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shwazzberryswriting · 4 years ago

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Thin Walls

Pairing: Xiaojun x Original Female Character, BUT this is mostly about Yangyang, Hendery, Lucas, Ten, and Winwin being idiots

Genre: Crack, Comedy, Humor, WayV Being A Mess

Summary: Yangyang and Ten weren't supposed to know about Xiaojun's hookup on their last night in Bangkok, but there they were, in Lucas and Winwin's room, everyone but Kun were listening to Xiaojun have a better night than them next door. ---- This is my companion piece to my 500 word drabble "The Last Night in Bangkok".

Word count: 1.7k

Rating: PG-13; sex talk and mentions of sex noises, one kissing scene, some swearing

Author’s Note: I never intended to write anything beyond those 500 words in my drabble, but it’s inspired this crack piece. I kept thinking about a scenario where the guys would be immature and listen in on Xiaojun. I can’t help myself when I touch stuff in crack territory. Thank you for reading!

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It was supposed to have been a secret but Yangyang picked up on a scheme happening when he saw Hendery leave his hotel room just 20 minutes after they returned to their hotel. WayV had had an eventful day in Bangkok, and they were all supposed to be getting ready for bed since they had a flight back to Seoul the next day.

"Wow, you smell like a million bucks," Hendery said as he exited the room, looking behind him.

"When are you leaving?" Xiaojun's voice responded, soft and calm, which meant he was nervous about something.

"Where are you going?" Yangyang spoke up, walking out of his room, which was directly across from Hendery's room. He’d wanted to hang out with Hendery and Xiaojun since Ten and Kun left with their manager to grab some late night snacks from the convenience store just across the street.

"Don't break your bed," Hendery said before Xiaojun shut his lips tight, his eyes narrowing slightly, and shut the door on Hendery. With a self-satisfied grin, Hendery finally turned to face Yangyang. "Hey, man. Uh, Jun has a fever and I don't want to get sick so I'm rooming with Lucas and Winwin."

The door to the right of Xiaojun's room swung open and Lucas walked out, brushing his damp hair out of his eyes.

"Hey, Jun's hot date arrive yet?" Lucas asked Hendery in a stage whisper.

"No! Shut up before we get caught!" they heard Xiaojun's muffled voice demand from behind Hendery.

"Jun's getting laid?" Yangyang asked. Hendery and Lucas froze as they stared at WayV's youngest member.

"Uh," was all Hendery managed to say before the elevator doors nearby swung open loudly and they heard Ten's voice.

"...takes me forever, too," Ten was talking to a chick who had a nose ring, her jet black hair tied into short pigtails.

Ten and the chick stopped nearby where Lucas, Yangyang and Hendery were standing as they continued talking. She and Ten were pointing to the tattoos on their bodies, and he grinned as she pointed to a large tattoo on her right hip. Part of it was visible as she was wearing a yellow crop top, her fingers gliding over the ink on her skin. Why were Xiaojun and Ten flexing their hookup skills?

“Hey, you all should be in bed,” Kun said as he handed a bag to Yangyang. “We have a flight to catch in the morning.”

“We’ll manage, Kun-ge,” Lucas replied as Kun handed him a bag of crisps though Lucas hadn’t asked him to buy him a snack. “You should get to bed, though. Old people are very grumpy when they don’t get enough rest.”

“Don’t make so much noise,” Kun lectured the guys as Hendery and Yangyang joined in on teasing Kun. “Go to bed soon.”

Kun and their manager left for their room next to the room Yangyang was sharing with Ten.

“Hey, Ten, did you get a drink?” Lucas spoke up immediately, waving his hand in front of Ten’s face.

“Uh-yeah,” Ten replied, turning his attention away from the woman he’d been talking to. “Are you guys OK? Why is everyone out in the hallway?”

“Um, have a good night,” the girl said, giving Ten a polite smile. “I’m meeting my date here.”

“Bye, Malee,” Ten said, having gotten her name when he’d entered the elevator with her.

She gave a nervous laugh as she walked to Hendery and Xiaojun’s room, and knocked on the door, paying no mind to the 4 guys staring at her. Granted, Ten was the only one checking her out, while the other guys were busy wondering how Xiaojun had charmed a chick who seemed too cool to be into a nervous weirdo like him.

“Hey,” Xiaojun greeted with a bright smile when he opened the door to his room. His eyes lit up as his date greeted him cheerfully.

Malee placed a hand on Xiaojun’s shoulder and kissed him as she took his hand with her other hand, guiding it to rest on her hip. Xiaojun slammed the door shut behind him, seeming to not have noticed that everyone but Winwin and Kun had witnessed him kiss a girl Ten had been flirting with. Yangyang threw his hand over his mouth and made spurting noises, trying to stop himself from laughing as he saw the confused and affronted look on Ten’s face. His eyes were furrowed and his mouth was hanging open in shock. Lucas and Hendery joined in on the snickering as Lucas pushed his bandmates into his room. By this point, they all had to keep together to prevent Kun from finding out.

“So she’s hooking up with Jun?” Ten asked, sounding offended, once Lucas and Hendery brought everyone up to date on Xiaojun’s last night in Bangkok.

“How many people are we going to have in here?” Winwin demanded, curled up in his bed, his eyes glued to his phone. “I was told it was just Hendery.”

“Shh! Shh! Shh!” Lucas shushed, waving his arm in the air as he sat close to the wall that was facing Xiaojun’s room, putting his ear close to the wall.

“Really?” Ten scoffed, giving Lucas a stink eye as Hendery sat down on Lucas’s bed and opened up a bottle of water to drink.

Yangyang stood next to Lucas and mirrored what Lucas did. Both guys threw their hands over their mouths as there were sounds of what had to be Malee moaning followed by what unmistakably was Xiaojun groaning. Lucas’s eyes went wide as he continued to listen and Yangyang doubled over, laughing so hard no sound came out. He fell down to the floor and weak wheezing noises came out of him before Ten bent down to check if he was OK.

“Xiaojun!” they heard Malee say loudly, her voice both rough and sweet, before there were more sex noises from both parties on the other side of the wall.

Xiaojun and Malee continued making plenty of sex noises and Winwin continued to shrink into his bed and hide under his covers while the other guys were trading commentary. As Lucas ate his crisps, he gave an impressed nod at a noise Malee made. Hendery traded snacks with Yangyang as Ten laid down onto his stomach on Lucas’s bed.

“No, baby, put that away,” Ten said, pointing at Yangyang as he saw Yangyang pull out his phone. “We can’t record this.”

“What?” Yangyang replied. “I’m going to take a selfie, so I can show Jun what I looked like when he got lucky. ‘Xiaojun, I took this when your date screamed your name,’ it’ll be funny to see him get embarrassed. Ten, do you remember when you thought that girl was into you but it’s Jun she’s into?” Hendery and Yangyang began snickering while Lucas gave a shit eating grin as Ten got up and motioned like he was going to choke Yangyang, but merely shook his head and sat down at the foot of Winwin’s bed. They were all stuck in the room, both intrigued and mortified at being able to hear Xiaojun getting laid.

Things went quiet until Lucas realized that Xiaojun and Malee had moved to the bathroom. He, Yangyang, Hendery and Ten moved along the wall to get closer to where Xiaojun’s bathroom was located. The noises in the shower sounded much more lewd which made Hendery’s face turn red and he squealed into a pillow as he got into Winwin’s bed.

“Did you really have to?” Winwin groaned as he felt Hendery sit down next to him. “You guys all act like you’ve never watched porn or something. Go to bed.”

Unable to put up with the heightened horny state of his room, Winwin left to find some peace and quiet in Ten and Yangyang’s room. It was his loss, because 5 minutes after Winwin left, the guys were finishing their snacks when they heard Xiaojun and his date talking.

“It’s too bad you won’t be here for another night,” Malee said. “My college is doing a fashion show tomorrow, and my friends are throwing the after party. They would have totally loved to meet you and your bandmates.”

“At least you and I got to meet each other,” Xiaojun replied.

“Wow! That’s smooth,” Lucas said in a stage whisper. Ten looked impressed too.

“Let me know if you return to Bangkok soon?” Malee said, her voice sounding hopeful.

“I mean, I don’t know if-when...you know,” Xiaojun was beginning to stutter over his words, clearing his throat a little too much. “I can’t-always know-I mean, I would like to-” The guys all began snickering as Xiaojun’s true nature sprung to life. He’d just had wild sex and didn’t start to fall apart until he had to wrap things up.

“This is the guy who landed a hot date,” Ten said softly to himself.

“You’re so cute,” they heard Malee say in response to Xiaojun’s word vomit. “I had a great time.”

“Say something,” Ten gritted through his teeth when there was nothing but silence for more than 5 seconds.

“Come on,” Lucas said softly, raising his fist in support of Xiaojun.

“Uh, yeah,” Xiaojun said as he sounded like he forgot how to use words, “you were...you’re such a beauty.”

“You’re so sweet,” she said, her voice overflowing with affection. It was shocking to all four guys that somehow this girl found everything about Xiaojun appealing, even when he was being an awkward weirdo. “You’re so cute when you get shy with me. I can’t leave you yet.”

“Malee, I can get my-oh, fuck-yes!” they heard Xiaojun’s voice say loudly.

Lucas’s eyes went big and he returned to pressing his ear against the wall. Hendery and Yangyang looked at each other with their mouths open as they froze at the unexpected twist in Xiaojun’s hookup.

“You’re kidding me,” Ten muttered, throwing his hand over his mouth.

Xiaojun made high pitched noises, and Hendery and Yangyang could take it no longer, falling onto Lucas’s bed as they gave out belly laughs. They rolled around and kicked the air and the bed as the sex noises continued. Lucas joined in on the laughing, and Ten could only shake his head in disbelief. When they heard Xiaojun make the real farewell with his date ten minutes later, Ten talked the other guys into finally going to bed.

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sunlightdances · 5 years ago

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Public Relations (Bucky x Reader Oneshot)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader Prompt: “I’m a woman with a brain and reasonable ability” Author’s Note: Written for @captain-kelli’s 500 Fam Writing Challenge! Congrats, Kelli, and thank you for hosting! Takes place post-Endgame, but with some adjustments to canon (Tony and Nat are alive, Steve stayed). This has a lot more dialogue than I initially planned! Hope it’s not too choppy. My love of commas is also evident in this piece. *shrug emoji* Disclaimer: I don’t own Bucky, Marvel, or any other related characters or events. The other details of the plot are mine, including the characterization of the “reader”. Please don’t post my work on any other sites without my permission! If you liked what you read, please consider reblogging to help my work be seen. I would love you forever!

Let’s clear one thing up straight away: Bucky Barnes is not an asshole. He has a chip on his shoulder, sure, and it’s also true that he can be grumpy from time to time.

But can you blame him, really?

His life after age 26 has been one giant shit show that he’s just starting to get back on track, so he thinks the world at large could forgive him if he’s not super nice to the reporter hanging around outside the coffee shop or if his resting face sometimes looks like he wants to punch someone.

Still - he’s working on it. Trying to appear a little softer around the edges, trying to remember how to be the person he once was, not because he thinks it’s healthy to try to go back to that time, but because that’s the last time he actually remembers liking himself.

But, again, he’s not an asshole. Or, he tries really hard not to be. A fact he has to keep reminding his friends of (and he uses that word loosely, sometimes), especially when you’re around.

Everything just comes out of his mouth wrong when you’re there.

Probably because you’re around all the time, and you’re smart, and funny, and pretty, and-- nope. He’s not going there. Because reminding himself all the reasons why he likes you just makes him feel more guilty about the way he acts around you. He’s just too chickenshit to admit that he likes you, and ends up being a dick.

As soon as he walks into the Tower, you’re there.

After Thanos, the Avengers returned to New York City. There’s not much left of the Compound upstate to live in right now until the rebuild is done, and he’d been thinking about Brooklyn anyway. Manhattan is different, but he feels better in the city. He thinks the rest of the team likes it here too - it reminds them of the old days, or whatever.

“Sergeant Barnes,” you greet him coolly, matching his stride as he heads towards the elevator. “There’s a meeting in fifteen minutes in the main conference room.”

Bucky makes a noise of acknowledgement, stepping into the elevator and hitting the button for the tenth floor. “Do I have a choice to attend?”

“No you do not.”

“Great.”

He thinks you’re trying not to smile. He grinds his teeth.

“Good afternoon, Sergeant Barnes,” FRIDAY’s voice comes through the overhead speaker. “Captain Rogers requests that you, and I quote, don’t even think about it.”

You snort, and Bucky rolls his eyes. “Punk,” he whispers. “Thanks, FRIDAY. Tell Captain Rogers I said, and I quote, to shove it--”

“Thanks, FRIDAY,” you interrupt, “Thank you so much.”

The few remaining minutes in the elevator are in silence, and you push your way out of the elevator before he can even take a step when it stops. Bucky follows you reluctantly to the conference room where some of the rest of the team is waiting.

Nat looks barely awake (she has trouble sleeping after literally coming back from the dead when Steve returned the stones, what a shocker), Sam is spinning in his chair, and Steve is patiently listening to Peter prattle on about some project he’s working on for biology.

“We’re just waiting on Tony, Bruce, and Scott,” you say, heading towards the head of the table. “Wanda is on a mission with Clint, and Thor is off world. No word from Carol in a few days, either.”

