#mayfly monday

[aquatic-insects-enthousiast]

Happy Mayfly Monday! Everyone look at these puppies! My guess is that this one’s heptageniidae larvae, the Flathead Mayfly.

You can find flathead mayflies somewhere in your vicinity! Where? Fast moving/shallow streams and lakes! Where in there? Get in the water and start checking stones and wood that’s been submerged! You’ll discover them clinging flatly to random sticks, logs, the underside of stones, roots that are sticking out the sides of a stream bank, and more! They like a wide range of substrate though, so look for them clinging to any good hard materials in that water!

Go and find the mayflies near you!

[bite-sizedttrpg]

Bite-Sized!

A Bug-Based TTRPG

Bite-Sized! is a D6 tabletop role-playing game where you play as bugs on an alternate version of Earth. In this universe, humans never existed and bugs are the most intelligent creatures. Explore a world filled with giant creatures, towering flora, magic, and deadly beasts.

This TTRPG is made to be picked up by beginners or veterans of the TTRPG scene. Bite-Sized! has 3 archetypes to choose from: Warrior, Spellblade, and Sorcerer. Warriors' expertise is in weapons and maneuvering during combat. Sorcerers' expertise is in magic. Whether that be for utility or combat potential. Spellblade combine both sorcerers' perks and warriors' perks for a jack-of-all-trades type of play.

You can also choose from 10 different lineages to play as.

Child of Akinoka: This lineage is based on cicadas, leafhoppers, spittlebugs, and froghoppers. Use your powerful maneuvering skills to outpace your competition.

Child of Antipiphyra: This lineage is based on flies, scorpionflies, and fleas. With amazing reaction time and movement, you can dodge and weave through any obstacle.

Child of Arnaea: This lineage is based on arachnids. With good utility like the ability to have extra limbs, you can fill many roles in the party.

Child of Hetotira: This lineage is based on shield bugs and assassin bugs. A powerful bite and aquatic capabilities set this lineage apart.

Child of Hydropaltira: This lineage is based on dragonflies, mayflies, and damselflies. As the most powerful fliers, you will be the master of the skies.

Child of Hinotira: This lineage is based on bees, ants, and wasps. Pheromones and abilities that are great for cooperation will ensure this lineage is a bonus to any party.

Child of Kolotira: This lineage is based on beetles. With the strongest defense of any lineage and great strength, this lineage is fit for the most strenuous of tasks.

Child of Ledotira: This lineage is based on butterflies and moths. Great stealth skills and good flight makes this perfect for players who want to be flashy and stealthy.

Child of Miropota: This lineage is based on centipedes and millipedes. With amazing abilities for combat, you will help your party against even the toughest of foes.

Child of Ortotira: This lineage is based on crickets and grasshoppers. This lineage is great for those who wish to be able to fill any role.

All these lineages have different abilities to choose from based on real animals! Some have an exaggerated effect but the base for everything is found in nature.

This game is still a work in progress. There will be updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Mondays are the newest update on the game, Wednesdays are lore days, and Fridays are spotlight days! On Thursday there will be a poll for what the spotlight will be on.

[ellsieee]

With so many people splitting the rent, Jaemin shouldn't be so worried about money.

The lonely girls get the house Mondays and Fridays, the blue boys get it Tuesdays and Saturdays, the mayfly angel girls get it Wednesdays and Sundays, and the hets can rock paper scissors for Thursdays. Those better be different sets of the same looking sheets! 😂

[yuuana]

Music Monday #237: ATEEZ - Everything release: December 2023 genre: Kpop, K-R&B cw: flashing, arson, a relationship dissolving on screen

And now for something completely the same: ATEEZ's final unit MV from WILL, in which everyone cries and things end up on fire. Look, no one ever said K-dramas lacked in, well, drama. ;) The lyrics spoil the story, but if you really don't want any spoilers, watch the video before continuing further.

Obviously a solo song from Jongho was going to be a ballad - in previous years, when the team was less busy, his solo content was a series of covers for kdrama OSTs. He's main vocalist for a reason and don't even get me started on his Mayfly-V stage during Kingdom. Everything is every bit as soulful and heart-wrenching as any ATINY could have expected, a song about loss and regret and knowing you can never make right the things you did wrong, but oh, if you could.... The soft piano opening, the way Jongho pours his whole heart into his voice from the soft opening to the soaring high notes of the climax that then trails off into soft wistfulness once more to the end ... you may need to keep a tissue close for this one.

This music video, unlike previous unit videos, is almost entirely story mode, as Jongho flexes his acting chops once more, now with less baby face. Most of the flashing is at the very start, where the video flashes through snapshots of the scenes we'll see play out a bit more in the video, so the bigger warning is really if watching a relationship fall apart on screen is a bugbear of yours. The lyrics already spoil the narrative, since the song starts out talking about never being able to see the other person again, but the video offers more context to why things ended up that way.

Interestingly, this video was shot entirely on sound stages - yes, even the snowy night scenes, which was a surprise to me, too. And it's not CGI snow - watching the behind the scenes, I was surprised and impressed at the number of practical effects where others would have gone with computer-generated. Some of the fire at the end is very obviously computer-added, but it's combined with actual on-set controlled fires that the old-school film fan in me quietly appreciates. Plus the snow. So much fake snow, it's a delight ... until Jongho told me how they made the fake snow and now all I see is that. XD

And now ... the lore paragraph! As with Youth, Everything is firmly planted in the A 'verse, with Jongho as a former basketballer living with his girlfriend until they break up because he's been a shit boyfriend. This means we've moved along the timeline a little bit, though that fits with the lyric in Youth talking about being in their twenties - Zero Fever implied Heroteez were still in high school. Of course ATEEZ lore has never been entirely linear and considering ATEEZ were already in their twenties during Fever era, the warehouse scene from the diary could just as easily be happening closer to this than first appearances lead us to believe. So once again we're left with more questions ... and the recent teasers ATEEZ have released have been no help at all - I have no idea where Not Okay is going to fall and ANITEEZ are in Halateez garb, soooo. Who knows. Not me. XD

This is the last WILL unit MV ... so of course yesterday KQ put out a performance version of MATZ which has almost no footage overlap with the original MV. I had initially assumed the difference in shooting days (Everything was one day, the other three shot for two days each) had to do with Jongho being on his own for this project. But now I'm wondering if secret performance versions also contributed, since the other three have dances and Everything doesn't. I suppose we will have to wait and see.

WILL is still available for purchase, ATEEZ just wrapped a two day concert extravaganza (based on what I've seen from it so far) in Seoul to kick of another world tour (additional dates in Japan in February, further tour details to come later), and oh yeah, Coachella in April, so another busy year of travelling the world, kicking butt and taking names.

Want to see Music Monday deep dives more often? Sponsor a song selection! For the low, low price of one (1) KoFi, I'll write up the song of your choice. ANY song of your choice. Yes, even that one that's been played to death. Yes, your obscure faves too. With sponsors, I can stop skipping weeks and falling further and further behind in the releases! Sponsor a current CB for the next open Music Monday slot or sponsor a throwback for a Thursday feature! But seriously, if you've been enjoying my selections and analyses, we (me and the foster kittens) would love a KoFi in thanks. DW | Twitter | Mastodon | Bluesky | Ko-fi | Patreon | Discord | Twitch

[k00288552]

Monday evening I spent 2 hours in the Digital Fabrication workstation with tutor Jennifer O Riordan making a large scale version of the Mayfly wing on the laser cutting machine scaled up from my first prototype from last weeks trial.

