#like. if someone asked id buy one for them one for me. we’d each pay for ours individually

[sadlazzle]

the chucky & tiffany drop was such a mess tht i regret not buying a second one just to sell it to someone (at original price) who couldn’t get one first hand cause these scalper pricers are straight up daylight robbery and the drop itself was absolutely stacked against all of us today

[thoughtsthatstray]

The Night Before Thanksgiving Part 10

2022 Part 10 Written 11/23/22

This one will be rather short. Not even sure what to type. I’ve probably said that before here too, and it’s more out of a meaningless tradition that I’m sitting here punching this keyboard.

One thing of note, I sit here at 50 years (damn that sounds old), and I was carded today buying two six packs of beer at the grocery store. I told the clerk she must be looking for a tip... She asked why, I said this hasn’t happened in awhile. So I asked her to guess as I pulled the ID out of the wallet. She said. I don’t know.. 35-40... So I guess I’ll take it...

I can’t help but think of days of old and meeting up at the steakhouse, but that ship has sailed.  Many times over. I’ve had some strange dreams recently that I haven’t been able to document due to just having fragments when I wake up, which really sucks...

Not too long ago I was looking in two different mirrors and one I guess had more natural lighting and in it my hair had a lot more salt added to the pepper. It reminded me of the Don Henley line:

Ever since I was 26 years old I’ve felt like I was on the backend of my life. Maybe I’m wrong and I hit that mid point a few years ago, or if it is a few years from now, then I guess that means I’ll be a cranky 104 curmudgeon at some point. I guess I’ll wear it like a crown if it comes to pass.

Happy Thanksgiving to anyone that actually reads this or any of the previous installments.

Previous installments below:

2013 Part 1

thoughtsthatstray: Written 11/27/13

The night before Thanksgiving used to be one of my favorite nights of the year. Back in my hometown, it was a night when friends would gather at one of the few watering holes where said friends could share some adult beverages.

We’d usually start off at one place with dinner and beers. Note there was an s on the end of the word beer, but then we’d cross the street to a new place that had karaoke, more BEER, and more old friends. Well, truth be told a few old enemies would pop in here and there.

We’d share some memories, stretch some truths, tell some lies, and it was fun seeing old friends. Of course it was fun seeing old flames too. We’d have a ball, signing each other up for the previously mentioned karaoke and trying to find the most fucked up song or funniest song for them to sing. Oh how I wish it were modern day where every cell phone had a video, because watching an ole ball coach singing “Funky Cold Medina” or “Brickhouse” as his long hair swayed and his hairy little nubby feet attempted a bit of a drunken dance. Oh I’d pay good money to have footage of that, but of course if that were modern day, seeing a coach/teacher slightly intoxicated on youtube or some other form of social media would be grounds for his dismissal which is bullshit, since he was simply an adult having some fun with other adults. Like I said I would pay good money (if I had good money) to see that footage once again.

You’d see faces pop in of people you hadn’t seen since high school, or hadn’t seen in quite some time You’d see a bombshell walk through the door and you are like well I could always see some cuteness in that awkward teen from years ago. Of course at the end of the night you’d have the same two or three guys trying to sneak out on a bar bill. At times you’d have a group of them trying to bribe someone into trying to get on top of the bull in the corral. Yes, an actual bull in an actual corral out in front of the steakhouse. He wasn’t there long, but he was there.

An ex would walk up and whisper in your ear, “I’ve got something to show you”, and you simply respond what’s that? While she says come out here and you walk to the back side of the building and she takes your hand and slides it down her pants and you feel her freshly shaved pussy, which was definitely new. You make plans for Black Friday to spend the day fucking like you used to.

As I said, you hear some old stories, that 55 yard touchdown was up to about 63. You argue about beating a rival 43-34 when some former teammate is swearing on his Momma that it was 43-30. You simply say, look, I know what it was. That is my pin # and has been ever since. You flag down another teammate and he confirms that it was 43-34, and then he gives the other guy a hard time for forgetting it.

At this point you are 15-20 beers into the night and you know you could very well drink another dozen or so if the bar wasn’t closing. You crawl into a minivan which was basically a shuttle service. You drop the old ball coach off at his miniature mansion and tell him to cut his hair. He flips the group off with that stumpy middle finger and then he waves.

You come home, crawl into bed and think about the night. You think about the memories, you think about that freshly shaved pussy.

Oh I sure miss those days.

2014 Part 2

thoughtsthatstray: Written 11/26/2014

It’s still one of the things I miss about my hometown. I don’t miss much, but I miss my friends, the old haunts, the stories that stretch the truth from time to time.  Someone bringing up a time at party and someone trying to deny it ever happened.   As I said in the original post it was a time for friends to see friends. That is/was one of the beauties about a small town. A part of it you didn’t really respect or understand completely when you were there.

I no longer have ties to my home town other than a few friends, with my parents being gone, and having moved away quite some time ago. A small part of me regrets leaving, but the majority of me is glad that I did.

Memories don’t die, but they sure can fade away.

2015 part 3

thoughtsthatstray: Written 11/25/2015

I wouldn’t call it writer’s block, I’d call it just not in the mood to reminisce. With that said, I’ll give it a shot, since this become some annual ritual. I do know I’ll be tracking down the Ron Green(former Charlotte Observer columnist) annual Thanksgiving article tomorrow.

Earlier tonight on the back deck while grilling some burgers I thought of some old friends, some old times. That  made me remember that I have really neglected my YD&B side blog, but that happens.

Thoughts drift back 18-20-22 years. Thoughts drift to better times, happier times. Maybe it was being more carefree, not fully understanding responsibilities. Then it reminded me of a quote from a book I read this year year. “This is Where I Leave You” by Jonathan Tropper, it was made into a movie which was decent, but the book was better as books often are.  I know I shared the quote, but here it is again.

The last time I saw most of my old friends was the summer of 2014 at the funeral of one their father’s. While I sit here typing this, half thankful that I’m not there at the moment, I know it would be like that July night. Wouldn’t miss a beat and it would be like old times. Telling stories, sharing memories, laughing till you are about to choke on a beer. So I’m torn. Part of me wishes I was there instead of typing this, but another part is glad that I’m not.  The dreadfully sad part of it is that is one a handful of times that I’ve actually enjoyed myself.  Past > Present, with the future yet to be in the equation. Really sucks.

It really sucks knowing that the next time I’ll likely see most of them will be at another funeral. But that is how the cookie crumbles at times.  

2016 Part 4

thoughtsthatstray: Written 11/23/2016

This is the 4th time I’ve sat here on Thanksgiving Eve slapping these keys trying to make sense. 2013, 2014, and 2015 can be found below.

Tonight, I had the opportunity to go back to my home town and hang out with some old friends, but I had to pass. I didn’t trust my car to drive the 30-35 minutes to Statesville to ride the rest of the way with another friend. I don’t trust it to go much further than the short trips that I generally take. It has two issues on it’s to-fix-list. One was quoted out at about 1k(and hopefully will be addressed shortly) the other yet to be determined. I’ve already thrown about 400 at that particular problem and that didn’t fix it. It’s frustrating. But, to be brutally honest, I could have had a 2017 whatever with 17 miles sitting in the drive way and I can’t promise that I would have gone. Well, maybe I wouldn’t be in the same mindset if the 2017 whatever was sitting outside.

This is where I could easily insert that Jonathan Tropper quote. Maybe it should just be my mantra, but it fits. If I didn’t mention it last year, I would quote it again, but if you read this whole jumbled cluster of letters you’ll see it, or you can click here.

It would have been nice to see them. In this little snippet from last year, I also wrote about the last time I saw them. I could quote that again since that hasn’t changed either. But it would have been nice to sit around with a cold beer or four and catch up, and spend some time with them.

Maybe I’ll wake up one day soon and shake myself out of this funk. I’m picturing a 75lb puppy coming out of a river and drying himself off. Maybe that would work.

I guess when I finish this I’ll sit down and read back through the previous 3 entries and I wish I could say I feel like I’m in a better place, physically, mentally, emotionally, etc, but that would be spitting lies.  

I think at one point I made a post about being thankful for having an imagination but in the end, it might be negative thing. Hard to tell.

The night before Thanksgiving used to be a part of the Holiday festivities. Now it’s just a Wednesday.

2017 Part 5

thoughtsthatstray: Written 11/22/2017

I’m sitting here typing this, mostly forcing myself to get something down, and It will be shorter than the others. I just have a haunted feeling engulfing my mind after reading through the previous 4 installments. Sitting back with last year’s installment knowing had I made that journey I would have had at least one more night with a good friend who took his life over the summer. That is hard to reconcile. I’m not thinking that the one night would have changed anything. There were a number of other friends at the get together, but selfishly it would have been a night where stories would have been shared. Memories rekindled and shared. …..A moment that is gone, that never was…. kinda reminds me of the Springsteen line:

Again,hard to reconcile and process.

Oh and those Jonathan Tropper quotes still ring true:

2018 Part 6

thoughtsthatstray: Written  11/21/18

Sitting here beating on this keyboard. Trying to add something to this collection of whatever you call it. It’s hard for my mind not to drift to friends and family that have been lost and that are no longer with us.

I still have some regret about not taking that trip in 2016. Maybe it would have made a difference in the events that happened the following June 1st, but I doubt it. I’m sure we would have told some stories, some lies and stretched the truth like it was an old Stretch Armstrong toy. That is par for the course. The 138 yards rushing against a rival football team stretches to 171. The 51-8 ass beating of the 5th ranked team in the state will stay 51-8 since that is stamped deep in the brain.

I’ll wake up, fix some coffee and locate the annual article of retired Columnist of the Charlotte Observer Ron Green Sr. It’s a bit of a tradition. I’ll try to remember to come back and link it here. Not that anyone will read it.

I still pay to see some of that Karaoke action mentioned in a previous installment. It was better suited for “America’s Funniest Home Videos”, than “Star Search” at least all of that is stamped on the brain too.

The Springsteen line still hits home:

I guess it always will.  

I’ll definitely have to fall asleep to a mindless sitcom tonight. Might have to have some Kenny Powers action.

2019 Part 7

thoughtsthatstray: Written  11/27/19

I woke up this morning with a lyric in my head. I couldn’t place it to start with. One of those things that pisses you off because it is on the tip of your tongue but it won’t come to you.  I fixed some coffee, turned the computer on and called on my old friend, Goo-gle, she’s still French and typed it in trying to knock that nugget loose from the back of my mind.

Not placing a lyric from one of my favorite songs. I need to be slapped.

The last few years, I’ve read through the previous entries, this year I simply copied and pasted, then put the images back in, so that everything is complete. I don’t want to read it. If there isn’t a storm hovering, that could easily cause one. It might storm anyway. I’m not even sure why I’m even typing this. Maybe a ritual. Forcing myself to spit something out. Nothing of any worth that is for sure.

Yeah those days are gone forever. That is for sure. At least, well hopefully, I’ll get to search for a Ron Green article (it appears this will be his final one, which simply sucks). Just another thing that will be gone forever.

2020 Part 8

thoughtsthatstray: Written  11/26/20

This 2020 edition should be fun. 2020 sucks. That’s not news to anyone. It’s much worse for some than it is for me, and I’m sure I’m dealing with worse things than others. That takes me back to the fine line of “It could be better, but it could be worse”. It could always be both.

A friend mentioned that this night use to be “the biggest party night of the year”. It was. Better than New Year’s Eve more times than not. Back when you are in your 20′s, friends are home from school, or back in town to see the family, and a lot of the popular places were packed. You’d have an old football coach belting out some Bob Seger on a karaoke machine with that long hair flowing and flopping around. You see faces you haven’t seen in years Just a fun night. If you scroll past the “keep reading”, you’ll see I’ve touched on some of this before.

Seeing her say that reminded me of when it was closing time and there wasn’t much of a cab service in my hometown, there wasn’t Uber at that point, so you either drove home a bit drunk (and some did), or you got carted home after someone that was sober went and picked up a parents minivan. Unfortunately there were a few nights that I was the dumbass that was sober and having to pretend I was the school bus driver. Even so, it was still good times.

Earlier I was listening to a Longmire novel and Craig Johnson as Walt Longmire said the following:

It hit home.I have memories. Everyone has memories but with time some fade. Are the facts 100% crystal clear? No. Did x/y/z happen? I think so. Maybe. No way. Yes it did. Hell if I know. Somewhere in a blended blur of that is the truth.

I’m sitting here beating on the keyboard trying to make this one a bit longer than last year and half wondering whether tomorrow’s Charlotte Observer is going to have a Thanksgiving column from Ron Green Jr. Last year his father, announced that 2019 would be his last installment, and it was one thing I looked forward to each Thanksgiving. The old man would wax poetically about things he was thankful for, whether it was a rocking chair on the porch with his wife, golfing with old friends, his grandkids,a favorite food or spirit, or a Carolina Panther star like a Christian McCaffrey. Maybe since 2020 is a bit special in the grand scheme of things with everything that is going on, just maybe he backtracks and gives us one more. I hope so.

I do wonder what the 2020 version would be like. I know the now 58 year old longhaired ball coach who is now bald with a long beard, would likely be at home. No Seger, or “Funky Cold Medina” for him. I know some faces would be missing since they are no longer with us. I’m guessing I would need to be a fly on the wall, because I doubt my many of my friends, or people I know would be there. It would be a younger group.

I’m sorry for sharing some of those boring stories Springsteen pondered in “Glory Days”, but I guess the Boss was right, but so was Henley. “Those days are gone forever”

thoughtsthatstray written 11/24/21

2021 Part 9

I guess the cool kids call it Thanksgiving Eve, nah, that sounds older than The Night Before Thanksgiving. I guess it’s a bit of a tradition so I force myself to do it even when I’m really not feeling it.

Earlier today a friend asked “Do y'all remember going out on night before Thanksgiving in your 20s? Crazy times… “ Yes, I sure do. I responded with “ One of the most fun nights of the year in a small town… “  It really was, as you can see by some of the previous entries to this annual event where I beat up the keyboard for a bit. While I’m experience a weird DeJa'Vu vibe,  I’m glad I’m not the only one to experience it, or miss it. I can quote/mimic Johnny Cougar, he goes by John Mellencamp these days and sit back, collects my thoughts for the moment, scratch my  head and do my best James Dean. Well, I don’t know about all that, but I can sit back and see the waitress bringing a tray full of beer, hearing someone murder Garth Brooks or the previously mentioned Mellencamp with various renditions of drunken karaoke, I don’t really recall, two drunk girls belting out” I Got You Babe”, by Sonny & Cher, but I’m sure it happened at some point. That little fucker Kenny Chesney, sings a few songs like he was sitting right there with us. If he was, I’m sure he would have been in a booster seat, but some of that flakes songs really hit home.

Then I think back to the friend that is no loner with us, and I can’t help to hear Chesney’s “I Go Back” stopping me in my tracks, and how the 2016 version of this still haunts me. It sucks, that it does, but it does. See, there is that little fuckwad Kenny right there again. The Robert Earl Keen song “Feeling Good Again” (I’ll post it after this), reminds me of those nights from back then. He sings of going to an old haunt, seeing old face, friends, etc.

I don’t know an old man Perkins, but I know an old man or two sitting on a stool, and I’m sure I know a Butch and a Jimmy John, and sadly I’ve seen a group of my friends trying to hit the opening notes of “Seven Bridges Road”, hell I’ve been on of them, and I’m no Don Henley, but it really didn’t matter.

Springsteen wrote of the Glory Days, and it likely is my favorite song of his.

I guess for one night’s safe to say that time has slipped away and left me with nothing but boring stories, Well, not entirely boring, but I get what he’s saying.

Oh and I still miss Ron Green Sr. annual Thanksgiving Day article.

[yikeswtfmate]

Part 1: Ungodly Hours

Of Tinder Dates & Caramel Macchiatos - Series Masterlist // main masterlist // next part

Summary: Y/N had no idea her new work routine would bring a certain handsome bartender to her table where she drinks her coffee every morning. Steve is sweet, although a bit sleep deprived, and Natasha thinks Y/N and him would make the perfect pair. But dating him is out of the question. What happens when, tired of Nat’s bizarre behaviour, Y/N installs Tinder and meets this really cute guy who can read her like an open book?

Pairings: Steve Rogers x Reader; Thor Odinson x Reader

Warnings: language, alcohol consumption, sexual references and themes

A/N: guess who’s back! back again with a very long Steve series that might be the end of me but that i already love with my whole heart and oh god i am so nervous i really hope you’re gonna like this

Coffee shops in the morning could easily be considered anyone’s personal hell. The sheer amount of people trudging along to get their daily fix of caffeine would normally make Y/N stop in her tracks and take a turn towards the nearest coffee vending machine, even if it tastes worse than crap. At least she doesn’t have to wait for half an hour in line stuck between a very loud lawyer and that one mum who insists on buying the nastiest green smoothie she’s ever seen in her life.

However, coffee shops at 6 in the morning, right about when Peter changes the sign from closed to open, are heaven sent. Sure, the prospect of having to be out and about for work at 6 am is less than ideal, but at least she’s always been more or less a morning person. And her paycheck has been considerably fatter last month. 

Y/N takes her usual seat outside, caramel macchiato right next to her laptop. Today should be an easy day - fill out some paperwork before she heads to the office at 8.45, pick up Pepper’s coffee, and sort out whatever has been left of this week. Easy, simple and to the point, although Nat would love to argue that Saturdays are for sleeping in, and not for personally picking up documents from various stakeholders. 

“Or better yet, download Tinder and work out your stress with random guys.” Nat had suggested last night on the phone, when Y/N made the mistake of mentioning she hadn’t had any in too many months to count. “There’s this great guy I know…”

“No.” Y/N interrupted, knowing exactly where that would’ve gone. “Every time you tried to set me up with someone, it ended up in disaster. We’re not doing this again, Nat.”

“I just want you to be happy.” She muttered, most definitely being silently admonished by Bucky for trying to interfere in her friend’s life yet again.

“I am happy, sweetheart. Just because I’m not getting any at the moment, that doesn’t mean I’m not happy. Plus, you know what I think -”

“If it’s meant to be, there’s no point in me chasing it, yes.” Nat echoed with a roll of her eyes. “Sometimes your whole attitude of ‘go with the flow’ pisses me off. I say you should go after what you want.”

“Well, there’s nothing, or no one to want at the moment so there’s no point in me getting into a frenzy about it. When the moment’s right, it will happen.”

“Hey!” 

The voice cuts right through the middle of her thought, interrupting Nat’s sneered answer of ‘I just hope he won’t be an asshole like your ex’, making Y/N look up from her laptop. There’s a guy standing next to her, one steaming cup of coffee in a hand, uncertain smile on a face ragged by what can only be lack of sleep. He’s tall and broad shouldered, and she can’t place him for a second, before her eyes land on the sleeve tattoo on his right arm. 

“Steve?” She asks, just as hesitant.

“Yeah!” He grins, running his free hand through his hair, until there’s a blond mess of it. “Y/N, right? You’re Nat’s friend.”

“Yeah, that’s right. I uh- how are you?”

The whole scene most probably looks ridiculous to the outside eye - her sitting down, craning her neck to look at this monolith of a man, both of them oozing with awkwardness and hesitation. She’s always hated that touch of absurdity in interactions between people who know each other, but are not even acquaintances. Even though her job as an executive assistant requires her to navigate situations just like these, that does not mean it makes it easier for her to know how to do that in her personal life. It’s called balance - be a badass at your job, but you’re left an embarrassing mess when it comes to talking to cute guys that you don’t actually know.

“Just got off my shift. Thought I should grab a coffee and spare myself of falling asleep on the subway again.”

“Oh. You’re still working as a bartender then?” She replies, digging her claws into the faint memory of him running from one end of the bar to the other, barely managing to shake her hand after a brief introduction that one time she agreed to go out with Nat and Bucky. 

“Yep. I’m actually part-owner now.” Steve says proudly and she can’t help but grin with him. 

“Congratulations!” Y/N claps her hands - what is that, come on, get yourself together. “Hey, do you wanna take a seat and have your coffee? I feel weird sitting while you’re standing.”

“Ah, I shouldn’t. I’ve been up for almost 24 hours now.” He scratches the back of his head, checks his watch and glances at her again in thought. “But I can spare 5 more minutes to finish this. Wouldn’t want to spill it all over me again.”

Y/N smiles and does her best at clearing at least one corner of the table. He takes a seat, and she notices the way his knee brushes softly against hers, and fair enough, the table is small, but this guy is massive and he’s dwarfing everything around him - it’s no wonder they can barely fit together. 

“So what are you up to at this ungodly hour of the morning on a Saturday?” He asks after swiftly scanning all the papers and electronics between them.

“Ah, my life is definitely less exciting than yours.” She laughs. “I’m just getting to work.”

“On a Saturday?” His confusion is clear. So is his amusement as he takes a sip of his coffee.

“I see Nat hasn’t been complaining to everyone around her about me. That’s reassuring.”

“I wouldn’t know.” Steve shrugs. “Whenever they come to the bar, I’m usually working. I can barely exchange two words with them.”

“That’s right. I remember her saying something about you needing to get a break.” 

“More like a life. I haven’t had a day off in months, I don’t even know what daylight looks like anymore.”

There’s no denying the fact that he looks exhausted - if the dark circles under his eyes wouldn’t be indication enough, it’s easy to read it in the tense set of his shoulders, the way he’s more slumping than sitting in his chair. Y/N is filled with a weird sense of wanting to make this man a cup of tea and order him to go to bed already. His gaze keeps shifting, as if it can’t focus on anything for more than a few seconds, and there’s a slight hint of misery written all over his features that is cleverly hidden by his happy-go-lucky attitude, which seems superficial if analysed closely. Perks of being the best at her job, curse for people who don’t want their business pried into, but then again...they don’t know each other that well, so she keeps her mouth shut. Whatever is bothering him is none of her damn business.