Steve waves you off. “Don’t worry about it. We can fill them in later.”

Bucky’s brow furrows. “Wait, this is your meeting?” He asks you. “What was the point of the AI-assisted lecture from you--” he pointedly glares at Steve.

“Because I knew you’d try to get out of it, so I asked for some help.” You smile sweetly at him.

The rest of the team files in over the next few minutes, and Bucky watches as you shuffle through a few papers before turning on the overhead projector. He has to admit, while he absolutely despises public relations, he has a lot of respect for what you do.

He knows it’s not easy wrangling Tony’s ambitions plus whatever manic situations the team get themselves in on a daily basis. Trying to do press for the Avengers is probably akin to wrangling cats, he supposes.

“So,” you clap your hands together, “the event at Children’s Hospital is in two weeks. Can we please, please avoid any earth-threatening situations that might take precedence over this? We missed it the last few years, obviously, so we need to get out there and make some kids happy.”

A murmured agreement goes throughout the room, and Bucky tips back in his chair, counting down the minutes until he can go literally anywhere else. It’s not you, really. It’s the idea of public appearances. He hates them. People still think of him based on who he was, not who he is now. Despite the fact that Steve and the rest of the team have publicly vouched for him and are working on clearing his name, he sees how people look at him.

You’re tied to that feeling, even though he knows that isn’t fair. He has a hard time separating you from your job.

“The next thing -- and I don’t want to hear about it --” You look around, eyes landing on him meaningfully, “-- there’s a magazine feature for the anniversary of the Battle of New York.”

“Well, that’s me off the hook,” Bucky says flippantly, grinning smugly at Sam, who high fives him.

“No, it absolutely doesn’t,” you argue.

“I wasn’t there, in case you forgot.”

You glare. “Thank you for the reminder.”

“Guys--” Steve tries to interrupt.

“You have to participate, because this article is about the team and how it’s grown since the inception of the Avengers.” You say, almost sounding bored. Probably because you and Bucky have this argument at least once a week.

“Bucky, it’s an hour.” Steve says gently, trying to barter.

“Whatever.” Bucky grumbles, “You know what they’re going to ask,” he says, suddenly angry. “Where was the elusive Winter Soldier during the Battle of New York? Do I remember it happening, or was I in the middle of being frozen or wiped for the thousandth time?”

You shift your weight, looking down at the floor. He feels guilty for a half second. “I won’t let them ask.”

His heart thuds weirdly in his chest at how earnest you sound, but he just can’t help himself, apparently. “Because you’re so sure they’re going to listen to you.”

Hurt flashes across your face so quickly he thinks he’s imagined it, but he knows he hasn’t. Again - he’s not usually an asshole. He still hates himself for it, though.

“Alright, we’re done here.” You say quietly, gathering your paperwork. “I’ll email you all the details.”

Sam elbows him, and across the table, Steve is giving Bucky a look that he’s come to associate with a lecture.

He sighs and rolls his eyes before getting up and heading out of the room, his friends at his heels.

“Wow, a five minute meeting,” Sam is saying, sarcastically. “Gotta be a new record, don’t you think, Rogers?”

Bucky’s new plan is to ignore Sam at all costs. It’s not a plan he thinks is going to work out in his favor, but it’s what he’s sticking with.

“You can’t ignore me forever.”

“Are you a mind reader?” Bucky asks, hitting the button in the elevator for the residential floors.

“It’s two events, Buck.” Steve sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You can handle it.”

“Yeah? Why don’t I let you field the questions I normally get, and we’ll see how you like it.”

“I’m not doubting you. I just don’t understand why you always have to take it out on her.” Steve’s voice is so disappointed, Bucky almost wants to laugh. When his best friend turned into such a mother hen, he’ll never know.

“Don’t be late!” Sam calls as Bucky gets off on his floor, leaving the other men in the elevator.

Flipping him off over his shoulder, he hears Sam’s chuckle and Steve’s sigh before the doors close, and finally he’s alone with his thoughts.

Turns out the interview happens before the hospital visit.

Bucky is in an uncomfortable chair, a reporter across from him, and you behind the reporter, fidgeting slightly. He feels almost relieved that you seem to be as nervous as he is.

“Mr. Barnes,” the reporter begins, a smile Bucky already hates on his face.

“It’s Sergeant.” You say quietly from behind him, and Bucky meets your eyes briefly, seeing the resolve there.

“Of course.” The reporter says smoothly, offering another smile to Bucky. “Sergeant Barnes, you weren’t in New York for the Chitauri invasion, were you.”

“No.”

If the reporter thought he’d elaborate, he doesn’t let on. Bucky saw these questions coming a mile away, and isn’t going to give anyone the satisfaction of saying something he’ll regret. Well, he won’t regret it. But it’ll be a pain in the ass for everyone if he can’t keep his cool.

“This was the first official Avengers event. Do you remember hearing about it?”

Bucky wants to laugh. “Do I remember-- no. I don’t think I was awake for much of 2012.” You fidget again, shifting your weight, and Bucky sighs, grinding his teeth. “I’ve been fully briefed on the invasion and know that what the Avengers did that day saved the world.”

The reporter looks at him for a long moment before shifting the papers on his lap around a bit. “The Avengers have changed a lot in all those years since that first mission. Can you tell me a bit more about your role with the team?”

Bucky relaxes a bit. This is the part he prepped for, the part he could recite in his sleep if he had to. Whatever instinct he had back in the day that allowed him to lead a unit and report to his CO is still there, especially for questions like this. “I work mainly with Captain Rogers and Sam Wilson to coordinate missions and do strategic planning. Recon and research are my main areas of focus, but I go on missions too if needed as backup, or if it’s an all hands on deck situation.”

“So you’re not handling any weapons?”

Bucky blinks. Over the reporter’s shoulder, you frown.

“All Avengers team members undergo weapons training.”

“During the War, you were a sniper with the 107th, correct?”

“Yes.”

“So you’d say that you’re pretty proficient with a gun?”

Your eyes are flashing now. “I’m sorry - none of this was on the list of pre-approved questions.” You interrupt, and the reporter holds up a hand to stop you, causing you to make an affronted face.

Bucky would laugh if he wasn’t feeling so sick at this turn of questioning. Every time. No matter who they vet, no matter how many times reporters insist they aren’t trying to catch him in a question he can’t or doesn’t want to answer… this is why he hates interviews.

“I’m just saying -- you’re one of the world’s most accomplished assassins. I guess I wanted to know why you’re doing research and recon when you could be on the front lines with the team? Are they worried you’ll have a setback?”

Bucky barks out a laugh.

You start, taking a few steps forward. “That’s enough. We’re done here.”

Bucky’s already standing, pulling out the chair from behind him as you come around to follow him out, until the reporter stops you, a hand firm on your elbow. You freeze, and Bucky’s eyes narrow on the point of contact, an unfamiliar feeling surging through him.

“Do you know who I work for?” The reporter hisses. “You told me I’d have a half hour.”

“That was before I knew you were going to ask questions that have nothing to do with your article.” You reply, face darkening when he still hasn’t let go.

Bucky waits, waits for one more sign that you’re uncomfortable before he steps in.

“If you ever want to get another high profile piece done on your team you’ll let me finish here.” He threatens, hand tightening.

You sigh, almost looking bored, and in one swift move, you’ve shifted enough of your weight to turn, pulled the elbow he was holding out of his grasp, and driven it into his ribs, simultaneously kneeing him in the groin.

Bucky’s eyebrows raise, and you look at him, rolling your eyes. “What?”

“Didn’t know you had it in you,” he says, letting a smile slip out so you know he’s kidding.

The reporter is doubled over, still making threats, but neither of you pay him much attention as you walk out the double doors of the conference room in the unfamiliar magazine office, heading towards the lobby.

In the car that’s waiting for you outside, Bucky watches you carefully as you roll your shoulders a bit, clearly smarting from the move you pulled back there.

“If I would have known you could do that, I would have been a little nicer,” he teases, but there’s an undercurrent of truth to his words. Not that he thought he’d ever piss you off enough for you to hurt him, but that he wishes he was nicer to you in general.

You glance at him, face neutral. “It wasn’t that hard. Everyone who works for the Avengers goes through basic self defense training, and I’m a woman with a brain and reasonable ability.”

Bucky nods. “Still. Thank you, by the way, for putting an end to that.”

You sigh, sitting back in your seat, all the fight leaving you. “It’s nothing.” You dig your phone out of your pocket and he watches as your thumbs fly across the screen before you hold it to your ear. “Hi, Steve.” A pause, “No, that’s cancelled. You’re not doing it. Tell Tony I’m cancelling the rest of the interviews. We’ll find some other place to get it published.”

He knows he’s staring and he knows he should stop before you notice, but he just… can’t take his eyes off you. The way you stood up for him, the way you promised him you would even when he was being a total asshole… he has no idea what he did to deserve it, but he’s damn grateful.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” You ask, your tone softer than he’s ever heard it.”

He shakes his head, looking down at his feet. “No reason. Just-- sorry I’m such a dick sometimes.”

You laugh, and he immediately wants to hear it again.

“I mean it,” he continues, “I don’t mean to be. You don’t deserve it.”

“Bucky.” Your voice is even softer, quiet, and he struggles to think if you’ve ever called him by his name before. You wait until he meets your eyes. “It’s fine. We’re all-- just trying to get through this.” You shrug. “I know it’s not easy for you. Just… Trust me sometimes, will you?”

“I do trust you.” He replies immediately, absolutely sure of himself for once.

It’s your turn to be a little surprised.

He rubs his hands together, a nervous tick he’s never gotten rid of. “I’ve been trying to distance myself because I like you. And that honestly scares the shit out of me. I don’t know--” He stops, frustrated. “I don’t know how to do this anymore. And all I keep thinking about is what could go wrong.” He takes a chance and glances up at you, and the look in your eyes… it’s more than he expected. He feels his heart take off in his chest.

“We’re both so stupid, Bucky.” You tell him, but your words are light. “You should have said something.”

He rolls his eyes. “People always say that. But when has a conversation like this one ever been one that someone wants to have?”

“Maybe when the other person feels the same way?”

Bucky can’t breathe. He never even considered it. It was always a forgone conclusion in his mind. He thinks you’re beautiful, and you never think about him at all. That was always the truth that he thought he knew. “Go out with me.” He blurts, and then feels his face redden. “I mean-- let me-- will you let me take you to dinner?”

The car stops in front of the tower and you’re opening the door before you say anything, making him panic a little. A look over your shoulder, “I’ll see if I can pencil you in somewhere.” You say, and then with a wink, you’re gone, leaving him scrambling to get out of the car to catch up to you.

Before you can, Steve is there, a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Not now--”

“Can’t help it. She called a meeting.”

Bucky stops in his tracks, and laughs. “Did she.”

“She must know how much you love them. Come on.”

Upstairs he finds his usual seat next to Sam and across from Steve, but when you gather your notes and meet his eyes, yours absolutely sparkling, he finds he’s not dreading this one at all. He still wants to take you to dinner though, so he might have to try to break his own record.

A 5 minute meeting so he can convince you to go on a date with him? He thinks he can swing it.

End

#captainkelli500fam #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader

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terry-perry · 5 years ago

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Adam’s Family

Once again, this goes out to @ladyfluff! It was so great being a part of something of yours, and I hope this isn’t the last time we do a collaboration!

Previous chapters by the aforementioned author right here:

Adam’s Family.

Adam’s Family

After one of the cameramen knocks on the door, it’s opened not long after by a barely awake Y/N. She gives the crew a drowsy smile and waves.

“Hey guys! I almost forgot you were coming. I’m normally not up until past midnight.”

She lets out a yawn as she rubbed one of her eyes with a finger before motioning them all to come in.

“Welcome to New York! The city that’s always up, even when I’m not.”

Everyone is now downstairs in a shop, with the camera zooming in on different pieces of Y/N’s collection.

“This is my little shop where I keep a few things that I’ve gathered throughout the years. As you can see, most of them are pieces of furniture, artwork, and just stuff I thought was quite lovely.”

She pauses to take off a rather old looking music box from a nearby shelf and give it a good polishing with a rag. Once she does, she opens it and smiles fondly at the little dancer inside twirling to a soft melody.

“This little beauty is from the 19th century, as are most of the things you find in here. Back up in my apartment are the things I absolutely refuse to sell due to the sentimental value they possess. Songbooks from old composers I used to pal around with, unfinished statues from artists I admired, and some stuff my brothers have given me of course!”

Someone from behind the camera asks her a question that she tilts her head at.

“I technically haven’t gotten into any form of business with either of them. We all do collect things, yes, but it’s just a habit you pick up when you’ve lived as long as us, I suppose. And lived enough lives.”

She lets out a sudden giggle, thinking of something.

“In fact, there’s this lava lamp Adam gave me that was given to him by -“

The standard chiming of the bell that rings from someone entering stops her anecdote. She looks over and lights up from seeing who came in.

“Hey! I didn’t know you were on your way already!”

She runs over to wrap her arms around her boyfriend Ian and kiss him fully on the mouth. He responds with an equal amount of enthusiasm by lifting her off her feet and wrapping his arms around her waist.

