#my finances are stable luckily so what's the point?

[tinderbox210]

I have my annual appointment at the bank today and all I’m thinking is, this could have been an e-mail...

[editorialsonlife]

Well

Welp, feeling like doing an update because there's been a lot going on to be honest. its one of those weird dichotomies where every day feels like an eternity and there's so much going on and then you look back and you're like oh, ok its just my brain making it difficult and making things take forever but anyway.

LOCKDOOOOOOOWWWWWWNNNNNNN

Lockdown life was good, apart from being thrust into it so suddenly dave left a banana on his desk. Wasn't great to come back to after 5 weeks out of the office - mummified mouldy banana!! Classic. We luckily got our first jab before lockdown started so that was good, and we were reasonably well stocked up on food and were generally a lot healthier this lockdown that last. honestly, there's a level of chill and serenity in lockdown that i just love. the ability to set my own schedule and only work the hours I actually work to get the job done? Amazing. getting 8.5 hours of sleep each night without having to wake to an alarm blaring? AMAZING. getting to go for walks every afternoon? SO FLIPPING GOOD. I love it so much, I really really do. I need this to be my life permanently.

WORK

Work is just ongoing and draining and honestly, coming back to the office was so fucking stressful and it was only one day. Being at home is just the fucking bomb. Pending home decisions, I wanna go contracting I think, but also ideally two part time contracts to have more flexibility? I dunno. You'd think a big 4 would provide variety but it really doesn't and honestly, with Richie leaving, wellington is just a sinking ship. Sean's off on parental leave, Kirstyn is down to four days a week, ben will be gone if he doesn't get promoted (and I don't think he will be tbh). Jack is just muddling along, Nigel wants to swap to consulting as well, Matt's going to be a shit leader in terms of bringing in work so it's just not going to work. and in our wider group it's going to get even more messy with heaps of the analysts leaving and a couple of senior hires too. so I think it's probably time to jump ship in general, pending the home stuff below. Also, coming back after a break again, I'm like, I don't actually like a lot of you? All the people I enjoy here are in other teams and groups, and I'll be sad to leave you all, but like, not enough to stay anyway lol.

Pending the home below, two options are to just going and get a job with a $30k payrise to make up for the maternity leave benefits I'm gunna leave behind when I leave this role - 18 weeks full pay, $100 a week for the first year back and a full year of maternity leave. It's basically 30k post tax which is a bit nuts to walk away from to be honest.

Otherwise the other option is to go contracting. Less security overall but holy shit so much money. If I went in as a project coordinator at the lowest rate to build up a bit of a portfolio I'd need to work 40 weeks of 40 hr weeks and Id basically match my current salary plus the lost family leave benefits and still qualify for govt maternity leave payments. Realistically I could go in as a project manager for $140 an hour ($60 more an hour than the above math) and absolutely smash it at that level as well so ya know, there's a bunch of other info. I like the idea of the flexibility of it and only having 6 months even if its a shitshow and beign able to walk away at the end of it. I really don't want to get a govt job and this is a v govt town which is fine but also, if I can avoid it that would be great. I just know I'm not gunna thrive in that environment.

Need to talk to Dave to get him across the line on the security issue part of that though. I've mostly come a long way in terms of my financial management (thanks YNAB) so I think he'd be ok with it mostly.

So there's a lot to toss up there because......

HOME

We got the reno plans done during lockdown, finally. which was super good. but holy fkn jesus $$$$$$ ++++++++++. The guy is coming around for the final quote on Thursday. We indicatively said $100k total because we're doing kitchen laundry bathroom and toilet. so only the most expensive rooms and when I was talking to him last week he said 'that might cover it' and they're seeing cost escalations of 7-10% a week which is just insane. we're not doing anything structural apart from putting in a cavity slider in the bathroom, and the quote they'll give us won't include flooring since they won't do it.

Meanwhile, the prefab homes I were looking at for our site were $425k fully done. Like, I'm not going to spend $130K on doing up my 1940s ex state house ya know? That's not good cost benefit ratio.

So depending on what that comes out at on thursday we'll be able to make some plans.

We also want to start trying for kids next year and need these renos done first - I am not having kids and no dishwasher lol.

Also we need bank financing so good to be in a permanent stable job for that application. the good thing is we have so much equity we know we can borrow whatever we need, I just don't want to spend that much money on it because it's fkn ridiculous. and if I'm going on maternity leave we need to be able to cover it all on dave's salary and whatever benefits I have as well so there;s a lot of financial planning and spreadsheeting going on at the moment lol. it's fab.

either way. we've got plenty of options up our sleeve. we've got friends who's brother owns a building company so we can talk to them, we've got the garage so we can get things prefabricated even if they're not installed til next year, Dave can get shit at cost through his work for whiteware, there;s plenty of things to like cost control we can do, we just need to know where we're starting from basically. thats the challenging part. but we'll figure it out, its just taking longer than I want it to basically.

We also planted up the vege garden for the spring/summer which was lovely, super jazzed about that. we've finally got the garden to a reasonably low maintenance level where everything is mostly under control and it's such a relief, honestly.

PERSONAL

Man what a shift to lockdown last year honestly. I think the last 8 weeks in particular has just been like, a massive reality check of how absolutely shit the last year was and how fucking glad I am to be rid of it. I spent a week absolutely spiralling 2 weeks ago now and honestly, I don't know how I lived in the state for more than a year. I actually don't know how I did it. and I could not be more glad that I'm finally on the other side of it, for the most part. There's still a bunch of other stuff to work through (hahahahahaha when is there not like damn) but fucking hell its nice to just not be anxious and nauseous and wound up constantly. life is actually accessible. miracle.

My workmate had his bebe - I went round and got newborn cuddles and was like, oh, is this what it is to be clucky? this is odd. so there's that as well. I think we'll probably start trying next year pending renos and jobs etc. If the renos can be done in jan I'll prob just stick it at the job to get the benefits but I dunno. it's a tough call to make really. we shall see. This all assumes we get knocked up without any issues which is questionable these days. I really want to feel healthier before getting pregnant as well, and part of that is losing weight. however, given discussing that is what triggered the spiral we're working on that one slowly.