“If it makes you feel any better, I have no idea what nightlife looks like anymore.” She offers.

“We’d make an invincible human being if we were to join forces.” Steve laughs. “I’ll tell you all about teenagers trying to get in with fake IDs, how to get rid of vomit in the toilets and what’s the best way to mix a Long Island and you can tell me all about traffic in the morning, rush hour at lunchtime and what kids are up to when they get off school.”

“Mostly TikTok dances.” Y/N shrugs, which earns her the cutest sleep-deprived laugh she’s ever heard in her life. 

“Is that what those are? Oh God, I feel old now.” 

She chuckles - it’s cute, he’s cute. In a lost puppy kind of way, but her final verdict is interrupted by her phone vibrating next to her hand. Now, she wouldn’t normally be so rude as to answer a phone in the middle of a conversation, especially when she is focused on the crinkles at the corners of his eyes when he’s grinning at his not-exactly-joke, but PEPPER CALLING is a rude awakening that she is supposed to actually be at work in less than 15 minutes. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I have to get this, it’s my boss.”

“No worries. I should get going anyway. I think I’ve already slipped into sleepwalking anyway.” He stands up and fumbles around for a few seconds - yet another situation that neither of them seems to know how to handle. Are they supposed to shake hands? Hug? Take an imaginary hat off? 

So Y/N settles on a smile, which must put him at ease a teensy bit, because he grins back at her - that boyish grin that made her think cute way too many times by this time of the day. 

“It was great seeing you, Y/N. Don’t overwork yourself today. It is Saturday after all.”

“Says the one who’s 90% asleep.” Y/N giggles. “Bye, Steve!”

“See you around, sweetheart!”

*

Nat takes out a bottle of wine, moving around the well-lit kitchen as if she’s lived there her whole entire life, and not only for the past three weeks. Y/N is still mesmerised by the fake brick wall in front of her to pay attention to the glass thrust between her fingers - this apartment is gorgeous. She had no idea Bucky was so good at interior design, which must have been a huge selling point when they’ve decided where to live together. Christ, Y/N would have wanted to move in with him after only 5 months, for this apartment alone. But Nat is frowning - that deep line between her eyebrows leaves nothing to speculation, and Y/N knows her best friend too well not to realise that she is not happy with what she’s hearing.

“Are you going to say anything or should I just assume you’re pissed off?”

“I’m not pissed off.” Nat says, an immediate response that sounds too close to defensiveness to sound like truth. “I’m just- I’m surprised, is all. I mean, it is Steve we’re talking about here after all.”

“That’s exactly why I don’t understand why you’re reacting like this.”

Nat brings her foot up on her stool, and braces her knee while her other hand is playing with the rim of her glass. She’s avoiding eye contact, which is never a good sign when it comes to her, yet Y/N simply can’t put her finger on the reason behind her sudden change in demeanour when she’s told her that she met Steve this morning. 

“I just don’t think that Steve would be the right person for you right now.” She finally mutters and there’s a tinge of embarrassment in her tone that Y/N can’t decipher.

“Ok, you’re going to have to explain what the hell is going on because I have no idea what’s with all this hostility. All I did was tell you that I chatted with Steve for half an hour this morning. How did you connect that to me getting into a relationship with him?”

“Because!” Nat groans. “You and Steve would be perfect for each other. Not to mention you’re my best friend and he’s Bucky’s best friend and just that idea alone gives me cavities. I want you to be together!”

“I’ve seriously never been more confused in my entire life.”

“Ok, look, I’m going to be completely honest with you right now.” Nat sighs and she at long last makes eye contact. “It’s not my story to tell, but the gist of it is that Steve’s recently gotten out of a relationship with one of my friends from work. He was completely swept off his feet, even Bucky’s never seen him this infatuated with someone. The problem is that, as much as I love Peggy, she really did a number on him. He’s been a complete wreck ever since and he doesn’t even know that she’s gotten back together with her ex. I’m just saying that he’s not in the right emotional state to get into another relationship right now. And you’re in a complete state at the moment as well.”

“Me?” Y/N squeals, surprised by this sudden change of direction. “What is wrong with me?”

“Honey, you also recently got out of a serious relationship where you were practically married to the guy. I really think you should spend some time alone and focus on yourself, and not guys. Flings, fuck buddies, Tinder, sure, whatever. Do whatever you couldn’t during these past few years, but you’re not ready to jump into another serious relationship again. I love you and I love Steve, but you’d probably destroy each other if you were to get together.”

Y/N waits for a few more seconds in order to make sure Nat’s said her piece. She’s surprised by her friend’s outburst - it was only yesterday that Y/N’s explained to her that she’s not willing to get herself out there just yet and she was rebuffed by promises of friends and possibilities. This mix of encouragement and relentlessness is nothing short of confusing. Especially since Y/N hasn’t even hinted at a potential romance with Steve.

“Ok, first of all, I want you to know that I agree with you. I’m not ready to get into another relationship right now, but I also want you to understand that I’m not going back to jumping into bed with guys I barely know. Look where that got me last time! Second, I didn’t tell you I saw Steve today because I want to be in a relationship with him. We just talked. As friends. Nothing more.”

They look at each other in silence for a few moments, a sense of uneasiness that Y/N’s never felt in the whole time she’s known Nat. There’s something odd about her reaction, but she can’t say what it is exactly. She guesses she can understand her friend’s protectiveness over Steve - after all, she knows all too well how much of a mama bear Nat can be with people she cares about, but isn’t she supposed to care more about what her best friend might want? Even if Y/N doesn’t want Steve, but it’s the principle of it!

“Right.” Nat mutters. “Well, I just hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Nat, I’m not doing anything. I barely talked once with the guy by accident.” 

This is getting ridiculous.

“Just remember that I don’t want to be involved in this.”

“There’s no this to be involved in!”

[costellos]

tell me who you’d take on a date and where you would go! — CLOSED

@thisbloghasnoaesthetic​ asked: Id love to take Jotaro on a date. Just something chill. Like getting some good food. Or just sitting together doing nothing. I'd love to just read a book with my head on his shoulder. Just enjoying eachothers quiet comfort :)

omg that sounds like a great date for Jotaro! he definitely seems like the type to want a chill date. he’d probably opt for something that offers takeout if you’re referencing Part 3!Joot, somewhere a little nicer but just as casual if you’re referencing Part 4!Joot. and while you’re reading, you might just catch a teeny, tiny smile on his lips. but don’t say anything or you’ll ruin the moment 🤭💕

anonymous asked: i would wanna take kakyoin out to an indoor roller rink so we could rollerskate together 🥺 it’s one of the things i like to do most and i’d wanna skate around w him while holding hands! also cause he’s tall, i feel like it’d be hard for him to keep balance and prevent himself from falling lolll. but we could go out to an ice cream place nearby afterwards and watch the sun set (if the time is right) 💗

how cute!! sharing something you love with the one you love most... I dig it. Kakyoin would be soooo embarrassed, though! he just wants to impress you but his center of gravity is absolutely awful. rip. at the end of the day, however, he’d be so appreciative that you shared something so personal with him. ❤️ let him pay for the ice cream, it’s the least he can do!! and maybe hold your hand while you watch the sunset 🌅

@lavaicerinkk​ asked: I would ask mista, probably to like a concert or something like that. We'd probably go as homies, then when we get home id be like "what if we kissed haha" and hed be like 😳😳 ok, and then we live happily ever after

LMAAAAOOOOO. I feel like this is v in character for Mista.... he’d be caught so off guard by it! esp since he probably would’ve accepted that you were just friends. not that he’d say no, tho 👀 he’d just be like, “wait, for real?” and waste no time kissing you after you gave him permission. what a happy ending. 💕

@murcx04​ asked: Take someone on a date huh hmmmmm- Josuke is my bet HAHA Hed be so refreshing to be with óuò. And we'd go shopping kfbfjfn And that where- he'll just show his pleading eyes and want you to buy the shoes he wants oh boy-

I agree, he would be a very refreshing plus one! I think a shopping date would be v traditional with him. I’m imagining you both at the mall, where he cackles at all the weird sex stuff at Spencer’s and shares his food court soft pretzel with you. 🥨 he probably wouldn’t explicitly say that he wants new shoes, but he’d nudge you and be like, “hey. if you wanna know what to get me for my birthday...” and point to the Air Force 1′s on display. so subtle. 🙄

anonymous asked: tbh i think i'd like to take kira out to dinner and go on a walk. i know its a simple date but i think he's really neat and i don't really like big or flashy events and i don't think he would either kjfnksnjks. its just sumn that would suit both of us nice

ooo interesting choice, nonnie! I 100% agree with you on this one. Kira would probably take you to one of those restaurants that have private rooms. I think some ritzier places are like that? anyway, he’d want to focus this date all on you. no mindless chatter from other patrons, no screaming children — the more noise he can minimize, the better. and during your walk, I can see him allowing you to take the reins on the conversation. he just finds everything you say so fascinating! 🌷💗

@catnymous​ asked: I'd take Fugo first to just a simple lil cafe then to the park :3

Cat!! I missed you!! you should come into the askbox more often, I always enjoy your replies. in the meantime, Fugo probably overthinks a lot so this date would be casual enough for him to relax. he would probably opt for some coffee and a slice of cake that he can share with you 🍰❤️ and a stroll through the park would be the perfect way to walk off the calories! (plus when you get to a fountain he’ll probably make some corny wish about getting to spend more days with you like this a;sdfkjl)

anonymous asked: Idk if you’re familiar with part 7... but I would bring Johnny to the planetarium; it’s a place that I love, and bringing him to a place special to me would mean a lot, I think. I’d tell him all of my favorite things about space. And, it’s a little mushy, but I’d remind him that just because you can’t always see the stars doesn’t mean they’re not there; every one is special and the same is for people. And of course, it would be a fun day out to appreciate the beautiful things in the world

unfortunately, I’m not familiar with Part 7... :( but thank you so much for sharing nonetheless! this is such a heart-warming confession 💕 I wish there was more I could say; I love that you’d share all your favorite things about space, and how everything and everyone is special. 💫 such a beautiful confession. 

@serenityblaze44​ asked: I would take Bruno and/or Abbacchio to a conservatory or garden, maybe bring a picnic. Nothing too exciting, just time to relax and spend time together. Then go home for cuddles.

por que no los dos? ahaha nah I’m joking... unless 👀 no but for real, this sounds ideal for both of them! ❤��� they would both appreciate the time to unwind. I could see Abbacchio prepping all the food, while Bucciarati handles everything else (packing the blanket, utensils, alcohol, etc.). they’d probably opt for somewhere outside of Naples since it’s far too crowded in the city. afterwards, be prepared for a gr8 nap between two warm, loving boys!!

anonymous asked: I'd take Kakyoin on a date! I think it would be really fun to go somewhere like an amusement park or arcade so we could just kinda be stupid together and forget our problems. Id go on the Ferris wheel and try to kiss him at the top but he'd probably shake the cart the whole time to freak me out 😂😂 After everything he's gone through, he deserves to have a lot of fun and id love to see him smile 🥰😍

aw friend, this is such a sweet scenario! hopefully the Ferris wheel doesn’t give him too many bad memories of Death Thirteen though ope,, anyway, what a lovely way to forget about all the stuff he’s endured! he’d playfully challenge you to some arcade games (and I’m using “playfully” lightly here) and then destroy you. 🙄 but it’s okay, any tickets he gets will immediately go to a cute stuffed animal just for you 🧸

@hadesaedes​ asked: OOOH I’d have to go with either Yukako or Koichi (even tho i have like TWO hands either is fine). Yukako is a very passionate and strong lover which I LOVE cause im shy with affection so being bold with it is MWUAH. While Koichi is also passionate I like to think he enjoys more simple and low key dates which is my type of thing. Having to just bask in each other’s company without having to fill the silence is GREAT. THEY ARE BOTH GREAT!!! In this essay I will-

AHHH A+ CHOICES, FRIEND. Yukako and Koichi would spoil you so much!! they’d handle any date expenses (movie tickets, food, etc.) and would adore having any opportunity to hold your hand 😊 Yukako would probably be more physically affectionate; she’ll either have her hand on top of yours or her feet wrapped between yours when sitting. Koichi would opt for compliments, praising you on how cool and smart you are! wow, what a supportive pair 🤝

anonymous asked: It's very hard to choose, but I'd go on a date with Bruno. Idk I'm just very gay for him. He knows a lot of nice and fancy places in Naples, but since that's not really my world, I'd take him to a small coffee shop or something. Nothing fancy or expensive but still very enjoyable. Maybe some ice cream. Walking through the city and going to a restaurant in the evening. Maybe something fancy this time, or just a simple pizza

how lovely!! Bucciarati would honestly be open to try anything, but I think a small coffee shop would be v enjoyable for him. there’s so much you can learn about someone over a cup of joe. ☕ since he’s been living in / around Naples his whole life, he’d probably share some neat facts about the city while on your stroll! “the Amalfi Coast is best known for its limoncello liqueur. I know a great place to try it if you’re interested.” 🍋

@moloko-tyan​ asked: Hello, little bird💫sending you rays of love and positive energy! This new event is so much fun. Several hours I wondered with who I wanted to go out, ahah. And I think it would be Erina. She deserves to have fun especially after all those awful events in her life. We would go to atelier. We could go through fabrics to choose which fits the best. We would look at lovely laces, buttons, jewels and we would argue about models of dresses and evening gowns. I want her to feel safe🌻 thank u so much!

friend! I always get so excited when you pop into my askbox!! ty for participating 💕 Erina is such a great choice imo. and this is such a creative date! she’d have so much fun running her fingers over all the interesting fabrics. Erina would take the most beautiful dresses and hold them up against you, saying how lovely the color suits you. 👗 although she’d be too shy to try those dresses on herself, she would have so much fun spending the day with you!!

anonymous asked: I hope it's okay to send this (I honestly don't want you to get overwhelmed)! But if it's okay: I would love to take Fugo on a date! I love this boy with all my heart and I would love to travel with him to my country to a town next to the sea and give him a tour of its history (and visit the local art and history museums there)! And later grab some ice cream and walk along the seafront in the evening where there are less people and just enjoy the walk together as the sun sets. -Turtle Anon🐢

oooohh, Turtle Anon!! thank you for your concern. you’re all good, don’t worry! anywho, that’s a wonderful date for Fugo. he would have an absolute blast reading about all the art and history your country has to offer 🏛️ you might have to push him along though, he’s the type to absorb everything n really slow down when reading... but at the end of the day, as you’re walking along the beach, he’d thank you for sharing a part of yourself with him. he’d be so honored! ☀️

anonymous asked: tbh i'd love to take narancia on a super spontaneous date... only the date and time are set, the entire day is just going around town and doing whatever stupid fun random things,, eating street food and going into shops to try on random fits and running around laughing, mayhaps go to an arcade, or do some karaoke. and then wind down at like a mcdonalds late at night, tired but happy and satisfied.. hhh nara is v fun i just wanna hang out w him honestly 🤕😔🤕😔

yeeeess this is the perfect date for Narancia!! he loves spontaneous stuff like this. he’d have so much fun gorging himself on street food and playing around with weird fits. he’d probably put on the stupidest things he can find, like this. and if you go to karaoke, be ready to screech some absolute bangers. he will not take anything less than confident (yet bad), loud (yet joyous) singing. 🎤 n while he might be falling nodding off at the McDonald’s, he’d sleepily tell you how amazing the day was and how he wants to do this again 💕

@tomomi012​ asked: I'm going to share another ideal date idea, but with Kakyoin. I'd like us to go to one of those cat cafes in Japan. I mean, cats, coffee and a cute Japanese boy, is this heaven? and I would tell him: "Nori, today I am in heaven"

ofc, share all you want! omg... I love this idea..... Kakyoin would be so soft anytime a cat approaches him. he’d do a little “pspsps” and hold out his finger for them to smell. and once a cat actually nudges him, he’d just melt! he wouldn’t show it outwardly, but you can see it in how bright his eyes get. I think Kakyoin would be the type to either attract a ton of cats or cats hate him, there’s no in between. 😭❤️ both make for some gr8 scenarios, though! 

@pommmejuice​​ asked: for your post about taking a character on a date :,) i think i’d like to take abba to art museums/cultural centers ,, i’d love to talk to him about my culture and what life is like (if he’d be interested;; lol) n maybe afterwards while we get italian food he can talk to me about what italian culture is like, the parts that aren’t shown in the media 🥺 so uh a date where we’re both learning new things about each other hehe

n maybeeeee take fugo to a café where we can study together n talk about our favorite things in our lives/culture.... n maybe hold hands on the table and maybe stare into his eyes tenderly ... you know because he’s my BFF (Best Friend Forever) .. you know how best friends do.. 😳

ooo Ireeene I figured you’d say Abbacchio :3c but that’s such a cute date for him! ofc he’d be interested in learning more about you!! you wouldn’t see it, but every time you share something you that you love about your culture, Abbacchio’s gaze on you would be so loving... 💖 he adores that you’re sharing so personal with him (of all people!!). and he’d get a kick out of telling you misconceptions about Italy. don’t get him started on how much he hates the Mario Bros.

as for Fugo, he would react similarly. I could see him ask more questions about your culture, while Abbacchio lets you go on and on. he’s so interested in everything about you!! and the moment you hold his hand... wow... get ready to see some intense blushing... he wouldn’t pull away, but his attention would turn to something else and his stutter would be apparent. pull yourself together, Fugo! 😤

anonymous asked: I'd take Rohan on a date, I'm a lil gay for that trash man. Tbh, it would either be an amazing date or a total disaster. I think we'd plan something fun and relaxing, like going to an art gallery or seeing a movie, but we'd end up in an adventure because that's what keeps happening to Rohan for some reason. At the end of the day we'd go to a restaurant to put a normal ending to that strange day

HAHAHA omggg friend this is a pretty accurate description of Rohan’s life. I think he’d be really annoyed that the day ended up this way, but he’s glad that he got to spend it with someone he tolerates. 💕 Rohan would try to push past those feelings once you go to the restaurant. this date is still salvageable!! he might complain a lil, but ultimately, he’d try to focus on you and what you enjoyed 🥰

@xxbluejayxx​ asked: For the Jojo date thing, I'd take Abbacchio. Well not really picky about the kind of date, I feel a nice quiet one at home would be best. It could be a homemade dinner, a movie night, or both. When it comes down to it, for me anytime spent with someone I love is time well spent, and that is something I will willingly admit

this is such a peaceful date for Abbacchio! I agree, a quiet date at home would be best. 😊❤️ as I mentioned in other scenarios, he’d likely take over kitchen duties. no need to worry about anything, just tell him what you want and he’d whip it up for you! and when it comes time to watch the movie, he’d tell you to sit a lil closer to him... he’s not very good with verbalizing affection, but he loves when he can feel your skin against his.

anonymous asked: I reeally wanna take Polnareff on a date. He deserves it sooo much. He's such a handsome sweetie. Id turn on the charm for him for once, like he always does. I have a beautiful image in my head of an outdoor patio restaurant with hundreds of strings of lights. We both dress up and have a lovely meal under the stars and magical lights, and then our favorite song plays and we have a dance beneath the lights. I think it would be goofy and romantic, stepping on toes as we attempt to dance around 😍

ahhh Polnareff would be so flattered to have you flirt with him! he’d probably get a lil flustered since this is nicer than what he’s used to, but seeing you dressed to the nines would make make him go ��� likewise, he’d push himself through the situation by just focusing on you. and when you start dancing... wow!! he’d lose himself laughing and being absolutely miserable at showing his moves. but it doesn’t matter, because he’s here with you and everything is okay ⭐

@rat-makes-stuff asked: Ok so I would take Giorno back to my home state of Michigan. Mafia boss has got to be tired as hell, so what's better than walking through the woods and collecting rocks at Lake Huron (I'm biased that's my favorite lake no CAP). We would watch the sun set and then look at the stars when they come out. Wildflower picking, trying to see how many deer we can find, and picnics by the lake? Yes pleaseee

before I start, Tumblr wasn’t letting me tag you in this!! so I hope you still see my response :( anyway, this is such a relaxing date! Don Giorno would love to unwind in nature. he’d probably take some stones he found near Lake Huron and turn them into a bouquet of flowers for you! 💐and since he’s probably never seen the sky without light pollution, he’d be astonished at how beautiful the sky is. he wouldn’t be able to say anything, just pull you close to him and thank you for taking him out here 🌠

[iamartemisday]

The Highest Bidder- a Pepperony fic

A/N: This is my unfortunately late gift for @xxdustnight88 as part of the @womenofmcu‘s Valentine’s Day exchange.

Hope you enjoy!

Pepper had been working as Tony Stark’s personal assistant for nine months, one week, and six days. Here’s what she’d learned:

He drank dark roast coffee with two sugars and one milk.

His favorite band was AC/DC, and she was ninety-nine percent positive he secretly owned the rights to all their music.

He would wear the same pair of jeans multiple days in a row even though he had two closets full of designer clothes.

He preferred blondes with large breasts and long legs, though he’d happily take a brunette to his bed. Very few redheads, though. Not that she cared.

He had no concept of circadian rhythms and didn’t realize he was the only one.

That was how she found herself awake at two in the morning on February 14th, her ill-chosen pop song ringtone cutting holes in her skull with a rusty knife. Tony’s face appeared on her Call ID, grinning like a fool. He was drunk when she took it. Kind of mean, but sometimes, she needed a laugh.

She hit accept. Reminding herself that she made more in a month than most people made in a year, she refrained from cursing him out and settled for a non-committal, “Good morning, Mr. Stark.”

“Club Forty on Eighth Avenue at six.”

“Excuse me?”

“Be at Club Forty on Eighth Avenue at six o’clock tonight. I’ll get Hogan to pick you up. Wear the most expensive outfit you have, and if you don’t have anything that’ll make you look suitably rich, buy whatever you need on my tab. Hogan will give you cash.”