“I told you I was able to get an earlier flight! Didn’t you get my text?”

“Funny story about that…”

——

Back upstairs in Y/N’s apartment, there’s clutter that could rival her brother Adam’s. The camera records the different marbled faces and eerie painted scenery, along with a couple of bookshelves she had that contained early editions of classic novels. Some show visible signs of their age due to the slight tears on the spines, and the titles being somewhat faded. Other than that, the books seemed to be rather intact for the most part. The crew now have their focus on the couple snuggled up on the couch.

“We’ve been dating for a good while now. We met through Adam technically. I was there visiting him when I met Ian.”

“I don’t know what you could’ve seen in me at the time. I was a stuttering idiot when I first saw you.”

“I thought it was cute! You were so shy and sweet! It took him weeks before he could properly ask me out.”

“I remember practicing in my mirror so I wouldn’t screw it up,”

They’re asked about what keeps their relationship intact despite the list of complications they have.

“It was a bit tricky at first to maintain it since it’s not very common for my kind to have an actual relationship with a zom- human. Force of habit. It’s one of the main reasons my family wasn’t exactly too thrilled about us.”

She is asked to elaborate.

“Well it isn’t unheard of for people like Ian and me to be together. But normally it’s only for a short while, because the human is eventually turned. It’s not like that with us, though.”

“We’ve talked about it once we got more serious, and I learned more about her and the others. There can be some risks, with most of them involving either one of us getting killed during the process. So I’ve decided to just enjoy spending this life I have with her now. And then hope I get the chance to meet her in the next one she lives in.”

Y/N shields her face in Ian’s chest to cover up the grin she had, and the tears. He gave her a goodhearted chuckle and held her close.

“So far we’ve been able to make some adjustments for each other. We visit each other every chance we get. And I’ve been able to get these cool blackout curtains that I’ve made sure are pinned down to the wall and clamped shut. And she actually tried to start cooking because of me. Which may, or may not, have started a couple fires…”

Ian laughs when she punches his shoulder.

“I’ve gotten better!”

——

Scene changes to a club of some kind where Ian is sat onstage melodically plucking at a guitar while looking over to Y/N at the mike.

“It’s very clear, our love is here to stay...

Not for a year but ever and a day…”

We go back to the apartment where Y/N is now alone on the couch. Ian had left for the airport not too long ago. She appears to have been crying.

“As you know, I grew up during a time when women didn’t get a lot of good options for their future. For me, the future could’ve been to be married off to some farmer almost twice my age. To be his submissive wife that was only meant to serve him, and give him children that he could also ignore. If it weren’t for Adam meeting Eve - and giving me the chance to have a new life - I probably would’ve fooled myself into being content with the expectations made for me.”

She looks over at a framed photo on one of the bookshelves. Zooming in, the camera sees that it’s one with Y/N in a dark Victorian styled gown standing between her two suited up brothers while Peter’s husband Rowan stood on the far right end by Peter and Eve stood at the far left with Adam. The crew are informed that it was taken during Adam and Eve’s third wedding.

“I’ve always been grateful to have Adam and Peter as my brothers. Everyone else did their own thing and were compliant with whatever it was our parents wanted them to do. The three of us were the ones that stood out as the black sheep. Peter was the one that was always openly supportive of everything I did. I think that was mainly due to the fact that he hid who he truly was for such a long time. He’d let me go hunting with him, and taught me how to ride a horse. And he was also the one that I loved to cause mischief with, especially when it came to annoying Adam. His angry face is just as hilarious as it was 500 years ago!”

She lets out another little laugh as she reminisces.

“But he was always a good sport about it in the end. Adam and I had a larger age difference between us, so you can say he was both like my brother and father. Which he pretty much was. He was the one I went to whenever I had a bad dream. He’d let me crawl into bed with him, and he’d read to me until I fell asleep. Even though they both have shown some reluctance in accepting my relationship with Ian - with Adam especially taking some time to be open about it - they’ve welcomed him into the family once he spent more time with us, and they saw how happy he makes me.”

“The radio and the telephone and the movies that we know

May just be passing fancies and in time may go…”

Ian sits in a cab and looks out at the familiar desolate streets of Detroit while being lost in thought.

“There was this night she slept over at my place - before I knew what she was - and some sunlight peeked in from the curtains. She screamed because of the burns she got on the side of her face. I was just worried about what the hell I could do to help her, I didn’t even hear her say ‘I’m sorry,’ over and over the way she did. She thought it was her fault…”

“But oh my dear...

Our love is here to stay…

Together we’re going a long, long way…”

“I had always looked at my brothers’ relationships with their partners, and I had often wondered what it would be like to have someone. To actually be in love.”

“Y/N is hardly like anyone I’ve met. She’s so cultured, sweet, loving, and fun. And I’m so used to being told to settle down when I babble on about whatever. Or I don’t even get paid much attention to. But with her, I feel like I can tell her anything.”

“Ian’s been so open minded about everything, so selfless. And he is so passionate about music, not to mention more talented than he gives himself credit for.”

“I won’t lie, I’m a little disappointed that I won’t get to share certain things with her. Like going to the beach, showing her off to my family, sharing a milkshake at Eileen’s, having babies with her…”

He seems to do a little more thinking; most likely imagining the last scenario.

“But none of that would be stuff I want if I couldn’t have her,”

“In time the Rockies may crumble

Gibraltar may tumble

They're only made of clay

But our love is here to stay.”

Ian strummed the last few notes of the song and shared another look with Y/N while the audience applauded. It wasn’t their approval he sought out to have.

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stargleeksil-blog · 7 years ago

Text

Criminal Minds s05e18 “The Fight” review - or more aptly named, one of the most exciting episodes regarding the guest stars. HOLY MOTHER OF FUCK!

Episode 18 – The Fight

Heyo!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I don’t like the name of this one, it leads me to believe it might involve some sort of fight club, and I’m not looking forward to that one.

Let’s see what happens before I make judgy assumptions, though.

Hold up, a report of a body in Presidio Park? But that park is fucking huge! And at night, how are they hoping to find anything there?

Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, last year in October I was in San Francisco, so I know all about the Presidio Park because I’m a nerd and a geek and a Disney-heart so I visited all the awesome things and museums there.

“We need to call the FBI. It’s starting again.”

Wait. They have a serial killer that’s already been killing and they haven’t gotten him yet? Oh god.

God, that girl is such a teenager it drives me nuts.

Hey. I know that girl! Hold up.

That’s Nicole from Zoey 101!!!!!!!! Oh my god, my Nickelodeon teenager self is coming out XDDDDDDDDDDDD

And that dude was in Castle! Oh god, I’m so frigging excited about this episode right now!

Hey! He was in Castle, too!

Oh god, this just turned out to be one of the most enticing episodes yet!

Wait. How does he know the kid? Is he stalking her?

Did he just abduct the father and daughter? Oh dear.

Creepy.

Wait. Hold the fucking phone.

Is that fucking Forest Whitaker? OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS EPISODE SO MUCH ALREADY! JUST BECAUSE OF THE GUEST STARS!

Oh my god, I’m so excited right now.

Oh my god, he’s kicking ass like a BAMF, I love you, Forest!

Hey, Forest!

“You never were one for offices.”

“A medical condition. I’m allergic to bureaucracy.”

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

So let me get this straight, they killed four dudes, over four days, waited a year, did the same thing. And it’s repeated itself? Why haven’t they investigated it beforehand?

“Which means we have three days before the trail goes cold again.”

Ah. Gotcha.

Hold up. So after the four dead men, they killed the dad and the brunette daughter? ALEXA! WATCH OUT!

So he’s asking the BAU to help him out with his theory. I knew this episode was gong to be awesome.

“I mean, you don’t have time to be chasing an angle like this one.”

True.

“So my team works the bodies in Presidio Park while your team tests the theory about the fathers and daughters.”

Awesome.

“And if I’m right, both halves of the case help solve the other half.”

Amazing.

“And you already asked the director and she said no.”

Ruh-roh.

“She is not strong in thinking outside the box.”

Damn straight.

“You ignore her order and you’re wrong, you’re done.”

“I’m telling you Hotch …”

Oh, my boy is determined! I’m super excited right now, and we’re only five minutes into the episode!

Mother Teresa: “I have found the paradox that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”

Lovely?

So pretty!

“The tenderloin district has a high concentration of drug addicts and homeless people. All the victims have been transients.”

So glad I stayed away from that one. Nothing against transients, I’m just not a fan of drugs.

“So this unsub’s choosing easy targets that won’t be missed. He’s not concerned with the challenge of the hunt.”

“All these victims are part of a larger plan.”

Oh dear.

“Reid, did you find any significance to the dates?”

“Nothing historical. It’s gotta be personal for the unsub.”

Oh god.

��Morgan and I will go to the coroner’s office.”

He sure knows how to treat my boy.

So they’re cooperating with Cooper’s team.

“We’ll investigate the dead men, and his team can see if there is a missing father and daughter.”

Yup.

“Why isn’t his team on the jet now?”

“Because the director wouldn’t authorize them joining the investigation.”

“They’re working against the director’s orders?”

Oh boy.

“Or you could get in serious hot water if the director thinks you’re helping to defy her.”

Uh, yeah.

Forest Whitaker with a blackboard. Shouldn’t be doing things to me, but it is.

Oh my god! That’s Michael Kelly! He’s this hot shot on House of Cards, but I love him nonetheless… I’m not a fan of shows about the presidents … sorry.

“Trying to get out of the heavy lifting, eh?”

Oh my god, he’s British. I love British accents!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Actually, I’m setting up a two-way ilnb with a 500-megawatt transmitter and single-polarity lnb, both operating in the KU band.”

“What did she just say to me?”

XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Smart ladies. I love this episode already.

“At least we’re blessed with a nice setup.”

Ha, I love the sarcasm.

“I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a slumlord who gave us a great deal.”

I love this episode so freaking much.

“So how do we conjure victims of a crime that might not have been committed out of thin air in a major American city?”

This Brit is SMART.

“Only 45% of the population’s white, what does that leave?”

“360,000.”

Ooh, he’s a smartypants, too.

“Well, okay, if you wanna show off about it.”

Ha.

Okay, just so you know? This is going to be fucking long. I’m already three pages of Word doc into this episode, and I haven’t even reached 10 minutes. Fuck.

Sorry.

“What the hell is he doing with them?”

Did Hotch just say ‘what the hell’? Whoa.

Oh god, this is seriously sick. He’s holding fathers and daughters. And makes the fathers fight the previous fathers for their lives and their daughters’? I wanna barf.

“I love this guy.”

Me too.

“And the prophet speaks.”

Ha.

I knew he was a smartypants here.

What’s going on?

“The video was shot by a camera on a tripod, which means he probably doesn’t have a partner. It would be almost impossible for him to take your family prisoner and do surveillance simultaneously.”

True.

“He doesn’t leave anybody with knowledge alive.”

Did you have to say that to her, though?

“Your theory’s right. We know he’s killing homeless men as well as fathers and daughters but let us work it.”

Wait, why?

“If you got back to DC now, the director won’t know that you ignored her order.”

“Look, I know you’re sticking your neck out on this thing for me.”

So cute.

“This isn’t about me. I want to protect you.”

I love you guys so much.

“I won’t ignore my gut again.”

So he’s haunted by the fact that he listened to orders and got back, but they found a second killer on a case hew as working? Oh honey.

“I don’t care what it cost me.”

Oh boy.

“My people will be on the record, and we’ll use yours to double manpower.”

Awesome.

And another body was found.

Ugh.

Emily: “So how does a Brit …”

Mick: “A handsome Brit.”

“How does a Brit end up in the FBI?”

XDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

I sense something here.

“So, is it true that no one in the British special forces is allowed to admit they’re in it?”

Seriously?

“I don’t know. I’d have to ask around about that one.”

Ha.

“These victims might actually be fighting with each other.”

Damn.

Finally they’re onto it.

“It sends a message to the prisoners he already has. You lose a fight, you die.”

Oh god.

“I think the unsub’s been locked up. It’s where he’s learned to control his own prisoners.”

Wow.

“The loser is executed.”

Fuck.

“Admit it, I’m starting to grow on you.”

You’re starting to be full of yourself, Mick.

“If I’m right, there’s somewhere else we need to be delivering that profile.”

Maybe, but at least tell her where?

So that’s San Quentin? It has one heck of a reputation.

And apparently Shemar’s dad did time there. Wow.

Rossi: “This is one for the books, eh?”

“Yeah. You spend much time here?”

“Maybe half a dozen interviews. You?”

“Six years, three months, four days.”

Wait. He served at San Quentin and he got out alive? White boy, you are amazing.

“I ever got my shot at redemption, I was gonna take my game to the other side.”

So cute.

“Criminals are the ones who make the rules, cops are the ones who gotta learn them.”

Oh wow.

It’s so weird seeing him as an ex-criminal. He usually plays a role of authority. Funny.

“This kid, best sniper I’ve ever seen.”

No need to gloat about it.

“So, what are you wearing?”

REALLY?

“A gun.”

I love you, Emily.

“Hey, Mick, explain something to me. How come I’m out on the street and you’re sitting on your butt on some roof?”

XDDDDDDDDDDDDD

“Well, you heard the man. Do you really want me to expound on my own prowess? It’s undignified.”

