#i regularly get 'fish got away' like 6+ times in a row before i get a fish

[bridge-to-jorvik]

girl i just got "good try....the fish got away" THIRTEEN (13) times in one fishing round.

can we reduce that fail rate by like a good 15-20%?? this is a horse game not a fishing game

[aliwritesfic]

The Night Shift part 5 (F!Reader x Frankie Morales)

Quick summary: You learn the meaning behind Frankie's nickname

Warnings: None, I think, please let me know if I need to add some <3

W/C: 1.7k

Spotify (mainly just vibes, some songs have meaning, also updated regularly)

Part 1 Part 6

The smell of cooking bacon made your stomach growl as you entered the diner on Tuesday evening. You hadn’t eaten much all day, just a piece of toast and a handful of stale cheerios. Frankie was in the kitchen, his back to you. Your throat dried at the sight of him, remembering what you had done and how you had fantasized about him only a few hours earlier.

“Hi, Frankie,” you said, pushing thoughts of what you wanted him to do with his hands out of your mind. Stop being such a hornbag! You scolded yourself. Then he set those dark brown eyes on you and your brain ceased to function. Could he see your secret written on your face?

��Hey,” he said, smiling up at you. “You look tired.”

You almost sighed in relief. Maybe he couldn’t tell at all. You grabbed the coffee pot and poured yourself a cup. “I didn’t sleep much today. I was . . . worried about the kitten.” It wasn’t a whole lie; you really were worried about the kitten. The vet hadn’t sent you any updates, and you hoped that was a good thing.

“Are you gonna keep the kitten, if she lives?” Frankie flipped eggs as he spoke and set up a couple of plates.

“I can’t,” you grimaced, “Kurt would never go for it. He’s not really a fan of pets.”

Frankie made a face. “Not even adorable kittens?”

“Not even then,” you sighed. “It’s fine, though. It’s not like I have the time to properly care for one. I’m here most nights and I’m so busy with housework during the day when I’m not sleeping that it just- it just wouldn’t work.”

You kept your tone light, aware that customers could be listening. You didn’t want to scare off any tips with how miserable the subject made you. Frankie seemed to understand, because he didn’t bring the subject back up.

You were surprised at how easily you two worked together. Completely in sync when you had to be, entire sentences seemed to be translated through quick looks and raised eyebrows. This guy is a serial complainer. Want me to do something about those frat boys? Can you pretty please make me one of whatever this lady’s having?

All too soon it was 5:30 and the morning crew was there, breaking the comfortable silence between you. You found yourself lingering again, although you weren’t sure what for. You didn’t exactly need to stay. But still.

~*~

Frankie was shocked to see you still there. He was pulling his keys out of his jacket pocket when he saw you, standing outside, shivering in the early spring air.

“Thought’d you’d be halfway home by now,” he said, but he was still pleased to see you. He had come to the conclusion last night that you had a boyfriend, he would respect that and not make any untoward moves on you. Friendship suited him fine, even if he did think your boyfriend was a bit of a freak for not wanting a pet.

“I wanted to ask you something,” you said.

“Go ahead,” Frankie prompted.

“How’d you get the nickname Catfish?”

At this, Frankie’s lips twitched. He hadn’t been expecting that. “Before we were deployed, the boys and I went on a fishing trip. Well, one thing led to another and I had a huge catfish on my hook. This was a catch and release type of situation, you know?” When you nodded, he continued. “So, I reach in this creatures mouth to unhook it, and the bastard clamps down! Whole hand, in its mouth! And the thing about catfish, is they don’t have teeth, so they can’t technically bite, but they suck. It was like my hand was in a vacuum seal. When I eventually managed to get it out, no help from the boys mind you, it looked like a giant hickey on my hand. So, that’s where the nickname comes from.”

You snorted with laughter, and Frankie began to laugh too. At the time, it hadn’t been funny but looking back, he knew he would have been laughing his ass off if it happened to any of the other boys.

“I think Santi got a photo of it, I’ll try and find it for you if you want,” Frankie said. You nodded eagerly, wiping a tear from your eye.

“Please do, I’d love to see it,” you said with a grin that made his heart do something it really shouldn’t. Frankie nodded, making a mental note to call Santi and demand that the bastard rip apart his house to find it if he had to.

You turned to leave, and before he could stop himself, he was asking “do you want a ride?” Friends gave each other rides when they needed it, he reasoned. You hesitated, and Frankie kicked himself. Of course he’d overstepped. You didn’t know him that well, he was just the fry cook.

“Uh, yeah actually. It looks like it might rain.”

As if you had summoned it, thunder rumbled low overhead. Fat drops of rain began to fall slowly painting the ground. Frankie jangled his keys and you both sprinted to his truck. He opened your door for you, and ran around to his side. He didn’t miss that you sat with your back ridgid, your hands curled so tightly your knuckles were white.

“You okay?” he asked, although you obviously were not.

“Yeah, no, it’s just . . . You’re aware your truck looks like a death trap?”

Frankie snorted. He was very aware of this, but he was also very aware of what was under the hood. He trusted this truck more than any fancy modern car. Still. He decided that this was the perfect opportunity to mess with you. Just to see how you responded.

“Have you ever seen The Fast and The Furious?” He began, and you raised an eyebrow at him, your face skeptical. “Tokyo Drift, specifically. Well, this truck won me the title of Drift King several years in a row. That’s how well she runs.”

“Oh, fuck off!” You rolled your eyes, but you were laughing. “That’s not even slightly believable.”

“Yeah, you’re right. But how cool would it be if it were true.”

You rolled your eyes again, but you were smiling as you did it, and Frankie counted that as a victory. You gave him directions as he drove, surprising him with how close you lived to him. Only a five minute drive away. How long had you been this close? How had he never noticed you in the neighbourhood? Had he been blind, all these years?

“Thank you,” you said quietly as he pulled up outside your building, a three story walk up with a faded brick facade. The rain was coming down hard now, and lightning flashed.

“Anytime,” Frankie said in a tone that he truly meant any time. You nodded and ran through the rain, disappearing into the building. Frankie idled for a moment, wishing he could call you back and kiss you goodbye.

But he didn’t, because it wasn’t decent and it wasn’t what friends did. Friends didn’t crush on their friend like a fucking idiot kid.

So Frankie drove himself home and drove all thoughts of your mouth out of his head. That was until he checked his phone, and saw a text from an unknown number.

Thanks for the ride, I really appreciate it :) sent 5:57AM

Frankie quickly saved your number in his phone, not taking the risk of losing it somehow. A second message from you buzzed through.

Oh and lunch on Sunday is at Taylor’s Bistro, on High Street if you still wanna come sent 6:01AM

Frankie wrote his message quickly.

Wouldn’t miss it x

He stared at it for too long, erased the x, replaced it with a smiley face and hit send before he could overthink it entirely. Then he remembered his promise to you, and called Santi almost instantly.

“Fish, what the fuck man? It’s four in the morning,” Santi groaned into the phone.

“It’s six you dope, but I need a favour,” Frankie said.

“Money?”

“No, man, nothing like that. Do you still have that photo of the catfish on my hand?”

“Yeah I’ve got a copy in my wallet.” Santi sounded more awake, and Frankie could hear his fancy espresso machine whir to life.

“Why do you- nevermind. Look, I need a copy ASAP.”

“What for? If it’s to destroy it just know I’ve thought ahead and I’ve got four physical copies and one in the Cloud.”

“No, nothing like that. It’s for a girl at work, she asked how I got my callsign and now I’ve gotta show her the photo.”

“Oh?” Santi sounded intrigued. “Who’s this girl?”

“A friend,” Frankie said a little forcefully. “She has a boyfriend.” As if that closed the matter. Apparently, it didn’t.

“Why should that stop you?” Santi asked. “You’re hot, I don’t know this chick but she’d be blind to not be into you.”

“Well, for one, my brain isn’t directly wired with my dick.” At this, Santiago scoffed. Frankie continued, ignoring him. “Secondly, she’s like, twenty five or six. She’s probably not into old guys.”

“You’re thirty-three, you’re not old. Also, chicks dig DILFs.”

“I don’t have a kid.”

“And yet you still have big DILF energy. I wonder if there are any little Francisco’s running around that we have yet to discover.”

“Shut the fuck up, man, it’s bad luck to say that kind of shit. Just get the photo to me, please.”

Santiago roared with laughter as Frankie hung up. Trust Santiago to work one of his deepest fears into conversation. Frankie wasn’t sure what he was more afraid of: having children, or having children and having no clue they existed. It wasn’t that he was against having kids altogether, it was just he knew he wasn’t in the right headspace to take care of someone who depended on him entirely. Some days he forgot to take care of himself, he didn’t want a kid to suffer. It wouldn’t be fair.

He brushed the thought aside as he climbed into bed. It was bad luck to linger on bad thoughts, at least, that’s what his abuela always told him whenever he complained about something as a kid.

He wasn’t sure why exactly he had told you that there was photographic evidence of a catfish latched onto his hand. Maybe he wanted to impress you? But no, he reasoned, there was nothing impressive about that. It was just plain embarrassing. He realised with a start that what he wanted was willing to do anything to hear your laugh again.

Taglist: @hnt-escape @sharkbait77 @1800-fight-me @annathewitch @darnitdraco @frankiecatfish

[airis-paris14]

Starlight 2

Summary: Amani is an orphaned heiress who’s spent most of her life raising her younger sister. T’Challa is a widowed King and Father. Neither of them is expecting much from their night at the Lotus. But the coming months have many milestones in store for these young adults. Will becoming a family be one of them?

A/N: This is long overdue. I’m applying to school to continue my education, so life is a little crazy. Hopefully after November everything will slow down and I can update more regularly. A new chapter of this story is half done, as well as a chapter of Redemption and Dress Up. They should be out in the next few weeks, probably after November 15. Keep me in your prayers, I’m slowly losing my mind y’all. 

1| | 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 || 8 || 9 || 10 ||

Amani rolled over yawning as the sun streamed through her window. She grabbed her phone off the nightstand and walked into the bathroom. She shot her sister a good morning text and hopped in the shower. After she brushed her teeth and washed her face, Amani threw on a sundress and some sandals. 

She grabbed an apple from the kitchen and skipped out to sit on the porch. Amani sighed watching the sun creep up over the buildings.The young woman bit into her apple and watched traffic build up in front of Atlantic station. She noticed a limousine cruise through the traffic light and grinned. She tossed the apple core,washed her hands, and grabbed her small purse off of the couch. After grabbing her camera off of the kitchen counter she hurried back to the porch.

The untimely death of her parents gave her and her sister a lifetime of financial security. Faced with this reality Amani decided to give YouTube a chance. She started a vlogging channel a few years back and had a significant following. She had quickly discovered her passion for content creating. Checks from YouTube and waitressing were her means of income for shopping and travel. She double checked all of her necessities once more as the limo pulled silently to the curb. Amani forced herself not to run down the porch stairs, stopping herself halfway when the front door of the car opened. A woman in all black stepped out, opened the backdoor, and out bounded a very energetic Ada. The young princess ran across the yard into Amani's arms. "Hello to you too," Amani laughed as she hugged the little girl back.

Amani looked up to find T'Challa grinning and stepping out of the car. "Hello" he greeted. 

"Hi," the young vlogger breathed, before coming back to her senses. Ada pulled her over to the car. "Let's go Amani," Ada bounced as the woman in black opened the door. Amani laughed and followed the princess into the car. T'Challa filed in next to her. The two smiled at each other before looking away.

"Where are we off to first?" Amani asked the little princess, as the car pulled onto the highway. "Baba reserved the aquarium since they have the most visitors," the little girl explained as she looked at the buildings. "Look Baba, That building looks like a pink piano!" Ada exclaimed as she jumped up excitedly.

"I see princess, but what did we talk about ?" He gently reminded her. The little girl's mouth formed an “o” as she settled in her seat. "Sorry Baba,"She said, still looking out of the window. T'Challa smiled,"no need to apologize."

“Tell me about Wakanda.” Amani propositioned the king beside her. The father watching as his daughter eagerly stared at all of the buildings. “What would you like to know?” he turned to face her. “What do you want me to know?”

“It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. We have the best sunsets, and at night, you can see the stars like a blanket above you. There is so much to say that words can’t express it all,” T’Challa stared off outside the window.

The young vlogger grinned. "Well you'll have to show me around one day. A city tour for a city tour" she joked as they pulled up to the aquarium.

They stepped out of the limousine and the woman in black escorted them inside. The building was empty as the unofficial family wandered through together. “Baba! Baba! Look! Over here! Look!” Ada’s squeals tickled Amani. The young woman snickered as the four year-old dragged her father over to a tank. Amani wandered close by before settling on a bench. A smile spread on her face as T’Challa bent over the tank to pet stingrays with his daughter.

"You look beautiful by the way,"T'Challa said as he sat next to Amani on the bench a little while later. 

"Thank you," Amani blushed as T'Challa grabbed the camera."What’s this for? You haven't taken any pictures today." The handsome man looked at Amani expectantly.

“I'm a vlogger on YouTube. I make videos about my day to day life for a week, then I edit and post them." Amani explained. "Would you mind if I take some video?"

"Sure,” he stood up offering her a hand. "Everything will have to be approved by the public relations team in Wakanda before you could post it though." The couple stood up and followed Ada into the sea walk.

 Fish, sharks, and stingrays of all sizes swam the glass tunnel around them. The little girl ran from side to side pointing at fish as each new one swam by. Amani laughed and ran up to Ada, “Look princess,” Amani lifted her up so that she could reach for the ceiling. Her eyes growing huge as a whale swam directly by her hand. Amani placed  Ada back down as they moved further into the exhibit. The glass walkway opened into a large glass exhibit hall. Ada ran down to the front row. Her face pressed to the glass. She squealed excitedly as the animals swam by. Amani and T’Challa took a seat on one of the carpet terraces. 

“The video approval is fine. The approval by the relations team I mean,” The vlogger smiled, finishing the conversation from earlier. “I guess I should make sure I only get your good side huh?” 

“Every side is my good side,” the king teased.

"That’s the truth,” Amani muttered.

“Why thank you Ms. Okeke.” 

 Amani's face flushed red as she realized what she said. "You’re welcome," the young woman shrugged fumbling with her camera. She began recording the different fish and Ada, who was still running all around the aquarium exhibit. Amani and T’Challa followed along together in silence. The two stole glances at each other in between Amani recording, and T’Challa responding to his daughter. 

“How does she have so much energy in that tiny body,” Amani laughed. She waved back at the little princess as she watched the fish in the tank across from them.

