#iowa fence company

[bellevuefencing]

Top 5 Tips To Get The Best Fence Contractor

For all your fence-related needs, you might want to consider getting a contractor. A lot of people think that hiring contractors is an expensive option, but there are more and more companies who offer do-it-yourself projects like installing fences. That being said, these five tips can help you find the best fence contractor for you!

[lesbianchemicalplant]

Starbucks is suing its union, Starbucks Workers United, after objecting to the group’s social media post in support of Palestine after the Hamas attack on Israel, according to an internal company note circulated Tuesday and obtained by The Intercept. The company had previously condemned the post but is now upping the ante, planning to take the union to court. In a message from Executive Vice President Sara Kelly, Starbucks argued that the union’s use of the name Starbucks confuses customers, and that some customers took their anger over the SWU statement out on store employees.  The union’s post read “Solidarity with Palestine!” and quote-tweeted an image of a bulldozer breaking through the fence encircling Gaza. More than 9,000 workers at 360 stores have now voted to join SWU, which is affiliated with Workers United and SEIU, according to its website, but they have been met with stiff resistance from the company on a potential contract. The company previously sent SWU a “cease and desist” order threatening legal action and now plans to follow through with that threat....

(October 17th 2023)

Starbucks and the union organizing its workers sued each other Wednesday in a standoff sparked by a social media post over the Israel-Hamas war. Starbucks sued Workers United in federal court in Iowa Wednesday, saying a pro-Palestinian social media post from a union account early in the Israel-Hamas war angered hundreds of customers and damaged its reputation. Starbucks is suing for trademark infringement, demanding that Workers United stop using the name “Starbucks Workers United” for the group that is organizing the coffee company’s workers. Starbucks also wants the group to stop using a circular green logo that resembles Starbucks’ logo. Workers United responded with its own filing, asking a federal court in Pennsylvania to rule that it can continue to use Starbucks’ name and a similar logo. Workers United also said Starbucks defamed the union by implying that it supports terrorism and violence. On Oct. 9, two days after Hamas militants rampaged across communities in southern Israel, Starbucks Workers United posted “Solidarity with Palestine!” on X, formerly known as Twitter. Workers United — a Philadelphia-based affiliate of the Service Employees International Union — said in its lawsuit that workers put up the tweet without the authorization of union leaders. The post was up for about 40 minutes before it was deleted. But posts and retweets from local Starbucks Workers United branches supporting Palestinians and condemning Israel were still visible on X Wednesday. Seattle-based Starbucks filed its lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, noting that Iowa City Starbucks Workers United was among those posting pro-Palestinian messages. In a letter sent to Workers United on Oct. 13, Starbucks demanded that the union stop using its name and similar logo. In its response, Workers United said Starbucks Workers United’s page on X clearly identifies it as a union. “Starbucks is seeking to exploit the ongoing tragedy in the Middle East to bolster the company’s anti-union campaign,” Workers United President Lynne Fox wrote in a letter to Starbucks. In its lawsuit, Workers United noted that unions often use the company name of the workers they represent, including the Amazon Labor Union and the National Football League Players Association....

(October 18th 2023)

[sohannabarberaesque]

Postcards from Snagglepuss

Some notes heading into summertime

OVER LUNCH AT SOME OLD-SCHOOL DINER IN BREEZEWOOD, PENNSYLVANIA: In taking our leave of Ocean City, and on accepting an invite from a certain boon companion of Touché Turtle by name of Dum-Dum to join him and Bristlehound for some houseboating on the Mississippi River, yours truly, along with Huckleberry Hound, as well as Touché "himself," took our leave of Ocean City by way of US 50 unto Baltimore by way of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, and thence on I-70 into this rather crazy crossroads of the Lincoln Highway (as in US 30 in these parts) and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

In fact, it's on the former that our party of three will be heading out to the Mississippi River for the most part--eventually to come into US 20 through Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, thereby offering a direct (if somewhat out-of-the-way) routing towards Dubuque, Iowa and the Mississippi, whence, it turns out, Dum-Dum is calling us from.

"So how is my devoted Touché Turtle?" asked Dum-Dum in a rather effervescent style, to which the heroic-minded turtle responded, "My apologies if you're catching our company over lunch ... but at any rate, we left Ocean City this morning on our way to the river."

"And did I hear correctly," Dum-Dum remarked, "that those Goofy Guards are pulling off a little fencing exercise in Ocean City?"

"On the Boardwalk there, yes." [Pause] "And for only $20 a pop."

"I can hardly believe it!" was all Dum-Dum could respond.

"Nonetheless," responded I, "we can't wait to be on the river with you and Bristlehound."

"And I hope you can stand small-town tavern fish fry on Friday evenings!" was how Dum-Dum chimed in. This even as we were having chicken-and-stuffing casserole in the Pennsylvania Dutch manner, and rather generous on the portions besides, no skimping!

And even then, Huck was still wondering as to the next ideal Character Convocation, timed to coincide with the July 4th holiday no doubt ... prompting him to suggest no less than Clear Lake, Iowa and their 4th of July celebrations, one of the Midwest's largest such for a small community.

"You still remember that time at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake where I crossed paths with the Cattanooga Cats, and we had quite the performance--"

To which Huck remarked, "I assume they're still talking about especially that tribute you and the Cats did there to Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and The Big Bopper."

"Out of sympathy for the Surf being their last performance before that tragic plane crash on February 3, 1959."

"How right you are, Snag ... and I guess it'll be interesting to imagine the Cats as much as The Banana Splits there in Clear Lake as well."

"Not to mention our whole funtastic pantheon."

"At any rate," Huck remarked over dessert, "Clear Lake for the weekend of the 4th 'tis."

"Oh, and let's not forget Peter Potamus' divers; they'll especially find Clear Lake itself worth some diving."

"I never thought of that, Snag."

"Or, as those Cattanooga Cats sang, 'I never knew the way you'd feel.'"

=============

Meanwhile, in deference to the Memorial Day break, next Monday (the 27th) will see no Postcard in this space ... hence, returning on Wednesday the 29th. And at any rate, enjoy what the weekend brings forth.

@warnerbrosentertainment @passionateclown @theweekenddigest @artistic-octopus @iheartgod175 @ultrakeencollectionbreadfan @archive-archives @screamingtoosoftly @thebigdingle @themineralyoucrave @thylordshipofbutts @warnerbros-blog1 @indigo-corvus @zodiacfan32 @jellystone-enjoyer @warnerbrosent-blog

[designbuildeicher]

Benefits of Hiring a Home Addition Company

Are you tired of living in a cramped space? No worries, you’re not alone. Putting an addition onto your home may help if you are in need of extra functional space. On the other hand, home improvement can be too much hassle, especially if it is your first time.

Why should you invest in hiring professionals home addition services in Iowa city?

Adding a room to your home is among the best ways you can improve the value and livelihood of your home. The problem with these kinds of projects lies in the fact that they involve much time and money. Luckily, partnering up with the professionals will save you energy, time, and even money.

If you’re still on the fence over the idea, here are two reasons why you should choose a skilled home addition services in Iowa city team instead of doing the work yourself or asking family and friends for help.

1. Experience and Expertise

It’s more of a need than a want to hire a room addition company. This is for the sole reason that, if you do not have the proper ability and experience to handle flooring, cabinets, appliance installation, or other related work, costly mistakes may happen in your room addition project. You might even end up paying an increased price for such items, too.

Contrariwise, a professional with big-time experiences and best practices will easily know exactly how to bring your vision to life. Hiring a professional is one sure way of getting the home you’ve been dreaming of.

2.Building codes and regulations

Before embarking on any kind of home improvement project, familiarize yourself with all construction-related laws. By hiring a licensed professional who can help you avoid pitfalls that may involve not following the zoning laws, you will save time and effort.

