#moe: carpool

[livwritesstuff]

Honestly, Eddie doesn’t know why it had taken so long for him to realize his and Steve’s children could understand the shit that came out of his mouth.

(It took an embarrassingly long amount of time).

Even when Moe’s third or fourth word was fuck, he didn’t realize it (and she was using it mostly correctly too, which should have been a serious flag, but nope).

What made him realize it was when they started repeating the shit that came out of his mouth. 

To strangers.

In public.

The first time Eddie had been really caught off guard by something one of his daughters said was when Moe, who was three at the time, had proudly announced to an unsuspecting grocery store cashier, “Daddy says my Papa’s a DILF!”

And, like, Eddie had just heard the term for the first time, and obviously he was goddamn delighted by it because…duh. Steve. 

It just hadn’t occurred to him that his toddler might have caught it too, but little pitchers have big ears, or so the proverb suggests, and Eddie had taken it as a wake-up call that Moe isn’t a baby anymore (tragic as it may be).

He’s not the only problem though – Steve is just as bad, (if not worse, because he really doesn’t bother to check where their kids are before he starts running his mouth).

One particularly damning incident was at a restaurant, which is something they don’t even do all that often because, seriously, going to a restaurant with very young kids should be an Olympic event or something.

(The last time they all went out to eat, Nancy and Robin had made a drinking game out of all the times Steve and Eddie had to take a child to the bathroom and ended up so far gone that Eddie had needed to drive them home).

The incident started with the waitress asking, “Can I get you started with anything to drink?”

And it had ended with four-year-old Moe confidently announcing, “My Papa needs a fucking margarita.”

Thank god, the waitress had been a twenty-something college student and thought it was hilarious, but Steve had still been completely mortified.

[grox]

Bro being coworkers with larry curly and moe & you offer to carpool to work cause they live close and you drop them off, work, drop them off at home and when you see your back seat its a fucking crater theres banana peels everywhere and whip cream and two of them were playing tic tac toe on the back of the passenger seats headrest in sharpie

[grayy-dayy]

"It Doesn't Matter If Your Gay, You're Still Our Friend" Part One

What if Trent wasn't the only one to catch Colin and Michael making out in the alley?

Written between the airing of 3x3 and 3x4

Pairing: Colin Hughs x Michael

Coming Out, Mental Breakdown, Angst with a Happy Ending, Light Angst, Canon Compliant, Canon Queer Relationship, Canon Queer Character, AFC Richmond Players are Himbos

Colin couldn't fully wrap his head around how he could go from having a fun night out with his friends to sobbing in his partner's arms at home in just a single hour.

The night started off great.

He carpooled to Sarn's restaurant with Richard, Dani, and Isaac. This wasn't unusual. The team would often branch off into groups and celebrate after a big win. Considering their winning streak, it was only natural.

They were getting rounds of drinks (all on Sam, of course), and joking around.

"I'm not one those guys, but considering how much we've been wining with Zava around, and seeing how much he can move his body? He could do whatever he wanted to me." Richard said with a grin.

Dani and Isaac laughed. Colin laughed along.

He pushed down the punch to the gut feeling he got from his friend's words.

'They don't know.'

They didnt know he was one of those guys.

He knew they meant no harm. Colin wouldn't say his teammates were homophobic. They were just guys being guys. He knew Moe's best friend and uncles were gay. And he knew Jan Maas's twin sister was transgender. From basic observation, the team didn't seem to care. Sure, some of them looked surprised when one of them mentioned someone was gay, but no seemed to mind when it was mentioned.

But still, the topic scared him, It was one thing to be friends with someone who had gay friends, it was another to be friends with a gay person. And said person being your colleague? Considering just how many different cultures and backgrounds everyone on the team came from, and given what Colin knew about classic locker-room culture, it wasn't worth the risk.

He felt a mix of emotions when Michael showed up. He was overjoyed when he saw Michael, but it hurt he had so much love to give his boyfriend. But he couidn't give him anything more than a dude-bro handshake. He had to introduce the love of his life as his best friend. 'His wingman'. And to his closest friends no less.

"I'm trying," Michael said, taking a sip of his drink, "Trust ne, it's harder than you think." This got a chuckle out of all of them. Though, it was probably funnier to the two of them, considering the context was different for them compared to his friends.

Dani grinned, "Oh, come on. A footballer with a smile and personality like that? Plenty of women would want him."

"No woman has really caught my interest, l guess." Colin leaned back in his chair.

He was really hoping that they would leave it at that, and move on from the topic. But they continued.

"We'll just have to get you to some bars around town. Maybe use Bantr, like Sam." Dani patted Colin's shoulder. "Michael. You said you're his wingman. Would you like to join us?"

Michael laughed. Only Colin could see how the conversation was starting to make him uncomfortable. Michael took a bigger sip of his drink, "I'd like to see you try."

Eventualy (thankfully), the subject matter died down, all of the attention going to Zava when he made his grand entrance.

Colin and Michael were able to sneak away without anyone being suspicious of them. They knew it was safe when they were a block or two away from the party.

"Hi Colin."

"Hi Michael."

They embraced each other warmly, now being comfortable enough to do So. Colin kissed him eagerly. Michael laughed when he pulled away.

"Eagar much?"

Colin whined, "I just missed you. I don't like it when you go away."

Michael put his hand on Colin's cheek, "I missed you too. You know, we still have a bit of time left before people notice we're gone. Maybe we could..."

Colin took this as his cue to lean back in.