Also, lets have a moment for counselling, because fkn bless anne and all her hard work honestly. I actually ended up emailing her being like, I;m losing my shit on the monday and then talked to her on thursday. And its so funny because it's such a counselling thing but I didn't realise until afterwards what she'd done but she was like you're clearly not doing well and then the night before dave got a fkn miserable migraine and he was up for like, 2 hrs powerchucking except he didn't make it to the bathroom in time so guess who was cleaning up vomit at 130am trying not to chuck herself but I digress. anyway, not doing well, couldn't even explain why, didn't even have words and super tired and she's like, what lynaire up to this week how's she going with izzy and chat about that and then be like how are you feeling about your body and then 5 more mins of chat about the cat and the chickens and then like bam hard question and then hows it going with x and y and z and its like, it wasn't til I was on my walk afterwards when I FINALLY started feeling marginally better I was like damn woman work your magic for figuring it out for me and helping me reregulate. all over the phone as well since we were still in lockdown. GREAT WORK FRIEND.

and then last week was like totally fucked theoretical discussion about religion and the role it's played in my life and fate vs free will and all this nutty shit but genuinely just a great discussion. She's the best and I love her. thank good for good counsellors. thank god I can afford to pay for it honestly.

Dave and I are just chugging along, god bless that man. I love him. its amazing. I miss having friends close by but understand why they had to move (boooooo f u house prices). Family is pretty chill, still not really talking to dave's parents which is nightmarish but we'll deal with that when we need to. gunna have to go and visit them at some point coz dave misses them and I feel for him, I really do. It's the whole boundaries renegotiation I went through with my family last year post wedding blow up and its just not a fun place to be. oh well. can't fix it for him but also I'm not putting up with that level of BS from either of our families once we have children. not gunna happen.

Either way, life is busy and full and fun and I'm enjoying it. Daylight savings starts this weekend too, its october next week WTF and I'm just waiting for 4pm to find out what's gunna happen to our girls trip. Clearly we cancelled our sept trip to christchurch and akaroa and hanmer springs so my covid travel curse continues. fkn ridic. Still dunno what we're gunna do with $2500 of flight credits coz if we get knocked up theres def no international trips happening any time soon.

thus concludes the almost 2000 word write up of life. hope you've enjoyed it. I'll throw up some pics in a separate post if people care about reno plans. such a good time!

[life-simplycomplicated]

2020 of Gratitude

I am grateful for...

1. Health: We often take for granted our good health. The ability to walk, breath, use our strength to lift anything. Covid really has crippled the way we live our lives. To those who suffered at the hands of Covid I hope they recover both in mind and body. Many people I know are fortunate not have have come across Covid in their lives and I hope it continues in that direction. We have a vaccine now which gives light at the end of this very dark tunnel 2020 has been. 

2. Relationships: Many changes have happened as we adapt to living with the fear of Covid. We have all had to curtail our friends circle of whom we meet. Some relationships have weakened and others have become stronger. I am luckily to have such a wonderful friend group and loving partner. Even though we have limited hang out sessions, the ones that are had are that more special. 

3. Helpers: “when I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me,’ Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” - Mr. Rogers. I have come to a point in my life where I am not only able to help others just through moral support. It feels good when I am able to help without worrying how it may affect my finances. My mom told me my grandmother was the type to help others even if it puts herself in a tough position. I guess one can say I inherited her kind heart to help those I care about and those in need. 

4. Simple comforts: Do you enjoy curling up in a blanket on the couch to watch something? What about stepping into a hot shower when it is super cold in the house? I like to drink hot Cocoa outside when its super cold in the morning or even at night. I love the warm feeling of getting back into bed and its still warm and toasty while it is cold in the room. 

5. Healthy work environment: I was working in a horrible place 2018-late 2019. Things have changed and there are many ups and a few downs with the new format of having work in satellite homes across the county. I am working with better people both in staffing and those I help service. To sigh and take a deep breath in your car before work to compose yourself is a sign you may be in a bad place. I no longer have to do that and it feels so good to go into work do my hours and go back home without carrying negative feelings within me. 

6. Family: I consider my friends are my family. I had a rough falling out with mine during my college years. I was adopted by my friends family and they too are family to me. I look up to them and am thankful for all they have done for me over the years. My friends may have heard me say how much I love them and how important they are to me. My words only encapsulate only a small portion of my feelings. I do not believe they will truly know how much they mean to me. That is fine though as I feel my love may be overwhelming to them. I am happy being able to share my life with my friends and family. Oh yeah, my relationship with my biological family is fine now. I love my mom and dad and will always have a place for them in my heart. Thanks for giving me life and allowing me to grow my bonds to those I love. 

2020 has been a crazy year because of Covid. I started my year off great with the new year and then going to Korea in February. Covid in Korea was little to no cases when I went. No one really though Covid would be as serious and deadly until it was too late. It could have been avoided but those in charge decided to not care. When I came back I was excited for the annual Tahoe cabin trip we have. Right before the trip my Aunt passed away from a heart attack. This devastated me as she was like a second mom to me growing up. I was a pall bearer for the first time. I felt great honor in being selected. The day of the funeral I had to suit up and power through with such a heavy heart. Right after I rushed to Tahoe for the cabin trip. It was a strange feeling having just buried a loved one and then going out to have fun.

The cabin trip was crazy fun and one to live in infamy. Once I got home I went back to work and each night as I drove to work I could not hold back my tears and cried for about a week each night. I am lucky to have such great support from many loved ones. As the months passed by many things kept hitting the world from wild fires to almost having WW3 happen. I was able to get through the year with lots of tennis and small hang outs with my bubble of friends. There are other things in my year that had a negative affect on me and I would rather just forget about them. 2020 was a difficult year for many. I feel lucky as I had a stable job through out all of the pandemic. Strong support from friends and family. Able to pay rent without worrying if I will make ends meet. Always had food on the table that could be shared with friends and family. All my basic needs are and were met. 2020 was bad, but I was one of the few fortunate ones who did not suffer the many hardships brought by the Covid pandemic. 