“Her mother was the same way. Always lighting up the room when she walked in.”

“Will you tell me about her?” Amani turned off her camera. She studied T’Challa’s face as he watched Ada convince Ayo to watch the penguins with her. Her four year old body trying to drag the warrior with her. “We had known each other since high school. We dated in college, and then we married young. We were so happy, so in love. Then she became pregnant, and I was over the moon. We spent months taking birthing classes. I cleared my schedule to go shopping for the baby. As she got further along in the pregnancy I would stay up with her talking about baby names until we both fell asleep. She gave me my Ada, and I love her for it.” T’Challa sighed, twisting a ring around his left ring finger.

“She sounds wonderful,” the waitress smiled sadly. 

“Thank you, for doing this for Ada, I know she misses her mother when we go on these long trips.” T’Challa smiled, squeezing Amani’s hand. “Baba!” Ada ran up to the couple. “They have a penguin show! We have to go, they said I could meet the penguins” The little girl jumped up and down, pulling her father along behind her. 

Amani sighed, pulled out her camera, and trekked along behind the two into the auditorium. Guilt, jealousy, and hurt flooded her system and she watched father and daughter. She knew that she shouldn’t get attached. He just seemed too good to be true. He seemed to be a good father. He was royalty and he was charming. Him being single was just too much to ask of the universe. This day was for Ada and then they’d both go home to another woman. His wife, and Ada’s mother. Though, Amani knew she was already in too deep. She wouldn’t be able to stop her growing attachment now. 

The rest of the afternoon she kept her distance, stayed mostly with Ada and avoided T’Challa’s gaze. That afternoon Amani found herself and Ada leading the way to the ice cream shop. “Which flavor are you gonna get princess?” Amani twirled the little girl as they walked down the street. 

“I don’t know. I’ve only had chocolate. It was my mama and baba’s favorite. It’s the only thing he buys.” Ada hopped over a crack in the sidewalk. “Then we’ll have to get a bunch of samples.”

“Not too many,” T’Challa walked up to the duo. “Of course your majesty.” Amani replied, winking at the young princess when her father wasn’t looking. 

Ten samples and a double scoop deconstructed waffle sundae comprise later, T’Challa watched as his daughter and Amani split the warm fluffy waffle covered in ice cream, syrup, whipped cream, and toppings. People milled around the open air mall as the incognito king and princess enjoyed their Saturday. It wasn’t hard for him to notice the distance Amani had created after talking about Nakia. He mentally kicked himself for possibly ruining it. It wasn’t hard to see that Amani had effortlessly melted into his little family. She and Ada were a joy to watch together and her smile lit up the room. He knew he wanted to cultivate a relationship, even if only a friendship. 

“Who’s up for pizza?” T’Challa grinned. Amani and Ada frowned at him. “What? I’m still hungry.” T’ Challa insisted as he cleared their double scoop waffle sundae from the table.

 “How about we get some pizza to-go and we can walk over to my house. It’s just a few streets over. By then Ada and I will have worked off our sundae. Just in time for pizza.” Amani suggested. T’Challa shrugged.  

“Is that a yes?” Amani frowned. “Please Baba, please?” Ada pouted. 

“I never said it was a no.” the king smiled, helping Ada down from her stool. He and Amani reached for her purse at the same time. The waitress grabbed her purse and quickly avoided his hand. T’Challa sighed as she sent him a soft smile and grabbed Ada’s hand. After a slightly amusing debate between Amani and Ada about pizza toppings the small band, pizza in hand, started the walk to Amani’s house.  T’Challa watched as Amani tried to lift an extremely sleepy Ada. 

“Trade you,” the king chuckled, handing the woman the pizza. Amani  grabbed the warm cardboard box and watched as T’Challa pulled Ada into his arms. The princess snuggled into her father’s neck and drifted off to sleep. Awkward silence filled the space around them. 

T’Challa cleared his throat, “Today was fun.”

“It was, thank you for inviting me along,” Amani replied. The two walked up the stairs to Amani’s house. As she fished for her keys, T’Challa grabbed the pizza box with his free arm. “Thanks, the waitress sighed using both hands to unlock the door. “No problem,” the king followed her into the townhome. Amani grabbed the box and pointed T’Challa towards the spare room, “You can lay her in there. There should be a blanket at the bottom of the bed, it can get a little chilly in there.”

“Thank you.” 

Amani nodded as she washed her hands and grabbed three plates and some cups. With T’Challa’s retreating footsteps Amani took her first deep breath of the day. “Get it together sis,” Amani mumbled. “ What am I saying?” Amani grabbed a plate from the stack.

“Do you often talk to yourself?”

Amani cursed as she dropped the plate back on to the counter. The porcelain shattered into a million pieces. “I did not mean to scare you,” the king chuckled, walking over to help Amani gather the pieces.

“Haha.” Amani hurried to grab the pieces. “Be careful. I would not want you to cut your hand.” T’Challa reached out to pull Amani’s hand back. “I got it,” she jerked away, consequently slicing her hand. “Frick,” she muttered tears brewing in her eyes. She pulled her hand closer to her chest, trying to stop the incessant shaking. 

“May I see?”

Amani nodded, biting her lip to keep from crying. The king wet a paper towel and began to wrap her hand. “Are you okay,” he looked up from wrapping to search for her eyes. He felt her tense as his finger traced the planes of her hand. 

“I will be,” Amani pulled her hand away, purposefully avoiding T’Challa’s eyes. “Amani just let me help you,” the king insisted. “The pizza might be cold before I get back. Feel free to eat as much as you want. There is lemonade in the fridge.” She hurried away as T’Challa called out to her. 

Amani took the time to gather her thoughts as she wrapped her hand. She sighed once the cut was cleaned, medicated, and bandaged. With nothing left to escape reality she walked back into the living room. The king was still sitting at the counter. The pizza was untouched. He looked up at her approach. “I cleaned up the rest of the pieces for you. And I took the pizza out of the box and put it in the oven to stay warm.”

“You didn’t have to wait on me to eat. I would have been fine using the micro-”

“I wanted to wait on you Amani.” the king silenced her. Her mouth formed an ‘o’ as she settled across from him at the sink. 

“How is your hand?”

“It’s all good. I took some pain medication too.” she raised the now gauze wrapped hand into view. 

“Good. I’ll take out the pizza.”

“Cool… Umm. It’s getting kind of late, you and Ada are more than welcome to crash here. Spend the night that is. I can put her in my sister’s room and you can have the guest room.”

“We would not want to inconvenience you.” T’Challa raised the pizza from the oven. “It’s not an inconvenience. Think of it as a thank you,” the woman shrugged. 

“Well, then who am I to say no eh?” the king smiled, reaching over Amani to grab her a plate. She backed away from his arm. 

“Did I do something wrong Amani?”

“No,psht, why would you think that?”

“You are a horrible liar,” the king sighed, placing the plate in front of her. He quickly made his own plate and went back to his seat. The two ate in silence. “I wanted to explain about earlier.”

“There’s nothing to explain. I understand-“ 

“Please Amani let me finish!” The king roared. Amani jumped slightly in her seat. “I am sorry I did not mean to-“ T’Challa started to apologize. 

“I think that we should wake Ada up now-“ Amani started, trying to shuffle away from the counter. 

“Amani-“ the king reached out to grab her hand. Amani practically leaped away from his touch. She hurried down the hall into Ada’s room. T’Challa sighed, his face falling into his hands. 

Amani listened silently as Ada rambled on with her father. She moved her pizza crust around on her plate before getting up to throw it away. “Amani?” Ada’s tony voice pulled Anahi out of her head. 

“Yes princess?” 

“Why are you sad?” She tilted her head to the side. Amani’s lip trembled and spread into a small smile. “I just miss my little sister,” Amani bluffed. “It always helps me and my dad to talk about mama when we are sad.” 

“Ada-“ T’Challa warned. 

“She is fine,” Amani stopped him, “Maybe tomorrow princess,” Amani watched as the little girl hopped down and ran to hug her legs. “Thank you princess, I really needed that.”  Amani picked her up and held the child close before letting her go. She grabbed her hand and began to lead her to Amare’s bedroom. “I got it,” T’Challa stepped in grabbing his daughter's hand. 

“Oh okay. Bedroom is upstairs, the second door on the left. There’s a bathroom in there, and some towels in the closet. I’ll bring a t-shirt for her to sleep in.” 

T’Challa nodded and led his daughter up the stairs. 

Amani sighed and grabbed the pizza box to throw away. She flipped off all of the downstairs lights and pulled out a pair of her father’s old pajamas for T’Challa to wear. She chose a set of towels from the linen closet and placed them on the guest bed. She trudged upstairs into her bedroom and grabbed a t-shirt for Ada to wear after her bath. She tiptoed down the hall to drop Ada’s shirt off. She smiled to herself hearing the child and her father singing a song together she listened for a few more moments before slipping back out into her room. She took a quick shower and pulled on pajamas and a bonnet. She sat down at her computer to edit. 

A few minutes into editing footsteps echoed outside of her door before T’Challa knocked. “Come in,” Amani’s heart pounded when the king walked into her room. “I just wanted to thank you for everything. You’ve been more than amazing and Ada adores you. Which is rare cause she’s always weary around strangers. She associates strangers with her mother being gone.”

Amani beamed, then let it fall at his last sentence. She swallowed. “I live having her around too. She’s so sweet.”

“Just like someone else I know,” T’Challa smiled leaning against the door frame. “Yeah you told me your wife used to light up the room like that,”Anani forced a smile. “Yes. But I was talking about a certain YouTuber whom I’d like to take out sometime.” 

“What would your wife think?”

“I think after four years she would  want me to meet someone new.”

“She left you?” 

“Amani, Nakia is dead.”

Amani’s eyes widened. “I…” she gaped at T’Challa. “That’s what I was trying to explain earlier in the kitchen.”

“Why didn’t you say that earlier at the aquarium?” 

“It did not seem relevant to the question.” 

“I asked about your wife?”

“Yes you asked about Nakia. She is more than just a dead princess. She was a friend and a mother.”

“I understand. That doesn’t make it right though. You don’t think you should’ve clarified that before asking me out on a date?” 

“I know and I apologize for making you uncomfortable,” T’Challa moved out of the door frame and into Amani’s bedroom. “I noticed that you avoided me for the rest of our day out with Ada.”

“I didn’t feel right flirting with a married man in front of his daughter.” 

“So now that neither of us is married..” T’Challa moves to sit on the bed. Amani stood up. “I think that we should call it a night. There are towels, toiletries, and pajamas on your bed downstairs.” 

T’Challa sighed and walked back towards the door. “Goodnight Amani,” he bowed. 

“Goodnight,” Amani responded facing the wall by her desk. Only turning to look once she heard T’Challa’s footsteps leave the room. 

She fell on to the bed and sighed before sitting up, “Shit. He’s single.”

 Taglist: @sarahboseman @waitingonafriend @thiccdaddy-mbaku @sarcastic-sunshines @ororowrites @derangedcupcake @mzbritt @leahnicole1219 @dramaqueeenamby @marvelheaux @skysynclair19 @halfrican-heat @kaciidubs @queertrex @kumkaniudaku @purple-apricots @autumn242 @thedelightfulone @90sinspiredgirl @royallyprincesslilly @wikiwakanda @chaneajoyyy @sisterwifeudaku @sarahboseman @tchoking @almostpurelysmut

[oh-beyond]

The Postman AU - Part 1

Your parents tried to have children for years… They were desperate to conceive a child, almost gave up on the idea, until finally your mother got pregnant with you.

Fragile child, born underweight and prematurely. You were the light of their eyes. Now you were a teenager and still treated you as if you were going to get broken. Homeschooled and trapped in your house. You didn’t need anything from the outside world.

Nothing. Until you saw the postman one day.

Postman AU/Angst/Fluff/Smut 🔞

Lay x reader

Masterlist

Part 2 >

Moon Changwook. Heir of the first car manufacturer in Korea. They were hard times back when his grandfather stabilised the company, but Changwook and his wife Marie; also a high elite daughter of European diplomat, never suffered financial problems, they were privileged since birth. Both families. 

Changwook and Marie got married in the 70′s, just when Korea was starting to stand up for itself. After ending the Japanese 35-year rule and the division of the 2 Koreas, things started to look brighter for the South. 

And so was Changwook’s empire, he was one of the most powerful men in the country. There was absolutely nothing he didn’t have. He was just missing that one thing to be perfect and complete. He didn’t convince a child because his beloved wife was infertile.

“I know this time it’s not just a feeling, I am sure. I know”

“Honey how many times have you said the same? We don’t want to get our hopes up again. Please, it’s been exhausting. For both of us. Painful treatments and unsuccessful medical trips… I just don’t want anymore, I just want you”

“Call the doctor. I know what I’m saying”

“I’ll get you a pregnancy test honey, no need to call the doctor now”

“Oppa! I am telling you that I am pregnant!”

She loved the sound of that, the idea. Even if it was for a few minutes.

“Alright, how about this? I will get you a test and then call him? Just so we don’t disturb the doctor this late at night. Alright? Just relax”

And again, she wasn’t pregnant, and in her late 40’s the chances would be slim. Marie was living but dead inside, and Changwook couldn’t do anything about it. She asked him to leave her many times, get married to someone else and have the child who would inherit the kingdom that he had worked so hard to build. But Changwook loved her beyond belief. She was the only foreigner in the school and he just got hypnotised by her the minute he saw her when he was only 15. He would never leave her.

Love was above everything.

It was one of those days were she felt rather sick, she was always weak and her depression wasn’t helping. She run to the toilet and got on her knees just in time to bring all the contents of her stomach into the toilet bowl. It was the 3rd day in a row, and the idea of starting the menopause depressed her even more. She got hot flushes and change in moods, and she knew it was starting as the doctor previously advised. 

She had a womb that reminder her every month that she was a woman, that idea gave her hopes, and now the word menopause… she wasn’t ready.

She cried in the floor of the bathroom, Changwook lifted her carrying her to bed as he always did, he caressed her cheeks and kissed her hands.

“All I want is you”

But that didn’t work anymore.

She wanted a child.

Indeed, the horrific idea was getting clearer, her period didn’t come that month, and with it went her last hopes. She still had 3 pregnancy tests in the bathroom cabinet that she liked to use every now and then. Every time she felt her husband being extra passionate she would enthusiastically do the test. And this time just because they would go to waste why not use them? 

For the last time.

She didn’t check the result the day before, and just left it on the basin cabinet.

But the following morning…

“Honey?” cried Changwook.