Why am I suddenly shipping Emily and Mick? XDDDDDDDDDDDD

“Care to expand on that? All I see are guys clocking junkies.”

Lol.

Did he not just tell Prentiss to stay close? Why doesn’t she listen?

Frack. They chased the wrong dude.

Frack.

“You up for a ride to San Quentin?”

Well, that’s romantic.

“It’s like the old days, spending all your time interviewing prisoners.”

“Don’t go getting sentimental on me.”

I love those two interacting together so much!

Did they not kick her out yet? Ugh.

“Let me talk to her for a second.”

Oh he’s walking on thin ice.

“No, ma’am, I do not think you’re stupid.”

I DO!

“I want you back here today.”

“I can’t do that.”

Wait, what now?

“You can fire me tomorrow. Right now, I got less than 24 hours before a father an da daughter turn up dead somewhere in the city, and I refuse to be on an airplane while the son of a bitch dumps their bodies.”

“Now, with all … all possible respect … I gotta go.”

I would have told her to go fuck herself.

“So where were we?”

XDDDDDDDDDDDDD I love Forest so much.

“Is it true you interview Charles Manson before they transferred him out of here?”

“Three straight days, 1988.”

Wow.

Wait. Manson was held in San Quentin? Wow.

“What was he like?”

“Small.”

What?

“What are you doing?”

“My dad was army. In my house, we marched.”

“He must be proud of you.”

You’re so cute!!!!!!!!!!!

“Well, Cooper obviously had a lot of faith in you. He plucked you out of the academy, right?”

Apparently.

That’s nice.

“What is it?”

Uh yeah, it doesn’t make sense that the journal is out in the open. Journals are private and are kept hidden if you know someone might see it.

“What’s in it?”

“So she’s defiant, and she wants her parents to read it.”

But why put in on paper in the first place if she wanted others to know about it? She could’ve told them.

“Unless it was forced on her.”

What?

So a family counselor told her to do it? Oh dear.

“Where was the office?”

“The tenderloin district.”

Boom.

“Good work, Morgan.”

Yup.

“Can I talk to your analyst?”

Do you really want to do that? XDDDDDDDDDDD

“Talk to me.”

“Penelope Garcia. Sam Cooper.”

Wait, he knows about her?

“Sam Cooper? As I live and breathe, and here I thought you were a story someone invented.”

I love you, lady.

“Here’s what I need from you.”

“Roger that. Gonna hack like the wind.”

I love her so much.

“Prepared to be wowed, sir.”

“All right, my tribe.”

Someone please get her over here so I can kiss that pretty mouth of Kirsten’s.

“Shazam.”

They got the fucker.

Oh Jane is smart. She lied about hating her dad so she could save him. I love her so much right now.

God, I hope they find Jane.

“We’re two blocks away.”

“Don’t shine it on the street.”

“Then why the hell are we up here?”

“Just give me the rooftop.”

They don’t want to spook him, smart.

“This guy was locked alone in a box for three years. If he feels trapped, his animal instinct’s gonna kick in … and since he can’t dig his way out of here, I guarantee you he’s going to the roof.”

Yup.

Come on, honeys.

“Drop the gun!”

“Don’t do it! Put it down!”

“Get off the wall!”

Oh god.

Oh fuck!

Oh thank fucking fuck that Mick is a straightshooter.

Oh my fucking goodness that was hard on me.

I’m not ready to lose Emily.

“You guys wanna watch out for this one. She’s gonna have a hard time getting over me.”

Oh god!

“Like kicking a virus.”

I love Emily so much.

“You know, I could have just missed.”

“With your ego?”

“Not a chance.”

XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Are Mick and Emily actually flirting? I love this!

“I actually think San Quentin was nicer.”

What?

“Yeah, trust me. It’s not.”

“What do you mean?”

Oh my innocent poodle.

“Oh, so you’re calling me directly now, huh?”

“Don’t be insolent. I still plan on reading you and Agent Hotchner the riot when you get back.”

Oh god, I hate that bitch.

“It’s something to look forward to.”

Ha!

“Now, don’t be an idiot. Get on that jet with his team and get back home. I have a pile of cases for you.”

I hate Strauss.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“So what exactly did she say?”

“She said that she’s gonna buy us a steak dinner when we get back.”

“Right.”

XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD “A toast!”

Can we just talk about the fact that they’re fucking toasting with Forest fucking Whitaker?

Amazing!

Okay, so this episode was all kinds of amazing. Sure, it could have been better , and they could have given Forest a more rounded character, but I loved that he was jagged and rough and not perfect, and it was so amazing. I’m officially shipping Emily with mick right now, and I don’t care if it doesn’t happen cannonly, I’m still shipping them.

Can’t wait for the next episode.

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keywestlou · 6 years ago

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NEW YEAR OLD NEWS HITTING KEY WEST IN THE FACE

Key West’s traffic problem has steadily grown over the years. As our island increased in popularity, so did traffic congestion. Cars, bicycles, and pedestrians the primary culprits.

I have been writing and talking about the problem with increased frequency this past year. Especially the past couple of weeks as Christmas and New Year have brought hordes of tourists to Key West.

We welcome them. We welcome their business. However Key West forgot along the way to expeditiously work on the traffic problem. Lip service and a study recently received that took 2 years to complete. Not enough.

Death and injury hang like a black cloud over Key West.

A recent study revealed that Key West was ranked #1 among Florida cities with populations of 15,000 to 75,000 for bicycle fatalities and injuries.

Friday and Saturday found 2 accidents occurring that support the congestion premise. Yesterday’s Miami Herald said re Key West that “…..traffic has been congested on the tiny island.”

A truer statement never expressed.

Friday a tourist drove excessively and recklessly through Boca Chica down U.S. 1 to the triangle entrance to Key West. Seven cars were struck. Two of them police vehicles. Fortunately, injuries minimal.

Yesterday morning at 10, injuries more significant. A dead driver and a passenger in critical condition.

The accident occurred on North Roosevelt Boulevard. Involved tourists. The driver was traveling at a high rate of speed. Lost control of his vehicle. Traveled through the parking lot of Kim Kuban’s. Came to a stop when it hit a boat parked in front of the pawn shop nearby.

Note we are only at the beginning of the New Year weekend!

I stayed in yesterday and watched 2 great football games. The top 4 teams in the U.S. playing for the right to go against each other in the championship game.

Clemson destroyed Notre Dame 30-3. Both teams undefeated going into the game.

Alabama beat Oklahoma 45-34. The game not as close as it might appear. Only 2 minutes into the second quarter and Alabama was ahead 28-0. Both quarterbacks superior.

Alabama especially impressed me. A well oiled machine. Do everything right. Know how to grab that extra 4-5 yards on a run. Passing spectacular.

I pick Alabama over Clemson.

Syracuse basketball yesterday also. Syracuse destroyed St. Bonaventure 81-47. Not a big deal.

Syracuse has now concluded its pre league schedule. 9-4. Not impressive. The ever dangerous ACC season is around the corner. Big time hard fought college basketball! The quality of Syracuse play will be determined in those games.

I am concerned.

Later this afternoon, it will be the Gardens and then Hot Dog Church for me.

The year 2018 has been bad for manatees. So far, 804 killed. Boat strikes and the red tide responsible. Generally, 400-500 a year are killed. Primarily by boat strikes.

Major hurricanes the past few years. The most recent Michael which destroyed the Panhandle, parts of Georgia and the Carolinas.

Irma and Maria last year.

Recovery slow. Federal assistance insufficient.

Every time a natural disaster occurs, Trump goes on TV and says we have the money to deal with the problem. The truth is we do not. Ergo, recovery takes years. People suffering longer than they should.

Some examples.

Georgia significant when it comes to timber farming. Michael damaged 2.5 million acres of trees. The timber business contributes $25 billion annually to the economy. Involved are 124,000 jobs.

Georgia needs help big time re its timber business.

Florida’s Panhandle feels increasingly forgotten. Michael hit 2 miles less than a category 5.

The federal government is slow coming up with financial assistance. Two reasons. The federal bureaucracy and a lack of funds. The feds tell the states and municipalities to go to the bank and borrow necessary monies. The feds promise to reimburse the borrowings.

Good luck! Takes forever to get reimbursement. Irma was 15 months ago. Monroe County, Islamorada, Marathon, and Key West are still waiting for reimbursement dollars.

Panama City recently borrowed $50 million to help with Michael recovery. It will need more. Debris removal alone is estimated at $60-80 million.

Mexico Beach City was the worse hit by Michael. Close to total destruction. The hurricane hit at 155 mph. Power and water restored. Much little of anything else. Of its 2,700 dwellings, only 500 are habitable today.

The point being made is the federal government is failing in its responsibility to help.

If the federal government were functioning properly, Trump would be on TV telling the Nation what a good job he is doing. You do not see him or hear it.

While people are suffering because of the failure to help, federal dollars are being pissed away. An example is New Year’s Eve at Mar-a-Lago. Trump will probably be in Washington. His family at Mar-a-Lago.

Secret Service is required to provide certain safeguards for the President and his family. Secret Service has rented $54,020 worth of tents to be used for security checks and safe spots for VIPs. Secret Service also recently paid $41,000 for generators and site towers. I am not sure if these items are directly related to New Year’s Eve.

Golf cart rentals by Secret Service pushing $400,000 this year. For use by the Secret Service in guarding the President and his family when playing golf.

Note that the Secret Service agents are not being paid. The Secret Service cap was reached December 21. Keep in mind also that 800,000 federal employees are laid off or working without pay till the shutdown is over. On top of which Trump recently announced that he is placing a freeze on federal employee salaries. They will not receive their small annual raises scheduled for 2019.

I have never met Roger C. Kostmayer. A senior Key West resident who writes Letters to the Editor. To all the publications. He vents. He expresses wrongdoing/impropriety as he sees it.

In a recent letter of KONK Life E-Blast, Roger wrote re MAGA. MAGA from Trump’s perspective means Make America Great again. From Roger’s, Morons Are Governing America.

China fighting toilet paper waste.

Tourism on the rise in China. Public toilets, also. Toilet paper in public toilets is either being wasted (left on the floor in large unused amounts) or being stolen to be used at a place where toilet paper is not available.

What I shall now describe is being used in Jinan. Planned for use throughout China.

Toilet paper users are under scrutiny. Watched. A form of facial recognition technology. It is part of the toilet paper dispenser.

China says 27 inches enough toilet paper per usage. If someone attempts to use or take more, the facial recognition gimmick will recognize him/her and refuse the person toilet paper. A 9 minute wait involved to get additional paper.

The technology sophisticated. It can tell if the person is new or a returning user.

I looked for a New Year’s quote. Tons of them. Searched for something different, yet pointed.

Wally Lamb is the author of the quote. Never heard of him. He has a nice touch with words, however. Read them slowly, think for a moment, flavor his words: “Accept what people offer. Drink their milkshakes. Take their love.”

Enjoy your Sunday!

NEW YEAR OLD NEWS HITTING KEY WEST IN THE FACE was originally published on Key West Lou

0 notes

theconservativebrief · 6 years ago

Link

Right now, on the website for Edible Arrangements, you can purchase a bouquet of cut fruit featuring cartoon-style flowers cut from pineapple with bulbous cantaloupe centers, with leafy moons of honeydew and fat strawberry roses, dotted with sprigs of shiny red grapes.

You can buy many arrangements like this one, in various configurations, depending on your budget and edible needs. Sometimes, the pineapple is shaped like a star and not a daisy. Sometimes, there are orange wedges. Some arrangements have fruits dipped in chocolate. The “Peace & Doves Bouquet” depends upon a small flock of pineapple birds in white chocolate coats.

They cost between $24.99, for a petite-sized FruitFlowers® Bouquet, and go up to $1,999, for an Incredible Edibles® Chocolate Spectacular, which is less an “arrangement” than an edible shrub.

In the two decades since the company was founded, it has become an icon and a punchline. It is the ultimate gift for gift’s sake, a category of objects that exist exclusively to be presented to someone else. It is not that nobody wants an Edible Arrangement; it is just that wanting (or not wanting) an Edible Arrangement — a present that exists at the intersection of frivolity and groceries — has very little to do with getting one.

There are no rules, of course, preventing you from buying yourself a chocolate-covered pineapple bouquet, but there are customs. An Edible Arrangement is like a MacArthur Fellowship; you cannot nominate yourself.

Tariq Farid opened the first Edible Arrangements store in 1999 in East Haven, Connecticut. He had been working in the floral industry, so he knew about flowers, and he was also aware that there were people making bouquets out of fruit and so he started selling those, too, in a corner of his flower shop. He didn’t invent the concept, he tells me. It’s just that now, if you picture a fruit bouquet, it’s probably one of his.

“I’ve always done things according to what customers think,” he says, which is good, because customers loved his arrangements that were edible; as of early 2018, annual revenue topped $500 million.

The banks he was trying to get loans from did not. In Connecticut magazine, he described these initial meetings: “I looked like I was on some type of drug like speed or something. I’m going, ‘THIS IS GONNA BE BIG,’ and they’re like, ‘It’s fruit, in a basket.’”

This, in fact, was the whole point. It is fruit. It is in a basket (or a vase). But people did not understand. He would show them the brochure in his pocket — as the company was starting, he always carried a brochure in his pocket — and explain, and they would tell him how cool it was, and then confess that they’d thought it had something to do with edible underwear.