[timehealsfanfictionbka]

Time Heals......Chapter Forty-Seven Pt. 2

“Question, Christopher?” Robyn said as she swallowed a bite of her food.

“Yes?”

“Did you rent this place out or something? I haven’t seen anybody else come in.”

Chris smirked and Robyn threw her napkin at him, “you weren’t even gonna tell me.”

“Does a magician reveal all their secrets?”

“That is not what I mean and you know it. You told me everything else.”

“I had no choice or else you’d think I used to mess with Abby. Everything about this night was supposed to be a surprise.”

“Do you actually own a part of this restaurant or?”

“I am not an owner but my plan was to give you a tour of my art kind of like a showing.”

“I would love that.”

“Good.”

Robyn leaned into Chris’s arm as he led her around the main dining room, showing her all the paintings he did. She stopped him in front of a painting of men against a background of distorted lands, “what’s this one about?”

Chris looked up then looked down and shook his head, “I didn’t even know they used this one.”

“Did you not pick out which ones to give them?”

“Nope. I just painted for like a month and gave them all to Jonathan to choose. He decided to keep them all and wrote me a check for them.”

“Wow. So what’s this one about?”

 Chris took a deep sigh as he stared up at the painting. A few moments passed of him still not speaking and Robyn pressed her palm against his cheek, “Babe, are you ok? I’m sorry if I asked you something difficult.”

Chris shook his head, “it's not that. I was just thinking.”

“About what?”

“When Jonathan asked me to create the paintings, he asked for something that was representative of our lives and I remember when I gave him this one he was a little confused about my point but he could still feel something when he saw it.”

“Well what was this based on?”

“Me.”

“Wow.”

“My first year overseas, I met a guy who had a stop over before deployment to the Middle East. He was older than me, divorced but had two children. We talked about life, our goals after our military careers were over and stuff. He was a good guy. Jeremy Arias. He knew I was pretty new and hadn’t been to a battlefield or anything like that. In fact, he told me to avoid the battlefield as much as I could. Me being my arrogant self, I thought he was making it seem like I couldn’t handle it until he took me around to speak to more veterans who had been there. Robyn, I had never met most of them prior to Jeremy introducing us but even I could sense the change in them. There’s a hardness you develop after seeing death just to keep yourself sane. The sad part is that hardness doesn’t work well outside of the battlefield. Many of them were divorced or had never gotten married simply because of the job and it was nerve racking for me. Me and Tiana had only been married a year, you know? Would I change like that if I ever saw war? Would me and her make it if I did? It’s hard not to think about your future when it’s staring back at you.”

“Sweetie, I never knew.”

“Nobody really did. I mean I stayed in England for most of my career and I was never deployed to battle but so many people I worked with were and watching some of them never come back shook me to the core.”

“What happened to Jeremy?”

“He was killed by IED in Iraq. There was nothing left of him to give back to his family. Luckily they found his dog tags but that was it.”

“Wow.”

“I think what made me paint that was as much as I was sad about his death, I couldn't relate to it. I don’t think anyone can until they’ve been out there. I felt a part of the branch but having never stepped foot into a warzone, all I had was a second-hand view.”

“A distorted view.”

“Exactly.”

“Were you more upset about being discharged because you never got to see battle and felt somewhat insufficient or because you had to leave essentially what had become a part of your family?”

“Honestly, I never thought about it like that but a little bit of both. You know when you’re 18, 19 years old, you want action for the adrenaline but as you get older, you want the peace just so you don’t have the hauntings that so many come back home with. I did my part working in different departments, training and practicing but it’s nothing like having to put that training and practicing to work. It comes with more than just a sense of accomplishment.”

“So the painting is about that disconnect for you. Like you went into the military and part of you feels like you didn’t get to do what you signed up for.”

“Yea,” Chris said lowly as he turned to stare at Robyn, “you know, nobody ever caught on to the meaning that quickly.”

“I doubt you explained it to them like you explained it to me.”

“Nobody ever really asked.”

“So is this all the paintings you did for Jonathan?”

“No, it was like 20 in total to be honest.”

“You were doing like one painting a day then.”

“Something like that.”

“Why?”

“I needed something to pass the time. When I wasn’t working on base, I was home. Tiana wasn’t really there much. She had friends and stuff to run around town with so I was by myself a lot but it was cool.”

“How much time did you actually spend with her outside of your bedroom?”

Chris chuckled, “not a lot. Sex was where we could level with each other. Outside of that, we were civil but we lived completely separated lives. My only connection to her life was the fact I financed it.”

“That’s interesting.”

“Why you say it like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like you want to laugh.”

“I wouldn’t do that.”

“Yes, you would.”

Robyn pressed her face into his arm and giggled, “anyway, what else do you want to show me?”

“What else do you want to see?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be seducing me?”

“And part of that is giving you what you want. So what else do you want to see?”

“Ok, I would love some dessert.”

“From here?”

“Nope but I know the perfect place to get my favorite thing.”

“Then let’s go.”

                                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Where did you find this place?” Chris asked as Robyn fed him a slice of ice cream cake.

“I was pregnant with Twins. I can smell good food anywhere.”

Chris laughed, “very true.”

“And I developed the worst craving for this rum ice cream cake.”

“I can see why. It’s delicious.”

“I made a good choice?”

“An excellent choice. So I have one more thing I would like to do with you before you make a decision about the week.”

“Is it something physical because I am gonna finish this cake and probably not gonna be able to move?”

“It’s not super physical. Just walking.”

“I have on heels.”

“I know. Don’t worry about it.”

Robyn raised her brow at him, “Chris, what are you up to?”

“You’ll find out,” Chris replied as he dug into his slice of cake and took another bite.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No Christopher.”