The result is an interesting effect of burn within the detail of the wings structure by going through the process the piece has a broken , degraded , temporariness to demonstrate fragility and at the same time durability within life , its cyclical nature and restoration.

[dinosaursr66]

A delicious piece of power pop. Irresistible to me. The Mayflies are great.

SONG OF THE DAY - Monday, April 8, 2024

[tvrundownusa]

tvrundown USA 2023.10.30

Monday, October 30th:

(exclusive & streaming): Harry Wild (AcornTV), Mayflies (AcornTV, Scottish drama mini-series, both 2 parts), "Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor" (Shudder|AMC+, horror movie)

(hour 1): The Voice (NBC, 2hrs)

(hour 2): Fboy Island (theCW, special time, see note), Lotería Loca (CBS), The Voice (NBC, contd), Halloween Baking Championship (FOOD, season 9 finale)

(hour 3): The Irrational (NBC), "30 Coins" (HBO), American Dad! (TBS, season resumes), POV (PBS, "Fire Through Dry Grass", 90mins), Halloween Cookie Challenge (FOOD, season 2 finale)

(hour 4 - latenight): The Big Bake (FOOD), The Daily Show (COM, Charlamagne tha God guest hosts), Recipes for Love and Murder (BBCAm)

[preempted by MLB: Kitchen Nightmares (FOX), Special Forces: "World's Toughest Test" (FOX) ]

[note: Fboy Island (theCW) moves to FRIDAYS 9pm this week.]

[untappedtrivia]

This Week — It’s a frightening special week! Double leaderboard points all week! General Knowledge trivia with a few extra topics. Plus, @lylacdoesdrag and @alexiscampbellstarr joining us for unforgettable performances. … @untappedtrivia is always free to play. Come out and join in the fun! 2nd and 4th Mondays 7-9 p.m. @theautomaticbar —Tuesdays 7-9 p.m. at @adviceboothpdx — Wednesdays 7-9 p.m. at @oakbrewpdx — Thursdays 6-8 p.m. at @mayflypdx (ASL provided at Mayfly events). ... Learn more about our trivia nights and venues with the links in our bio. (at North Portland) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkFS5cor-5I/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[dansnaturepictures]

22nd April 2021: Blog 2 of 2-Blandford Forum (10 different pictures in this photoset to those I tweeted tonight) 

This afternoon we made it a third trip to the river Stour in Dorset during this week off for us its become quite the unexpected theme really and made our first visit for two years and four months to the quaint Blandford Forum to walk along the river and in the meadows. It was in case we could see something I dream of seeing otters and possibly Kingfishers as always this is a well known location for both. When we arrived it was still really sunny and pretty warm a perfect day really, we enjoyed an ice cream before we left. It was brilliant to take in splendid riverine, waterfall and reedbed views as well as spring time sights like a field in full oilseed rape yellow there as well as on the way I tweeted a picture showing the one there on Dans_Pictures tonight, blossom which this place is so good for and green trees all dripping in this gorgeous sunshine. I took the first six and eighth and ninth pictures in this photoset of the varied and beautiful views here this afternoon. 

Soon into the walk we saw another male Orange Tip flitting along, we saw a few of these as the walk went on and even spotted my first definite female of the season later on in the walk which I enjoyed a great moment in this blossoming season with this butterfly nearly a week into seeing them this year they are so beautiful to watch. Something else orange lurked in a channel of water seen from the bridge by the car park that’s in the third picture, a male Mandarin Duck it was interesting to see, when back here before leaving a Little Egret was hunting in the shallow water here which was really interesting to watch I got the tenth picture in this photoset of this.

It was another really good flower walk today as I liked noticing some snowflake flowers on the opposite river bank to us, a flower I really enjoyed seeing for the first time this year in March they really did brighten up the river bank alongside some daffodils. I then on grass beside the river found it great to see two species I saw or maybe had seen before and learnt for the first time at the Stour Valley nature reserve cuckooflower and garlic mustard which I took a picture of on Tuesday. I also saw another interesting pink flower towards the end. 

As we were about mid way along how far we walked here along the river today we were thrilled to see a Kingfisher dart by and sit on a branch. It flew on a little way and we walked on and got some stunning views of it the opposite side of the bank on a branch in some thick vegetation. It was a glorious few minutes and I loved getting some bridge camera zoom in photos of it including the seventh picture in this photoset. We saw one, possibly the same one, brightening up the river in its electrifying way on the way back. This built nicely on the couple we saw zipping along this river on Tuesday and the two days together added Kingfisher very nicely as well as Little Egret today and at the weekend/Monday to a top list of my favourite birds I have seen so well at various places this week which has been a key part of our week off as it quite often might be.

It was also great to see by the Kingfisher a House Sparrow pair appearing to nest in a reedbed, fooling us into thinking they were warblers momentarily and this was interesting as not something I’ve ever seen before. There were a few Mute Swans about today too a star of this week some had a nest on a pond, especially in good light. Another delightful patch of time in Dorset today a perfect way to mark Earth day alongside what I did before we came out today as I posted here in my part 1 of my blogs today: https://dansnaturepictures.tumblr.com/post/649201281098039296/22nd-april-2021-blog-1-of-2-lakeside-and-home-5, I hope you have all had a good Thursday.

Wildlife Sightings Summary: Two of my favourite birds the Kingfisher and Little Egret, one of my favourite butterflies the Orange Tip, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Mandarin Duck, Mallard, Mute Swan, House Sparrow, Reed Bunting, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Peacock, Comma, mayfly and I heard Wren.

[whitesparrows97]

Crossroads – Part 1

Pairing: Jeon Jungkook x Reader

Genre: Office AU

Summary: Almost accepting his monotonous life, Jeon Jungkook spotted you one day in the office building across the street. It seemed as if you were the light at the end of the tunnel he had been waiting for years for and he was the mayfly trying to break out of his everyday life.

Warnings: None

Word Count: 4.3K

Next

When one day is like another and you never experience anything new, life quickly loses its charm. 

At least that was how Jeon Jungkook felt. 

He worked day in, day out as an employee in a law office. He started every morning punctually at nine o’clock in the morning, had a half hour lunch break at 12 o’clock and usually finished work at six o’clock. He always spent the breaks on the roof of the building, from which you had an incredible view of the entire city of Seoul.

That was probably the only good thing about the job, Jungkook often thought with bitterness. 

Or rather had thought. But a month ago everything had changed.

– Flashback –

He was sitting at his desk, which seemed to overflow with paperwork. With a quiet sigh he grabbed the next folder which had a yellow Post-it note with the inscription Urgent! on it.

He was surprised that not all folders had this message, as much stress as his boss always caused him. Not a day went by without his boss having a choleric seizure, and Jungkook was usually the one who got these outbreaks. Probably because his desk was closest to his boss’s office.