[swldx]

BBC 0427 16 Jan 2024

12095Khz 0359 16 JAN 2024 - BBC (UNITED KINGDOM) in ENGLISH from TALATA VOLONONDRY. SINPO = 55434. English, ID@0359z pips and newsroom preview. @0401z World News anchored by Chris Berrow. Donald Trump is projected by the BBC's US partner CBS News to have won the Iowa caucuses, cementing his status as frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Iowa is the first of the state-by-state contests where Republican voters pick their White House candidate. Votes are being tallied at locations around the state, despite temperatures plummeting to -23C (-9F). South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are still in a battle for second place. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they attacked the "spy headquarters" of Israel in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, state media reported late on Monday, while the elite force said they also struck in Syria against the Islamic State. The U.S. State Department condemned the attacks near Erbil, calling them "reckless," but officials said the missiles were tracked and no U.S. facilities were targeted and there were no U.S. casualties. Guatemala's new liberal president, Bernardo Arevalo, took office early on Monday after an extended delay that underlined the uphill struggle he faces to meet high expectations and enact a sweeping anti-graft agenda in opposition-controlled Congress. Arevalo, an academic and former diplomat, powered to victory in August, vowing to lift up millions of poor Indigenous Guatemalans, crack down on corruption and protect a democracy that has been under attack. Houthi rebels have hit a US-owned cargo ship with a ballistic missile off the coast of Yemen, the US says. The vessel, Gibraltar Eagle, reported "no injuries or significant damage", according to the United States military command for the Middle East (Centcom). The Houthi attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea have led many of the world's biggest shipping companies to change course, thus causing major disruption to global commerce. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Monday called for the constitution to be changed to ensure that South Korea is seen as the "primary foe" and warned his country did not intend to avoid war should it happen, state media KCNA reported on Tuesday. Golriz Ghahraman, a New Zealand Green party MP and its justice spokesperson, has stood down from her parliamentary portfolios after being accused of shoplifting from a high-end clothing store in Auckland. In her first public comments since the allegations surfaced, Ghahraman said: “It is clear to me that my mental health is being badly affected by the stresses relating to my work. This has led me to act in ways that are completely out of character. I am not trying to excuse my actions, but I do want to explain them." Succession, Beef and The Bear are the big winners at the Emmy Awards, which are taking place in Los Angeles. Sir Elton John also won his first Emmy Award, making him an EGOT. That means he has joined an exclusive club of performers who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award. Elton Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium won best variety special live, marking the British singer-songwriter's first Emmy nomination and award. @0406z "The Newsroom" begins. Backyard fence antenna, Etón e1XM. 250kW, beamAz 315°, bearing 63°. Received at Plymouth, United States, 15359KM from transmitter at Talata Volonondry. Local time: 2159.

[ankenyministorage]

How to Choose Right Storage Unit?

Many families now require self-storage services. Although most people associate self storage units in ankeny iowa with businesses holding excess merchandise or papers, families are increasingly considering self storage units ankeny iowa for a variety of uses. A few examples are having a baby, getting married, passing away, or remodeling your house. Goods can be safely stored in one of the various self-storage units available. Rent only as much square footage as you anticipate needing.

Although these are a few of the reasons why people choose self storage units in ankeny, commercial tenants have their own set of priorities. The self storage facilities' water and fire proof construction ensures that their company's sensitive records will be protected while being archived. Companies can use storage units ankeny to hold excess supplies, equipment, and furniture. Self-storage facilities offer a wide range of amenities, including climate-controlled spaces, customizable unit sizes, and more.

When renting a storage unit ankeny for the first time, there are a few details to keep in mind to ensure you get the perfect space for your belongings. Some of these things include the following.

Storage facility safety measures must be adequate. Since this is where your priceless possessions will be kept, it is crucial. Electronic locks, gates, and fences, restricted access, closed-circuit television, armed guards, ample lighting, and other security measures are standard in most units. The more protections a storage unit has, the safer your belongings will be.

You should also think carefully about the storage unit's location. Having your belongings stored in a facility close to your residence or place of employment might be reassuring. If you do not need to get to your stuff very often, the storage facility's location might not matter. The site also has to be conveniently accessible. The unit needs to be in a tidy and secure neighborhood.

Individuals place a high value on affordability. However, this should not be the sole criterion. When the price of ankeny storage units��is extremely low, you may want to question whether they are making sacrifices in other areas, such as security. Of course, things change if the establishment is providing limited-time deals or discounts.

Size: Depending on the location, storage ankeny spaces can be as small as 5 square feet or as large as 30 square feet. You can pick from a diverse selection. It can be difficult to determine the appropriate storage unit size if you are unfamiliar with the self-storage industry. Based on the items you plan to store; the storage facility's staff should be willing to advise you. Taking a glance at the physical item could shed some light on the situation.

Depending on the objects you plan to store, you may want to look into different options. The climate of some storage facilities can be regulated. Your belongings are safe from the damaging effects of humidity and temperature swings when stored in a climate-controlled storage container. If you plan on storing important paperwork, expensive electronics, artwork, etc., you will need this.

[topsoiloutdoor]

Topsoil committed to getting the job done when it comes to your lawn. With our affordable Lawn Care Services we offer multiple options to choose from. Lawn care has become a part of most homeowners' weekly chore list. Each time you mow your grass, you’re one step closer to a lush and healthy looking lawn.

Here are the services that are included in our lawn care packages:

Mowing: Your grass will be cut to the proper height 3 ½-4 inches, promoting a thick, verdant appearance and help to deter any diseases.

Trimming: String trimming around trees, landscapes, mailboxes, fences, sheds, house, swing sets, stepping stones and other area’s our mowers couldn’t get to.

Edging: Get that nice sharp edge along your lawn where it meets sidewalks, driveways and walkways.

Blowing: Once we have finished mowing, edging and trimming your yard, we will blow all hard surfaces, landscape, driveways and walk ways.

Landscape Maintenance: As an add-on service, we can refresh your mulch beds, maintain weeds and shrubs.

[centraliowafencingltd]

Will Your Fence Stand The Test Of Time?

Wood posts rot over time and can warp or twist due to rain, wind, or extreme temperatures. The integrity and appearance of a wood fence are lost after the wood posts begin to rot from exposure or termite infestation. This deterioration weakens the post, sometimes to the point where it can no longer hold the fence up. PostMaster gives an ordinary wood fence the strength of steel. But Central Iowa Fencing Ltd. provides the best quality product and services.

[areiton]

something to hold onto - stony

Read on AO3

~*~ 

It goes like this: 

You put the Valkyrie in the water. And then you swim. 

You don't die. 

You get picked up in Greenland and Howard Stark is already on his way, a search and rescue only be believes will succeed. 

It goes like this: 

You tell Peggy you’re going back. 

You ask her to wait. 

You take the Howlies and you look, do what you didn't have time for then, because you should have died and Bucky should have died and if you didn't--

You go searching for Bucky, following trails and rumors and a missing body until you find a broken shell of a man and rumors of a snake that should be dead. 

It goes like this: 

You don't die but a bomb is dropped and then another and maybe part of you does die. 

You don't die but Bucky is broken, and you don't know how to put the pieces together. 

You don't die, but Peggy looks at you with regret and sadness and you think--maybe you should have. 

It goes like this: 

You don't die. 

~*~ 

You go back to war. It’s familiar, what you know even if it isn’t what you want. It’s familiar and you’re good at it and Bucky falls into place at your side, familiar and comforting and as unchanging as you are. 

He’s haunted now, and you hate the ghosts in his eyes and his dark days, when he’s all silence and brooding, the long months he vanishes and comes back restless and violent. 

He’s never talked about the years he was with the Russians, or the way you found him, and you’ve never pressed. Some days, you think you should. 

You fight with Howard. About his fucking bomb and his company, about the presidents and Bucky. About his child bride wife and his drinking and Peggy. 

You're there when the boy is born, but Howard is drunk and you only stay long enough to brush a kiss on Maria's forehead and touch the tiny hand of his newborn son. Small fingers wrap around yours and you smile. “Hello, Anthony.” 

~*~ 

Your relationship, shaky at best, shatters when you find out about Zola. “He tortured Bucky!” you shout in his face, and Howard waves it off. 

“You need to learn to adjust,” Howard snarls. 

“And you need some fucking principals,” you snap back, furious. 

You slam out of the mansion, and you see Tony peeking at you from behind Jarvis, wide eyes and pale face, and you feel a pang of regret, that you’re losing this--Maria and Jarvis and Tony, sweet and young and already brilliant. 

But Howard is there with his secrets and his agenda and the way his gaze tracks over you, hungry and calculating. 