“Let me sleep, you will go to work anyways”

“Honey!!!”

“What?”

“What does 2 stripes mean in this thing?”

“That I am just a pathetic woman going through menopause doing pregnancy tests. I am sorry oppa, I will stop”

“No no no, look, they are 2, they are purple… clearly 2 stripes” repeated Changwook showing it to her.

“No it can’t be!”

“Yes, yes look! I’m calling the doctor!”

“It is positive, congratulations Mrs. Moon, you are having a baby in less than 8 months. My calculations tell me that you are about 5 to 6 weeks pregnant” announced the doctor calmly.

She couldn’t handle the news, she cried in her husband’s arms as he hugged her kissing her neck.

“Honey! There is a baby inside growing. Our baby!”

“Right… I shall explain what you need to do and the risks of a pregnancy after the age of 40, it’s my duty to warn you”

“Yes doctor, is it risky for her?” asked Changwook worried.

“Everything could go smoothly, but still, you should know that you may get risk of gestational diabetes, hypertension, preeclampsia, and placenta previa, and even miscarriage”

“What does this mean?”

“She will need total bed rest, regular checkups and a healthy diet. I know that that won’t be a problem”

You were born prematurely, Marie wasn’t excepting you for another 7 weeks, but you just happened to want to arrive a bit early.

You were a warrior because doctors thought you wouldn’t make it though the night. But you did.

Fragile, tiny and underweight all your childhood. That didn’t stop you from being naughty child who loved to trick the maids and servants around the house. It was your most beloved thing to do because you didn’t know anyone but them. They were your friends, your only friends.

You were connected to machines regularly during your early childhood. You never attended school, and your parents treated you with silk gloves as if you were going to break in their hands. Everything you wanted you had. Everything except going out of the house, because your bad immunodeficiency disorder that prevented your body from fighting infections and diseases. Which meant that you would be prune to catch viruses and bacterial infections.

Sick and miserable, trapped in a castle.

Your house was big, the least it could be said, there were 3 maids, a cook, 2 drivers and a gardener. Your mom didn’t work and your dad worked too much. Travelled too much, which came with it’s perks. Toys and clothes that later were exchanged by fashion magazines and makeup.

Anything you wanted, you name it, it was at your disposal in a blink of an eye.

You liked your garden, that was when your mother allowed you to get out to walk around and admire it. It didn’t end too well when a bee stung you when you were 8, caused you fever and a whole week of bed rest. Or when your father naively got you a puppy. It had to leave after just hours because apparently you were allergic to it’s fur. Later discovered that birds were no good either. The turtle he got you made you sick also. So it was settled for a few fish in an aquarium in the living room.

Nothing you could do about it. You saw the bright side of things.

You were into reading and alternative universes novels. Magic. All the impossible things. Later you started liking romance novels that brought tears to your eyes.

This thing called love caused pain in the heart? You wondered how would that feel. Curiosity nothing more, because you didn’t look forward to feel more pain, enough with the needles and endless illnesses you suffered.

However, you watched your parents and you loved how they acted around each other, your father would kiss your mother the minute he entered the house. The adoration in his gaze, forgetting that you were also waiting to welcome him back.

That kind of love. Having fun with someone else, make you smile when you felt down. Or simply kiss you in silence like your dad kissed your mother.

A privilege you knew you would never have as long as you were trapped between 4 walls. It amazed you how far did your mother travel to find her own other half. All the way from Europe to Korea. So pretty much you knew you were sentenced to be alone forever.

Finding love seemed hard work and impossible. Specially for you.

When you turned 15, your body was still small for your age they said, however you felt different. Rebellious and things started to grow in your body. You heard them say you were late… and other kids your age already had it.

Other kids… how did other kids look? All you could see were the horses and some sheep your dad loved to keep in your field around the house.

When you were 16 you thought that you were going to die, this was it. An imminent death when you woke up and found out that you were bleeding. When Ada your maid entered the room to clean she got surprised so see your shock stage, how you didn’t have any idea of what was happening to you.

“I am going to die!” you cried.

“You aren’t going to die, you are perfectly fine, you are a little woman now ___”

Ada wasn’t much older than you. You liked to sneak to the kitchen with her and ask her about things. Things you’ve read in your books. Things you didn’t understand and your teachers were too grumpy looking to ask them about these things.

“Why would you be scared to be kissed? In the book dad got me, it said that the girl was scared” you asked her innocently.

“Well ___, when a boy wants to kiss you, it feels… I don’t know”

“You are so lucky Ada, you have a boyfriend, how did you 2 meet?”

“He is my brother’s friend, he came to our house regularly. I felt that he liked me, that we liked each other, and one day when my brother wasn’t home, he kissed me, and I felt like I was flying and…”

“Doesn’t sound scary”

“It’s everything at the same time, when someone kisses you-”

“Ada! What nonsense is this?” your mom surprised the 2 of you when the conversation was getting to the interesting part.

“I apologise ma’am”

“Mom! She is my friend! I’m 17 now, why is it nonsense?”

Your mom pulled Ada from her forearm to scold her away from you. If it wasn’t for the fact that you knew how much your parents loved you, you would of thought that they actually hated you. Their love and overprotection even from the air around you, was getting in your nerves. What good was to live if you weren’t living to begin with?

Why live? For what or for who?

You run outside the kitchen heading to the restricted area of your house, the backdoor for the domestic workers. Your tears wetting all your face, your knees feeling heavy as you run through the house to get there. You started to cough, your chest heaved and your heartbeats increased, indicating that you were tired and you shouldn’t be running if you didn’t want to have the rest of the week on bed rest.

But you were angry, you didn’t care anymore, you didn’t want to be the flower inside the glass box.

No more, no more.

“No more!” you screamed when you reached the door and bumped into something.

Or rather someone.

The collision was hard and as you were about to fall in the floor backwards, a pair of arms wrapped around your waist, stoping you from hitting the floor.

“That was close, I got you”

You looked up to meet… who was this an angel? Did you really die and you were welcomed to heaven by this angel?

He was young, and pretty… Is that what you call a man when he looks like this?

You petrified as he pulled you to stand again. You were no longer running but your heart was beating faster than before.

Of course it must be because you were in front of an angel, a divine identity, it’s normal to have heart palpitations anxiety.

“Are you alright?” he asked lowering his head slightly to be at your eye level “you are hyperventilating”

You felt his hand at your shoulder. It was warm. You shivered when your eyes looked at his extended arm tracing his arm veins.

“You look pale, you should sit”

Hyperventilating and pale sounded accurate… 

But all you cared about right now was to analyse his sturdy looking body, his shiny black hair, his face that seemed to be lighting up the dark entrance where you stood, and his cheeks… those who held incredibly deep holes…

What were those called? What were they to begin with? 

Oh… the one in his right cheek was so deep that you would probably be able to drink from it…

Weird outrageous thoughts. Why would you think about drinking from someones cheek hole?

It seemed that your lack in dealing with other people showed, because he started to look uncomfortable as you scanned his face. He looked away and cleared his throat.

But he felt like a magnet, your eyes wouldn’t leave the sight of him.

“___! Where did you go!? You were running and you know it’s not good for you!” you heard your mom’s voice muffed calling from far coming closer to where you were.

You gasped looking worried, you took one last look at him and run outside the house. It was your first time you’ve ever used that door. 

Freedom!

You just didn’t think that it would last mere seconds because a bike was parked just right outside tripping on it, ruining your plans.

You fell face down bumping your nose on the hard stone floor that caused a nosebleed, your palms suffering the same fate.

“Girl! Be careful” 

His voice was heard from behind.

“You are bleeding, let me help you” 

The next thing he was lifting you off the ground. What was this feeling? Your hands, bled, your nose bled, but it didn’t hurt because something else hurt more…

“That must of hurt” he knew “let me help you with that” he put you down getting a tissue from his pocket to clean your nose.

Amusing, he was so close… his eyelashes fluttered slowly as he cleaned your face. They were long and thick…just mesmerising. How could a guy have eyelashes so beautiful? 

Yes he must be an angel…

“I’m Zhang Yixing by the way. I’ve never seen you around. Are you new?”

You heard steps getting closer now, the heels clicking on the wooden floor and the distinctive pace told you that it was your mother.

You looked around nervously wanting to hide, you didn’t want her to go all crazy because of a simple nosebleed and some scratches in your hands.

Yixing frowned, understanding that you wanted to hide. He took your hand in his opening a door. You’ve never been in this part of your own house before, he run in front of you rushing you to what it looked like a basement, the place full of stored food and wine. At the end of the cellar there was a long cabinet, he headed right towards it opening it without hesitation, there was an ironing table and a few brooms and mops. He went inside pulling you to his side, closing the cabinet without making any sound.

“What ar-”

He cut you off placing his forefinger in front of your lips. If you had the power to question him before they vanished after this, he really muted you.

The place was pitch black, and all you could see were his eyes looking through the louvers, making sure no one followed you.

“You stole something didn’t you? That was the lady of the house, was she calling for you?” he asked whispering, his eyes never leaving the louver.

“I didn’t!” your voice came out too loud.

“Shhh” he said before placing all his hand over your mouth this time “I hear someone coming”

His hand was over your mouth, you started to tremble… were you cold?

No you weren’t, you’ve never felt so hot in your life, you were sweating but shivering… what a strange feeling this was.

“___? Are you here? You better not be because we agreed that this is not a place for you”

You heard her, you mother was just steps away. When your shivering intensified, Yixing brought you to his chest, his arm wrapping around your shoulders.

“Stay quiet, don’t move” he whispered in your ear.

You were just going to obey him because you were a good girl and you were going to do whatever he ordered you. You even forgot that your paranoid mother was just there, and found yourself getting lost in this embrace, your nose and lips right at his shoulder level.

It felt so nice, you wished your mother stayed longer there so you could stay between Yixing’s arms.

“This place is so dusty, I’ll have the maids clean it properly, this is what happens when you give them some freedom” continued your mother inspecting the place “at least ___ isn’t here. Wait till I find you little brat”

Finally she left, you heard her climbing the stairs closing the door behind her. Yixing detached himself opening the door of the cabinet.

“It’s dark” you stated.

“It really is isn’t it? But at least you didn’t get caught, now give me your hand so we can get out of here”

“I’ll walk behind you”

“Well then wrap your arms around my waist” he pulled your hands “like this” he added.

And before you could protest, your face was at his back… muscles, muscles and more muscles… and he smelled so good…

Angel Zhang Yixing.

Your personal guardian angel.

Was this what they called love? What caused pain in the heart? 

It must be because your heart pounded in your ribcage and a whole mix of unexplainable feelings in your head as well as your body were happening. Like a hurricane. 

How could something so beautiful cause so much pain?

All while you walked behind him sniffing him thoroughly. You didn’t want it to end and climbing the stairs up indicated that this was coming to an end pretty soon.

“Here we are” he announced opening the door “now tell me what did you steal? I won’t be able to help you every time. I’m just the postman that happened to be here to save you this time”

Is this what love felt like? Good and bad? Miserable but happy? 

Did you fall in love with the postman?

__________________

A/N: thanks for reading, I’m excited about this series. A lot of things will be happening to this postman and this girl…

Feedback always welcomed ^_^

[janeykath318]

Nothing But His Fish Bones 6

[grapsandclaps]

GRAPS AND CLAPS REVIEWS - FUTURESHOCK UNDERGROUND 31 #PACINPRESTWICH

Hello and welcome everyone to this edition of Graps and Claps taking me this time to Prestwich once again for Futureshock Wrestling Underground 31 to see the appearance of former WWE star and current Dragon Gate kingpin PAC as he was set to take on one of Futureshocks standouts in the form of Soner Dursun for whom in recent months had recaptured the form that he was showing in a Futureshock ring in 2017 - so anticipation for this match was at a high level for those in attendance, which I can happily say was very much a sellout with people standing at the back to get a view of the action. 

As ever, though before the wrestling was the pre-show festivities in Bury, as me and Geoff took our friend Andrew Campbell on a whistle-stop tour of the town's drinking scene as he had not visited it before. First pub was The Thirsty Fish Micro pub that is located next to Bury Bus Station, this small establishment was fairly packed with customers wanting to take a break from shopping on Bury's world famous market with a wide range of Cask, Keg and Ciders to wet the whistle - of which I tried two pints, first off being from Stod Fold Brewery - West Coast Pale Ale (4% £3) which was a nice light starter but rating nothing above average for this drink. However, the pint of Moorhouse Sabbath Flight IPA (5% £3.40) was a more Moorish drink that hit all of the right notes. Even though this place is tucked away from most of the other pubs in Bury, it is certainly one to visit on your travels!

Next stop as ever on a walk around Bury was The Trackside who finished No.2 in the 'Pub of the Year' for Graps and Claps offering a good range of local ales ranging from your 3.8% pales to 12% Barrel Aged Stout this is a good place for the beer connoisseur. My pint for the half an hour or so we was here for was a pint of Torrside Marynka Hazy Pale Ale (4.5% £3.20) that was quite fruity in taste, on the other hand Andrew's 7.4% stout was a bit too strong in barrel aged taste. Next pub was just the 1-minute walk to The Clarence which is home to Silver Street Brewery, plus a range of other ales, cocktails and a good fine dining experience which it has won awards for - a far cry from when it used to be a proper local shithole that I frequented on many a Thursday night. Only the one pint here from Scottish Brewery Inveralmond 'Bard' (4.6% £3.75 with a CAMRA discount), that I would give a 6/10 - proper solid malty drink!

With the time coming up to half 4, we then visited two more pubs before taking the tram to Prestwich. First being, Wyldes which is under the Joseph Holt's banner. Recently this place has had a refurbishment, now offering pizzas on order and plenty of TV Screens showing the afternoon's sport which to be honest has added a bit more character to a pub which was always generally quiet when I used to go regularly. Siding with a pint of Nethergate Glory (3.8% £2.57) as it was the only one on the bar I hadn't had, we finished this off quickly, before moving on to the last stop being Automatic which is ran by the same people who run The Clarence, another fine dining place, but it does sell a good range of cask ales and a big range of whisky's if that is your tipple of choice. I myself though, went for a pint of Three Brothers APA (4.5% £3.25) that was just passable - still though well worth a visit - I certainly recommend the food here of what I can remember from my only Valentines Day in this building (yes I am still bitter - ha! Jilted Ex)

Drinks done, we arrived in Prestwich at 6:05pm only to be greeted with a huge queue outside the Longfield Suite with not much sign of it moving. We were all ready to queue, but we were greeted with the presence of Shauna who we hadn't seen for a few weeks since WXW in London (amazing to think we seemed to see each other every week), so with Shauna in tow we went for a quick drink in the Railway and Naturalist as we waited for the queue to whittle down, which it duly did when we got back in for 6:30pm. Initially though we stood up at the back up until the third match, as eagle eyed Geoff spotted empty seats on the front row next to Shauna, so we took up base there for the remainder of the show. So, with that said let's get into what went down!