“Wait, Mr. Stark, I don’t understand.” She made the fatal mistake of looking at her glowing blue clock radio. Now her eyes were about to explode. She rubbed them fiercely, struggling to keep them open. “You want me to go to a club?”

“Club Forty. Eighth Avenue. There’s going to be a charity bachelor auction and I need you to buy me.”

“...why?”

“Because if you don’t, Angelica Spooner will.”

“Who’s Angelica Spooner?”

“Some heiress I met at a party a few months ago. I was going to invite her back to my place, but it turns out, she’s kind of completely nuts and obsessed with me. So I must avoid her at all costs.”

“She can’t be that bad.”

“She showed up at my office the next day in a wedding dress.”

Okay, that was pretty bad.

“You know, there should be other women at the auction.” Pepper didn’t actually remember seeing that on Tony’s schedule. Knowing him, he agreed after his seventh daiquiri and failed to remember until yesterday. “There’s no guarantee she’ll win.”

“I’m not taking any chances.” Pepper heard clanking in the background. Sounded like he was elbow deep in a radiator again. “I’m sorry if you had plans-”

She didn’t, and they both knew it. She’d been between relationships since long before Stark Industries was on her radar.

“-but if you do this for me, I will give you anything you want. Extra pay, double vacation days, you name it. Just please, please-”

“Okay, relax. You don’t have to beg.” Not that she didn’t kind of enjoy it. “I’ll buy you at the auction and keep you far away from your bride-to-be.”

She could hear him shudder. “Thank you. I’ll get Hogan to pick you up at five. Unless you need to run some errands first? Get your hair done or something?”

“No, that’s fine.” Pepper ran her fingers through her hair and hit multiple knots. She pushed through and managed to only wince in pain. “I can get myself ready. See you tonight, Mr. Stark.”

“You are a dream, Ms. Potts.”

He hung up and Pepper stared at the phone, watching the time change from 2:32 to 2:33. Now there was a sign-off she’d never heard before. Once, in her first week of work, he told her her eyes sparkled when she laughed and left him mesmerized. She’d taken the compliment as it wasn’t about her ass or her breasts, but assumed it was just him being his usual self. Charming all the girls like a regular Casanova. Knowing she’d never in a million years say yes because that violated so many workplace regulations and just, in general, would be in poor taste.

Never did she think he actually meant it.

Because obviously, his type was elegant, classically beautiful Gwyneth Paltrow type women. Not mousy failed model Pepper Potts.

But the way he called her a dream, in the exact same tone of voice he used to wax poetic about her eyes, almost like he did find her as beautiful as those other girls. Almost like he had a whole different reason to ask her this favor.

Almost like…

Pepper rolled over and fell back asleep. By morning, she should be fully rested and returned to sanity.

**

Her nicest outfit was a midnight blue evening gown she bought herself as a Christmas gift. It was made of a material she didn’t know the name of but felt like wearing a waterfall. The neckline was on the lower end, but still presentable. The skirt molded to her body like a glove, flaring just a bit at the ankles. Pepper had yet to wear it, but the shopkeeper had insisted, in broken but passable English, that she was a dish in it and men would adore her.

Her doorman, a stone-faced man who could catch flies out of midair, swallowed his tongue as scrambled to open the door for her, and Hogan forgot how to speak for a few seconds as he tried his best not to stare at her.

The shopkeeper was right. Good.

She’d showered earlier in the day and given herself a simple updo. Her make-up was neatly applied and her nails cleaned and manicured. It was a quarter after five and there was nothing to do but get to the club with a half hour to spare.

Of course, traffic being what it was, she just barely made it before the clock struck six. Happy opened the door for her and handed her a platinum credit card.

“From Mr. Stark,” he said. “There’s fifty thousand on there. Should be more than enough to win the auction. Don’t worry, it’s in his name.”

“Thanks, Happy,” she said as the bouncer removed the velvet rope to allow her entry.

She checked her coat and entered the party. It was a swanky event devoid of the usual drunks grinding against each other to pounding dubstep beats. Instead, a pianist played a jazzy tune while men and women in their black-tie best sipped wine and talked about how great being rich was. Pepper recognized a few of them as Tony’s business partners. They greeted her warmly and she responded in kind. Nobody was looking to make conversation, so she found an empty seat near the stage without much trouble.

A man was at the podium organizing his notes. He was short and nearly bald with wire-rim glasses. When he coughed into the microphone, the feedback made Pepper’s ears ring.

“Attention everyone. The auction will begin in five minutes. Please retrieve a paddle from the front desk if you haven’t already.”

Pepper’s paddle was flat in her lap, made from polished cedar wood and lined with gold. Unnecessarily ornate to the highest degree, but all she could’ve expected from the one percent of the one percent.

More people were filing into the dining room now. So many new voices, it was impossible to pick out more than one or two at a time. She distinctly heard a husband and wife arguing over the former’s fixation on their twenty-something babysitter and a waiter rushing through the crowd with a drink in hand.

“Your margarita, Miss Spooner.”

Pepper turned all the way around in her seat. The waiter, grinning foolishly, handed the drink to a woman in a black sequin cocktail dress. She was blonde, leggy, and had boobs bigger than her head. Definitely Angelica.

Despite her objectively pretty face and clear skin, Pepper couldn’t say what made her especially attractive. She stared at the woman as long as she could without being noticed, and there wasn’t a single distinguishing feature to be found. Maybe it was just the distance.

A bell was rung, signaling the start of the night’s main event. The balding man had fixed the microphone and now spoke without causing physical or emotional damage.

“Thank you, everyone, for coming. We’d like to first take the opportunity to wish you all a happy Valentine’s Day. We hope tonight will be a night to remember.”

Some polite applause and then the balding man continued.

“We will begin with our charity bachelor auction. First up, we have Mr. Thomas Holloway, CFO, and co-founder of Datson-Holloway Incorporated. May I start the bidding at five thousand dollars?”

Pepper watched silently as each consecutive bachelor took the stage. She had no idea what Tony’s place in line was or where he was sitting. Most of the men came out from behind a curtain, so it was possible he was back there having as many drinks as he needed to stand before the crowd like a piece of meat and hopefully not go home with someone who probably had his name carved into her arm. Not once did she raise her paddle, earning a few inquisitive looks from the women around her.

“I’m waiting for someone,” she whispered when the stares wouldn’t stop.

Mr. Blake Matthews of Hammertech sold for a cool forty thousand. Then the room hitched a collective breath as the man of the hour appeared.

“Last, but certainly not least,” said the balding man, “Mr. Tony Stark needs no introduction. Let’s start the bidding off at-”

Every paddle was in the air. So was Angelica Spooner.

“Twenty thousand!”

A few paddles went down, but most were furiously waved. Tony’s eyes locked on Pepper, his smile turning horribly fake as a silently pleaded with her. This brought her back to the reason she was here and she rose to her feet.

“I bid twenty-five thousand,” she said.

Angelica Spooner looked like she wanted leap across the room and tear Pepper apart like a rabid cheetah.

“Thirty thousand,” she cried instead.

“Thirty thousand!” The balding man clapped his hands together. “Very good. Do I hear thirty-five thousand? Thirty-five thousand, anyone?”

“Thirty-five thousand,” a random woman in the audience yelled.

“Forty thousand,” said Angelica.

“Forty-five thousand!”

This was actually getting pretty exciting. Even Tony seemed to be enjoying himself. He flashed Pepper a thumbs up, emboldening her to put an end to this once and for all. The credit card burned through her dress into her skin. Fifty thousand dollars. Even the biggest spenders wouldn’t dare go that far all for one measly dinner date. Indeed, more than three-quarters of the paddles were down and what remained were only half as high as they had been.

Pepper didn’t dare look at Angelica, no matter how weirdly tempted she was to give the woman a smirk.

“Fif-”

“Seventy-five thousand dollars!”

A wave of gasps as Angelica pranced on stage and clung to Tony’s arm, so assured of her victory now that her insane bid was on the table. She whispered something in Tony’s ear. He turned snow white and couldn’t bother to fake smile anymore. Now, he just looked sick.

“Well, we have a real battle royale here tonight,” the balding man cheered. “All right, seventy-five thousand. Do I hear eighty thousand?”

Crickets. Pepper couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. It didn’t matter in the slightest because Tony was her boss and a flirt and about as far from serious boyfriend-husband material one could get outside of convicted felons. Him going on a date with this woman meant nothing to her aside from the legal ramifications if she was as bad as Tony claimed. Otherwise, it was nothing she had any involvement in. Nothing she cared about.

He was just her boss.

But Angelica’s hands on his arm and her lips in his ear…

“No? All right.” The balding man prepared his gavel. “That’s seventy-five thousand dollars going once… going twice… s-”

“ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND!”

It didn’t sound like Pepper’s voice. If she hadn’t felt the vibrations in her throat, she wouldn’t have known it was her at all. Angelica’s eyes bugged out. Tony looked like he’d just seen Jesus. The balding man sputtered and nearly dropped his gavel.

“Wha- you- you can’t-” Pepper kind of liked how presumptuous Angelica had been in going on stage. In the proper lighting, it was now perfectly clear how unpretty she really was.

“That’s it,” a male voice snapped from the audience. Then a middle-aged man stood up. “Angelica, get down here. It’s over.”

“But daddy,” she whined, “you said-”

“I said no more than seventy thousand. No more. Now move. We’re going home.”

It took a few more seconds of pouting and clutching Tony’s arm with her tentacles, but finally, she uncurled herself and stomped off stage, muttering obscenities to herself.

The crowd was silent as father and daughter left the room. He could still be heard yelling at her for embarrassing him even as the balding man cleared his throat and brought the event back to order.

“All right. That was… well, I think it’s safe to say we have a winner! Sold to Virginia Potts for one hundred thousand dollars. Thank you so much, Ms. Potts.”

Pepper waved awkwardly as those daring enough to applaud whistled and whooped for her. She stepped towards the stage where Tony was shaking hands with the balding man. They left after Pepper handed over the card and signed a few papers promising to clean out her bank account to pay for a dinner with her boss. The whole process made her head spin and her stomach churn, even after Tony took the organizers aside and most likely arranged to cover the payment himself.

“Hell of a show there, Potts,” he said while they waited for Hogan to bring the car around.

“Tony, I’m so sorry,” she said, clutching her dress and leaving behind unsightly wrinkles. “I know I was only supposed to bid fifty thousand. I didn’t mean to let it get so out of hand.”

“What are you talking about? You did exactly what I told you to.”

“But you gave me fifty thousand and I ended up bidding twice that.”

“So? I have twelve more cards just like it. Even if I didn’t, I’d give every cent I have and most of my major organs not to go home with Alex Forrest over there.”

“That reminds me,” Pepper looked around but thankfully didn’t see Angelica anywhere. “What was she saying to you?”

Tony shivered as beads of sweat dripped down his face. “Let’s just say I’m really glad I don’t believe in love spells. And that I didn’t drink the wine.”

“Okay then,” Pepper took him by the arm without thinking. “Let’s get a move on.”

“Yes indeed,” Tony took a breath to calm himself down. “How does Monica’s sound to you. Or maybe the Dancing Goose?”

“What’s the Dancing Goose?”

“This little hole in the wall I found one night while bar hopping in college,” Tony said. “It’s a lot ritzier than it sounds and they make amazing crepes. I think it’s a great date location.”

“Are you saying we should actually go on a date?”

Tony shrugged. “I mean, you did spend one hundred thousand dollars on me. Just because I’m paying it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get my money’s worth.”

Pepper tried not to laugh. She really did. “You know there are a few big reasons why you and I can’t date. Reasons which I have listed to you several times already.”

“Yeah, I was thinking we could skip that part and just go for the crepes.” Tony tried to look endearing and innocent with his puppy dog eyes. If Pepper was a giggling fangirl, it would’ve worked like a charm. When she didn’t break, he sighed. “Okay, tell you what, we go for a friendly dinner and talk about work and other boring stuff. So instead of being a couple, we’re just two co-workers chatting over a candlelit dinner on Valentine’s Day. Sound good?”

Part of Pepper wanted to say no, and not at all for the right reasons. “I suppose an impromptu work meeting in a public place followed by returning to our seperate homes at a reasonable hour would be all right.”

Tony slumped a little. “You sound like my junior prom date’s dad.”

“Or I could just go home.”

“No, no, friendly work not-date is fine. I can live with that.”

Happy arrived with the car and honked the horn. He didn’t say a word as they got in the backseat, which Pepper made a note to give him a good tip for. She sat several inches from Tony, nodding along as he sung the Dancing Goose’s praises, interspersed with directions on how to get there for Happy. As they pulled out, Pepper caught sight of Angelica out the rearview mirror. As she stormed down the steps with her father, her heel snapped on the bottom step, sending her plummetting forward. She landed face first in a puddle from the morning’s rainfall, ruining her hair and dress.

Pepper was not someone who took pleasure in other people’s suffering, she really wasn’t, but she couldn’t help the warm fuzzy feeling in her stomach as Angelica struggled to stand with tears running down her face. Nor could she stop herself from ‘accidentally’ laying her hand on Tony’s forearm and squeezing.

[cindylouwho-2]

RECENT NEWS, RESOURCES & STUDIES, December 2019

Welcome to my latest summary of recent news, resources & studies including search, analytics, content marketing, social media & ecommerce! This covers articles I came across since the October report, although some may be older than that.

I am also missing a lot here, but pared it down somewhat to make more readable. The lead up to the holiday shopping season was a lot crazier than I expected 🙃

Given the time of year, please do not expect another report until January. However, I will do brief posts of important news/blog posts in the interim as needed.

There are going to be big changes to this report coming in 2020. Have any suggestions or feedback?  Leave a comment below, email me through my website, or send me a message on Twitter.

TOP NEWS & ARTICLES

You are going to need to add Etsy’s tax ID to customs forms on New Zealand orders as of Dec. 1. Etsy’s ID is: 122-669-18.

FTC issues huge fines for selling fake likes & followers on social media, and for posting fake reviews online. “The [likes and followers] case could pave the way for further legal action on the same grounds, using the Devumi case as precedent. Indeed, shortly after the initial finding by the NY Attorney General, Facebook announced that it was moving ahead with legal action against several providers which it had found to be dealing in fake social media engagement.”

Everyone should read this article, if only to learn what not to do: Using “priming” to convert more buyers/users is a crucial marketing tactic.”Priming works by using associations made in our subconscious, and are almost always unnoticeable to the subject.” Example: “During a study, researchers approached customers in an electronics store, who’d entered to buy a new laptop.Half of the customers were asked what their memory needs were, and the other half were asked what their processor needs were...The group who were asked about memory, bought computers with higher memory and the group who were asked about processor speed, bought computers with much higher processor speeds.”

Etsy removed the word “Bugs” from the Bugs forum, & admits they will only will be monitoring it from 9-5 Etsy time (ET) Monday to Friday. They won’t be replying, but expect “hundreds of sellers” to do that job for them, unpaid. If you have an issue, you will now need to email through the Contact page, use the new 24 hour live chat, or phone them. [Note the parts they aren’t mentioning - Support is taking over a week to reply to emails right now, live chat will only be able to help with the simplest of questions (e.g., how do I change my email address?) & it is possible to spend over an hour on hold when you phone. You could spend quite a bit of money on long distance fees, especially if you are in a country that doesn’t have its own phone number, all for something you used to be able to get for free in the forum, sometimes on the same day. This is Etsy’s definition of “major improvements”.]

Check out this proposed US legislation, which wants large internet companies [yes, Etsy fits their definition] to reveal their algorithms & offer visitors a version with no “filter bubble.” You might not like Etsy search now, but I can guarantee it would become impossible if they removed all of the algorithm factors. [This editorial is a bit over the top, but does cover some of the key questions.]

ETSY NEWS

Items have been disappearing from a small number of Etsy searches since July, & Etsy still won’t tell us what is going on. If you discover you are affected, please let me know.

There have been a few threads on Etsy sending threatening emails about shops being below Etsy’s customer service expectations, often for just a few bad feedbacks or cases, which has shocked many long time sellers (even though they have been sending them for years; it appears they have decreased the number of “problems” you need to have to get an email.) Without announcing anything, Etsy released a page of “seller service level standards” that can help explain what they are looking for, namely cases & 1-2 star reviews, as well as the exact formula they use. I started a discussion thread here, & in case Etsy deletes comments in the thread, here is the dashboard showing your score. (Some people cannot make that link work; Etsy says only shops that received a warning can see it.) My blog post is here.

I summarized the 3rd quarter report here, and Etsy summarized it here. The stock market is not happy with management at the moment, with Morgan Stanley this past week stating that they expected Etsy’s 4th quarter to be worse than originally predicted, due to state sales tax laws and Etsy’s reduction in its Google Shopping ad buying. Note Etsy removed the “priority placement” for US free shipping about a week after the 3rd Q report, without any announcement, probably due to the blowback about it reducing first page conversions. (They didn’t announce anything; it just disappeared.)

Cyber Week traffic on Etsy was more than double what they saw on the average summer day.

They did a Q & A thread on the new stats, which wasn’t particularly useful. They admitted they intentionally removed the keyword & other data prior to November 2017 because “older data periods are less comparable to current stats”. [I believe that is code for “we’re too cheap to pay for the storage; investors need their payouts.”] They did finally add YOY comparisons back in a few weeks ago.

Etsy has again changed a few category & attribute options, including more baby stuff.

They did a holiday gift shopping promotion where people could call Etsy & get suggestions for gifts on Nov. 5. All gifts shipped free, so non-free shipping shops were not included. “It could also be a case study for personalization efforts to come from the long-running handmade marketplace.”

You’ve probably already noticed that Convos are now called Messages, but here is the announcement with the details just in case.

Etsy ran an Etsy search critique thread on November 13; the thread wasn't particularly useful, as almost all the staff who do the critiques aren’t experts in search. Basically, they say to use all of your tags, avoid repeating words in tags & titles, have 3-4 short phrases in your title, use commas in your titles (”Buyer research shows that using commas instead of dashes helps titles appear more clean and readable”), offer free shipping, and use all of your photos. The big takeaway for me was - they think we all have unlimited photography budgets, models, and time to do different modelled photos for every listing (including at the beach! LOL), photos of each of our different pieces in progress, photos of us working, & photos of each type of packaging. Needless to say, none of those things are bad if you have gobs of time or the money to pay someone to do all of that. But if you are like me and are a one-person business, live in a small condo, don’t have the strength to take photos all day, don’t have an abundance of people to model when I am taking photos (i.e., people I know have real jobs & aren’t around when I work on photos), and don’t have anyone to take photos of me making things, then this is pretty laughable. I wouldn't even consider doing all of this for my 5 best selling listings, never mind all 430+. YMMV. [The repeated mentions of process photos makes me worry they will be requiring those for everyone at some point …but I am sure I am just being paranoid.] One notable error was telling someone to use “color” (the US spelling) instead of “colour” (the proper English spelling) because the shop’s language settings were US English - Etsy currently treats these both the same, so there is no issue at the moment. Are they trying to give us a hint about something?

SEO: GOOGLE & OTHER SEARCH ENGINES

Introducing BERT: Google’s new technology to help organic search process natural language better. This isn’t likely a change you can optimize for, but it should help searchers get more relevant results for complicated queries. “Here is an example of Google showing a more relevant featured snippet for the query “Parking on a hill with no curb”. In the past, a query like this would confuse Google’s systems. Google said, “We placed too much importance on the word “curb” and ignored the word “no”, not understanding how critical that word was to appropriately responding to this query. So we’d return results for parking on a hill with a curb.” Moz’s Whiteborad Friday covered the basics. [warning - some bits are advanced. Just skip those if you need to.] A study said BERT still isn’t very good at understanding “not” and other negatives. The NY Times may be one of the sites that is affected.

If you were disappointed when keyword research tool Keywords Everywhere became a paid tool, a new alternative has been released. Note that Keyword Surfer is still in beta. I’m going to try it for a bit and write up a short report if I think it is worth using. (The traffic estimates are way off, as in almost 10 times too low, for the sites I have info on.)  If you try it, let me know what you think!

While we are on the topic, here’s 13 keyword research errors you don’t want to make. Short takeaways - not every high volume keyword phrase will work for your specific product, don't ignore long tail, and make sure you look at the search results for any keyword before you decide to use it.

Here’s another keyword and topic research tool that compiles questions people search along with a relationship tree so you can see how ideas are connected.

More common SEO problems with ecommerce sites.

If you code your own website, check out the new Google instructions on writing your organic search snippets. Note this is supposedly only about display & not about ranking.

Improve your Instagram traffic with 8 SEO tips for your profile and posts.

Which is better for SEO - Squarespace or WordPress? The results are likely skewed by the fact that “platforms like Wix and Squarespace tend to attract less SEO-savvy people than WordPress.” They agree with what I have been saying for a while: if you know what you're doing, Squarespace sites can rank just fine.

Excellent tips on how good SEO also helps you comply with US disability access laws.

The latest on Google updates - there was apparently one around November 7. This one may have hit affiliate websites more than other types.

The Wall Street Journal wrote an article claiming Google manipulated search results to favour its interests & those of its advertisers, including eBay. [The original article is behind a paywall; the link is in that news coverage.] However, many in the SEO community - most of whom are not usually reluctant to criticize Google when they are behaving poorly - feel the article is way off base, & demonstrates a fundamental lack of knowledge of how Google works. Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Land & Search Engine Roundtable even did interviews with t WSJ staff for the article, and was amazed at how much they got wrong. “Even a basic understanding of the difference between organic listings (the free search results) and the paid listings (the ads in the search results) eluded them…[Glenn] Gabe told us that not only were his conversations with the paper off-the-record but also that he was misquoted”

CONTENT MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA (includes blogging & emails)

Here’s something I don’t see discussed much: using templates (& other consistent branding) in your social media, blog and website posts.

Content hubs are a very useful way to increase your search engine traffic for a core topic while providing a landing page for social media, ads etc.