“Yes Robyn. Come say hi.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“If you’d touch, you’d know I’m not kidding. Come say hi,” Chris replied as he grabbed her hand. Chris pulled her forward to the man holding the reins of a horse. 

“How much did this cost?”

“Don’t worry about it. Robyn, this is Javier. He owes a carriage business and he’s gonna be taking us for a ride through your favorite part this evening.”

“Hello Javier.” 

Javier smiled and tipped his head at her, “Hello. These are my horses, Snowflake and Pilar.”

“They are beautiful. Where do you keep them?”

“I also run a stable on the outskirts of town. I use the carriage business to get them around people and teach people about horses. I mainly service weddings and such but when an old friend calls on you for a favor, who can say no?”

“You know Chris?”

“Yea, I’ve known him for-”

“How about we get going? Thanks J,” Chris interrupted. Javier chuckled as he brushed his hand across the nose of the nearest horse before climbing in the front seat. Chris helped Robyn step up into the back before sitting next to her. He entwined their hands together and kissed the back of her hand, “you ready?”

“Yes, I am.”

“We’re ready J.”

Javier nodded in acknowledgement and soon they started to move.

“You did pretty good. I wasn’t expecting this,” Robyn said as she turned to face Chris.

“That was the point.”

“What made you think about the horse carriage?”

“It’s something very romantic that I know you usually wouldn’t go for so I figured I’d give it a try.”

“How did you get him to do this so late at night?”

“Robyn, it’s not even 10 yet.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes. We’ve been out for about 3 and half hours.”

“It doesn’t seem like it.”

“Time flys, huh?”

“You got friends in all kinds of places, huh?”

“I have my connections. What about you?”

“What about me?”

“I know you got some friends somewhere that I haven't met.”

“Actually no. I spend more time at work or with the girls than anything. Prior to you coming back around, I never really went anywhere.”

“My mom told me that you would go out when you left the girls with her.”

“That’s what I told her. I used that time to rest more than anything.”

“Oh.”

“You sound disappointed.”

“No, just a little surprised.”

“That was not a surprised tone. You can give it to me straight, I can take it.”

“There’s nothing for me to say that I haven’t said to you already. You need to stop working so much and take some time for yourself.”

“I wish everybody would stop assuming that I’m not taking time for myself. What do you think I do when the girls aren’t home?”

“Sleeping all day and eating ice cream is not taking time for yourself.”

“According to you.”

“I’ma start popping up on you again.”

“I don’t remember you ever stopping.”

Chris gently nudged her and Robyn laughed, “I’m gonna get you back for that.”

Robyn leaned up and kissed his cheek.

“What was that for?”

“That was my answer.”

“Is that a yes?”

“That is a yes. I have been successfully seduced.”

“It gets better.”

“What else you got for me?”

“Something I think you’ll love.”

“Dick.”

“Other than that.”

Robyn laughed as she ran her hand along the curls at the nape of his neck, “other than that, what else is it? Do I have to get naked?”

“No. Put the freak on pause, Ms. Fenty. We’re not going there tonight.”

Robyn pouted, “but why?”

“Because tonight is not about that. I said without sex, that goes for the whole night.”

“Even after I said yes.”

“Even after you said yes.”

Robyn huffed, “Ok. I guess.”

“We got all week, Ms. Fenty. Don’t worry.”

“Well since it’s not sex, can you tell me what it is?”

“It is a present.”

“Big or small.”

“Big.”

“Ooh is it a car?”

“No but do you want a new car?”

“No, I’m just guessing.”

“You got me a little nervous.”

“There’s nothing to be nervous about. I promise.”

“I’m trusting you.”

“Good.”

Chris leaned and kissed her lips before wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his chest. Robyn wrapped her arms around his waist and continued to enjoy the ride with a smile on her face.

[g3n3ration-h3x]

TLDR: My mom is recently disabled and unable to work, because of this we couldn’t afford our rent and had to move in with my abusive, alcoholic grandfather. I also had to start working overtime while juggling my college classes to keep up with our finances, including my mom’s medical bills. But I managed to keep up with all of this until I was in a bad car wreck recently and no longer had a reliable way to get to work or school. On top of all this, last week my grandfather was drunk and when I was leaving for work he randomly blew up on me and started choking me and punched me in the face several times when I tried to fight back. I was able to get a good hit in and get away, but he told me not to come back or he’d kill me and frankly I believe him. So me and my mom, my grandma and our dog all moved out immediately, but we don’t have anywhere to go now. Some family friends let us stay with them through the weekend and we’ve been staying in a little hotel since then but we don’t have enough money for another night after tonight so if you could donate any amount at all it would be a huge help to me and my family and we would be so grateful! Thanks for your time though guys, I hope you all have a great rest of your day!! :)

Hey guys so I want to apologize in advance for this, and I also want to apologize for my slow activity here recently. I know this isn’t really akin to my normal edgy content on here and I promise once my situation improves we will return to the regularly scheduled edginess. Plus I’ve also been working on a couple songs I want to drop and share on here with you guys, but I don’t have access to any of my recording or editing equipment right now, given my current situation. They’ve got that horrorcore vibe though so I think you guys would dig it!

But really this all started last fall when my mom became unable to work because she kept falling over and/or passing out at work, she couldn’t maintain a good grip on things because her hands began to hurt and shake, her short-term memory was functioning horribly, etc. Obviously at this point she was a liability to her company and she soon left work on short-term disability because her neurologist suspected she had Parkinson’s disease, somewhere between stages 3 and 4. However this was not a clear diagnosis because the nature of my mom’s sickness is bizarre, and so the doc wanted to run some more tests before he came to a final decision with his diagnosis.

At the same time, while all of this was going on, my mom had started the process of applying for a long-term disability claim while the neurologist ran more tests, but it’s a lengthy process that could take up to a year. In the mean time, I’ve been managing to shoulder all our expenses by juggling working overtime while still going to college. I was and still am the only one working in our household, but I managed to make it work up until about a month ago when I was in a bad car accident, leaving me without reliable transportation to work or school until I can afford to fix my car.