First up it was 'Mr Purple Pants' Isaiah Quinn taking on Henry T.Grodd, with the latter looking to build momentum as he looked to stake a claim once again to challenge Crater for the Futureshock Title. Grodd early on beat down on Quinn to floor The Guiding Light, that was until Quinn fit a face front slam on Quinn to get back in the game. However, that was about as much as Quinn would get in as Grodd hit a tilt-a-whirl slam to Quinn and soo finished off Isaiah with a BIG Lariat to get the three count. Grodd as he has been, is getting over very well with the Futureshock audience and in some people's eyes he should be the only to slay Crater and not John McGregor but that is debatable.

Up next was 8-man tag action with many of this writer's favoruite involved with the newly turned JJ Webb teaming with Big Joe, Damon Leigh and the Nordic Accountant Thomas Wolfe to take on Callum Corrie, William Regal's son Joe Bailey and The Young Guns (Ethan Allen and Luke Jacobs). Now The Young Guns here were hoping to get a much needed victory as they have been on the wrong side of things in the last three months losing to James Drake & Sam Bailey and also Big Joe and DDL (Big and Brave) and it would be a great start for the Guns as Jacobs was like a house on fire hitting rapid fire clotheslines and knees to anyone in sight. However as the match went on, it would be Big Joe who put the baddies in control, until Joe Bailey who was wearing his dad's hand me downs, hit a double underhook suplex to Joe to get the hot tag to Callum Corrie. Unfortunately for Corrie it didn't end too well as chaos ensued around the ringside area, leading to DDL and Joe finsihing off Corrie, as Damon hit the compactor to get the three count. Chalk up another one in the loss column for the guns, who will be hoping for better luck next time as they team with The Hurricane to take on Joe, DDL and Wolfe on March 17th at Stockport Town Hall.

3rd match was 'Serious' Kev Lloyd looking to soften up Crater who is due to take on his former team mate John McGregor on the 17th March at Stockport for the Futureshock Title. As the sirens sounded for Crater, so did the patter of feet going to the bar/toilet! Now when they look back at the record books, this match will say Crater won this match which he duly did using his plodding and ponderous offence to flatten Kev with a huge lariat for the three count in around 5 minutes. What it won't say will be what a shower of shit this match was and it wasn't Kev's fault as he is a very accomplished wrestler who I do feel deserves better than this! The reaction to Crater as Champion is being played out to total silence, which has been shown in the crowd wanting a change in the form of the more mobile pairing of Grodd and John McGregor - which we all hope will be sooner rather than later.

Grodd after this match tried to attack Crater with a spear but was thwarted as the big man knocked him down - BOOOOO!!!

Thankfully after that, we got back on track as we had 3-way action for the Adrenaline Title as Chris Ridgeway took on C.J Banks and the Champion Joey Hayes, with the latter wanting to hold to his ever growing title collection at the moment that would make the Ultimo Dragon jealous. Originally, as people might remember this was supposed to involve Ilja Draguanov, but due to Dark Match duties in Coventry against my boy Ashton Smith he was otherwise engaged meaning Chris Ridgeway was his replacement. Hayes and Banks on the other hand have been tearing the house down at Stockport and Manchester, with possibly the first meeting being the best of the two! As a match, I thought this was possibly the best match of the night, with all three competitors producing a fun 3-way action that involved everyone at every moment, which generally you have one on the outside and the other two do the work - so at least this was something different from the norm. 

Lasting around 15 minutes, the end came when CJ Banks who was looking to finally topple Joey Hayes, ending up getting hit with the JKO to leave him laying on the outside leaving Joey and Ridgeway to battle it out of which Hayes got the better of it as he locked in the Cross Hayes to Ridgeway who tapped out to end a fine match. After the match we had a confrontation between Hayes and Banks who look set to have another war in the coming months.

We then went into the 15-minute break and half-time photos with Chris Ridgeway of which there were quite a few takers.

Back from the break we came back with John McGregor looking for a fight with a former Futureshock Champion as he looked to get validation from someone to if he is really going to be the man to topple Crater. Now rumours had been rife that a certain Jack Gallagher was going to answer the challenge as he had been tweeting from the National Football Museum in Manchester and that looked to be proven right when Gallagher's music sounded to a great ovation from the Prestwich audience, sadly though there was no Gentleman in sight as McGregor looked on and duly attacked from behind by one Sam Bailey - BOOOOOO!!!!

Obviously with the early attack, Bailey was on top for quite a lot of this match much to the groans of the audience, still though give Bailey his due he is still a capable of putting on a good match and it certainly looked at one stage that he would prove to be that bump in the road for McGregor, but maybe he got a bit cocky for his own good as he was hit with a Tornado DDT by a valiant McGregor who got the three count in a good match to prove that McGregor possibly does have it to defeat Crater next month.

Women's action next with Futureshock up and comer in this division Hollie taking on Taonga with the shrieking Alexxis Falcon in her corner. Now as mentioned on Futureshock's last show, both Taonga and Falcon got involved in Hollie's and Lana Austin's match causing a DQ so this was set fair for Hollie to get some much needed revenge on Taonga and Falcon. For the duration of this contest it has to be noted that Alexxis was being a constant nuisance on the outside especially with our section - sitting on my mate Andrew's lap, whilst also giving shit to me and Shauna, to her credit this did get a reaction from us lot - so well done! Falcon also got involved in the ring as well as Hollie floored Taonga with a Bazooka Knee, Alexxis came up from behind to hit Hollie with a high spin kick to leave Hollie laying, which then led to Taonga to hit the Unprettier for the 3 much to the boos of the audience. Honestly, I thought this turned out better than I though it would be - good stuff! 

After the obligatory raffle, we now come to the Main Event with Soner Dursun taking on 'The Bastard' PAC in what was set to be an absolute humdinger! You know what this did not disappoint anyone who bought a ticket with PAC bringing his working boots and so did Dursun who has been one of the underrated stars of the North West scene in the last couple of years. We had dives, strikes and high-octane action that kept the Prestwich crowd on the edge of their seats for the near 20-minute duration. Soner looked like he had PAC beat as he got a 2 count on a Spanish Fly as they soared through the air, it has to be said how great PAC looks with his shoulders looking like someone's kneecap - he has certainly not been on the pie and chips diet like me! PAC as well is just so fluid with his transitions from move to move, just a treat to watch.

As the match reached its conclusion, it would be the man from the North East who would get the win as he hit a 450 splash and then locked in the 'Rings of Saturn' to tap out The Turkish Wolf to end an absolute corker of a match, possibly my second best match of the year only after the Irie/Cobb match from Leeds last week - still this should be one you should search out when it comes on Futureshock On Demand. 

Show done, it time took make our way home, but not before having a quick chat to 442Dale and Chaff off the Rochdale Fan's Forum about Rochdale perilous position in League 1 and to whether Keith Hill should go - its a Yes from me! Making our way to the tram after walking past the huge queue to see PAC, we got back into Bury for 9:30pm as our wrestling weekend came to an end, with us now looking forward to Tidal's show in London on March 3rd. Anyways if you want to check out any matches from this show make sure you watch PAC vs Dursun and Banks vs Hayes vs Ridgeway.

As ever give this a like, retweets and share on the usual social media platforms and until next time - BYE!!

@oggypart3

#grapsandclaps

[brajeshupadhyay]

Gambling on College Football Almost Fixed My Dysfunctional Family

My first mistake was feeling sorry for him.

The first season my brother and I bet on college football against each other, I beat him so badly I often bragged I could have lost every single game we gambled on for the rest of the decade and still finished in the money.

Each week, we would agree to disagree on five games across the N.C.A.A. schedule. Each win was worth a dollar. Whoever won the most games of the five we selected cashed an additional five bucks. Best out of five, winner takes all for a maximum potential profit of $10 for the weekend.

He couldn’t have owed me more than $100 — we weren’t kids anymore, making outrageous wagers on games of blackjack at the kitchen table neither of us could have paid off in three lifetimes — but I still didn’t have the heart to make him pay up.

The next year, after torching him a second season in a row, I gave him a book as a joke — “Handicapping College Football for Beginners,” which he told me he relegated to the washroom magazine basket.

I didn’t realize it then, but he was setting me up.

Later he admitted to reading it every chance he got. Studying. Formulas, strategies, all of it. By season three, he cleaned my clock. Our father soon inserted himself into the competition, which, over the past almost 20 years, came to represent our relationship: We went from being a dysfunctional trio of man-children who didn’t have the language to express our feelings to discovering that our mutual love of competition and one-upmanship gave us the language we needed to reconnect.

And then came the coronavirus.

As of June, in response to concerns over the coronavirus, the N.C.A.A. Division I Football Oversight Committee announced their approval of a plan that would allow teams to transition from voluntary workouts to mandatory meetings and preseason camps — just like any other year. But by the end of July, five Division I conferences had canceled their seasons outright. Others, in a last-ditch effort to play something in 2020, are leaning toward playing “conference only” or “plus one” schedules to minimize travel and mitigate risk. The closer we got to August, the more it seemed that Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has been clear in his position from the outset, may have been right after all: “Football may not happen this year.”

My little brother and I remain hopeful that won’t be the case. Five years apart, we were never especially close. Growing up, I’d put him through the wringer.

When I was 8, and he was 3, I nearly took his eye out with a dead tree branch. He still has a scar above his brow. In high school, my friends and I would wrestle him to the ground, strip him down to his Fruit of the Looms, force him onto the front lawn, and make him run around the block in his skivvies before we let him back in the house. He still delights in telling that story to showcase what kind of brother I was, but there are plenty of other examples. I’ve made Baby Bro steal beer from a convenience store ice cooler, thrown him in the trunk of a friend’s car and done doughnuts in a snowy church parking lot, and run him over with a golf cart.

As adults, even when we both became dads, we weren’t doing much better, and I felt guilty. College football seemed like a good way to connect. But I had no idea what I was in for. It was payback time, and every win he tallied was sweet revenge.

“Hey. Who’s winning this week?” he would call any Saturday he was ahead, pretending not to know.

“Really,” I’d say. “You know good and well who’s winning.”

As much as I hated losing, I did my best to be happy for him.

The kid was due.

When he won in Season Four, evening the series at 2-2, I wasn’t bothered (much), and I wasn’t all that surprised either. After all, we’d both been raised in the same ultracompetitive, winner-takes-all environment.

Our dad never let us win at anything when we were kids. Not golf, not Go Fish. I tell myself now, he only wanted his boys to succeed — his desire to win was that great — but to say that my dad was an enthusiastic spectator was putting it mildly.

Looking back, I imagine in my dad’s mind he was only teaching us to be tough, to never quit or back down — it was the 1970s and ’80s when a spanking was considered a valuable life lesson. So, it made sense after watching our competition from the sidelines for a couple of years the old man wanted in.

“You donkeys worried I’ll beat you too badly?” my dad goaded my brother one summer afternoon as he casually flipped through the pages of his Street & Smith’s “College Football Annual.”

I knew this was going to be a problem.

The man loved sports almost as much as he loved being right, which was a lot. Not only did we have to mastermind a way to manage a three-person, round robin format, but also keep our heads as my father continued what he’d done our entire childhood: reveling in every moment he won.

After every victory he took great pains to remind us, it would be a long time before we beat him at anything.

We were all supposed to be grown-ups, but most of the time we acted like 6-year-olds upset over a game of Chutes and Ladders that didn’t go our way.

The Coronavirus Outbreak ›

Frequently Asked Questions

Updated July 27, 2020

Should I refinance my mortgage?

It could be a good idea, because mortgage rates have never been lower. Refinancing requests have pushed mortgage applications to some of the highest levels since 2008, so be prepared to get in line. But defaults are also up, so if you’re thinking about buying a home, be aware that some lenders have tightened their standards.

What is school going to look like in September?

It is unlikely that many schools will return to a normal schedule this fall, requiring the grind of online learning, makeshift child care and stunted workdays to continue. California’s two largest public school districts — Los Angeles and San Diego — said on July 13, that instruction will be remote-only in the fall, citing concerns that surging coronavirus infections in their areas pose too dire a risk for students and teachers. Together, the two districts enroll some 825,000 students. They are the largest in the country so far to abandon plans for even a partial physical return to classrooms when they reopen in August. For other districts, the solution won’t be an all-or-nothing approach. Many systems, including the nation’s largest, New York City, are devising hybrid plans that involve spending some days in classrooms and other days online. There’s no national policy on this yet, so check with your municipal school system regularly to see what is happening in your community.

Is the coronavirus airborne?

The coronavirus can stay aloft for hours in tiny droplets in stagnant air, infecting people as they inhale, mounting scientific evidence suggests. This risk is highest in crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation, and may help explain super-spreading events reported in meatpacking plants, churches and restaurants. It’s unclear how often the virus is spread via these tiny droplets, or aerosols, compared with larger droplets that are expelled when a sick person coughs or sneezes, or transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces, said Linsey Marr, an aerosol expert at Virginia Tech. Aerosols are released even when a person without symptoms exhales, talks or sings, according to Dr. Marr and more than 200 other experts, who have outlined the evidence in an open letter to the World Health Organization.

What are the symptoms of coronavirus?

Does asymptomatic transmission of Covid-19 happen?

So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.

We showed we cared by needling each other unmercifully anytime one of us wound up on the wrong end of the point spread.

Like the year my dad gave my brother and me second and third place medals to make sure we didn’t forget who had come out on top that season.

Or when visiting my parents once, my father introduced me to friends of his and my mother’s as “the one who finished in last place” the year before.

I still don’t know half of what I should about my brother, or agree with all the things he believes in. But I’m learning. That ratio skews much higher when it comes to my dad. I’ve realized my brother, dad and I aren’t all that different. We all want to be heard, each of us wants to be seen, and above all, each of us wants to win. After almost 20 years of this, our bonds are stronger than ever.

As disappointing as the prospect may be, whether college football happens this year or not, at least now I have a reason to call.

The bonds we’ve worked so hard to build — even if they’ve come from trash talking each other over our latest win-loss records — are in danger of being lost. If Covid takes that away from us, we’ll just have to find something else to fight, I mean, connect over.

