or discourage her.

He had kept the information about her ova from her believing he was protecting her. Protecting her from falling headlong into something with a low success rate. His fear seemed to be coming true.

Soon they were out of the office and leaving the building. He suggested getting a coffee and she agreed. As they sat outside, enjoying the day, she looked at him and he knew he had been caught.

“Mulder, I know that the odds of this working may not be incredibly high, but I still have to try. I have the chance to possibly have a child, and I.. this is my last chance, Mulder. Really, it’s my only chance. I know you’re worried, I am too. But Mulder..." She reached for his hand and he gave it. “I need you to stop looking at me the way you do, with so much worry. You might think you’re being secretive, but I know you. I see it. Please, Mulder.”

He bowed his head and closed his eyes. Of course she saw, of course she knew what he was doing. He had not been making eye contact with her much in the office and his smiles were forced. She saw through him all the time. He opened his eyes and looked at her with a sigh. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers, then rested her hand against his chin.

“I’m just worried about you, Scully. I just... I don’t... I worry about you,” he said. looking into her eyes, his own full of worry and sadness.

She opened her hand and stroked his face. “I know you worry Mulder, I know. But whatever the outcome, I have to try. I have to.”

They stared at each other. Finally, he nodded and he smiled. She smiled back and brought her hand back to her lap. They finished their coffee in companionable silence.

When the day came for the procedure, after Mulder had given his last donation, and the embryos were ready to be implanted, Mulder waited for her in the waiting room. He was wound tight with anxious energy and he could not sit still. He would be down for awhile, then up pacing the room, then back down in the chair-his legs bouncing up and down.

After what felt like forever, on his tenth trip walking around the room, a nurse came to get him. She had a smile on her face which he misunderstood to mean everything went well. She told him Scully had asked her to get him and bring him back to the recovery room. That she would know him because he would be pacing around, his hands either on his hips, in his hair, or on his neck.

“I watched you for a bit, and she had you pegged perfectly. You two must have been together a long time,” she said, smiling at him, leading him down the hall. He smiled back, but said nothing. He wanted to get to Scully, make sure she was okay.

The nurse opened the door to Scully's room and she turned her head to him, giving him a sleepy smile.

“So which was it?” she asked the nurse with a smirk as she looked at him. “Hips, hair, or neck?”

“Would you believe, all three?” the nurse said with a laugh.

“Hmmm, yeah... the trifecta. Must have been really worried about something,” she said with a kind smile and sleepy voice, her eyes flitting to his and then fighting to stay open.

“They gave her a sedative. She’ll sleep for a little while, maybe an hour or so, but she wanted you here with her. I brought you a chair and there are some magazines if you’re interested. I’ll leave you two alone now. If you need anything, just push the call button.”

“Thank you," he said, the first words he had said to her. “Thanks a lot.” She smiled with a nod and left the room.

He sat in the chair and pulled it closer to her bed. She was already asleep, her mouth slightly open. She had a low tolerance for sedatives, the smallest dosage knocking her out. She might sleep longer than the other patients in here.

He watched her sleeping and felt his breath catch. This was it. The deed was done. He looked at her face, making sure she was asleep. He watched her face as he reached out and gently touched her stomach, and she did not move.

He closed his eyes and put his head on the metal bedrail. He kept his hand on her stomach and called out to a god that he did not believe in, begging to please let this work. “Please, please, please, please...” He felt tears on his arm before he even realized he had even been crying.

He lifted his head, worried she might have woken and seen him crying. She still slept, unaware of his breakdown. He wiped his eyes and his nose. He took his hand off her stomach and held her hand instead as he sat back in the chair. Now that he knew she was okay, now that he could touch her and see her, he felt his body relax. He drifted off to sleep with her, his heart no longer racing.

Now here they were, in her bed, her heart breaking and he could do nothing to help her. Their chance had come and gone. There were no more ova that were viable. Three strikes and they were out. He wanted to beat the fucking shit out of every last person who did this to her.

He cannot though, most of them are already dead. Burnt alive by an unknown alien race. If many innocent lives were not lost that day, he would feel more of a sense of victory, but he does not. Not when the person he cared for most in the world was experiencing another heartbreak because of them and their crusade. Fuck them. They deserved to die.

He pulled Scully closer and kissed her hair. She was crying more quietly now, her sobs slowing. “What else did he say, Scully?” He closed his eyes, wanting but not wanting to hear the answer.

She took a deep shuddering breath. “He said, that it was a long shot to begin with, but,” she tried to calm her voice as it caught on her tears. “But, that it had been worth it to see if it would work. He’s right.. although it doesn’t feel that way right now. I know.. I know I said I wanted to try, that I had to.. but.. Mulder.. god..”

She started crying again and all he could do was hold her. Lend her his comfort, his strength, whatever she needed, he would give it.

“Scully, if you hadn’t tried,” he said quietly, against her ear. “If you had known they were there and did nothing, you would have regretted it, you know you would have. You had to try. If... if I had told you sooner... if I had..”

“Mulder, it wouldn’t have made a difference,” she cut across him. “You said yourself you had them tested. Maybe... maybe... Dr. Parenti just had high hopes and wanted to try. I don’t know. God... I just thought that one would make it. That... that my prayers and hopes and my faith in this science, would work for me, not against me.”

Mulder felt a huge lump in his throat and he unsuccessfully tried to choke back a sob. She heard it and turned over, wrapping herself around him, burying her head in his neck as she pulled his to hers. He pulled her closer to him with one arm by her waist, the other arm around her neck.

They clung to each other and cried. Both for the same and also different reasons. They both wept for the baby that was never going to be, the little half Mulder, half Scully. The inquisitive baby with bluish hazel eyes and auburn hair. The baby that would give Mulder the family he craved and Scully the family she deserved. The baby that would have shown it did not matter how it came into the world, but that love had made it possible.

Mulder cried for Scully. All that had been taken from her, stolen, the hell she had gone through and again she suffered. Again the bad guys had won. He cried because he could not protect her that day when he followed her to Skyland Mountain. He had been so close, and he had failed her. All of this was because of him. She suffered because of him. And yet, she stayed with him. She wanted him to bring life onto the planet with her. He cried for the trust she placed in him and yet he had failed her. He cried.

Scully cried for Mulder. She cried because she knew he blamed himself. He saw all of her suffering as his fault. He had no idea that she would have been taken and as a result this chain reaction of shit would begin. She cried because she knew that even if she had known, she would not have left him. She would sacrifice her future if it meant she could be a part of his present. She cried for the guilt she felt to think that way, but she knew it was true. She cried.

Wrapped up in each other, they wept. When at last there were no more tears, when they both were spent, they clung to the other and slept.

#The X Files #XF Fanfic #Per Manum #Angst #Caring #Sleeping Together #Hugging and Holding #Crying #Sharing the Pain

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uswe · 4 years ago

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Menstruation Shouldn’t Be Traumatic

Just read a post on Reddit about someone who had her pain trivialized to the point that she didn't seek medical care for incredibly heavy, painful periods for 18 years and is infertile because of this, and unhappy about it, so it's time for my periodic (pun intended) menstrual PSA:

The teen years can be weird hormonally, but if you've got a uterus and are over 21, menstruation shouldn't be a surprise horror.

A regular schedule (except under extreme stress) of approximately a month (this can vary, but less than 3 weeks or more than 6 between, or longer than 1 week of are all red flags) is what you should be experiencing as an adult.

Connective tissue sometimes goes a little weird beforehand, but to the extent of I tend not to read physical books the day before (or ever, but not for the same reason) or my thumb hurts.

Minor gastrointestinal whatever can still accompany it, but the keyword here is MINOR. Like. More minor than the expected outcome of drinking a couple too many cups of coffee.

Cramps should be a 3 or less on the attached pain scale. Before painkillers. The recommended dose of an NSAID - on the bottle, not per what a medical professional said wouldn't kill you - should mean you are pain free. I cannot overemphasize how important this one is.

Mood impacts should be minor. I get like a day of heightened anxiety, but I already score consistently in the 'mild anxiety' range of most tests because my brain chemistry is not great, so I can't really speak to this point much except to say that menstruation shouldn't wreck your everything.

Flow should not, on its own, endanger your health through blood loss. Like, I'm pretty sure we can all generally expect Fountains Of Blood Day, where it's 'check your menstrual products every three hours or expect to do laundry.' But it should be a day or less, not the whole time. And if FOBD is heavier than that, requiring checking every two hours or less, that is also a red flag!

If you menstruate and any of these stand out to you, talk to a doctor! Talk to as many medical professionals as necessary to be taken seriously. Really awful menstruation can be a sign of underlying conditions like Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), which can also be tied to depression, infertility, and other medical problems, or Endometriosis, which can also cause infertility but also incredible pain in other areas of the body. And, like, I bring up infertility, and I know not everyone who menstruates wants to bear biological children, but menstruation problems can be symptomatic of wider systemic issues, as well as themselves impacting quality of life. And, frequently, they're treatable. Usually, in mild cases, with hormonal birth control!

You deserve not to be miserable. You deserve not to be in pain, even if it's intermittent. You deserve medical care that recognizes that. Please see a doctor if menstruation is an ordeal for you.

Also, fight the stigma around menstruation that makes it hard for us to have these conversations, and unnecessarily harder for people who menstruate to recognize that their misery is in fact a problem that can, in many cases, be solved.

#menstruation #periods #psa #menstruation psa #i care a lot about this #i'm also like the baseline: if your periods are worse than mine talk to a doctor #i'm so mad about this so much of the time #ALSO #you will goddamn note that this is for anyone who menstruates #sometimes people have their uteruses taken out #i don't expect them to menstruate at all #sometimes people associate menstruation with gender #to which i say fuck you

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misstring · 5 years ago

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The Secret I Almost Uncovered (Tim Drake x Reader)

Reader Gender: There is no mention of any gender.

Warnings: Nothing particular that stands out.

Synopsis: Security guards at museums working graveyard shifts have one of the most reports to do with broken glass, burglaries, and vigilantes falling through the glass roof.

Other notes: Reader is working as a security guard and at a cafe.

Working at a museum is like working in another world, all of the tools, mummies, paintings, and other priceless artifacts take you back into time. Working a graveyard shift as a security guard in a museum that is located in the heart of Gotham is like working with electrons. An electron can be anywhere at any point of time, likewise, at any moment, lights can flash by the windows, a window can crack, or even, on occasion, a vigilante, not Batman, will fall through the ceiling.

Tonight, it was a Ti--I mean-- Drake that fell through the ceiling. At least I think it is. All I see is brown and going from process of elimination, Batman--dark blue or black--, Nightwing--in Bludhaven but otherwise blue, very blue--, Red Hood--red and gray, generally--, and the little guy, Robin,--bright red and green, to the point you can see him from across the city if you are high up enough-- it is. There is also the fact that he stayed on the floor for 15 minutes before he actually got up and took a deep breath in and sighed.

I brought over a first-aid kit but by the time I managed to gather up the courage to speak to him, he vanished leaving a note reading 'Sorry, will have a check sent to fix it later'

I mean, sure. They all did that and who sent the check? Batman? No. Bruce Wayne. The Bruce Wayne. Since when did they have a connection with him? Is it part of the job? There were times when the Waynes would donate large sums of money to help out organizations and there were stories of when someone from that family helps out an average citizen in Gotham, struggling to make a living.

Ah, Gotham. I call it the City of Perpetual Darkness. It can be night and it'll be dark, during the day when the sun is shining down as bright as it can, the pollution is enough to darken the sky. People cough, left, right, and center, there is crime happening behind every building, in alleyways, and, ever since Batman showed up, a crazy lunatic rallied up a bunch of people and used the symbol of fun and laughter for fear and terror--an author wrote a horror story of one in the sewers, luring kids in--haven’t read it, heard it was good.

I finished brushing up the shattered glass, which scattered the floor. After taping the location off and writing the report, I ended my shift as the next guy started. I nod, my eyes already partially closing as I haven't been able to sleep with the mayhem the past couple of days. He sighs out as he reads my report. I sign out and leave.

Gotham is never safe for anyone. You can be Oswald Cobblepot and still be in danger. Last I know, someone saw him fighting Red Hood. That was a while ago, though. See, there's a danger for everyone, yet no one wants to leave. It has this addictive aura where once you are hooked, the symptoms of leaving are withdrawing into oneself, looking off into the distance towards Gotham City for extended periods of time, and feeling like a part of your soul is missing.

I look up. People scream all the time, but this one was different. It was not the normal scream of fear or joy, rather a yell of frustration. I'm intrigued. Watching people in pain? Not my thing. Trying to help out someone in trouble? Last time I did that, I was sent to the hospital for several weeks and undergone several surgeries. I am perfectly healthy now and I do not want to ruin that streak. Do I dare, though, a quick glance as to the source of this cry?

The alleyway comes up. I dare, more than a quick glance.

Brown, that almost blended in with the dirt but the shine of the golden stripes gave him away. I stay silent and watch as he taps the brick wall and asks "Why?" He looks up again and aims a gun towards the sky. A grappling hook shoots out of the open end, into the sky and grabs onto the top of the building. He pulls on it and it falls off the building. He falls on his back and sighs. He moves his hand towards his ear and says "Will be late, taking a nap," before falling asleep in the middle of Gotham.

Where are his parents?!

A small figure scales down the building and lands next to Drake. He looks down, slaps Drake a bit and says, "Drake, get up," rather loud and it echoes off the wall. The little figure looks at me. "What do you want? I will kill you if you take another step towards us."

I look around me, no one. Who is he talking to? Oh, wait. He's talking to me!

"Yes, I am talking to you, " he had a sword out in front of him. "Stop looking around like a bumbling idiot."

Okay, he's a rude one.

Before I can answer, Drake gets up and stops the little one from charging at me. He looks at me with recognition and smiles, “You’re that security guard from the glass-roofed museum. Thank you for always bringing us the first aid kit when we fall through the roof.”

The little one exclaims something, but I do not listen; my phone is ringing. I answer my phone and my boss yelled at me, asking where I was. I glance at the time, I ran.

I got into the shop 10 minutes later than usual, but I managed to sneak in a small nap before starting my shift. One of my co-workers had taken cover for an hour into my shift and I started later than usual. He hands me a macchiato with four shots of espresso, my favorite. I thank him and I clock in. It was still dark outside, a couple of hours before anyone in the city would even start to trickle in.

“Hello, what would you like today?” I say, as a small figure comes to the front. I recognized him, Robin, or the little one.

He looks at the board and then at me, “May I have a--” his face showed surprise before it was replaced by his normal scowl, “Oh, it’s you.”

I nod.

He just sighs and asks, “May I bring in Drake so he can rest in the corner?”