He loved being like this. He loved feeling Michael's hair in his hands, and their bodies seemed to fit perfectly together.

"Colin?"

His blood ran cold. They must have lost track of time.

They quickiy puled away from each other. Colin looked over to see Dani, Isaac, Richard, Jan Maas, and Jamie.

"Hey, guys," he said awkwardly, "What are you guys doing? Party's still going on inside."

"We were gonna get another round of drinks. We wanted to find ya, see if you wanted to join." Jamie said.

"Yeah. Yeah, sounds good." He gave them a thumbs up.

"Maybe you had a little too much to drink," Jan Maas said, "You know you were kissing you friend Michael, right?" Everyone looked at him. "What?" he asked.

"Um yeah, I know." Colin looked back at his boyfriend for reassurance. Michael grabbed his hand, giving him a look that said go ahead. "Michael isn't my just my friend. And he definitely isn't my wingman. ...He's my boyfriend."

Dani and Jamie looked dumbfounded. He couldn't read Isaac and Richard's face. Jan Maas just looked like Jan Maas.

Colin turned to Michael and looked back at his friends. "We should go."

Colin and Michael quickly made their way back to the restaurant to get their things and leave. His teammnates followed.

He grabbed his drawstring bag and turned to Michael to make sure he had his keys (he knew Michael didn't drink enough to raise any concerns about driving).

"Colin, wait! It's alright if your gay, your still our friend!" Dani called out to him.

A hush fell over the room.

Looking around at all his friends, colleagues, and mutuals, it was clear everyone was shocked. Colin felt himself on the verge of tears. He looked to Michael for guidance.

"It's okay," he said, "Let's go." Michael guided him out of the restaurant and to his car. When the car door shut, he broke down crying.

Looking out the window, he could see his whole team (minus Zava) and coach Ted standing outside Ola's, looking stunned.

Colin would feel ashamed of himself, but he didn't have the energy to care. He just wanted to crawl into bed with Michael and never leave.

When they got home, Michael led him straight to their bedroom. He made him take a shower and get a glass of water before letting him get into their bed.

"How're you feeling?" he asked.

"Not great." Colin replied.

Michael put a hand on his back, "Need anything?"

Colin shook his head. "I'm worried about us. What's gonna happen?"

Michael sighed, "I dont know. But were going to figure it together, yeah," Coin gave him an affirming nod.

It only when the got under the covers did Colin begin to cry again, letting Michael hold him the rest of the night.

[simpsonsnight]

Episode #379

WHAT THIS?

The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her Homer Season 18 - Episode 1 | September 10, 2006 Pretty lame! Bart gets Otto in trouble or something by stealing his bus, causing Springfield’s parents to carpool their kids to school. This is how we are introduced to Michael, Fat Tony’s son, who is a sissy that doesn’t want to have anything to do with the mafia despite his father’s plans for him to take over the family business. Sopranos and Godfather references fly. There’s a reasonably funny scene where Homer shakes down Moe for cash on Fat Tony’s behalf. It’s funny, but it’s basically a vaudeville routine dropped into the middle of the episode. The rest is lame, like I said. Also, Metallica is in this for some reason.

THE B-SODE:

Robot Chicken: "The Core, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover" Season 5 - Episode 15 | November 20, 2011 Yeah okay, I found a TV episode whose title is a parody of the same whatever as the Simpsons episode. Pretty cool/good. Now I can go have a ice cream

[diy-dentist]

[Moe flinched as he felt that sudden touch, his grasp growing looser on the handle as Mort’s stronger one was better more suited

‘What the hell is wrong with me, am I so weak I can’t even lift my own bag?’

The contents wouldn’t have been of much use to him really, his weight so low that even the thinnest of his clothing dropped off of him like a tent.

‘Your words, not mine~’

He’d already been told of the side effects that were to come from what he went through. Moe just hadn’t expected that it would be much worse.]

…

[What came next he hadn’t expected. Which in reality made sense, he couldn’t have but-

‘Weak, weak, thinks you’re weak~’

‘He wouldn’t, he doesn’t-

‘Stop your blabbering and grow a pair already.’

Giving a look around, he did this a few times before lightly leaning onto the offered shoulder.

In such places, especially in the south of Georgia, such a thing for two men to be seen together like that whether purely innocent was dangerous.

It helped a little, he hadn’t done much moving around in such awhile that it took time to adjust his balance again.

The parking lot was thankfully but barely a few people, most minding elsewhere and gave clear way for them to continue over to Mort’s car.

1959 Saab 93B in a powder blue finish.

Not very much practical in the sense but Mort was proud of it nonetheless, he carpooled in it a few times in the day along with some other guy he couldn’t remember the name.

He just hoped he fixed that sticky door jam after all that time had passed. That poor guy’s fingers.]

[Mort's heart, which had already been beating out a faster tempo than usual on account of the hug initiated by Moe, now seemed liable to pound out of his chest when Moe actually leaned into the offered shoulder. The touch was light, and Moe had seemed nervous about initiating it in the first place, but it was still something. Something to make his soft, yearning heart ache ache ache, made him want to always have this to hold onto, made a small and quavering part of him want to confess everything right then and there--the depths of his feelings, the way he never wanted Moe to ever feel like he was lesser again, the---

No. He couldn't. Not yet, not when there was still a chance for the sting of rejection. Not when there was still a chance that Moe would ultimately realize that he deserved so much better than someone like Mort. So he simply let the man lean on him, walking him to the side of the car as a fond smile crept across his face.]