This confusion did not last long. According to Farid, “every customer that came in loved it and wanted to know how they could order more.” The first major fruit-flower holiday they were open, Easter 1999, they had “about 28 orders. It was amazing, the type of response we had.” And it would be easier to dismiss this as entrepreneurial puffery if the brand did not — despite various troubles — currently have 1,200 stores in 11 countries worldwide.

People think Edible Arrangements are very expensive, Farid says, but that’s wrong. “Our most popular arrangement is $25. We wanted to make it an everyday option, and that’s what we did.”

Thanks to an army of specialized fruit-cutting machinery — the company holds a staggering number of patents for devices relating to the slicing of melons — you can impulsively swing by an Edible storefront and have one arranged on the spot, in “7 or 8 minutes.” It can be a planned gift, or an impulse gift, or a gift you give when you can’t think of a different gift, or for when you forgot you needed one.

If you are presented with an Edible Arrangement, Farid really wants you to say “wow.” To feel “wow.” To taste “wow.” The company is in the “wow” business: Up until about two years ago, Farid says, the mission statement was “to WOW you.” (It has since changed to the more community-minded “to fill the world with goodness,” although “wow” remains a top priority.)

“I mean, we’re a gifting company. That’s why you send a gift. You give a gift to wow someone, to make their day.”

“I mean, we’re a gifting company. That’s why you send a gift. You give a gift to wow someone, to make their day,” Farid explains. It is not just a gift, but a symbol of a gift. “I am a gift!” announces an Edible Arrangement. Its primary job is to exist.

The Edible Arrangement beautiful giftiness is also what makes it a joke. There is an Onion headline: Continued Existence Of Edible Arrangements Disproves Central Tenets Of Capitalism. “According to experts,” the article reads, the company has “defied all modern economic models, expanding continuously for the past decade despite its complete lack of any discernible consumer appeal.”

But to economist Joel Waldfogel, author of Scroogenomics, a credo against the inefficiency of holiday gift-giving, gifts are rarely logical propositions. A good gift is something you wouldn’t buy for yourself, I propose, which is an unoriginal insight, but also what I think.

From an economic perspective, though, it’s the opposite. “What’s efficient is to give somebody something they would have purchased for themselves, or cash,” Waldfogel says. “But that’s not really gift-like.”

And in most situations that require a gift, “cash is not acceptable,” except in very specific circumstances: your grandmother might give you cash, but you are probably not writing a birthday check to your boss. But an Edible Arrangement is perfect for when cash would be both ideal and colossally inappropriate.

And so it makes sense that some number of arrangements are corporate gifts, bestowed upon one company by another, because it’s Christmas and they appreciate your business. In November and December, peak corporate gifting season, this constitutes about 11 percent of the business.

“It’s a great item to send to an office where everybody can enjoy it,” Farid points out, for the same reason a more classical fruit basket is a great gift to send to an office: “If you send chocolate or candy, maybe some people will say, ‘I can’t eat sugar.’ If you send fruit, everybody will dig into it.” What he does not say is that an Edible Arrangement is blissfully impersonal; it is the color ecru in gift form.

The primary target customer, however, has always been not a corporation, but “a mom,” Farid says. “Or that 25- to 40-year-old female demographic — skewed female, because a lot of times the decisions get made by the lady of the house, except for Valentine’s Day and possibly Mother’s Day.” And even then, sometimes it is the 25- to 40-year-old woman demographic telling her husband, “Hey, don’t forget mom, it’s her birthday, let’s get her something,” he says.

But how intimate can a present between lovers be, if it is equally appropriate as a gift between corporate law firms?

Mother’s Day is the biggest Edible occasion — there are late presents, and early ones — but the single busiest Edible day is Valentine’s Day, because “it’s all about love.” It is similar to other gifts given for these holidays — a bouquet of actual floral flowers, for example — but, Farid notes, the value proposition is higher, because cut fruit is beautiful but also food. In the great schism between “things” and “experiences,” a fruit bouquet is both: You gaze at it, but then you eat it.

But how intimate can a present between lovers be if it is equally appropriate as a gift between corporate law firms? As one former Edible Arrangements employee recalled to Munchies, they are also big with men trying to hit on women they mostly do not know.

“They’d write notes like, ‘Saw you at the club the other day, you told me where you worked…’” and then it would be up to him to wander through a Macy’s with a vase of floral melon balls looking for a woman based on vague physical characteristics and no last name. Except that the men aren’t wrong. “Everyone,” he concluded, “is so thrilled to get these weird topiaries of fruit.”

And yet it is easy to be dismissive of Edible Arrangements. Unlike fruit-gifting competitor Harry and David, purveyor of gold-wrapped pears, or the perfect $125 melons sold at Sembikiya, Tokyo’s most famous luxury fruit market, Edible Arrangements has always identified as working class.

“When we started, we were mostly in blue-collar towns,” says Farid. “And our stores did the best in those towns.” He attributes this to the healthy selection of lower-priced options, and a belief that “blue-collar people tended to celebrate a lot more.”

His own father, after bringing the family over from Pakistan, worked as a machinist, so he understands. “We know we have to take care of those customers who are celebrating but have limited resources.”

Is it so wrong to give a gift that exists to be given? Is it a bug that you need know nothing about your recipient to present them with an Edible Arrangement, or is it — perhaps — a feature?

It is rarely a misstep. “The worst thing that can happen is you’ll moderately enjoy it and then it’s gone,” Waldfogel tells me. “It’s not some kind of permanent burden, like the ugly picture that hangs on the wall that you’re expected to have on the wall every time the giver comes visiting.”

Waldfogel has no public stance on Edible Arrangements, but he will say that there is “something special about it … I suspect for most people, it’s not a usual thing to consume.” And in that way, yes, “it has some of the criteria that you might associate with a ‘perfect gift.’”

But the problem with gifts is that they are occasional; even in the age of extreme self-care, people are mostly not buying chocolate-dipped fruit trees for themselves. “Where we’re going towards now is we have a lot of treats,” Farid says: chocolate-dipped fruit chunks, fruit smoothies, “donuts,” which are actually chocolate-covered Granny Smith apple rounds. “Our ideal customer is the person who treats themselves. The ‘gifted giver,’ we call them.” The company, he says, has evolved “from gifting into a treat business.”

Does this mean that we aren’t giving so much anymore, I ask? Not at all, Farid assures me. We’re probably giving even more now, if anything. “You can send a little emoji and make someone’s day.” Sometimes, his kids send him a heart; he loves that. It’s a gift in itself.

“What people give has changed,” he continues. “People want to be a lot more sensible.” But the basic impulse to give? No, that hasn’t changed. It’s just that there’s a new recipient now. It is us, gifting ourselves the gift of being gifted.

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Original Source -> What is the meaning of an Edible Arrangement?

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robertkstone · 6 years ago

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2019 BMW M850i xDrive First Drive: The Joy of Being Surprised

When I was but a teenaged car freak few cars held the appeal of the original BMW 8 Series. Introduced in 1989, the 8 Series, specifically the V-12-engined 850s, were truly perceived as the ultimate in Ultimate Driving Machines. Sure, the ruthlessly complicated M70 12-cylinder weighed (approximately) a ton, and the cars were too luxury-oriented; unless you had the super-rare 850CSi, the 8s weren’t exactly sporting. But no matter, as even the eight-cylinder cars were hugely desirable and in tune with the times. What would Gordon Gekko drive? An 8 Series. Duh. At least until the recession of the early 1990s. With the possible exception of the i8, BMW hasn’t had an actual halo car since the OG 8, and I say the brand has suffered as a result. Fast-forward to now: BMW is launching a brand-new 8 Series to try to get some of that swaggering, master-of-the-universe mojo back.

Tall order. See, the 4,478-pound (that’s how much the BMW press release says the AWD coupe weighs) elephant in the room is that the new G11 8 Series—like the old 6 Series—is derived from the 5 Series. With the wonderful, awesome, fantastic exception of the M5, I’d take a Honda Accord over a G30 5 Series. Yes, I’m talking about all of them, including the M550i. Ye olde E31 8 Series was a unique platform that BMW spent eight years and $1.5 billion developing. This one? I figured the M850i would be nothing but an M550i with two doors hacked off. And so it was in beautiful Sintra, Portugal, home of the legendary former F1 circuit Estoril, that I approached the 2019 BMW M850i with an always-hopeful heart but a mind full of cynicism. First a road test, then some track time, sure to end in disappointment. Man, was I wrong.

Under that bulging hood and behind those wide, snarled nostrils sits the N63B44T3, a 4.4-liter V-8 with two twin-scroll turbochargers sitting in its V. Power is 523 horsepower at 5,500 rpm; torque is 553 lb-ft from 1,800 to 4,600 rpm. All that force is transmitted to all four wheels via the ubiquitous ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. The M850i’s torque split is rear-wheel biased and continuously variable, though under certain conditions as much as 50 percent of the engine’s torque can be sent to the front halfshafts. Most of the time—and largely for efficiency reasons—all the power is routed rearward. All four wheels steer, and all four dampers are electronically adjustable. BMW claims the big rig can reach 60 mph in a super-quick 3.6 seconds. Top speed is cruelly limited to 155 mph. On paper, the stats look good.

I dig the way the new 8 Series looks. It’s the first BMW since the 6 Series Gran Coupes that I find genuinely attractive. I’ll add especially in the upcoming 8 Series Gran Coupe form. Hubba hubba! Looking for flaws in the bodywork, one could point to the phony engine vents that are shaped like Batman’s boomerangs, but I don’t mind ’em. The C-pillar has a definite similarity to the current Ford Mustang, especially the way it flows into the M850i’s fat hips. Don’t hate that part, either. In a perfect world, the doors would be longer, and there would be no B-pillar (like the original 8 Series), but overall I find the big coupe handsome, specifically the all-important front three-quarter view. The hard rear’s pretty good, too. The interior is likewise quite nice, quite luxurious, and laid out well. My one gripe is that even though the navigation screen is sharp, legible, and canted toward the driver, the seventh-generation iDrive navigation software is two to four steps backward. On our road loop we missed many turns because we couldn’t decipher what the map was showing us, something that just doesn’t happen in, say, Audis or Mercedes. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard, however, so just Google it.

Once comfortable with exploring a bit of Portugal not explicitly mapped out, I began to wonder where the new 8 Series fits into the larger automotive world. The base price of the M850i is $112,885. That’s expensive, about a $22,000 increase over the previous 650i xDrive. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class coupe might seem like the natural competitor, but the S560 4Matic coupe is 5 inches longer, approximately 200 pounds heavier, and, at $125,495, more expensive. Consumers will naturally cross-shop the two Germans—especially because calling this car an 8 series essentially tricks people into thinking it’s a two-door 7 Series, just like how the S-Class coupe is a two-door S-Class. Only it’s not. It’s based on the 5 Series. To be fair, all BMWs with longitudinally mounted engines are based on the brand’s CLAR “Cluster Architecture.” So if it’s not quite an S-Class coupe competitor, the M850i is most certainly not a rival for the nearly half price, kinda half-baked Mercedes E-Class coupe. Likewise, Audi doesn’t offer up any sort of competitor in the segment. Lexus and the $92,995 LC 500 (the V-8, not the more expensive but quite inferior hybrid LC 500h) is in my mind the big Bimmer’s closest competition. Frankly, unlike that S 560 coupe but quite like the Lexus, the M850i has a definite sportiness baked right into it.

That’s the big surprise for me. As I mentioned up top, I was expecting a two-door M550i. Big engine, not much of a chassis, no claim whatsoever to Ultimate Driving Machine. Not even a little. Well, I was shocked at how well the M850i tore down the road. Was I worried about the weight? Yes. Were my worries unfounded? Also yes. I think when future car fans look back on the biggest performance innovations from the mid-teens, four-wheel steering will be high up on the list. The tech finally works properly, and in the case of this BMW, it takes a large car and allows it to drive like a medium one. The steering is admirably precise, and more important—and this next part is a departure from BMWs dating back a decade or so—the steering feel is right on. The wheel is not artificially heavy or boosted or dead or variable or any of the other dreadful descriptors I’ve had to use over and over again since the Bangle cars appeared on the scene. The new M5 is the first BMW in a long time with pretty good steering feel, and the M850i continues the trend. Does the car provide Porsche-like waves of feedback through the tiller? No, but frankly neither do modern Porsches.

It was fun to smash this big guy around. Its 553 lb-ft of torque plus all-wheel drive means that the M850i launches good and hard. Do I have reason to doubt 60 mph comes up in only 3.6 seconds? Nope. The engine keeps pushing and shoving, and the torque moves the 8 Series down the road with authority—an authority that’s not unlike the traditional feel of a Bentley, one where the heft is a good, positive part of the driving experience. All that’s just a fancy way of saying strong; the M850i feels strong. The transmission is programmed about as well as I’ve seen, so much so that I never even had the notion to start pulling the paddles. What’s the mark of a great automatic transmission? When you don’t even think about it. If there’s a sore spot driving-wise on the street, it’s the brakes. BMW opted for brake-by-wire in the 8 Series—can’t have autonomous vehicles without it—but like most systems, these brakes were overly grabby at low speeds and difficult to modulate. I assumed that once we got to freshly repaved tarmac on Estoril, the brakes would be even worse. Wrong again, Jonny.