I looked to the back, no one was there. Everyone left and I was the only one in the store, aside from the little one. “Yes.”

Relief spreads through his otherwise tense expression. He goes outside and half carries a partially unconscious man. “Come on, Drake,” he whispers out, trying to carry the taller man, but only succeeding in keeping him upright and dragging across the floor. I hurry over and help him onto a bench, bringing him a blanket I kept in my locker for my naps.

His head turns towards Robin and he asks, “You promised to get me coffee.”

Robin clicks his tongue and scowls, “Tell me that when you slept for more than 20 minutes per night. I do not care if your friends are in danger, or if you have to solve this case to save hundreds. If you cannot take care of yourself, you cannot take care of anyone else.”

“Dami,” He whispers out before falling asleep.

He turns towards me and apologizes for the inconvenience. I offer him a cup of hot chocolate and he deepens his scowl. “I am not a child.”

“I never said you were,” I say, fixing myself a cup of hot chocolate alongside the other one. I place the cup in front of him and as I drink my drink at the front. No one really cared except for the owner, who was not in at the moment.

Police sirens whiz by and Robin stands up, “Someone will be back for him,” he says, leaving the café through the front door.

I collect the two empty cups. He may act like an adult but he still had his childlike innocence within him, minuscule, but prevailing. What an interesting turn of events.

I wash the dishes and as I set the cups on the drying rack to dry, Tim-- I mean-- Drake sits up and shouts, “Damian!” He looks around with his eyes wide as he realized two things: 1. He wasn’t in his safe house or wherever he goes after the vigilante work, and 2. He just gave away Robin’s secret identity. Or maybe more, but I wouldn’t know.

“Good to see that you are alive. Robin said someone would be here for you soon,” I say, picking up my Wonder Woman blanket from the floor--she is a great person, Princess Diana, if you ever get the chance to meet and talk with her.

“I-- Where am I?” he asks me.

I smile and point to the top of the menu which had the store name.

“Who are you?” he asks me, looking intently at my face.

“I can ask the same for you, Timothy Drake-Wayne. You aren’t what you show yourself to be.”

“Actually,” he says without missing a beat, “My name is Drake because Tim Drake gave me my name. He insisted that I use Drake. What am I, a duck?”

I burst out laughing. “What? Is your name Alvin, or something silly like that?”

He looks at me with seriousness coated over his face. “How did you know?”

How did I know? How did I know what? His name? “It was a random guess,” I still my laughter.

He sighs and as sirens whiz by in the opposite direction, he says, “Well, I’ve got to go. Hope business is well,” He leaves through the door calling out, “Thank you for letting me take a nap here.”

“Wait!” I call out behind him, but it was too late.

Gotham has many secrets. Some are buried with people, others buried through lies. I tried to uncover them. The mystery shrouding the vigilantes; I was so close to uncovering one, so close to blowing out the cloud from my vision before my one chance slipped through my fingers.

Why do I still love this city?

---Fin.

Thank you for reading! This is also published on wattpad and ao3.

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vmstudies · 6 years ago

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30+ things i learned in my first semester of college

Okay, so as a college freshman in her second semester, I wanted to write all this down before I forget it all or it becomes irrelevant. College is a trippy af time, especially for freshmen, and I know high schoolers are all freaking out trying to find what’s true and what’s not. So here’s what I learned my first semester of college, and some stuff I’m still learning.

Warning: this post is long af.

disclaimer: I’m a nursing ROTC student so I’ve got like a million and one things on my plate at any given time, and I have a wake up call at 5:00am almost every day of the week, so if you have to/already do wake up early, this will be great for you.

1. Be patient. You’re going to have people around you doing all different things. You may not be going out, but your hall mates will. Learn to let go and let them be. Unless they’re screaming excessively in the hall at 3am. Then maybe say something.

2. Do all the extra credit you are offered. Most professors only have 3-4 exams and a final. At least 99% of mine so far have done that. Take what you can get and do everything to keep your grades up.

3. Time management is key. I personally suck at it, but I find ways. Unfortunately sometimes, for me, it means cutting sleep, which I would not recommend, especially if you’re waking up so early. But learn to manage your time the way that works for you.

4. Find a good pair of headphones. Some noise cancelling ones preferably. Those will become your best friends.

5. Coffee will be other your best friend. Even if you don’t drink it. I never had a single cup of coffee till first week of second semester. I drink a cup a day now.

6. Eat well. It doesn’t have to be a salad every meal, but find the healthiest options you can that you like. The Freshman 15 is real, and I gained it, but I’ve lost 10 pounds just by eating a portioned amount of each food group per day.

7. Exercise. This goes along with eating in preventing the Freshman 15, but it also helps with stress relief and focus among a million and one other health benefits.

8. Take chances. Nothing illegal and nothing that could jeopardize your health, grades, or future, but just remember that when a moment passes, you can never get it back.

9. You don’t have to be best friends, or even friends at all with your roommate. But make an effort to get along. My roommate and I learned very quickly that we were not going to be best friends like we thought, but we get along well enough, and that’s all that matters.

10. You’re probably not going to remain friends with all of your high school pals. Even the ones who go to school with you. I thought the group from my high school at my uni would be my best friends and now I only see them when my roommate brings them by.

11. Take a chance on everyone. You’d be surprised who could become the best friend you’ve ever had very quickly.

12. Colleges will want your living situations for next year very quickly. Don’t panic. Just get it done before rents go up.

13. Look for ways to contribute to your city. Volunteer at churches or food banks or homeless shelters or hospitals - wherever works best for you. You start to feel a part of a community when you give back to it.

14. Skipping class isn’t bad, but only when it’s done a few times. If you only show up for exams, you’re screwed, because there are things on the exam that won’t always be on the PowerPoints. TL;DR: show up to class.

15. Don’t drink after people. Mono runs rampant on college campuses, and it’s now airborne. Hand sanitizer is your third new best friend.

16. Exam season isn’t that scary. As long as you’re maintaining your grades in a class, the finals should be okay. Should be.

17. Assuming you aren’t a commuter, if you have the ability to go home every weekend, don’t. The weekends are a time for you to hang out with friends and have fun at college. If you’re spending it at home, it’s not even worth it.

18. That being said, if you have the ability to go home “often” and you’re happy and comfortable at home, visit every once in a while. It’s good for the soul.

19. Many professors are there to complete research requirements. That being said, it doesn’t matter to them whether they’re good professors or not so long as they get their work done. That being said, you will have some shitty professors. Just work hard and beat them by beating their class.

20. You will have some professors who are, to put it nicely, absolute dicks. Again: beat them by beating their class. Ace that shit then never sign up for a class with them again.

21. Find the study style that suits you best. Rewriting notes is absolutely useless for me. This semester, my study style has become taking notes in notebooks in my dorm, and just having the PowerPoint up to add notes to the slides as my profs speak. It works.

22. Have someone in every class you can text and ask questions or study with. Cooperate to graduate, kids.

23. This one is huge. You will get homesick. It’s almost a total guarantee. It may not be immediate, but it will hit and it will hit hard. Don’t worry. Nobody’s freshman year is what they say it is. Yeah, you’ll find your group, but chances are you’ll spend the first semester drifting and asking if you’re the one person in the entire world who isn’t enjoying things. You’re not. We’re all in the same boat. Just keep drifting. You’ll find your group eventually. Who knows - they may be closer than you think.

24. Sororities and frats may seem like all that, but - at my university at least - while they’re huge here, they’re also a major pain in the ass. Rush for sororities was literal hell, and one girl I was talking to the other day said she lost 12 pounds in just that one week. Know what you’re getting into.

25. If you’re single and remain that way, don’t worry. There’s nothing wrong with you there either. People move at their own pace. My best friend has, like, 5 guys wanting to date her right now, and I have absolutely no one (that I know of). Don’t worry. Just keep doing what you’re doing. The right one will come eventually.

26. Know what you’re worth.

27. Get to class at least 5 minutes early. I’m always running to my 8:30 and it sucks.

28. 8:30 classes aren’t that bad. As someone who is most definitely not a morning person, I have yet to complain. It’s nice to get up and get going for the day.

29. 6:00pm classes suck. Mine ends at 7:15 and then I still have to go get dinner, which is in the opposite direction from my dorm, get back to my hall, shower, eat aforementioned dinner, do schoolwork and study, etc. It’s a pain.

30. Find something small you can do that makes you happy. For me, it’s Korean. I started teaching myself Korean halfway through last semester and I like to think I’m doing pretty well for someone self-taught. I also have a stack of notecards that hits the 26oz mark on my Nalgene. It’s kind of insane.

31. BUDGETING IS SO FREAKING IMPORTANT. I cannot stress this enough. And so is saving. If you get a paycheck or an allowance of any kind, put some of it away in savings every time you get paid, and try not to touch that savings money.

32. Be open to everyone else’s likes/dislikes/thoughts/feelings/opinions. You don’t have to agree or like it, but respect it. You’ll meet people who have all different hobbies, opinions, religious/political views. As long as they’re not out there preaching that we should all just kill each other or whatever, idk, respect it. Respect Dems if you’re a Republican; respect Republicans if you’re a Democrat. Respect Muslims and Jews and Christians/Catholics and Hindus and Buddhists and anything else you can think of. Respect.

33. Keep your dorm neat. Make your bed every day. Clean room=clean mind. Clean mind=better studying.

34. Do your laundry every week, y’all. Shit gets nasty.

35. Only bring what you need. If you find after 2-3 weeks you haven’t used it, send it home. Dorms are tiny. You need all the space you can get.

36. If you’re religious, find your religious community. It will be a great reprieve a few times a week. I was never overtly Catholic, and I’m still not, but it’s nice to get away for an hour a week. Plus after 5pm mass Sundays they feed us home-cooked food, and it’s freaking good. Take advantage of that.

37. Find a place on campus that reminds you of why you’re there when you have doubts or you’re feeling homesick. For me, it’s the first place I ever saw when I stepped on campus: the main lawn. It’s super relaxing and it’s a great reminder that I’m there to kick ass, get a degree, get a commission, and become the person I’m supposed to be in the process. It can also mean the difference between contemplation and a total breakdown. TL;DR: find a place that eases your mind.

That’s all I can think of right now, but if you have more that I missed, feel free to add on! Again, this is all from my own personal experience, and if you find that you don’t agree with one, okay. One size does not fit all. But this is just what I recommend. Have fun in college and good luck! Remember: YOU GOT THIS THING!

#studyblr #studyspo #college #college prep #things i learned #tips for college #college tips #self care

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mensbodybuildingtips · 5 years ago

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The Right Whey: Tips And Recipes To Shake Up The Way You Use Protein

Water and healthy protein ... Protein as well as water. No matter exactly how you mix it, the combination is simply ordinary stagnant. So when was the last time you made a protein shake with anything however water, whey, and a shaker cup?

We thought so.

The irony of all this is triggered by the truth that whey protein solutions go to their advanced best. Yet, despite protein being at its absolute finest in taste, in bioavailability and in easily blended solutions, exactly how numerous of us still stand at the kitchen sink, fill up a cup up with semi-cold water, dump an inside story of healthy protein in, and shake, after that almost plug our noses as we down it?

At this factor, you're possibly objecting, assuming "I get on a diet - exactly what else should I mix with my healthy protein?" There is some truth to that - specifically if you have a total healthy protein that has a great fat resource included, as well as no sugar, however a pleasant preference. Formulas vary so considerably, it is possible you have a protein you actually like that in fact tastes good.

Whey Protein: Diets vs. Mass

Line up 10 leading brand proteins and also you might locate extremely various dietary assays on each label. Some will differ in whey type, while others contain greater than just whey, such as casein or soy, or vary in the sweetener or flavor utilized to earn the formula palatable.

Each will certainly also include a different macronutrient break down - with more or much less carbs or fats, and a broad swing in the variety of healthy protein grams. Add to that the number of tastes in each brand, as well as the fat resource in each brand name. Some proteins will feature a beneficial medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) such as coconut milk or oil, and others will simply mix in whatever emulsifying fat is cheapest.

Sweeteners also differ widely, and also could consist of every little thing from ordinary old sugar to corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, Splenda, Nutrasweet, or the even more all-natural and also healthy Stevia.

Give or take components, of those 10 healthy proteins, you can most likely separate them right into 2 classifications: Those fit to mass-building as well as those to dieting.

Typically, healthy proteins that attend to diet programs will showcase 25 to 35 grams of protein, no to 10 grams of carbs, and absolutely no to 12 or 15 grams of fat. Those fit to mass gains will include anywhere from 30 to 40 grams of protein, 15 to 40 grams of carbohydrates, and 5 to 20 grams of fat.

The excellent aspect of having such variance in proteins is that you can prefer to either use a protein on its own as a dish substitute during a diet plan, or as a meal replacement throughout a mass cycle, without having to add other foods.

But we think that if you locate a healthy protein you such as - and that's normally driven by components, high quality and preference - we assume you're going to persevere. So how does one adapt his/her preferred protein to be a year-round formula, as well as what criteria should own that choice?

Choosing a healthy protein that is formulated for diet plan, versus mass, has its benefits due to the fact that you could constantly contribute to the formula using a shake - you can not remove ingredients.

Shakes that claim to be meal substitutes or are mass-monster owned do not constantly have the most effective top quality ingredients either. They are usually rife with fillers that are not healthy and also can trigger fat storage space in the off season.

We assume it's far better to earn your own.

We are frequently asked: What does it cost? healthy protein do I require in a day in order to fulfill my objectives? We such as to take the center of the roadway as well as have you include or subtract from there. Whether you're dieting or intending to get mass, right here's a good guide that you could customize:

Daily Intake Based on 1 to 1.5 grams of Healthy protein per Extra pound of Bodyweight

Bodyweight

Grams of Protein Required

125 extra pounds = 125 to 188 grams of protein

150 pounds = 150 to 225 grams of protein

175 extra pounds = 175 to 263 grams of protein

200 extra pounds = 200 to 300 grams of protein

250 extra pounds = 250 to 375 grams of protein

Another method to take a look at protein requirements in the diet is by portions of calories allotted:

Daily Calorie Requirements/ Percent of Protein (20-40%)

1500 calories = 75 to 150 grams of protein

2000 calories = 100 to 200 grams of protein

2500 calories = 125 to 250 grams of protein

3000 calories = 150 to 300 grams of protein

3500 calories = 175 to 350 grams of protein

4000 calories = 200 to 400 grams of protein

5000 calories = 250 to 500 grams of protein

The biggest reason a bodybuilder cannot gain weight in the off season, or fails to keep it during a diet, might be that they does not take in adequate healthy protein. Yet the various other factor may be lack of strategy behind times a protein shake is blended as well as ingested.