Ahhhh, there's my baby. Who says she's not a practical car, huh? You're special enough to me, Dolores. Yes you are~.

[Realizing that he had begun to pat at the side of his car as though it was a particularly flighty horse rather than an automobile, Mort coughed into his hand awkwardly, straightening after a moment to allow Moe to step away if he wanted to.]

Ah, anyway. Load up your bag and then we can get this show on the road, huh?

[The statement was said with a jaunty twirl of the key ring around his fingers--a half-hearted attempt to make Moe laugh and release some of his tension, even as part of his brain screamed out the klaxon alarm of oh my god who in the fuck lets you even TALK to people.]

[He'd been sure to try and arrive at the hospital where Moe was being kept exactly at noon, last-minute rush to pack the last of his personal items be damned--they wouldn't talk about how he'd practically had to cram several of his more stubborn shirts into the suitcase and then struggle to zip it shut, cursing under his breath all the while. And they also wouldn't talk about how his strange dreams had kicked back up again, images of nondescript abandoned structures in landscapes that looked eerily similar to Ohio flashing through his brain every single time he tried to close his eyes. It was just his brain using pent-up excitement and anxiety over the family reunion against him. Norman was just being paranoid. He was absolutely fine. Everything was going to be fine.

...Once all the care instructions were done being explained to him, and once the paperwork had been filled out, and so on and so forth. Mort had never really had to check someone close to him out of the hospital before--had never really been to a hospital much in his life to begin with--and had had no earthly clue about the quite frankly asinine amount of paperwork that was involved. It seemed like every single time he finished filling out a particular form or paper, they shoved five new ones into his hands. And while he appreciated the amount of dedication and care that was going into Moe's healing--especially compared to the last place they'd put him in--Mort would have been lying if he'd said he wasn't starting to feel like a hamster on a wheel, running and running and running with no clear end in sight.

Which was why no one was more relieved than he was when the last piece of paper was taken away, leaving him to let out a soft sigh and lean back into the chair as he waited for Moe to arrive at the main waiting area. Finally, all the trouble and stress that he'd gone through over the past few months was over. Finally, they could get back to some semblance of normalcy. He and Russ and Moe and all of them.

Closed as his eyes were in relaxation, Mort simply startled awake at the sound of footsteps, opening his eyes and simply saying his words as he turned towards Moe instead of what he would normally do.]

Oh, Moe! There you are. You, uh...ready to get going?

[Lord, he hoped the almost childish excitement wasn't sneaking into his voice too much as he sat there.]

@sunrise-sunsxt

[lzteach]

Linda's Book Obsession Reviews "The Buddha​ Sat Right Here" by Dena​ Moes, She Writes Press, ​April 2, 2019 for Suzy Approved Book Tours

Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “The Buddha​ Sat Right Here” by Dena​ Moes, She Writes Press, ​April 2, 2019 for Suzy Approved Book Tours

About The Book:

Dena was a busy midwife trapped on the hamster wheel of working motherhood. Adam was an eccentric Buddhist yogi passing as a hard-working dad. Bella was fourteen and wanted to be normal. Sophia was up for anything that involved skipping school. Together, they shouldered backpacks, walked away from their California life of all-night births, carpool schedules, and Cal Skate, and…

[amazingstufffree]

4 Things You Can Get for Free – How to Get Free Stuff

Here's a little memory work out: Try to make a rundown of the considerable number of things you've burned through cash on in the previous week. Begin with today, and work your direction in reverse, writing down the excursion to the market, the transport toll for work, and the motion picture throughout the end of the week. Incorporate everything, regardless of whether it was a for no reason in particular buy, for example, another outfit, or an important cost, such as paying your PDA bill.

In all honesty, a considerable lot of the things on your rundown you most likely could have gotten for nothing. From necessities like nourishment and garments to fun stuff like travel and stimulation, an astonishing number of the things individuals burn through cash on can be yours to no end – in any event under specific conditions. It takes a little innovativeness and a ton of adaptability, yet in case you're willing to make a few trade-offs, you can cut a considerable lot of the costs in a run of the mill spending plan down to zero.

Not all these spending limit slicing thoughts will work for everybody, obviously. In any case, in the event that you can figure out how to utilize only a couple of them, you can free up a significant pleasant lump of money every month.

1. Sustenance

Sustenance is one of the greatest things in most family unit spending plans. As per the yearly Consumer Expenditures Survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in 2014 the normal American family burned through $6,759 on sustenance – over 10% of its complete pay, and over 12% of its all out going through for the year. Paring that yearly all out right down to nothing most likely is absurd, yet there are positive tips and deceives you can use to get sustenance for nothing in certain circumstances.

Outrageous Couponing

Outrageous couponing is to normal couponing what a triple-shot coffee is to some plain espresso. Rather than simply utilizing coupons to shave a couple of pennies off the cost of a bunch of things each time you go to the supermarket, extraordinary couponing enables you to consolidate various limits to drastically slice the cost of everything. Genuine bosses of the workmanship consistently get staple goods to no end or even get money back that they can apply to the remainder of their buys.

Be that as it may, there are downsides to extraordinary couponing. Most importantly, it's a tedious side interest. You need to gather numerous duplicates of each coupon addition to ensure you have bunches of coupons available when a decent deal hits, and you need to invest a specific measure of energy every week searching through deal fliers and coordinating up coupons to locate the most ideal arrangement.

Another issue with outrageous couponing is that it restricts your nourishment decisions. A few people who have attempted it contends that it does not merit the exertion in light of the fact that such a significant number of the things they can purchase with coupons are things they needn't bother with, sustenances that aren't sound, or things they as of now have a lot of in the washroom.