Mike Evans is a writer and television producer living in Los Angeles. He is currently at work on a memoir.

The post Gambling on College Football Almost Fixed My Dysfunctional Family appeared first on Shri Times News.

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Elounda Crete: A Complete Guide For Travellers

Hidden away on the eastern coast of Crete, Elounda is a pretty fishing village which is the perfect destination for a relaxing seaside getaway.

You’ll love Elounda if you’re looking for a traditional Greek resort which isn’t too crowded or commercialized. However, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do here. If you’re planning on travelling to Greece, then consider adding this hidden gem to your itinerary.

Spend your days relaxing on the beach or bathing in crystal clear water. Explore pretty streets and admire the stunning scenery. The coastal paths are perfect for walking, and you can explore the surrounding area and get to know this part of Crete a bit better. 

We loved the authentic Greek feel of Elounda, the friendliness of the locals we met, and the generally relaxed atmosphere of the village. Moreover, the view across the bay is spectacular. I could have spent my entire week just gazing out to sea — this is one of the most relaxing places to visit in Greece. 

In this travel guide to Elounda Crete, I’ll list the best things to do, where to eat, where to stay, the best beaches, and how to get around. 

Jump To: 

Things To Do in Elounda

Best Day Trips From Elounda

Where To Stay in Elounda

Where To Eat in Elounda

Best Beaches in Elounda

How To Get To Elounda

Getting Around Elounda

Things To Do In Elounda Crete

We stayed in Elounda for 7 nights and although it’s a low-key place, we found plenty of things to do. We like to get out and about exploring but if you like to spend a lot of time on the beach then you could stay longer.

Elounda is the perfect base for leisurely walks, and no matter where you are in the village, you’re pretty much guaranteed a lovely view of the bay. If you love the water, you’ll be delighted with the crystal clear sea here on the Eastern Cretan coast.

Here are some of the best things to do in Elounda, Crete:

Explore the Harbour

Probably the first thing you’ll want to do when you arrive in Elounda is to take a walk around the central town. Here, you’ll find the picturesque harbour with everything from traditional fishing boats to rowing boats.

Walk along the harbour to the east and you’ll pass some of Elounda’s popular tavernas before you come to the main beach. If you walk south along the harbour front, you’ll be rewarded with some of the town’s more exclusive restaurants overlooking the bay. 

Walk to The Sunken City of Olous

Continue further south of the resort and you’ll come to the Sunken City of Olous. Olous was an ancient Greek city from the Minoan age. Don’t expect to see obvious ruins below the sea, although if you look carefully you can make out some of the ancient walls.

Some reports suggest that Olous was sunk due to volcanic activity but others say it’s more likely that it just sunk slowly over many years. For tourists today, it makes for an interesting place to visit for a gentle coastal walk outside the main resort. If you’re keen on finding the ruins below the water, take your snorkel gear.

Take a Boat Trip to Spinalonga

One of the highlights of our trip to Crete was a visit to Spinalonga. The island is a former leper colony. Sufferers from Crete (and sometimes mainland Greece) were forcibly relocated to the island in an attempt to stop the spread of the disease.

Although quite infamous locally, Spinalonga was made famous by the publication of Victoria Hislop’s novel, The Island. The book tells the story of the Fielding family which is caught up in the drama of leprosy and Spinalonga island. It’s actually a terrific read so if you’re looking for some holiday reading during your stay in Crete, I highly recommend it.

The leper colony on Spinalonga was closed in 1957, some years after a cure was found for the terrible disease. 

How To Get To Spinalonga Island

For a long time, Greek officials preferred to forget about Spinalonga, but that all changed when tourists, inspired by Hislop’s novel, started asking to visit.

You can now visit Spinalonga for yourself by taking a boat across from the main island. Boats leave regularly from Elounda harbour and take approximately 30 minutes to reach the boat dock at Spinalonga.

It costs 10 Euros per person or 5 Euros for children. It’s a pleasant trip and you’ll get to see more of the coast as you cruise across.

For a shorter crossing to the island, head to the nearby village of Plaka. There’s plenty of free parking in Plaka near to the boat docks which makes it an easy option if you have a car.

Boats depart at regular intervals from two boat docks so if you’ve just missed the first one then walk a bit further along the harbour and try the other one. It’s a short 10-minute crossing from Plaka and costs 8 Euros per person. Boats from both locations start from around 10 am and run at regular intervals all day until around 4 – 4:40 pm.

Exploring Spinalonga Island

Once on the island of Spinalonga, you need to buy an entrance ticket at the small kiosk for 8 Euros. Walk through the archway and you’ll emerge into a world of narrow lanes and coloured houses. Inside some of them, you’ll find displays with information on their former inhabitants. It’s both fascinating and rather sad, especially if you’ve read Hislop’s book.

Many of the buildings have already been restored but more work is currently underway. As you leave the main settlement you walk around the base of the hill and if you look up you’ll see that there are ruins stretching right up to the top.

Although most visitors seem to stick to the main pathway at the bottom, the upper levels are accessible if you don’t mind scrambling up a few slopes and rocky steps. I’d recommend making the trip up for some fabulous views back across the bay to Plaka and Elounda. You also get a birds-eye view of the settlement of Spinalonga.

If you’re staying in Agios Nikolaos or want to combine your trip to Spinalonga with swimming and lunch, then there is a half-day excursion available locally. Expect to pay around 25-30 Euros for a half-day cruise with stops for swimming and snorkelling, including lunch.

Visit the Windmills

If you like walking, then head south from Elounda harbour and you’ll come to the saltpans on your right. Look carefully into the water and you’ll see stone squares. Sometimes people confuse these with the sunken ruins of Oleus but they’re actually salt pans.

The saltwater collects in the squares and when the water evaporates, salt is left in the bottom. Workers balance on the low stone walls to scrape the salt from the bottom of the squares. An ingenious system.

Keep walking and cross the small stone bridge and you’ll come to the Kolokytha Peninsula. As you cross the bridge, you’ll see the first windmill.

Due to the shape of the landscape, the peninsula forms a breakwater which makes Elounda Bay so tranquil. There are three stone windmills here, built to take advantage of the wind on this part of the peninsula. This is a lovely area for walking. If you’d like to go further there are a number of trails which head up and over the hill to some uncrowded beaches.

Best Day Trips from Elounda Village

Visit Nearby Plaka

Plaka is a picturesque small village about 5km north of Elounda and it’s well worth making the trip to have a look around. If you’ve got a car then it’s an easy drive along the coastal road and there’s plenty of parking available in Plaka just off the main road.

For those without transport, there is a small tourist train which makes the trip several times a day and there is a public bus although it only runs a few times a day.

You’ll find plenty of restaurants to choose from along the harbour and Plaka’s fish restaurants are particularly popular. Plaka is also a good starting point for a visit to Spinalonga Island as the boat trip is only 10 minutes from here. Make a day of it and check out the beautiful beaches around Plaka and browse the souvenir shops around the harbour.

Despite its growing popularity, Plaka still feels traditionally Greek. Plaka is a tourist destination but it’s much smaller and quieter than Elounda. Although it’s busier in July when they hold a music festival in honour of a local musician, Mikalis Papadakis. 

Ride the Little Blue Train

As well as providing a fun transport option between Elounda and Plaka, the little blue train also provides sightseeing tours. You can take a four-hour trip from Elounda into the Cretan countryside. You’ll get to see some traditional villages and there are many opportunities to get some fabulous photographs from high in the hills.

The train makes a number of stops where you can wander through the picturesque villages, sample some of the local delicacies, shop for souvenirs and explore interesting churches. If you don’t have a car then it’s a fabulous way to get out and about and see more of the stunning Cretan landscape.

The tour costs 18 Euros per person. The train departs from Elounda at 12 pm and returns at 6 pm. Lunch is not included but the train does make a stop at a local taverna where you can purchase food and drink.

Explore Agios Nikolaos

Agios Nikolaos is approximately 10km south of Elounda and is a good choice if you’re looking for somewhere a bit more lively for a day out. Here, you’ll find a bustling coastal town with plenty of shops, restaurants and bars. The harbour area is particularly nice for walking and if you follow it around, you’ll come to the marina.

You can reach Agios Nikolaos in just a few minutes by car and we had no problem finding on-street parking. There’s also a car park near the main harbour area. If you don’t want to drive then the little blue train also goes this way, or it’s a short hop by taxi. We did see quite a few people walking as well!

Visit Knossos Palace

No visit to Crete would be complete without a visit to the famous Minoan ruins of Knossos. Renowned as the location of the mythical labyrinth, Knossos Palace is just south of Heraklion.

Here you’ll find extensive archaeological excavations of the palace which date back to around 2AD. However, settlements have existed on this site since the Neolithic period, around 7000-9000 BC, so it’s an exceptionally interesting place.

You’ll really need a car to get here from Elounda and I advise that you arrive early as (free) parking is limited and it gets very busy. Tickets to the archaeological site cost 15 Euros, and you can buy them at the entrance. Don’t worry if there’s a line as it moves quickly.

The site opens at 8 am and in summer is open as late as 8 pm. You’ll enjoy it more if you visit early or late as the ruins are not covered and are thus fully exposed to the sun. Wear sensible shoes for walking and climbing up and down uneven steps and take water with you. Expect to spend at least 2 hours exploring, more if you’re particularly fascinated by history.

Where To Stay in Elounda Crete

If you want to be within walking distance of stunning beaches, fabulous tavernas, restaurants and bars then choose to stay in an Elounda hotel within the main village area. Elounda itself isn’t very big and you can easily walk everywhere if you base yourself near the main beach or harbour.

For excellent views across the bay, I’d recommend staying on the hill overlooking the town. If you’re looking for somewhere a bit special, another option for those who want to get away from it all is to stay at one of the luxury Elounda hotels on the road to Plaka.

Adrakos Apartments

We stayed here for 7 nights and it’s a beautiful family-run apartment complex. Great for couples as it’s an adults-only facility. Each room has a small kitchen area but the real appeal is the balcony or terrace facing across the bay. The views are absolutely spectacular.

You’ll need a car if you’re going to stay here as it’s just outside the main resort area of Elounda but there is free parking available. Adrakos has a popular restaurant and bar on site and they also have a large pool, so you don’t need to drive every day if you don’t want to. A studio apartment costs from around $90 a night. Click here to learn more.

Sentido Elounda Blu

Part of the Sentido Hotels group, Sentido Elounda Blu is the choice for you if you desire pure luxury and relaxation. It’s located on the road between Elounda and Plaka overlooking the magnificent bay and Spinalonga Island.

Indulge yourself by booking a junior suite which has its own private pool. At Elounda Blu, you can enjoy a private beach with watersports available or take advantage of some of the many activities offered at the hotel, for instance, wine tasting, cooking classes and aerobics. 

A garden view room starts from around $155 a night in September for half board, or book all-inclusive from $215 a night. My sister stayed here for 10 nights and absolutely raves about it. When it comes to Elounda hotels, this is a great option. 

Elounda Krini Hotel

If you’re looking for a hotel within a few hundred metres of Elounda beach and which gets consistently great reviews then consider the Elounda Krini Hotel. All the rooms have balconies and you can choose whether yours faces the mountains or the landscaped pool area. Rooms are fresh and clean with tiled floors and whitewashed walls. Expect to pay from around $80 a night. Click here to learn more.

Emilia Apartments

A great budget option which is still close to everything is the Emilia Apartments. Located right in the heart of Elounda, the apartments are just 300m from Elounda Beach. Rooms are modern with fresh, light decor. Each room has a kitchenette with a dining area and a patio or balcony. Rooms start from around $45 a night. Click here to learn more.

To search more Elounda hotels and apartments on Booking.com, click here. 

Where To Eat in Elounda Crete

Although Elounda is a small town, you’ll still find plenty of choices when it comes to dining out. Whether you’re looking for traditional Greek meze, fabulous seafood or just a good steak, you’ll find a restaurant or cafe in Elounda which can satisfy your hunger.

Most restaurants have menu boards outside the restaurant, so take a wander along the streets near the harbour and centre of town and see what appeals most. Don’t forget to walk along the harbour front towards the windmills as there are some amazing fish restaurants overlooking the bay.

Here are a few of my favourites.

Elli’s Place

You’ll find Elli’s Place on the main beach road in Elounda. It’s a casual cafe-style restaurant which serves mainly breakfast and lunch. It’s famous for its chicken gyros and is very popular with beachgoers as it’s a short hop from the main beach area. As well as traditional Greek dishes such as gyros and moussaka, Elli’s also serves everything from sandwiches and ice-cream to full English breakfasts. Find Elli’s Place on google maps

Chicken Gyros at Elli’s Place

Kanali

Kanali restaurant has a unique setting just across the peninsula near the sunken city of Olous and the windmills. If you’re looking for somewhere special with a tranquil atmosphere and great food then this is the place for you. Kanali specialises in seafood and the lobster pasta gets rave reviews. However, they also have several vegetarian choices and a selection of gluten-free options as well.

Kanali is open for lunch and dinner. You can call them on +30 2841 042075 to check specific hours and make reservations.

Find Kanali Restaurant on Google Maps here.

Okeanis

Okeanis is located just past Elounda Beach. If you ask locals where to eat in Elounda this is where they’ll send you. It’s casual dining at its best and you’ll enjoy top class service as well as delicious food. Okeanis specialises in local Greek and Mediterranean dishes and they have quite an extensive menu. Don’t miss their traditional Greek salad. It’s amazing.

You can contact Okeanis on +30 2841 044404. It’s open for lunch from 11.30 am to 4.30 pm and for dinner from 6 pm to 11 pm.

Find Okeanis on Google Maps here.

Cypriana Taverna

This was one of our favourites while we were in Elounda village. Situated right in the centre of Elounda, overlooking the beachfront, Cypriana offers a wide menu including breakfast, omelettes, pasta, pizza and sandwiches.

However, you really should try some of their Greek Cypriot dishes — chicken gyros, moussaka or souvlaki. It’s good value, casual dining at its best, and they’re justifiably well-known for their friendly service. Whenever you’re hungry, they seem to be open – from 9 am to midnight. You can contact them on +30 2841 041752 but just turn up, no need to book.

Find Cypriana on Google Maps here.

Best Beaches in Elounda 

If you’re a beach lover then you’ve come to the right place. The Eastern Coast of Crete boasts miles of superb sand and pebble beaches, many of them Blue Flag rated.

While some of the larger beaches are popular it’s also possible to find small stretches of almost uninhabited coastline. Wherever you choose, you can bathe in warm, crystal clear water as you gaze on some absolutely spectacular scenery. 