Good primer here for beginning social media marketing for your business. You’ll need to do more research depending on your target market and what platform/s you choose, but it is definitely a good overview of getting started.

If you think influencer marketing is right for your business, here are 10 places you can find influencers to work with.

Your email subject lines can change the open rates; here are 19 tips to make them more clickable.

Instagram started testing hiding “likes” on posts in the US as of November 11th, & then announced plans to try it out globally. A study on previous tests showed that there may be some effect on influencer engagement.

Facebook has introduced its own payment system, currently in the US only, for limited situations only at the moment.

Reddit is an often overlooked social media platform to use for business but the traffic is strong, so check out these tips on asking it work for your business. [infographic]

ONLINE ADVERTISING (SEARCH ENGINES, SOCIAL MEDIA, & OTHERS)

Pay for online ads (outside of Etsy) but don’t know what negative keywords are? Here’s how to use them with Google.

Hubspot continues their massive rush of “ultimate guides” with everything you wanted to know about Amazon ads.

Facebook now allows you to have different text in the same ads, which can be adjusted for different groups of users.

Amazon is predicted to continue cutting into Google’s online ad dominance through 2021; Google currently has 73% of money spent on online ads in the US.

If you are interested in long term brand building in your advertising, you might be interested in this article, where Adidas admits it was ignoring brand ads & pushing instant returns for too long.

Just in time for the holidays, Google Merchant Center rolled out a bunch of upgrades.

Buying TV ad time is losing popularity; it will be less than 25% of all advertising spend in just a few years, while digital spending is now over 50%.

STATS, DATA, OTHER TRACKING

Facebook changed how they count page impressions.

Everything you want to know about the Google Search Console. Oh, and also everything you want to know about the Google Search Console. Which one do you like best? [If you have your own website or freestanding blog and are not using the Console, you probably should be reading both of those. Seriously, just set the darn thing up, then learn how to use it later.]

Also, the Console now features a speed report, and has changed how they send you messages.

ECOMMERCE NEWS, IDEAS, TRENDS

Trend alert: many struggling or failed retailers sell clothing. “This sector is saturated with supply and is arguably over-stored.” … “For younger shoppers, as they choose which apparel brands do get their attention, sustainability and other cultural issues are often at the forefront.”

US sellers can now get discounted UPS rates through Shippo.

A bug is keeping suspended Amazon sellers from being reinstated.

BUSINESS & CONSUMER STUDIES, STATS & REPORTS; SOCIOLOGY & PSYCHOLOGY, CUSTOMER SERVICE

Don’t use these common customer service lines. ...“there are studies that support the use of positive language in customer service. Instead of focusing on what you can’t do for a customer, focus on what you can do. No one likes to be told no.”

Another article on the psychology of colour; beware that some of this is a bit simplistic, as there are always exceptions.

Holiday shopping will push further into December this year, with half starting around Cyber Monday (Dec. 2). 62% of “high spenders” (over $2100 spent on the holidays) will shop on their smart phones. 25% of respondents to this survey said they already started shopping in September. It turns out most people want gift cards, among other stats. Nearly half of US shoppers are more likely to shop with companies that are socially responsible. Mobile shopping is expected to beat desktop shopping for the first time this season. And yes, most Americans expect to add to their credit card debt before January, men more than women.

US retail sales fell 0.3% in September; online sales fell the same amount.  

MISCELLANEOUS (including humour)

Trend alert - apparently Generation Z is not big on makeup, and it is affecting large companies’ profits.

Google’s co-founders hand the parent company Alphabet over to the current CEO. They still work for Google and will focus most of their time there.

Google Webmaster spokesperson John Mueller tackles the controversial question - is a hot dog a sandwich? [humour]

[douchebagbrainwaves]

OK, I'LL TELL YOU YOU ABOUT COLLEGES

There's no concept of office hours in most startups. There's a lot of different cafes, but there are signs it might be helpful to be in New York or LA. He said We'd hire 30 tomorrow morning. Colleges differ, but they're nothing like the stamp of destiny so many imagine them to be exceptional. So you shouldn't do it if you're not ready for commitments on that scale, it costs nothing to fix. Life in a zoo is easier, but it won't be if things change as much in the next 50 years as they did in the last few decades US universities seem to have such a bad time. I used to write papers for my friends. Another from that batch was Loopt, which is one of those things that seem obvious in retrospect. It was quite interesting to write a paper for a class I wasn't taking. This is what real productivity looks like. Back when he was a kid in the seventies, a doctor was the thing to be. 82347786 This time the evidence is a mix of stuff from the headers and from the message body, which is typical of spam is that every one of these can destroy you overnight.

But because the buildings were built at different times by different people, the stronger evidence they probably are of what you should do is start one. Intriguingly, this implication isn't limited to books. When I was a kid trying to break into computers, what worried him most was the idea of going on the medical equivalent of what lawyers call a fishing expedition, where you sit passively and watch as a plot happens. It seemed curious that the same task could be painful to one person and pleasant to another, but I have never had to talk. Anything deleted as spam goes into the nonspam corpus. Thanks to Sam Altman, however, is an outlying data point. They need to work at something that pays the bills. Next I create a third hash table, this time mapping each token to the probability that the mail is spam. If you want to convince yourself, or someone else, that you are doing a lot of them. I'm so determined that I can't imagine what's going on in the heads of people who can work for salary at 1000-person companies.

In almost everything, reward is proportionate to risk. The striking thing about this phase is that it's harder for them to make it look fast. And that's why startups thrive in startup hubs they understand it. Structurally it is to an ordinary university what suburbia is to a city. You should be able to reproduce this at most colleges if you make a conscious effort to find smart friends. Intel can no longer give us faster CPUs, just more of them to solve a given problem. It is just as well, and with it growth. Over and over, I've seen startups we've funded told us later that they only decided to apply at the last moment. How much do we have to do, at least for programmers.

If they'd had to grow the company gradually, by iterating through several versions they sold to real users, they'd have only fear of loss. The url is in such cases practically enough by itself to determine whether the email is neutral, the spam of the future, it will at least show other organizations what to aim for. Don't say, for example. People are all over this idea lately, and I get an uneasy feeling when I look at my bookshelves. If an adult says that's a stupid idea, a kid will either crawl away with his tail between his legs, or rebel. Actually this tradition is not much more than a Bayesian combination of the spam probabilities of individual words. Back in the days of fanfold, there was a type of programmer who would only put five or ten lines of code on a page, preceded by twenty lines of elaborately formatted comments. It's a smart move to put a startup in a place where there was infrastructure for startups, accumulated knowledge about how to make them excessively conservative. Technology will increasingly make it possible to relive our experiences. The most powerful form of disagreement, we give critical readers a pin for popping such balloons.

Nor is there anything wrong with that. People buying technology for large organizations. Startups aren't interesting just because they're a way to reinforce what you learned in that chapter. I advised graduating seniors to work for Microsoft, you can always make money from it. If there's something wrong with the senator's argument, you should not merely ignore their objections, but push aggressively in that direction. Founders tell themselves they need to without anyone telling them. 047225013 standardization 0. Contradiction. There have only been a handful of the most egregious spam indicators. I realize this kind of controversy is a sign of a good idea. I asked more to see how he'd qualify it.

When only 1. Maybe mostly in one hub. Dealing with immigration problems is like raising money: for some reason it seems to consume all your attention. If you write the laws very carefully, that is. Cancer will show up on some sort of radar screen immediately. If a mail triggers this second level of testing designed specifically to avoid false positives. I was even more convinced of it after hearing it confirmed by Hilbert. But you may have to like debugging to like programming, considering the degree to which programming consists of it. This argument applies proportionately. Redwoods mean those are the parts where the fog off the coast comes in at night; redwoods condense rain out of fog. Each person should just do what they need to hire in order to be successful.

Naive founders think that if checksum-based spam filtering becomes a serious obstacle, the spammers will just switch to mad-lib techniques for generating message bodies. I had a thought so heretical that it really surprised me. I like. So if you're ready to clip on that ID badge and go to that orientation session, you may be better to get selected than applicants not of type x have to be good at math to write Mathematica. Suppose you wanted to get rid of economic inequality. At first it may seem cool to get paid for doing easy stuff, after paying to do hard stuff in college. VCs weren't allowed to get rich. Eventually we may be able to avoid the fatal pinch. We currently fund about 40 companies a year, selected from about 900 applications representing a total of about 2000 people.

[itslmdee]

Fic: When Fans Collide

Mira meets a fellow female fan with a secret at a convention.For the allbingo meet-ugly prompt "we have been chatting online for three years and today I learned your profile picture isn't you"

Mira loved going to conventions and meeting other fans, buying merchandise, attending the celebrity panels, and joining in with the amazing cosplay; those who liked to dress up as a favourite character could get very inventive with their costumes.

Mira had chosen to dress as Domino from "Deadpool 2" this year, having previously cosplayed as characters including Wonder Woman, Zoë from "Firefly" and, last year, Valkyrie from "Thor: Ragnarok". She hadn't gone so far as to add a contact lens as another Dominio cosplayer she'd met at the registration desk had, but she'd carefully applied the white makeup around one eye and fluffed up her hair.

She'd hoped to meet her online friend of three years, and fellow fan, Erica, but at the last minute Erica had said she wouldn't be able to make it this time, adding a sad emoji to her instant message. Erica hadn't been to a fan convention before and was anxious about it, so Mira wondered if it was nerves that led her to back out.

"I'll take lots of photos for you," Mira had promised. She already had several of the building and a couple with some fans, including the other Dominio, who had gushed over Mira's elbow-length fingerless leather gloves as more authentic than her own.

Mira browsed some of the stalls full of comics, signed photos, Funko Pops and other figurines, Blu-Ray box sets, and more. She'd got some money saved up especially to splurge on merchandise.

"Sorry," someone said as they bumped into her. Mira looked up at the woman who was wearing a "Burr shot first" T-shirt and a beautiful dragon necklace.

"No problem. I love the shirt," Mira said. "Both "Hamilton" and "Star Wars", what's not to love? My friend Erica has the same one." Erica had proudly photographed the shirt laid out on her bed being admired by a plush Pikachu.

The woman paled a little. "Thanks," she mumbled and walked away.

Mira was surprised by the reaction but didn't take offence. People could get nervous around strangers, especially if they felt intimidated by the crowded halls. She continued browsing.

Several stalls later Mira had only purchased a couple of keyrings though she'd seen a lot of things she'd like. She'd probably buy more things tomorrow once she'd seen everything on offer, and had her eye on a "Stargate: Atlantis" print and a colour-changing "Supernatural" mug.

Stopping for a coffee, Mira spotted the Hamilton fan again, huddled in one corner and glancing at the convention leaflet and then at the room as if lost. She wandered over slowly, giving a wide smile.

"Hi," Mira said. "This your first time here? It's a bit overwhelming when you first get here but most people are really friendly and you'll have a great time."

The woman nodded, one hand moving to fondle her necklace.

"That's a great piece," Mira said, "I'm Mira."

The woman nodded again. "I know."

That was unexpected. Mira glanced down at her ID badge; it was readable close-up but the woman must have good eyesight to have seen it from this distance.

"I'm sorry," the woman said and launched into a ramble. "I'm so ashamed. I kind of hoped I'd see you here, but I said I couldn't come because then you'd know what a liar I am, and so I said I wouldn't come and then I got here, and it's so crowded and you know I don't like crowds, and I regret everything right now and I'm sorry."

Mira blinked a few times, taking all this in. "Erica?" she asked when the woman finally stopped for a much needed breath. It was the only thing that made sense except the woman didn't look like Erica's profile picture. She leaned in and peered at the woman's badge. Erica Staywell. Her friend.

"Yes. You look amazing," Erica said. "Just like the pictures you showed me when you were preparing your costume. And I look…" She gestured vaguely.

"You look a little different to your profile picture," Mira agreed. Her own pic showed her dressed as Princess Tiana from when she and some of her friends had all dressed as Disney Prince and Princesses for a Halloween party.

"That's because that's not me," Erica said miserably. "It's a picture I found on a stock photo website. I was making a vision board to inspire me and I chose her because she's younger, thinner, prettier than me. I put her as my avatar because that's what I wanted to look like, that's how I wanted to feel, happy like she looks in that picture. It makes me feel good to look at her when I post online."

That was understandable, but Erica wasn't finished. Before Mira could ask why she'd never mentioned the photo was inspirational rather than based in reality, Erica explained. "We'd only been talking for a while when you said something nice about me and I didn't want to admit I didn't look like that; I'd just lost my job and was feeling miserable enough without having to show you how I really looked."

Mira stared at her, aghast. They'd still been getting to know each other then but she remembered Erica getting made redundant and how it had in fact brought them closer with Mira sending her gifs to cheer her up when she was low, letting Erica vent about the struggle of hunting for a job, and being thrilled when Erica got her new job which turned out to be better in every respect than her old one. They'd even talked a bit about the vision board which had at first seemed to fail Erica by letting redundancy occur before delivering the better pay and flexible hours she'd been asking the Universe for.

Now she understood why none of the photos Erica had shared in the last three years had shown her face.

"Oh, Erica," Mira said with sympathy. She was still reconciling this woman with her friend – and since they'd only ever communicated via text, no doubt Erica was getting used to hearing Mira's voice too. Meeting someone in person was always an interesting experience. "I would have understood."

Erica shook her head. "The longer it went on it just seemed like this huge thing that I'd have to tell you and I was embarrassed."

"Enough that you'd come to the convention alone?" Mira had already planned her trip and booked a single room since it was a longer distance for her to travel and she wanted to attend both days, Erica only initially agreeing to come for one day because she could get the train from her hometown to the hotel where she could meet up with Mira.

"I almost didn't come but I'd paid for the ticket," Erica said, blinking away tears. "I'm an idiot."

"Yes," Mira said because they'd become close enough for her to tease. "You're an idiot for thinking I'd care what you looked like. Which is amazing by the way."

Erica shook her head again and Mira pulled her into a hug.

"Look, of all the people here we found each other," Mira said, releasing Erica. "We have the rest of the day to enjoy the convention together. It's going to be so much fun."

"Okay," Erica said, summoning up a smile and wiping her eyes. "I'd like that."

"And I got you something so this will save me mailing it," Mira said, rummaging in her bag. She held out one of the keyrings.

Erica took the Lego Loki keyring, eyes wide with surprise. "Oh, thank you!"

"I've got Lego Wonder Woman," Mira said with a grin. "So, do you fancy the "Lord of the Rings" panel? It starts in ten minutes."

Erica clipped Loki to her handbag. "I'd love that."

They walked, arm in arm, to find a seat.

[vicccwrites]

The 9Spies Heist

Part 4 - Previous Part / Masterlist

(A/N: It’s been a really long time since I’ve touched this series?? BUT IT’S BACK!! It was a bit weird to write a chapter of a series - instead of a stand-alone scenario - but I hope you’re as excited for this as I am! Enjoy~)

    “You will all have a month for your first mission,” Zhang Yixing’s voice filtered through the high-tech stereo system of the TV set. 9 pairs of eyes were all concentrated on their boss’ face, not wanting to miss a single detail of their very first assignment. The tension was palpable – none of them knew what to expect.

    “Onto the specifics. Our main rival agency – SM Spy Academy – is currently storing a majority of their profits in iQiYi Bank. I trust that you’ve all heard of the impeccable security system the bank supposedly has in place, and I also don’t doubt the diligence of that protection. SM doesn’t take chances with these things,” Yixing paused, a contemplative expression on his handsome features, before he continued, “Break through into the central vault – SM’s vault – which is housed underneath the main bank, and take their profits from right under their noses.

    “Use whatever resources you want – other agents, labs, databases, the like. They’re there for a reason. Your one month starts tomorrow. Make me proud, Nine Percent. Make. Me. Proud.”

    With that, Zhang PD cut off the video conference, returning the screen to the previously paused game of Mario Kart. The cheerfully familiar soundtrack played in the silence of the room, each of the boys lost in thought about the call that had just ended.

    Calling the mission big would have been an understatement. It was huge. iQiYi had a worldwide reputation, and previous attempts to break the security system had failed miserably, even by the most established of teams. To ask Nine Percent, a rookie team, to hack it as their first mission? That was just insane. Some would even argue that it was borderline suicidal.

    Despite that fact, however, the sheer scale of the task ahead of him filled Linong with a sense of burning determination. He had to prove to everyone, especially to himself, that he belonged here in 9Spies. That he could contribute, and that he could carry his weight among the best of the best. If he was given the opportunity to be a part of the team that finally took down iQiYi’s unbreakable security system, then he would be damned if they walked out of this mission with anything less than every penny in that central vault.

    The central vault, which also just so happened to be the main cause of a lot of his problems at that moment. Although iQiYi in itself had a formidable reputation, he knew the central vault stood in a world of its own. Linong had heard countless myths about that very vault – from its alleged iris scanners to chip IDs implanted into the wrists of trusted employee’s wrists. He hoped they wouldn’t hold true, though. Things would get a lot messier if they would have to kidnap someone to gain access. 

    Of course, that was granted they could even get into the main hallways of the bank – beyond the tellers and the lines of people waiting for a withdrawal. Which brought even more questions to the forefront of his mind…

    “Why can’t we just break into the other parts of the bank? They’re bound to have way more money than just SM’s. Plus, the security won’t be nearly as tight as it will be in the central vault.” He asked, breaking the tense atmosphere among the group of spies.

    “Nongnong’s got a point. Wouldn’t that be much easier, not to mention more profitable? It’s a large establishment.” Zhengting agreed, along with a good majority of the others, who were also nodding along. The team lapsed into silence again, deep in thought as to why their boss would send them on such a roundabout mission.

    “Feel free to correct me if I’m mistaken… but didn’t Yixing PD use to work for SM? Maybe this his way of getting revenge. There are a lot of questionable rumors about why he left and started 9Spies. Not to mention that he would also be taking out some of the toughest competition. Spy agencies need a lot of cash to stay afloat, after all,” Xukun pointed out. Well, that made sense. Personal vendettas tended to cloud judgement sometimes. Or maybe there an ulterior motive behind it all? It didn’t matter much anyway, they already had their mission. They just had to carry it out.

    “Right. Well, even though the time doesn’t technically start until tomorrow, we should still get a head start on it. Linong and Zhangjing – you’ll lead the research. Search through the databases and grab anything you can get your hands on about the bank. Blueprints, camera locations, security specifics; the more information we have, the better. We’ll need to know the whole building like the back of our hand if we want any chance of succeeding here.

    “Yanjun, Zhengting and I will scope out the surroundings and accessible interior of the location. It’ll be good to figure out where our escape routes are, and we can use that knowledge to double check the integrity of the blueprints we find.

    “Lastly – the other 4 of you are on demo. Go wild and build us some smoke bombs and those camera blockers that Linkai is so fond of. I would rather we not blow the building or our cover to smithereens, but you can never be too sure of what we’ll need. I’d rather have too many bombs than not enough. From some of the rumors I’ve heard, the central vault might as well be able to survive a nuclear blast, so we’d better bring a bunch.

    “Let’s trick our way in if we can, but this is iQiYi – not to mention SM – that we’re dealing with here. If things end up going south, we can always blow shit up and run for it, cool? It’s a wonder that SM even has any money left to stash into the vault after paying the no doubt hefty sum it probably cost to rent it in the first place, but let’s drain that vault dry!” Xukun analysed, to the cheers of the others.

    Linong had known from his previous actions that Xukun had the charisma to take charge in situations, but it was clearer than ever after his spiel why he was chosen as leader. If he had half as much walk as he did talk, their team might actually stand a chance against the seemingly impenetrable security system iQiYi boasted after all.

    With that, the team split up and went back to their previous activities. Ziyi and Zhengting headed into the mini kitchenette (which Linong had just noticed), presumably to whip up something light for lunch; Yanjun and Xukun left the common room for who knows where in this godforsaken maze of a building, and the kiddos barring him resumed their previous game of Mario Kart. Zhangjing led Linong over to his wall of computers, and the duo started their job of digging for information on iQiYi’s security. Considering the whole team had just been given a huge mission, the dorms were looking… strangely normal?

    Seeing everyone hang out so nonchalantly, so domestically, brought a smile to Linong’s face. They were like a small family. A family that he was now a part of, despite having met them just over an hour ago. They were in this as a group, for better or for worse.

    “Hold up,” Linong blurted, something just having clicked in his mind, “What about my stuff? It’s all still at my place. And what am I going to do about school? I still have a couple weeks before I graduate…”

    “I have time if you want to pick some stuff up,” Zhangjing offered. Linong felt a sudden surge of gratitude toward the elder. What had he done to deserve such awesome groupmates?

    “And don’t worry about school. You’re a senior, right? Zhang PD’s probably taken care of it – you’ll just have to show up for the graduation ceremony. You don’t have to think about it, at any rate. So? Should we take the jeep this time? There’s no need to freak your neighbors out even more by showing up in the limo for the second time today.”

    As Zhangjing talked, he led Linong through the building and to the garage where he had parked the limousine earlier. This time, however, they climbed into a nondescript grey van instead of the sleek vehicle from that morning. The neighbors would have definitely gotten suspicious if they saw him getting in and out of a limo. He didn’t exactly have that kind of money. They filled the ride with more small talk, and the elder waited in the car as Linong headed into his house to throw some stuff into a ratty old suitcase he found at the back of his closet.

    Figuring he could always buy more clothes in the future; or possibly even steal some from his new teammates, he grabbed the essentials and left the rest. He would find time eventually to come back for everything else. Snagging his beat-up laptop for nostalgia’s sake, he bid his room of the past 17 years goodbye and clambered back into the jeep, ready to start the next chapter of his life in earnest.  

[supersagehabesha]

TRON (TRX)

What is a SMART CONTRACT SUPER SAGE on TRON (TRX)?