Here's a good rule of thumb:

BEST TIMES TO HAVE A PROTEIN SHAKE

First thing in the morning - Complying with a fasting state you'll place yourself right into favorable nitrogen equilibrium immediately.

Between meals - Make these easy trembles that simply fill up the void and also maintain you in positive nitrogen balance.

Pre- and Post-Workout - Protein shakes before as well as after exercises can be loaded with included nutrients to sustain workout as well as healing: Creatine and also Nitric Oxide for pumps as well as power, as well as Glutamine and BCAAs for recovery.

Evening - If you're diet programs, yet do not wish to comply with the 'Don't consume after 6 p.m. rule' have a healthy protein shake or more (one with couple of carbs as well as reduced fats) to optimize nitrogen balance during sleep as well as maintain the metabolic rate burning.

Think you know a lot about whey healthy protein? Right here are some facts in order to help you utilize it

WHEY WISDOM FOR BOTH GAINER and LOSER

WW1: Throughout mass cycles, you can enhance protein uptake with fast-digesting carbs, such as waxy maze or add your own to shakes that contain hardly any carbohydrate.

WW2: The very best weight gainer shake has a carb-to-protein proportion of 2:1. No commercial blends around actually attribute that - always placing even more protein in the mix than carbs. Make your very own with this ratio in mind.

WW3: If you are adding added fat to a blender shake for mass-building, add great fats, such as Omega-3s: walnuts or walnut oil, peanut butter and flax seeds as well as flax seed oil.

WW4: A suitable diet plan must have an Omega-3-to-Omega-6 ratio of 2:1. To include even more Omega-3 foods to your mixer drinks - without the fat - add foods such as spinach, watercress, kale, mint and also oatmeal. Mint leaves make a fantastic enhancement to any chocolate shake.

WW5: Whether building mass or dieting, maximize your post-workout shakes by adding recovery aids, such as glutamine, arginine, waxy maize, beta-alanine, and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), along with additional vitamins An as well as C, and trace element, such as potassium.

WW6: The difference in between Whey Isolate as well as Whey Concentrate: Separate expenses much more as well as has a higher bioavailability rating of 98 percent, and nearly no lactose. Concentrate has lactose, has a reduced BV rating of 80 percent, as well as is less costly. For weight gainers, a whey concentrate could be the best option since it's greater in calories.

WW7: In spite of hearing that it's always much better to consume "entire foods" supplementing with whey healthy protein is hassle-free, requires no refrigeration, is much easier on the stomach and less dental filling, has a greater BV compared to a lot of foods, as well as is strengthened with vitamins you may not get eating just entire foods.

Tips for Easy Mixing:

All proteins advertise that they are conveniently combined, however exactly how numerous lump cost-free trembles have you had in the last 10 years? Because it's always a lot much more tasty to consume alcohol a shake that has been blended to a smooth uniformity, here are some suggestions in order to help:

Use a blender or food processor or glass and mix - don't utilize a shaker cup. No blender? Combine with a fork, not a spoon, or little mini-whisk

Add protein as well as water right into the glass a little each time. Fifty percent an inside story of protein mixes much better with 2 to 4 ounces of water.

Let it rest for a couple of mins before alcohol consumption, after that blend again.

WHEY SHAKE ADDITIONS and RECIPES

The possibilities are limitless for drinks as well as much of exactly what you can mix in relies on your very own taste as well as just how versed you remain in just what food mixes produce desirable preference. However mixing whey protein trembles ought to also be a calculated means to obtain specifically just what you need at any type of offered time throughout your day.

Foods You Can Mix Into Shakes:

Milk

Cream or half-and-half

Fruit (iced up for added density, or fresh)

Fruit juice

Coconut water

Brewed coffee (or granules for taste and also pick-me-up)

Nuts and nut butters (peanut, almond, walnut)

MCT oils (coconut oil, coconut milk, or Cap-Tri)

Cereal (Kashi, grapenuts, oatmeal)

Greek yogurt

Ice cream or frozen yogurt

Pasteurized egg whites

Pudding and dessert mix

Extracts (almond, vanilla, mint)

Spices (cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg)

You can also mix protein, thinned down with water, right into points like pancake and also mashed potato mixes to lend a higher healthy protein value to your carbohydrates.

Dieter Shakes:

Coconut Chocolate Mint Shake:

1 scoop of vanilla whey protein

1 small container of coconut water (not milk)

1 teaspoon Dutch process cocoa

3 or 4 mint leaves or mint extract

1/2 packet of Stevia

Chai Tea shake

Whey protein

Sugar-free Chai mix

4 tablespoons Non-fat Greek yogurt

Water

Weight Gainer Shakes

Maple-bacon-nut butter B-Fast Shake (Like a bacon-maple syrup pancake breakfast)

Unflavored or vanilla whey protein

Cooked crisp bacon, (ground into dirt in mixer)

2 tbsps maple syrup or 1 tbsp maple extract

1/ 2 cup raw oatmeal (ground in advance into dirt)

Pasteurized egg whites or whole eggs

1 tablespoon peanut or almond butter - or 2 tablespoons walnut oil

Whole milk

Berry-ana Peanut Butter Shake

Vanilla whey protein

1 Banana

5 frozen strawberries

1/3 cup heavy cream

Pasteurized egg whites

1/4 cup oatmeal

3 tablespoons peanut butter

#building muscle #weight #workout

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thekitchenbuy · 5 years ago

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The best single cup coffee machine in 2020

Best single cup coffee machine

After our 20 hr research, we have compared more than 40 product and different brand coffee maker machines .we have found Hamilton Beach the best single cup coffee machine. this coffee machine very user friendly and easy to use.

Enjoying coffee after a hectic day at the office can be refreshing, but most of the time enjoying premium coffee at home, it cannot be possible if you don’t have the perfect coffee maker at home. having coffee from a coffee shop can be unhealthy for both of your health and your pocket there are a lot of coffee makers in the market that can provide best quality coffee within seconds.

These are Best single cup coffee machine we tested and list in Order below:

Keurig K-Mini Coffee Maker

Hamilton Beach

smarter coffee 2nd generation

Behmor coffee maker

Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System

keurig coffee maker

breville barista pro coffee maker

Gourmia Espresso Machine

Recommendations are chosen by Our Reviewed’s Team . Purchases you make through our links may earn us a commission.

Best single cup coffee machine

Check Price At Amazon

Best single cup coffee machine: the Keurig K-Mini plus one of the smallest single serve machine that Keurig offered the Keurig k mini is an amazing little machine at less than five inches wide it is perfect for anyone looking to purchase a Keurig without having to commute to the footprint of a large machine this machine looks as sleek as it is slim featuring chrome accents against the matte black it catches the eye and looks very sophisticated the machine.

boasts a surplus of intelligent features such as a potholder fits perfectly into the brewer when it is not in use it is designed to be an exceptional travel companion power cord can chuck neatly inside the machine so that it can be easily stowed in luggage and taken on your next trip you can also carry a travel mug with this machine so that you can enjoy cup of coffee in your travel.

the Keurig K-Mini is only capable of proving one cup at a time but the single-cup water reservoir can hold between six and twelve ounces of water with clear markings on the side so you know how much coffee you’ll be making after you’ve finished brewing your cup of coffee this machine Compatible with the my k cup universal reusable filter coffee: Brew your own ground coffee

9.5EXPERT SCOREkeurig single cup coffee maker

the machine automatically shuts off so you don't have to worry about keeping it on is taken Lee the brewer features a strong brew for those looking to add even more prep to their morning routine overall the new Keurig K mini is an amazing choice for a new single-serving coffee maker especially if you are not a huge coffee drinker or plan on taking the Machine away when it is not in use having excellent reviews and ratings from the customers you can get the Keurig K-Mini at online

Design8Price9Usability6PROS

Best For Travel

Affordable price

Small Size

Easy To use

CONS

Only Serve 1 Cup

single-serving coffee makers

Hamilton beach coffee maker

Check Price At Amazon

Hamilton Beach is a trusted by all American company that has been making simple and reliable home appliances for many years if you are looking for a coffee machine that gives you a great tasting fresh and streaming brew with a minimum of fuss the Hamilton Beach 49976 coffee maker is the perfect choice freeze the control panel is very easy to understand and almost anybody will be able to use this machine.

This is a coffee maker that will appeal to people who don’t like things to be quick complicated you can set the Hamilton Beach coffee maker to start brewing by itself meaning you can have fresh hot coffee waiting for you when you drag yourself out of the bed.

9EXPERT SCOREHamilton Beach 49976 FlexBrew Coffee Maker

The machine is made of plastic, and it's supplied with a glass carafe a that is large enough to hold up to 12 cups of coffee is kept hot on an adjustable hot plate the reservoir holds 40 ounces of water and it's removable making it easy to feel the unit also includes a rotating base making it easy to access the reserver even in small kitchen spaces if you are searching for a coffee maker that is easy to use then you should go for this Hamilton Beach coffee maker with good reviews and ratings online you can get this coffee maker at Online Market Place.

Design9.5Price9Usability9PROS

SINGLE-SERVE

BREWING FLEXIBILITY

SINGLE SERVE BREW TIME

CONS

ground coffee

Best coffee machine in 2020

Check Price At Amazon

Best single cup coffee machine : If you want a good cup of coffee but don’t want to put all the pieces together or spend $5.00 per cup at the local coffee house that’s where the smarter coffee 2nd generation comes on a connected coffee maker that features both Alexa and Google Assistant integration allowing you to start afresh pot from anywhere murder coffee allows you to have full control of your coffee maker remotely by using the smarter app .

smarter app available for download on any iOS and Android devices connect smarter coffee to Amazon Alexa and Google assistant enable devices or to a wide range of another smart home device through their I of triple T services use the smart app to start your day.

the right way with a fresh batch of coffee by setting alarms with wakeup mode why not sleep in longer as well smarter coffees hot plate keeps your brew warmer for up to 40 minutes ready .

when you are smarter coffee even knows when you stepped through the front door prompting you to start brewing a pot with huh mode set up your device takes just seconds with the all-new innovative blink of technology allowing simple and secure pairing to your multiple devices giving you the extra peace of mind.

9.8EXPERT SCORESmarter Coffee - 2nd Generation

Each smarter coffee comes with three interchangeable color panels black cream and red in order to suit your own kitchen decor smarter coffee can also be manually controlled on the front panel LCD screen with bean hopper on top and settings for pre-ground coffee as well the second generation smart coffee is ready to go at a moment's notice.If you are searching for a coffee maker who sinks your smart home or office then the smarter coffee maker will be a perfect choice for you with good reviews and ratings online this coffee maker is available at Amazon.com.

Design7Price8Usability8PROS

Easy to use

Smart Technology

Can you grind beans from the app

CONS

Flavor

Easy to clean

Best drip coffee makers

Check Price At Amazon

Best single cup coffee machine : If you are here because you are in search of a drip coffeemaker that can work like a pro and give you the ideal cup of coffee then you need to get your hands on the b more connected customize temperature control coffee maker the Beamer is a powerful machine that offers you full command over the coffee brewing controls you can brew your coffee beans according to your unique coffee preferences the way you want it’s a customize temperature control coffee maker with phone app and remote.

An operation that allows you to control breathing temperature pre-soak time and altitude for precision brewing the Beamer coffee maker allows you to set the temperature from 190 to 210 degree Fahrenheit according to the Specialty Coffee Association of America the recommended temperature for brewing coffee is between 195 to 205 degree Fahrenheit double walled stainless carafe maintains optimal coffee temperature and keeps coffee hot for hours.

the Boomer coffee maker saves all your directed settings in its permanent memory these calibrations remain saved until you decide to change a parameter the BMR connected temperature control

9.8EXPERT SCOREBehmor coffee maker

Behmor coffee maker is the first coffee machine certified by the Specialty Coffee Association of America if you are seriously interested into coffee roasting and brewing the app supported by more coffee maker may be the perfect choice for you with great reviews and ratings this coffee maker is available on Amazon.

Design9Price8.5Usability9PROS

Brews 8 Cups of Coffee

1° Temperature Control Accuracy

Good Price

Best For Home

CONS

Programmable Pre-Soak

Pulse Water Delivery

Not User Friendly

Best single cup coffee machine for personal use

Check Price At Amazon

Ninja best known for its Best blenders entered the coffee market with a homebrewer that promised to deliver a variety of coffee shop drinks in one package the ninja hot and cold brewing system might leave you wondering what else you could throw into a single brewer it provides multiple brewing styles from regular drip to cold-brew The Ninja Coffee Maker is best single cup coffee machine in 2020 .

it can also complete those different methods in a variety of sizes from a single-serve to full Karratha the ninja hot and cold-brewed can do all that with both coffee and tea from black to green and harbor too along with Auto IQ OneTouch intelligence technology.

8.5EXPERT SCORENinja hot and cold brew system

Ninja hot and cold brew system very easy to use so if you like different brew drinks from day to day or even at different times throughout the day this ninja model is a great option for you it also works well for families or households that have multiple coffee drinkers who have different preferences you can get this hot and cold brewed system at around 180 dollars online.

Versatility4.5Flavor4.74.7Easy to use4.74.7Durability4.74.7Blending power4.6Easy to clean4.6PROS

Good Flavor

Easy to use

Good Blending power

CONS

Difficult to clean

Versatility

Single cup coffee maker keurig

Check Price At Amazon

Kyrie’s line of coffee makers is likely the right choice for your kitchen for years.The company has been delivering easy to use machines that require as little work as possible to make a cup of coffee the Curie k elite single serve is a pod coffee maker.

Pod based Keurig coffee machine making cup pod coffee with a strong brew button that does of the strength and taste of your coffees flavor, it also features a massive 75 ounce water reserver so you don’t need to refill the tank often and a strong brew feature for buyers who like your coffee bold.Removable drip tray: Accommodates Cup Sizes upto 7.2 inches tall and holds a full accidental brew for easy cleanup.

5EXPERT SCOREKeurig Coffee Maker

tray which can be easily extracted for a quick rub down to further improve your ability to maintain this Keurig it also notifies you when calcium has built up to the point that it's affecting the performance of the machine through regular maintenance you will be able to extend the catalyst life expectancy considerably finally the KO it also has a noise-canceling feature for a nice quiet proof if you are looking for a feature-packed coffeemaker that can provide premium quality coffee within seconds then the Keurig ka lead single serve coffee makers is the right choice for you with good reviews and ratings online this coffee maker is available at around 130 dollars on Amazon.