Elounda Beach

Right in the centre of the resort is the Blue Flag rated Elounda Beach. Here you can spend the day relaxing under a straw umbrella or floating in the blue water.

If you’re feeling a bit more energetic, sign up for some of the watersport activities. For the kids, there’s a playground and organised activities are available in the summer. Although a lot of the smaller beaches in this area are pebbly, Elounda Beach is beautiful and sandy so an excellent choice if you’re staying nearby.

Find Elounda Beach on Google Maps here.

Beaches On The Road To Plaka

Drive or walk from Elounda towards Plaka and you’ll pass several small, pebbly beaches. These quiet coves offer a fabulous alternative to the more crowded central beaches. You’ll often have the cove to yourself.

The water is just as clear and warm and the views across to Spinalonga are amazing. If you’re driving, there are small parking spaces at intervals along the beach road. Take your water shoes though, there’s no sand here and the pebbles are small and uncomfortable underfoot. It’s worth it though for the luxury of sunbathing and swimming in your own stretch of the bay.

Kolokitha Beach

We found this amazing little beach while walking on the Elounda peninsula. After viewing the windmills, we kept on walking. Walk up the small road/track to start with. Somewhere near the church, this track ends but you can see the other coastline from here so keep walking along the trails towards it.

As well as Kolokitha beach there’s a number of smaller inlets nearby as well. Although the locals know where to find it, you won’t find many tourists over this way. It’s an easy walk, uphill in parts but not strenuous if you’re reasonably fit.

Being able to stretch out on the sand and bathe in the crystal clear water at the end of the walk is reward enough though. It’s a mix of pebbles and sand here but enough sand to make it comfortable underfoot. 

Find Kolokitha Beach on Google Maps here.

How To Get To Elounda

By Air

You have several options for getting to Elounda. If you want to fly into Crete then the most convenient airport is Heraklion which is located on the north coast of the island. There is another airport on the island, near Chania in the west but Heraklion is Crete’s main airport and definitely the easiest to get to Elounda from.

You’ll find a wide choice of airlines flying into Heraklion airport. British Airways and Easyjet have daily non-stop scheduled flights from the UK and TUI offer charter flights. In addition, several airlines including, Lufthansa, Air France and Swiss Airlines provide scheduled flights from mainland Europe.

By Boat

Of course, Crete is an island and you could choose to arrive by boat instead. Ferries depart daily from Piraeus port near Athens. In summer there may be up to 4 journeys per day. Choose to travel during the day or overnight from Piraeus to Heraklion Port.

The journey takes between 5 and 8 hours and nothing quite beats waking up in the morning as you sail into a new port. If you’re travelling overnight you’ll probably want a cabin to relax in, but reclining seats are also available. During the day you can enjoy some fresh sea air on the deck or relax in one of the bars or lounges.

Getting To Elounda From The Airport / Port 

Once you arrive in Heraklion you’ll need to make your way east to Elounda. The easiest way is to hire a car and drive yourself. A good tip is to pre-arrange car hire with one of the local firms in Elounda.

They will arrange to meet you at the airport with your hire car. Generally, online reviews are much better for these companies. If you prefer, the usual European car hire companies are also located at Heraklion airport.

It’s about an hour’s drive to Elounda so if you prefer not to drive yourself you can take a taxi. You can take a fixed-price airport taxi for 75 Euros from the stand outside arrivals.

Another alternative is the shuttle bus. You can book this via the Easyjet website even if you’re not flying with them. At 25 Euros per person, it’s a cheaper alternative if there are only 1 or 2 of you in your group.

It is also possible to reach Elounda by public bus but it’s not easy. Unfortunately, there is no direct bus so you must first take the bus to Agios Nikolaus. This takes around 75 minutes.

From Agios Nikolaus, it’s a further 30-minute bus ride to Elounda. You need to bear in mind that the bus service from Agios Nikolaus is not that regular so check the timetable before you set off. You’ll be travelling for over 3 hours so it’s not an option I’d recommend. However, if the budget is tight it is a very cheap alternative at 9 Euros. 

How To Get Around Elounda

I’d recommend hiring a car if you’re staying in Elounda. It makes it so much easier to get around. However, if you’re just planning a week of relaxation in the resort and on the beach then you’ll be able to walk everywhere. You really don’t need to leave Elounda village, but it would be a shame not to get out and about and see a bit more of Eastern Crete.

Of course, there’s always the option to hire a car for the day. You’ll find at least a couple of car hire agencies in the centre of Elounda who can help you out.

Relax and Enjoy Elounda

Elounda village is the perfect place to get away from the crowds and enjoy a relaxing holiday. However, if you’re looking for something more active, you’ll find plenty of opportunities as well.

Spend time exploring this traditional Greek village, sample the local foods and chill with a beer or a glass of the local Raki. You’ll rediscover a slower pace of life here and you’re sure to be sorry when it comes time to leave.

For more on travelling Crete, see our complete travel guide to Crete, and the top things to do in Crete that you won’t want to miss!

Images in this post are courtesy of Shutterstock.com.

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Beginner Body Weight Workout & Exercises: Lose Weight, Build Muscle ANYWHERE!

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Beginner Body Weight Workout & Exercises: Lose Weight, Build Muscle ANYWHERE!

So you want to get in shape, but you have no gym membership and don’t know what to do.

Ruh roh…

That’s fine, you don’t need one to get into great shape! You can work out anywhere, like me in the photo above, doing push-ups on a cliff in South Africa.

Luckily, you can burn fat, build muscle, and get a great workout by only doing body weight exercises- no gym or workout equipment required.

Cardio can actually be one of the least efficient methods of burning calories( which I explain below ).

Why not give bodyweight educate a try and be more efficient with your time?

I realize doing just STARTING bodyweight training can be intimidating, and you’re probably also thinking “this better be worth it!”

I know. I struggled with progress for a decade despite exert regularly – it’s because I was training the wrong way!

After all, there’s nothing more frustrating than putting in attempt for months( or years) and not watching results. And unfortunately, “thats what” I see from most people :P TAGEND

Lots of well intentioned- but misguided- endeavor when it comes to exercise and no progress!

You probably don’t have years to make the mistakes that I did, and you want to start getting results today. I hear ya!

In addition to the free workout below, we also offer 1-on-1 Online Coaching, where you’ll get personalized instruction for your body type and goals, and professional accountability from a Coach on Team Nerd Fitness!

Today however, you can get started with our free bodyweight circuit below in the comfort of your own home: you’ll complete one exercise right after the other without stopping, you’re both building muscle and getting a cardiovascular workout.

Combine that with a good diet and you got yourself a kick-ass plan to follow!

Why BodyWeight Circuits Kick Ass

What makes bodyweight circuits work so well?

Every body weight exercising involved utilizes multiple muscle groups, gets your heart rate pumping, and burns tons of calories.

Essentially, circuit weight develop, or circuit bodyweight educate, burns more calories than interval educate, and that in turn burns WAY more calories than steady cardio. When you strength develop, you burn calories.

Then, your body needs to spend hours and hours afterwards rebuilding your muscles, which in turns burns even more calories( they call this the’ afterburn effect ).

As we cover in our Coaching Program and the NF Academy, our nutrition will account for 80 -9 0% of our success or failing when it comes to getting in shape, might as well expend our time exercising being efficient and strong, right?

Want to make better food decisions? Read our Beginner’s Guide to Healthy Eating.

If you’re trying to lose weight, spending hours doing cardio on a treadmill is a really crappy, bearing, inefficient use of your time.

If you’re a busy person( and I know you are ), why spend hours doing something when you can be MORE efficient and build a better physique with less time?

Enter the novice bodyweight workout.

I’m going to take you through a basic home workout today that can be completed anywhere- in your house, apartment, out at a park, in your basement, on the moon, wherever.

Speaking of which, you can publish out this Beginner Bodyweight Workout and follow along at home when you sign on in the box below :P TAGEND

Grab Your Beginner Bodyweight Routine Worksheet. No Gym Required!

Complete this workout at home , no equipment necessitated

Avoid the common mistakes everybody attains when doing bodyweight workouts

Learn how to finally get your first pull-up

I identify as a:

Woman

Man

Beginner Body Weight Workout& Exercises

This is a basic body weight circuit.

In a circuit routine, you’ll do each exercising in succession without a break in between( if you’re able ). Once you’ve finished all workouts in the circuit, do it again.

If you’re still able after the 2nd run through, go for a third.

Because all of these exercisings come one after another, you’re bound to get tired- and that’s okay! We all start somewhere.

It’s better to stop and take a break than to do an exercise incorrectly. If you can’t do all three circuits without stopping, great! That gives you something to work towards.

Before you start, don’t forget WARM UP- Never ever ever ever forget to warm up. Make sure to get your heart rate pumping and get your muscles warm or you’re just asking for injury.

You can run in place, jump rope, do a few push ups, pedal on a stationary bike, do some punches and kickings, jog up and down your stairs, and/ or twist and swing your arms and legs to get them moving!

Give it about 5 minutes, and don’t wear yourself out wholly, but get your heart rate elevated and little bit of sweat never hurt anybody.

After the warm up, here is exactly what you need to do:

20 bodyweight squattings 10 push ups 20 walk-to lunges- 10 each leg 10 dumbbell rows( using a gallon milk jug or another weight) 15 second plank 30 jumping jacks

After you’ve completed your workout at home, do some stretchings. All of your muscles have been contracted from lifting and required to be stretched back away and rebuilt.

For either the body weight squattings or lunges, if you can’t do them properly yet, it’s okay to put your hand on a support to keep your balance.

For the body weight squats, think of it like sitting back into a chair. If you can sit down onto a chair, and then stand immediately right back up without having to lean forward, you are in balance.

For the lunges, keep your eyes ahead and your upper body entirely horizontal. I had a slight bend at times in the video due to trying to exercise and explain at the same time.

I utilized a milk jug for my dumbbell, but you can use whatever is heavy enough for you. Find something that is challenging to lift 10 hours in a row.

Do this routine 2-3 times a week, but never on consecutive days. You don’t construct muscle when you’re exert, you build muscle when you’re resting.

Generally I like follow a pattern of strength training on one day, then 20 minutes of interval train on the next, then strength training, then interval educate, and so on.

Generally, I try not to do a strength training routine( of the same muscle groups) two days in a row, as your muscles need plenty of time to recover.

An Important Note About Nutrition!

Along with this bodyweight routine, you need to make sure you’re eating properly!

A good workout and crappy diet won’t get you results.

After all, one of the rules of the Nerd Fitness Rebellion is” you can’t outrun your fork” and you can’t outtrain a bad diet!

This means if you don’t ALSO fix your relationship with food, then all the exercise you do won’t be helping you lose weight and build muscle.

We’ve actually developed a 10 -level nutrition system and mindset blueprint in the Nerd Fitness Academy, but let me break this down into some basics :P TAGEND

Eat natural, whole foods wherever possible. Leave the soda, candy, and junk food out of your system. Sugar is worse than Jar Jar Binks- cut back on sugar and liquid calories wherever you can. The stuff is in everything! Swap out the grains on your plate for vegetables when you can. Make sure you get enough protein each day( meat, chicken, fish)- this helps with rebuilding muscles and things like that.

The raw honest truth: how you eat will be responsible for least 80% of your success or failure.

I’m not kidding when I say that. If you don’t develop a healthier relationship with food , no amount of exercise will get you there.

So if you’re doing this workout program because you’re interested in losing weight, know that training is only 10 -2 0% of the puzzle!

The WORST is dutifully doing this workout routine for months or going to the gym for years and not getting outcomes because you didn’t eat the right way!

That was me- I spent 6 years without outcomes because I didn’t know how to eat correctly to go along with my training!

If you don’t have months or years to induce blunders, and merely want your own Yoda to tell you what to do, you’re in the right place!

We’ve been helping busy people like you develop at home and make better food decisions without hating life! It’s our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program, and it might be a great fit for you.

Schedule a bellow with us to learn more by clicking on the image below :P TAGEND

Help Me Help You

Thanks for read up to this point- I hope you had a great time getting stronger and challenging yourself in a new way. Strength training is one of the pillars of Nerd Fitness- it induces literally every part of life better, will help improve your physique, help you lose fat and build strength and muscle, and it can be done quickly, anywhere.

Stick with it! Do this routine a few times a week and note how much better you get at it.

If doing just one circuit of the workout was really challenging , no big deal! Write down how you did, and try to do simply 1 more rep or exercise next time through.

The whole point is” do a bit more than last period .”

We’ve got you covered!

-Steve

PS: If this routine is too easy for you, I have an Advanced Body Weight Circuit too. You’ve been warned

PPS: Don’t forget to download this Bodyweight workout sheet so you can print out the sheet and develop at home!

Grab Your Beginner Bodyweight Routine Worksheet. No Gym Required!

Complete this workout at home , no equipment necessitated

Avoid the common missteps everybody stimulates when doing bodyweight exerts

Learn how to finally get your first pull-up

I identify as a:

Woman

Man

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Read more: nerdfitness.com

[hoteles5estrellas]

Flights were all on SQ booked on points. It was 425,000 total for round trip for the two of us and about $1400 in total taxes and fees. LAX-NRT Business, NRT-SIN First, SIN-MLE-SIN Business, SIN-NRT-LAX First. I had the first leg LAX-NRT waitlisted in First but it never cleared.

We had 17 nights in hotels, of them 14 nights were paid for by an assortment of Points, Points+Cash, or CC Award Certs. 3 nights we paid cash as we were staying in places that had no award programs. Breakdown and trip report is below.

LAX – Star Alliance Lounge – This lounge was pretty great; it had a roof top patio, tons of comfortable seating and a pretty decent food and drink selection (it even had a noodle bar). Hung out in here for about an hour before going to board.

Singapore Airlines LAX-NRT Business Class – Had the bulkhead first row of business class in the mini cabin on the new version of SQ Business class on the 777-300er. The seat and service was better than any domestic first class and probably quite a few international ones as well. Did a book the cook for one meal and the regular menu for the other, both of which were great and we both ate and drank quite a bit. Service was excellent. The bed was super comfortable and we forced ourselves to get some sleep so we wouldn’t be too jetlagged once we got to Japan.

Andaz Tokyo – King View Room – We had the first 3 Nights in Tokyo here, booked with CC award certs. This is probably one of the nicest hotels I have ever stayed at. It is so well designed, and really is a beautiful hotel. You get whisked up to the 51st floor and get seated and provide your passport and credit card and they checked us in. I have Discoverist status and they upgraded us from a standard King to a view King. Everything can be controlled from the switches next to the bed and it was an amazing view of Tokyo from the room. Service here was excellent, breakfast here was great as well which we ended up having twice. The concierge also assisted with making some tough reservations when I emailed them in advance.