In any case, regardless of whether you don't turn into a full-time outrageous couponer, it's beneficial to gain proficiency with the procedure. You don't need to invest hours cutting coupons or use them each time you shop, yet on those uncommon events when it's conceivable to stack deals and coupons to get a free box of Cheerios, you're ready to recognize the arrangement and exploit it.

Expert tip: You can download the Ibotta application which will enable you to get a good deal on your staple goods without cut-out a solitary coupon. Contingent upon the store, you will either interface your store's customer reserve funds card or you can snap a picture of your staple receipt through the application. Sign up for Ibotta and you'll get a $10 reward to begin.

Free Dining

In opposition to mainstream thinking, at times there really is such an incredible concept as a free lunch. On the off chance that you know the correct spots and the correct occasions to go, you can appreciate a supper, or if nothing else a light tidbit, on the house.

Network Cafes. At people group bistros, the value you pay for your supper is whatever you can manage. This implies in case you're lucky enough to have a network bistro in your town, you can go out for a feast regardless of whether you don't have a dime in your pocket. A few bistros, for example, Grace Cafe in Danville, Kentucky, request that you work an hour in the kitchen in return for your dinner in the event that you can't pay. Others, similar to A Better World Cafe in Highland Park, New Jersey, have a free dish of the day that is accessible to anybody at no expense.

Birthday Freebies. Numerous cafés have a "birthday club" that gives you a free feast, drink, or nibble on your birthday. In the event that you have room schedule-wise, you can spend the whole day going from free breakfast at Denny's or IHOP to free lunch at Moe's Southwest Grill to a free nice meal at Ponderosa or Bonanza Steakhouse, with free bites and beverages in the middle of at spots like Starbucks and Baskin Robbins. You can discover extra birthday complimentary gift offers, and connections to agree to accept them, at HeyItsFree.net.

Free Samples. Outlet center, for example, Costco and Sam's Club, frequently have stations dispersed all through the store with free examples of their items to attempt. Some basic food item chains –, for example, H-Mart, a little chain having some expertise in nourishment from the Far East – do something very similar on ends of the week. Nothing on free examples isn't actually a substitute for supper, yet it's an incredible method to attempt some outlandish treats or different things you wouldn't really purchase all the time.

Faucet Water

In 2012, as per the Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC), Americans devoured almost 9.7 billion gallons of filtered water in 2012 – near 31 gallons for each individual. At $1 per 16.9-ounce bottle, that works about $240 every year for a beverage you could get appropriate out of a spigot for essentially nothing.

Faucet water isn't totally free, yet it's really close. As indicated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the normal expense of faucet water in the United States is $2 for every 1,000 gallons. That implies that the $240 worth of filtered water the normal American beverages every year would cost just $0.06 on the off chance that it left the tap.

The EPA likewise takes note of that all faucet water in the United States is liable to exacting security models, and infringement is rare. On the off chance that the faucet water in your general vicinity simply doesn't taste great, a basic water channel pitcher can most likely clean up whatever is causing the off taste and give crisp, delectable water for significantly not exactly the $7.69 a gallon you pay for the packaged stuff.

2. Garments

Garments aren't as large a cost for most Americans as sustenance, yet regardless it comes to more than $1,780 every year for the normal family unit, as indicated by the BLS. However, in the meantime, a significant number of us have garments in our storage rooms that we don't wear – either in light of the fact that they never again fit, or on the grounds that they never fit well in any case, or on the grounds that we're essentially tired of them. By combining with companions for a dress swap party, you can get the undesirable things out of your own storage room and return home with new-to-you garments for nothing.

Apparel swaps are here and there entertainingly called "stripped woman parties," yet they don't need to be only for ladies. Folks who are into style can get included as well, and garments swaps can be perfect for families with children who are continually exceeding garments before they've exhausted. By getting together with a gathering of different families whose children are somewhat more seasoned or somewhat more youthful than yours, you can pass on outgrown outfits and get new ones in sizes that fit. Anything left over by the day's end can be given to a second-hand store or a beneficent apparel drive.

3. Transportation

Transportation gobbles up a significantly greater portion of the normal spending plan than sustenance. The BLS reports that in 2014, the normal American family spent more than $9,000 getting from spot to put. In excess of 33% of that sum goes toward gas, oil changes, and accident coverage.

Notwithstanding, driving isn't the best way to get around. Here are a couple of free options:

Free Public Transportation. Numerous U.S. urban communities and some little towns have free transports or different kinds of transport administration. For example, in New York City, the Staten Island Ferry is for nothing out of pocket. Dallas has a free, vintage trolley known as the M-Line, and Palo Alto, California has three free means of transport.

Slugging. A few urban areas have uncommon high-inhabitance vehicle carpool lanes on the roadways for autos with numerous tenants. To access these quicker moving paths, some performance drivers offer free rides to travelers during the morning and night surge hours – a training known as slugging or easygoing carpooling. Travelers sitting tight for rides structure "slug lines" at certain notable regions, and drivers haul over and get out their goals to discover a traveler set out toward a similar area. Slugging is most generally drilled in Washington, D.C., but at the same time, it's genuinely basic in the San Francisco Bay Area, Pittsburgh, and Houston. The site Slug-Lines.com has data about slugging areas in the Washington territory.