The only person who was worse off than him was his secretary Han Sun-Hee. Jungkook heard several times a day how he blamed her for things she wasn’t responsible for. 

One day Jungkook would get up from his desk, go into his boss’s office and throw all the things at his head that had been accumulating for years. But at the moment, Jungkook needed this job, no matter how reluctant he was to admit it.

It was at this very moment that he was once again lost in one of his daydreams where he had a better job and a not so miserable life when Sun-Hee dropped another folder on his desk. 

“How urgent?” the dark-haired man asked without looking up from the other folder.

“As usual,” she replied, and when Jungkook looked up he could still see the sad smile on her face before she disappeared back into her office.

‘As usual’ meant urgent and urgent meant that Jungkook couldn’t leave on time.

He glanced at the clock and his shoulders dropped. It was already 5 p.m., with the large pile he still had in front of him, he would never finish in time. But why did he get upset about it at all? It wasn’t as if someone was waiting for him at home. Someone who would ask why he worked longer with a pointed finger and a slight grin, before joyfully embracing him.

Jungkook had always hoped to get to meet his true love at university, just like his parents had. But he had never had more than a few affairs here and there. To be honest, he wasn’t really interested in any of them either, to build more than just a short fling.

When he started working right after university, it had become difficult to get to know someone. During the week there was hardly any time and on weekends he was often happy to finally have some rest and time alone. 

At work there was also an unspoken ban on dating someone from the office. Not that this ban was necessary at all, since only two other men, Kim Namjoon and Kim Seokjin, worked in the office besides Jungkook. And no matter how much he liked Sun-Hee, a woman in her fifties was a little too old for him.

So a short time later Jungkook had given up looking for the one. He was satisfied with the romantic love films, which he admittedly enjoyed watching every Friday evening and which had already become a kind of ritual.

How could you get to know someone with whom you’d rather spend your Friday evenings comfortably on the sofa than at a loud party, with people you didn’t know and would never want to get to know? This person probably sat on the sofa at the same time as Jungkook and thought the same thing as he did. How would such two people ever meet?

He pulled himself out of his thoughts and concentrated on the folder in his hands, which he had let sink to the desk lost in thought.

“Just one more hour,” he murmured and tried to get his act together.

“With that pile,” Namjoon remarked, he was on his way to the kitchen and seemed to have heard Jungkook’s marbles, “good luck.”

“Thank you, Hyung,” he replied, sounding frustrated and Namjoon stopped in the doorway. 

“Give me one or two folders, then I’ll take them,” the older one offered and Jungkook looked up gratefully, but Namjoon had already disappeared in the kitchen and, judging by the sounds, made himself a coffee.

“Thank you, you’re really saving my day!” he shouted, hoping Namjoon would hear it.

“No problem, I know how Mr. Choi treats you sometimes. You keep most of me and Seokjin away, so I’m glad if I can help you,” Namjoon said with a smile as he went back to his seat with a coffee cup in his right hand.

It was actually a larger room and only the yellowed room dividers offered some privacy. Yet you could hear every noise and conversation of the others, which was one more reason why Jungkook longed every day for the half hour break on the quiet roof.

Jungkook once let his head roll and his neck cracked alarmingly. He decided to take a short break and turned on his office chair 90 degrees towards the windows, resting his head on his left hand. He did this quite often when he needed a short break from all the documents and cases and the lines on the slips of paper blurred back into an unreadable pulp.

His gaze wandered across the street, which lay several tens of meters below him and where he could only recognize the people as small, inconspicuous figures hurrying to their destination. He raised his eyes and that was the moment when everything changed for him.

Directly in the building opposite, only a few meters away, a new agency had moved in. He had already seen the moving boxes last week and yesterday there had been suppliers who had delivered and set up the desks.

At the desk in question, which pointed directly in his direction, stood a young woman who had just wired her computer. She kneeled down to crawl under the desk to connect the cables to the socket.

Apparently everything had worked because a smile spread out on her face as soon as she looked at the screen. Jungkook couldn’t help but smile as well. He had never seen anyone so happy about such a little thing and his heart accelerated.

It was as if the woman noticed she was being watched as she suddenly looked up and looked straight into Jungkook’s direction. He was so shocked that his elbow slipped off the desk and his upper body glided downward for a short moment because of the lack of grip. He had caught himself again and embarrassingly turned back toward his desk.

He felt the heat rise into his cheeks and hoped that this was not visible because of the distance. He dared to take a quick sideways look and immediately regretted it. The woman had apparently expected it and Jungkook could only see her laughing before he turned right back.

Great, she laughed at him. No wonder he didn’t have a girlfriend when he was a joke even to strangers.

– Flashback End –

The whole thing had happened a month ago and Jungkook had seen the woman since then five days a week, four weeks in a row. And if he was honest with himself, the two-day weekend he had always been looking forward to was now almost a torture. 

He still hated his work, and hardly anyone could change that. Unless Mr. Choi suddenly resigned and a new, less choleric boss took his place. But that would hardly happen in the next twenty years. Seokjin had once told him that during one of his seizures Mr. Choi had yelled that he would have to be carried dead out of the office to get his position. 

But Jungkook didn’t intend to stay forever in this job, let alone in this company, anyway. It wasn’t the work per se that he didn’t enjoy. He wanted to help other people and assert himself against injustice. But he had noticed early in his university days that the profession of lawyer was not always about which side was right. The decisions that were made and that he himself had to make were not always fair, but that was his job.

But what changed for him was his attitude. Mr. Choi could yell at him and give him a bunch of tasks, but he didn’t get upset anymore. He even liked to stay half an hour longer at work because he knew you would be there. He didn’t know what kind of work you were doing, but when he last left the office and turned off the light behind him, he always looked back at you.

And every time he saw you sitting behind your desk so that only a part of your head was visible. He was sorry you had to work overtime every day and didn’t seem to have much free time.

Nevertheless, or perhaps precisely because of that, Jungkook only needed to take a quick look to the side to make sure you were still there to shut Mr. Choi’s tantrum out. 

“This has to be done by Monday,” grumbled said boss, before he disappeared into his office and slammed the door behind him.

“Of course it has to be done by Monday,” Jungkook mumbled and shook his head. Recently there have been a lot of short-term assignments and jobs, so Jungkook got the impression that Mr. Choi deliberately informed him so late that Jungkook had to work longer. 

All this on a Friday. 

Fridays were sacred for Jungkook, because every week after work he went to the small supermarket at the train station to buy a few things for his movie night. At least the supermarket wouldn’t be so crowded because most normal people were at home with their families.

“Keep your head up high, Jungkook,” Seokjin tried to cheer him up and he could hear the voice behind the room divider.

“How do you know I’ll hang my head?” Jungkook replied. “Who doesn’t like a pile of work just before the weekend,” he added ironically.

He could hear Seokjin’s laughter and Namjoon’s soft giggling as Mr. Choi’s office door was loudly pulled open. 

“I’m going home,” he announced louder than necessary, so that even people on the other floors would be able to hear it. “And remember, Mr. Jeon–“

“The results are on your desk on Monday, Mr. Choi,” Jungkook interrupted him so as not to prolong the conversation unnecessarily.

His boss only nodded once and then left without another word.