“You and Howard want different things, darling,” Peggy tells you. You’re friends now, able to look at her and see the woman you respect and admire, and not just the might have beens. “You’ll never like him, because you don’t respect him. And he’ll never forgive you for that.” 

“So what do I do with that?” 

She shrugs, and smiles, enigmatic. “You do what you can.” 

~*~ 

What you can is this: you move to DC, to her newly founded SHIELD, and you work. You aren’t an army, like Phillips wanted, but you are here and the people you loved are growing older but you--you don’t. You work. 

~*~ 

Bucky returns from six months of silence, and there’s blood under his nails and fury in his eyes, and a little girl, red haired and beautiful and unnerving, at his side. 

“She’s mine,” he says, and it’s not true and it is, and it doesn’t matter, because there’s a look in his eyes, feral and familiar, and you don’t think anyone would survive crossing him on this, maybe not even you. 

“Ok, Buck,” you say, mildly, and that’s how you become an Uncle. 

~*~ 

Some years are easy, and you train the SHIELD agents that get younger every year. 

Some years are hard, endless the way that you have begun to feel. 

Some years are quick and brutal, marked by blood and shield in your hand and the battles that never end. 

But some years--some years are Natasha’s smiles, shyly emerging, and ballet practice and bake sales, and weekends cleaning your weapons because Nat likes it with her cartoons. 

~*~ 

When they promote you to Commander, you see Howard. It’s the first time in--decades. You’re startled, to realize he’s gotten old. 

“That’s what people do, darling,” Peggy says, a little bit dry and you laugh and when your old friend comes up to you, shakes your hand and stares at you with that old familiar hunger, you don’t hate him for it--you feel only the slightest stirrings of pity. 

You think of the years that are passing, think of Natasha, your niece who smiles now, and Peggy’s children, her niece Sharon, and think, with a pang, of Tony. 

You haven’t seen him in ten years, since you stormed out of the mansion all those years ago. 

You shake Howard’s hand and you think maybe it’s time, to go back and mend those fences, because maybe you are slowly aging--but he is not and you don’t want the chance to pass, to fix things. 

~*~ 

Bucky laughs at you, when you tell him, but he never much liked Howard, and you can’t blame him too much for that, considering Howard never had any use or time for Bucky. 

You mean to call, but a mission comes up with SHIELD and you end up in Iowa, chasing a boy with a bow of all fucking things and you forget, for a time, that you mean to fix what’s broken. 

~*~ 

He dies. 

Howard dies, and you don’t really believe it, but there’s Peggy, sobbing on the phone, and the reality of the truth--Howard Stark is dead. 

You sit across from her, this girl you thought you’d love and marry and have a life with, this woman who has become a fulcrum in your life, the turning point that you built everything that came after upon, as much as Bucky is, as much as Natasha is.

There’s more white in her hair than black now, red lips wrinkled and thin, laugh lines near her lips. 

Your hair is going grey and your body aches sometimes, but there’s this--you can still fight, can still lead the young recruits in training and combat, still slip into undercover missions that Bucky has always been better at. 

You are as old as Peggy and Howard, and you feel it some days--but days like this, you mostly feel lonely. 

~*~ 

You have Bucky, steady and haunted and mirroring your own age. You have Natasha, beautiful and defiant and vibrantly alive. You have Peggy and her children who you watched grow up, watched fall in love and marry. 

But you feel, so often, utterly alone. 

~*~ 

“Steve, darling,” Peggy says, and you turn, watch her come towards you with a young man, pale skin, a wicked smile, and familiar eyes. “You remember Tony, don’t you?” 

~*~ 

“Dad used to talk about you,” Tony says, when Peggy has wandered away and it’s only you and this beautiful creature--this son of your dead friend. 

“Did he?” you say, dumbly, and his eyes are bright and laughing, laughing at you. 

You don’t think you mind, not if it means he’s laughing. 

“Always wanted to fix things with you, Cap.” 

“Commander,” you correct, instinctive. You haven’t been a captain in almost five years and you remember it, abruptly, wanting to fix things. You never did. 

Tony’s eyes have widened, just a touch and his voice is different, a little bit raspy, when he repeats, “Commander.” 

~*~ 

You jerk off, that night, to the thoughts of a wicked smile and big brown eyes. 

~*~

He is a child--he is twenty--and your friend’s son. 

He isn’t for you, a bright shining beacon in a world you have long since decided has gone dark. 

He is brilliant and beautiful and for the first time in so long you have forgotten what it feels like, you want. 

~*~ 

You take missions that take you out of the country, come home for a few days and Bucky looks at you, eyes sharp and knowing and you don’t meet his gaze, avoid Peggy when you are forced back to the states. 

“You miss Nat’s show, she’ll gut you,” Bucky tells you, when you’re in Belarus, and not even sure why--the Cold War has been a series of confusing standoffs. “Come home, Stevie.” 

“Buck--” 

“You can’t run forever,” he says, and he sounds exhausted, the way you’ve felt for years, and you think maybe it’s because he ran first. “Come home.” 

~*~ 

You go to Nat’s recital, and sit between Tony and Bucky in a dark row, and the warm slight weight of him is distracting, even as she is beautifully captivating on the stage. 

You don’t ask why he’s there, not when Bucky stares at you, that thousand yard stare that promises violence, not when Nat hugs him, giddy and unreserved, not when Peggy lets herself lean against him, frail and thin and still fierce. 

He fits here, in your family, the people you love, and you love it, far more than you should. 

~*~ 

“We should get coffee,” he says and you smile and shake your head. 

~*~ 

“Come over for dinner,” he says and you give your regrets and stay home. 

~*~ 

“I got tickets to the Dodgers,” he says and you laugh and take a mission to Atlantic City. 

~*~ 

“Why do you hate me?” he asks, and you stare at him, big eyes and wet mouth and messy hair you want to sink your fingers into. 

“I don’t hate you,” you say. “That’s the problem.” 

Understanding fills his eyes and Tony smiles. 

~*~ 

You want him. 

You’ve wanted him since the moment Peggy led him, young and beautiful and smiling, up to you. 

Now--seeing him with your niece, the way he’s sweet and careful with her, the way he brings weapons and dancing shoes to her and let’s her paint his nails and listens intently when Nat bitches about school--it makes you weak. 

The way he is with Peggy, gentle and teasing, flashes of the boy he had been in the way he reverts to a teasing mischievous child with his godmother. 

The way he treats Bucky, like a peer, talking too rapid and fast about tech, about SI and SHIELD and Nat--

You want him. You want the complex man who talks about his assistant like she’s his favorite thing on earth, who laughs with your niece and watches you like you’re a puzzle he can’t wait to solve. 

You want him and sometimes, when he’s standing too close, lips stained with wine and laughing, you forget he’s twenty three and not for you. 

~*~ 

The first time Tony kisses you is on your birthday. He throws a party for you at his beach house, and kisses you in the dark kitchen, under a spray of fireworks while his godmother and your family laugh and shout outside. 

He tastes like cheap beer and strawberries, like sunshine and freedom and everything you can’t have. 

~*~ 

You leave the next day, take a training assignment with Barton in the wilds of Canada and bitch the whole fucking time, because who decided that Clint fucking Barton should train baby SHIELD agents. 

You spend six months in the wild, come home with a thick beard and too long grey hair and an ache to see your bed. 

You sleep for three days solid and Bucky drags you and Barton both to a family dinner at Peggy’s son’s house. 

Tony is there, and he looks--different. Stretched and tired, shadows in his gaze. You listen as the family teases him, as Nat sniffs over his latest girlfriend, and Tony avoids your gaze and skirts the conversation with a deft skill that’s infuriating and fascinating. 

“He’s been spiralling,” Bucky says, later, when you’re sitting in the dark living room with him, “Whatever happened, before you left, he didn’t take you running real well.” 

He sighs, and rubs a hand through his hair, hooks it--it’s long now, when did he grow out his hair?--behind his ear and says, “You gotta quit this shit, Steve.” 

“I can’t stay here, with him.” 

“You could. He wants you to.” 

“Buck,” you say, reproachful and he shrugs. 