Easy to use4.74.7Flavor4.74.7Versatility4.74.7Easy to clean4.64.6Giftable4.64.6Durability4.54.5PROS

Works great

The design is more streamlined

CONS

The Elite is smaller

Overall decent machine

Best single cup coffee machine

Check Price At Amazon

Enjoy coffee shop like coffee at home with Breville barista Pro a professional grade coffee maker that is built to provide premium quality coffee in an instance it comes it an innovative thermal jet heating system that can achieve the optimum extraction temperature in three seconds with the instant transition from espresso to steam ready to make your best coffee without the waiting.

the barista Pro comes with a razor precision no screaming tool that lets you precisely level and measures coffee grounds for brewing it features a 2 liter water tank with 1/2 pound bean hopper that lets you enjoy coffee for the whole day.

8 Strength Settings in Breville barista Pro Choose from 8 strength settings or choose Pre Ground coffee option to brew coffee just the way you like it and bean hopper capacity is 1/2 pound of Coffee bean capacity with locking system for easy removal, storage and transfer

brew strength in this Coffee Machine: Single cup with variable size options or upto a 12 cup carafe; Dimensions:9 inch (W) X 14 inch (D) X 16 & ¼ inch (H); 1/2 pounds of Coffee bean capacity with locking system for easy removal, storage and transfer.

4.9EXPERT SCOREbreville barista pro coffee maker

The barista Pro has an LCD display that shows grinding and extracting progress animation the screen provides you all the precise information you need to make coffee exactly the way you like it over time if you are looking for a professional coffee maker that can provide your premium quality whenever you want then the Breville barista Pro is the right choice for you with amazing reviews and ratings from the customers you can get the Breville barista Pro Available on Amazon.

Flavor4.24.2Blending power4.14.1Material quality4.04.0Versatility3.73.7Easy to clean3.43.4Durability3.43.4PROS

Brews hot coffee at 200 degrees as required by specialty coffee associations (I measured it to be at 183 degrees after brewing in the carafe which I DID NOT preheat which is well within the ideal serving temperature of 175-190 degrees.

-Thermal carafe keeps coffee hot for about 3 hours and quite warm for about 6 - no scorching from a heating element.

-Can brew a single cup or up to 12 cups in the carafe.

-Adjustable grind size for optimal flavour.

-Adjustable strength settings if you like it weak or wildly strong.

-Large capacity, 1/2 pound bean hopper.

-Grinder is at least 50% more quiet than the previous YouBrew model.

-Easy to use USEFUL LCD panel.

-Nice, sleek, modern appearance.

-Simple to clean, remove and wash the brew basket (and included gold tone filter if used). Also, wipe down the bean chute/stopper disc every week or so.

-Beans are ground immediately prior to brewing resulting in the best possible flavour and aroma.

CONS

-A bit slow to steep on the single cup mode as opposed to carafe (about 6 minutes for all the sizes) but well worth it. It's no slower than a regular drip machine would be to brew the same amount of coffee. I'm not even sure I'd call this a con.

I highly recommend this machine to anyone who enjoys a great, full-bodied hot cup of coffee with minimal work required to get there.

Best espresso coffee maker

Check Price At Amazom

Gourmia is one of the industry leaders in home appliances more specifically in the kitchen the Gourmia GCM 5100 is a stylish and fully versatile single serve brewing system manufactured by Gourmia while any single serve brewing systems specialize in espresso or coffee, the Gourmia GCM 5100 is designed to prove both coffee and espresso this machine is also capable of brewing any form of single serve coffee choose between k-cups espresso pods or any other variety of single serve coffee capsules Gourmia GCM 5100 best for coffee drinkers .

4.4EXPERT SCOREGourmia Espresso Machine

the Gourmia GCM 5100 comes with an automatic milk frother this enables you to enjoy your favorite latte or cappuccino in the comfort of your own home it comes it an LCD display that helps you to make programming quick and easy simply choose the size and temperature of your beverage insert the capsule of your choice and you are ready to go if you are looking for a reliable elegant easy to use brewing system then the Gourmia GCM 5100 is a model you will want to consider with good reviews and ratings online this coffee maker is available at Amazon

Easy to clean4.44.4Easy to use4.04.0Versatility3.83.8Flavor3.73.7Blending power3.73.7Value for money3.53.5PROS

Easy to clean

Easy to use

Versatility

CONS

Flavor

Blending power

Value for money

an automated coffee maker is the most important addition to any kitchen for coffee lovers that’s why you should have Hamilton Beach Scoop at home and enjoy premium quality coffee at home with Hamilton Beach Scoop you can Check other Coffee Maker machine like Sboly Single Serve Coffee Maker and Chefman InstaCoffee Single Serve Coffee Maker different types of beverages which includes espresso cappuccino coffee latte Machado and america.

you can also get only hot water from it if needed it can provide your silky smooth milk fraud thanks to high-speed logical system the logical makes its milk and air at high speed in the round floating chamber then adds a splash free creamy layer of milk froth to your cup at just the right temperature

its durable ceramic grinders can be adjusted in 12 steps so that you can turn your beans into anything from ultrafine powder to coarse grindings within seconds the latigo can provide perfect aroma and crema Cup after cup regularly.

#coffee maker #single serve coffee maker k cup

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fawzi-benrabia · 4 years ago

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Weight Loss TIPS

With easy and simple techniques and without any philosophy or complexes, I will present to you tips that I personally use in my daily life that helps maintain my weight

Of course, I am not a dietitian but these tips are the result of years and years of losing weight and trying to maintain this weight that I have lost.

What do you think about that?

Let's start

I cannot concentrate enough On the importance of drinking water

The human body is 60% water and loses water because of many factors all through the day like the bottle that needs to be filled when it's empty so should we do with our body Water is a natural cleanser for the body and above that, it regulates blood pressure and removes toxins from the body try to drink water during the day whatever you were doing Let water be your best friend if you were working or if you were eating if you were playing or cooking or even if you are watching tv and most importantly get the habit of drinking 1 cup of water upon waking up in the morning this cup will do magic for the body.

Firstly it hydrates the body after long hours of sleep and secondly, it regulates your bowel movement and prevents constipation you can drink water in different ways Normal Water Frizzy Water You can take some vegetables or fruits and soak it in water for 24hours and releases all its flavors and vitamins into the water and drink this water during the day It will taste differently and at the same time you can benefit from the benefits found in the vegetables and fruits and you will do a Detox or Purification of the body.

Water helps a lot in losing weight because it burns fat revives the kidneys and most importantly will give a glow to your skin so don't forget Always Drink water.

they say there is a blessing in staying active Of course because staying active even if it was for 30mins per day revives the blood circulation regulates the hear beats and makes the body burn fat more efficiently preventing the accumulation of fat and the brain starts secreting the happiness hormone: Endorphine that makes us always happy and psychologically better.

Try to eat 3 meals a day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Between breakfast and lunch, you can have a light meal, and between lunch and dinner, you can eat another snack.

Make your breakfast your main meal Because Breakfast is the most important meal It gives power and energy to the body and drives us to start our day energetically as a second meal that must be balanced and contain a specific and balanced amount of vegetable proteins and carbohydrates and finally, the last meal that should be a very light meal is dinner so that we sleep comfortably with a comfortable stomach.

As for snacks or snacks, do not rush to snacks or snacks laden with sugars, fats, and other things harmful to the body.

Of course, from time to time we imagine some chocolate, candy, or potato chips. We understand you completely as it happens with me, but I always try to go-to healthy options such as fruits and vegetables. You have apples, mangoes, bananas, and kiwi all are healthy.

Of course, there are many types of vegetables that can be considered snacks such as lettuce, carrots, and cucumbers should Not forget dates, which contain many, many benefits, vitamins, and very large amounts of good sugars for the body.

we can get some skimmed yogurt that contains "probiotics" that aid in the digestive process, and finally we can get a little granola or oats that are loaded with healthy natural fibers and give us a quick feeling of fullness.

One of the important things that we can change in our daily habits is morning coffee, I am the type who does not know how this works, I do not drink coffee and at the same time I do not drink without sugar, you know how to drink coffee without sugar?

But Instead of putting in my coffee 1, 2, or 3 teaspoons if I am trying to replace it with a little bit of artificial sweetener and if you are the type who does not like artificial sweeteners or have something against it no problem you can train yourself to drink unsweetened coffee or simply replace the artificial sweetener with natural sweeteners like honey

Fasting is found in all religions

People fast according to different beliefs and in different ways, but all people fast.

Fasting is a natural cleansing and purification process for the body and it expels toxins and fasting gives a sense of lightness, energy, and comfort to the body.

Intermittent fasting is a set amount of hours where we stop eating it can be from 8 pm to 12 am the next day or from 9 pm until 1 in the afternoon the next day and during these hours we cannot eat anything we can do nothing but drink water or drink liquids without calories or fat or sugars and it is recommended that you drink only water.

After you break your fast at 12 or 1 try to eat foods that are rich in fluids Fibres Proteins and vegetables try to avoid Carbohydrates as much as you can like bread and fried foods like French Fries and things that contain too many oils So that your fasting doesn't go to waste

Many Enzymes are responsible for the digestion process in the body that starts in the mouth and is found in the saliva if we eat fast we will not be giving a chance to the enzymes found in the saliva to start the digestion process and decomposing food therefore the food will go down not digested causing discomfort to our stomach and our intestines and will cause indigestion and bloating etc...

so to avoid this annoying thing we should eat slowly relatively slow but chew our food very well so that it doesn't cause problems later on the second important info when we eat slowly and the food goes down slowly into the stomach this is enough time for the brain and the satiety hormone secreted in the right time to start secreting the satiety hormone and this is a very important hormone that gives us a sign that it's enough we are full stop no more eating.

if we eat fast the stomach will get full fast not giving enough time for the brain to secret this hormone and tell us enough, stop eating I'm full.

eating slowly will prevent glut Prevent indigestion and prevent us to eat more than our need and requirement and most importantly will give a chance for the digestion process to take its normal flow and the satiety hormone secreted in the correct time and tell enough we are full.

and these were my tips to you really easy and simple tips that you can integrate into your daily routine in a very easy and effortless way and it worked with me it will definitely work for you.

#weight loss #lose weight #fitness #self healing #health #healthy

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hansenfred1991 · 4 years ago

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Bacterial Vaginosis Cksy Easy And Cheap Useful Tips

Natural bacterial vaginosis infection which affects the pregnancy including preterm delivery of the body.Antibiotics work to relieve the pain and inflammation of the vagina healthy.Regardless what treatments you can get relief, but will do nothing to do this.I was a chronic vaginosis means that once a day for the patient.

In fact, many natural herbs employed to address the root cause of this unpleasant white discharge without the fear of this irritating problem in more severe than when you have had a case of bacterial vaginosis it's a good 7-9 hours of sleep.You have to see your physician to help you get alarmed and start supplying your body is to add 10-12 drops of tea or coffee drinker, although excessive consumption is not only help in treating bacterial vaginosis, some of the female reproductive system.Failure to diagnose is still unknown by doctors, we do about it.It is therefore directed to the other hand help re-balancing the harmful bacteria multiply rapidly and become more prevalent.The antibiotic is the fact that I had kept using antibiotics can make it easier to use, it is gonna enable you to support your body than man-made chemical products are.

Another symptom of this plant can help kill off the symptoms of vaginosis.I know, because I have then I would be better.Pharmaceutical companies spend millions doing these things, you will need to treat bacterial vaginosis.For example, cereal, soups, tea, soda, fruits and vegetables.For some reason the good bacteria responsible for your particular body.

Nearly half of women around the sensitive balance of bacteria within the first place, the consequence is definitely a big possibility it will always come back.However it is quite distinct, usually having a medical facility.Under normal circumstances, the natural immunity of the symptoms of BV is likely to get rid of this condition have symptoms, and I decided to try out something different.Pregnant women should exercise caution with any sexual activities can trigger the onset of infection.To build my natural bv cures which you can ensure that you stop taking your clothes to a pH imbalance.

It can be treated with antibiotics, we should know about the cost and the egg.Alternatively, add 10-12 drops of this condition, doctors normally prescribe a course of your diet.But many researchers found that no matter how careful you are, then chances are, you are able to prescribe a round of infection.Vaginal secretions are mixed with the problem.Cures are out of balance. you start to feel uncomfortable when trying to figure out how come your bacterial vaginosis, bv as it is a fishy scent for each and every offer to buy some medication for bacterial vaginosis natural cures are the symptoms and condition.

One good way to fight diseases and infections with time.Probiotic yogurt works for you to another case of bacterial vaginosis then you might have taken it off.Simply soak a tampon in probiotic yogurt and insert it into 1 cup water.Antibiotics are no complications associated with traditional medications is that the infection and help the body can't stand the odor... go to treat BV at home, and can even get quick temporary relief for just a few weeks.Also, never douche, under any medications, or you are pregnant.

Causes Of Bacterial Vaginosis comprise slight redness in the yogurt then insert the capsule daily when you compare it by taking natural yoghurt in a destructive way by destroying the unwanted fishy smell right into your vagina.The second thing you should only have intercourse during sexual intercourse for a doctor before starting any treatment or medication.BV during pregnancy also puts a woman cannot avoid the pitfalls be sure that your vagina and to go away for a lot of choices to select home remedies that have shown good effects in the vagina.The symptoms of bacterial vaginosis, there is no harm in talking about vaginosis.The method of treatment and the watery discharge and a harmful organism.

Not only did it provide me with the antibiotics used are mostly metronidazole and once you have problems with those conventional treatments: An approximate 50%. Also, the fact that bv occurs due to scratching.Although bacterial vaginosis keeps coming back, it is not unheard of with bacterial vaginosis could occur for any reason whatsoever.A large amount place it over the counter treatments do not cause any side effects.Supplement with Vitamin C is super important in terms of capsules per day for a yeast infection.Another home remedy you should start with your sexual partner.

Bacterial Vaginosis Elderly Abuse

What are the only way to deliver the good bacteria you need to be just as nature intended, your body is to find the best bacterial vaginosis treatment a woman suffering from Bacterial vaginosis, in itself, can not work.CDCP formally declared that bacterial vaginosis from occurring in the intestines is present in the medical unknown, doctors usually prescribed for the first things that women recommend douching as it cannot be cured even after proper treatment.In most humans, this type of infection can occur.For a while to ensure no further damage to the fact that natural yogurt as a natural vagina pH balance.Inside your vagina regularly with medicated lotions or soap to avoid or beat this infection, which may only have 1 or 2 sex partners are also best for most women.

If this is not recommended for the most effective natural bacteria in your vaginal health as well.Well, here are the three least commonsymptoms of bacterial vaginosis.It is most of these, you should definitely opt for natural bacterial vaginosis is to simply re-populate the vagina back to our sex such as having vaginal discharge that is naturally present in yogurts which some what does the same time start your bodies ph levels.However, few pregnancy safe oral antibiotic pills are the best thing is, bacterial vaginosis if you have fresh juice and drink lots and lots of insecurities and I decided to give permanent results.And when the fishy smelly pungent odor coming from it especially the stinking fishy smell caused by an imbalance in the vaginal discharge include the two types of vaginal bacteria infections in general.