Strolling. Strolling to work isn't a possibility for everybody, except it offers extraordinary advantages for the individuals who can oversee it. Notwithstanding being totally free, strolling gives sound exercise, causes you to decrease your carbon impression, and gives you a chance to abstain from disappointing surge hour traffic. A recent report at the Great Britain's University of East Anglia found that specialists who walk or bicycle to work feel less pressure and have a simpler time concentrating during the day.

4. Lodging

Lodging is the single greatest cost in the vast majority's financial limits. As per the BLS, the normal American family unit spends more than $10,000 every year on "cover" – more than one-fifth of its all-out spending. Taking out this cost isn't simple, yet there are approaches to do it – particularly for youthful, single individuals.

The best-known method for living without rent is to move in with your folks or different relatives. Ongoing school graduates regularly move back home until they get built up monetarily, and in certain spots, it's normal for youngsters to remain at home until they wed and begin groups of their own.

[fetealabenilde-blog]

Fête ala Benilde

Benildean musicians making a name for themselves in the local music scene at Fête de la Musique in different venues and stages around Makati on the night of June 21, 2018.

Fête de la Musique is a special event for me that is held annually in the attempt to showcase the artists in the local music scene accompanied by booze and the comfort of my close friends. Artists that play different genres can express their music in different stages spread throughout Makati’s bars and restaurants. Patrons can easily access various stages because the organizers provide a digital map that helps them navigate the vicinity of the event just by walking or carpooling with friends.

The map of Fête de la Musique 2018

A handful of my fellow Benildeans were chosen to perform in this exciting event and it gives me joy seeing them perform and are able to share their craft. It gives them a springboard to their music career as by this they gain more exposure thus expanding they’re listeners. One of my closest friends, Moe Cabral who goes by youngsleepyboi, was lucky enough to be able to be a part of this highly sought out event. I saw the look on his face after finding out that he was going to be performing in the Bedroom Beats Stage in The Belle & Dragon.

youngsleepyboi performing at Bedroom Beats in The Belle & Dragon

Overall Fête de la Musique 2018 is definitely one for the books and I hope more aspiring Benildean music producers/artists will engage in this great opportunity.

[daniellethamasa]

Hey all, Dani here.

Okay, before I can really focus on the new month/new year of reading, I first have to wrap up all of last month’s reading and content. While I didn’t generate as many posts as I would have liked, I can blame a lot of that on how work made me feel physically. But I’m happy to say that for the first few months of 2020 I’ll basically be sitting at a desk, which means plenty of time for reading, writing, and blogging. It should be a pretty productive time.

Oh, and the change in work schedule–bleh to having to go to second shift for three months–meant that I actually had to go out and finally get a new car. Mine stopped running in Jan 2018 and I never got a replacement because Damian and I were on the same schedule again, so carpooling was how we operated. My temporary week or two on a different schedule made for some weird times of sharing the car, but we couldn’t sustain that sort of life for three months. And I ended up getting a car much newer and nicer than I’ve ever had in my life: a 2012 Honda CR-V. That’s pretty nice.

So now it’s time to jump into the wrap-up of everything I read in December, which was 22 books. Now, don’t get too excited about that number: 8 of those are Christmas presents I bought for my 2 year old niece, and as always I have at least a couple volumes of manga on the list as well. Yes, I still read quite a bit, but I was really hoping that I would get so much more accomplished in the last 10 days of the year.

I did create a 12-hour readathon event, called #JolabokaflodReadathon, and I read 5 books in that time, so that was a lot of fun, and I’m hoping to make the event even better in 2020, since in 2019 I thought of it a day before I did the readathon.

Anyway, let’s jump into the wrap-up. As always, if I have a review already written then I will include a link back to that post.

Slay by Brittney Morris — 4.5 stars

Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi — 3.5 stars

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord — 4.5 stars (review coming Jan 21)

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams — 5 stars

Crier’s War by Nina Varela — 5 stars

Little Golden Books: Frozen 2 by Nancy Cote — 4 stars

Little Golden Books: I’m a Unicorn by Mallory Loehr and Joey Chou — 4 stars

Little Golden Books: Beauty and the Beast by Teddy Slater, Ron Dias, and Ric Gonzales — 5 stars

Little Golden Books: My Little Pony: Rainbow Dash Reading Rainboom! by Tallulah May and Zoe Persico — 4 stars

Little Golden Books: Trolls: Branch’s Bunker Birthday by David Lewman – 4 stars

Little Golden Books: The Little Mermaid by Michael Teitelbaum and Sue DiCicco — 4 stars

Reindeers are Better than People by Walt Disney Company — 4 stars

Frozen 5-Minute Stories by Walt Disney Company — 5 stars

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee — 4 stars (review coming Jan 3)

My Hero Academia Volume 22 by Kohei Horikoshi — 4.5 stars

Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins Series II #4 by Matthew Mercer, Ariana Maher, Jody Houser, Msassyk, and Olivia Samson — 5 stars

The Magicians by Lev Grossman — 4 stars

Forbidden Scrollery Volume 1 by Zun and Moe Harukawa — 3 stars

Strange Planet by Nathan W Pyle — 5 stars

We Met in December by Rose Curtis — 4 stars

Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw — 4 stars

Wicked Saints by Emily A Duncan — 5 stars

Okay, now with the wrap-up finished, it is time to talk Book Haul, which also means talking Book Unhaul, and OwlCrate Unboxing. So there’s a lot to go over.

Let’s just go ahead and start with the Unhaul portion. In an effort to tidy up the library area, I had to do a lot of shelving books and reorganizing my shelf arrangements. While I was in the middle of that, it only seemed natural to week out those books that I just don’t see myself reading or that I don’t see myself picking up to read again.