“You ever think you aren’t meant to be alone?” he thinks. “You fight these wars and you go on these missions and you’ve got nothing to keep you going, nothing to come home to.” 

“I have you, Nat. Pegs.” 

Bucky smiles at him and it’s sad, resigned. “I love you, brother. But you need a reason to live, because folks like us--watching our friends die? It’s gonna be too easy to give up.” 

~*~ 

You think about it a lot, Bucky’s words. He found his reason to live, even after the years of rage and grief, found it in a pretty little girl with haunted eyes and red hair, and he never looked back or away. 

You think of the decades of fighting, with the Howlies and for Peggy, with Nick Fury and Coulsen and Barton, and wonder if it wasn’t always you, reaching for something you can’t find. 

Tony smiles at you, over coffee at Peggy’s, and you don’t want to run, don’t want to fight. 

You want, for the first time, to rest. 

~*~ 

You kiss him for the first time in the spring, while Natasha is sleeping in the sun outside the house where you and Bucky raised her and Barton can’t quite stop watching her, and Tony is sun-gold and laughing, with his tired eyes and sad smiles. 

“Don’t,” he whispers, almost begging, “If you’re going to leave again, don’t do this.” 

You almost, almost step away, and his lips tremble under yours, eyes bright and scared and hopeful. 

He’s too young and your friend’s child and not for you. 

But he makes you feel alive, too, clings to you like you might vanish, watches you like you matter. 

You drag him close, lick the whimper from his mouth and hold on tight. 

[bellevuefencing]

The Best Fence Contractor In Seattle For Your Backyard

If you're looking for a contractor to install a fence in your backyard, you've come to the right place. We've partnered with some of Seattle's leading fence contractors, who will work with you to find the perfect material and design for your home or business. Check out all of our partners below, then contact them directly from their listing page.

[nebraskas]

How to help people from the Midwest Flooding (posted 3/16/19, updated 3/20)

Information post

Please let me know any information so I can update, especially if you’re in one of the affected states that isn’t Nebraska. 

*** = new things added when I updated

IOWA: 

***The Food Bank of Siouxland has been making food deliveries to flood victims in places like Hornick, Iowa. You can donate to their cause on their website *with a note* saying you would like your donation to target flood relief.

NEBRASKA:

***The Santee Sioux Nation has a GoFundMe.

***The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska is accepting donations via PayPal. For more information, please email info@poncatribe-ne.org. More info on their site.

Many Omaha Public Schools staff members live in flood-impacted areas, so the OPS Foundation has set up a fund to accept monetary donations to the American Red Cross for flood relief.  You can donate online or send checks to Omaha Schools Foundation, 3861 Farnam St., Omaha 68131.

Nebraska Cattlemen is accepting donations to help cattle producers affected by the floods.

Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska is taking donations to help flood victims (make sure to select flood relief when giving a donation).

Nebraska Farm Bureau is taking donations to help farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. 

A Facebook fundraiser has been set up. The money will go towards the Grand Island Community Foundation’s Disaster Relief Fund, buying bottled water for towns without water, and some of the towns most affected by flooding.

Facebook has set up a Crisis Response page with places to donate.

How to Help Nebraska Flood Victims (article)

Individual Cities/Areas: 

Kearney, NE has a fund here

The Grand Island Community Foundation has established a Disaster Relief Fund for Central Nebraska. Donate here.

Merrick County (Central City and surrounding area) has a fund here.

Custer County (Broken Bow and surrounding area) has a fund here. 

MULTIPLE/ALL AFFECTED STATES:

Aspen Warriner is raising money through a GoFundMe page to buy books for kids affected by flooding in Nebraska and Iowa.

Convoy of Hope, a nonprofit that brings food, water, emergency and other relief supplies to natural disasters has set up a dedicated webpage for donations to its flood response in the Midwest.

United Way has set up a relief fund for flood victims in Nebraska and Iowa. You can donate by texting FLOODRELIEF to 41444. United Way is also taking donations for Wisconsin. Those donating should make checks out to the United Way of Fond du Lac, write “FDL Flooding” in the memo line and mail them to 74 S. Main St., Fond du Lac, Wisconsin 54935. Online donations can be made at fdlunitedway.org; the box checked should be "flood relief."

United Way of the Midlands is accepting donations that will be directed to nonprofit programs meeting people’s needs for emergency shelter, food and more. Donors will have the opportunity to direct their gift to a specific community within Nebraska or Iowa if they so wish (@nebraska-doesnt-exist is making a list of affected communities so check their blog). You can text FLOODRELIEF (all caps, no space) to 41444 or visit here to donate now.

Red Cross shelters are being set up across all affected states. Donate by visiting their site or by calling 1-800-733-2767. You can also text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Salvation Army (I know the SA is bad but they are housing hundreds of families and the excess money will help repairs) is accepting donations to help those in Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota.

Local Nebraska/Iowa charities to donate to. None have established a flooding fund as far as I know, but most are homeless shelters who will need the money for repairs, food, clothes, etc.

Information/Shelters/Physical Donations for Locals

Iowa

List of Nebraska/Iowa Red Cross shelters. 

***In Sioux City, the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska has compiled a list of supplies that are needed at Santee and are gathering supplies at their office. They are also accepting donations in their Winnebago, NE office.

A disaster assistance program has been set up to offers grants to families whose household’s annual income is at 200% or less of the federal poverty level. Check the link for affected counties.

U-Haul is offering free storage for up to 30 days at 8 locations across Iowa and Nebraska to help flood victims who may need to store household goods as they repair their homes.

Nebraska

For those with needs, such as food, shelter, clothing and personal goods, call 2-1-1.

In Auburn,  Auburn High School is accepting toiletries, food water and monetary donations to bring to North Bend and Peru.

In Blair, Family Fare supermarket is taking donations of nonperishable food for flood victims.

In Dannebrog, if you have talents, tools, supplies, or monetary support you would like to offer - please contact Lori at (308) 380-1153 or dannebrogne@gmail.com.

In Falls City, the Falls City Chamber and Main Street is collecting water, sports drinks, disinfectants, shovels, mops, squeegees, buckets and trash bags. Donations can be dropped off at 1705 Stone St.

In Fremont, Trinity Lutheran Church-Mo Synod is accepting donations. "We cannot accept home made food of any kind! Suggested food items are granola bars, chips, cookies, (in single serving size) as well as bottled water, shampoo, bar soap, blankets, towels, and shovels. All items need to be brought to United Way at 445 E 1st Street."

***In Niobrara, if you are interested in assisting the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska with their recovery efforts, physical donations are being accepted at the Niobrara offices. Currently, the greatest need is water. More info on their site.

***In the Omaha Metro, Metropolitan Community Colleges are accepting donations until 3/29 at the following campuses: South Omaha Campus in the Connector Commons; Elkhorn Valley Campus in the Entrance Area; Sarpy Center in the Commons Area; Fort Omaha Campus in Building 23 and 10 entrance area.

In Omaha, the Salvation Army (again, I know) is setting up a donation center at the now-closed Canfield's store near 84th and Center Streets. The center will be open Saturday 3/16 until 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m through the rest of the week (3/22). Donations of flood-cleanup items and supplies including shovels, masks, disinfectant, tarps, bottled water and sports drinks are being accepted.

In Omaha, the Omaha Bar Association and Bärchen Beer Garden are sponsoring “Pints for a Purpose.” All money raised from the $15 wristbands will go to flood victims. More info in the link.

In Omaha, Premier Claims is collecting donations for Boyd County. The company has two pickup trucks parked at Regency Shopping Center near 102nd Street and West Dodge Road. People can drop items in the trucks or at the office, 120 Regency Parkway, Suite 115. More information here.

In Omaha, a special collection for flood relief will be taken during Masses this weekend at all churches in the Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha. More information here.

In Omaha, Wolf & Whiskers at 3506 N 147th St is taking donations for animals affected by the floods and will be taking donations out to places such as Elkhorn and Bellevue. Check their Facebook for updates on supplies they need. Contact @plate-vibes here on tumblr for more details/questions.

In Omaha, there is a donation center near 86th and West Center Road in the old Canfield's store. It will be open Monday and Tuesday, 3/18 and 3/19 from noon to 6:00 p.m.