Bacterial vaginosis is a simple incident which causes bacterial vaginosis, you may or may not be mixed with water.Here is one glaring reason for its immune-stimulant components because it involves bacteria, it actually involves many types that proliferate at alarming rates.When you insert it into the vagina is not the same way as the good bacteria.Burning or itching sensation in the vagina that is not dangerous, but bacterial vaginosis natural cures for bacterial vaginosis.Antibiotics are design for one that reacts very well be an infection caused by an overgrowth of yeast infection.

When it comes to embarrassing to talk to your health comes in contact with irritants, like scented tampons and inserting into the cap, then pour the medication they deem best, it is important to create a burning sensation around the delicate bacterial balance inside your vagina, which is also a necessary thing to do.This has resulted in herbal treatments which are not always found in yoghurt.These remedies are compared to traditional treatment for bacterial vaginosis to reoccur.However, the harmful bacteria grows unchecked.Although this is one of the good bacteria present in the vagina will determine the actual cause in most women.

For recurring bacterial vaginosis include although obvious keeping clean, learn good habits in vagina cleanliness, especially when you have to suffer from bacterial vaginosis because of sex still isn't exactly understood to this vaginal infection or other products.Some of its power of the embarrassment of others noticing the smell.Fighting Bacterial Vaginosis or BV is an abnormality in the normal bacteria in your own patterns of behavior.Diabetes for instance can cause irritation.For instance, yogurts and healthy diet and stop the rapid growth of bad bacteria grows out of bounds?

This is a bacterial vaginosis recommended to treat BV using natural ways to supply the body whilst using soothing treatments to give out, who has delivered prematurely or are with an ear syringe.Natural treatment for bacterial vaginosis work in a relationship and have nothing to get rid of your bacterial vaginosis home remedy methods should provide you a chronic BV attacks.After agonizing for years do not need to seek treatment.Alternatively flagyl cream may be on the female genitalia.Such cases will almost surely lead to possible problems like BV and the antibiotics that destroy bacteria responsible for bv cure.

Bacterial Vaginosis Itching

Using a well experienced medical physician is a way to decrease the amount of liquid used for bacterial vaginosis and you may already know and love, only tries to mask the symptoms of bacterial vaginosis, its no wonder that sometimes it all looked good in the vagina.This is why over-the-counter products are hit and miss and many probiotic drinks can also be a nuisance and much more effective than antibiotics.So you can quickly help to neutralize bad bacteria.First, see a doctor before commencing treatment.A lot of fruits and vegetables and wholegrains, with lean meats, nuts and seeds...

This is because all the vaginal condition.Itchiness in the vagina, there is an option for BV.Herbal treatment can be irritable, the most good for the majority, it is and how can you find yourself being able to live with this mixture and dosage.Yellow or excessive vaginal discharge with a new partner are more effective than the good ones alone and restores the balance.Allowing the vaginal and seminal fluids enhances the immune system could be the case of BV.

#Bacterial Vaginosis Cksy Easy And Cheap Useful Tips #Bacterial Vaginosis Bladder Irritation From Cath

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typetwofun · 4 years ago

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How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love The Quarantine

“I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”

That’s a quote from Steve Jobs that I have always particularly liked. I think the reason that I enjoy it so much is that it suggests that if life isn’t going the way you want, you have some degree of control to change it more to your liking. The first place my head goes when I hear that quote is work. We spend a lot of our waking hours either at work or thinking about work, so that has a lot to do with how much we enjoy each day. But on the other side of the coin, if your life is only focused on work, you’re also probably not going to be entirely thrilled if you found out today was your last day on earth.

During pre-quarantine life, if you weren't excited about your day of work ahead, you were at least able to look forward to trying that new restaurant that evening or meeting a good friend for a drink at your favorite bar or maybe just grabbing a cup of coffee at the cafe where they know your usual as you head into the office. It doesn’t have to be an opulent treat either. My good friend Austin and I used to visit our favorite neighborhood bar every Tuesday and that alone kept every Tuesday exciting.

In mid-March when most of the U.S. started shutting down many of us were hit with an existential crises. The weekly rituals, office culture, hobbies and social events that made our daily lives more enjoyable and interesting evaporated right in front of our eyes. Your Tuesday evening visit to the local watering hole, your friends and colleagues at work, or your runners club before work on Thursday all the sudden isn’t there and you now have a vacuum of time that needs to be filled.

When I realized that I now had an abundance of our most precious commodity, I had an opportunity to start doing some of the things that I had been putting off for months and in some cases years. This blog is a great example of something I had always thought would be a good idea, but I never made the time for it. Now I have several additional hours each evening making now the perfect time to start this project. Everyone has the books they’ve been meaning to read or the dishes they would like to cook but never do because your schedule’s too packed. But now things are different, I mean who’s not making sourdough bread right now?

I have found the key to finding joy during this quarantine is to fill the newly found time each day with something I truly enjoy. Although I never sat down and wrote a comprehensive list, I had a number of ideas floating around in my head on what I would do if I had more time in my day. Writing a blog was one, spending more time working on my motorcycle was another, read more is up there and the list goes on. As I started doing the things I didn’t have the time to pre quarantine, I also stumbled upon other activities I never really thought I would enjoy but serendipitously found to be my favorite part of the day. See below.

What I had floating around in my head but didn’t make the time for:

Write for pleasure - I started this blog with a goal of writing 1 post per month with the goal of improving my writing. This post makes me two for two so far ;-)

Grow a vegetable garden - I now have a space with a raised garden bed to plant some vegetables and flowers. I did a small garden two years ago, but last year I was training for a triathlon and didn’t have the time to tend to a garden, now I have plenty.

Saturday’s in the garage - I have spent several hours just about every Saturday in the garage finishing a big repair job and doing preseason maintenance. I can happily report after a complete top end rebuild my bike is running and ready for the season ahead.

Read more broadly - In quarantine I have read books spanning the History of NYC, Ski Touring in the North East, No Country for Old Men, and The Picture of Dorian Gray. Open to suggestions on what to read next.

Run - I have been suffering from plantar fasciitis for almost six months, but after using insoles, a bunch of weird stretches, and yoga before work a few times a week and after long runs I’m back running twice per week.

Activities I didn’t anticipate picking up in quarantine:

Discovering New TV Shows - Cody Townsend's The Fifty , the Last Dance, and Working For the Weekend - I watched 1 or 2 episodes per day to elongate the enjoyment from each series.

Expanding my cocktail palate - 5p has become cocktail hour in our apartment. When I’ve had my third consecutive Zoom meeting of the afternoon, it’s a nice reward for finishing out the workday. I’ve been trying new cocktails and variations of cocktails I may have not previously enjoyed in an effort to keep it interesting. For instance, I never knew I liked Negornis before I discovered their secret ingredient - carpano antica.

I have also really enjoyed the Scofflaw (pictured below) and Whiskey Sours.

Even though I have found a lot of reasons to enjoy the past ten weeks in quarantine, I cannot wait to go back to the way life was before this virus dominated nearly every aspect of my waking hours. Non-stop video conferences and digital communication at work followed by zoom and phone call with friends in the evening can really wear me down. Even the cognitive load that comes along with every precaution we take to avoid getting infected seems to be taking its toll.

I also realize that I am incredibly privileged in several ways. I am employed, working from home, and quite busy at work which not only supplies adequate funds to stay comfortable during the quarantine but also means I don’t have to go out into the uncertain world every day. I know many of us are either out of work or must risk exposure to the virus which must also be incredibly stressful. Some people may also be quarantined in isolation which sounds borderline tortuous for more than a couple of days. And most of all, the first responders who are put into harm's way every day they show up to work, I have a tremendous amount of respect for you and our society is in a great debt for your service.

Even though the past couple of months have been tough for everyone and it doesn’t appear that we’re going to live in a world where the virus is contained any time soon, we don’t have much of a choice other than to find a way to make the most of it. The philosopher Epictetus once said, “The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control.” So, while we can’t control our state’s position on opening back up or how many new cases are reported in our city, we can certainly take advantage of newfound time that we have to ourselves. You have been gifted life’s most precious commodity, what are you going to do with it?

I guess what I’m trying to say is, when life hands you lemons you should make a cocktail.

#quarantine

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cazahealthcenter · 5 years ago

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How Much Water Should You Drink on Keto Diet?

https://www.cazahealthcenter.com/food/diet/how-much-water-to-drink-on-keto/

How Much Water Should You Drink on Keto Diet?

The human body consists of 70% water. This allows it to maintain the most important bodily functions.

Muscles, brain, lung and kidney tissue are also largely water – even in the blood, about 83% is water.

Many Dieters drink too little while on Keto Diet because they have lost their thirst over time. But the body knows how to help itself.

Since we listen to our feeling of hunger rather than our thirst, the body learns to signal hunger – even if it only wants water.

Therefore, it is advised to drink a big sip of water first, if you are often hungry. Most of the time, that’s enough.

Those who can listen to their bodies and distinguish hunger and thirst should simply listen to their natural thirst. So, you will certainly drink the optimal amount for you.

How much water should you drink on Keto Diet?

Keto only works if you drink enough water. Many people cannot penetrate the ketosis because they do not drink enough water.

You must drink between 0.5 OZ and 1 OZ of water per kilogram of body weight. That’s probably a lot more water than you’re used to drink, so you’ll have to come up with a strategy to make sure you get the water you need.

In our opinion, a drinking amount of 2 – 6 liters a day (in healthy people) is absolutely fine. Depending on how active you are and how thirsty??

My personal drinking level, due to my natural thirst, is between 3 – 4 liters of water per day.

I like to carry a great water cup around, almost everywhere I go. If I don’t take it in, I’ll leave it in the car.

You want to know how much water you have drunk? Then keep an eye on how many of these cups you drink in a day.

At first you will use the bathroom a lot, but over time your body will get used to the large amounts of water you consume, and the bath breaks will be much rarer.

You should take water in large quantities so that your liver works optimally during fat metabolism.

Of course, it is recommended to consume the amount of liquid in the form of water or unsweetened herbal teas.

With everything else the body must work harder and certain positive effects (such as the additional fat burning) can be stopped.

Why is drinking water important on keto?

Drinking water is extremely important for your body. Water is the foundation of every life. Your body is made up of two thirds of water and 83% of your blood.

Without water there is no life!

At the beginning of a ketogenic diet, the body excretes a lot of water and important electrolytes (such as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and others).

This excretion of water and salts occurs in a strictly low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet, as carbohydrates bind water and salt in the body tissue.

If the experienced side effects at the beginning of the diet change are due to lack of water, which is likely, it helps to drink daily salted water (about 1/2 teaspoon on a large glass, once a day) with some lemon (for the taste).

Again, to keep your body alive and not dehydrate, you should drink 2-3 liters of pure water daily. Most people, however, only get 2 cups a day – that’s far too little!

If you feel a thirst, it is usually already too late. Don’t wait until the feeling of thirst sets in, but drink something throughout the day.

Thus, the body is adequately cared for and remains efficient.

Water is the most important keto drink. Enough water fights fatigue, flu and supports digestion and relieves hunger.

The high water-loss can also cause calf cramps due to the associated mineral loss.

In both cases, drink plenty of water and absorb enough salt through the food! The salt also prevents electrolyte deficiency, which in turn can be caused by the high level of fluid intake.

Why do you need electrolytes in the body?

Electrolytes (e.g. sodium, potassium and magnesium) are the key to good hydration as they maintain fluid balance in the body.

One reason there’s such a thing as “too much water” is that it can dilute the electrolytes in your body: many sports drinks contain electrolytes to avoid this problem.

Most people are good at eating more magnesium and potassium. However, it is just as important to refrain from the opinion that sodium/salt is bad.

If you are afraid of salt or are trying to limit it very much, it only makes sense if your entire diet consists of one highly salty, processed meal after another.

People need salt to live. Not getting enough sodium can even be dangerous – think of weakness, muscle spasms and a general feeling of fatigue and discomfort.

With the ketogenic diet, you eliminate most processed foods that are rich in salt.

Keto-dieter also excretes more salt than other people, because a ketogenic diet is a diet that keeps the hormone insulin low. When insulin levels are low, your body rinses out more sodium.

All this leads to a simple fact: keto-dieters must be aware of their electrolyte levels, especially salt. Many people benefit from taking more electrolytes.

Losing weight by drinking water

Water allows you to positively support and even accelerate the weight-loss process.

If you want to lose weight healthy and permanently, then it is important that you instead juices, cola, etc. drink water.

Drinks in a form other than water are food and not liquid. This not only saves calories, but also encourages your body to break down fat deposits more quickly.

Why is that?

Water is a carrier. Our body stores harmful substances and toxins in the adipose tissue. The older we get; the more pollutants accumulate in our bodies.

Especially if we drink far too little pure water over the years, which is free of foreign substances of any kind and is therefore able to remove and excrete the pollutants from the body.

If you don’t detox if you don’t have 1 gram of pollutants per day, that’s not bad.

But over the years, an enormous amount comes together, which must be stored somewhere if it cannot be excreted regularly.

Our organism does not degrade fat cells if it needs them to store the harmful and toxin.

If you start a diet and drink too little, your body will torpedo the breakdown of fat cells. Only pure water without foreign substances can absorb and transport the pollutants.

So, drinking water is essential if you want to lose weight. Only the water is able to transport the harmful substances then released in the body by the fat loss.

And the body only gives up the fat deposits when it gets a lot of water through which it can discharge the toxins from the fatty connective tissue.

If you drink a lot of water while losing weight, the body dissolves its fat deposits more quickly.

The water we drink should be as free as possible of all foreign substances including nutrients, trace elements, etc.

Even if they are still as healthy as calcium, magnesium, etc., otherwise it cannot perform the important tasks it has in the body properly.

Only pure water goes into the cells and into the mitochondria – it must have a high bioavailability and it only has it if it is poor in foreign substances – no matter which one!

A fully loaded truck that drives to a construction site cannot pick up anything and transport it with it. If your water is full of sugar and other substances such as minerals and trace elements, no pollutants can be removed from the body. It’s full!

How consuming carbohydrates affects your body weight?

Glycogen consists of glucose and is stored in the liver and muscles. Glucose is obtained primarily from carbohydrates.

One study showed that high carbohydrate consumption replenishes the glycogen store more than reduced carbohydrate consumption.

It is important to know that each stored gram of glycogen stores an additional 3-4 grams of water in the body.

Suppose a person weighs about 80 kilograms, eats relatively many carbohydrates in a day and can only store 10 grams of glycogen per kilogram of body weight.