Luckily I have some amazing friends and a lovely girlfriend that have been helping me get to where I need to go, but obviously this is just a temporary solution, I can’t expect them to keep going out of their way for me forever. But right now virtually my entire paycheck is going towards my ADHD medication, my mom’s medical bills and medications, and bare necessities like groceries and gas.

On top of all this, the situation escalated and became dire last Wednesday when my grandfather blew up on me out of nowhere and attacked me as I was leaving for work, and he choked me and punched me in the face several times when I tried to resist him. Fortunately I was able to get away after I hit him in the face and his head went back and hit the wall, but he threatened to kill me if I ever came back to the house. I’m still not quite sure what sparked the whole thing, but I can only assume that it has to do with my sexuality and my relationship with my girlfriend.

So we’re now homeless, we all moved out together and a family friend let us stay at their house through the weekend and we’ve been staying in a little motel since then, but we’re all out of money now and we aren’t sure where we are going to stay after tonight. This is serious guys, I promise I wouldn’t be asking for help like this if it wasn’t. We’re desperate and I’m at my wit’s end, so I’m gonna swallow my pride right now and ask for help. I just need some help getting back up on my feet and I’ll take it from there. Seriously guys anything helps, I just need enough to pay for first’s month rent someplace so I can focus on getting my car fixed and going back to work full time. I set up a Venmo and PayPal that you can make donations to if you’d like to help out, literally any amount at all helps, cause we don’t even have much to eat right now. Also my girlfriend is doing art commissions and selling jewelry on her instagram to raise money if you would rather help out that way, I’m gonna put all the info at the bottom. But honestly it would be a huge help even if you just reblogged this post so the word would get out to more people! I’m grateful for any help you guys can offer, you don’t know how much it means to me and my family, thank you guys so much, seriously! Of course you aren’t obligated to donate anything though, and I don’t think it makes you a bad person if you don’t, I’m just putting this out there so people know I need a little help getting back on my feet right now. And again, once my situation is more stable, I’ll be able to go back to a more consistent schedule on here and finish the couple songs I’ve been working on so I can share them on here with you guys.

Again, I’m really sorry about all of this. Thank you guys for taking the time to read this though and thank you for your time in general, I hope all of you have a great rest of your weekend, and again I want to thank you all for all your help, me and my family appreciate it so much, seriously! So thanks guys, sorry for being a bother!!

Venmo - @generationhex

PayPal - PayPal.Me/generationhex

Instagram - https://instagram.com/tiendita.angelito?igshid=1fpafnafw7flr

[vinayvlr-blog]

Nature has no free meals, you have to work for your survival.

Questioner: "I had read on your SM interactions where you mentioned you went through spiritual awakening before you could establish a stable source of income and survival. Could you help on how you can manage finances, work, expectations of productivity, etc., which are contradictory to everything on the spiritual path that preaches higher sensitivity and awareness. How to do this humungous task of integrating the two worlds and continue to remain equanimous?"

Answer: Yes, I was 17 when I was totally consumed by the spiritual quest and decided to make it my single-most important pursuit. As anybody, I made plenty of mistakes that caused disturbance to my routine life due to the desperation of my seeking. Academics took a terrible hit. Still, there wasn't a single day anybody had to sponsor me. I earned my free time. We all have to. Not everybody needs to go through all that I went through actually, and most don't have that kind of urge either. I am not proud of ignoring the opportunity of setting up my survival process and economic stability in my early 20s. Yet, by grace, I never did badly financially. Even if it did not mean the same stability as, let's say, achieving a govt job or an IIM seat. These were simply not on my list of priorities back then. I was rebellious and refused to bend down to a laid out materialistic path. Not that I did not want to study, because I spent most of my college years reading tons of material, just that it was not in my syllabus. However, luckily, I have always had a well-paid job for my standard of living and have been a high performer in my career. This eccentricity is not for everyone, you may not get lucky. It is only for those who can digest anything, ready to suffer poverty, and be alone.

I see a common basic misconception in the question. That is the presumption that survival and spirituality are contradictory. Not denying it is true to an extent because, yes, if you are totally driven by survival instincts then you are contradicting spiritual teachings. But which spiritual teaching has taught you not to survive? Every single cell on Earth needs to work to survive. If you mean that you wish you were a spiritual monk who had a lot of time for Life, then my answer will leave you disappointed. Living as a monk is a LOT of work.

Spirituality is not anti-work and a romantic world where you can simply be free. People on the spiritual path don't laze around, they work twice as hard as you to first come to self-realization and then thrice as hard to spread the message in society. Monks are usually under immense work pressure and are not even paid for the work they do. If you work in the corporate sector, you get weekends off and have fixed work schedules. I have never seen an ashram or a sangha where your work is not on 24x7x365. There is no holiday even if you fall sick. There is no respite even if you are sleepy. Your work is not only at a desk, but physically excruciating as well. A spiritual life was never devoid of work both within and in the world and never will be. Most spiritual seekers dream of an ashram life or one of agricultural self-sustainability. Both of these are filled with poverty and hard physical labour. In your corporate circus, you are literally on the easiest path. There is no escape from work, only options to do different kinds of work, with office work being the easiest and well-compensated.

If anything, spirituality must aid in improving your survival and quality of life rather than becoming a roadblock. Because spirituality makes you more resilient, emotionally self-sufficient, and capable of handling high levels of stress. If it is making you more resentful, hurtful, and emotional, it is not spiritual process. If you are truly spiritual, you are much more capable than an ordinary man. Equanimity is not achieved by becoming deviod of activity or hibernating. That's tamasic laziness, not aadhyatma. Aadhyatma is when even intense activity does not remove you from your bliss. The line between tamas and aadhyatmikta is very thin, but they are two extremes.

What you do need to keep a check on, here, is whether you are using spirituality as an excuse to avoid the duties that need to be performed to survive and thrive. Is this your laziness and fear of facing adversaries talking? Are you not bold enough to face people, compete, and win? Do not let small things at work bog you down. Do not cling to spirituality as an excuse or an escape. No need to complain about having to struggle to just live, because that is law of nature.