In Omaha, two churches and a radio station are collecting new blankets, towels, bottled water, prepackaged snacks, and adult-size socks for first responders who have been working to rescue flood victims. The locations are Community of Christ Church, 2102 Liberty Avenue in Missouri Valley; Joseph’s Coat Ministries, 1737 Washington St. in Blair; and the studios of Boomer Radio, 1016 S. Highway 50 in Blair and 11717 Burt St., Suite 201.

***In Winnebago, the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska has compiled a list of supplies that are needed at Santee and are gathering supplies at their office. They are also accepting donations in their Sioux City, IA office.

Hy-Vee said communities that need clean drinking water should contact their local emergency management agency for more information on how to receive water.

Facebook has set up a Crisis Response page with places to donate and check in on friends and family.

Shelters/Livestock--

List of Nebraska/Iowa Red Cross shelters.

Airbnb Open Homes has been set up for displaced people and volunteers coming in from out of state to help for free. You can open your home up to them.

In Ashland, anyone who has been displaced by the floods, Camp Carol Joy Holling has opened their conference center to evacuees. They’re on a first come first serve basis and might be full, but there’s a chance.  

In Lincoln, Staybridge Suites at N. 27th St and I-80 is offering discounted rates to anyone displaced by the flooding in northeast/eastern Nebraska. Their number is 402-438-7829.

In Omaha, a day shelter for people affected by the flood will be open Monday through Friday at Lifegate Church., 15555 West Dodge Road. People can come to the church to charge mobile devices, use free WiFi, get free coffee, water and snacks, use restrooms and take a nap. The shelter will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Lancaster Event Center in Lincoln is offering to shelter livestock. Call 402-441-6545 and ask for Chas Skillett or Amy Dickerson, or send an email to adickerson@LancasterEventCenter.org  or cskillett@LancasterEventCenter.org.

If you have hay, feed, fencing materials or equipment to donate, or if you want to volunteer for cleanup or other tasks, call the Nebraska Department of Agriculture at 800-831-0500. You also can call that number if you need help. You'll need to give your name, contact information, type and number of livestock, city and county, what assistance you're requesting and how urgently you need it.

U-Haul is offering free storage for up to 30 days at 8 locations across Iowa and Nebraska to help flood victims who may need to store household goods as they repair their homes.

The Nebraska Farm Bureau also have opened the Agriculture Disaster Exchange portal. The online portal housed on the Nebraska Farm Bureau website allows members to share information, providing a place for those in need to make requests for assistance.

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture has put together a list of disaster relief resources for Nebraska farmers and ranchers seeking assistance due to severe weather.

UNL and UNO are offering help to students affected by flooding and can’t get home for spring break, such as emergency housing. Check the links for more info.

South Dakota

List of South Dakota Red Cross shelters.

Wisconsin

For help and resources, those affected by the floods can call 2-1-1.

Wisconsin Red Cross shelters.

U-Haul is offering free storage for up to 30 days for those in the Oshkosh and Green Bay areas to help flood victims who may need to store household goods as they repair their homes.

In Fond du Lac, free clean up kits will be distributed until 3 p.m. Saturday at the Fond du Lac city garage, 530 N. Doty St.

In Fond du Lac, Taco John's at 84 N. Main St., is offering free food to all law enforcement, fire crews and city workers all weekend.

In Fond du Lac, the Salvation Army is collecting goods (find a list here). Monetary donations are also being accepted. Items can be donated to the organization’s office open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at at 237 N. Macy St.

In Fond du Lac, the Fond du Lac County Emergency Management, Health Department and United Way are asking for volunteers to assist in the cleanup efforts and to assist with other needs in the wake of flooding.A United Way volunteer reception center is being set up at the Pilgrim United Church of Christ, 535 Stow St., to register and assign volunteers to assist throughout the county. The center will be open from noon-5 p.m. Volunteers should park in the main parking lot and enter the front door. Bring a form of identification as well as wear appropriate cold and wet weather clothing. 

[sohannabarberaesque]

Postcards from Snagglepuss

Just some notes returning back to Dubuque via houseboat

ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER HEADING BACK TO DUBUQUE, IA: "Just a little reminder, folks," Huckleberry Hound remarked as he was steering the houseboat of Bristlehound and Dum-Dum, which also had the company of yours truly and Touché Turtle, downstream, "we have Character Convocation on the 4th of July weekend in Clear Lake, Iowa."

"And let me guess the reason for the locale," Bristlehound asked in that Bing Crosby-inspired voice of his, "their having some extra-special 4th of July celebration?"

"One of the largest in the Midwest," Huck responded. "Even if they happen to be something close to resort country ... which Okoboji obviously is."

"Not to mention," chimed in yours truly, "plenty of opportunity to run into fans old and new. In walkabout, even ... including the parade on the 4th itself, and throughout the town even, especially along Clear Lake proper!"

(We had to cut the discussion short a bit inasmuch as a rather substantial barge was in close proximity to our houseboat, and we had to stay some distance clear because of its size and wake in pushing six barges. Even then, a couple of members of the barge crew waved at our presence.)

"Pretty massive barge tug," Dum-Dum was quick to remark. "But it's certain to be quite the time in Clear Lake!"

"And no doubt plenty of opportunity being afforded for us to just be our own funtastic selves," Huckleberry remarked, "particularly along the lakeshore, downtown and in the carnival area."

"And lest we forget about the Surf Ballroom," chimed in I, "where yours truly crossed paths with the Cattanooga Cats one evening!"

"You mean THE Cattanooga Cats?" Huck asked surprisingly. "Country, Groove, Scoots and Kitty Jo?"

"Correctamundo," replied I. "And Kitty Jo's pet hound, Teeny Tim."

"And did I hear correctly about Scoots having consierable dexterity in playing several musical insturments?" Huckleberry continued.

"Correctamundo again ... standup bass, 12-string guitar, banjo, dulcimer, mandolin, musical saw, Gahoon, harmonica ..."

"I never know one of our own could play a musical saw," Bristlehound remarked. "Let alone heard about it."

I also went on to explain that among the more obvious absences will have to be The Goofy Guards, their being in Ocean City, Maryland over the summer doing a fencing challenge for visitors. Leaving no less than Touché Turtle being willing to demonstrate fencing skills and invite visitors to try their hand.

"Oh, and lest we forget," added I, "both the Cattanooga Cats and The Banana Splits have acknowledged commitments to appear." Only to be cut short by my mobile going off; Top Cat (or is that TC?) was calling to announce his clowder's coming over for the Convocation, "sophisticated or otherwise!", as TC remarked. "Not to mention at least one symposium with the crew," remarked he.

Next stop: Dubuque Municipal Harbor. Thence westward to Clear Lake.

*************

@warnerbrosentertainment @moonrock1973 @artistic-octopus @jellystone-enjoyer @iheartgod175 @kuni-dreamer @indigo-corvus @archive-archives @screamingtoosoftly @themineralyoucrave @hanna-barberians @hanna-barbera-land @thebigdingle @thylordshipofbutts @warnerbros-blog1 @ultrakeencollectionbreadfan @aquablock68 @xdiver71 @theweekenddigest @jenny-snoopers-world @railguner34 @warnerbrosent-blog

[reallybeautifullady]

Why You Shouldn't Support Joe Biden For The Upcoming 2020 Election

1. Led the fight against desegregating schools

source: https://www.jacobinmag.com/2018/08/joe-biden-president-busing-racism

2. Long history of creepily groping, sniffing, kissing women and young girls

source: https://twitter.com/RAMRANTS/status/930065838387863552

...he then issued a non-apology where he tried to justify his acts

source: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/06/joe-biden-iowa-2020-campaign-teenage-girl-fence-warning.html

3. Intimidated a woman when confronted about his lack of support for reproductive justice

source: https://twitter.com/thelocalmaniac8/status/1138675278933348352

4. Voted for the disastrous Iraq War

source: https://theweek.com/articles/830438/iraq-war-should-2020-issue

...and still to this day says he'd do it again

source: https://jacobinmag.com/2018/08/joe-biden-democratic-party-military-hawk

5. Wrote a racist Crime Bill

source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rinLLham9gk

..that led to record-breaking mass incarceration

source: https://www.jacobinmag.com/2018/08/biden-crime-mass-incarceration-police-prisons