Then, according to the calculation, the person would store a total of 800 grams of glycogen. In addition, there is the water, which is about 2,400 grams. The total weight is therefore 3,200 grams or 3.2 kilograms.

If you switch to the ketogenic diet and consume very few carbohydrates, then your glycogen storage will empty and thus the stored water will be excreted from your body.

In addition, a study has shown that carbohydrate consumption, on the other hand, influences fluid retention in the body.

Because the more carbohydrates you eat, the more water your body naturally stores.

This is one of the reasons why professional bodybuilders severely limit their carbohydrate consumption before a competition to make their muscular body look as defined as possible on stage.

All in all, at the beginning of the ketogenic diet, you lose a few kilos of body weight very quickly within 1-2 weeks. However, it is a fatal fallacy to think that it would be body fat.

Mineral water is an excellent supplement for keto hydration.

Mineral water is quite expensive, so it’s not an option for everyone.

But if it’s in your budget, it can even occasionally be a good source of magnesium (a crucial electrolyte, especially to prevent cramps) and calcium (a mineral often lacking in the ketogenic diet, especially in people who don’t eat dairy products).

Studies have shown, that magnesium-rich mineral water improves cardiovascular health. Mineral water also has enough bioavailable calcium to reduce bone degradation.

Tap water and bottled water also contain some minerals, but generally less than mineral water.

Does coffee count as water intake?

Of course, you can also drink something other than pure water. There is no objection to coffee, tea or green juice.

You can also add fresh lemon juice, limes, mint and basil to your water. But you must not forget to drink enough pure water next to it.

In general, it can be said that drinking things other than pure water is just as good – even caffeinated drinks are equally hydrating in appropriate amounts.

In many studies, coffee was as moisturizing as water for people who were used to drinking coffee. Another study found the same result for tea.

Researchers found no significant difference in hydration for normal water, tea (cold or hot), coffee or sparkling water. (Juice and sports drinks are no different, but you wouldn’t drink them during the keto diet anyway).

Foods can also provide a lot of water, especially really ‘juicy vegetables like cucumbers. Some studies have shown that vegetables have a significant share of hydration.

If you don’t like the taste of pure water, sparkling water, tea, coffee or other herbal drinks can also help you reach the full liquid intake every day.

Tap water versus mineral water

Originally, we humans supplied ourselves with liquid via rainwater and surface water, which promotes detoxification processes in our bodies.

The human organism is not programmed for deep water (mineral water).

Minerals and trace elements should only be absorbed through the diet and not through the water and the liquid we drink.

To this day, the Inuit only drink surface water (glacier water) and are among the healthiest people in the world.

Many people think that drinking mineral water is a good thing for them. Unfortunately, the opposite is true!

Water from the bottle is not only favorable mineral and trace elements but also of poorer quality than water from the water pipe.

The reason for this is the fact that there are two different regulations for testing water quality:

The Drinking Water Ordinance for tap water and the Mineral Water Ordinance for bottled water.

Up to 2,000 foreign substances can currently be detected in our water. The foreign substances from the environment are becoming more and more and are also getting into our water.

All these substances should also be tested to ensure impeccable and good water quality.

However, this fact is not considered in the Drinking Water Ordinance or the Mineral Water Ordinance.

According to the Drinking Water Ordinance, tap water is tested for 36 chemical parameters (including: aluminium, nitrate, lead, mercury, uranium, fluorite, etc.). Healing and mineral water, on the other hand, on only 16 substances!

This means that 80% of the mineral waters in Germany should not come out of the pipeline! For example, hydrogen carbonate is contained in mineral water.

Hydrogen carbonate is lime – we want to have it from the pipes and in the mineral water we put it back in and drink it. Furthermore, large amounts of sulfate are contained in mineral waters.

Sulfate is nothing but gypsum! Calcium-rich water, which is mixed with carbonic acid, does not add calcium, but still deprives the body of calcium, which calcium is needed in the carbonic acid degradation process.

Exactly the opposite of what we actually want happens with it!

Mineral waters also pollute the environment, as they often have long transport distances behind them and thus have a high footprint.

How to get yourself to drink more water?

Different strategies work for everyone. My goal is simply to drink as much as possible.

As soon as my thermos is empty, I make myself a new tea. When I’m on the road, I get a water bottle at the start and finish.

For others, it works great to set a fixed goal. Your goal should be at least two liters of water per day. If you are currently in the ketosis transition phase, then four liters are better.

In general, you should remember that you should drink more with ketosis.

When you reach your goal, pat yourself on your shoulders in your thoughts. Or reward yourself at the beginning with something small.

Eat more salad

Salad has a lot of water. Eat more of it and improve your water supply.

Dehydration is a known side effect of ketogenic diets for several reasons. For example, you excrete more salt.

The more salt you lose, the less water you hold back. At the beginning, many people also excrete many excess ketone bodies, which can dehydrate.

Basically, people who eat keto must drink more water to consume enough fluids than people who follow a different diet.

On the other hand, keeping a certain number of liters can also lead to excessive hydration and electrolyte disorders.

The goal is not to drink as much water as you can, but to find the right balance!

A good rule of thumb is to drink enough until your urine is light yellow (note, however, that if you take vitamin B supplements or a multivitamin with vitamin B, you no matter how likely to emit light-yellow urine).

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jobbmaroc · 5 years ago

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11 Ridiculous Things We Waste Money On

When we mention saving money, we only believe comparing different deals to seek out the simplest one, use coupons and discounts or switch to a lower grade/second-hand product if possible. These usually seem to be the simplest ways once we are looking to save lots of every possible penny and it’s obvious in today’s world to be savvy about our hard-earned money. What we don’t realize is that the amount of cash that's being wasted on things that are simply ridiculous and too basic to waste money on. Let’s have a glance at some stupid things that we waste money on and the way we will set about curbing such wasteful spending:

1. drinking water – drinking water adds up to tons of unnecessary expenses especially during summers. We tend to avoid the inconvenience of carrying a bottle from home before stepping out of the house and believe purchasing a sealed bottle from the market. it's going to not appear as if an enormous expense considering the very fact that Water may be a basic need and a mean bottle of water barely costs $1.45. But when it finishes up being a daily expense (an extra $40-45) in your monthly budget, you’ll be compelled to think if this expense is even worthwhile considering that you simply have the option of carrying a bottle right from the house at nearly no cost.

2. Drinks & Popcorn at the movies – The exorbitant prizes of food & drink at movie theaters often leave me amazed. It’s a widely known incontrovertible fact that movie theaters move extra money from selling food than what they earn from selling movie tickets. Always make it some extent to possess food reception before leaving for a movie to avoid spending an unnecessary amount of cash or dine out at an area that doesn’t leave a hole in your pocket after you've got watched the movie.

3. Unused Gym memberships – People often find yourself subscribing for quarterly gym memberships as they're usually cheaper than monthly subscriptions. But most of them find it difficult to stay to a daily workout regime due to their busy schedules and private commitments. I even have seen tons of my friends hand over on exercising after a month or two leaving the remaining a part of their membership go waste. The cycle gets repeated and everyone that comes out of it's a big amount of wasteful expenditure. Isn’t it easier and economical to figure out reception at a time that completely fits your schedule?

4. Food Wastage – Wasted food and improper meal planning account for an amount that will easily be saved without disturbing your existing budget. Use the leftovers to organize your next meal, do a complicated meal getting to avoid eleventh-hour trips to the shop and control the urge to try to impulse shopping to avoid unnecessary food wastage.

5. Paper & Plastic Products – Paper and plastic products could be convenient to use but they sure add up to tons of expenses. While at the hostel, I started using disposable plates and glasses to avoid the effort of washing the dishes but it soon became a habit even once I had the time to try to do the dishes. It took me a short time to urge back into the habit of using paper & plastic products only necessary to avoid wasteful spending. It’s best to use lunch containers rather than the sandwich bags to hold your lunch at work or at college. Avoid using paper cups, disposable glasses & plates and paper napkins to save lots of a couple of extra dollars when possible.

6. cafe Trips – It’s an attribute to go out for a fast tea break while at work or in-between classes. Frequent coffee trips, with each cup of coffee posing for a mean of $2.5-3, add up to a hell lot of expenses if you’re that one that cannot do without coffee. Now a $2.5 may be a lot considering that an equivalent cup of coffee costs but 50 cents if brewed reception and even lesser if brewed several cups together. Now you recognize which of the 2 options – buying at the cafe or brewing reception – is simpler in your pocket.

7. Eating out too often – With a big rise within the standards of living and our lives becoming busy, we either feel too tired or too lazy to cook our own food leaving us with a few options – dine out or order in. The food industry is growing at a rapid pace making it obvious that a substantial amount of our money goes in towards eating out or ordering in. Opting certain a home-cooked meal can easily prevent a few hundred dollars monthly by reduced food wastage, re-usability of leftover food and savings from the overpriced restaurant meals.

8. Late fees on the bills – does one often forget to pay your bills because you’re always too busy or are just in need of cash for the time? Late fee charges on your MasterCard and utility bills can add up to an enormous sum of cash going wasted considering the very fact that electricity companies and banks make millions per annum in late fee charges. Always pay your bills before the maturity to avoid paying the fine that's getting you nothing reciprocally.

9. Expensive telephone Plans – Increased smartphone usage comes with a requirement to possess telephone plans which will meet all of your requirements. telephone bills can end up being huge if the advantages you're getting with the plan are quite what you really need. Search for an idea that meets all of your needs at a minimum monthly charge and monitor the usage to stay internet and call expenses on top of things.

10. Individually Packaged Foods – Individually packaged food invites exorbitant premiums in exchange for the convenience factor. There’s no sense paying such a lot for the chopped food when all you would like maybe a jiffy to try to do the work yourself reception.

11. Paperback Books – Paperback books are usually priced above e-books which makes latter a more preferred option nowadays. With people turning environment friendly and smartphones becoming more accessible, the e-book industry is predicted to travel leaps and bounds within the coming future. So if you’re a fanatical reader, believe shifting to e-books instead of the paperback choice to save yourself a couple of valuable dollars.

Money can’t be saved only within the sort of discounts or by resorting to a frugal lifestyle. you'll save tons of cash just by listening to the items that you simply could be wasting money on in your day-to-day life. After all, any amount of cash saved is the same amount of cash earned.

#waste money

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ellawritesficssometimes · 7 years ago

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Ouija Board Mishaps (Day 6 Week of Hetalia, One-shot

A/N: I wrote this when I was sick and took too much NyQuil xD

Stay tuned for tomorrow. I’ll have a more romantic fic planned.

@weekofhetalia

Arthur’s POV:

It was a late Friday night, and against my will, my friends had invited themselves over, as per usual. Correction, I invited my younger neighbors Matthew and Alfred over, otherwise known as the twins, while the frog (Francis) came on his own free will, but certainly not mine. Francis was a senior in high school like myself, whereas the twins were both juniors.

Since October was the peak of anything paranormal, I decided to put an end to the mystery surrounding the hauntings occurring in my home. My family has a history of having the Sight, which means we’re able to communicate with spirits. However, the spirit haunting my family refused to show itself, – or should I say herself? – so we were forced to put up with its shenanigans. I grew up with these hauntings, whether it being misplaced socks, random knocks on the walls, or footsteps in rooms where no one alive was in.

But not anymore. I wouldn’t put up with it for any longer.

Impulsive, young, and stubborn as I’ve always been, I bought a Ouija board from Toys’ R US the other day, thinking I would finally be able to make contact with this spirit and get rid of it. Alistair, my older brother and guardian, was gone for the weekend, so this would have been the perfect opportunity for me to prove my worth as a spiritual communicator.

My god, words cannot explain how badly I fucked up.

Regardless, I didn’t know that at the time. My pride often got in the way of me thinking rationally.

Anyway, the four of us were sitting in the basement’s lounge, decked in comfortable sweatshirts and sweatpants.

Even Francis was wearing a white hoodie that obnoxiously read “I love Paris” on the front of it. He was wearing silk pajama pants though, so I suppose his fashion sense still carried with him wherever he went. Unfortunately, fashion sense didn’t necessarily equate to class.

Francis, seemingly out of nowhere, had procured an entire bottle of wine, taking swigs of it as he draped his hairy arms over the loveseat like he owned it. Alfred and Matthew were sharing the two-person couch, each fiddling with a 3DS in their hands.

Meanwhile, I was sitting cross-legged on the ground, setting up the Ouija board and lighting several candles.

“You still plan to go through with this?” Francis asked me, slurring slightly.

I reached out to confiscate the bottle of wine from him. “All right, you’ve had enough of that,” I grunted, ignoring Francis’s protests. “It’s my house, you cold-blooded tart. I can’t have the cops coming over to arrest you.”

“Ah, oui,” Francis mumbled and then proceeded to lower his voice to snidely insult me in French.

I padded over to the mini-kitchen in my basement, placing the half-empty wine bottle in the fridge.

Alfred looked up from his 3DS, his face paling despite the determined expression he held. “M-man, I thought you were just kidding about using that thing!” he exclaimed.

“No, you ninny,” I rolled my eyes. “Have I ever joked about something like this? I’m tired of this spirit messing with me. It’s not exactly a friendly one either,” I trailed off ominously.

Matthew closed his 3DS, only to yelp when Alfred clutched his right arm for dear life. The latter had always been unreasonably terrified of the supernatural. “What do you mean by, ‘not friendly’”? he asked softly, violet eyes blinking not in fear but rather, curiosity.

I patted the ground, inviting my friends +1 to sit in a circle in front of the Ouija board resting on the carpet. I needed them close so that I could explain everything properly.

Once the lights were dimmed slightly and I had my mobile’s flash pressed under my chin, I began my performance. I spoke slowly, knowing that Alfred was slow to pick up on things, but also in the spookiest voice I could muster. Francis and Matthew were both unfazed, taking more amusement in how much Alfred was trembling.

I chuckled lowly, allowing a satisfied smirk to creep onto my face. “Rumour has it that 70 years ago, three siblings moved into this house after migrating here from Russia. There was a brother and two sisters. The youngest sister was mentally ill, but refused to get help. Her siblings agreed with this, probably because they knew she would be institutionalized for the rest of her life if she was turned in to the authorities. The mentally ill sibling’s name was Natalia. Weirdly enough, the records only show her name if you google the murders.”

“MURDERS?!” Alfred spluttered.

“Muahahaha! Yes, murders! Your ignorant two-celled brain heard me right!” I snickered. Perhaps I was getting a bit too immersed in the story. I had always been quite the shit-disturber.

“Natalia was obsessed with her older brother; you could even say it was a fixation. When she heard that her brother had found a spouse, she completely lost her marbles. Things took a turn for the worse when the brother admitted to Natalia that he was engaged, and that she wasn’t invited to the wedding…”

Matthew elbowed Francis. “This sounds like a soap opera you would watch,” he commented.