All of the gathered journalists agreed that no one takes cars like the M850i on the track. First of all, an honest to goodness M8 is coming, and second, they just don’t. But they should! What a surprisingly fun car to hoon around a track! With both the car and the traction control in Sport, I enjoyed some of the most giggle-filled laps in recent memory. The rear-bias of the AWD system allows you to hang the rear end out all over the place, but it then smartly feeds just enough power back to the front tires to help pull you around a corner. Sadly, the way press launches work these days, you go out, you get your laps, and that’s it. I say sadly because I was so impressed by how well the M850i did in Sport mode that I forgot to bother checking out Sport Plus. Moreover, I failed to experience what it was like with traction control turned all the way off. I will say, DSC Sport (BMW-speak for traction control) lets you dial up pretty big slip angles before the nanny takes over and reels you back in. The brakes? They worked better on the track than on the street and had no issues like fade even after repeatedly hauling more than 4,500 pounds down from over 150 mph. Moreover, I wasn’t working all that hard. As Randy Pobst often says, good race cars are easy to drive. That’s certainly the case with the M850i on track.

Little is better than having your preconceived notions proven wrong by a great car. Where I was expecting a disappointing driving experience, I was treated to a wonderful one. Assuming frowns, I instead experience smiles. Great big ones. Don’t think of the M850i as a two-door M550i. Think of it instead as a lightly detuned M5 with a tight rear seat but much sexier sheetmetal. I’ll even go so far as to say this: The M850i xDrive is a worthy successor to the original 8 Series. Like the original, I say the 8 Series sits at a unique place in the market, has enough curb appeal to turn all the right heads, and can surprisingly put its performance money where its mouth is. Great job, BMW. Now bring me the M8!

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awesome-legendarystudentcho-blog · 6 years ago

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connecticut insurance commissioner regulations

"connecticut insurance commissioner regulations

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Hi, I recently bought my first motorbike a few month in advance of my 17th birthday, with the intention to ride it once im 17. When i got the bike, it had no MOT or road tax and it was registered as SORN (meaning it was registered as being off the road). So i filled in the registration document, rang up the DVLA and re-registered the vehicle as SORN again. The thing i would like to know is, when it comes to the time of my 17th birthday, in what order do i get each of the things, for example, would i get the MOT before the roadtax and if so how would i get my bike to the MOT centre without having roadtax, and would i still be able to get insured on an untaxed bike with no MOT? So basicly, what order do i get the insurance, MOT and roadtax in? Sorry i hope this made sense i have tried to describe it in the best way possible, thanks for any help.""

I am selling my car and I have a suspended driver's license. What kind of insurance policy can I buy?

My driver's license will be under suspension until January 2014 and so I have decided to sell my car. What do I do about insurance? I dropped mine when I realized I would not be driving as a way to save money, but now that I want to sell the car I believe I need the insurance even just for someone to take a test drive. Are there short-term or reduced costs policies available in this situation? I would of course immediately not need the insurance once the car is sold, which could be very soon.""

How can I get health insurance with diabetes?

My boyfriend has Type 1 diabetes and just lost his job (and health insurance). We have been looking around for other health insurance, but basically no one will cover him because he takes insulin. If he continued with his job's health plan it would increase to over $500 a month! Our U.S. health care system sucks!! Do you know of any health care providers who would cover this?""

Auto Insurance Coverage - How much coverage should I buy?

Next week, I'll be switching to another auto insurance. My previous limits with another company were: -minimum MD state 20/40/15 for Bodily Injury, Uninsured Motorist, and property damage -PIP $2500 -250/500 for Comprehensive/Collision, had road service, towing, and rental. I don't have many assets. I'm a renter and I live from paycheck to paycheck. I have no accidents, no tickets, and no violations for the last 8 years. I'm a cautious driver. I drive a 2003 Honda Civic. The new insurance company is offering me $759/year for the limits 100/300/100 Bodily Injury Liability and matching for Uninsured Motorist + Property Damage, 250/500 for Comp/Coll, road service, towing, and rentals, PIP 2500. I've seen different answers that say 100/300/100 would be better for those who own a house and have a better income. What do you think is a recommended coverage going?""

Help with car insurance please?

Hello, I Live in the UK, I am 22 years old and I have a Kia picanto which is my everyday car. My girlfriend is the main driver and owner and I am a named driver on the policy. I have a Subaru Impreza which I want to use at weekends etc and only little use. Is there any sort of Insurance for this? Its a 1998 plate so don't think I qualify for classic cover. Basically I will do about 500 miles a year in the Subaru and can't afford the 4000 for the year. I know a lot of people will say just sell it etc etc. But I love the car and owned for the last year and do not want to sell. I just want a little help please. With the cost of petrol etc I no longer use the Subaru as everyday use as it gets me about 11 MPG and the Kia about 53 MPG and can't afford two full price premiums. So is there any temp weekend cover for the year or small use/classic kind of thing? Any advice will be very much appreciated. Kind Regards""

How do i obtain individual short term disability insurance?

I got an offer from a small firm but they do not offer short term disability insurance. I want to have one just incase I get pregnant and need to take a maternity leave so I get paid during the maternity leave. I've called few insurance companies and they dont do individual short term disability insurance? What's my best option? Any ideas? Thanks

connecticut insurance commissioner regulations

What is the minimum requirements for insurance for a financed vehicle?

I know full coverage is required, but what determines if its full or not? anybody have a breakdown of each of the coverages etc?""

How much should I be getting paid insurance CSR?

I live in California, I work for a small insurance brokerage that brings in about 6.5 mill in premium. I have been working here for 2 years and have had my PnC license for a year now. I am the ONLY employee in this office. I make 13 a hour, no paid vacation or holidays, no random bonuses, no commission. The company pays my health insurance which comes out to 230 a month. The duties that I do is answer phone calls, policy changes, rewrites, occasional new business apps, renewal quoting, and PDF filing. Im just wondering if Im being taken advantage of or not. Im new to the insurance industry. Thank you!""

""How long, on average, does it take to learn to drive an automatic in the UK?""

I'm a US citizen, with a US driving licence. I've relocated to the UK recently, and need to learn to drive fast! I don't want to drive on my US licence cos the insurance costs too much. I've never driven a stick shift and think learning in an automatic will be easier. As I'm already used to driving an automatic and just need to learn the UK roads, how long do you think this will take? Anyone got any experience of this? Thanks for replies in advance !""

How can i get a cheaper car insurance in ny after 3 non fault accident?

i have 3 accident on my current insurance , one was flood which was no fault of my own and the other two were where someone else hit my car now all state send me a letter that they are dropping me...im shopping around but everywhere else is charging me like $600 a month...that double of what im paying now ..is there a way i can get any insurance for cheaper ? what should i do??? please help...thanks...""

What is the cheapest insurance for a new driver with sports car (97 camero)?

About how much can I expect to pay???

""What can i do? i am a 20yr old male, living in southern california with no job or insurance?""

i went to the hospital a couple days ago for chest pain, ended up being fine. i got the bill today for 15,000 dollars. like i said i have no insurance or job and currently living with a friend. i do side jobs to pay a little rent and for food. do i qualify for medi cal or CSM? i move from friend to friends house. parents live back in Illinois i have only a brother that lives out here. is their anything i can do to get this bill to go away? i also have no car or own anything of significant value.. no bank accounts.""

Services offered by insurance companies?

general services offed by insurance companies

I am a 16 year old male I want to know how much insurance on a 1995 Honda civic would cost me. Thank you?

I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and I would also like to know what the cheapest insurance company is""

What's do you pay for car insurance in your country?

My car insurance in N.Ireland is just over 200 or 346.97USD or 291.19 Euro or 15,351.16INR etc. Thats for an average 4 door saloon. I would like to compare that with other countries, if possible.""

How can I get car insurance?

Let me give some more information. I'm 18 years old, female, live in NJ and need to buy my own car and insurance soon.""

Does the insurance rate go up or more if I get my license?

Ok my mom and dad both have a car and they bought a car just for me. It already has insurance and license plate and everything. I'm planning on getting my license soon. So when I do would my dad have to pay for more money because of me driving it? I mean the insurance is on my dads name. Thx for replying.

""What is the average insurance rate for a 19 year old male in Austin, Tx?""

PLEASE give me an actual number, not just how I could find out and what important information I left out. I have had no accidents and an attending school and will be buying an average car. Thanks in advance""

What is the cheapest Auto insurance I can get?

I'm 23, just got my license, i have a Honda civic year 2002, I live in Illinois.""

Cheapest auto insurance for 18 year old?

i am 18 years old a female and i own a 1996 chevrolet s10 2wd pickup truck i have had my licence since i was 16 and i am wondering if any one knows of any cheap insurance i live in st.petersburg florida please help!!!

Does having a coupe make your insurance go up?

I'm am planning to get a Honda civic and i was wondering if have a coupe would increase my insurance rates ...... and also does having that same car in red make it go up too ??? thanks for all the help :D

Student health insurance?

Our son is going to United Kingdom for his Masters, we have health insurance thru my company but it covers very little over there, should we take out a student health insurance plan on him over there?""

I have just started an apprenticeship and wondering if I would be able to afford a car and insurance?

I have recently just started an apprenticeship in march which is only 12 months long, however there may or may not be a job at the end of it. I get paid 2.65 an hour, 5 days a week 9AM-5.30PM and I currently am doing my driving lessons but I am sick of relying on other people for lifts. Will i be able to afford a car and insurance on this pay? I'm really not bothered what car I can get as long as it gets me to work and back.""

Am over 25 yday passed my test but cant get cheap insurance for a small car.?

here it is. am 25+ and yesterday passed my driving test. looking over the internet for insurance for nissan micra 3 dr 1L 3 door. cheapest i can get is 140. my cousin who is 4 years younger than me, he got it for 94. tried same company aswell. am i missing any trick?need help suggestion and recomendation""

Are insurance rates high for classic cars?

Health Insurance for part timers?

Does anyone have any recommendations for affordable health insurance? My fiance and I work part time and places that don't provide us with health insurance. I'll be off my parent's in December and he hasn't been to the dentist in 10 years. We think he has about 8 cavaties and his wisdom teeth are coming in and pushing the rest of his teeth together. I don't know if we can pick up insurance for a year, get his teeth taken care of, then drop it if it's too expensive. But I feel like we need to do something! So if you have any suggestions for good health insurance companies, I'd really appreciate it!""

Ive had my plates for a year with no insurance how can i get my license back?

i had a lapse and just never turned in my plates i never been stopped by police but i just got a nice car that i want to get registred

Does the Affordable Health Care law really prevent insurance companies from denying pre-existing conditions?

They say that now, insurance companies can no longer deny insurance to people with pre -existing conditions. So what was HIPAA passed in 1996 for? This law states that insurance companies CAN NOT deny people with pre -existing conditions. The only change I see is it gets rid of the 12 month exclusion period. I had two aunts with lupus, both lived in California and had insurance, until they moved to Texas. If they could have kept their insurance, they would have, but for some odd reason liberals are against insurance across state lines. They had no problem finding insurance, they just had to be out of pocket for 12 months. HIPAA also states that if you can go six months without any medical visits, advice/procedures, insurance companies are not allowed to look further than that and must not apply the exclusion period. So did the Affordable Care Act really stop insurance companies from denying coverage for pre existing conditions, or was it ALREADY a law? http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq_consumer_hipaa.html""

Insurance Forum?

Are there any good forums that discuss insurance products without trying to sell you something?

""My car was stolen and recovered, insurance are offering me a low figure or they will repair it.any advise?""

before stolen: smooth drive, nothing wrong with it.. after stolen recovered: insurance says it will cost 2300 to repair it hence offered me 'total loss' and got me a 'salvage offer' of 4k. Insurance is saying I only got two opetions accept offer or have it repaired. I think offer is low and dont want to get it repaired in case something else goes wrong with afterwards.. I always thought you can reject first offer so how come in this case I am not getting the option to reject offer??? Insurance are saying they are getting on 4k from salvages for the car hence wont give me more then that.. but shouldnt my insrance top up with some more or am I being silly? please advise.....""

What is the cost of basic car insurance?

I know it varies but i mean for an average car? Are there any other costs to be considered when first purchasing/driving a car?

connecticut insurance commissioner regulations

Car insurance?

lets say a 21 year old person goes to a car insurance company and is quoted $2000 for full coverage auto insurance. how much do you think this person will be charged at the same company at 25 years old?

Are Insurance company annuities insured by the government of the USA?

How much does it cost for auto insurance for a 16 year old??/?

Will the car insurance pay for my car to be fixed?

i was rear ended. its the other persons fault. the kid that hit me was driving their parents car. the parents had insurance on the car but the kid wasnt listed as a driver. just the mom and dad were. i was told since the car is insured then the insurace will pay for it no matter who was driving. is this true?

What is the average auto insurance rate for a 17 year old ..female added to her parent's insurance?

What is the average auto insurance rate for a 17 year old female added to her parent's insurance?

""Add a teen to auto insurance policy, please help.?""