If you are talking about being forced in a mechanical way of life by the rest of society that has a one-pointed path, then you must wake up and realise that it is your own choice whether to follow it or not. What you need for bare survival is a meal a day, a roof, and clothes to wear. India is still a very, very affordable country and it doesn't take much effort at all for an educated person to earn this much. If working a full time job is becoming hard, then reduce expenses so much so that a part time gig is enough for you. You first increase your expenses and lifestyle and then worry that full-time work is hard and dirty, isn't that silly? What you want to own and maintain beyond bare necessities is your choosing, so there is no use complaining about that.

If you choose to get into the game of jobs, you have to deal with the majority consciousness. You have to deal with jealousy, pride, ego, competitiveness, politics, etc. It is unfortunate that we have to be that ugly, but it is reality and YOU are CHOOSING this reality. You have to be tough to survive, there is no alternative. Don't be mistaken that these things don't exist in a spiritual way of life or a rural way of life. They exist in all spiritual organizations, and are in fact much worse in intensity because the reward expected on the spiritual path is ultimate liberation, not mere salary or profit. About life in a village, I don't even have to start. It's hard where ever you go, and while corporate life may not be the healthiest, it is definitely the easiest. Choose what you want to do and get working, there are no free passes in nature.

[logi1974]

Hamm: Animal Park

-english-

What to do on a semi-gloomy day in rainy November with short days? Right! You went to a nearby zoo. In order not to waste too much time with the approach with short daylight, it should be the animal park in Hamm.

What a positive surprise! Of course, this animal park can not sting against the big, well-known zoos, but it's still an insider's tip.

From the presentation Hamm is also more classic, not with over-the-top theme area decoration, but nicely laid out and maintained.

Due to the season, it was decorated throughout the area with autumnal decor. No expensive art installations, no pompous figures, but small, nice and above all natural details.

The special feature is that the animal park Hamm works wherever possible with walk-in enclosures. Not only to the Bennet kangaroos the visitors can stroll in, but also to various birds, goats, sheep and - my personal highlight - the alpacas. 

Because you are allowed to feed many animals with the food from the everywhere available machines, they are particularly tame and like to come to the fence. So we could cuddle not only the alpacas, but also crawling camels, donkeys and eland antelopes, even the otherwise nocturnal porcupines mutated to deeply affectionated smoochers.

I can imagine that this concept has not only proponents. Every zoo raises ethical questions, no question at all, and there are always different answers, depending on point of view and reasoning.

At least there were retreats for the animals everywhere, and a lot of staff was always in sight, or came straight to it when it became confusing, so that inappropriate behavior could have be quickly stopped.

The animal park Hamm was opened by the participation of the members of the association "citizens' initiative animal park" in 1934. The history of the park begins with the founding of the association.

The facilities for the animal and plant garden were built in the Southern city park, which the city provided. The first enclosures were built in "self-help".

The first animal park in Hamm was initially without big cats and attractions. Pheasants, guinea pigs, budgerigars and canaries were the first "permanent guests" of the small park. Later, fallow deer, deer and a wild boar were added.

On June 30, 1934 Mayor Leinberger opened the resulting first animal park. The association now had 6,000 members and thus became something of a popular movement in the city of Hamm.

He improved in the following years with a varied entertainment program, which was offered with the participation of the Heesen forest stage, his finances. As the zoo also attracted around 100,000 visitors per year, the expansion continued swiftly.

However, the first animal park continuanced only until the 22th April 1944 . The park was the victim of the bombing of the Second World War. During the war, 166 bombs and 17 aerial mines had fallen on the park terrain.

Eyewitnesses later reported that the park was littered with bombs, but only injured and no dead were complained.

The surviving animals were temporarily housed at a peasant in Uentrop. Consumable animals such as deer or wild boar were slaughtered and distributed.

The population of the city were responsible for disassembling the remaining stables and enclosures by demolished the remaining material to mend their damaged or destroyed homes.

Luckily, the animal park also profited from the post-war optimism. First, bomb craters had to be refilled and the paths repaired. Every evening, volunteers met and did the necessary work with a pick and shovel alone.

On March 28th, 1949 the "association animal and plant garden" was re-established and by the end of the year the association already had 800 members. And so the park was rebuilt in 1951 and reopened.

In 1977, the animal asylum of the city of Hamm was established adjacent to the zoo. Visitors can "borrow" a dog and go for a walk with it. We found it particularly great that the cats, who are familiar with free roaming around, are allowed to use the animal park as their personal space.

Visitors will find cats everywhere, looking everywhere and decimating the uninvited mice and rats, which are inevitably always close to their feed. A win-win situation for everyone.

Unfortunately, the natural history museum in the animal park, completed in 1982, is currently closed, and the exhibition has been dismantled. The Museum of Natural History was born, among other things, from the consideration that a small animal park like Hamm would not be able to keep all or even the most important native species of animals species-appropriate.

However, in order to be able to show the local wildlife and their habitats for educational purposes, the three halls of the museum were equipped with a permanent exhibition of corresponding animal preparations. There is not much left.

Today the animal park in Hamm is a great destination for the whole family. Nearly 200,000 people now visit the zoo every year. On 6.5 hectares, there are about 500 animals from over 80 species to discover - many of them even up close, because some enclosures are even walkable.

How to get casually closer to the alpacas like never before! With feed pellets from the machines of the park you can feed almost all ungulates by yourself.

Although a variety of different animal species are shown in Hamm, the number of predators and primates is surprisingly high. Fossas, Tayras and Bornean gibbons are among the rarer species shown.

The meerkats are trusting and have a very large and modern enclosure available and the new Mandrill house we found very nicely done.

Unfortunately, other monkeys still live in completely outdated enclosures. Completely indiscussable are the enclosures of the big cats: Cougar and Tiger. Not only did the blood in our veins froze, but other visitors turned away with horror. Terrible!