“I hate him,” Namjoon admitted a few seconds later, and Jungkook couldn’t hold back his laughter. As unpleasant as Mr. Choi was, he was glad to be on one side with the others.

“Who doesn’t,” Seokjin added, and Jungkook could hear the grin in his voice as well.

“Maybe at some point his head will burst when he has another outburst of rage,” Jungkook said and the three burst out laughing.

“I swear I saw steam coming out of his ears the other day,” Seokjin said between two laughs.

“You shouldn’t speak so badly of him,” Sun-Hee interrupted the three men and the laughter immediately stopped.

“You should hate him most of all, Noona,” Namjoon asked confused.

Sun-Hee was on her way out, but turned around again. “He often shows his bad side, but he is not a bad person. He only has a problem and can’t see it.”

“I still don’t like him,” Jungkook said quietly, but Sun-Hee had heard it.

“You don’t have to, Jungkook. Mr. Choi is your boss and not your friend, but hating someone requires so much effort that you’d rather spend on something more beautiful, don’t you think so?” With a smile she looked at the three young men. “I wish you a pleasant weekend and don’t stay too long.”

With these words she also left.

“She’s right,” Namjoon concluded, standing up as well. Seokjin also began to arrange his things on his desk and packed them up. As it seemed Jungkook would have to spend the next hour alone in the office. Although he would at least be able to work in peace and get the work done as quickly as possible.

The two said goodbye to him a little later and Jungkook enjoyed a moment of peace after the door had fallen into the lock. 

Outside, the sky was already turning red and orange when Jungkook had finished his work and put the folder on his boss’s desk. The time came when it was getting dark earlier and summer was coming to an end.

When Jungkook hung his bag over his shoulder and wanted to leave, he took a look at you as usual and was surprised to look into a dark window. You had already finished work. 

Jungkook didn’t know why, but he felt a little betrayed by you, as stupid as that sounded. You didn’t owe him anything, you didn’t even know each other. Yet he had become so accustomed to seeing you still sitting behind the desk when he left the office that it felt strange that it wasn’t like that today.

Maybe you had a date, he thought when he was standing in the elevator on the way down. Probably guys were queuing up for you. Or maybe it wasn’t necessary at all, because someone was already waiting for you at home who had missed you all day.

Jungkook didn’t know why this thought caused a little sting in his heart, but he quickly stopped thinking about it and put on his umbrella. The last two days it had only rained and Jungkook was happy that he didn’t have to feel bad if he could stay home for the weekend and use the bad weather as an excuse. 

With a short sprint he got the train home and got off at his stop twenty minutes later. Already from a distance he realized that he had been right with his suspicion and that the supermarket was as good as empty. Especially in this weather, most people were probably happy when they were at home in the dry.

“Good evening,” welcomed the cashier Jungkook and Jungkook nodded to him friendly. Thanks to the numerous regular visits, he knew where to find his things and without long searching he stood at the checkout with a bottle of red wine, a cup of ice cream, a bag of chips and a frozen pizza.

“Looks healthy,” it suddenly came from his left and in his mind he had already laid down the sentences that no one should simply be degraded for his purchases when all sentences got stuck in his throat and he saw you standing next to him.

“Oh, hey,” you said when you recognized him and he saw your face lighten up when you smiled. He told himself that it was really because of him, that he could make you so happy. “You’re the guy who almost smashed his forehead on the desk.”

Immediately the smile fell from his face and the butterflies in his stomach fell lifelessly back to the floor of facts.

“Yep, that’s me, I guess,” he replied. Of course you laughed because of that and not because you were happy to see him.

“Are you living nearby?” you asked curiously as you put your groceries next to him on the cash register tape.

“Yes,” his short answer came back.

“Wow, are you always so talkative?” You smiled at him, but he didn’t even look up when he put his purchase in his bag.

“Then have a nice evening,” you shouted after him as he headed for the exit without another word. But he stopped at that comment, turned around and came back the few steps. For a moment he stood before you without a word and seemed to be looking for the right words. You looked at him waiting.

“What do you want? Keep laughing at me?”

That was not what you had expected. “W-What?”

“Do you want to know more about this weird guy so you have more to laugh about?”

You were perplexed and didn’t know what to say.

“That’ll be fourteen thousand Korean won,” the cashier interrupted you, looking at you bored and waiting for the money.

“Uh, o-of course. One moment, please,” you replied and looked for your wallet with trembling fingers in your bag. When you gave the money to the cashier, relieved, you sadly noticed that the other man had already left.

What the hell had that been?

–

He could kick himself. It was bad enough that he couldn’t have a proper conversation with women, but now he had outdone himself and even yelled at you.

Great, well done, Jungkook.

He hit his forehead with his flat hand and stayed like that in his little open kitchen for a moment before pulling himself together and putting the ice in the fridge and shoving the pizza into the oven.

With a ‘plop’ he opened the bottle of wine and dropped onto the sofa. He was afraid to see you again on Monday. Would you throw hateful looks at him or even worse, ignore him altogether?

It hadn’t been often, but every now and then you caught him looking at you and smiled at him. That would probably stop now, because he had messed it up.

It wasn’t even the case that you attacked him in any way. Jungkook had overreacted and he was aware of that a few minutes later in the quiet of his apartment. But how could he make up for that? Even though you almost sat opposite each other, you couldn’t communicate with each other.

Maybe he could wait for you somehow on Monday and wait for you in front of the building. Or was that weird? Would it look as if he was lurking for you? It would probably be better if you crossed paths by ‘coincidence’. He could wait and see when you’re done with your work and then go down at the same time. 

While Jungkook chewed his pizza lost in thought, he made up a plan.

Jungkook quickly realized with a brief glance into your office that Monday morning everything came differently and he could chuck his plan in the dustbin. You weren’t there.

The last few weeks he had seen you every day, so he hadn’t reckoned that you wouldn’t show up in the first place and thus robbed him of any chance to make up for his mistake. 

The next days you didn’t show up either. And with every day the stone in the pit of his stomach and the feeling of guilt only got worse. Jungkook was worried that something might have happened to you. When you met at the supermarket it had been quite late and who knows who you had met on the way home. He shouldn’t have let you go home alone in the first place.

His last chance was Friday and he was hoping to see you at the supermarket like he did last week. It was unclear to him why he cared so much about a person he didn’t know at all and had only exchanged a few words with each other. 

To Jungkook’s annoyance, he was able to finish his work on Friday on time and although he was still dawdling a bit and was already preparing some work from the next week, he was in the supermarket earlier than the week before. 

He didn’t go to the right shelves as usual, but browsed around the supermarket. Every person who looked just a little bit like you made his heart beat faster, only to be disappointed a few moments later to notice that it was someone else.

“You took longer than usual,” Taehyung remarked, sitting behind the cash register and looking questioningly at the younger one. Taehyung and Jungkook were almost friends or at least good acquaintances. Taehyung had recognized Jungkook after a few visits and every now and then they spent some time together watching movies or playing together online. He was probably the person Jungkook would most likely call a friend.

“Hey, Taehyung,” he greeted the other. “I had something on my mind today. “

“I can tell. Anything special?” He looked at Jungkook again before adding: “If you weren’t pulling such a sad face, I would ask if it was a woman.” 