Turning in those books to Half-Price Books was actually a nice money help around the holidays. I technically got enough money to buy myself another 3 or 4 books, and I told Damian that I would roll that into books to buy in January since December was a low book-buying month. Though I did pick up a couple books at HPB while we were there as well. But when it comes to non-gift book purchases, I only bought four books for myself (technically five, but B&N was running a Buy 2 get 1 free sale on manga). So I bought both volumes of Fairy Tail 100 Year Quest and got My Hero Academia, and then I picked up Reverie and Children of Virtue and Vengeance. The rest of the manga were either purchased by Damian or they were Christmas presents, and then The Blade Itself, and both The Secret Loves of Geeks books were from that trip to HPB. So since I didn’t technically reach my 5 book purchases in December, again, I rolled the single non-purchase over for January, because I have a feeling I’ll need it.

All right, well now it’s time for the OwlCrate Unboxing portion of today’s post. This ended up being a book that I had already owned for over a month and had already read. I do really like the OwlCrate Exclusive Cover, though. I think I’m most excited about the hand warmer, but it’ll also be nice to relax with the coloring book and colored pencils.

Finally, I guess I need to talk about my TBR for January, and half of my TBR is currently in digital form because I’m really trying to keep up with my NetGalley early copies this year. I might even start trying to work on including some older NetGalley reads so that I can get my review ratio up.

All right, well that is all from me for today. How was your reading in December? What books do you hope to read in January? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to talk books and other plans/goals for 2020. I hope you are having a wonderful start to 2020, and I’ll be back soon with more bookish content.

December Wrap-Up and January TBR Hey all, Dani here. Okay, before I can really focus on the new month/new year of reading, I first have to wrap up all of last month's reading and content.

[livwritesstuff]

Omg Steve holding onto grudges his daughters have let go is so real. My mom told me the other day that she still hates one of my sisters ex-friends from over 15 years ago. How do you think Steve reacts if one of the girls bring a friend (reformed enemy) home? I know he would be an adult, but still a little petty I think.

Honestly same my mom still talks about one particular ex-friend of mine from when I was in elementary school who I haven't seen or spoken to in over a decade.

Yeah, Steve would be the picture of civility to the friends themselves. There's been enough fully-burned bridges for him to trust his daughters' judgement, though he definitely would be psychoanalyzing every single word that came out of their mouths.

Where it would show is when he interacts with those friends' parents because, in his eyes, they're the ones who taught that kind of behavior, and Steve has some level of awareness that he and Eddie are, to their upper-middle class liberal town, the cool gay dads. Steve's social calendar is booked solid, and wherever he shows up is the place to be in the eyes of the other parents. He will use that privilege for evil if he must.

Like, if Moe's friend Kaley excluded her from a basketball team-sleepover, Steve is suddenly chronically unavailable for all of Kaley's mom's wine and cheese nights.

Robbie might have mended fences with her friend Skylar, but funnily enough Skylar's dad never was able to work Steve into the carpool rotation again.

For the record, Eddie does not have any awareness of any of this. He's the dad who classically does not know any of his children's friends. If he woke up in a Saw trap and the only requirement was to name one (1) of his daughters' friends, he'd be completely fucked.

[amazingstufffree]

4 Things You Can Get for Free – How to Get Free Stuff

Here's a little memory work out: Try to make a rundown of the considerable number of things you've burned through cash on in the previous week. Begin with today, and work your direction in reverse, writing down the outing to the market, the transport charge for work, and the motion picture throughout the end of the week. Incorporate everything, regardless of whether it was an only for the sake of entertainment buy, for example, another outfit, or an essential cost, such as paying your wireless bill.

Trust it or not, a considerable lot of the things on your rundown you most likely could have gotten for nothing. From necessities like nourishment and apparel to fun stuff like travel and stimulation, a stunning number of the things individuals burn through cash on can be yours to no end – at any rate under specific conditions. It takes a little innovativeness and a ton of adaptability, yet in case you're willing to make a few trade-offs, you can cut a considerable lot of the costs in a common spending plan down to zero.

Not all these financial plan cutting thoughts will work for everybody, obviously. Be that as it may, on the off chance that you can figure out how to utilize only a couple of them, you can free up a significant pleasant piece of money every month.

1. Sustenance

Sustenance is one of the greatest things in most family unit spending plans. As per the yearly Consumer Expenditures Survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in 2014 the normal American family unit burned through $6,759 on sustenance – over 10% of its all-out pay, and over 12% of its all out going through for the year. Paring that yearly all out right down to nothing presumably is absurd, yet there are positively tips and deceives you can use to get nourishment for nothing in certain circumstances.

Extraordinary Couponing

Extraordinary couponing is to standard couponing what a triple-shot coffee is to some plain espresso. Rather than simply utilizing coupons to shave a couple of pennies off the cost of a bunch of things each time you go to the market, outrageous couponing enables you to consolidate various limits to drastically slice the cost of everything. Genuine experts of the workmanship routinely get basic needs in vain or even get money back that they can apply to the remainder of their buys.

Notwithstanding, there are disadvantages to extraordinary couponing. Most importantly, it's a tedious diversion. You need to gather different duplicates of each coupon supplement to ensure you have heaps of coupons close by when a decent deal hits, and you need to invest a specific measure of energy every week searching through deal fliers and coordinating up coupons to locate the most ideal arrangement.