Park Hyatt Tokyo – We did two nights here, one in a standard king room with an CC Award cert, and the other Cash+Points with a Diamond Suite upgrade. While it was a beautiful hotel, after staying at the Andaz I have to admit this was a bit of a letdown for us. The property was just dated and everything looked a bit worn down. The standard room was a bit of a bummer after the Andaz. That being said, you could tell the service was here was just a slight notch higher than at the Andaz, but barely. I was a bit surprised they didn’t just put us in the suite for both nights so we didn’t have to change rooms– they offered to at a cost of $300++, but it just didn’t seem worth it. They did however move our luggage to the suite for us while we were out and about for the day. The suite was quite impressive and enormous, but it still had the dated worn feeling of the rest of the hotel. Service here was top notch, cover charge for the New York bar was waived, but we really only went up there for one drink. Did room service breakfast here one day and it was nice, but didn’t try the main breakfast here.

Gora Kadan – Paid for this one. It is a traditional Ryokan on Hakone complete with Kaiseki dinner and a breakfast, with an in room hot spring bath. Everything here was amazing and very needed relaxation of the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. Since this was one of the three nights of hotels we actually paid for we really splurged on them.

Ritz Carlton Kyoto – 3 Nights here paid with Marriot points. It was supposed to be 210,000 points but after a series of various events we somehow got extremely lucky and in the end we were charged 140,000 points. This hotel was impeccably done; it was just gorgeous. Somehow as we pulled up in a Taxi they knew who we were and whisked us inside in to check-in. Again we were sat down in a lobby area and check in was taken care of and then they took us to the room. I think they upgraded us to a view room here as I am gold and it was our honeymoon. They also had a plate of Pierre Hermes macaroons in the room for us when we came back after the first day out and a little thing that said happy honeymoon. The breakfast here was excellent and so was the late-night wagyu beef burger we had in room service. Location was great as well; we walked around a lot and it was only a few minutes walk to get to the metro. Service here was top notch.

Benesse House Naoshima – This one we had to pay for, there are no award hotels on the island and this property was epic. We stayed in an oval room. The room was kind of basic, but the service great, but bottom line is the architecture can’t be beat. We were also allowed access to the museum after hours which was pretty cool and had a free shuttle to the sites on the Island.

JAL Airlines Economy TAK-HND – We booked this with Avios. I think it was 15,000 total for both of us and about $10 in fees. Just a basic domestic economy seat, seemed to have more space than most domestic US economy and didn’t have to pay for drinks. It was an hour flight and we just wanted to save on the 6 hours on the train it would’ve taken to get back to Tokyo.

Andaz Tokyo – We did another 2 nights here with CC Award certs. We had left 2 bags at the Park Hyatt and only traveled to Kyoto/Naoshima with one suitcase so we wouldn’t have to carry much on the trains. They transferred it over to the Andaz for us for a nominal fee. When we checked in they had put us in another view room upgrade this time on the other side of the tower so we could have a different view; nice touch. Our bags were waiting for us in our room when we got there that evening. We were hungry and wanted some Sushi, and since it was Sunday they said most of the good places were closed but their restaurant on the top floor was open. We went up there and while a bit pricey it did not disappoint. While we didn’t have quite the same selection of the Michelin star sushi we had earlier in the week, the quality of the fish we did have was just as good.

Singapore Airlines NRT-SIN First Class – Wow, just wow. Business class was already an amazing experience and this was just another level, maybe even too much. There were 4 first class seats on the plane and 3 people taking care of us, and 2 first class bathrooms. They knew our names, knew it was our honeymoon, Dom or Krug, huge seat, huge screen. Food was excellent, we didn’t take Pajamas on this leg or try out the bed as it was a daytime flight and we just feasted, drank, and watched movies. They regularly checked on us by name asking if we needed, and would constantly refill our Krug.

Intercontinental Singapore – Heritage King Room that was paid for with points, it was 50,000 IHG points. Although, for some reason a few days after our stay the 50,000 points were refunded to our account, have no idea why. After the previous hotels we had been staying at it was a total let down. But we got in late and were checking out early the next morning. Looking back we should have just booked the Crowne Plaza at the airport for that night. The hotel felt pretty dated even though it had went through a recent renovation and we were put in a heritage room that overlooked the interior of some mall. They did upgrade us to a Deluxe corner room and it was larger than what we had booked and had some honeymoon treats waiting for us in our room. We were glad we were only here one night. Service was ok, but check-in and check-out here took a bit longer that what things were like in Japan.

Marina Bay Sands – Orchid Suite View – This building is just amazing, with the three towers and a pool spanning the top. The place is huge. The suite was awesome and you could see both side of the city from the room with floor to ceiling windows. Great living room area with ample seating and an amazing view. The bathroom had a tub right next to the window and they drew us a bath with rose petals while we were out and well as gave us a honeymoon cake. We also had access to the pool and club 55 which had free breakfast, afternoon tea, and evening drinks and canapes with alcohol and more amazing views. The grounds around the property were also incredible. The interior of the room felt slightly dated but was still great. I don’t think we needed more than two nights in Singapore.

Singapore Changi Airport – First Class Lounge Terminal 2 – After checking in to our SilkAir Business flight went to the lounge, as we entered we had our First Class NRT-SIN boarding pass as well and since we came in less than 48 hours before they escorted us to the First Class lounge. Here we had some great food and quiet time before it was time to board.

SilkAir SIN-MLE Business Class – This was originally a Singapore Airlines flight but it was canceled and moved to their code-share with SilkAir. Seats were kind like a domestic First Class with comfortable recliners and it was just a 4 hour flight so no big deal. The food was not nearly as good as Singapore Airlines business class.

St Regis Maldives Great Lounge and Sea Plane– This was all on points with the initial loading of the property it was loaded at like 32,000 points for a night in an over-water bungalow so it was 96,000 points for 3 nights. We still had to pay for the sea plane transfer and food, but there was no way we would normally be able to afford a property like this. As soon as we got through immigration we were whisked away in a nice van with wifi with a couple other people that were on our flight also staying at the St Regis to their Sea Plan lounge. Very nice small lounge with snacks and drinks and excellent service. We had to wait here for about 90 minutes for our seaplane flight. They took care of all the check-in process here, took our order for a welcome drink and showed us a video intro of our butler. When it was time for the sea plane they took us back to the van and drove us the 30 seconds to the sea plan terminal. All the while they handled our bags. Boarded the seaplane and off we went on a 45 minute flight to the island. The flight flew by and it was nothing but beautiful views.

St Regis Maldives Arrival – There was a light rain as we landed, all the butlers were at the jetty waving and welcoming us in. They had umbrellas out and covered us as we went under the reception area. Our butler introduced herself, gave us our welcome drinks while we waited a moment for our handbags. Someone else whisked our luggage away. Our butler took us to a golf cart and took us straight to our over-water suite. She gave us a quick tour of the island in the golf cart, this only took a few minutes as it is pretty small.

St Regis Over-water Sunrise Suite – Everything was really nice and very well done–the whole suite is controlled by an ipad, TV, shades, blinds, lights, DND, etc. There was a bottle of champagne on ice waiting for us, a bowl of fruit, and all sorts of snacks. It was real nice to relax here after the go go go of Japan and Singapore. There really aren’t words to describe how beautiful the Maldives is. The deck space is expansive with the plunge pool, 4 over-water hammocks, and table to sit at, 2 sun chairs, and a large sun lounger, plenty of options on where to relax in your suite. Of course there were stairs down to go straight into the water. Food on the island was great, but pretty expensive, we probably spent 400-500 a day on food.

St Regis Departure – Initially we were told the last seaplane on our departure day was 230PM, our flight out of Male was 11PM, so we were a bit bummed. Turned out at 230PM they said there was some issue and we would be at the resort until the 5PM plane which was much better. They let us stay in our room until it was time to depart. About 15 min before it was time to leave our butler came to pick us up in the golf cart and take us to reception. This was the first time we had been to reception, just finalized the bill and then got on the golf cart to go the few hundred feet to the jetty. The sea plane was mostly full and only us and one other couple got on here. A quick 45 min flight back to Male and we were greeted with by the St Regis reps who shuttled us back to the great lounge.

St Regis Great Lounge pre departure – As it was only just passed 6PM and we had an 11:30PM flight we were offered 3 options. 1. Relax in the Great Lounge until we needed to check in to the airport. 2. Hop on a boat to Male and they would provide us a free tour of the island. 3. Go to the Male and they would arrange for us dinner reservations. We opted to stay in The Great Lounge, as we were both pretty sweaty after the sea plane flight. There was a shower in the lounge that had all the amenities of the hotel so we freshened up there as we knew we had 30+ hours of travel ahead of us. We were given sandwiches, and non-alcoholic drinks. And after a couple hours it was time to head to the airport. As we walked out of the lounge the St Regis Bentley was waiting for us and we got to ride the 5-10 min to the airport from the seaplane terminal. The St Regis Rep guided us all the way through check in and up to security.

Singapore Airlines MLE-SIN Business Class – This flight was on a 777-200, the business class was angled lie flat seats. We were in the bulkhead and had plenty of space. It was significantly better than the SilkAir flight on the way out to MLE but not nearly as good as the 777-300er. For the 4 hour flight redeye it was fine though. Service was great, and we tried to stay awake for most the flight as we began to adjust ourselves back to PST.

Changi Singapore Airport – We landed and were first off the plane, our bags were interlined from MLE to LAX and we headed to the Private Room. There were a few groups of people making their way in to the lounge and most people were just getting scanned and let in, but as soon as an attendant saw our first class boarding passes they escorted us back to the great lounge through the business and then first class lounge. We didn’t have that much time so we decided to be seated in the restaurant area ordered some great food, unfortunately as it was early the full menu wasn’t available, but what we had was good. When it was time to board an attendant came to us and said our flight was beginning to board and we should head down there. *SIN-NRT Singapore Airlines First Class – At boarding we were greeted and offered Dom or Krug. Also, were offered pajamas and slippers and had our book the cook lobster thermidor confirmed. As soon as we were in the air we changed into our pajamas which were surprisingly comfortable and lounged. When it was lunch time we were still pretty content from eating in the lounge but also wanted to get some rest so we asked to skip some of the courses. Of course they obliged but also seemed genuinely concerned we didn’t want more and wanted to make sure we were happy. Everything was great and the 7 hour leg flew by, and we didn’t end up having them put the bed down on this leg. As we landed and got to gate there was some commotion about VIP something and people were being brought up to the other 2 people in First Class. The door opened and we were motioned to go off first, there was a delegation of people in suits and security with ear pieces in the Jetway obviously wondering who we were and where were the VIPs. Coming in to Tokyo you have to go through security before you can go into the lounge and reboard the plane. We quickly got to security and were told to wait, a few seconds later the VIPs were whisked through all the security and after their whole group and the waiting delegation went through we quickly got through security and went to the ANA Suites lounge.

ANA Suites Lounge NRT – Low key lounge, with excellent service, there was a buffet and some made to order food options. Curry, Ramen, Hamburger, a couple other things, we had the curry which was pretty good. Plenty of drinks to choose from and a nice view of the tarmac. We had about an 90 minutes in here before it was time to re-board.

NRT-LAX Singapore Airlines First Class – Boarded quickly and as we walked on the plane they checked our boarding pass and we were escorted back to our seats and promptly offered more Dom or Krug. More Krug please. It was a new crew from the SIN-NRT leg and they asked us if we wanted another set of PJ’s which we accepted. For this leg we did not book the cook and we had a wagyu steak, and some chicken thing as part of our 5 course meal with satay, lobster or caviar appetizer, salad, soup, dessert and cheese course. We asked that the meal be served as soon as possible as we wanted to sleep and get better adjusted to LA time. Meal service was great, and then we went to change into our PJs, by the time we were done changing our beds were made up. We asked the attendant to wake us up 1030AM PST and we were fast asleep in no time. I have never slept so well on a plane. Sure enough 1030AM PST came along and felt a gentle touch on our shoulder. As we were getting situated they brought over a tray with a Happy Honeymoon Cake, some Singapore Airlines teddy bears, a card signed by all the flight attendants and of course offered more champagne which we turned down. Went to change out of PJs and by the time we were back our beds were made back into seats. The level of service in first class is just absurd. Shortly after landing in LAX and after 33+ hours of traveling we made it home.

This was the trip of a lifetime and made possible to take such an absurd honeymoon thanks to r/churning r/awardtravel r/japantravel among various blogs and forums.

Next up is India fall 2018.

TL:DR Trip of a lifetime.

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[rossl32123]

Delivering Sea Whisper - 11 Jan 17

Starting a blog of our trip when already halfway through it might not work, but people keep insisting I write something down.

Perhaps I should start with the day we left Brisbane, although this story began a long time before that.

The 8th of January was a nice lazy summers day and we had little planned for it, other than to do some familiarization on the boat. After spending a couple of hours visiting all the lockers in the aft cabin, sighing regularly, and replacing all the equipment found therein, we decided to take the RIB for a run. A swim somewhere was also planned so we grabbed our swim gear, nothing essentially useful like Life jackets, water, sunscreen, flares or radio, and proceeded to launch the tender.

Launching the tender isn’t easy, it is very heavy and needs to be lifted quite high to get it over the granny bars and safety rail. The technique I chose to use was to utilize the main halyard and a mast winch to lift the boat while Hunter maneuvered it between the shrouds and over the side. Half way over a stanchion dug into the underside of the hull and the whole arrangement tipped alarmingly to port. Suddenly it slipped off and the extra weight on the halyard ripped it out of my hands. It wasn’t elegant but it was launched!

Some quick lessons followed on the easiest way to keep the boat roughly near the dock so that we could get in it, followed by a paddle over to the fueling station. Here we discovered how hard it is to row an RIB. Once fueled Hunter rowed us back to the boat by sitting on the stern sheet and paddling backwards. This raised a comment from a passing yachtie along the lines of how poor our technique was, to which we retorted along the lines of the relative advantages to be gained by being able to see where you are going.