Jungkook just laughed bitterly. If he knew. “Where is Michael?”

“Michael?” Taehyung asked and pulled his eyebrows together in confusion. A moment later it dawned on him and he shrugged his shoulders with a smile. “Ah, Mikey! Got fired. Some customers complained about his behavior.”

“I’m not surprised, could the guy look any different than bored and annoyed?” Jungkook asked while he was paying and stowing his groceries in his bag.

“I know someone else who does that,” suddenly a voice behind him said that was all too familiar to him. He turned around in surprise and you stood there. You looked tired, the rings under your eyes were hard to miss. Nevertheless you had a smile on your lips when you greeted Taehyung.

“Hey, Y/N, how are you?” Taehyung greeted you and Jungkook was surprised he knew your name. Y/N. Now he finally knew your name, even though he couldn’t prevent the slightly jealous sting that came when he saw that Taehyung and you seemed so close. 

“I have a lot to do at work, as always, but otherwise I’m doing great. How’s the store going?” It irritated you a bit that the unfriendly young man from last week was still standing next to you and stared at you. You didn’t know what you had done to him, but you couldn’t handle another outbreak against you.

“Everything’s great, even if we’re a little short on staff at the moment. So if you know someone who knows someone…” Taehyung didn’t go any further with his statement, but you nodded knowing.

“I ask around. I hope you have a nice weekend. See you soon, Taehyung”, you said goodbye before heading out.

You had almost arrived at the door when Taehyung nodded encouragingly at Jungkook. “Don’t you want to go after her?” 

Jungkook looked at him in surprise. Taehyung apparently knew him better than he had thought. With a short smile he said goodbye to him before he ran after you with a short sprint and caught up with you after a few seconds.

“Do you want to chuck insults at me again?” Your voice was cold, any trace of friendliness and wit, as he had experienced it the last two times, had disappeared.

“I wanted to apologize,” Jungkook pressed straight out. He tried not to let his nervousness show.

“Accepted.”

“Why did you lie to Taehyung?” Jungkook didn’t want to go too far with his question. He noticed that you were still a bit contrite, but the answer interested him too much. 

“I didn’t lie to anyone,” came the short answer from you before you turned the corner into the next alley.

“Yes, you just told him that the work was stressful. But you weren’t at work that week,” he told you, and you couldn’t stop the little smile.

“Are you spying on me?”

“What? N-no, I mean… I just n-noticed t-that…” Jungkook started stuttering and feverishly looking for an explanation. He noticed his cheeks getting red again and hoping you wouldn’t see it.

“Everything’s fine, I’m just pulling your leg,” you laughed and looked at him. Jungkook was glad you didn’t seem to be angry with him anymore. “What is your name by the way? You know my name now.”

“J-Jungkook. Jeon Jungkook.”

“So, Jeon Jungkook. If you are not spying on me, then why are you walking in exactly the same direction as me?”

He looked at you overwhelmed and once opened his mouth to answer, but no words came out. A moment later he seemed to have regained his composure. “To be honest, I was a little worried after last week. We didn’t part on good terms and when I didn’t see you at work that week I thought something might have happened to you.”

He looked insecure at the floor and you saw his cheeks turning slightly red. They matched the sky, which was streaked with red threads, announcing the dawn of the end of the day.

“So you’re worried about me?” you replied a little surprised. “That’s more than most people do,” you added quietly after a short break. 

“What do you mean? I’m sure your family cares about you, too,” Jungkook remarked. You arrived in front of your apartment and climbed the few steps to the front door. 

“Thank you for bringing me home, Jeon Jungkook. See you on Monday,” you said before you walked through the door without waiting for an answer. When the door fell into the lock behind you, you took a deep breath. Exhausted, you went to the first floor where your apartment was and when you had also brought this barrier between you and the man, only then could you really relax again.

Jungkook asked you far too many questions and was too curious to be good for him. Some things should rather remain unasked and even more so unanswered. That would be better for everyone involved.

Hello! This story is so much fun to write and I’m so excited to share it with you! I really hope you like it just as much. Altogether the story will have three chapters, so it will be a shorter story. About every kind of feedback I am very happy. ♥️ I hope you have a wonderful rest of the week! 

[jazzraft]

Luna&Ravus somehow getting roped into going camping with Noctis (optional: and with the other 3 chocobros). Ravus is Not Happy™ about letting his sister backpacking through the dirt and wilderness. Luna is all for it and excited to try it all out. He comes along to make sure nothing ill befalls Luna, tho it's clear he's not a... happy camper. Until something ~happens~ and he sorta enjoys the outing + the whole "seeing Noctis in a new light" shindig.

I really liked this idea, it had max cuteness potential from the get-go! I hope this fills your ravnoct needs on this dreary monday :’)

“Oh, come now, brother. Don’t look so dour, especially noton such a beautiful spring day!”

It certainly wouldhave been a beautiful spring day, had it not been for his having to suffer thecompany of these Lucian imbeciles on it. Which was his own fault, really – thefact that he was here by his own, foolish volition added an extra pinch of saltto the wound – but once he’d heard that Luna and Noctis were going hiking withonly the supervision of the Prince’s “Shield” – an untested, uncouth young man,barely out of his training boots – it was hardly even a choice that Ravus mustaccompany them as well. He wasn’t about to let his sister go marching into thebarb-toothed tourist trap of Insomnia’s local parks without the propersupervision of an Imperial officer escorting her.

He’d brought this on himself. For the safety of his onlyremaining family, Ravus had to make the ultimate sacrifice: his patience (and,more tragically, his time).

“How much longer are you going to make us walk beforeadmitting that you took us the wrong way?” Noctis whined.

“We are not goingthe wrong way,” Gladiolus insisted, double-checking the digital compassbisecting his phone’s screen.

“My feet disagree with you.”

Luna consoled the Prince’s self-pitying with a pat on theback as she overcame him, keeping pace with the Shield’s expansive strideleading them ahead. Noctis huffed and puffed and exaggerated the extent of hisexhaustion, and Ravus had no idea if his theatrics were intended to beentertaining, or if he truly was just that weak. Ravus was leaning towards thelatter.

Regardless, the deluge of complaints was an aggravatingsoundtrack to what would have otherwise been a fairly decent day… by Lucianstandards, at least. Padded throughout the vast carpets of commercial enterprisecomprising the city sectors were massive parks for outdoor enthusiasts toexplore on cloudless weekends, catering illusions of rural vistas confinedwithin Insomnia’s protective borders. The fields and forests budding withspring foliage may have been mere simulations of the lush wilds beyond thebridge into the city, but they were populated with enough detail that theexperience felt close enough to an authentic one.

Towering spruce trees enclosed the park like great greensentinels, screening the industrial clamor of the city. The cool cast of theirshadows were pierced through with the russet arrows of red maples twisting upfrom the damp soil, and ferns, stretching as high as Ravus’s hip, smudged greenbetween the feet of the trees. The hiking trails were well-kept, colorful markersguiding them through the undergrowth, and over foot-bridges that crossedchattering streams, and through big, open meadows speckled with themany-colored faces of wildflowers like bright blasts of confetti. Birdsongchorused between branches, butterflies and bees hurried from daisy todandelion, and with enough miles between their party and the park gates, it waseasy to forget they were still stuck inside Insomnia.