Registration link https://supersage.io/n/5249596f

The best smart contract and the most profitable on the TRON blockchain

THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE LIFE,

 JOIN WITH (500TRX + 5TRX = 505TRX)

 100% the best and fastest growing MATRIX plan

 SUPERSAGE TRON (very low network fee 3-8 TRX.

WHY JOIN SUPERSAGE!?

1. Fully decentralized platform

2. 100% Safe and secure

3. Risk free

4. Peer to peer Transaction

5. 100% Transparency

6. payment deposited direct to your TRON wallet

 No admin No Owner

 No company No Third party involved

 No chance of scam and shutdown

 No withdrawal request, Tron payment credited direct to your own Tronwallet

NOTE That

 THIS is not a get rich quick scheme

 Not a pay per click

 Not a news reading site

 It is a Smart Contract

 Being a smart contract, it cannot be hacked, changed or manipulated.

 It runs on its own without the help of an administrator.

 You don’t request payment, it enters into your wallet automatically.

 You earn when you refer

 You also earn when you don’t refer

 You earn when your upline invites

 You earn when you downlines invites

 You earn when your downlines upgrade

This is the first ever 100 decentralized matrix

Join today and earn daily TRON

Our team made decisions to update our super bot, we did it and now our bot has become faster and better

How to register on SuperSage

1. Please download Tronwallet App from google play store

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tronwallet2

2. Create a new wallet, write down your 12 word seed and keep it safe.

3. Fund wallet with a minimum of 510trx. You can fund more if you want to open many levels.

4. Copy the referral link sent to you by your upline.. Team link (if someone invited you in, ask them for their link) https://supersage.io/n/5249596f And open your TRON wallet

5. Click on browser and paste on the search space (the icon located at the down left corner of your screen. Looks like a ball)

6. Click on Register

7. Click On “Yes, Proceed” if you are sure the displayed ID is your upline’s ID. My is 39751

8. Click on confirm.

It will process and open your office showing your new ID. You are Welcome to join our team at Supersage.

It’s a pleasure to have you here and to share an opportunity that I have benefited and will continue to benefit from it.

It is my desire that at the end, those of you who will take action immediately will live your legend and show gratitude to God for an opportunity presented to you on a platter of gold.

My name is Romodan Osman. I am a “crypto-enthusiast”. My interest in crypto currencies was the eye opener I needed to live my dream life.

I encourage you to follow up with my presentation as I reveal deep and valuable secrets to you.

WHAT IS TRON?

TRON is a Blockchain-based decentralized operating system based on a cryptocurrency native to the system, known as TRX.

TRON (TRX) is an open source currency, public, blockchain-based distributed computing platform and operating system featuring smart contract functionality, It is one of the most valuable Cryptocurrency, just right behind bitcoin & ethereum.

TRON can also be converted to cash easily, hence its a digital currency which can be converted to Birr or DOLLARS or POUND STERLING so convenient.

TRON (TRX) was founded in 2017 by Justin Sun through a Singapore-based non-profit called the Tron Foundation. The Tron Foundation’s 2017 initial coin offering (ICO) created 100 billion TRX and raised a total of $70 million.

Tron is a crypto currency currently worth about 0.025$.

What are Crypto currencies?

Crypto currencies are digital or virtual currencies that has the value of money. Cryptocurrencies can be bought and stored in wallets same way we keep our money in the bank.

These wallets can be linked up with your actual bank account in case you desire to convert and withdraw your cryptocurrency in form of regular money.

You can also sell your Cryptocurrencies to people that want to buy and they will pay for it in regular money.

There are several ways to add value to your crypto currency of choice.

 You could trade on currency for another.

 By purchasing a coin when its value drops/dips and selling when it rises.

 By investing your coins in profitable smart contract (Ethereum or Tron based contract)..

The best and the easiest way to accumulate a lot of TRON not just hundreds of tron rather thousands/millions of tron is by joining a decentralized smart contract business.

The smart contract business I’d advice you guys to join is SUPERSAGE.

HOW SUPERSAGE WORKS AND HOW TO ACCUMULATE TRON ON IT.

WHAT IS SUPERSAGE ABOUT?

SUPERSAGE is a smart contract and a global business which is housed on TRON block chain where earnings (TRX) are paid directly into members wallet without a single admin controlling it, hence its 100% decentralized and can’t be Manipulated by anyone. 500 TRX is required to register for Supersage share smart contract including Maximum gas / network fee of 5 TRX, total of 505 TRX to run its registration.

Supersage has two (2) package integrated into one smart contract which has 14 levels in each package:

 S3 PACKAGE

 S4 PACKAGE

They both packages will open automatically once you’ve register.

The S3 Package is where all your personal referrals are placed and earnings are from your direct referrals!

• There are 3 slots for each level under S3 package. The first two slot earnings goes directly to your wallet! The 3rd slot earned will go to your upline, and this will reopen your matrix (re-investment) to earn over and over again. The more you refer the more you earn on this section. You earn 250 TRX worth per referral and you can also be earning from your downline’s downlines.

• You only have to pay one time to open a level, but you can earn forever! With our automatic reopen feature you will continue to earn commissions payments as you refer new members.

The S4 package is where teamwork starts to happen! With the dynamic follow me matrix allows you to truly work as a team!

• In the S4, there are six slots. The first 2 slot earnings in your matrix go to your upline, the 3rd, 4th, and 5th earnings are paid directly and instantly to your wallet!

• The 6th slot goes to your upline and reopens your matrix, so you can continue to earn.

• In S4 matrix you earn without a single referral through spillovers and Overflows.

How you can make money if you invest in Super Sage Tron smart Contract

You make money on this platform through 5 Categorized ways:

1. Team Spillovers

These are amount you can get from anyone on the team randomly.

Spillovers: are bonuses that comes from an upline or downline that has gotten more than enough bonus for that level the system rewards others on that level from his/her upline excess bonuses.

2. Overflows

These are direct bonuses from the system from a hard working upline to his downlines for been part of the community.

3. System spillover

These are amount you get from the system... Na free money be this, weather you work or not.

4. Upline

The owner of the Link you register with is your upline. You earn as his downlines when his slots are filled..

5. Downlines

Anybody that register with your link is your downline, you earn their registration fee as their upline.

So tell me why u won’t join Super Sage TRON? Earning without referral is 100% sure.

NOW THIS IS HOW TO WITHDRAW YOUR TRON CRYPTO CURRENCY TO BANK

 You can sell your tron to me to get cash

 On Tronwallet, you can swap your tron to get Ethereum/Bitcoin then withdraw through busha or luno.

 You can also withdraw your tron directly to your local bank.

Are you interested. Do you want to accumulate tron currency before it hits 1$. Now, download Tronwallet app from playstore or applestore and message me. Remember, our main aim is to accumulate a lot of trons in bags before it hit 1$-5$. Some Crypto experts predicted that tron would hit 1$-4$ before the ending of 2020 don’t sleep on this.

SUPERSAGE is a blockchain-based marketing platform. What does it mean? That it is a kind of social network for business, where the user’s income depends not only on his personal investment, but also on his active interaction with other users, including participants-to-be.

There are people out there who have a negative attitude towards MLM (multilevel marketing) projects. We’d like to point out that SUPERSAGE is essentially different from other marketing structures. The platform operates on the blockchain, using a smart contract, and each operation is completely transparent. This immediately sweeps aside those disadvantages of MLM structures which are usually mentioned, like the unjust enrichment of the creators. With SUPERSAGE, users have equal rights and opportunities. Let’s consider the advantages of participating in such a structure.

Minimum entry threshold

Users don’t need any significant start-up capital here. Anyone can start developing their personal business on the matrix platform. This is a fundamental difference from starting a business in real life, which only 5% of people can afford. Moreover, there is a 100% guarantee that you will not lose your funds. The human factor is completely excluded, the smart contract works efficiently and transparently no matter what.

Freedom of action

With a marketing platform like SUPERSAGE, you and only you plan your actions, set the terms and goals that are comfortable for you. There are no strict deadlines or bosses breathing down your neck. However, we advise you to be aware that your income depends only on you. This motivates and gives an incentive to be proactive and look for solutions that are beneficial not only for you, but for the entire community.

Process automation

A decentralized Internet system unlocks a great number of modern tools and methods for building a business. You don’t have to deal with routine actions like partner accounting or income calculation. The tools are intuitive, most of the necessary operations can be done in a couple of clicks. Business management does not take much time, you can do it whenever you like.

Risk minimization

We already mentioned the risks of fund loss or theft – they are eliminated due to the transparency of the smart contract. One more advantage comes with a low entry threshold. It is true that for a minimum investment you get access to a full-fledged business school and can further develop your structure in the most effective ways. In SUPERSAGE, everyone has equal rights, and it is technically impossible to exclude someone from the system, leaving them jilted. The work is carried out anonymously, no one will ask for your personal data or other confidential information.

Personal growth

An integral part of success on a matrix-type platform is self-development and continuous learning. You can come with zero knowledge and receive a full range of skills from experts and mentors, and then build your own income matrix.

Multilevel marketing as a phenomenon has been working great since 1945. Its methods are time-tested and effective. But more importantly, in combination with the cutting-edge technology of SUPERSAGE, it acquires a new dimension. MLM becomes transparent, easy-to-use and accessible to everyone. Beginners get guaranteed training and profit.

[wwoofcsa]

undefined

My weekend with pet

During my week with karla, i noticed (because it was pretty obvious) that i couldnt stop talking to petrina. We were like teenagers, messaging back and forth all day, day dreaming of one another and sharing everything under the sun. I was madly in love, like fall on your face in love with this girl and a plethora of bizzare things were circling our relationship (all of them super cosmic and hard to explain) that just gave me more reasons highting the importance of this relationship at this time. After intense and hilarious conversations, a thought popped in my head, maybe id buy a flight down to KL to see her for a few days? We chatted about it, but i was still feeling hesitations, i was afraid to let go and indulge in this realtionship. My entire life, im trying to find balance, and i was afraid that i was falling too deep into desire. BUT, after some conversations, i surrendered and jumped into the pool of love and bought my flight. A few days later, after pai, i was driving to the airport in chiang mai, hopping on the plane, and arriving in KL. I couldnt fucking wait! So i arrived, and we eased gently into one another, this was the first time we’d really spent time alone together, without any other stimulation to entertain us. But we eased smoothly the first night, as we laughed and talked and eventually fell asleep. The next morning we had planned to trip together. We had spoken about stepping a bit further out into the universe and taking a tab and a half each, and then adding some mushrooms on top. So we went and got some breakfast, made some food, set some intentions, and took the dive together. I lead the death meditation for her, and it felt like a  really lovely start to our trip. And there we went, our rocket ship left the atmosphere and the next ten hours were an intense explosion of connectedness, realizations and honoring the intriguing relationship that fell upon us. There were times that we held eachother so tight, that it was like we were a meteor flying through space, inpenatrable on the outside, but safe and gentle on the inside. It was as if i had lived multiple complete lives with petrina. Each life, a completely seperate reality, similar to mr. nobody. In one life, we were two kids that met each other and were full of lust. In another, we were partners with a child, all of us covered in with shalls and warming up by a fire in the winter of northern thailand. Another life, petrina was my daughter and i was letting her know how much her mother (petrina) and i loved her. 

The trip was incredibly powerful and intense, and near the end, we became slightly more sexual. Neither of us spoke, and i noticed that i wasnt sure what she was wanting from me. There were definitly signs that she desired pleasure, but at the same time it felt like a very surface feeling. I noticed that she wasnt recipricating touch, and that although we were being sexual, there seemed to be a slight distance making its way between us. Near the end of the trip, i started thinking about some of the things i had said earlier on, and that perhaps some of the things i had said earlier, may have caused a feeling of her needing to distance herself. I tried to open up and share and process the trip, but i could see that she was holding back a bit. I told her whenever she was ready to share, id love to hear. We fell asleep and the next morning she went to shower, closing the door and i could feel a continuance of the distance. It dawned on me that only a few days before, i was wearing the mask she was wearing of distance, and now it was my turn to feel the other side. I realized then, that neither of these roles were mine to play, and that mine was a secure one, and that i wanted to continue handling the situation from a place of truth and compassion, and not from anxiety and insecurity. So i meditated a few minutes as she showered, and when she came out, i asked if could share with her. She agreed and listened intently as i explained that i had noticed my mind finding insecurities, and only weeks ago i was on the other side of the coin. I realized that while i wanted to give her love, i never want to hold her back from anything, and that i really just wanted to make the most of our short time together. I wanted to end our beautiful weekend on a note that would send us into the world feeling good, and not one of regret and feeling foolish. I wanted to face my feelings, and confront them. I told her i was sorry, cause she expressed that she wasnt great with confrontation, but if we were gonna have a relationship of any kind, this is how we gotta do it. 

Pet was incredibly receptive and opened up a great deal about how she was feeling the night before. She opened up and we talked about the lust we were feeling the night before, and how it didnt feel great, that i wanted to give her love, but it felt cheapened by lust. I pointed out that i noticed she hadnt even touched me, and while that was ok, it just felt as if i was giving and she was receiving, instead of us mutually sharing love. The day continued on and our relationship truly blossomed. I learned the importance of communicating from a secure place, of not attacking, and not trying to pin my feelings on external events occuring, rather just to express my feelings and intentions. It was truly a game changer. We had a fucking blast the rest of the day, laying together in bed, getting coldstone ice cream, and going to see the new spiderman movie. 

Spiderman was hilarious, as we didnt realize that it was a cartoon. We arrived at the theater a few minutes late, and couldnt figure out what was going on. We left the theater and asked someone if we had made a mistake but the employee assured us that we had entered the correct theater. After reentering, we did some quick google searching and concluded, that we had in fact chosen to go see an animated spiderman, but since we were already there, we might as well enjoy it. And we did. It was a fucking awesome movie. I realized that night, that it didnt really matter what we were doing, as long as we were hanging out together, i was happy. 

A beautiful weekend of celebrating ourselves, with the lovely petrina

Things i learned from my acid trip with petrina.

There was this feeling in the depth of my being, that a large chapter of my life was coming to a close, and that this next chapter was about to commence. I could feel this third of my life, the third where i was making decisions for me and only me, was ending, and i was entering a realm where i would truly feel comfortable to make desicions that considered not only myself, but also others around me. Thats not to say that that hasnt happened in the past stage, but this would be the predominant work of this stage. A stage of giving back. As if the early ears of my life were focused on taking and utilizing resources from my parents and the world around me, and then i left for israel and i started thinking about caring for myself and taking less from those around me. I focused on learning and diving into the things that were interesting to me, and filtering a many great things that were interesing and letting those core healing practices emerge organically. I now feel like im arriving a stage, where i can truly allow for opportunites to come, that will help me dive to the depths of some of these realms that ive started digging in. Whether its a 21 day meditation course, or a month long ayuhasca retreat, im reading to get deeper. In addition, my relationshpi with petrina highlighted a desire that i had for a family, one of these days, a most unconventional family, and i believe that in this chapter of life, i will start to arrive to a place of emotional stability and groundedness.

In addition, i had an interesting experience, as i was showering during the trip. I could feel, very clearly, how much energy i had been storing in my dreads. This was stale energy that id been carrying around with me, weighing down on me for weeks, through pai and chiang mai. It was a profound experience, washing away all of this old, stale energy that was no longer serving me. I cant even explain how much lighter i felt after the shower, after coming to the understanding of just how much we carry with us and within us from the past and if we dont take time to cleans and wash, it really does build up.  it was awesome (like actually awe-some)

Another huge take away, was was omni present during the entire trip, was the idea of depth. I think for my entire life, ive been searching for depth, in almost everything that i do. Ive been trying to find tools to allow myself to experience the world in a more subtle and deeper way. During the trip, i feel like a door was opened that allowed me to see just how deep things can be in relation to how deep i have been living. It was truly humbling to see just how much of the mountain i had left to climb, but to see that there was a direction and deeper conciuosness (ironically, weeks later i would start my ayurvedic yoga/bodywork therapist trainging, where i would be consistantly practicing going to the depth of myself and of the world around me.)

Indulgance vs. discipline vs. balance

Lastly, something that petrina brought to my life, was this question between when its right to let go and indulge, when its right to hold back and be disciplined and how to find the balance between them. Obviously if you are always disciplined, you lose out on letting go, and living in the moment to some degree. On the other hand, if you are always indulging, it may be harder to reach a more sublte reality, or a deeper path.

An example of this would be, if i ate the entire cake by myself, i would miss out on a much deeper experience of sharing with others (a more eudonomic happiness vs. just sensual pleasure), or i would be trading sensual pleasure for pain and discomfort in my body later on. Or very simply, giving into sensual pleasures constantly, will be atempting to fill a void, that will just grow and grow (as both max and zen buddhism teach)

Having said that, if im constantly holding myself back, i may deprive myself of the simple and beautiful pleasures of life. In my attempt to get deeper, i will miss a very important lesson, in letting go and being present with what is, in flowing with the environment vs. trying to control everything. 

It’s been a very interesting idea to play with and observe in myself

[the-brodiac]

The Red-Eyed Lied (SagAqua Human!AU) ch. 5

Warnings: ESL grammar, food, alcohol, smoking, NSFW jokes, I live in a small town with no library

Word count: 2371

<< Previous chapter || First chapter || All chapters

+++

Chapter 5: Immersion

   “The original plan was”, Veto spoke up as we head to the twins’ room that afternoon. “When Caleb’s roommate calls for his usual alcohol errand boy, we connect him to Dragon instead. He’s the principal… Oh no, don’t worry, he’s chill. It won’t get him kicked out if he’s smart but it’ll still be hilariously awkward.”

    “Wow”, I replied, not sure what to say. “You guys know how to do that?”

    “We have our ways”, Quinn told me, quickening his pace.

    “And how do you guys get all the information to this?”

    “Well, I’m an errand boy in this school as well, so I know ‘im”, Sag said with a smile. “People pay me to sneak out and buy ‘em stuff from shops around here, except I don’t buy alcohol like Caleb’s does. Everything else is from our ‘dataminer’, Oliver. He’s one of the guys in charge of the lakehouse trade and has lots of connection.”

    “The only thing stopping you from buying alcohol is your wrong fake ID and your baby face”, Quinn chimed in, snickering.

    Sag rolled his eyes. I stifled a laugh.

    We finally reached their dorm room, situated in the second floor of a different building from mine and Sag’s. I didn’t know what I was expecting. Theirs was a bit larger than any room here I’ve visit, with painted walls that actually isn’t peeling off and furnitures that looks like they didn’t come from an abandoned backyard. No offense, Sag, I love you and I love your couch.

    “You’ve even got a balcony!” I exclaimed, running towards it to check out the view. “And close route to the bathroom! And an actual working fan! Fuck you!”

    They both laughed, plopping down to the (nicer) bottom bunk bed. Sag walked over to me and looked out of the balcony as well. You can barely see the lake from here, but the main school building and one of the neighbouring girls’ dorm are visible.

    “Nice place, huh?” Sag said, as if he owns the place.

    “I’m still wondering what kind of privilege these guys have to end up here”, I retorted.

    “This room is originally for exchange students, but we never even have one, so we claimed it. Oh, and the furnitures are ours”, Quinn explained, stretching and laying down. “Aaand our parents are members of the board. Aaaaand we’re rich.”

    “Wow. My parents won’t even get me McDonalds when they’re out”, I said.

    “Anyways”, Veto got up, pulling out a wheeled whiteboard from behind their closet. “About the plans… We need to brainstorm a prank that can compare to what he did to Aquarius. Quinn?”

   Quinn didn’t move from his position. “Yeah, that. Hmm. Well, the best way to find a personalized prank is look for inspirations from the target’s routine, since it’s meant to be surprising. Is he doing anything special soon?”

   “Y’know Michelle from History class?” Sag went to the nearby couch and sat down. I joined him. “Samesh said he was invited to a Richard party hosted by her this Friday… or Saturday? Well, guess who’s gonna DJ? Caleb.”

    “Oh yeah, we knew about that.”

    “Wanna call the police on them or some shit?”

    “That’s gonna involve innocent people… Even if they’re Richards. And it’s too simple.”

    “Also it kinda broke the first Millennium rule.”

    “Doesn’t pranking in general broke the first Millennium rule?”

    All three of them turn their heads towards me. I looked around awkwardly.

    “I mean”, I began. “You’re basically interfering with someone’s daily lives. Not that I don’t like pranking and appreciate you guys doing this to avenge me or anything.”

    “The rule’s unofficial, it… doesn’t have to be black and white, and… Uh, nevermind, I have no defense”, Veto muttered, writing some points about the Richard party on the whiteboard. “It’s just fun to do.”

    Quinn yawned loudly. “Maybe the biggest prank of all is that we come to the party and have fun with the Richards. He would never expect that. We’d blow all his expectations and he’d be so embarrassed he’s wrong. I’m a fucking genius. Veto, write that down.”

    “Quinn…”

    “I’m joking”, the blue-eyed twin quickly said when he caught Sag glaring at him.

    “I’ll put that as Plan E, just because”, Veto retorted.

    “Seriously?!”

    “God, then help come up with something, Kieron!”

    Sag bit on his nails. “…We can switch out his songs to somethin’ completely different?”

    “Predictable, hard to manage in a few days, but classic and appreciated. Thanks Sagittarius”, Veto wrote it on the board as Plan D. Sag visibly rolled his eyes. I gave him a pat.

    “Do you have anything, smartypants?” Veto questioned, turning to me.

    “Yeah, can you hack stuff?” Quinn added.

    “A bit, but nothing really useful”, I replied. Besides, I do robotics all day, not practicing my hacking skills. “I tried to think of something outside the box, but it’s going to sound really… dumb.”

    “Oh, dumb ideas are good”, Sag said. “Make it so dumb he’ll never see it comin’.”

+++

    “It takes ‘bout a day for Oliver to datamine what we’ll need, so in the meantime we’re just gonna go shopping for our materials”, Sag told me after we returned to our own dorm later on that day without the twins. “C’mon, we’ll pay the lakehouse a visit.”