My dad is getting ready to renew his car insurance, I got my learner's permit in December of last year, and I do drive the car a lot, (with him of course....or not) but if he include me on his policy his premium will be over $1000, move like $1400 - $2000. Just because he added me to his policy, and his insurance company told him he HAVE TO include me on his policy, but I heard some where if you have a learner's permit, you do not require to be on your parent insurance policy? Or something like that......Is this true? Normally his car insurance only cost like $480.00/per 6 months, I hate for him to make me go out to get a job just to pay the car insurance and to drive.""

Question about car insurance?

My husband made a dent in his car when trying to park. He now wants to fix the dent. Can car insurance cover this?

""Average cost of renters insurance in midwest, 2 BR apt?

What is the average cost of renter's insurance in mid-state Michigan for a 2-BR apt.

What can I get for medical insurance?

Im 26 and collecting unemployment. I currently have no medical insurance. What can I get for medical until I get another job?

I got a ticket the same day as I got insurance?

I got pulled over but didn't have proof of insurance. I got a ticket, but only have to go in to the highway patrol to get the paper signed when I show proof of insurance. I got insurance that same day, will that work?""

""Im 19 ,how much should i pay for car insurance?

im not british.but im getting a uk full licence.. any people know how much should i pay for a classic mini? and how about a 1995 subaru wrx?

Is it true that if you have full coverage insurance on a rental car... (please look inside)?

They can't ban you from renting from there for the rest of your life? OK. Back in 2005, I rented a car from Enterprise with FULL coverage insurance. 1 day I was on my way to school because I had a deadline to turn in a research paper that was 30% of our grade, & my sister 2x my age locked me in the house on purpose & thought it was funny. I got in the car, & drove it to school, & I panicked & got into a wreck & the car crashed into a tiny tree on the median. It was only a fender bender. But the company tried to say it was totaled for over $2,000 worth of damage. Everyone else who saw, said it was a fender bender. The twigs got inside the light on the left side of the front of the car. But that could've easily been fixed. Not sure. But the wheel alignment was messed up. Does that mean the car is totaled? What does TOTAL a car mean? That it couldn't be fixed? Well, I was just talking about it today, & a lot of people online had ganged up on me & attacked me. Now I'm feeling sad & hurt. About to cry. & they were calling me dumb, irresponsible, etc. Very hostile & angry @ me. They act like I wrecked THEIR personal car! People get into accidents all the time. Anxiety disorder or not. & they were saying that since I had full coverage, I shouldn't have been banned. & they were saying my story didn't make sense. But people look for any & every reason to discriminate against me. It's not fair.""

Would insurance on a 1992 lexus sc 300 be expensive? im 18 year old in riverside california?

yes i recently just got my license and im only 18 in riverside california

Is it true that I am paying taxes to directly to Allstate Insurance now?

Sure sounds like the Chief Justice said so.

Insurance for 17 year old female?

Hello, I wanted to know what the price would be ranging between for a car that probably would have been made in the year 2000. I haven't started lessons yet but i will be by october and wanted to get a rough idea. Also i heard that there is a insurance that you can get that is cheap but you're not allowed to go out after 11pm at night or something. Is this true? if so what would the price be roughly?""

How much is the license reinstated fee for suspension from no car insurance?

""Crashed car into the bushes, would basic insurance cover it?""

My car brakes gave up on me and i crashed into the dense bushes. The police didn't even write a report since, as they said, it was no fault of my own and i had no injuries. Since i didn't hit anybody or anything but the bush there was no fine for me to pay. I don't know how big is the damage to the car since it happened on a saturday evening (i'll have it checked out tomorrow), but the front looks bad. I have basic Florida insurance, and i just want to know if they would cover it before i call them. If they don't cover it i'd rather just get it fixed without having my insurance rate go up. So... since it was not my fault (there were witnesses who saw i did everything possible to get the car safely off the road) would it cover at least part of the expenses?""

Any 1 know a cheap insurance company??

im 17 and a provisional driver.i have jus bought a car because my test is soon. i want to insure my car as a learner and then change it to full license when i pass my test. is any 1 with a cheap insurance company?

How much would insurance be for a 1999 Ford ZX2 Escort?

I'm 17, a boy, and I live in maryland just 5 miles from DC. Im getting my first car next saturday and its gonna be a Black 1999 Ford ZX2 Escort. How much can I expect to pay for insurance? I have a clean driving record. Also, my parents dont have car insurance so they have to start a separate account for me. Thanks!""

Bussiness liability Insurance state of ga?

Looking to purchase INS. For a company that goes to car dealerships and performs work on the cars on the dealers lot . If a car has cloth they would switch it out for leather (pre made kit). No emp. Only owner. How much do we need ? Where do you buy it ? THANKS

What is the cheapest motorcycle insurance?

Whats a low insurance rate for 18 year old for a 1991 honda civic?

I shopped around for low insurance and the lowest i got was about $300 per month for 1991 4 door honda civic. is there any other lower insurance for this car ? its kind of old but i heard that hondas are heavy on insurance. if it is, what car is low on insurance for a first timer car and insurance. im 18 years old, i got my g2 in april, i took driving school, and i never had auto insurance. can someone help me out""

Will this up my car insurance?

If I buy a normal Volkswagen MKV Golf, and get a new bumper fitted and put some black alloys on it, will it up the insurance by much? I'm not trying to 'chav' it up, I simply want more of an R32/Jetta bumper and grille. I also want to have the interior retrimmed in white leather, how much would this up the insurance by? Thank you :)""

""Affordable health insurance, where can my family get it?""

Me, my girlfriend, and my two sons need health insurance. We dont qualify for medical here in CA. I work full time at subway and my girlfriend works part time. We avg about 2400 dollars a month. But with rent, food, utilities, etc. where can I get affordable health insurance? plz help me!""

How much does an automatic 2004 Nissan 350z insurance cost in vancouver b.c?

connecticut insurance commissioner regulations

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/mustang-gt-car-insurance-larry-baker/"

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theupperberth-blog · 7 years ago

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The Accursed House by Emile Gaboriau 1891

Download the Works of Emile Gaboriau for a limited time at http://tinyurl.com/EmileGaboriau See also True Crime + Mystery Fiction - 500 Books on 2 DVDroms Emile Gaboriau, best known for his remarkable detective stories, was born at Sanson in 1853, and died at Paris in 1873. He was for a time private secretary of Paul Feval, the novelist, and published a great variety of work. In 1866 appeared in the paper called "Le Pays" his first great detective story, "L'Affaire Lerouge," which the author dramatised in collaboration with Hostein in 1872. Like all of the great series, "L'Affaire Lerouge," "Monsieur Lecoq," "Les Esclaves de Paris," etc., are written in an easy flowing style, and are full of exciting moments. It is interesting to trace the ancestry of the modern detective story. The first seeds are said to be found in Voltaire's "Zadig"; they germinate in Poe's tales, take form in Gaboriau, and are in full bloom in Conan Doyle's "Sherlock Holmes." THE Vicomte de B______, an amiable and charming young man, was peacefully enjoying an income of 30,000 livres yearly, when, unfortunately for him, his uncle, a miser of the worst species, died, leaving him all his wealth, amounting to nearly two millions. In running through the documents of succession, the Vicomte de B______ learned that he was the proprietor of a house in the Rue de la Victoire. He learned, also, that the unfurnished building, bought in 1849 for 300,000 francs, now brought in, clear of taxes, rentals amounting to 82,000 francs a year. "Too much, too much, entirely," thought the generous vicomte, "my uncle was too hard; to rent at this price is usury, one can not deny it. When one bears a great name like mine, one should not lend himself to such plundering. I will begin to-morrow to lower my rents, and my tenants will bless me." With this excellent purpose in view, the Vicomte de B_____ sent immediately for the concierge of the building, who presented himself as promptly, with back bent like a bow. "Bernard, my friend," said the vicomte, "go at once from me and notify all your tenants that I lower their rents by one-third." That unheard-of word "lower" fell like a brick on Bernard's head. But he quickly recovered himself; he had heard badly; he had not understood. "Low—er the rents!" stammered he. "Monsieur le Vicomte deigns to jest. Lower! Monsieur, of course means to raise the rents." "I was never more serious in my life, my friend," the vicomte returned; "I said, and I repeat it, lower the rents." This time the concierge was surprised to the point of bewilderment — so thrown off his balance that he forgot himself and lost all restraint. "Monsieur has not reflected," persisted he. "Monsieur will regret this evening. Lower the tenants rents! Never was such a thing known, monsieur! If the lodgers should learn of it, what would they think of monsieur? What would people say in the neighborhood? Truly—-" "Monsieur Bernard, my friend," dryly interrupted the vicomte, "I prefer, when I give an order, to be obeyed without reply. You hear me—-go!" Staggering like a drunken man, Monsieur Bernard went out from the house of his proprietor. All his ideas were upset, overthrown, confounded. Was he, or was he not, the plaything of a dream, a ridiculous nightmare? Was he himself Pierre Bernard, or Bernard somebody else? "Lower his rents! lower his rents!" repeated he. "It is not to be believed! If indeed the lodgers had complained! But they have not complained; on the contrary, all are good payers. Ah! if his uncle could only know this, he would rise from the tomb! His nephew has gone mad, 'tis certain! Lower the rents! They should have up this young man before a family council; he will finish badly! Who knows—after this —what he will do next? He lunched too well, perhaps, this morning." And the worthy Bernard was so pale with emotion when he re-entered his lodge, so pale and spent, that on seeing him enter, his wife and daughter Amanda exclaimed as with one voice: "Goodness! what is it? What has happened to you now?" "Nothing," responded he, with altered voice, "absolutely nothing." "You are deceiving me," insisted Madame Bernard, "you are concealing something from me; do not spare me; speak, I am strong—what did the new proprietor tell you? Does he think of turning us off?" "If it were only that! But just think, he told me with his own lips, he told me to—ah! you will never believe me—-" "Oh, yes; only do go on." "You will have it, then!— Well, then, he told me, he ordered me to notify all the tenants that—he lowered their rents one-third! Did you hear what I said? —lowered the rents of the tenants—-" But neither Madame nor Mademoiselle Bernard heard him out — they were twisting and doubling with convulsive laughter. "Lower!" repeated they; "ah! what a good joke, what a droll man! Lower the tenants' rents." But Bernard, losing his temper and insisting that he must be taken seriously in his own lodge, his wife lost her temper too, and a quarrel followed! Madame Bernard declaring that Monsieur Bernard had, beyond a doubt, taken his fantastic order from the bottom of a litre of wine in the restaurant at the corner. But for Mademoiselle Amanda the couple would undoubtedly have come to blows, and finally Madame Bernard, who did not wish to be thought demented, threw a shawl over her head and ran to the proprietor's house. Bernard had spoken truly; with her own two ears, ornamented with big, gilded hoops, she heard the incredible word. Only, as she was a wise and prudent woman, she demanded "a bit of writing" to put, as she said, "her responsibility under cover." She, too, returned thunderstruck, and all the evening in the lodge, father, mother, and daughter deliberated. Should they obey? or should they warn some relative of this mad young man, whose common sense would oppose itself to such insanity? They decided to obey. Next morning, Bernard, buttoning himself into his best frock coat, made the rounds of the three-and-twenty lodges to announce his great news. Ten minutes afterward the house in the Rue de la Victoire was in a state of commotion impossible to describe. People who, for forty years had lived on the same floor, and never honored each other with so much as a tip of the hat, now clustered together and chatted eagerly. "Do you know, monsieur?" "It is very extraordinary." "Simply unheard of!" "The proprietor's lowered my rent!" "One-third, is it not? Mine also." "Astounding! It must be a mistake!" And despite the affirmations of the Bernard family, despite even the "bit of writing" "under cover," there were found among the tenants doubting Thomases, who doubted still in the face of everything. Three of them actually wrote to the proprietor to tell him what had passed, and to charitably warn him that his concierge had wholly lost his mind. The proprietor responded to these skeptics, confirming what Bernard had said. Doubt, thereafter, was out of the question. Then began reflections and commentaries. "Why had the proprietor lowered his rents?" "Yes, why?" "What motives," said they all, "actuate this strange man? For certainly he must have grave reasons for a step like this! An intelligent man, a man of good sense, would never deprive himself of good fat revenues, well secured, for the simple pleasure of depriving himself. One would not conduct himself thus without being forced, constrained by powerful or terrible circumstances." And each said to himself: "There is something under all this!" "But what?" And from the first floor to the sixth they sought and conjectured and delved in their brains. Every lodger had the preoccupied air of a man that strives with all his wits to solve an impossible cipher, and everywhere there began to be a vague disquiet, as it happens when one finds himself in the presence of a sinister mystery. Some one went so far as to hazard: "This man must have committed a great and still hidden crime; remorse pushes him to philanthropy." "It was not a pleasant idea, either, the thought of living thus side by side with a rascal; no, by no means; he might be repentant, and all that, but suppose he yielded to temptation once more!" "The house, perhaps, was badly built?" questioned another, anxiously. "Hum-m, so-so! no one could tell; but all knew one thing—it was very, very old!" "True! and it had been necessary to prop it when they dug the drain last year in the month of March." "Maybe it was the roof, then, and the house is top-heavy?" suggested a tenant on the fifth floor. "Or perhaps," said a lodger in the garret, "there is a press for coining counterfeit money in the cellar; I have often heard at night a sound like the dull, muffled thud of a coin-stamper." The opinion of another was that Russian, maybe Prussian, spies had gained a lodgment in the house, while the gentleman of the first story was inclined to believe that the proprietor purposed to set fire to his house and furniture with the sole object of drawing great sums from the insurance companies. Then began to happen, as they all declared, extraordinary and even frightful things. On the sixth and mansard floors it appeared that strange and absolutely inexplicable noises were heard. Then the nurse of the old lady on the fourth story, going one night to steal wine from the cellar, encountered the ghost of the defunct proprietor—he even held in his hand a receipt for rent—by which she knew him! And the refrain from loft to cellar was: "There is something under all this!" From disquietude it had come to fright; from fright it quickly passed to terror. So that the gentleman of the first floor, who had valuables in his rooms, made up his mind to go, and sent in notice by his clerk. Bernard went to inform the proprietor, who responded: "All right, let the fool go!" But next day the chiropodist of the second floor, though he had naught to fear for his valuables, imitated the gentleman beneath him. Then the bachelors and the little households of the fifth story quickly followed this example. From that moment it was a general rout. By the end of the week, everybody had given notice. Every one awaited some frightful catastrophe. They slept no more. They organized patrols. The terrified domestics swore that they too would quit the accursed house and remained temporarily only on tripled wages. Bernard was no more than the ghost of himself; the fever of fear had worn him to a shadow. "No," repeated his wife mournfully at each fresh notification, "no, it is not natural." Meanwhile three-and-twenty "For Rent" placards swung against the facade of the house, drawing an occasional applicant for lodgings. Bernard—never grumbling now—climbed the staircase and ushered the visitor from apartment to apartment. "You can have your choice," said he to the people that presented themselves, "the house is entirely vacant; all the tenants have given notice as one man. They do not know why, exactly, but things have happened, oh! yes, things! a mystery such as was never before known—the proprietor has lowered his rents!" And the would-be lodgers fled away affrighted. The term ended, three-and-twenty vans carried away the furniture of the three-and-twenty tenants. Everybody left. From top to bottom, from foundations to garret, the house lay empty of lodgers. The rats themselves, finding nothing to live on, abandoned it also. Only the concierge remained, gray green with fear in his lodge. Frightful visions haunted his sleep. He seemed to hear lugubrious howlings and sinister murmurs at night that made his teeth chatter with terror and his hair erect itself under his cotton nightcap. Madame Bernard no more closed an eye than he. And Amanda in her frenzy renounced all thought of the operatic stage and married—for nothing in the world but to quit the paternal lodge—a young barber and hair-dresser whom she had never before been able to abide. At last, one morning, after a more frightful nightmare than usual, Bernard, too, took a great resolution. He went to the proprietor, gave up his keys, and scampered away. ....................................... And now on the Rue de la Victoria stands the abandoned house, "The Accursed House," whose history I have told you. Dust thickens upon the closed slats, grass grows in the court. No tenant ever presents himself now; and in the quarter, where stands this Accursed House, so funereal is its reputation that even the neighboring houses on either side of it have also depreciated in value. Lower one's rents!! Who would think of such a thing!!!