..and bragged about writing the Bill

source: https://twitter.com/shaunking/status/1124300911533350912

6. Horrible treatment of Anita Hill during Clarence Thomas hearing

source: https://theintercept.com/2019/04/27/anita-hill-joe-biden-non-apology/

7. Led a disastrous War on Drugs

source: https://www.leafly.com/news/politics/joe-bidens-drug-war-record-is-so-much-worse-than-you-think

...still opposes cannabis legalization

source: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/joe-biden-weed-war-drugs-candidate-2020-827319/

...despite the fact that two of his children escaped consequences for drug use

source: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/biden-tough-on-drugs-policies-did-not-apply-to-his-childrens-marijuana-and-cocaine-offenses

8. Opposed equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community until very recently

source: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/104-1996/s280

9. Opposes Medicare For All

source: https://www.vox.com/2019/4/26/18515699/joe-biden-2020-presidential-campaign-medicare-for-all

10. Opposes meaningful action on the climate crisis like the Green New Deal, instead pursuing the “middle ground”

source: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/443074-biden-crafting-more-centrist-plan-for-climate-change-policy-report

11. Voted to ban immigrants with HIV, locking Haitian refugees up in Guantanamo Bay

source: https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=103&session=1&vote=00013

12. Voted to build border walls

source: https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=2&vote=00126

13. Supported sending military to the border long before Trump

source: https://www.jacobinmag.com/2019/04/joe-biden-anti-immigrant-deportation-policies

14. Voted to expand deportations and indefinite detention for immigrants

source: https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=104&session=1&vote=00242

...multiple times

source: https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=104&session=2&vote=00108

15. Opposed amnesty for immigrants and supports requiring them to learn English

source: https://twitter.com/maryjanebern/status/1133587205308465156

16. Helped expand the system Trump now uses to commit human rights violations by 3,600%

source: https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/the-deportation-machine-obama-built-for-president-trump/

17. Does not view abortion as a choice and a right

source: https://theintercept.com/2020/03/07/joe-biden-abortion-rights/

18. Worked to undermine the ACA’s coverage of birth control

source: https://theintercept.com/2019/06/05/joe-biden-worked-to-undermine-the-affordable-care-acts-coverage-of-contraception/

19. Opposed Roe v Wade

source: https://www.jacobinmag.com/2018/08/joe-biden-abortion-president

20. Still to this day opposes federal funding for abortion

source: https://gen.medium.com/bidens-middle-ground-politics-are-bad-for-women-704fdec0a1e7

21. Racist comments

source: https://twitter.com/WalkerBragman/status/1141753425362903040

22. Defends other fellow racists

source: https://twitter.com/WalkerBragman/status/1133814010103705601

...and more racists

source: https://www.currentaffairs.org/2019/03/everybodys-chum

...AND more racists

source: https://twitter.com/QueenInYeIIow/status/1141311792003596288

23. As part of his crusade against desegregating schools he was the only member of the Senate Judiciary Committee to block two black appointees to the Department of Justice

source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/joe-biden-busing-nominees_n_5ca3c03de4b03174b92904f7

24. Lies about marching in the Civil Rights movement

source: https://twitter.com/adamcbest/status/1135737147095429120

25. Sided with banks to overturn Glass-Steagall and deregulate, leading to financial crisis

source:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aftermath_of_the_repeal_of_the_Glass%E2%80%93Steagall_Act

26. Defends billionaires hoarding wealth

source: https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/05/09/joe-biden-clarifies-hes-no-bernie-sanders-i-dont-think-500-billionaires-are-reason

...promises to ensure it keeps happening at the expense of everyone else

source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/joe-biden-wont-demonize-the-rich_n_5d09ac63e4b0f7b74428e4c6

...votes to slash the top income tax rate

source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/joe-biden-2020_n_5c796502e4b087c2f295ba31

...and cripple the estate tax

source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/republicans-push-269-bill_n_7061458

...resulting in $83 billion lost annually

source: https://taxfoundation.org/modeling-economic-effects-past-tax-bills/

27. Plagiarized fossil fuel groups' language in his woefully inadequate climate crisis plan

source: https://truthout.org/articles/biden-campaign-admits-lifting-section-of-climate-plan-from-fossil-fuel-groups/

28. Architected Plan Colombia, internationalizing the War On Drugs resulting in mass death, displacement, and destruction of food crops, while opening the country to US business interests

source: https://www.jacobinmag.com/2019/04/joe-biden-anti-immigrant-deportation-policies

29. Supports Israel's right-wing regime and apartheid in Palestine

source: https://jacobinmag.com/2018/08/joe-biden-democratic-party-military-hawk

30. Sides with Trump in backing right-wing coup in Venezuela

source: https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/05/01/biden-sides-trump-bolton-and-pompeo-backing-coup-effort-venezuela

31. Voted against abolishing the electoral college that undemocratically elected Bush and Trump

source: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/96-1979/s161

32. Voted against enhancing labor protection enforcements

source: https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=2&vote=00141

33. Says the CIA torture report is not a "black stain on this country" but a “badge of honor"

source: https://twitter.com/eshaLegal/status/1137412059510050816

34. Is still openly courting Republican billionaires for donations, including John Catsimatidis, who's compared taxing the wealthy to Nazi persecution of Jews

source: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/18/billionaire-trump-donor-says-he-rejected-joe-bidens-request-for-fundraising-help.html

35. His administration awarded a $1.5 billion contract to his brother's construction firm despite his brother having no prior residential construction experience

source: https://nypost.com/2012/10/23/crony-capitalism-joe-bidens-brother/

36. Funded by lobbyists

source: https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/04/25/hours-after-entering-2020-race-biden-attend-big-money-fundraiser-hosted-comcast-blue#

...and partakes in general corruption

source: https://www.jacobinmag.com/2018/08/joe-biden-neoliberal-democrat-conservative-lobbying

37. Voted to deregulate the credit card industry while a credit card company was his top donor from 1989-2000 and then hired his son

source: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/middle-class-joe-cozied-up-to-credit-card-companies-and-made-filing-for-bankruptcy-harder

38. Used Charlottesville as a prop in his campaign video despite never even visiting once

source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/charlottesville-activists-dont-want-joe-biden-to-use-city-as-a-campaign-prop_n_5cc200d2e4b0e56130eeaafd

The worst part? He isn't sorry for any of this

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/437582-biden-im-not-sorry-for-anything-that-i-have-ever-done

so fuck Joe Biden fuck anyone who supports him and fuck the party that backs him

[a-lbeit]

2018: a year in review

rang in the new year with really good people actually watching the ball drop for the first time in a few years. it always makes me sad in a happy way.

had my friend (from california) i met while studying in berlin come to visit!!! but there was a giant (relatively speaking) snowstorm that came through, so we had to rearrange a couple things we had planned on doing. but most things worked out, especially since i didn’t have to go to work for like 5 days lmfao. we did a ghost tour, went to a few historical sites, and even drove to savannah for a day.

went to waffle house with a few people the night before i left for my last semester at american university and....tbh....started feeling some things about someone again (but it’s gone away lmao)

returned to dc for the last time for a while

actually started booking things for the best goddamn spring break -- a trip to western south dakota to visit badlands national park and everything around it

saw the devil makes three

started an internship with rock creek park, my own door into the nps

went to the bars on u street for the first time for my friend’s birthday. almost got projectile vomited on during the pregame lmfaooooo

saw arlo guthrie

got moviepass at the height of it. i saw many films with it, some of my favorites being lean on pete, three billboards outside ebbing, missouri, and bad times at the el royale. however, the company obviously went downhill. i was all right with only being able to see 3 movies a month, because for 10 bucks, that’s still not bad. but then showtimes started disappearing and i finally gave up hope. it was nice while it lasted. 

took my german midterm and skrrted right out of dc to embark on one of the greatest journeys of my life. i’d had this spring break in mind for a year and a half, and i feel so grateful that i could actually accomplish virtually everything i had dreamed of:

drove to dayton, ohio, then waterloo, iowa, then wall, south dakota, my final destination. along the way, i saw a zoo that was my window to a west i had only ever heard about, a statue of abraham lincoln right next to the mississippi, the world’s largest truck stop, a hobo memorial, an intricate and delicate and intriguing grotto, a tri-state marker, a corn palace, the goddamn missouri river, and all the farmland and life that make up the heartland of the united states. i was mesmerized and i had barely started.