Loathe though he was to admit his enemy had any virtues,Ravus thought he might have enjoyed the excursion. He didn’t so much mind theyellow dust of pollen tickling his nose, or the buzz of mayflies trying to landin his ears, or even the occasional mosquito bite. No, the most obnoxious partof the whole venture was having to trust the directional capabilities of twoLucians pretending to be professional outdoor hobbyists.

“We’re here!”

Gladiolus announced their arrival with a (quite likely premature)confidence that he’d led them exactly where they were supposed to go. He wouldnever admit it if they’d ended up at the wrong place – and Ravus had a strongfeeling that was exactly where they were.

All of their hiking – and all of Noctis’s whining – had ledthem to a flat, featureless embankment overlooking the river. The waterstretched far across to a smattering of pink cherry blossoms just barelystarting to bloom, but not yet bursting with their full brilliance for theseason. He supposed it had the potential to be worth the hike, but as it wasnow, it wasn’t a particularly remarkable spot to make camp, nor the mostcomfortable – and Ravus didn’t think the view was much to boast at anyway, ifthat was indeed the intended marvel. There were better places to view cherryblossoms, and certainly ones that required less exertion.

Nevertheless, their guides insisted that this was where theywere meant to spend the night, unloading their backpacks against the stone.Rather than help construct the tents, Noctis dropped his gear and headedstraight for the edge of the river, hand glittering with crystal sparks thatcoalesced into a fishing rod, of allthings.

“I’m going to catch us something to eat!” he called over hisshoulder, already far enough away that he could pretend he couldn’t hear anyonetrying to stop him.

“Sure,” Gladiolus snorted under his breath. “We’ll see.”

“We’ll no doubt starve,” Ravus mumbled.

“If you’re so worried, how about you go and make sure thatdoesn’t happen,” Luna suggested.

Ravus shot his sister an aghast look, and she had an archedbrow prepared to counter him. He knew well enough that one raised eyebrow was theend of any argument with the Oracle, but still, like a fool, he tried.

“Perhaps the Prince will prove himself more capable withoutany intervention,” he argued.

“Of course. I’m certain that he’s more than capable,” Lunasaid. “Perhaps you can learn from him instead.”

She jerked her chin in Noct’s direction, and that was theend of any objections Ravus could make over the order. He never had been anymatch for her. Served him right for thinking he was. Luna turned to help Gladiolusprepare camp, fully expecting Ravus to be gone when she turned back.

“What can I help you with, Gladio?”

“If you want to start boiling water for the Cup Noodles,that’d be great!”

“Cup Noodles? What is that?”

The Shield’s endorsement of Lucis’s favorite instant dinnerechoed against Ravus’s back as he approached Noctis. His displeasure must havebeen a tangible feeling, because the Prince startled as if he’d felt it jabinto the back of his neck. He blinked up from his seat at the lip of theplateau, eyes shaded from Ravus’s glare underneath his fishing cap. He’dalready cast a line into the river below, feet dangling over the stone.

“Need something?” Noctis asked.

“A lesson,” Ravus said, through gritted teeth. “In fishing.”

Noctis stalled, blinking in confusion. The silence betweenhis registering what Ravus said to his response, only made the red flush ofembarrassment beneath Ravus’s collar feel that much more discomfiting.

“You want to learn to fish… from me?”

“Lunafreya seems to be under the impression you’re anexpert. Am I to assume that’s not the case after all?”

For a moment, Ravus relished the smallest spark of victoryover Noctis’s dumbfounded expression. Perhaps all of his bravado was just afront after all, and Ravus could march back to his sister with an “I told youso” for once. But he was disappointed, yet again, when Noctis grinned andshifted to the side, opening up space for Ravus to sit beside him.

“Okay! This’ll be fun,” he said, and Ravus wanted to pushhim into the river.

Not with witnesses,he reminded himself, and conceded to kneel down on the stone. It was smooth andcold, patches of algae growing just underneath the overhang from the splash ofthe river. Once he was settled, Noctis offered him the rod. Fine. If he must subject himself to the Prince’stutelage, he would at least learn to the point where he could surpass him.Ravus took the fishing rod in his fist, watching the line glint in the sunlightwith the movement.

“It’s not a sword,” was Noctis’s first criticism. “While you’rewaiting for a bite, it’s better to have a light grip. If you hold too tight,the fish will sense it and swim the other way.”

Ravus gave him a dead-eyed look. They were fish. He didn’t expect they sensed muchof anything. But Noctis was sure of himself, modeling how his hands weresupposed to look for him. Ravus scrutinized the gesturing, but failed tointerpret it to his own form.

“Um… may I?”

Noctis’s hands hovered over his, waiting for permission toredirect Ravus’s fingers manually. Ravus bit down his pride and nodded. Noctissmiled, and gently pried Ravus’s fingers from around the reel. His hands werenimble and warm, lightly brushing over Ravus’s and coaxing them into going lax.

“There. Better,” Noctis said. “Now, you just wait until youfeel a pull on the line. Then, we’ll take it from there.”

Ravus knew enough about fishing to know that it was allabout patience. He liked to think he had a healthy reserve of that. Betweendodging around Imperial politics and having to bear Noctis’s own company, Ravusthought it was a testament to his patience that he hadn’t stabbed anyone ofnotable importance yet in his entire military career.

Outmatching a few fish for dinner was nothing. Waiting forsaid fish to bite in awkward silence next to Noctis, was a little more thannothing though.

“Is there no strategy that may resolve this in a timeliermanner?”

“Nope. You’re on the river’s time now. This is the part offishing where you’re forced to just” – Noctis gestured across the water – “enjoythe scenery.”

Ravus wanted to bite back that he’d been trying to enjoy the scenery all day, andhe was at the point where he was getting sick of it. But thinking about aretort such as that just made his hands tighten, and Noctis said he needed alight grasp to catch this damn fish. And he was going to catch a damn fish. He had something to prove now.

Noctis leaned back on his palms and gazed out at the goldenglint of the water. A faint speckling of pink petals floated along the currentfrom the opposite shore. In a few days, the whole river would be carpeted withthe wind-fallen blooms. Ravus could just imagine it – he didn’t have much elseto do but imagine. He didn’t have much else to do but relax, too. If heexpected to succeed at fishing, he had to. That was perhaps the mostchallenging part.

But the longer he sat, and the rhythm of the river coursedonward, and Noctis didn’t bother him with any inane niceties, strangely enough,Ravus started to feel a small inkling of peace. The absence of the city’ssuffocating alleys and all the pressures on his shoulders therein left him witha nothingness he could just sink into and enjoy for what it was: nothing.

The world was gentle and quiet around him. It hadn’t beenthat way in a very long time.

Which was why he was almost annoyed when it was finallybroken by a tug on his line. Noctis sat forward with an eager glint to his eye,and Ravus remembered that this was the point where he was to expect moreinstructions. He tightened his hold on the rod and started reeling. He didn’tneed that much direction.

“Yeah, you got it,” Noctis coached. “Give a little, ease up…okay, now reel in hard… give again. It’s all about give and take. You got this!”