Hope for improvement brings the development concept 2025, which wants to fix obvious deficiencies with 12 million euros. It remains to be hoped that the animal park will reach this future, because money problems run through the entire history of the park.

With the many animals in the park the animal park has a special attention to the "animal seniors". The astonishing number of older animals that have reached a considerable age here, which is well above the normal life expectancy, testify to the good care of the animals.

On the big playground of the park the children can let off steam later. The newly designed playground provides swings, slides and climbing frames for the little visitors.

Meanwhile, parents can enjoy a cup of coffee in the Tier park restaurant. Here would be a "slight" increase in the offer, which goes beyond the baked waffles and chips with Currywurst, desirable. Surely everyone likes a nice piece of apple pie or cheesecake ?!

Overall, we had a really nice morning in the animal park Hamm. Even if there are still many things to improve, the park made a lovingly tended impression on us. In about three hours we made the tour along all enclosures.

Parking: relatively small free parking, otherwise on the street (free). Opening hours: daily from 9am to 5pm, from March to October to 6:30 pm.

Entrance Fees / Day Tickets: Adults 7.50 Euro, Children (from three to 18 years) 4,50 Euro, from two children, the family card pays off (if both parents are present). With Ruhr.Topcard one-time free admission. Pupils and students (from 18 years, with valid ID) 6,50 € People with disabilities (with B, G, aG, H, Gl or Bl): Adults € 6.00 Children 4,00 € For a B or an H in the ID card, an accompanying person has free admission. Animal food: small 1.00 €, large 2.00 € Handcart rental 2.00 € Dogs allowed!

[nyfacurrent]

Business of Art | The Artist’s Creed: 10 Guiding Principles for Your Arts Career

Make your arts career work for you with this empowering advice from artists.

There is no one way to be an artist. Artists use different media, explore a vast range of ideas, and face differing barriers and obstacles. Yet over the years we’ve observed that many artists have one thing in common: tenacity. Below, we’ve distilled advice from people we admire. These intentions and action steps can help you protect and strengthen yourself, as a member of a community, an individual who must survive in the world, and as a creator.

“Find the practice that works for you, and never apologize for it.” - Walidah Imarisha

You’ve most likely read an article, or many, about the routines that notable artists swear by as requirements for productivity. While content like this can be inspiring, it can also be discouraging and alienating. What if you’re not a morning person? What if you you can’t afford to create everyday because you’re juggling multiple jobs to pay the bills?

In the words of educator and writer Walidah Imarisha, writing or creating every day “works for some, but if it doesn't, especially because you’re struggling to survive, it doesn't mean you aren't a writer” or artist. You are the only one who can set the best, and most feasible, rhythm and schedule for yourself.

Try: If fitting in large chunks of time for your art feels unattainable right now, set aside a few minutes on a regular basis to explore. This could be every night before you go to bed, on your morning commute, or during a break at work. Write down impressions of your environment, do a brief sketch, or think about ideas you’d like to explore in future work. You’ll find these few minutes will add up.

Or, if you’re ready and able to carve out more time aggressively but find yourself pulled in opposite directions by various priorities and responsibilities, set aside realistic chunks of time in your calendar to create. If your calendar is digital, set up reminder alerts. Treat this time as you would a work obligation.

Build yourself up.

Become your own best supporter. Writer Esmé Weijun Wang takes a documented approach. “My own self-belief has to be nurtured. I have a file of Kind Words that people have said or written to me...which I sometimes refer to.”

Try: Create your own repository of kind words. This could be a document you add to, or you could try a more tactile approach and list compliments on your wall or create text-based art with them.

Do the thing.

Creative block will manifest for every artist, but it is different for every artist. Perhaps, to counter it, you need rest, or a break, or to let yourself focus on another project. Ultimately, though, it can be helpful to “do the thing,” in the words of author Pam Stucky. Wendy Perron (Fellow in Choreography ’85) recommends doing the thing “even if at that (blocked) point, it feels really stupid and pointless. At least then you'll have something to look at or fix or edit.”

It’s OK to ask for help.

You don’t have to do it alone. If you’re struggling in some way, it’s very likely there is someone or something that can help. That’s why NYFA offers the NYFA Source Hotline, a free referral hotline that you can call at (800) 232-2789, from Monday - Friday, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM EST, or email at source@nyfa.org.

If you’re experiencing financial duress because of an emergency, you may be the perfect candidate for an emergency grant.

Try: Reach out. Your local arts council or arts organization likely has the exact resources you need. Need a writer’s community or workshop? They may be able to connect you. Is your studio space lease ending with no alternative in sight? Organizations like chashama and many others offer free and affordable residencies. And remember, your peer network—either online or in-person— is one of your best resources available to you. Your fellow creators may be able to provide you with feedback, spread the word about your events, and help you make connections. Just be sure to offer help in return to ensure a fair and equitable partnership.

“Watch your pals.” - Hanif Abdurraqib

It can be a challenge to find the perfect outlets for your work once you’re ready to share it with the world. Here’s a simple starting point from poet and essayist Hanif Abdurraqib: “All of my dream publications are the places I can be published next to the work of my friends and heroes.”

Try: Create a list of 10 favorite artists in your discipline with whom you feel an affinity in style or subject matter. These could be artists in your circle, online or in-person, or others you admire from afar. Where are they published? Which galleries exhibit their work? At which festivals have they performed? Then, research any relevant deadlines or eligibility guidelines and set reminders for deadlines and the steps you need to take along the way to be ready to submit.

Court rejection.

Don’t let the “no’s” you receive define you. Rejection is inevitable. Poet Lauren Whitehead speaks of “courting rejection.” Lean into the “no’s” you receive because that  means you’re putting your work out there. Celebrate your rejections. Some even recommend aiming for 100 rejections per year, because that increases your odds of being accepted.

You can be financially stable.