reached my motel in the evening with a backdrop of the sunset over the badlands, got nervous by a group of men wearing camo and carrying what seemed to be hunting or fishing gear, went to dairy queen, and came back to a once-again empty motel parking lot. i felt better.

spent the next day in the national park. it was the off season, so the entrance i went through was unmanned. i saw countless sheep and prairie dogs, sometimes within a few feet of me, and admired the bright, layered colors in the rock. i played springsteen’s “badlands” with nobody in sight, miles of land in every direction that seemed both right there and unreachable at the same time. the visitor’s center had information and nice people. the cliff shelf trail was a small introduction to my hiking in the park. the notch trail was fun and gave me a bruise and let me see the badlands as they are meant to be seen -- you get to climb a ladder and get into the formations. there is an astonishing view, but if you go a bit further than most people do, it’s even more incredible. i lay down backwards and looked at everything upside down. i drove back the way i came and stopped to admire the sunset over the jagged and far-off edges. it was still the beginning.

(got an email saying i was accepted into the disney college program lmfao)

with the next day came a further destination. in belle fourche, sd, there is the true geographical center of the us. you go down a gravel road for around 8 miles. it’s scary when the fog doesn’t let you see more than 200 feet in front of you and the farms on either side of you are encased in snow. but the mysticism surrounding the decor -- a homemade cross, a simple “the true center of the nation” declaration, and various hiking boots stuck in the fence -- especially when you seem to be the only person for miles, is surreal. i left there and finally found my way out of the fog and went on into wyoming to see devils tower. the sky was a piercing blue and i was blinded by the light, but snow is always on the ground that time of the year, i guess, and i hiked knee-deep through 2 miles of it. i dropped to my knees in happiness like a weakling when i saw my car again, but i felt like cheryl strayed. people feed the prairie dogs so much there that they come right up to you. the squeaks were unending and cute. i drove the 2 or 2.5 hours back, mostly in the dark, my feet water-logged but my heart full.

i drove to mount rushmore the next day. it’s strange always knowing of something and finally seeing it in person. i love the sculpture and i don’t know how people are able to do things like that. i wish i could have hiked closer to it, but the trails were still closed for winter. then, through the black hills i continued, coming up to the crazy horse memorial and reluctantly paying the admission fee, although i know it helps their progress. i know i probably won’t be alive when (and if) it’s completed, but it’s nice to see at least part of it. i wish i could go up to it. maybe one day. wind cave national park came after, and i saw bison munching on grass 10 feet away from me. i wish i could have gone into the cave. maybe one day. i walked along the grassland without a jacket on. i couldn’t believe it. i left and took the backroads to return to mount rushmore to see it at night. it was scary, especially navigating the never-ending curves in the black of the unpopulated areas, but coming closer to the monument, i passed through one-car tunnels that framed the sculpture perfectly. 

the next day was my second time around at the badlands. i hiked half of the castle trail and climbed some of the formations, able to admire all i could see from a throne made of crumbly rock. there was fog in the morning which lifted to another sunny day. there were cacti and deer and even phone lines. the shadows in the creases of the hills kill me with their nonchalant elegance. i went back to my motel and came back into the park at night. i had never seen so many stars, although it was so goddamn frightening being in a parking lot unable to see 5 feet in front of me that i left after a few minutes.

my last day, i was supposed to go to jewel cave national monument, but it snowed and caused some of the roads to close. instead, i walked through the storm to wall drug store and meandered around the kitschiness. i want to bring people there to show them how incredible it is. 

i drove back to washington over the next 3 days, stopping at the now snow-covered badlands for one last look, the green giant in minnesota, effigy mounds national monument, dubuque, and everywhere in between along the way.

native american history around all of the places i have mentioned is rich and cannot be underestimated. i didn’t talk about it, but these places are of course sacred to the tribes of the region and it is paramount to respect that. i think the nps tries to educate, but it could do more.

i went about 4,200 miles on that trip. i miss the days of driving with my playlist that took months to create. 

i came back to washington and didn’t really talk about my journey except for a mention of it when discussing what we had done over spring break in german class. i love to recount this 10 day period, but i don’t do so very much because i feel inarticulate and i don’t want to minimize the effect it has had on me. 

saw langhorne slim, don mclean, and george ezra (on 3 separate occasions)

was a part of park rx day with rock creek park

saw old crow medicine show (which has become a yearly tradition i guess lmfao)

went to the graduation happy hour for the library circulation desk. that night was something i’ll never forget. i miss that place so much.

the next day, drove to clemson to see melissa graduate! what a time in our lives. then promptly drove back to dc for my own graduation

but the night before my ceremony, i saw david byrne. it was wild but not as great as i had hoped, mostly because i couldn’t see too well.

graduated from american university, but continued to be on its campus a few days a week until mid-august because i couldn’t bear the thought of leaving the library or the campus. i love that place more than i thought i ever would. 

saw shakey graves 2 days in a row, as you do

saw pussy riot thanks to a recommendation from my german professor

visited my work friend’s farm just outside of baltimore

saw pauly d dj at a club lmfaoooooo

found a shark’s tooth at calvert cliffs state park

went to new york for a day to visit brandon before he moved to san francisco! i got in around 5:30am and had the first part of the day to myself. i went to staten island and all the nps sites downtown, then met him at his brother’s apartment a couple blocks from central park (???!!!!). we went to greenwich village, ate lunch at the white horse tavern, and then had a second lunch from mcdonald’s in washington square park. he had to go after a while, but i walked over to the high line to see the sunset. i walked ~45k steps that day but the joy is remembered more than the pain in the end.

i worked and flirted with a nice guy. i might visit him in california in may. 

went to nashville to see paul simon with my friend callie. we rocked and enjoyed trashy nashy. that same day, paul simon announced his final show in queens was to be in september. i thought about how i could attend. 

we came back to charleston through the smokies and went swimming in the rain. the beauty of that area is unlike anything else. then we met lauren for lunch and it was so goddamn nice. i wish it could have been for longer. 

saw harry styles bc i love myself ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

had a couple friends visit and we did the touristy stuff of dc. it was nice to do that with people for once. 

had a couple more friends visit and we went to asbury park for the fourth of july. it was atmospheric and i couldn’t believe i was in springsteen’s stomping ground, especially as one of his song’s namesakes. 

saw southside johnny and the asbury jukes

saw a ship belonging to the spanish navy when it docked in charleston for a couple days

started my second long trip of the year

drove from dc to cleveland, first of all. i spent as much time as i could in the rock and roll hall of fame. i saw all the stuff i had learned about in my rock and roll history class and stuff i had grown up with and everything else i didn’t know about. “bruce juice,” pete seeger’s banjo head, and a couple free games of pinball were memorable moments. then, i went on to the cleveland museum of art, where i took a photo i wasn’t supposed to and recognized a couple pieces from my art class sophomore year. i loved cleveland way more than i thought i would and saw myself as a resident there.

went to cuyahoga valley national park the next morning, admiring the only national park in ohio with its waterfalls and greenery, and continued on to bowling green, kentucky. on the way, i went to kent state (which affected me more than i thought -- the military is too often a disgusting institution).

took a 4 hour tour deep into mammoth cave and saw things i couldn’t have even fathomed before. i couldn’t really wrap my head around the fact that we were underground where it is always dark yet still teeming with life. the change in humidity when coming back outside made my camera fog up for a good few minutes. it was funny, really. afterwards, i took advantage of the parts of mammoth cave national park that light does touch -- i got soaked in a rainstorm but seeing the green river and having a butterfly land on my finger were things i will always remember. wet and cold, i went on a second tour of a different part of the cave by lantern light in the evening. we saw cave graffiti and even a bat.

i left that area and moved on to the cumberland gap. it was the day before my 22nd birthday and i was in 3 states at once (for the second time this year). “salt seeking buffalo, moccasin clad warriors, dreaming pioneer, battling civil war soldiers. each was here in the historic cumberland gap, and now so are you.” [punctuation added] has got to be one of my favorite signs i’ve ever seen. it conveys the history in simple terms, which is the way i like things. it’s endlessly meaningful without being pretentious. 