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type2diabetestreatments-blog · 8 years ago

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Ask D'Mine: What to Do When You've Got No Insurance, No Money

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Ask D'Mine: What to Do When You've Got No Insurance, No Money

Got diabetes and need some help? You've come to the right place.

Every week, we take reader questions and do our very best to be informative and helpful (and make you smile a little) here at our diabetes advice column, Ask D'Mine, hosted by veteran type 1, diabetes author and community educator Wil Dubois.

Send us your queries related to life with diabetes — nothing is off-limits here! (except of course specific medical instructions for your own care; that's what doctors are for)

Need help navigating life with diabetes? Email us at [email protected]

It's tough times out there, and for proof, here's a pair of questions from the trenches that'll make you reach for the Kleenex box:

Steve from Minnesota, type 2, writes: I had my diabetes well under control a couple of years ago with an A1C under 6 once, and in the low 6 range typically. Then I lost my insurance and can no longer afford medical care. The critical drug that helped me achieve good numbers was Actos, but it's so expensive I had to stop taking it. Now my blood sugars are screaming high. I finally just quit checking because there's no point in knowing if it's 450 or 500. What to do?

Wil@Ask D'Mine answers: First and foremost, let's all sit down and have a good cry.

There. Anybody feeling better? No? Yeah... it didn't help me as much as I thought it would either. Next time, we'll all try Primal Scream Therapy.

So you're absolutely right: you can't afford your Actos. I checked with Epocrates and they show the "approximate retail price" ranges from a low of $193.48 per month for the 15mg tabs, up to a high of $239.99 for a month's worth of the 45mg tabs. Not exactly chump change. I'd also bet even though this was your "critical" diabetes drug, it probably wasn't your only one.

So what to do?

Naturally, I have a plan.

First, I want you to go on the Akins Diet. (Hey, I said I have a plan, I didn't say you were going to like it.) Don't worry, this won't be forever. But in your case, an as-close-to-zero-carb-as-possible diet is good medicine. For God's sake, your blood sugars were running in the 500s last time you checked! You're at risk for glucose toxicity at this point. Cutting the carbs to the bone is an emergency measure to try and save your kidneys from extinction until we can get your diabetes medicated into submission again.

Second, go here to find the closest Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). These are non-profit clinics that are subsidized by the feds and will see you on a "sliding fee" basis. You don't need health insurance. How much you pay depends on how much you earn. You may be able to see one of their docs for free, or for a very small co-pay. Get the next appointment available.

Third, and here's where it gets really good, most FQHCs are really well plugged into Patient Assistance Programs, called PAP in the biz. This is all you need to know about PAP: you can probably get your Actos for exactly zero dollars and zero cents per month. PAP programs are run by the Pharma companies and are actually pretty generous when it comes to helping out those who are uninsured and sorta broke. For instance, Actos is made by Takeda, which uses an annual income of at or below 300% of Federal Poverty Level (around $32K for a single person) to qualify patients for assistance.

Oh... but there's one other little thing I forgot to mention. There's... umm... ah... a dark cloud of sorts over Actos at the moment. Actos may, or may not, be the smoking gun in an increased risk of bladder cancer. The FDA issued heads-up warning about the drug in June of this year and within 5 hours the water was filled with sharks in suits. There're now dozens of law firms licking their lips and trying to line folks up for class action suits against Takeda. Late night TV is full of call us if you took Actos ads and there are gazillions of websites launched by law firms trolling for clients.

So... I dunno. The jury is still out on Actos—literally and figuratively. You'll need to talk to your new doc at the FQHC about whether the Actos is still the best bet for you at this point or not. But if so, remember that it'll take about six weeks to spool up to maximum effectiveness in your body, so keep on the Akins thing until the med is working again.

Bottom line, you'll need to take something for your diabetes, given how high your blood sugar is, and in your circumstances, the FQHC and PAP is the best way to get from where you are back to an A1C in the sixes. Whether you re-start Actos, or start something entirely new really doesn't matter.

So let's reserve the screaming for Primal Therapy and our politicians, rather than your blood sugar altitude.

Note: a fact often missed in the media is that not having insurance is only one problem facing PWDs in our country. Sometimes you can have insurance and still be in the same I-don't-make-enough-f*ing-money-to-pay-the-bills-and-keep-myself-healthy boat. Consider, for instance:

Janet from California, type 1, writes: I am a single mother of three kids in college. I have diabetes, I have insurance, however I can't afford the test strips, needles, and now 4 diabetic medications along with depression, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, and low vitamin D medications. I need to take care of myself but I cannot afford the co-pays. Do you have any suggestions? My A1C is 10. Now the doctor has added more testing and increased my units on Lantus & Apidra. I am ready to give up and just stop taking all medications. HELP!!!

Wil@Ask D'Mine answers: So I looked into it, and the cost of an average funeral in the United States is between $7K and $10K. According the Federal Trade Commission funerals "rank among the most expensive purchase many consumers will ever make." How's that for depressing?

My point?

Oh sorry. I wasn't being clear. I was just letting Janet know that she actually can't afford to "just stop taking all medications." She's a type 1. If she stops her insulin she'll die. And dying is expensive. And her three kids will have to drop out of college and spend the rest of their lives flipping burgers at McDonalds.

Believe it or not, Janet is actually in a worse situation than Steve is. If you have insurance, you can't get PAP. So that route is closed. Being underinsured, or being well-insured with an empty bank account is a special kind of hell.

But not to worry. Again, I have a plan. And again, it's not a great one, but it will do for now. So there are two approaches here, and we can mix and match them. The first is medical triage. Triage is just a way of prioritizing the most urgent needs. Remember in the old M*A*S*H TV show when the helicopters would bring in the wounded soldiers and the docs would dash out and figure out who needed to go into surgery right now and who could wait an hour or two? (Oh crap, now I've got the M*A*S*H theme music stuck in my head where it will haunt me for the next three weeks.)

Well, when times are tough, you can do the same thing with your health care—and I like to say "blood sugar first." Hey, at an A1C of 10 your blood sugar is cytotoxic. You're killing yourself in slow motion and the folks at the dialysis center are getting excited thinking of all the money they'll make off you (at more than $70K per year, that's better than seven funerals!). So in my mind, nothing else really matters if your blood sugar is a train wreck. That means insulin and test strips are the top priority. I wasn't clear if you were on anything other than the two insulins for your diabetes, but in a crunch, you could drop any other diabetes meds because it's more than possible to control your diabetes with the Lantus and Apidra alone. Ya just gotta take enough.

So using triage, you might choose to just take care of your diabetes for a while until you get it on track. Ignore everything else for a time. Will high cholesterol kill you? Yeah. Probably so. But it will take a long time to do it. Eat smart for a while to minimize your risk, but if push comes to shove you could back-burner the cholesterol issue for a year, or until your oldest kid graduates and frees up some cash flow.

Stopping your depression meds cold turkey can be dangerous, so talk to your doc about how to safely get off them if you need to. And so on and so forth. Only treating your most urgent needs during a financial emergency is a valid form of medical treatment called harm reduction. It's not the "standard of care," but desperate times call for desperate measures.

But, wait, maybe you don't need to ignore your other health challenges. Do I hear the thundering hooves of charging horses and the sound of bugles? I do believe the cavalry is coming over the hill to rescue you and it's... it's... Wal-Mart?!

OK, not quite the boys in blue that I was expecting.

Here's the deal. Open your medicine cabinet and look at your cholesterol med. Is it a fancy brand-name drug or an older generic? Rather than stop your cholesterol med altogether, talk to your doc about getting a prescription for a generic that you can get on the $4 formulary at Wal-Mart, or one of the other big-box stores. Meds for your depression and trigs are also available as generics. You can also get vitamin D supplements over-the-counter in bottles that are the size of rain barrels. And even if the generics aren't quite as effective as the fancy-pants name brand ones (and many are much closer than we've been lead to believe), it's still better to have some control over your cholesterol than none at all.

Now, on to diabetes penny pinching: One thing to check is whether your insurance has a preferred insulin brand. On the fast-acting front we have Apidra, Humalog, and Novolog. Frankly, it's the same as Tide, Cheer, and Gain. Hey, they really all work pretty much the same, and if one insulin brand carries a lower co-pay, so much the better for your wallet. Similarly, the basal insulins Lantus and Levemir are more-or-less interchangeable (there's more of a difference between them than there is with the fast-acting juice, but if you can save a bundle of money, then you can adjust).

Next, let's look at delivery devices. We all love pens, but many insurance companies will give you a lower co-pay on vials and syringes. If you're out-and-about a lot, it's hard to beat a pen of fast-acting to cover meals in public, but most of us take our basal in the privacy of our homes anyway, so using a syringe once or twice a day really isn't that big of a deal if it will help you keep the lights on, food on the table, gas in the car, and the kids in college.

And if push really comes to shove, depending on how high your insulin co-pays are, you can buy old fashioned Humulin-R, 70/30 mix, and NPH insulins at Wal-Mart under the ReliOn label for $24.88 per vial. That may be less than your co-pay. Speaking of ReliOn, I've been playing with their Micro meter recently and have found it to be remarkably accurate. The strips run twenty bucks for 50. Again, if this beats your co-pay, switch over. You should also Google your favorite test stip. You might be surprised. I saw Presto strips online at Amazon for only $14. Crazy!

Bottom line: just because you have insurance doesn't mean you always have to use it. Sometimes just getting out your wallet is cheaper than going through your insurance.

So shop smart. Stop (some meds) smart, if you must.

But don't stop all your meds. Oh, and my apologies to the funeral industry. I know times are tough for you guys, too.

This is not a medical advice column. We are PWDs freely and openly sharing the wisdom of our collected experiences — our been-there-done-that knowledge from the trenches. But we are not MDs, RNs, NPs, PAs, CDEs, or partridges in pear trees. Bottom line: we are only a small part of your total prescription. You still need the professional advice, treatment, and care of a licensed medical professional.

Disclaimer: Content created by the Diabetes Mine team. For more details click here.

Disclaimer

This content is created for Diabetes Mine, a consumer health blog focused on the diabetes community. The content is not medically reviewed and doesn't adhere to Healthline's editorial guidelines. For more information about Healthline's partnership with Diabetes Mine, please click here.

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