    The twins wanted me to have “experience”, so they keep telling me to tag along Sag. But we haven’t even been back for 5 minutes, yet he’s already pulling me out of the room again, and out of the building. We made our way towards the woods across from the lake I’ve been curious about. It was a bit of a walk, having to go around the lake, and the woods are even worse, as the ground is anything but flat and there’s always some tree root sticking out to trip anyone who pass. I’d probably get lost pretty quickly without Sag.

    “So, no teacher ever caught you guys in here?” I broke the silence.

    “Well, the lake and everything else beyond that is actually not the school’s properties, so they’re technically not responsible for whatever we do ‘ere after school hours end.”

    “What a school.”

    “Yeah, but some of the more caring guys like Tiger checks around the lake every now and then. He’s never gone deep into the woods though. Afraid to get lost, probably.”

    Sag, who noticed me struggling with keeping up, stopped and offered his hand with a smile. I smiled back and took it.

    Finally, we reached the old abandoned farmhouse they keep referring to as the lakehouse. I don’t even see a lake. Maybe it’s deeper in the woods. There were some other people there, but Sag didn’t let go of my hand. I don’t mind. This feels pretty nice. A few people were chatting close by, group of people smoking were sitting at the porch, and there’s a guy asleep on a tree.

“…Okay, it’s actually only active on weekends”, Sag told me.

    We walked towards the porch. I watched the smokers blow smoke rings and do tricks and compare them to each other’s. One of them caught me. “Do you want one or something?”

    “…Can I?”

    “Oh God”, Sag said. “Aqua, it’s better for ya’ if ya’ don’t start.”

    “We’re gonna die soon anyways, Archibald”, the girl who offered me one retorted, helping me light the cigarette in my mouth. “Just don’t try it for the second time if you’re afraid of becoming addicted. That’s when you start reconsidering it and adapting… Personal experience.”

    I inhaled. Oh, and then I was coughing. Pretty hard. I collapsed on my knees and held my throat, wheezing.

    Everyone but Sag seems to be laughing. I was still gasping for breath. Now Sag is panicking. He asked me if I need some water. I told him I need death.

    At least these guys don’t need to be worrying about me trying it the second time and becoming addicted then. I’m never doing that again. Don’t smoke kids.

     Slightly leaning against Sag for support, he helped me in. Inside the lakehouse, there was only a single guy there. He looks like the kind of guy that would punch everybody in the room. He sat on a recliner that looks like it will fall apart anytime soon, his legs propped on a dusty coffee table next to a laptop and an ashtray, while blowing out smoke rings to the ceiling. Of course.

    “If you’re looking for Oliver, he’s in his room. Jacking off, probably”, he spoke when we approached close.

    “Actually Mered, I’m wondering if there’s anyone who’s got a shit ton of sugar for caramel on your list. I’ve got stuff to buy”, Sag replied. Mered sat up straight with an eyebrow raised. Then he reached for the laptop, placed it on his lap, and began scanning the screen (from the reflection on his glasses, it seems to be an excel file). Well, at least this guy doesn’t question much about what we’re up to.

    “…Nope, you have to go grocery shopping yourself. But Frankie from your building’s got some caramel popcorn, that’s pretty close. He’s in room 14”, Mered finally said after a while.

    “Seriously, nothing? What about anything sweet?”

    “Archibald, you know these depressed teenagers only live off coffee, instant food and underage drinking. Hm, but Casey from building 2, room 9 has got bubblegum ‘to sneak in in class’. Sam from building 3, room 2’s got a month old apples to get rid of, those are sweet… if she keeps them in a fridge. Zoey from building 3, room 17 has tea, but I don’t think they’re up for sale, just trade. She’s looking for… Uh, booze. Amazing. That’s pretty early during the school year.”

    Sag sighed. “Well, whatever, going out it is. I have to pick up some pads and ice cream for Cadence anyway.”

     “And two packs of the usual for me. Get them by tomorrow”, The redhead in front of him added, motioning to his cigarette and taking out some money from his pocket. Sag took the money, but Mered’s gaze drifted towards his other hand holding mine.

     “Cute catch. But he looks too tame for you, in my opinion.”

     “We’re just friends” “Gee, thanks”, Sag and I quickly said simultaneously. Also what the hell is that supposed to mean? Too tame? I’ve been rigging vending machines my whole life. What can you do, blow smoke rings in people’s faces and not cough your lungs out?

    Mered just rolled his eyes. “Don’t call me squealing when you jinxed it.”

+++

    At school the next day, gossip seems to have spread a bit, because everyone I come across in the halls threw me pity looks. Well, at least I’m not a subject of laughter, I guess. Some sneered, but Sag said they’re just Richards. Even Cancer greeted me as if he’s going to a funeral… My funeral. He seems embarrassed in my place. I quietly told him not to worry with a pat.

    Aside from the stares, Sag and I have been avoiding Caleb nonstop. We don’t always have classes together, but everyone else helped me in other ways, such as Libra who diligently saves me a seat near him. What an angel.

    “Can you guys go deliver this to Oliver today?” Quinn said in a quiet voice during lunchtime, handing Sag a hardcover book. The cafeteria is pretty noisy, so I don’t know why he even bothered.

    “What’s that?” I asked, pointing to the book with my fork.

    “Uh, Watership Down”, Sag replied, reading the cover. “Oliver helps out in the school library all afternoon today, right when we have study hour after this. Libra also helps there sometimes.”

    Okay, but this is such a random timing. Is this how the librarian dataminer receive payment? Having people return books on time? That’s actually believable.

    “What about the party plan an’ stuff?” The purple-haired guy next to me turned back to them.

    “Oh, he sent in everything already”, Veto answered while texting, barely touching his salad from before. “Exact schedule, address of place, guest list, which people from Millennium are gonna help set-up, dresscode, even menu – down until every booze. Oliver’s insane.”

    “Holy shit. Are you sure he’s trustable?” I can’t help but wonder. Insane is right.

    “Yeah, his shitty ex was a Richard, so he hates them. Besides, he’s been working with us for a year, and the dude knows we pay… There. I told him you guys are coming. Now shoo and take that book far with you.”

    Fortunately, none of the teachers here give a damn about what we do during study hour, so when the next hour start, Sag and I slipped off from class easily. The library is located in a different building, and on the walk there I was surprised by Sag suddenly grabbing my hand.

    “Um…”

    “Ah! S-Sorry, haha… It just seems right to do now, y’know?” He quickly said, all flustered, immediately letting go. Well, we did come back to our room still holding hands yesterday.

    “No, no, it’s fine! I was just a bit surprised”, I assured, grabbing his. “Come on.”

    The library is perhaps the most depressing and non-liveliest place in this godforsaken school. There’s like one or two people not including the librarian himself, typing away something at the computer on the checkout desk. This is Oliver, I suppose. Sag waste no time chatting and handed him Watership Down without a word.

    “I’ve been expecting you two. Thank you for returning your book on time.”

    Oliver looked up with a subtle smile that makes me feel like being in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and he’s enjoying my psychological torment. He flipped through the book quickly and slipped a white envelope from inside it into his pocket very swiftly. Then he stamped the book and stuff, before slipping it into the to-be-put-back tray.

    “This is a bit ridiculous. Can’t you guys just use PayPal or something?” I whispered.

    “Immersion, Tinia”, Oliver scoffed. “Immersion. Look, whatever it is you’re doing in that party, make sure you do a good job of it. That wine balloon prank is just distasteful.”

    “Will do, Sir”, Sag smirked and saluted, pulling me back to class.

 +++

((Hey, sorry it’s been a while! I’m living as a NEET for the time being, so I might as well try to finish this. Oliver and Mered were supposed to be Scorpibra and Scorpittarius cusps.))

((…BTW sorry for the awkward pacing in this chapter. I haven’t written anything for months rip))

[sapphylicious]

Time for the B1A4 con report! First off, let me just say it was TOTALLY WORTH IT, but as soon as @cactuarneedles and I arrived back in KC at midnight we were like, “Let’s never go to California again.” It was that kind of trip.

First off, our connecting flight in Denver was delayed. Not by a lot, but in retrospect that set the tone for the rest of the weekend. We still managed to arrive in SF on Saturday around noon, checked in at the hotel, and then got ramen for lunch in Japantown. It’s been, oh, 11 years since I was last in SF for Hyde’s Faith tour, and wandering around Japantown was a bit nostalgic. I wanted to buy All The Things but couldn’t have fit anything else into my carry-on except a Pusheen shirt I ended up getting just because. Also, makeup remover, since I forgot to bring any and didn’t realize until I was putting on my eyeliner (very, very carefully). The salesperson in Kpop Beauty liked my Big Bang hoodie lol.

We were running out of energy fast since we’d been up since 4am Central, so we went back to the hotel and ordered in for dinner. I slept as I usually do in new places, which is to say, not well, but I managed not to be too tired on Sunday.

As for Sunday. 

Well.

It was raining all morning, and we’d bought umbrellas the day before at CVS, so we were like. The bare minimum of prepared. We also bought some trash bags to sit on. It was in the 50s but felt like it was in the 40s, and there was some wind, so overall it was a cold, wet, miserable experience. I’ve queued in line when it was colder (Akanishi Jin’s Yellow Gold tour in NYC in November was hella cold) but a) I was younger then, and b) I wasn’t being rained on. So Janel and I discovered our Too Old For This Shit threshold. If we hadn’t been close to the front of the line we probably would have said fuck it and stayed in the hotel room all day.

We took a break for lunch at a Vietnamese place where I was able to stop shivering for a while, and stayed there as long as we felt was reasonable. We’re not fans of the “claim a spot in line and then fuck off for the rest of the day until an hour before the doors open” tactic some people (read: assholes) like to use. Getting to be right in front of the stage is privilege you suffer for.

On the way back we decided to stop in a Target to buy some of those mini folding seats to help make the rest of the wait bearable (the trash-bags-on-ground was not working out for us). And this is where the trip really went to shit.

Janel left her purse in the restroom by accident. She realized it the moment we stepped outside and went back to the restroom in three minutes tops, and by then everything inside her purse had been stolen. Cash, cards, ID, keys -- the only thing she still had was her phone since it had been in her pocket (which luckily also had the tickets).

Soooo she pretty much spent the rest of the afternoon making phone calls and filing a police report -- not that the police could actually do anything about it, but it was good to have for getting through airport security for our flight back. So note: you can fly domestically without an ID, but it’s a huge pain for everyone.

At least by then it had basically stopped raining. There was a little bit of a situation when the lines were separated and we had to leave our spot to wait in another line for our VIP wristbands. I asked a girl I recognized being a couple people ahead of us to save our spot (couldn’t find the people who’d been directly in front or behind), but when we eventually got our wristbands I couldn’t find her again, or anyone else who had been near us in the original line. So we kind of just cut in at roughly the same area and miraculously no one gave us shit about it.

Let me just say, out of the several cons I’ve been to, B1A4 fans are the most chill. I remember standing in line for Big Bang and recalling how VIPs used to claim to be the most chill fans and lol nah man just nah. We chatted a little with the people around us, told the "everything got stolen” story a few times -- and also the “we’re from the Midwest” story. YOU PEOPLE IN LA AND SF DON’T KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE LIVING IN THE ENTIRE REST OF THE UNITED STATES. Travel for Kpop is a given. I’ve made weekend trips from the East Coast all the way to the West Coast for Kpop. This is also why we only go to cons for our absolute favorite groups, and will pull out all the stops for them. I figure I’ll only do this for B1A4, Big Bang, Epik High, TVXQ/JYJ, and maaaybe I might do it for VIXX. Maybe.

Getting into the venue wasn’t an issue and we wound up about four people back from the stage. We were hella sore by then, although I think it was worse for Janel since she was running back and forth a lot and under a ton more stress. Luckily the con didn’t start too late, and I forgot how much my feet hurt most of the time (I’m really glad I have a pair of comfortable boots).

So. B1A4 in person.

This is the first concert where I bothered to take pictures and record video, but I don’t know how some fans can dedicate their attention to recording the whole time because I was a flailing mess lol. THEY WERE SO CLOSE. They’re all really attractive in person??? I mean Gongchan is of course a given and he is EVEN MORE HANDSOME THAN ADVERTISED no wonder Sandeul and Jinyoung don’t shut up about how he looks. The suits they wore for most of the show were very nice and ESPECIALLY when they took off the jackets because men in waistcoats are my weakness. Jinyoung rolling up his shirtsleeves jesus christ and he does it all neatly too (whereas Baro’s sleeves kept falling and flopping around lol). Jinyoung is so fucking charming it’s unfair. When the water bottles came out he liked to hold them up and tease the crowd lmao how... typical...

CNU was amazing with the fanservice and the body rolls lol and he has such pretty hair. There was a moment duringggg I think Baby Goodnight when he and Gongchan were really cute together. I was filming Sandeul and had to quickly cut over to them with their arms around each other.

Baro did a lot of talking in English, I was surprised and impressed and I think this con has cemented him as third in my lineup of faves (Sandeul-Jinyoung-Baro-Gongchan-CNU). I feel like he interacted with the crowd best and I saw him paying attention to the balcony people often too, but someone needs to take the word “lit” away from him hahaha.

The venue was small so it was really easy for them to reach every part of the stage, we got to see all of them up close in roughly equal amounts but ngl my memory is like 70% Sandeul because I tracked him all across the stage.

BOY CAN HE SING. Not only does he sound amazing but you can tell just by looking at him how passionate he is, the way he moves and puts more of himself into it than the others do. The only way the con could have been more perfect is if he’d been able to perform a solo. Or just. If he could release a full-length solo album and then go on tour that was be okay too. He teased us by singing 그렇게 있어줘~ and augh so good. SO GOOD. AND SO CUTE. He’s so adorable I can hardly stand it. Near the end he was crouched down in front of us and stuck out his tongue bUT I DIDN’T MANAGE TO RECORD IT. OPPORTUNITY LOST.

I did however record the cheek squishing. It was so classic. Jinyoung goes for the cheeks, Sandeul tries to retaliate but misses, Jinyoung waits for a few seconds and then goes in again to get a good grip and Sandeul looks SO RESIGNED before he jerks his face away. They did this while Baro was talking and he was like “Hey, it’s my turn now!” lol poor Baro.

I also have some pics of CNU lowkey harassing Sandeul and Sandeul giving him this Look afterwards. And Gongchan fussing with Sandeul’s clothes. And Sandeul limp in Baro’s arms. I ship my bias with everyone, can you tell.

They were all so cute though, ugh, I love B1A4. I’m so glad I gave Kpop another chance after I thought the TVXQ breakup was the End Of All Things.

We fought with another girl over one of the towels thrown into the crowd. I only made a claim so it would be 2 vs 1 but we both lost the rock-paper-scissors battle and had to give it up. In retrospect we maybe should have played the “she was robbed today” pity card because you’d think after losing all the contents of your purse you could at least get a towel in compensation. We’re unfortunately not that combative though. At least this time the opponent didn’t cheat and throw down her choice late. Like I said, in terms of the fans B1A4 has much fewer assholes than I’m used to encountering.

I felt like a drowned rat by the end of the show and feared for my eyeliner but luckily it wasn’t running or even smudged (thanks, Stila stay all day waterproof liquid eyeliner). My hair was rather bedraggled though and after the rain and the water bottles it was like, why did I even bother curling it that morning, but what can you do.

I wanted to say something to everyone during the high touch -- I knew it was going to be quick but the staff really hurried everyone through which was annoying, and I had a holyshitholyshitholyshit internal monologue going when actually face to face with the boys. So I only managed a weak “thank you” to Gongchan who said it back (he’s so sweet ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥) and I blurted out a rather embarrassing “I love you!!” to Sandeul ahahaha god so much for being a cool, mature noona.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The walk back to the hotel was short, although we did wind up briefly walking in the wrong direction somehow because I can’t be trusted with directions even if the distance is only a few blocks. Our flight home was around 11am so we planned to get up extra early to have plenty of time for Janel to get through additional screening.

Aaaand then in the morning the flight was delayed to the afternoon, which would cause us to miss our connecting flight. So we had to book a whole new trip which didn’t leave until 3:20 pm.

Getting through security wasn’t too bad for either of us, and we waited around watching B1A4 fancams and reading fan accounts. As it got close to departure there were some confusing announcements about delays and we found out our gate had changed with no warning. Also the flight was slightly delayed. Luckily (?), our connecting flight in Vegas was also delayed. Still, by the time we got there we only had 15 min before we began boarding. 

(Also, even the airport in Vegas has slots lol.)

It was a veeery turbulent ride back. All of our flights for this trip have been turbulent, but that last one was the worst. I’m not afraid of flying but I can now understand how some people could be. At one point I looked over at Janel and said, “I hope we don’t die.” If the plane went down I decided I would just pray for a quick death and also to be reborn as a cat so I can spend my life eating, sleeping, and being petted.

Finally, around midnight, we were back in KC.

Me: Let’s never go to California again. Next time there’s a concert, NY or Chicago or even Jersey is fine. Janel: SF is a flaming trash heap. It is the Tumblr of cities.

Sorry, SF, I liked you for years but now I am okay with never setting foot in you again.

But still: WORTH IT.

[vsplusonline]

Fines, snitch lines: Crackdown on coronavirus rule breakers could have consequences

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/fines-snitch-lines-crackdown-on-coronavirus-rule-breakers-could-have-consequences/

Fines, snitch lines: Crackdown on coronavirus rule breakers could have consequences

A teenager shooting hoops nets a fine. A man walking his dog gets dinged for where he’s standing. And a father rollerblading alone with his three sons has a run-in with a bylaw officer.

“Who are we hurting?” Oakville, Ont., father Todd Nelson remembers asking the bylaw officer who told him he couldn’t rollerblade with his sons in an empty parking lot on April 10.

“He said, ‘Oh, you’re not going to be like that, are you?’ And I said, ‘I’m just asking a question,’” Nelson told Global News. “And that was it. He said, ‘Give me your ID,’ and next thing you know, we got a ticket.”

READ MORE: Five people to listen to during coronavirus outbreak — and five to ignore

Scroll through the database tracking fines levied against Canadians during the coronavirus pandemic and you’ll find a few distinctive, concerning-sounding scenarios.

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There is the man who lied about having COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, after being caught allegedly stealing a yacht, the woman who supposedly coughed on a grocery store clerk after she refused to let her buy extra tissues and the person who licked their hands before touching items in a pharmacy.

But those are the outliers.

For the most part, the offences are mundane and the alleged perpetrators report being confused by the rules or feeling targeted by police and bylaw officers. Sometimes, they just feel trapped without any legally safe means to escape tiny, overcrowded apartments so they can stretch their legs in the sun — with six feet of space between them and others.

The financial hit for Nelson? $880.

Or, as Michael Bryant, executive director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), puts it: “A month of groceries for a family of four.”

2:15 Oakville family faces big fine after rollerblading amid emergency order

Oakville family faces big fine after rollerblading amid emergency order

These are fines that some people “literally cannot afford,” Bryant says.

“Sometimes, honest mistakes are made,” he says. “Normally, ignorance of the law is no defence, but in this case, we’re better off having police and bylaw officers educating the public, warning them and only getting (fines) as a last resort.”

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An Ipsos poll, released on behalf of Global News, shows 85 per cent of Canadians support stricter physical-distancing laws and high fines. Yet, the rate at which Canadians are racking up fines and charges has experts worried that COVID-19 enforcement will divide communities, result in fewer people abiding by rules that reduce the rate of infection and further disenfranchise people already living on the margins of our society.

“It’s a public health crisis, it’s not a public order crisis,” Bryant says.

“Stop wielding power in order to crack down on people’s behaviour.”

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The CCLA recently published an open letter with more than 150 other organizations calling for oversight of governments handling of the pandemic. At issue, Bryant says, is finding a way to balance public health needs with individuals’ rights and freedoms.

“Too often, in times of crisis, human rights are dismissed by governments as being irrelevant and unnecessary at best, or unhelpful barriers to an effective response at worst,” reads the open letter.

“It is, therefore, a vital time to ensure robust human rights oversight: to encourage strong human rights measures are adopted by governments, and to guard against intentional or unintended human rights violations.”

***

Staying home is a luxury not everyone can afford, says Alex Luscombe, a PhD student in criminology at the University of Toronto and co-creator of Policing the Pandemic, a mapping project launched in early April to track the ways in which COVID-19 orders are being enforced across the country.

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First, not everyone has a home. Second, isolating in a spacious house with multiple bedrooms — multiple floors, even — and a big, fenced-in backyard is quite different than isolating in a one-bedroom apartment crowded with family members in a city where public parks have been declared off limits.

READ MORE: 3 in 10 Canadians couldn’t pay bills if they lost job due to coronavirus, per Ipsos survey

If you’re fortunate enough to belong to the first camp, you can get fresh air and sun without risking being a little too close to another person. In the second scenario, you can’t — and doing something as innocuous-seeming as walking through the park with your daughter or standing in the wrong spot with your dog could land you a hefty fine.

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“Ticketing and charging people to try to deter people from breaking physical-distancing rules (isn’t) going to work,” says Luscombe.

“Once you start charging people and once you start giving out tickets, the reality is that it’s not going to impact everyone equally.”

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Luscombe’s Policing the Pandemic co-creator, a fellow Alex, notes that there is at least one First Nation in Quebec where they’ve tracked people receiving repeat tickets for gatherings of more than five people.

Three or more tickets can mean a stint behind bars, says Alex McClelland, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Ottawa’s criminology department.

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“That these tickets could lead to jail is completely shocking,” says McClelland, especially at a time when people across North America are trying to release people from prison to minimize COVID-19 risks.

“The outcome of policing COVID-19 using a public health approach to put people in jail is counter to what everyone’s trying to do.”

***

In the same way that not everyone is on a level playing field when it comes to practising physical distancing, Michael Spratt says not all public health order violations are created equally.