on my birthday, i toured the forbidden caverns near the smokies, then hiked some of the alum cave bluffs trail. i wish i could have done the whole thing, but i was short on time, as i wanted to be back in charleston by the evening to celebrate my birthday with my parents. 

the day after, i slept in for once, went to the angel oak with melissa, and saw brian wilson and the gang perform all of pet sounds with callie. it was nice but there were so many empty seats that it was a little sad. 

started my travels again, going back to the smokies area but stopping in blowing rock first and then going down the blue ridge parkway. the next day, i went to pigeon forge and rode an alpine coaster and finally did a somewhat substantial hike in the smokies -- charlies bunion. i saw a mother bear and her 2 babies and was alone on the trail with a beautiful deer. after that hike, i did the tail of the dragon drive and went to fontana dam, where the fog along the water made for an otherworldly feeling in my heart. 

came back to charleston once again, but not before swimming around looking glass falls and feeling that this is what summer should look like. also made a stop at the carl sandburg home nhs.

started my drive back to dc for the last time, but took the scenic route -- south of the border, luray caverns, and the hardest hike i’ve ever done over in shenandoah. the famed old rag. it was a rainy tuesday, and the rocks were slippery. i didn’t see a single other person. i clutched those rocks for dear life at times, but i made that 10 mile hike and it was invigorating. i miss getting grimy in the forest. 

that whole trip took me 3,755 miles around the eastern us with my ipod, 60s on 6, and phlash phelps’s voice in the morning as my soundtrack. 

acknowledged in my head that it was nearly time to the leave the library, a home of mine for the past three and a half years. i told people the date of my departure and it inched closer despite my desire for time to stop progressing. 

had a tour of the towers of the national cathedral. it’s not something many people have done and i’m glad to have seen the not-so-showy parts of the structure, along with a closer-up look at the showy parts we know and love. 

had a visit from lauren -- we went to nando’s, the portrait gallery, and thrift shops with paige. i wish it would have lasted longer. 

went to six flags with my friend from work, where we rode every ride we wanted to. it was carefree, even though my pants ripped. 

my final day at the library inevitably came and went. instagram follows and facebook friends increased as i knew this was now the only way to see the people i had known for so long. i got choked up, and i’m choked up even writing this. to say i miss it is to put it very insignificantly. i have left some of myself there. 

went back to new york for a few days, where i met up with my father so that we could see a concert in central park celebrating the greenwich village folk scene of the 60s. the mc was richard barone, who we’d met 2 years prior when he gave us a tour of greenwich village. on that trip, i saw theodore roosevelt’s birthplace (thank god for him, sincerely), the cloisters, staten island again, the seinfeld restaurant, and even coney island. we took the bus back to dc and drove my ‘97 ford escort back to charleston.

for the few days i had in charleston before moving to orlando to work for disney, i hung out with people like old times. trivia, the beach, apartments. the circuit. 

i really fuckin moved to orlando, i guess. i moved in with 7 other people. we resort-hopped before we got our entrance passes to the parks. i felt mostly unmoved by the orientations that they try so hard to brainwash us with. i took a huge paycut coming here. 

i started working at the food and wine festival. goddamn, i miss working at epcot. i saw the groovin alps play their bavarian percussion music and i poured beer and served lobster rolls and korma chicken and lentil stew and everything in between. i met dozens of beautiful people, some of whom are gone back now to from where they came. but i’m still here. 

i mentioned earlier that paul simon announced back in june that his final concert would be in queens in late september. i bought a ticket the day they went on sale and was determined to find a way to attend. i did. i flew to new york for a few days -- came into penn station from newark, walked around to greenwich village and the brooklyn bridge and went to the museum of the moving image late in the evening on a friday when it was free. the next day, i visited the queens museum in flushing-meadows corona park (where the concert was also being held) and was in line for the show by 11:30am. i waited for like 8 hours in all, but i was front row. that final paul simon show (which we all know isn’t really the final one, but it did have a certain finality to it) was transformative for me, paul, and everyone else in the audience. i saw lorde, jimmy fallon, and john mulaney. i cried and was recorded and tapped along and admired the performances of “the cool, cool river” and “the obvious child” and every other goddamn song he played. i stuck around as long as i could. the next day, i flew back to orlando and returned to work, but i felt different. 

lived the typical life of a college program participant: work, go to the parks, work, go to the parks, sleep. 

voted somewhere along the way and was overjoyed that democrats took back the house. 

went to st augustine with sarah

eventually, the food and wine festival ended and i was transferred to port orleans riverside, where i currently am. it’s awful but i’m alive. 

spent thanksgiving, christmas, and every other holiday at work. it wasn’t really a big deal but it was obviously depressing. 

at the beginning of december, broke down and bought a plane ticket back to dc. i had to pick up a poster from the anthem (a music venue), anyway. i stayed with paige and saw my old work friends and just had a good time. goddamn, it was cold, but it was worth it. i finally was able to tour the department of the interior and and i went to theodore roosevelt island for the first time since like freshman year. we even saw zoo lights and went to the christmas pop-up bar on 7th street again. 

played basketball one time lmao

played jackbox countless times with my roommates and we made a few trips to jellyrolls, one of the best parts of disney world. i love to go there and sing and hear the piano.

spent new year’s eve at jellyrolls, coincidentally, where i stole a noisemaker and we all wore hats and sang “auld lang syne” when the clock struck midnight, just as you’re supposed to do. 

laughed and cried while going through so many large life changes but still understanding that there is always some sort of constant in your life

drove more than i think i ever have before

went to several of the concerts they had for the food and wine festival -- saw people like air supply, starship, and the plain white t’s

listened to countless hours of music -- i think my most listened-to artists were springsteen, dylan, paul simon, maybe david cassidy, old crow medicine show, and lorde. 

song of the year: “fare thee well (dink’s song),” marcus mumford and oscar isaac (from inside llewyn davis). it’s an incredible song to travel to.

was always conflicted about working for disney, but really became disgusted with the corporation the more i worked here. i will be happy to not work for them anymore when the time comes because it makes me so uncomfortable to be employed by an entity that doesn’t give a shit about its employees and milks every single fucking penny that it can out of its customers, all under the guise of being giving and magical by using terminology such as “interactions,” “magical moments,” and “guests”

considered my options after this is all over

loved the national park service and even wrote a capstone on it

2018 was the most eventful year of my life. i am not in school for the first time that i can remember; i have a degree. i travelled to more of the us than i ever knew really existed, i saw incredible concerts, and i met some truly wonderful people. but of course, the difficult moves that come along with a year like this were depressing. i knew i would be completely heartbroken when i had to leave the library back in august, but i didn’t realize how sorry i would also be to see my roommates go back to their homes at the end of their tenure at disney. it’s been 2 days, but i miss being able to hang out with them. to gain all the life experience i did, it was necessary to lose some really great parts of my old life. and that blew. but you get over it. 

this year in review has taken me so long to write because i had so much to include that it seemed overwhelming to try to articulate it all. i think back to when i would wait until the night before a paper was due to start it, and i feel the same way. but the power in finishing it and having something tangible that points to a certain time in your life and explains the way you felt at that moment is like nothing else. even if the paper you write is shit, it never seems as bad (at least, to me) when you return to read through it a year or two later. it’s your thoughts set in stone, frozen in time. it’s a nice reminder. and i really enjoy writing these posts and i generally like what i write and how i say things, despite the inevitable procrastination in doing so.

i always think of “auld lang syne” when i do a year in review. sure, it’s a standard song for the new year and these year in reviews are written on or around the new year. but to write this, i have to think back to days gone by, before the year even started. and i get this feeling in my stomach of nostalgia and wistfulness (i’ve written about it before, i know) reflecting on the good ol days of these past 365 days and the times before them. we live in strange times right now, especially during what has become a two-week long (and counting!) partial government shutdown, but the memories of the warm past and the dreams of a better future are always going to be around to steady your head. without the abstract, how would we get to the concrete?

“we all cherish our children’s futures. and we are all mortal.”

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