Ravus glanced between the retreating line and Noctis’searnest expression, not sure how to take it. Was he mocking him? It didn’tsound like it. He seemed supportive enough, and he didn’t reach in and wrenchthe line for him when Ravus was doing it wrong. He wanted to, Ravus could seehis hands flexing out of the corner of his eye, but Noctis valiantly kept themto himself and let Ravus have this catch… Unremarkable though it ended upbeing.

“It’s your first fish!” Noctis said, brightly, while Ravusscowled at the tiny minnow flapping around on the end of his hook. “Everyonestarts out small. It’s like a rite of passage.”

“It won’t be a very appetizing one.”

Ravus glanced back at Luna and Gladiolus. They weren’tnearly prepared for dinner yet, Luna having determined that she was going tolight a fire the old fashioned way with flint and twigs while Gladiolus wasreading the instructions for a half finished tent.

“We’ve got time to try again, if you want,” Noctis offered.

He shouldn’t have wanted to. The less time he had to spendin Noctis’s company, the happier Ravus would be. But he still had much to proveto the Prince – and he did rather enjoy just being able to sit and do nothing.If today was all about his sacrifices, he supposed he’d have to sacrifice himselfto some semblance of sociability with Noctis if he wanted to enjoy theremainder of his day.

Fortunately, Noctis made it easy. Perhaps his whining on theway up really had been theatrical. He was quiet once they sat down, onlyoffering the occasional, quiet tip for how Ravus cast or what bait to use whenhe saw him struggling. Once the lure was in the water, he said nothing, justsat and enjoyed the fresh air.

It was easier to breathe it in now. Ravus might havesacrificed his patience at the beginning of the hike, but Noctis had more thanenough of it to balance him out. It made his company marginally more tolerablethan normal. He only made a sound to encourage Ravus’s reeling.

It was nice to have someone cheering him on once he reeledin a real fish. After all, what wasthe point of his triumphs if he couldn’t share them with the one person hewanted to prove them to?

[aquatic-insects-enthousiast]

Bugs

Hi! Call me B (he/they).

Aquatic insects are cool and not enough people know about them but they are literally so important to like every aquatic system so I am going to be posting about these epic little beasts here. Feel free to send me questions or bugs. I'm only one entomology class in but I love to try to identify stuff so don't hold back.

I try to tag the order at minimum but families can be more difficult. Considering making a master post of what is considered aquatic insect families and why to further educate on this topic from what I know using my own photos.

In this house we celebrate

Mayfly Monday (Ephemeroptera),

Trichoptera Tuesday (Caddisflies),

Water Bug Wednesday (Hemiptera),

…. Still working on Thursday and odonata alliterations….,

Flyday (Diptera),

Stonefly Saturday (Plecoptera),

and Beetle bonanza Sunday (Coleoptera).

Sideblog to @woodsywizard

[lostcoastoutfitters]

Lower Yuba Fly Fishing Report

Jon Baiocchi reports on 1.22.19

Lower Yuba River Update

The past week has seen some gnarly weather here in Northern California. Big wind, heavy rain, and as of Monday morning low elevations snowfall like here in Nevada City. Before our last round of storms, the Lower Yuba River was fishing well with consistent mayfly hatches from noon until 3pm, and the start of seeing Skwala stoneflies drifting downstream in the foam lines. Nymphing with small dark flashy nymphs, and swinging soft hackles and salmon fingerling patterns was productive as well.

Currently, we are waiting for the flows to come back down and the river to clear, which the Yuba does quickly when Englebright dam is not spilling over the top, and Deer Creek is not pumping in sediment. At this time Englebright dam is at 93% of capacity and not spilling, but Yuba Water Agency is dumping water. Deer Creek keeps on rising from all of the low elevation snow melting into micro watersheds that eventually add up to larger flows. I’m thinking by this coming weekend the river should be fishable, and even if it is a little stained it will be better fishing as the trout and steelhead aren’t so shy and spooky. I’ll know more when I scout the river later in the week. If you’re looking to improve your skill set, or learn more about the Yuba River, give me a call at 530.228.0487 or shoot me an email at

baiocchistroutfitters@yahoo.com

to set up a date on the water. See you out there…

[limejuicer1862]

#NationalInsectWeek2022 20th-26th June. Sunday - Dragonflies, and any insects I may have missed... Please join Daniel Moreschi, Christina Chin and I in celebrating Dragonflies and other insects. Anybody written poems about/including Dragonflies? Artworks/photos welcome too. References to poems/artwork other than your own I will show as links in the post, unless the referenced author welcomes my use of their work. I will add to this posts throughout today, so don't worry if your submission has not been posted, yet. Here are the prompts for the week: Monday - Beetles, Tuesday - Cockroaches, Wednesday - Flies, Thursday - Mayflies, Friday - Butterflies, Saturday - Ant, Bee and Wasp, Sunday - Dragonflies, and any other insects I missed during the week.

#NationalInsectWeek2022 20th-26th June. Sunday – Dragonflies, and any insects I may have missed… Please join Daniel Moreschi, Christina Chin and I in celebrating Dragonflies and other insects. Anybody written poems about/including Dragonflies? Artworks/photos welcome too. References to poems/artwork other than your own I will show as links in the post, unless the referenced author welcomes my use of their work. I will add to this posts throughout today, so don’t worry if your submission has not been posted, yet. Here are the prompts for the week: Monday – Beetles, Tuesday – Cockroaches, Wednesday – Flies, Thursday – Mayflies, Friday – Butterflies, Saturday – Ant, Bee and Wasp, Sunday – Dragonflies, and any other insects I missed during the week.

Odyssey of the Hine’s emerald Dragonfly A mother roams nemoral bounds, where river rims encase The malleable solace of a sunken ark’s embrace As dips and oscillations from a dragon’s tail foretell Of a latent dormancy within a leafy citadel. A new-born is denied repose and famished pores collect The layers of a shell as a falling cradle feigns neglect. It braves a bed of swaddling swings, that…

[k00288552]

Week 10 Monday Workshops | Concept Development and Exploration

Today I attended this workshop given by tutor Sharon Legear. We discussed in detail the use of language when we are describing our work to our peers. The importance of having a clear concept and then being able to relay it through the avenues that we choose to express our project work was vital to developing my own understanding between literally and laterally in the end result.

This workshop was constructive and conducive to helping me clarify my concept and how I can push forward for the remaining two weeks.

The images below are from my second small Mayfly wing, this one is more delicate and without a frame, so the resulting images are different to the first batch I did. I like this method of working exploring color, layering, light, textures, digital technology to further my concept of the Mayfly lifecycles.

[addierose444]

A Typical Week: Spring 2022

There really is no such thing as a typical week, but I’ve done my best to capture what my schedule has been like this semester. If you’re curious about such “typical weeks” in some of my past semesters, click here. My school days usually start off with my 9:00 (or 8:30) alarm. I just use the default clock app on my phone and have it play a song called Home on the Mountain. The song is by a local (to my home in Vermont) band called Mayfly. I've been using this song on and off as my alarm for quite a few years. Believe it or not, I still actually enjoy the song. That said, I don’t entirely love the beginning anymore. At the end of the day, I aim to stop doing work and go to bed right around midnight but will admit that coding projects are sometimes a bit hard to stop working on. I also sometimes get inspired to work on blog posts after my official shutdown time. To check out my full batch of spring 2022 courses, click here. 