We collected our gear then motored out of the marina to Moreton Bay. Another lesson occurred here, the boat wouldn’t get up on the plane when I gave it the berries. The bow came up like doing a good wheelie, the prop quickly cavitated and we went nowhere. Hmm. If this is a story about recognising a problem and thinking through to a workable solution, then this was just another one of those in a long chain of problems to solve when you buy a boat. My poor bus driver brain has had a hammering since this day. A quick look over the back confirmed that the motor wasn’t right down on the mount and we were off. After blasting around for an hour or so we decided the best place to swim wasn’t anywhere near Scarborough, so we headed back to the boat.

About 300mts short of the marina the engine died. I thought it had seized so I didn’t bother to look any further, grabbed the oars and started rowing. It was a long and slow journey!

Once we had the boat back out of the water I decided to remove the big motor to the sail locker, another challenge for the day. Using the same technique as with the main halyard, only this time using the spinaker halyard we wrestled the beast into the locker, where it currently rests, awaiting service and repair, or replacement. I have yet to flush it out, no idea how but I have found the on deck fresh water outlet, the hose and the muffs, just haven’t worked out how to make the water move.

At this point we decided to forget the swim and instead of an early morning high tide departure, we would catch the high that afternoon. We made our preparations, like tying down anything that moved (we didn’t do so good on that score), kissed our loved ones goodbye forever, cast off our lines and departed Brisbane. Much discussion went into that procedure, and fortunately the gods were on our side because up to this point I had not handled the boat, in fact I had not handled anything even remotely the size of Sea Whisper. So we blessed our luck and taking our guidance from Navionics, motored out into Moreton Bay.

The breeze was steady and light from the SE, so I waited until we had a good long run out to the main channel before raising a sail. Fortunately it all went fairly smoothly, so I tried for two sails, and then sat on my luck at that point. It was a glorious evening, the sea was flat, cruise ships were steaming past, and we were slipping along at 6kts very nicely. At the first course change we had to tack to Port, simple you would have thought, but I had no idea what was going to happen. We got around, but it wasn’t pretty.

As night closed in I lost my nerve with the sails and got them down. We were headed into a narrow channel that wasn’t very deep, and I knew at the other end of it we would have to head directly into the breeze. At this point we also came out of the shelter of North Stradbroke Island, so the lumpy bit started. This was probably where our first real problem began, with the rocking and rolling the main halyard let itself loose to fly free momentarily, then to fall to earth, wrapped in the embrace of the main mast back stay, where it was destined to remain.

It was a long night of motoring. I had known it would be due to the forecast winds not backing until the morning. It is amazing how much stability you lose when sails come down, with only the motor driving us it was akin to being inside a washing machine. The noise coming from below sounding very much like an all in bar brawl, I could have sworn that everything in the boat was loose and crashing from one side of the boat to the other. We couldnt stand watches because Hunter wasn’t confident in keeping the boat on a course, and as it was there was very little to steer by. Most of the night I spend standing on the main sheet traveller track holding onto the back end of the cockpit roof, whilst steering with my feet. That way I could see the stars and pick one or two to guide me. This was fine, whilst the cloud kept away, then I would have to pick something else. There wasn’t much. At one point I chose some lights on the shore, but they turned out to be a ship coming the other way.

Eventually the dawn came and I realised the mainsail wasn’t going up and we were both exhausted, and although neither of us had thrown our stomachs to the fishes, we’re weren’t feeling like we could take a lot more, so we opted to head for the Gold Coast where we finally pulled in around 3 in the afternoon. Hunter drove us down the sea way to an anchoring spot, and thence round in circles for a while while I tried to figure out how to drop the pick. Another challenge met and overcome. I was expecting to see distance marks on the chain to tell you how much was out, Lionel had given me his colour coding, but all I saw was rust. Having no idea how much was out of the locker made me a bit nervous, but we were holding, and I was too tired to care. We got her ship shape above and below, before I totally ran out of steam. As Hunter did most of below I wasn’t aware of the worst of the cabin brawl, although I did note a few odd things lying around without a home.

I slept the rest of the afternoon, although I tried to get up twice. Finally I gave in and headed for bed.

Next day, after I recovered the lost halyard, we decided on an excursion to the shops to restock some vital things like water and Qwells. I had only brought 1 pack of 12, and Hunter thought he needed more so I got another 3 packs. Hmm. He got himself another pair of sunnies after the pair he brought with him mysteriously disappeared in the back of a cab, and we shopped in Coles for fruit and vegetables, and a chicken for me. It was a long haul back from the end of the bus route to our tender (we could have parked closer!), in the heat and humidity, so we couldn’t wait to get into the water for a swim and shower. To do that we needed to empty one or the other of the showers that were both filled with gear. Half of it we managed to fit in the other shower, and half on one side of my bed, which turned out to be quite useful, saved me having to put up the lee board.

The swim was glorious and cheered us up no end. A neighbor yachtie rowed over when he noticed our Canadian flag. I might leave it up, it seems to be a bit of a conversation starter.

Hunter prepared us nice wraps for tea and we headed off again on the tide for Yamba. Once again Hunter took us out down the sea way and out into the Tasman. Having just spoken to Brian on the phone, and suffered his derision at losing the mainsail halyard, bugger me it happened again, only this time it floated away so far behind us that I could not recover it. Finally I realized that the only way to get it back was to turn back toward the sea way so that it would drop closer to the boat and I managed to get it back with the boat hook. Unfortunately it had taken a lap over the triatic stay, which in turn meant I had to climb the mizzen mast to pass it back over. For some reason I wasn’t frightened about it, even though it was a very dangerous thing to do, but it was certainly the most difficult thing I have done possible in my entire life. It took all of my strength to cling on to the top of that mast while I gyrated around like an olive on the end of a swizzle stick.

So finally I got to raise the mainsail, although with night coming on I feared for having anymore sail that the main and the headsail. But what a difference from the night before. With a full moon most of the night, and stars to guide me it was a nice 6 to 7 knot jaunt down the coast to Cape Byron and beyond. By this time I realised that our coarse was setting us well away from the coast as we were running SE and the coast had turned SW, but I was loath to go up on deck in the dark to remove the preventer, then gybe onto a starboard run, to stay within sight of it, so I just kept on till dawn. When I finally bit the bullet to gybe in towards the coast and head for Yamba, I stuffed it up and tore the mainsail. Only a little rip at first, but it didn’t take long to rip right through from leech to luff, just under the first reefing cringle. So down came the main again.

We stood on for Yamba, from about 50nm out, for another hour or so before I decided to bear away for Coffs Harbour. The main reason was that it would mean we had a better chance of getting the sail fixed, and we would be closer to home, but Hunter wasn’t happy with the 8hrs it was going to take to get there.

We saw plenty of shipping, some coming in quite close, and dolphins kept popping up the whole way, at least I saw these things, Hunter was flat out most of the time, particularly after he realised that he could get his head down below without feeling sick anymore. Finally, we got close to Coffs and I could see thunderstorms ahead so decided to take in sail. It got quite scary with the lightning flashing all around and it really chucked it down from time to time. I might have been a bit premature getting the sails in, it took us two hours to motor in, but it did have one very nice positive for me, it gave me time to work out how the auto helm worked. I had thought it was stuffed, because it didn’t turn the wheel, but lo and behold, when you used it properly, she held a fine course. So I used it all the way into harbour.

About this time Hunter started complaining of feeling a little drunk, and he couldn’t read texts on his phone. It wasn’t until some time later that we suspected the Qwells, and having only read the first line of the instructions on the box (take 1 to 2 tablets every 4 to 6 hours), I decided to read the second line. Do not exceed 4 tablets in 24 hours! In the Caution section it said “THIS MEDICATION MAY CAUSE DROWSINESS AND BLURRED VISION. IF AFFECTED DO NOT DRIVE A VEHICLE OR OPERATE MACHINERY”. We laughed at that, he’d been taking them non stop for 3 days. He claims they work quite well. #journeyapp

[brajeshupadhyay]

My first mistake was feeling sorry for him. The first season my brother and I bet on college football against each other, I beat him so badly I often bragged I could have lost every single game we gambled on for the rest of the decade and still finished in the money. Each week, we would agree to disagree on five games across the N.C.A.A. schedule. Each win was worth a dollar. Whoever won the most games of the five we selected cashed an additional five bucks. Best out of five, winner takes all for a maximum potential profit of $10 for the weekend. He couldn’t have owed me more than $100 — we weren’t kids anymore, making outrageous wagers on games of blackjack at the kitchen table neither of us could have paid off in three lifetimes — but I still didn’t have the heart to make him pay up. The next year, after torching him a second season in a row, I gave him a book as a joke — “Handicapping College Football for Beginners,” which he told me he relegated to the washroom magazine basket. I didn’t realize it then, but he was setting me up. Later he admitted to reading it every chance he got. Studying. Formulas, strategies, all of it. By season three, he cleaned my clock. Our father soon inserted himself into the competition, which, over the past almost 20 years, came to represent our relationship: We went from being a dysfunctional trio of man-children who didn’t have the language to express our feelings to discovering that our mutual love of competition and one-upmanship gave us the language we needed to reconnect. And then came the coronavirus. As of June, in response to concerns over the coronavirus, the N.C.A.A. Division I Football Oversight Committee announced their approval of a plan that would allow teams to transition from voluntary workouts to mandatory meetings and preseason camps — just like any other year. But by the end of July, five Division I conferences had canceled their seasons outright. Others, in a last-ditch effort to play something in 2020, are leaning toward playing “conference only” or “plus one” schedules to minimize travel and mitigate risk. The closer we got to August, the more it seemed that Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has been clear in his position from the outset, may have been right after all: “Football may not happen this year.” My little brother and I remain hopeful that won’t be the case. Five years apart, we were never especially close. Growing up, I’d put him through the wringer. When I was 8, and he was 3, I nearly took his eye out with a dead tree branch. He still has a scar above his brow. In high school, my friends and I would wrestle him to the ground, strip him down to his Fruit of the Looms, force him onto the front lawn, and make him run around the block in his skivvies before we let him back in the house. He still delights in telling that story to showcase what kind of brother I was, but there are plenty of other examples. I’ve made Baby Bro steal beer from a convenience store ice cooler, thrown him in the trunk of a friend’s car and done doughnuts in a snowy church parking lot, and run him over with a golf cart. As adults, even when we both became dads, we weren’t doing much better, and I felt guilty. College football seemed like a good way to connect. But I had no idea what I was in for. It was payback time, and every win he tallied was sweet revenge. “Hey. Who’s winning this week?” he would call any Saturday he was ahead, pretending not to know. “Really,” I’d say. “You know good and well who’s winning.” As much as I hated losing, I did my best to be happy for him. The kid was due. When he won in Season Four, evening the series at 2-2, I wasn’t bothered (much), and I wasn’t all that surprised either. After all, we’d both been raised in the same ultracompetitive, winner-takes-all environment. Our dad never let us win at anything when we were kids. Not golf, not Go Fish. I tell myself now, he only wanted his boys to succeed — his desire to win was that great — but to say that my dad was an enthusiastic spectator was putting it mildly. Looking back, I imagine in my dad’s mind he was only teaching us to be tough, to never quit or back down — it was the 1970s and ’80s when a spanking was considered a valuable life lesson. So, it made sense after watching our competition from the sidelines for a couple of years the old man wanted in. “You donkeys worried I’ll beat you too badly?” my dad goaded my brother one summer afternoon as he casually flipped through the pages of his Street & Smith’s “College Football Annual.” I knew this was going to be a problem. The man loved sports almost as much as he loved being right, which was a lot. Not only did we have to mastermind a way to manage a three-person, round robin format, but also keep our heads as my father continued what he’d done our entire childhood: reveling in every moment he won. After every victory he took great pains to remind us, it would be a long time before we beat him at anything. We were all supposed to be grown-ups, but most of the time we acted like 6-year-olds upset over a game of Chutes and Ladders that didn’t go our way. The Coronavirus Outbreak › Frequently Asked Questions Updated July 27, 2020 Should I refinance my mortgage? It could be a good idea, because mortgage rates have never been lower. Refinancing requests have pushed mortgage applications to some of the highest levels since 2008, so be prepared to get in line. But defaults are also up, so if you’re thinking about buying a home, be aware that some lenders have tightened their standards. What is school going to look like in September? It is unlikely that many schools will return to a normal schedule this fall, requiring the grind of online learning, makeshift child care and stunted workdays to continue. California’s two largest public school districts — Los Angeles and San Diego — said on July 13, that instruction will be remote-only in the fall, citing concerns that surging coronavirus infections in their areas pose too dire a risk for students and teachers. Together, the two districts enroll some 825,000 students. They are the largest in the country so far to abandon plans for even a partial physical return to classrooms when they reopen in August. For other districts, the solution won’t be an all-or-nothing approach. Many systems, including the nation’s largest, New York City, are devising hybrid plans that involve spending some days in classrooms and other days online. There’s no national policy on this yet, so check with your municipal school system regularly to see what is happening in your community. Is the coronavirus airborne? The coronavirus can stay aloft for hours in tiny droplets in stagnant air, infecting people as they inhale, mounting scientific evidence suggests. This risk is highest in crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation, and may help explain super-spreading events reported in meatpacking plants, churches and restaurants. It’s unclear how often the virus is spread via these tiny droplets, or aerosols, compared with larger droplets that are expelled when a sick person coughs or sneezes, or transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces, said Linsey Marr, an aerosol expert at Virginia Tech. Aerosols are released even when a person without symptoms exhales, talks or sings, according to Dr. Marr and more than 200 other experts, who have outlined the evidence in an open letter to the World Health Organization. What are the symptoms of coronavirus? Does asymptomatic transmission of Covid-19 happen? So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. We showed we cared by needling each other unmercifully anytime one of us wound up on the wrong end of the point spread. Like the year my dad gave my brother and me second and third place medals to make sure we didn’t forget who had come out on top that season. Or when visiting my parents once, my father introduced me to friends of his and my mother’s as “the one who finished in last place” the year before. I still don’t know half of what I should about my brother, or agree with all the things he believes in. But I’m learning. That ratio skews much higher when it comes to my dad. I’ve realized my brother, dad and I aren’t all that different. We all want to be heard, each of us wants to be seen, and above all, each of us wants to win. After almost 20 years of this, our bonds are stronger than ever. As disappointing as the prospect may be, whether college football happens this year or not, at least now I have a reason to call. The bonds we’ve worked so hard to build — even if they’ve come from trash talking each other over our latest win-loss records — are in danger of being lost. If Covid takes that away from us, we’ll just have to find something else to fight, I mean, connect over. Mike Evans is a writer and television producer living in Los Angeles. He is currently at work on a memoir. The post Gambling on College Football Almost Fixed My Dysfunctional Family appeared first on Shri Times News.

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