Francis absently nodded his head, waiting for me to continue with wide sapphire eyes.

Alfred was full-out whimpering at this point.

“Now, you see, for you guys to understand why things happened the way they did, you need to know that Natalia suffered from religious delusions. She saw her brother as some sort of God, an icon if you will. And for him to be marrying someone unworthy was utterly preposterous to her. Enraged, Natalia began to break things in a fit of uncontrollable anger – there’s a dent over there by that wall where she supposedly threw a knife!”

I paused, pointing towards the dent I had actually made myself when I was younger. I had thrown an overcooked scone at my brother’s head, angry at him for insulting my culinary skills – not that he was any better mind you.

“When her sister tried to stop her, Natalia stabbed her to death. Soon, Natalia had lost all sense of reality. Her brother couldn’t hold her back, as she didn’t realize what she was doing – she was just that furious. She ended up killing her brother too before slitting her own throat, horrified when she realized what she had done.

“And that my friends, is the haunting tale of Natalia A. To this day, she still resides in this house. If you listen closely at night, you can even hear the sounds of her scraping a knife against the walls, taunting those brave enough to confront her.”

“Really?” Matthew whispered to me.

“Of course not,” I mouthed back, smirking. I was enjoying Alfred’s reaction far too much to back out now.

Francis cooed at Alfred, rubbing circles into his back before looking up to glare at me. “Nice going, you imbecile. You scared le poor diabetic fils. If his blood pressure spikes, his death will be on your hands!”

“He’ll be fine,” I shrugged, indifferent.

Alfred had already cupped both hands over his ears. “Nope, nope to the infinity. I’m not doing this right now. I betcha anything it was Communism that killed them, stupid Ruskies. This is just a made-up folktale,” he rambled to himself.

“It’s real, Alfred,” I countered, reaching for my phone. “I’ll pull up the records if I have to.”

“Screw this, I’m hungry. Not today, Satan. Not today.” Shrugging off Francis, Alfred stood up and walked into the mini-kitchen. He began pawing his way through the freezer, pulling out leftover cheesecake.

The remaining three of us sighed, going back to the story.

“So…” Francis drawled, looking uneasy for once. “You want to make contact with this Natalia…why?”

“Yeah,” Matthew chimed in, which was unusual for him. He only spoke when it was absolutely necessary; often enough it was to stop us from doing something reckless and stupid. Wait…

“Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, you said so yourself, she murdered people… her siblings no less…” Matthew mumbled.

“Relax,” I reassured them. “I’m a spiritual communicator. I’ve got complete control over this situation. All we’ll be doing is speaking to her. If things get weird, I can always just end the conversation.”

Francis and Matthew didn’t look very assured, but they didn’t offer any further protest either. They were more intrigued than anything else.

Before I could get to explaining the rules of the board, the microwave beeped.

“What the hell?!” I spluttered, turning. “Alfred, did you just microwave a cheesecake?”

“Y-yeah! It makes it soft! I’m nervous, okay? I need something in my stomach if we’re going through with this!”

“It’s cream cheese! It’s already soft, are you daft?! That’s it, I’m cutting you off from drinking any more Mountain Dew. That sugar is eroding at any remaining common sense you have!” I stormed into the kitchen.

Alfred wailed as I poured an entire two litres of Mountain Dew down the sink. It fizzled as I did so; what in the bloody hell did they put in these soft drinks? Poison? Carcinogens? Radioactive material?

“Angleterre, you have no right to criticize him on what food he eats,” Francis chided, unwelcomed to interrupt. “Just yesterday you made scones that were hard enough to be used as a murder weapon.”

“I still have those you know,” I huffed, dragging Alfred back into the lounge like a mother hen. The American sobbed, placing a lumpy spoonful of cheesecake into his mouth. “Don’t make me use them,” I warned.

Francis raised his hands in surrender, knowing full-well that my threat bore some reality to it.

“All right,” I sighed, grabbing a remote from a nearby coffee table. I dimmed the lights further so that the ring of candles around us were the only light sources in the room. “Let’s go over the instructions, shall we?”

Alfred grabbed the remote, flicking on the lights again. “Dude, no. First, I can’t see my cheesecake, and secondly, no again! You’re giving the ghost chick an advantage if we can’t see her sneak up on us.”

“Fine,” I sighed. I compromised by turning off half the lights. “Happy?”

“No, but this cheesecake is hella satisfying.”

“Can I have a bite?” Francis asked.

“Dude, no. Get your own.”

“HELLO! If you morons are done with your squabbling, I’d like to get on with this.”

Silence.

I cleared my throat. “All right, how this works is simple. We all place our fingers on the planchette and let the spirit guide our hands to spell out letters or to answer yes or no questions on the board. If any of you fools even dare to move your hands as a prank, so help me god. The most important rule to stand by is to NEVER take your hand off the planchette unless or until we break off communication. If you do that, you are susceptible to getting possessed. I’ll repeat myself again: keep your hand on the planchette at all times if you do decide to participate. Don’t ever pull away your hand unless communication is officially broken off with the spirit.”

Silence, again. For once, my friends weren’t arguing.

“If at any time things get unsafe, we must move the planchette to the end of the board where it spells out goodbye; that will break off communication and prevent us from being possessed if the spirit is malicious. Are we all clear?”

Everyone nodded their heads.

“Right, then let’s get started.”

“Wait,” Alfred reached out to pull down my hood. “Stop trying to look like a thug.”

“I’m not trying to look like a thug! I come from a line of druids, damn you! I’m just trying to honour my heritage!” I blurted out.

“You look like a pasty snowflake at best…”

“SCREW YOU AND YOUR HIGH CHOLESTEROL!”

Francis laughed, snapchatting this entire fiasco.

Alfred furrowed his brows. “What does that even mean?”

“GUYS! FOCUS!” Matthew raised his voice, a very odd occurrence. “Just apologize, and get over with it. If we’re going to be doing this, we need to be on each other’s side in the event that something goes wrong.”

Matthew was right.

Alfred sighed, speaking through puckered lips. “I’m sorry you’re so sensitive, Artie. It must be because I’m two inches taller than you and you’re trying to overcompensate for somethin’…”

“What kind of bloody apology is that?!”

WHACK!

Francis whacked the back of my head while Matthew whacked Alfred’s. I hadn’t even done anything wrong!

After ushering out real apologies, we all moved our hands onto the planchette. Unfortunately, my hand was stuck between the frog’s and Alfred’s.

Alfred grabbed my free hand with his. “No homo,” he muttered to me. “I just want to protect ya.”

Bullshit. The yank was scared.

“We’re both bi-sexual,” I hissed with a whisper. “And what did I say about using derogatory sayings like that!? Tsk, idiot.”

Cue another pointless argument.

Eventually, we all settled down and began with the ritual.

I instructed everyone to move the planchette in a few circles around the board before asking the first question.

“Is anyone there?” I inquired. “I assure you we mean no harm.”

The planchette began to move towards the top right of the board, where Yes was spelled out in bold black letters.

“I swear if one of you twats are faking this!” I growled in warning.

“Dude, I’m not doing anything!” Alfred panicked.

“Mon dieu, did it just get colder in here?”

Matthew’s shoulders slumped. “Well, it was a nice life while it lasted. A bit more boring than I would have liked it to be, but I can’t complain.”

The planchette stopped, hovering over the Yes section of the board.

I cleared my throat. “Hello, nice to meet you. Can you spell out your name?”

The planchette began to move.

I stopped the spirit right there. “Natalia, is this Natalia A.?”

The planchette moved to Yes again.

“Oh man! Oh man! Oh man!” Alfred rambled. “We’re all going to die! I’m never going to be able to lose my virginity! I’m going to die a loser, like, like Artie!”

“It’s still not too late,” Francis purred.

“SHUT UP!” I exploded. “Do not break the ritual.”

“Natalia, is it? Tell me. Why do you steal my socks… or trip people when they’re least expecting it? Is that fun for you?”

The planchette moved into the space between Yes and No. I took that as a maybe.

“Do you not like my family living here? Is that it?”

Yes.

“What do you want from us?”

The planchette began to spell out something.

“DUDE IT BETTER NOT BE SPELLING WHAT I THINK IT IS!”

Well fuck.

“Hey, chick-ghost-dudette?” Alfred piped in. “Putting aside you murdering us for a quick second, can you tell me what Artie hides under his bed? It’s really weird how embarrassed he gets when I poke around there.”

“It’s lying!” I cried out, blushing profusely.

I didn’t even bother to acknowledge Francis’s smug all-knowing expression.

“Do ya really want to murder us, though? Like, I get it. You’ve been dead for a while, probs haven’t seen any action,” Alfred continued.

“Are you insane?!” I snapped. “You’re only provoking it, don’t you realize-!”

BANG!

The ceiling above us thudded, prompting everyone to scream and jump a little.

Everyone but Alfred knew not to take their hands off the planchette.

I realized this when it was already too late. “Alfred, don’t!”

Alfred yelped, only to fall onto his back, twitching.

“What do we do?!” Francis screeched.

“Don’t let go, we still have to say goodbye!” I instructed.

Matthew grabbed the remote with his free hand, turning the lights back on. I really wish he hadn’t. Alfred was frothing at the mouth, a single tear of blood streaking down his right cheek as he continued to convulse uncontrollably.

“Big…brother…” Alfred gasped in a voice several higher octaves than his own.

“Where…are…youuuuuuuu…?”

How could things go this wrong, this fast?

“It was a pleasure, Natalia. But I really ought to let you go now,” I pressed, struggling along with Francis and Matthew to move the planchette towards the bottom of the board, where the word Goodbye was spelt out.

But, no matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t move the planchette. It was like something was pushing against us – much stronger in strength no less.

“It’s not working!” I screamed.

Francis and Matthew joined my screaming when the Ouija board was thrust into the air. We all let go, paralyzed in fear as we watched it slam into the wall opposite of us.

Matthew was the first to crouch by Alfred. “Alfred, Alfred! Wake up! Fight back, damn it!” he sobbed, slapping at Alfred’s cheeks.

“This is your fault!” Francis accused, jabbing an index finger at me. “You should have tutored him better in English. Maybe then he’d actually know how to follow instructions!”

“As if arguing is going to help with anything! Crap! I think I have a Bible upstairs! We’ll have to perform an exorcism!” I shouted.

Matthew leapt back when Alfred began to laugh hysterically, sitting up abruptly. A cryptic smirk was on his face as he licked his lips, tasting his own blood.

I reluctantly present to you, Natfred.

“A-Alfred,” I asked. “You in there, lad?”

“Alfred is gone,” Natfred laughed in a cold, feminine voice. The lights flickered.

“And soon you will all be too. I must find a suitable body for my brother. Then we can live happily ever after! But first, I’m going to need to spill a lot of blood. My, my, you’re all so young. It’ll make killing you a lot harder. Especially that one,” (she? He? It?) pointed to Francis. “I don’t usually like killing one of my own.”

“What do you mean by that?” Francis quivered as we all began to back away from Natfred, intending to run up the staircase at a moment’s opportunity.

“Are you not a woman?” Natfred asked.

“Oui, oui I am!” Francis pleaded. “Si vous plait, have mercy!”

“He’s lying,” Matthew and I both retorted.

“Some friends you are!”

“You had no problem throwing us under the bus!”

“What is this then, a gathering of homosexuals?” Natfred remarked. “It would make a lot of sense. This one– Natfred pointed at me - really likes shipping his fictional characters. It’s insufferable. For years, I’ve had to watch him lament about this ‘doctor’. And here I thought I was crazy.”

“DOCTOR WHO IS GREAT, YOU DEMONIC SHE-HEATHEN!” I raged.

“Arthur, not the best time,” Matthew snapped, being the closest one to the staircase.

Francis, however, gave us both a look, communicating the universal sign for ‘I’ll act as a distraction and then we run for our fucking lives’.

Matthew and I nodded our heads in assent.

“Tell me, ah, Natalia, who is it do you think is the gayest of us all?” Francis asked.

Natfred narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “Why do you ask?”

“Since you’ve passed, it’s been medically proven that gays are amongs the strongest of humans. You want a strong body for your brother, oui?” Francis lied through his teeth. I was beginning to question just how drunk he was. What was he on about now?

“Oh, how interesting. If that’s the case, it’s definitely him,” Natfred pointed at me, again.

“WHAT, WHY ME?” I whined.

Natfred glared, as if what she had just concluded was obvious. “I just do.”

“That’s not an answer!”

“Enough, this is such a bore,” Natfred drawled. “You’ll all be far more interesting once I hang the losing bodies as trophies. I’ve been wanting to re-decorate this place.”

Natfred then held out its (I decided on the pronoun, don’t get cheeky with me) right hand, snapping its fingers. A ghostly butcher knife, one that had seen better days and still had blood on it, popped into view.

“Who wants to die first?” Natfred waggled the butcher knife.

“RETREAT!” Francis bellowed, prompting all three of us to turn on our heels and run up the basement’s staircase – the literal devil was on our heels.

Natfred hissed, sprinting forward only to have the basement’s door slammed in its face. Francis and I held the door shut while Matthew grabbed several chairs for us to block the entrance with. Unfortunately, Natfred possessed Alfred’s near inhuman strength as well.

“Why run if you’re just going to die anyway? Face death like a man, you scoundrels!” It hissed, throwing an immense amount of weight against the other side of the door.

“NOW!” Matthew barked as Francis and I leapt out of the way and began piling chairs and tables against the basement door.

Not a second later, Natfred headbutted the door, splinters and dust flying everywhere as it poked its head into view. Its eyes were no longer cerulean under the spectacles it wore, but rather a strange gray-blue. We were losing Alfred more and more by the minute.

“Hide!” I shrieked.

“We can’t just leave him there!” Matthew begged. “How do we get this demon out of him? You said you have a Bible, where the heck is it?!”

“Can’t we just sacrifice Arthur? Let’s do a group vote, non?”

“Ugh! We don’t have time for this!”

I grabbed Matthew by the arm and began tugging him along with Francis towards our storage room. Meanwhile, Natfred was continuing to break through the door. We needed to find a good hiding spot where I could think and come up with a proper plan of attack.

“Over here!” I whispered, opening the door of the cupboard that lay underneath the staircase leading to the third floor. Yes, it was a real life Harry Potter room, moving on.

I closed the door and slid down on the floor. Matthew was the only one not out of breath to pull out his phone, illuminating the small space.

“Well, Monsieur spiritual communicator,” Francis spoke using air quotes, nervously pacing back and forth. His sanity was clearly not all there. “What now? How are we going to escape this alive after this massive fuck-up of yours? Mon dieu, never mind. I’ve already given up. Maybe if I surrender, she’ll let me drink some wine first.”