Spratt, a criminal lawyer and partner at Abergel Goldstein & Partners in Ottawa, divvies the offences up into a few categories.

The first is the “honest mistake,” which he says would include the immigrant father who doesn’t speak English well enough to understand the signs banning use of the playground.

“That is someone who should be warned and educated,” Spratt says, but instead, he got fined.

1:56 Coronavirus: Chin-ups at Toronto park lands man $880 fine

Coronavirus: Chin-ups at Toronto park lands man $880 fine

Then there is the “inadvertent” category, he says, which includes two friends sitting six feet apart on a park bench, consoling each other from a distance after losing their jobs.

“They were charged despite the fact that they were trying to socially distance,” Spratt says.

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The third category is the basketball-playing kids, he says, the kind who get caught playing basketball in groups bigger than five, get warned and disperse, only to come back and keep playing.

“This is more flagrant… they clearly understand that they’re not supposed to be doing what they’re doing, but their intent isn’t one of malice,” Spratt says.

So while technically it’s an offence, he’d encourage caution before hitting them with a fine, as police in Peterborough, Ont., did at the end of March and bylaw officers in Kitchener, Ont., did earlier this month.

“Charges aren’t going to deter others in this case, and it risks disenfranchising the public buy-in when they see this type of enforcement,” Spratt says.

READ MORE: Spot a COVIDIOT? Here’s how to report coronavirus rule-breakers

Still, he notes, “all of those cases stand in contrast to cases where individuals are taking these actions with malice, with full recognition of the danger.” Think the person who licked their hands before touching items in a pharmacy.

It’s a tricky situation, says Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, an assistant professor in the University of Toronto’s sociology department.

“The difficult thing is how do we have people do what we want them to do without criminalizing them?”

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Owusu-Bempah thinks we’d have more success if we focus on community-building and positivity.

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“Emulating and reinforcing positive behaviours may have a greater effect than the potential deterrence of a punishment,” he says. Think signs telling people “we’re all in this together” or telling you to “stay safe and stay distant,” or public officials leading by example.

But a sense that we’re all in this together is undermined by so-called “snitch lines” that cities across Canada have set up for people to report failures to physically distance, says Spratt.

1:50 Dr. Bonnie Henry on the importance of accessing busy urban parks and beaches during the pandemic for mental health

Dr. Bonnie Henry on the importance of accessing busy urban parks and beaches during the pandemic for mental health

“The only way that we can maintain adherence and public buy-in to rules that are very oppressive and go against an open democracy’s instincts with respect to the scope and application of civil liberties is to make sure that we are united as a nation, as a province and, more importantly, as neighbourhood communities,” he says.

“The lines risk doing more damage than they do good and they risk destroying the goodwill and the community cohesion that we really need to not only help us comply with the rules but to help us survive as communities so that we can make it through a very tough and destructive time.”

***

Under normal circumstances, being ignorant of the law is not a defence.

But these are extraordinary circumstances, Bryant says, in which we are creating new rules that differ from province to province and even between cities within the same province.

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“We’re better off having police and bylaw officers educating the public, warning them and only fining them as a last-resort measure,” he says. “Instead, it’s the other way around.”

READ MORE: Trudeau says ‘the front line is everywhere,’ but should we compare coronavirus to war?

So far, there have been hundreds of fines doled out in Quebec and Ontario, with fewer fines and charges reported in other provinces like Saskatchewan, Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia.

As those numbers go up, accountability is incredibly important, Luscombe and McClelland agree. It is, after all, a driving force behind the launch of Policing the Pandemic.

“We hope that we can bring to light patterns of police intervention, to help understand who is being targeted, what justifications are being used by police and how marginalized people are being impacted,” the duo wrote in the white paper accompanying the launch of their database.

That’s important, Bryant says, because the CCLA has received reports of people being stopped and carded in Ontario, where the emergency order has made it an offence to not provide identification if asked for it.

“It’s always the case that if a police officer charges you, they can ask for your ID, but this is pre-arrest,” he says. “That’s carding.”

2:03 Police, politicians warn against coronavirus-related racism

Police, politicians warn against coronavirus-related racism

The degree to which city bylaw officers and police organizations are willing to divulge specifics about how they’re enforcing the pandemic varies greatly.

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While Toronto police differentiate between tickets, summons, cautions and COVID-19-related parking tickets, other forces like the Quebec provincial police simply post a number on Twitter once a week.

That leaves it to the two Alexs to flip through media articles published after some Quebec ticket receivers — often frustrated and confused — decide to share their experience publicly.

It’s only in the cases where the ticket receiver divulges their race or gender or specifics of their living situation to reporters or organizations like the CCLA that we learn who’s receiving tickets.

That’s a problem, Bryant says.

“All the worst harms that come with abuse of power always disproportionately impact racialized minorities, disabled people and homeless people.”

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***

As of Thursday, April 23, Lethbridge Police Service in Alberta had handed out exactly zero fines for violating public health orders. They hope to keep it that way, says Insp. Jason Walper.

“The whole point is to try to alleviate the pressures on our medical facilities and public health,” Walper says. “If we can do that through education and by gaining voluntary compliance when we do come across violations, we’re more than happy to do that.”

While in select cases a ticket might serve as a deterrent, he says, the force believes it’ll have the most success through conversations, be it reminders of the importance and value of physical distancing or clarifications of the rules.

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2:04 COVID-19: Lethbridge police say ‘no tickets yet,’ opt for warnings

COVID-19: Lethbridge police say ‘no tickets yet,’ opt for warnings

Living through a pandemic is hard, Walper acknowledges. Alberta’s jobless rate is one of the highest in Canada, and people are increasingly facing a financial crunch.

“We live in our community,” he says, so the cops are familiar with the struggles. “We’re not here to make this worse for people.”

That’s Lethbridge Police Service: one force in one city in one province.

With so many variables at play, it’s worth taking a breath before you call the cops on your neighbour for doing something that might not seem 100 per cent compliant with physical distancing, says Owusu-Bempah.

“One of the things to consider is, what are the potential consequences for the individual you’re calling the police on,” he says. “The intention may simply be to have (the cops) disperse people, but of course, the consequences could be much more great.”

— With files from the Canadian Press

This is one of several stories looking at how police are enforcing public health orders across Canada. If you or someone you know has been impacted and would like to share your story, please reach out to jane.gerster@globalnews.ca or andrew.russell@globalnews.ca.

READ MORE: ‘A sinking feeling’ — Canadian experts on when coronavirus first felt like a serious risk

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© 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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Tip cheap car insurance quotes in philadelphia

"Tip cheap car insurance quotes in philadelphia

Tip cheap car insurance quotes in philadelphia

BEST ANSWER:  Try this site where you can compare quotes: : http://financeandcreditsolution.xyz/index.html?src=tumblr 

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Tip cheap car insurance quotes in philadelphia

Tip cheap car insurance quotes in philadelphia

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Tip cheap car insurance quotes in philadelphia

Tip cheap car insurance quotes in philadelphia

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now in AAA, but AAA raised it since i moved to bismarck nd. shopping for good and reliable car insurance. its going to be staying with AAA, and pay more or go to no-dak, will not go ...show more""

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we have a 2004 honda odessey and a 96 acura, and our 17 yr old will also drive""

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I have a brand new car that has a 3 foot long scratch on the driver side after being parked on the street. It starts over the left front tire and ends towards the driver side door. I am taking it tomorrow to see if it can be buffed out, but if not I am going to take it to an auto body shop. How do I find out how much it costs? Next to property damage, it says $317. Is this my deductible? And how much I would have to pay? Can someone please explain this to me?""

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I'm 14 and im gonna start saving up to get a motorbike Im hopefully gonna talk my dad into paying for the CBT and splitting the cost of the bike, ill pay for the Provisional and insurance. So roughly how much is insurance per month for a 16 year old on a 50cc as a first time rider""

How much (approx) would insurance be for a 1.1 saxo?

The exact car is '2000 CITROEN SAXO 1.1I DESIRE BLACK VTR REPLICA' a few modifications (cd player with bluetooth, black front lights, smoked rear lights, front fogs, full colour coded vtr body kit, DTM mirrors, vtr alloy wheels, lowered on 40mm G-max springs) i'm not even 17 yet but i was wondering what would the cheapest possible *(legal) insurance be on this car thanks :) !!""

Will my insurance rates go up because of this?

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I have 3,000 and I'm looking for a manual car that's somewhat fast I don't want a super slow car and I know I can't find a super fast one either but something kinda fast in the price range and not a but load for insurance""

How much does a root canal cost with insurance?

I do not have insurance right now. I went to the dentist's office recently and was informed that I have two wisdom teeth grown in. I have a job that offers dental insurance but I have to wait 3 more months to receive this benefit. I don't know if I should wait a few more months and pay less to get my wisdom teeth removed or if I should get it treated now and pay over $2,000 for 2 root canals and make a monthly payment of $200 for 12 months. How much would I save and pay if I were to get 2 root canals with dental insurance?""

Tip cheap car insurance quotes in philadelphia

Tip cheap car insurance quotes in philadelphia

Cost to insure brand new Range Rover Sport at 17 years old?

To start off, money is not a problem in this situation for me so dont tell start saying - Its unreliable - It'll be too expensive etc... Anyway! just wondering what a brand new range rover sport would cost to insure as a new driver with a full UK license as a named driver whilst im 17 years old? Thanks""

""What would make the american health care system more affordable, more cost effective , more accessible?

and more equitable for all stake holders?

What happens to rest of my insurance after a write off?

I had a accident today in my fiesta, hit some ice, lost control round a bend ended up in the ditch, car looks f****d admiral picking it up 2mo I am only 11 months into the policy I have been told by a few people that it is defo a write off so I take it i will be paid out for the car (how long would this take) I am also getting a courtesy car by the garage picking the car up to repair it now will i have this till i get paid out? and due to having 11 months on my insurance and i paid in full can i freeze the insurance till i get a new car (ill be getting the same car infact i hope its not a write off) or will i get something back on the insurance due to only using 1 of the 12 months i paid for?""

Insurance quotes.... are they correct?

Hi, I have used a couple of insurance websites such as compare the market and confused for a cars insurance. I do not understand why but when i select full comprehensive the insurance is less than third party. Why is this? I thought comp was better than 3rd party.... is this not true? Why is full comp less than 3rd party? Thanks""

Will a bike licence bring down car insurance?

Ok, so I'm 18 and am looking to learn to drive. I know that insuring a car is going to cost a bomb anyway, but will the fact I have passed a full motorcycle test (A2) help to bring my insurance down? Or will the fact I will have access to two vehicles (car and motorbike) increase my insurance? By the time I pass my car test I would have had my A2 licence for a year and have 3years no claims discount. Also I am looking at getting a 1.1 Citroen Saxo. Will a two door be more expensive than the four door to insure or doesn't it make much difference?? Thanks.""

What is the cheapest insurance company for 17 year olds?

im 16 but will be turning 17 in a few months. to get ahead of the game and in the know i decided to start looking at cars and insurance straight away. my car of choice would be a 1995-1999 Vauxhall corsa 1.0 0r 1.2 litre as they cheap to buy, run and supposedly insure. ive looked around for insurance qutoes for myself when i turn 17 and recieve my full ik license but all quotes so far are above 4,000 even with a pass plus. is there any companys to get it below 3,000 or anywhere close. i realise i am never going to get cheap insurance straight away but i would consider 3,000 a much more reasonable quote and would love it to be closer to 2.000. also any tips or advice on getting cheaper insurancewould be greatly appreciated thanks guys""

How do I get medical insurance?

I am 20 years old and I need medical and dental insurance. I have tried medicade but I am to old and I don't have children. please help!!

What is better and cheaper for Auto Insurance in BC vs. Alberta?

I'm purchasing a new car, and i'm currently in British Columbia, i have two residences, one in BC and one in Alberta as i go to school in Alberta. I'm wondering what should i do with insurance would it be better to insure it under BC or Alberta?""

By how much car insurance will go down after 1 year NCB?

I am 29, have been driving for ages, previously had another country license, got UK license last year and bought a car. My car insurance is due to expire next month. I was wondering how much it will go down with one year no claims, just looking for an estimate. or how much did your insurance go down after a year.""

Will I get a car insurance rate hike?

In Pennsylvania, if you are given a traffic citation, and are told points will NOT be accessed on your driving record with DMV, will my car insurance stilll go up?""

How do Doctors get paid by insurance company?

How do Doctors get paid by insurance company?

Do I have to sell my car to the insurance company at their suggestion?

I've been paying for fully comprehensive insurance for my car for 8 months, 3 month ago my car crashed and the insurance company has evaluated the cost of repairing is more than the market price of my car. Now the insurance company is going to buy my car at the market value, my question is: Do I have to sell my car to the company? Or does it make sense if I ask for repairing etc?""

Teenager's auto insurance?

i'm 17 and will soon be recieving a car from my aunt. it's a '92 poniac bonneville se. i want to figure out some insurance rates but some of the information they are asking for i'm not comfortable putting on the internet (like my soc. number). are there any teen drivers or parents of teen drivers would would be willing to share their rates and companies with me?

Costs purchase health insurance?

i am about to get married, and right now i am on my mothers health insurance because i am in college. however, when i get married this coverage will end. i am used to having health coverage and my fiance told me to look into how much it will cost to purchase it for just me. there are no numbers anywhere just forms to fill out contact information, which i did, still no contact. anyone pay for their own insurance? how much does it cost you?""

Insurance on Giving Birth?

Me and my husband don't have any insurance and we want to have a baby, what is the average monthly payment for insurance that will cover everything from the ultra violet sound to the monthly check-ups to the auctual giving birth in the hospital.""

Insurance claim and deductible questions?

I scratched somebody's car while they were parked, so it was my fault. Damages were minor. Since my car is old and I've dropped coverage on my own car (I have coverage for the other car), I have no plan to fix mine. And the other party offered to settle on our own and not go to the insurance company. So, the questions are: 1. If I claim to my insurance company, how much out-of-pocket do I have to pay? His deductible? Or $0 (since I am not fixing mine)? 2. Would my insurance rate will go up even though I have a clean, no at-fault, claim for at least 10 years? 3. Is this settle on our own legal? And anything to watch out for? 4. What would you do if you were me? Thanks much!""

Car for teenager. please help?

So I'm really interested in the 2012 Mercedes slk350. Its 499 a month but how much would insurance be? My parent make about 200k a year but will they be able to afford that? I really want this car but i need to know what the average insurance for a teenager is.. thank you so much for your help

In the uk what car is the cheapest for insurance?

i want to buy a car but the insurance is too much so I want to know what car is cheap to insure

""If you crashed your car into someones, how much would insurance pay out?""

Assuming the cost is 18,000, most of it being for injuries the other party claims to have (<1000 bucks in damage). How much would insurance pay and how much would i have to pay? No damage to my own car. No need for insurance after this because I dont think im going to drive again after hearing the cost. I cant call the insurance company unforunately. Do you think I would have to pay all of it? I had full coverage.""

Cheapest young driver car insurance?

Hi, I will be driving soon and know insurance is very expensive for young, new drivers. Does anyone know of any cheap insurance companies OR techniques of how to get cheap car insurance? Thanks.""

Does Obama think $600 per month is a low price for health insurance?

Does Obama think $600 per month is a low price for health insurance?

Ideas for Cheap car insurance?

17 getting a Suzuki swift. Need CHEAP endurance Anyone know?

Insuring a scion tc with collision for a 17 year old?

Im just wondering if anyone out there is around 17 with a scion tc and how much their insurance cost every month if they have collision. An older man totaled my 2000 Mitsubishi mirage and i got a lot of money for it and a lot saved up so im in the market for a new car. I currently pay 1900 a year.

Are the following cars high on insurance?

Is the supra MK4, 240sx s13 and s14 high on insurance? please help I would like to get one of them for a first car but I need to know if there high on insurance.""

Do I really need insurance for a motorcycle in California?

Do i need insurance to ride a motorcycle in california? To get a license for motorcycles? please help!

Tip cheap car insurance quotes in philadelphia

Tip cheap car insurance quotes in philadelphia

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/discount-workmans-comp-insurance-quote-jennifer-aldridge/"

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Istachatta Florida Cheap car insurance quotes zip 34636

"Istachatta Florida Cheap car insurance quotes zip 34636

Istachatta Florida Cheap car insurance quotes zip 34636

BEST ANSWER:  Try this site where you can compare quotes: : http://salecarinsurance.xyz/index.html?src=tumblr 

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I can call Allstate and find this out. However, I don't feel like staying on the line forever. Is the Mitsubishi Lancer consider a sports car according to auto insurance poilcy or is it just your average everyday sedan?""

Classic Car As A Daily Driver In Michigan?

I'm a hot rod & kustom guy, have building and restoring old cars for awhile now..love the looks of em and the feeling I get driving them, I'm opening up my own shop soon too. I drive a 2001 Grand Am GT and it's about to die 190,000 miles needs tires, brakes, bearings, engines making noises but for the price I paid and miles I put on it, it worked well. Now I need a new daily drive to school 72 miles round trip 2-3 times a week. I live in Michigan, was wondering what it would be like to drive an classic car as a daily...say a 1958 Chevy Bel Air with a 283 motor...the insurance is cheaper, easier to fix and find parts..but may be more in gas...just wondering if anyone drives a classic everyday and how is it in the winter...I'd have to figure out heat some how. I have many cars 1968 Caddy Deville on air bags, 1930 Model A Coupe hot rod, 1951 Mercury custom, 1956 Cadillac Deville...etc""

""I knocked over a stop sign with someone else's car, whose insurance company do I use?""

Nothing happened to the car, I just need to pay for the stop sign. (I still don't understand why they can't just stick the sign back in. Nothing happened to it.) Anyway, I'm wondering if I should call my insurance company, or the person's insurance company. The police took the insurance # of the car's owner, but to file a report, do I call my company or his? (We both have the same company, USAA, but I don't know what policy # to use.)""

What should my car insurance cost?

I am a 21 year old female, do not have any citations on record, and I drive a 2007 ford focus. What should my monthly insurance payment be around???""

Should I get health insurance?

I'm going to be 18 in a few months and I'm trying to figure out if it'll be cheaper to get health insurance or not get health insurance. I'm on 3 prescriptions, every 3 months I have to get an MRI and CT scan, and every 6 months, I visit my eye doctor. Would it be cheaper to have health insurance and pay them monthly or just pay the doctor bills on my own? Sources?""

Car insurance in NY for a 21 year old? Please Help?

I would like to purchase a used car in NY. Im curious to know if I need to purchase the car before I get insurance or can I buy the insurance then decide what car I want. Im actually not sure what car I would like to get right now, but in NY you cannot register a car without car insurance. Also, I would like to know which insurance companies will give me the lowest quote for my age and despite me driving for years with a permit, I just recently got my driver's license. I haven't established any credit yet, because I know they look at that too but I do live on my own and im gainfully employed. Whoever gives the best answer gets 10 points. Thank You""

I just moved and need new car insurance. I also have no medical. Can I cover both through the same company?

I've heard that State Farm and Allstate are now offering some medical packages. My wife and I don't necessarily need a lower copay for normal doctor visits, but we'd rather not go bankrupt if something catastrophic happens; accident, disease, etc. Has anyone had good experiences buying health insurance this way? How much does it cost roughly for your plan(s)? Neither my wife nor I are currently working full time so we don't get health through our jobs. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.""

How much would it be to insure an Acura RSX if im 22?

Im getting an Acura RSX but i want to know how much it will be to insure it. I know this is going to sound funny but my gramma wants to put it under her insurance and it covers who ever is driving the car but how much cheaper id that gonna be?? shes like 63 i think l0l...

Is car insurance much cheaper if you have a old car?

I want to buy a 1968 dodge charger and I heard that if it's like 25 years or older car insurance is real cheap is this true

How do I get cheap car insurance?

New driver at 21

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

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

Does not having license on you affect insurance?

My brother was returning home one evening last week and thought that the speed limit increased before it did, so he was pulled over for speeding. He was let off for that, but given a ticket because he didn't have his license on his person. He has one, but he left his wallet at home. Now he is worried this will affect his insurance. Does anyone know? Does he have a rap sheet or anything now? This is his first ticket. I have no experience with this now.""

Can I get insurance subsidies under the affordable care act?

I'm 56 years old and still working and get insurance through my large employer. But, let's say I decide to retire. I'm single with no dependents. My net worth not ...show more""

Where can I get the cheapest car insurance?

I live in Toronto, Ontario Canada and I am looking to buy cheap car insurance. I have been driving for 30 years, any ideas, good websites, great companies? Your help is greatly appreicated.""

How much does motorcycle insurance cost in California? I'm 20 years old and thinking of getting a bike.?

I'm thinking of getting a Yamaha R6. Still don't know what year? Anyone got any tips of what year i should get?

Car accident with someone who will not respond back to the insurance for verification?

Someone with insurance rear ended me. I took his insurance information and called his insurance the following day to report the accident. The person who rear ended me did not call the insurance and he is not responding to his own insurance who are trying to get ahold of him to confirm the accident. It's been three weeks. His insurance called me yesterday and said that I need to use my own insurance for get my car fixed. I have a note written by the person who rear ended me admitting that he did cause the accident. What legal actions can I take against the person who rear ended me?

Im 19yrs old and i wanna know how much will my car insurance will be..???

Im 19yrs old and i wanna know how much will my car insurance will be..???

How much would i pay for car Insurance?

How much would i pay for car Insurance for cheap car that cost me honda accord 2000,I am 28 Years old, never been in any accident,I got my license 8 years ago""

Does the color actually make your insurance higher??

I have heard this is true...red cars make your insurance higher...I don't think it is true but my husband does. What do you all think? I have looked up quotes and none of them ask for the color of the vehicle just make/model/year...