Another issue with extraordinary couponing is that it restrains your sustenance decisions. A few people who have attempted it contend that it does not merit the exertion on the grounds that such huge numbers of the things they can purchase with coupons are things they needn't bother with, sustenances that aren't sound, or things they as of now have a lot of in the washroom.

In any case, regardless of whether you don't turn into a full-time extraordinary couponer, it's beneficial to become familiar with the strategy. You don't need to invest hours cutting coupons or use them each time you shop, yet on those uncommon events when it's conceivable to stack deals and coupons to get a free box of Cheerios, you're ready to recognize the arrangement and exploit it.

Free Dining

In opposition to prevalent thinking, in some cases, there really is such an incredible concept as a free lunch. In the event that you know the correct spots and the correct occasions to go, you can appreciate a dinner, or if nothing else a light bite, on the house.

*Community Cafes. At people group bistros, the value you pay for your feast is whatever you can manage. This implies in case you're sufficiently lucky to have a network bistro in your town, you can go out for a supper regardless of whether you don't have a dime in your pocket. A few bistros, for example, Grace Cafe in Danville, Kentucky, request that you work an hour in the kitchen in return for your supper on the off chance that you can't pay. Others, similar to A Better World Cafe in Highland Park, New Jersey, have a free dish of the day that is accessible to anybody at no expense.

*Birthday Freebies. Numerous eateries have a "birthday club" that gives you a free supper, drink, or nibble on your birthday. In the event that you have sufficient energy, you can spend the whole day going from free breakfast at Denny's or IHOP to free lunch at Moe's Southwest Grill to a free nice meal at Ponderosa or Bonanza Steakhouse, with free tidbits and beverages in the middle of at spots like Starbucks and Baskin Robbins. You can discover extra birthday complimentary gift offers, and connections to agree to accept them, at HeyItsFree.net.

*Free Samples. Outlet center, for example, Costco and Sam's Club, regularly have stations dissipated all through the store with free examples of their items to attempt. Some basic supply chains –, for example, H-Mart, a little chain represent considerable authority in nourishment from the Far East – do something very similar on ends of the week. Nothing on free examples isn't actually a substitute for a feast, however, it's an incredible method to attempt some intriguing delights or different things you wouldn't really purchase all the time.

Faucet Water

In 2012, as indicated by the Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC), Americans devoured about 9.7 billion gallons of filtered water in 2012 – near 31 gallons for every individual. At $1 per 16.9-ounce bottle, that works about $240 every year for a beverage you could get directly out of a fixture for all intents and purposes nothing.

Faucet water isn't totally free, however, it's truly close. As indicated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the normal expense of faucet water in the United States is $2 for every 1,000 gallons. That implies that the $240 worth of filtered water the normal American beverages every year would cost just $0.06 in the event that it left the tap.

The EPA likewise noticed that all faucet water in the United States is liable to severe security principles, and infringement are rare. In the event that the faucet water in your general vicinity simply doesn't taste great, a basic water channel pitcher can likely gather up whatever is causing the off taste and give crisp, scrumptious water for significantly not exactly the $7.69 a gallon you pay for the packaged stuff.

2. Attire

Attire isn't as large a cost for most Americans as sustenance, however despite everything it comes to more than $1,780 every year for the normal family unit, as indicated by the BLS. However, in the meantime, a large number of us have garments in our storerooms that we don't wear – either in light of the fact that they never again fit, or on the grounds that they never fit well in any case, or in light of the fact that we're essentially tired of them. By consolidating with companions for a garments swap party, you can get the undesirable things out of your own wardrobe and return home with new-to-you garments for nothing.

Attire swaps are some of the time cleverly called "exposed woman parties," however they don't need to be only for ladies. Folks who are into style can get included as well, and apparel swaps can be perfect for families with children who are continually exceeding garments before they've exhausted. By getting together with a gathering of different families whose kids are somewhat more seasoned or somewhat more youthful than yours, you can pass on outgrown outfits and get new ones in sizes that fit. Anything left over toward the day's end can be given to a thrift shop or an altruistic dress drive.

3. Transportation

Transportation gobbles up a considerably greater offer of the normal spending plan than sustenance. The BLS reports that in 2014, the normal American family unit spent more than $9,000 getting from spot to put. In excess of 33% of that sum goes toward gas, oil changes, and accident protection.

In any case, driving isn't the best way to get around. Here are a couple of free options:

*Free Public Transportation. Numerous U.S. urban communities and some little towns have free transports or different sorts of transport administration. For example, in New York City, the Staten Island Ferry is gratis. Dallas has a free, vintage trolley known as the M-Line, and Palo Alto, California has three free means of transport.

*Slugging. A few urban areas have unique high-inhabitance vehicle carpool lanes on the interstates for autos with numerous inhabitants. To access these quicker moving paths, some performance drivers offer free rides to travelers amid the morning and night surge hours – a training known as slugging or easygoing carpooling. Travelers hanging tight for rides structure "slug lines" at certain notable regions and drivers haul over and get out their goals to discover a traveler set out toward a similar area. Slugging is most generally polished in Washington, D.C., but at the same time, it's genuinely regular in the San Francisco Bay Area, Pittsburgh, and Houston. The site Slug-Lines.com has data about slugging areas in the Washington territory.

*Walking. Strolling to work isn't a possibility for everybody, except it offers incredible advantages for the individuals who can oversee it. Notwithstanding being totally free, strolling gives sound exercise, encourages you to decrease your carbon impression, and gives you a chance to abstain from baffling surge hour traffic. A recent report at the Great Britain's University of East Anglia found that specialists who walk or bicycle to work feel less pressure and have a simpler time concentrating amid the day.