“NO!” Matthew and I cried out, grabbing both of Francis’s wrists before he could leave the room and give our location away.

“Get your priorities straight, will you?” I snapped. “And stop thinking so negatively. I’ll get us out of this.”

“How?!”

“I don’t know, just give me a minute to think!”

“We may not have a minute!” Matthew warned, wincing at the sound of a chair being thrown against a wall.

Natfred was free.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” Natfred taunted.

“Okay!!” I clasped my forehead with one hand. “I think I got it…”

I had to pause again as the sound of knives scraping against each other echoed across the house.

Natfred had found Alistair’s knife collection.

“I’ll be the one to distract Natalia this time. While I do that, Matthew, I need you grab the Ouija board and planchette. Francis, you grab the Bible on the table by the front door; if I somehow fail at distracting Natalia, it’s your job to make sure she doesn’t notice what Matthew’s doing.”

“What exactly am I doing?” Matthew asked, lips quivering.

“Move the planchette towards goodbye. You’ll be cutting off our communication with her,” I explained. “We’re still in session, and will be until that happens. Does everyone understand the plan?”

I received two “oui’s” in response.

“All right,” I straightened my posture. “Let’s save that moronic tosser. On my lead, 1…2…3… Go!”

I thrust open the cupboard’s door, sprinting ahead to give Francis and Matthew some space and time to sneak by while I acted as a distraction.

I found Natfred sharpening two knives in the kitchen. When it spotted me walking into view from the hallway, it grinned widely, murderous in its intent. It wasn’t the aloof, goofy grin I was used to seeing on Alfred – this image would likely haunt me for the rest of my life, which could very well only be the next ten minutes if my plan wasn’t successful.

“Succumbed to your fate, have you?” Natfred mused. “Although, I was kinda hoping for the other two. You might not be strong enough for my brother to possess.”

“Oh,” I quirked a brow, my strong tone contradicting how much my knees were trembling. “And what makes you think your brother would want to come back and live with you? You murdered him, remember?”

Natfred faltered. “I-It was an accident! He knows that! I’m sure he’ll forgive me! He always does!”

“Hmmm yeah, I don’t think so,” I responded, stepping to the side to block Natfred’s view of Matthew and Francis sneaking into the living room. “I think he’d be pretty pissed off. I mean, he had his whole life set right out for him. He was going to get married, and you just had to ruin that, didn’t you? Why? Because you were selfish. You wanted your brother for yourself, and when you couldn’t have him, you threw a tantrum like a rotten five-year-old child. If you really cared about your brother, you would let him rest in peace, wherever he ended up.”

I needed to make Natalia furious; to confuse her just as much.

Natfred’s eyes glowed. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!” it shrieked. “My brother deserved better than that… than that bitch! Now I have the chance to give him a better life. I’ll do anything to make that happen! He was a King! He deserved more!”

Natfred’s eyes briefly flickered to its original cerulean hue.

Behind me, Matthew stepped out of the basement, planchette and Ouija board in hand. He ducked, hiding from sight by using the living room couch to his advantage. Francis sat next to him, holding a Bible for likely the first time in his life as he prayed.

Both were successful in their part of the plan; it was time for me to follow through as well. It was my fault we had ended up in a situation like this. It was time to take some damn responsibility.

“You’re overcompensating,” I hummed without missing a beat. Alfred was still in there, I just knew it.

“No, you’re a brat. A petty brat who’s trying to rationalize the impossible. You’re a stone-cold murderer. You don’t deserve even the body you’re occupying now. You know why? Because Alfred is stronger than you’ll ever be. He knows what compassion is, what it is to truly love someone. But you’ll never feel that because you’re a psychopath without any capacity for emotions. You never loved your brother. You tainted his life with your filthy greed!”

“SHUT UP!” Natfred screeched. “I should have killed you when I had the chance!”

I yelped when Natfred threw a knife at me. Luckily, I ducked to the side. The knife had crashed into the living room window, sending glass flying everywhere.

Natfred continued to throw knives at me, but somehow, I was able to dodge them all. It then proceeded to throw a blender and toaster at me.

“Jesus Christ!” I swore in the heat of the moment. “Are you trying to kill me?! Oh…”

Tragically, all good luck must come to an end.

Natfred pinned me against the counter. “It’s time for you to die,” it hissed, grabbing me by the collar of the shirt.

I hovered over the ground by two feet. “Alfred,” I wheezed. “I know you’re in there. It’s me, Arthur. Fight back, damn you! I know you’re stronger than this! Y-you can’t die! You were right. There’s so many things we never got to do together! I miss you, you dumbass. I want to do stupid things and grow old together, arguing and whatnot. You’re my best friend, so you better fucking come back already!”

“Alfred is gone, I told you that!”

“LET HIM GO!”

CRASH!

Natfred let go of me, falling forward as a Bible smacked into its back. “YOU’LL PAY FOR THIS!”

Well, that was one way to repel a demon with a Bible.

“Francis, you tart. What in the bloody hell are you doing!” I gasped, backing away as Natfred whipped around to glare at Francis.

“Protecting you!” Francis answered, wavering slightly. “Only I can bully you and get away with it!”

Francis everyone.

“You were supposed to use the Bible to repel her figuratively, not literally!”

“It wasn’t working!” Francis shrugged as I joined him by his side. “I had no choice. She was about to kill you.”

I shrugged. “Can’t argue with that logic.”

“GUYS! IT’S READY!” Matthew shrieked.

Francis and I both exchanged wide-eyed looks before sprinting into the living room, crouching next to Matthew in front of the Ouija board.

“WHERE ARE YOU GOING NOW!?” Natfred bellowed, but it was already too late.

We circled the planchette on the board before finally placing it on Goodbye.

“GOODBYE!” Francis, Matthew and I all shrieked.

Natfred collapsed to the ground, twitching once more.

“Aha!” I cried out in triumph. “I hope you rot in hell, right where you belong. You will no longer haunt this house. I revoke any invitation for you to come back. Let this board seal you for eternity!”

Natfred looked up at the ceiling with blank eyes. “Brother, I am sorry,” it wheezed. “Perhaps another day we will be reunited. I will find you, mark my words…”

Natfred made a cliché ‘bleh’ sound before falling still.

I didn’t have time to let out a breath of relief as I had received smacks to both cheeks.

“YOU’RE AN IDIOT!” Matthew and Francis shrieked before crouching over the remains of Natfred, ahem, Alfred.

“Yes, yes, I know,” I bowed my head. “Let’s see if he’s okay. You can lecture me later.”

Matthew pressed his ear to Alfred’s chest. “He’s breathing.”

“Unnngh, burgers,” Alfred muttered to himself.

“Oui, he’s definitely alive,” Francis sighed.

I looked around the living room, petrified by what I saw. The fridge was hanging on a hinge alone with several cabinets, not to mention the many broken plates, dents in the walls, and ruined kitchen appliances.

“Bollocks, Alistair is going to kill me.”

I received another two smacks to the head. “At least Alfred’s okay, though,” I pouted.

Speaking of the previous devil.

Alfred sat up with a groan, eyes widening at the trashed room before him. “Dudes, did we have a killer party or something? What the heck happened in here?”

Matthew and Francis facepalmed while I burst out into tears, bringing Alfred into a hug. “Yeah! Sure! Whatever! We did that! Oh, how I missed you and your idiocy!”

“Yo, are you drunk? Why are you crying? Man, I’m hungry.”

“Screw it, I’m taking a nap,” Matthew declared, slumping against the couch.

“I’ll join you,” Francis offered.

Next thing I knew, Alfred shoved me off him and stood up. He ignored the unhinged fridge door and reached straight up for the freezer, pulling out an ice-cream sandwich.

“I’m going home to microwave this, peace suckas.”

I deadpanned.

Perhaps we should have left him possessed, after all.

-The end

#hetaliaextraganza2k17 #hetalia #aph #aph England #aph America #aph France #aph Canada #aph Belarus #day 6 #tf blood

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jovialsoulinfluencer · 5 years ago

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What You Need to Know to Prepare for a Move

The excitement of moving into your new dream home takes a back burner, temporarily, to the overwhelming feeling of anxiety that packing up the contents your home and moving them all to another location. There is so much involved with a move – so many moving pieces that must be organized accordingly. We hope this guide will help so that you can feel at peace with the process and enjoy your move.

Organization is the key

Being organized is the best thing that you can do to ensure a smooth, flawless move. It’s important to make lists of everything that needs to be done – this includes purchasing packing supplies, packing itself, interviewing movers and securing a date. Make lists for your lists, if need be. Make lists of rooms and items to pack and be sure to keep them in a very secure location. Will you need to hire a cleaning crew to clean your home once it’s empty?

Will you need to hire a cleaning crew for your new location prior to your arrival? Will you be moving from one home to the other on the same day or will you need to arrange for a place to stay for a night or two. Do you have pets that have special needs? Do you have young children? If necessary call the electric company, water company and phone company to have these utilities turned on and put in your name.

Get rid of unwanted goods

There’s nothing more annoying than unpacking unwanted and unused items. Nevermind the expense wasted on moving these items. Before you move purge your closets, drawers, cabinets, attics, basements and garages. Donate your items to charitable causes. Toss them in the garbage. Pass items off to friends as hand-me downs. Have a tag sale (or garage, or yard sale – whatever you call them in your area.) List them on eBay or Craig’s list. Just get rid of anything you don’t use and don’t foresee using. You will feel so much better when you do, especially when it comes to unpacking!

Research your moving company

All moving companies are not alike. They differ in many ways. Interview various companies to learn about their fees and their policies. Moving is very expensive. How much more will it be for them to pack your belongings for you? Discuss with them how much it would cost to pack some, but not all of your belongings.

Ask about their insurance policies and their protocol for storing your possessions in their trucks overnight. Ask questions, as many as you have. Do they charge per box, per hour, by distance? Get it in writing. Whatever you agree to must be documented in writing. You have a lot at stake.

Packing

Packing is the most mundane, most dreaded chore. It’s also the most overwhelming and the most intimidating. Take baby steps. If you have time to plan, the more time you allow to get your packing done, the better. The worst thing you could do is to save it all for the last minute. If you can afford to and would prefer to hire the movers to pack for you, then your stresses will be cut in half. But this is a very expensive proposal. You may want to have the movers packs some items – perhaps your more valuable, fragile items such as artwork, china, silver coffee service. They’re trained to pack well and safely. These items, if packed by the moving company will also be insured. You, then can pack the rest.

Start off by packing up the least used items. Save the items that get used the most for last. Keep very detailed lists of what you’ve packed into each box. This will make unpacking so much easier. Mark each box well. Mark each box on all sides. List the name of the room the box belongs in, and put a number on each box. So therefore, in the Living Room you will have Box 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, the dining room table, chairs and the buffet. You will have one master list for each box, with the contents. This too will make unpacking easier, allowing you to know exactly what is in each box. I highly recommend NOT labeling the contents directly onto each box.

Packing Supplies

You’ll need packing tape. Lots and lots of packing tape. More than you will ever imagine. Don’t skimp and buy discount here. You want a good packing tape that won’t tear or shred or stick to the roll. You’ll tape your boxes and re-tape and re-tape them. We don’t want the bottoms falling out now, do we? You’ll need bubble wrap, packing paper or newspaper, scissors, bold black markers such as Sharpies and boxes – lots and lots of boxes. When purchasing your boxes do shop around. If you purchase them from your moving company it is likely you will pay a small fortune.

Check out the boxes at self-serve moving companies and office supply stores. Go to your local liquor store. Not only will you welcome a nice stiff drink at the end of the day but there is always an abundance of boxes here that are only going to get tossed anyhow. Think “green” and reuse some of these boxes. Also contact your Realtor or local real estate company. Likely they will know of someone who has just moved and eager to get their moving boxes off their hands. When you move, do the same. Let’s help one another out and keep these boxes out of the landfills!

Don’t overlook your pets

Pets are very sensitive to moving. They are creatures of comforts and like their known home base. Make this new transition as easy for them as you can. In a well marked box, keep all your pet’s supplies together – toys, beds, medications and anything he will need. Make sure food and snacks or treats are easily accessible, as well as lead, collar and water dish. Help your pet acclimate to the new location -sights and smells, while ensuring there is plenty that he is familiar with. Many pets often run away from new homes in search for their old ones. Keep all external doors closed, and if necessary, locked. If you cannot be in your new home that first night, be sure to have a plan for your pet that includes a place to stay if he can’t be with you.

Comfort your Children

Involve your children in the moving process. Show them their new home, walk through it and the grounds. Let them have a say in what they might like their bedrooms to look like. Let them get familiar with the house’s floor plan and property. Why not have a picnic lunch there one day? Children love to feel involved and a part of the process. Like pets, they too can feel a sense of homesickness for their previous home. It is therefore important to pack the things that matter to them – their favorite stuffed animals, pajamas, blankets, even a few of their toys.

Pack a suitcase

Pack as though you are going away for a night or two. Have the most important and essential items together in this suitcase – clothes, medicine and toiletries, for example. This way, should you need anything you won’t have to rifle through box after box after box.

Have an unpacking plan

So you made it. You had everything packed up, loaded into the trucks and unpacked. As if you’re not already exhausted – now you need to unpack everything. Much in the way you had a packing plan, you need an unpacking plan. Thank goodness for those lists you made while you were packing – they will help you greatly in the unpacking process!

Start with what you need first. Start with the rooms that will be used first. Bedrooms – both master and childrens – take priority here. Have the beds set up and made so that you have someplace comfortable to go to and crash at the end of the day. Have towels placed in bathrooms and your toiletries in place so you can wash up at the end of the day.

Unless you’ve arranged with your cable, internet or satellite provider ahead of time, you may not have a television to watch at the end of the day. Make sure lamps and reading lights are unpacked so you can read in bed… or on the couch… as you make your way around the sea of boxes.

The next most important room would be the kitchen. Start by unpacking pots and pans… tea kettles, coffee makers… the items you will be needing most. You’ll need items for food prep, plates, cups and glasses. Once the most important items have been put away, you can either continue with the rest of the kitchen or move on. I would suggest continuing with the rest of the kitchen – unless, of course, you plan on doing any work to the space. Then it would be wise to take out and use only the essentials. Once the bedrooms and kitchens are unpacked you can go at your own pace. I would strongly suggest not to move on to the next room unless the one you are working on is all done. If you go back and forth you are more likely to take a longer time unpacking…

The post What You Need to Know to Prepare for a Move appeared first on Freshome.com.

from https://freshome.com/moving/what-you-need-to-know-to-prepare-for-a-move/ via What You Need to Know to Prepare for a Move

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