Monday:

My Monday alarm is set for 9:00, but it’s not unusual for me to stay in bed for another five or ten minutes. My morning routine is nothing special. I really just get dressed, use the bathroom, brush my teeth, pack my bag, put on some shoes, and go. If you are curious about what I carry on a typical school day, click here. When I do get out of bed promptly I start the day off by listening to The Daily (a New York Times news podcast). To read about more of the podcasts I enjoy, click here. If I don’t listen to The Daily first thing, I will find time later on in the day such as during my lunch block.  My first class is in the mechanics playground (located in the basement of Ford Hall) and starts at 9:25. I aim to walk out the door at 9:15 but can get away with leaving around 9:20 provided that I walk quickly. Fluids starts off with some announcements and then we jump right into the lecture. During class, I take handwritten notes in OneNote on my iPad. For more about how I use OneNote as a student, click here. My professor uses OneNote as well for their class notes. During the last bit of class, we typically work on practice problems on a whiteboard with a partner. 

After fluids, which ends at 9:40, I climb three flights of stairs to my computational machine learning classroom. My first task is to get a copy of the current lab assignment. The class has a remote GitHub repository that I pull from. I then make a copy of the new lab and put it into my own folder system. I do all of this in my Ubuntu terminal. The class starts with ten or so minutes of the professor talking about what’s coming up next and going over some key points from previous labs. During class, I just work on the lab assignment which consists of writing Python code and text in a Jupyter notebook. As things get trickier I collaborate with my classmates. If I’m lucky enough to finish the lab during class, I post my submission to our Slack channel. Next up is lunch! The main dining halls I go to are Tyler or Chuckett. When the weather is nice I like to eat outside. Otherwise, I often return to my room or house living room to eat as the dining halls can be pretty busy. 

After lunch, I return to Ford for my fluids lab. Below is a photo of me from our most recent lab. During the lab, we went on a little field trip (mini-hike) to the mill river to take some measurements in order to calculate the flow rate. Granted this wasn’t really a typical lab as we are usually inside for the whole lab period. Here are some photos of labs and projects from the beginning of the semester. In the ideal world, I crank out the lab report right after the lab, but unfortunately, I am usually really tired by the end of the lab period. It’s not a good habit, but sometimes I head straight to dinner after my lab ends at 4:00. Earlier in the semester, I had a walk scheduled with some Washburn friends, but we have since rescheduled to Thursday. Even though Mondays are long and exhausting, I get a surprising amount of work done in the evening. Specifically, I typically continue chipping away at my cognitive science readings and do my textbooks readings for many of my other classes. 

Tuesday:

My Tuesdays start with an 8:30 alarm. I have a backup alarm set for 8:35, but knowing that I have a 9:00 bus to catch really is enough to get me up and out of bed. On the bus, I typically listen to podcasts and other audio content like audiobooks and music. In the last few weeks, I’ve primarily been listening to music. Upon arriving at UMass, I head to Tobin Hall for my software engineering lecture. I am usually fifteen to twenty minutes early for my 10 a.m. lecture, so if I’m particularly tired I take a mini nap before class. Otherwise, I’m managing my email and continuing to consume audio content. During the lecture, I take typed notes on my laptop (in OneNote of course). The official end time is 11:15, but we almost always get out early. A few times a semester we have actual assignments to do during (and unfortunately after class) called in-class exercises. After class, I head to lunch with one of my classmates. I’ve now been to four different dining locations at UMass, but now almost exclusively go to Hampshire. Eating at UMass is a nice perk of taking classes there as they have some great Asian options like ramen, pho, sushi, and mei fun noodles. I also often get vanilla or chocolate soymilk. I usually take the 12:05 bus back to Smith, but occasionally stay a bit later and take the 12:30 bus. Our lunches aren’t actual project meetings, but we often touch base about assignments as we are partners for the in-class exercises and the final project. 

Upon returning to Smith I head to McConnell for my statistics class. Class is typically a lecture, but we sometimes have assignments to work on as well. There are frequent informal group work assignments and occasional graded R labs. Depending on the week, I next have a 3:00 meeting with my supervisor. In the late afternoon and early evening, I try and get some assorted homework done and if necessary finish up my cognitive science reading. We don’t need to do the readings until the Thursday lecture, but I strive to complete the readings by the Tuesday lecture. 

Around 6:30, I stop doing work and head to Chuckett to pick up some dinner. I then return to my room to attend my 7:00 cognitive science class over Zoom. Even though being stuck on Zoom sort of sucks, one nice thing is that my friend comes over to Zoom with me. One annoying aspect of my cognitive science class is that we sometimes have pop papers to write during the last bit of class. While I’m glad that the deadline is 10 p.m. this also means I can’t count on getting work done after class as I may be finishing up a paper. When there isn’t a paper to write, we typically hang out for a bit after class. If we are still hungry, we go to the campus center to grab burgers as a second dinner. 

Wednesday:

Wednesdays are essentially tame Mondays as I have the same morning classes but no fluids lab in the afternoon. Despite being a pretty wide-open day, I somehow don't tend to get a lot of work done. In the afternoon, I try and attend some office hours as basically all of my classes hold them on Wednesday afternoons. In the evening I have a standing dinner plan with a few of my friends. We decide the time and location the night before depending on our other commitments and of course the menu. 

Thursday: 

My Thursdays are pretty similar to my Tuesdays. After my statistics class, I often meet with my group to work on our final project. Afterward, weather and schedule permitting, I go on a walk with some of my Washburn friends. One other difference is that I Zoom into cognitive science on my own. 

Friday:

So if Wednesdays are my chill Mondays, Fridays are my chill Wednesdays. I literally just have one class (fluid mechanics) and have had no classes on a few occasions due to snow days. After class, I typically grab an early lunch (often from Chapin). Fridays are also chill because I have house tea at 4:30 followed by house dinner and typically more hanging out after that. Overall, I just don’t do much in the way of work on Fridays.

Saturday: 

On Saturdays, I finally get the chance to sleep in! It really depends, but I often get up around 10:30 and grab lunch at 11:00. I always have grander plans for the work I’ll get done than what actually happens. Saturdays are the one day I usually have a wide-open schedule, but I sometimes have project meetings, meetings with residents, and performances to attend. Last Saturday was pretty busy as was the week before since it was spring weekend.

Sunday:

Sundays are without fail very busy, especially when Saturdays weren’t very productive. If not already done, the one thing I absolutely have to do is write my blog post! I mean I always have other work to do for the week, but the one actual Sunday “deadline” is my weekly blog post. The one assignment I consistently need to finish up on Sundays is my fluid mechanics homework as it’s due on Mondays and as already described I am in class all day on Mondays. Even though I don’t like how many separate assignments we have (labs, projects, homework, exams), at least the homework assignments aren’t as long as in other classes. I also try and get a good start on my cognitive science readings. In the evening I have a SWE board meeting at 6:00 and house council at 7:00. After, house council I submit my weekly report to my supervisor and generally prepare for the week ahead.