4. Lodging

Lodging is the single greatest cost in the vast majority's financial plans. As indicated by the BLS, the normal American family unit spends more than $10,000 every year on "cover" – more than one-fifth of its complete spending. Taking out this cost isn't simple, yet there are approaches to do it – particularly for youthful, single individuals.

The best-known method for living sans rent is to move in with your folks or different relatives. Late school graduates frequently move back home until they get set up monetarily, and in certain spots, it's regular for youngsters to remain at home until they wed and begin groups of their own. Moving in with family can likewise be a possibility for individuals of all ages who are experiencing a troublesome period, for example, a separation or a startling activity misfortune.

[lzteach]

Linda's Book Obsession Reviews "The Buddha​ Sat Right Here" by Dena​ Moes, She Writes Press, ​April 2, 2019 for Suzy Approved Book Tours

Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “The Buddha​ Sat Right Here” by Dena​ Moes, She Writes Press, ​April 2, 2019 for Suzy Approved Book Tours

About The Book:

Dena was a busy midwife trapped on the hamster wheel of working motherhood. Adam was an eccentric Buddhist yogi passing as a hard-working dad. Bella was fourteen and wanted to be normal. Sophia was up for anything that involved skipping school. Together, they shouldered backpacks, walked away from their California life of all-night births, carpool schedules, and Cal Skate, and…

[lzteach]

Linda's Book Obsession Reviews "The Buddha​ Sat Right Here" by Dena​ Moes, She Writes Press, ​April 2, 2019 for Suzy Approved Book Tours

Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “The Buddha​ Sat Right Here” by Dena​ Moes, She Writes Press, ​April 2, 2019 for Suzy Approved Book Tours

About The Book:

Dena was a busy midwife trapped on the hamster wheel of working motherhood. Adam was an eccentric Buddhist yogi passing as a hard-working dad. Bella was fourteen and wanted to be normal. Sophia was up for anything that involved skipping school. Together, they shouldered backpacks, walked away from their California life of all-night births, carpool schedules, and Cal Skate, and…

[sunrise-sunsxt]

[Moe flinched as he felt that sudden touch, his grasp growing looser on the handle as Mort’s stronger one was better more suited

‘What the hell is wrong with me, am I so weak I can’t even lift my own bag?’

The contents wouldn’t have been of much use to him really, his weight so low that even the thinnest of his clothing dropped off of him like a tent.

‘Your words, not mine~’

He’d already been told of the side effects that were to come from what he went through. Moe just hadn’t expected that it would be much worse.]

…

[What came next he hadn’t expected. Which in reality made sense, he couldn’t have but-

‘Weak, weak, thinks you’re weak~’

‘He wouldn’t, he doesn’t-

‘Stop your blabbering and grow a pair already.’

Giving a look around, he did this a few times before lightly leaning onto the offered shoulder.

In such places, especially in the south of Georgia, such a thing for two men to be seen together like that whether purely innocent was dangerous.

It helped a little, he hadn’t done much moving around in such awhile that it took time to adjust his balance again.

The parking lot was thankfully but barely a few people, most minding elsewhere and gave clear way for them to continue over to Mort’s car.

1959 Saab 93B in a powder blue finish.

Not very much practical in the sense, Moe had once said but Mort was proud of it nonetheless.

He carpooled in it a few times in the day along with some other guy he couldn’t remember the name.

He just hoped he fixed that sticky door jam after all that time had passed.

That poor guy’s fingers.]

[He'd been sure to try and arrive at the hospital where Moe was being kept exactly at noon, last-minute rush to pack the last of his personal items be damned--they wouldn't talk about how he'd practically had to cram several of his more stubborn shirts into the suitcase and then struggle to zip it shut, cursing under his breath all the while. And they also wouldn't talk about how his strange dreams had kicked back up again, images of nondescript abandoned structures in landscapes that looked eerily similar to Ohio flashing through his brain every single time he tried to close his eyes. It was just his brain using pent-up excitement and anxiety over the family reunion against him. Norman was just being paranoid. He was absolutely fine. Everything was going to be fine.

...Once all the care instructions were done being explained to him, and once the paperwork had been filled out, and so on and so forth. Mort had never really had to check someone close to him out of the hospital before--had never really been to a hospital much in his life to begin with--and had had no earthly clue about the quite frankly asinine amount of paperwork that was involved. It seemed like every single time he finished filling out a particular form or paper, they shoved five new ones into his hands. And while he appreciated the amount of dedication and care that was going into Moe's healing--especially compared to the last place they'd put him in--Mort would have been lying if he'd said he wasn't starting to feel like a hamster on a wheel, running and running and running with no clear end in sight.

Which was why no one was more relieved than he was when the last piece of paper was taken away, leaving him to let out a soft sigh and lean back into the chair as he waited for Moe to arrive at the main waiting area. Finally, all the trouble and stress that he'd gone through over the past few months was over. Finally, they could get back to some semblance of normalcy. He and Russ and Moe and all of them.

Closed as his eyes were in relaxation, Mort simply startled awake at the sound of footsteps, opening his eyes and simply saying his words as he turned towards Moe instead of what he would normally do.]

Oh, Moe! There you are. You, uh...ready to get going?

[Lord, he hoped the almost childish excitement wasn't sneaking into his voice too much as he sat there.]

@sunrise-sunsxt