Where can i find a basic car insurance quote?

i dont want to enter all of my personal information. it doesnt need to be exactly i just want like a basic calculator. i dont mind like the accident info or my car info but not my SS# and address. i just want a estimate. or is there somehow i can do it my self.

Adding a new driver to insurance.?

In Ontario, if a new driver was added to insurance on a 03 dodge caravan how much would it be about?""

Health Insurance question?

Who can you add as a secondary person on your insurance? Can it be a significant other or is it only a spouse allowed?

Istachatta Florida Cheap car insurance quotes zip 34636

Istachatta Florida Cheap car insurance quotes zip 34636

How much I motorcycle insurance in mass?

I was wonder in how much it would be to insure a motorcycle in mass? I know there's a lot of factors to what the price will be. I just want a rough estimate. Thank you

How much insurance ratew for a lotus elise?

Okay lets see... I live in mass.worcester I'm 19 Never owned a car before Has 1 year driving experience with a clean record And the dealer is selling it for 12,999$""

Where can I get cheap auto insurance?

I am paying too much on auto insurance and I need a cheap option.

Would insurance be higher on suv/truck or car/sedan?

For example Mitsubishi Montero Sport vs Volkswagen passat, Nissan maxima, or Mitsubishi galant.""

""Cheap Insurance, For a 19 year old?""

hi im a typical 19 year old, been driving for 1 year this month. Does anyone know of any Cheap Insurance places, Everything is so expensive! i dont want to be paying more than 50.00 a month! Please help""

I live in PA...I never had car insurance but I'm buying my first car. I can't get a car insurance quote so...

how can I drive the car off the lot if I don't have insurance? I'm lost...can somebody help me solve this problem? Thank you.

How much do you pay for your car insurance?

Just wondering - how much do you pay for car insurance, how old are you, and what year/model of car do you have?""

I need liability insurance for a small taxi company in NJ. Anyone have any recommendations?

I need liability insurance for a small taxi company in NJ. Anyone have any recommendations? Also need price quotes for both taxi car insurance or limo car insurance.

What do you think about life insurance? Do you have it? Details below.?

My dad got life insurance 10 yeras ago, and now the price of the premium has increased 8 times more than what we were paying. Since his 10 years of life insurance at the affordable rate has expired, I'm thinking of asking him to renew it, but we were paying at such an affordable price. But he doesn't want life insurance and doesn't seem to care about protecting the family in case of his death. But I'm wondering, is life insurance that is something really worth it? My dad is a healthy individual. And even if we pay, would the premium have gotten up? My add is over 50, and I'm wondering if our premium will double even though if they check his health again. What do you think?""

Does Bupa insurance cover child birth in USA?

Does Bupa insurance cover child birth in USA? and what is the steps for that?

Car insurance for golf?

i am currently getting quoted silly money ask you can imagine for a golf as I am a 17 year old male which just passed. may be a silly question but is there any reasonable insurance companies out there or anyway round it to make it cheaper !?

Why is auto insurance so expensive?

I am 17 years old and male, I'm also about 3 weeks from 18. I recently got a quote from Geico on a 97 Ford Explorer and they returned with $280 A MONTH for minimum coverage! My question is: -Are there any other options that would be cheaper than 200? Possibly around $100 to $150? -Would being added to my family's plan be cheaper? My dad owns a mustang and we also have a Ford Explorer, is Geico going to charge more even if I don't ever drive the mustang? -What can I do too get a cheaper quote? I can't afford nearly $300 a month! -I'm almost 18, Male, A Senior in High School, Currently Employed, Have average grades, Never had a DUI, car accident, and never been arrested. I'm not married as well. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks! -Shawn""

Car cheap on insurance?

Hi im wanting to buy my first car in a couple of months so i would like to know of a car thats got a small engine 1l preferably and cheap on the insuramce,yet slightly large for personal use such as fishing :) and finally a hatchback""

I need some affordable insurance that covers if you have a missing tooth please help?

I need some affordable insurance that covers if you have a missing tooth please help?

""Used Car, How Much Insurance?""

How much would I have to pay for insurance on a 1998 Nissan Sentra for $1,495? How much are taxes in Canada? 13%?""

Health insurance and ma.health?

If you are 19 and have coverage under your fathers insurance . You have no job or income and Living with grandparent because of health issues Can you still have Ma. Health to help cover medication and co-payments for doctors? Applied once and told no because they have coverage under the fathers insurance. Has applied for disability because of the medical illness. Do not know of any other insurance to help with costs.

Car insurance for total loss?

I got a car accident due to bad weather and got a total loss. No one is involved in the accident. I`ve got a full coverage insurance at that time. The insurance company is cancelled a contract with me after a claim (accident) I issued, which I found it through insurance agency. The insurance company said that they did not know the previous accident record on my driver license. Then they cancelled the contract. Can I possibly claim a complain with my insurance company? I terribly need any car since I use a car for my job. The insurance company said they will not give me any money either a car. What should I do? Thank you""

How to get TD auto insurance quote in Ontario?

I am a new driver in Ontario with G2 licence. Never had insurance before. Got my G1in Oct. 2012 and G2 in Oct 2013. I am 33 years old married male. I have completed drivers' certification course. I don't have any ticket or any conviction. I am going to buy new 2013 Hyundai Sonata GL. I shopped online and with brokers too. All are quoting me around $320 - 350. I haven't heard anything from TD yet as they wanted me to give them written application to get a quote from them. (I don't know why?). I know TD gives cheap quotes, but I need to know an estimate. After submitting written application, I have to wait 3-4 weeks to hear from them. Can anyone be able to tell me how much will be TD's quote? (at least an estimate?) Thank you in advance!!!""

""If I am under my mothers insurance, will it help me in the future when I branch off?""

I am thinking about putting my first car insurance under my mothers name, but in a couple years I want to start paying it on my own. Will the fact that I was under her name help me a little with my rate? Or will it not matter, and the insurance company will treat me as a new driver?""

Vehicle hit while parked will insurance rate go up????

I get a call from my girlfriend that on the way to the train she saw my car was smashed -Bumper , fender , Headlight need to be replaced The car was parked at the time. Gessing this would be considered a hit and run?Wll insurance rates go up if i put in a claim?????""

How does insurance Work in a dealer finance car if it where to get in a accident?

How does insurance work if a car is totalled in accident, but the car is still finance through a dealership? Would the Insurance payoff the balance owing in the car or just payoff what the car worth? What would happen to the remainder of the finance owing if the car is totalled in accident, but the fault is not in you? Thank you.""

How much will I have to for car insurance?

I'm 19 and I just got my permit. So in 6 months I will have my license. By then, I will have car. Which insurance will be cheapest and how much would I have to pay a month? I know nobody can put an exact price on it, but maybe an estimation?""

Insurance for a 3 series BMW Convertable?

Does anybody know a good/cheap insurance company for a BMW 3 Series Convertable. I don't have any no claims as i have always driven a company car! Please please help!!!!

How much does it cost to insure a car in the UK?

On average, how much would you expect to pay for your first ever cars insurance?""

I have recently ordered a wind turbine. Any recommendations for insurance?

I ordered a use wind turbine from Germany. I was wondering if anyone had any experience doing this and where is a good place to get insurance. I found these guys through Google thoughts? http://www.northernalliance.co.uk/wind-turbine-insurance/

Istachatta Florida Cheap car insurance quotes zip 34636

Istachatta Florida Cheap car insurance quotes zip 34636

What is the cheapest legal way to insure 2 cars - 1 with just me with full ncb the other with me and my son?

My son is 22 and wants to insure a vehicle, but finds it very expensive. What is the cheapest LEGAL way for me to help him. I have full ncb on my own car.""

Help finding an orthodontist that accepts my insurance?

Hi everybody well ive been wanting to get braces but i cant afford them and i cant seem to find one anyways i live in California my insurance plan is Healthy Kids its a program part of Healthy Plans of San Mateo County i live in South San Francisco and i really desperately need help finding an orthodontist in or around this area i want my braces really bad like asap so yeah please if anyone can help me out it will be gladly appreciated! thanks

National insurance for under 16s?

If a 14 year old set up an online business in england, when it comes to paying taxes how can they fill in the tax form if the don't have a national insurance number. Can a 14 year old have a national insurance number??""

How much does car insurance cost?

I will be turning sixteen this May, and my mom has arranged for me to get my licence on my birthday (May 1). I have to pay for my own insurance and gas money (unless I am driving somewhere for them). They are buying me just an old used car that will last me through the rest of high school and college (7 years). It may be falling apart by the end of that time but it'll get me from point a to point b. I plan on getting a job as soon as possible. I want to work somewhere this summer, and I will tutor (which I already do occasionally) during the school year, because I don't have time for a part time job all year with extra-curriculars. How much do I need to make to afford my car insurance? Also, my grandad works for State Farm, so we all have to get it there. OH and I took drivers ed when I got my permit so that's deductible.""

""Getting a yamaha r6, how much is insurance usually?""

Never had a bike, have a clean record, what does insurance usually cost on a bike??""

What's a good insurance company to sign with?

I'm 20 years and pay $800.00 every six months for my insurance. I want to find a better and much cheaper insurance company. Please help me out.

""Hi , i had an accident and wrote my car off, i thought id cancel insurance but insurance company say ?""

that i cant because its a credit agreement , i thought that cant be right im now paying insurance for a car that i don't have , help""

Do any states not require car insurance by law?

Looking for a state that does not require me to have car insurance.

What am I required to report when I apply for new car insurance?

I scratched the paint on someone's bumper. A claim was made and the damages paid were approximately $1300. My question is: if I will be applying for a new insurance policy, am I required by law to report that I was in a fender bender? Are they able to access these records? I am trying to determine whether or not this will affect my new insurance policy rates.""

""Car insurance sent me SR-1 form, What to do on SR-1?""

I got into a solo or at-fault accident cause i skidded off the road due to the road being wet after the heavy downpour. Nothing major and my first ever accident so i decided to report it to the insurance for a claim but decided to disregard the claim since nothing needed to be repaired except an alignment because i work on cars so nothing seemed broken. Now that it's been disregarded, mercury insurance sent me an sr-1 form stating i must fill it out or my license will be suspended within 10 days. If i fill it out and since there was no damages over $750, will there be an inspection to my vehicle?""

What is the coverage characteristics of disability insurance?

What is the coverage characteristics of disability insurance?

Cheap UK car insurance for 22yr old?

Hi everyone, I'm looking for cheap UK car insurance for a 22 year old, who has had his license for 4 years, but with no NCB (been driving under company insurance). Any help would be greatly appreciated? Thanks, Matt""

Got a ticket for no car insurance because i didnt have my insurance card?

I just signed up with the general for car insurance earlier today so i dont have proof. About 1 hour ago a car slammed there breaks in traffic and i was one of the unlcky ones behind her. The cop said his systems were down so he couldnt run a check to see if i had insurance. Becuase i didnt have my card, he gave me a ticket for driving without insurance and told me to bring my insurance card to court on that date. Im worried the judge will think i went home and bought car insurance immediately after the accident. My question is, am i screwed?""

How much should a 76 year old pay for liability insurance to drive a 17 year old/as good as new car?

I average about 1,400 miles a year.""

How much car insurance coverage do i need for my car?

I totaly own my 04 toyota corolla What do you guys think the coverage should be...

Where can i get free insurance when buying my first car???

im looking to buy my first car, and was wondering if i would be able to get free years insurance from a local dealership, or is it only mainstream dealerships do that? im looking to spend 1000 on a car, but 2000 if i can get free insurance, how would i be able to get this? Im 17, if age takes any part in this, and living in britain.""

""In Florida, How much (if any) will my auto insurance rate increase with 3 points on my license?

I got a ticket for improperly changing lanes and I'm electing not to go to traffic school (since I only have one more chance for traffic school based on two times/year) for such a minor offense. Would it make sense to skip 8hr school ($70.00) or would I end up paying more in the long run because of my 3 points?

How much will car insurance be for a VW Polo for a 17 year old?

I will be turning 17 in a year and a half and i am set on getting a 2006 Volkswagen Polo because i don't need much more from a car. It will mostly just be used for short drives through my town and city and I will be parking it on the road. I'm hoping to find one with a 1.2 engine and no higher because i know that is a dramatic factor in the insurance cost. I was just wondering, as a rough estimate, how much per year (in British pounds) would the insurance be?""

What insurance companies will insure a dog in California with a prior bite history?

My two dogs were involved in a fight with another dog last year. All three dogs were bitten, and my homeowners' insurance paid out a claim. They have now sent a notice of non-renewal and I am having trouble finding an insurance company that will write a new policy. Does anyone have any suggestions for an insurance company or broker in California that can help? Thank you!""

How much dose it cost to rent a car in NYC for a week ( including insurance?)?

How much dose it cost to rent a car in NYC for a week ( including insurance?)?

HELP whats the Cheapest place to ge car insurance in ontario?

im a 18 male just got my g1 not to long ago, i have had/drove cars be4 But i am not doin the driving school thing as i dnt have $500 to Blow! so im just gonna wait the 12months to get my g2 (so ill be 19 goin on 20 when i have my g2), i just started saving for a car tht i plan on puttin on the road after i have my g2 (i can get cars for a fair price so im not worried about tht), but where can i get cheaap Car insurance in Belleviille Ontario?, as i dnt make alot of money right no and nobody else n my family has a license lmao so i cant go under their insurance. and i did a online thing sayin i had a 99 z24 nd it said ill have to pay $1013 a month wht is wayy to much money!! and i have already had a 96 cavailer, 93 mx6 (but i drove em with no license or anything) but now i either wana get a honda civic, sunfire, neon, mx3 or acura, 95 and up""

Can I claim health insurance costs?

If i am retired, 55 and have to pay my own health insurance, can I deduct them on my income taxes. Lets say the monthly premium is $500 and my anual income is $24,000""

How much is your car insurance?

Just wondering. Mine's coming to 700!!

""If I report an auto insurance claim under my comprehensive, does it count against me?

Not sure whether to report an damage to my vehicle. I estimate the cost to be about $ 500.00 +. My deductable is $ 500.00. Any info will help :)

Car insurance Voluntary Excess?

hi just got a quote from a insurance broker for cars and i put down 100 Voluntary Excess but what does this mean?

Istachatta Florida Cheap car insurance quotes zip 34636

Istachatta Florida Cheap car insurance quotes zip 34636

Teenage car insurance?

I'm a teen, and I'm thinking about getting a car. However, I've heard that insurance for teenagers can be expensive. Since insurance is usually tied to the car instead of the driver, am I able to get away with using my parents' insurance if the car is completely under my parents' names? Am I allowed to save a large amount of money this way? I only plan on meeting the minimum insurance required by law (in California).""

Car Insurance lower or higher if you lease it instead of financing it?

Hello, I would like to know if car insurance is lower or higher if you lease it instead of financing it?""

Ticket for driving without insurance in florida?

Hello, I recieved a ticket in January for Driving without Insurance in Florida. The officer cited me 110$ and let me go, I stayed off the road for a few weeks immediately purchased insurance within 30 days. However my ticket is still unpaid due to lack of employment, bills and stuff and license just go suspended. Can someone explain to me if I go to the courthouse and pay the ticket without any proof of insurance, what will happen. Do I just pay it and thats it and then get my license reinstated? I really am lost, I make minimum wage i don't know what to do but i have to pay this ticket and fix my license i just don't know if they will arrest me on the spot cause i cannot furnish proof or what? My insurance lapsed pretty much because i lost my job.""

Why do people think that mandating car insurance is the same as mandating health insurance?

I could choose not to drive. Also even the democratic legal think tank advisers have said there is no legal precedent for mandating the purchase of health insurance from a private company. If they don't have single payer or even a public option it may not hold up in the supreme court.

How much does full coverage auto insurance for new drivers usually cost?

How much does full coverage auto insurance for new drivers usually cost?

""Can some body tell much i have to for my car insurance, if i live in brooklyn and 18 with new license?""

hey, i am planning to bye a car by next month, but before i go buy it, i need know how i have pay for my insurance, i am 18 just got my license and live in brooklyn, can somebody what is the most could i have pay...""

Temporary Car insurance??

Need temporary car insurance for about 3-4 weeks, our own policy runs out the middle of next month, but we have just ordered a mobility car, and it wont be here until 1st week in June. We call our current insurance company and was basically told they would charge us for 6 months and then a cancellation fee. What company offers the lowest price insurance for that short amount of time??""

How come different auto insurance agencies charge different prices for the same insurance company?

yes i went to three different insurance agencys to see what quotes theyll give me. one say said ill pay 50 a month and 140 down payment for access auto insurance . the other agency said ill pay 60 a month and 90 down payment for the same company. and the third agency said i would probably not qualify for access auto insuranc. im 20 year old male riverside ca 94 accord. why would three different agencys quote diferently for the same auto company ? whyyy is it a scam

Need insurance for mercedes car - which insurer will use mercedes repair centre?

I'm buying a Mercedes B class. Swinton have given me some good insurance quotes but during the long conversation (with Aviva) to get 7 day drive-away insurance I was told to be careful of the small print: to keep the Mobilo service I must always use Merc-approved garages for servicing and repairs; unfortunately Swinton's insurers say they will choose where the car goes and this is very unlikely to be a Merc garage. So my question is: what do Merc owners do? From whom do you get your car insurance to make sure any repairs are carried out by a Merc-approved repair centre?

""Minor fender benders, insurance, and suspended license?""

if there is minor fender bender, both parties have insurance and exchange info. what could happen if no police report was made, and driver A reports to their insurance company. diver A insurance company then try to contact you, driver B avoids them (even though Driver B was not in the wrong) by avoiding the insurance company can driver B license be suspended, without proof of accident or proof of who was in the wrong. Its been a month since accident, what should Driver B do""

Everything auto insurance will ask you?

I had a car accident, the other driver's insurance company called me, and I need to know all the questions they would ask me personal or not. I know they will ask about the facts of the accident, but I want to know what personal questions(like age, health insurance, education, etc.)""

Good car insurance for a teen?

in the summer im going to get my first job (yay!) and my parents are in a bit of a financial rut so with my paycheck im gonna pay my insurance so i was wondering...which insurance would be the cheapest or have the most deductibles im going to be 18 in october, never got a ticket, never got in a wreck and i have had my license for two years any helpful answers are appreciated :) also if you need any more info let me know!:) ..oh and btw its a 1999 hyandai elantra that i drive""

After market alloys and telling your car insurance company about them?

Hi Guys, I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to car insurance... I recently bought a T reg honda civic, its a 1.4i. It had tyres with wheel trims on them when i bought it. However, I am looking to buy a set of alloys to improve the look of the car. NOT for boy-racing about the place I might add! I was wondering if it would be worth my while getting them if my insurance company are going to charge me more for insuring it including the alloys. I dont want to be running about with the alloys on without letting them know because I know it would make my insurance void. Any ideas what the insurance company are likely to say or do? I have only beening driving since October of 07 so my insurance is already 1200 a year, which is awful and I dont need it to go up much further...""

Is it possible to get a good used car for 3000 $ ?

I live in the Los Angeles area and I am a student .. I really need a car but I can only afford 3,000$ at the most .. Do you think I can get a pretty decent looking car for 3000$ ? and I am 25 years old , I never drove before ... How much do you think the insurance would cost approximately considering that I am 25 years old and new driver with a used car ? I really wanna know if I can get a good one for 3000$ Thanks a bunch !!!""

Should i get 20 year term or a 30 year term life insurance?

My husband and I currently have a 20 year term life insurance policy. We are switching companies because we were paying too much at State Farm. I'm 30 and he is 33 and we are both in very good health. We have a 9 month old baby boy and our policies are for $500,000 each. The rate I'm getting is $45 for both of us for the 20 year term and $70 for both of us for the 30 year term. Which one should I go with?""

How pleased are you with your health care insurance?

Please rate 1-10 (1 being you do not have health care coverage and 10 you are very pleased Also Please give your age and nationality

How much is teen auto insurance?

i normally have bs and as and rarely cs for school. About how much would auto insurance be?

Good Driver Insurance Discount?

Okay, so this is the deal. I have a 3.3 G.P.A. Not bad, right? Well, for one of my classes I actually have an F in for ONE of my Spring 2011 classes. Although I can get the discount, my parents keep hounding me for my transcript and I don't want them to see that F or I'm screwed. Can I still get the discount if I send the car insurance company my trancript from the previous semesters and not my most recent one?""

Am I able to check the status of my husbands car insurance claim ?

Last October , I sold my car so I would be able to buy a more gas efficient car. I found a car that I wanted that was a stick but didn't no how to drive stick. My husband talked ...show more""

Looking for a health insurance coop in California.?

Anyone know of one not related to working at a company or for the government?

Where can i get the cheapest car insurance?

Im a 16 year old male who lives in new orleans. I have a 3.8 GPA and no one in my immediate family has been in a wreck in the previous 5 years. Where can i get affordable insurance?

Can i get insurance with my learners permit?

Hi i finished my MSF course about two months ago and i want to get my own insurance, since my brother is leaving to collage. im 18 and have my leaners permit for about 2 months. I'll get my motorcycle license in 4 more months. i asked PROGRESSIVE and they said they won't be able to insure me till i have my license. BQ: what insurance do you have? any you recommend? I have a clean record.""

Am I required to get rental car insurance if I don't have my own auto insurance?

I am planning to sell my car and cancel my auto insurance. If I want to rent a car, am I required to buy their rental car insurance, since I wouldn't have any other auto insurance otherwise?""

Am I covered on someone else's insurance?

For example: I am a licensed driver first off. My grandma can't drive very well. Sometimes I take her places if I have time using her truck that has insurance on it. If she is with me every time I drive her somewhere, do I have to be insured? (Louisiana)""

Is there a new law about not having car insurance?

i heard the law had just changed in California and my insurance just ran out in order to renew i need to drive to the bank and im not sure if i can with no insurance

Istachatta Florida Cheap car insurance quotes zip 34636

Istachatta Florida Cheap car insurance quotes zip 34636

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