Being an artist can be a financial challenge, whether you’re trying to finance a full-time artistic practice, pay student loans for your creative education, or afford studio space. But let’s throw out the stereotype of the starving artist. It is possible to survive, and even thrive, financially as an artist or creative, and there are many ways to reach this goal. Caitlin Pearce, Executive Director of the Freelancers Union, offers one strategy for independent contractors: “For many freelancers, stability comes with diversifying their income portfolio… [and with] finding diverse ways to monetize their skills and expertise.”

Try: Artists and creatives in all fields are often at a loss on how to price their work or services. Artist fees and hourly rates should be realistic in order to be competitive. But begin with the income you need, and want, to earn as your starting point, and prioritize this number. Your target annual income can help you find a sustainable hourly rate. Try using the formula provided by Andrew Simonet in Making Your Life as an Artist (free for download with newsletter sign-up).

Another principle to live by: when you’re creating a project budget, remember to pay yourself for your time.

Know your rights.

Here’s a staggering statistic from the National Endowment for the Arts: “American artists are highly entrepreneurial; they are 3.5 times more likely than the U.S. workforce to be self-employed.” This means that artists and creatives can find themselves without the protections of a standard workplace, shouldering more risk and liability.

There are steps you can take to protect yourself. Work with a contract so that expectations are clear. This is crucial for larger projects and highly recommended for smaller projects. The Freelancers Union offers contract templates that are compliant with New York City’s Freelance Isn’t Free Act, which protects the right to timely and full payment.

Another consideration for independent contractors: try to avoid work for hire contracts, in which the party that commissions the work or the employer owns the rights to the work. Poet, educator, and performer Denice Frohman cautions: “Don’t give your rights away.”

Try: There are a range of contract templates online or you may want to ask peers to share their template with you. Photographer Reggie Cunningham reworks templates that large companies and clients have sent to him. Whatever your method, resolve to find the format that works for you, so that it’s ready to go before your next opportunity presents itself.

Protect your work, invest in your future.

Your work and your well-being are precious resources; luckily, protecting yourself is well within your power. Every small step you take adds up to readiness in the face of disaster, as well as readiness for exciting opportunities in your arts career.

It’s important to document your work and related materials. “Archives help capture what can easily be lost.” says Eric Colleary, Cline Curator of Theatre & Performing Arts at the Harry Ransom Center. For many artists, “documenting their work for posterity almost becomes an artwork itself“ and is a highly individual process. Apply the same care and creativity in preserving your work as you do in producing it.

Try: Every tiny step is helpful. Here’s an example: look around your studio or living or storage space. Are there important materials in a basement or attic that could flood or experience extreme temperature shifts? Move them to a safer spot. Or, research opportunities to preserve your assets. CERF+ offers mini grants for craft artists called Get Ready Grants to help artists safeguard their studios and their careers.

Ready to start archiving? Here are a few resources that can guide you through the archival process: a guide from the Joan Mitchell Foundation for visual artists; Dance Heritage Coalitions Artist’s Legacy Toolkit; and resources on preserving electronic and time-based works from the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. Thinking about your legacy early on will also help you get your work out into the world in the present.

The world needs your perspective.

Artists are all too familiar with imposter syndrome, as people who make their own rules and create something out of nothing. This leaves room for doubt. Over time, you’ll find your own ways to counter this feeling, but try starting with affirmations that help you fake it ‘till you make it. Writer Brandon Taylor says: “I try to remind myself that my work is worthy. Sometimes I literally say that in the shower until I believe it. ‘Your work is worthy, your work is worthy, your work is worthy.’ I try to take it very seriously. So that even if I suck that day, I still try.”

On top of everyday imposter syndrome, many artists receive messaging, subtle or otherwise, that their work or experiences are less valued than others. Deanna Fei (Fellow in Fiction ’06) on writing about her experiences as a parent: “We assume the family or domestic sphere is less worthy as fodder for art. But race, class, power are in every class and playground.” Disregard that prejudice and create “what inspires you. Start with the tiny and specific. Then go wide and big.”  

- Mirielle Clifford, Program Officer, Online Resources

This article draws inspiration from #ArtistHotline, an initiative dedicated to creating an ongoing online conversation around the professional side of artistic practice. Our goal is to help artists discover the resources needed, online and off, to develop sustainable careers.

Have an arts career question? You can contact NYFA staff directly via the NYFA Source Hotline at (800) 232-2789, from Monday - Friday, 3:00 - 5:00 PM EST or email source@nyfa.org.

This initiative is supported by the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation.

Images from top: Michelle Boule (Fellow in Choreography ’16); Jordan Casteel (Finalist in Painting ’18), The Baayfalls

[yehoyminoy]

seeing all of this shit about Kendall Barron abusing her ex and then making HER look like the crazy abusive one is so fucking triggering and I’ve been sitting watching these videos crying

now.. what Kendall said is SO MUCH WORSE verbally than what I personally endured w my previous ex (she didn’t tell me to kill myself either) but the whole point of “they drive you to react and then call YOU the psycho one” hit me hard.

its so true like, with these types of people. blaming you, saying “if you didn’t do this” or “you made me do that”. No. Fucking no. I have NEVER in my Fucking LIFE had anyone treat me the way she did. And even after her, never. I remember thinking so many times I was psycho. My mental health was the worst it had ever been. I literally thought about killing myself every fucking day. I felt unlovable. I felt like I deserved this misery. I self harmed every week, at least. And she had me convinced it was all me. She was a saint, I was selfish and crazy and nobody else could love me. I was doomed without her.

There were times I’d sit on the bathroom floor and cry. For hours. Most of the time when we fought I would cry and cry and cry. I had never had anyone treat me that way so I had no idea how to react. Then there came a time (around the time she screamed at me to stop Fucking crying) I realized that me being timid did nothing. And so I’d react. And the second I did (even though she could be screaming at me for minutes on end while I just sat and cried) I was the bad one. There was LITERALLY no way I could work it out. It was a lose lose either way. You can’t ever win with them.

Im getting v triggered typing this rn lol so I’ll stop with the details there. But I just hope ppl understand how often this shit happens and how often the SO will cover it up in fear of making their friends hate their significant other or in fear that people will see them for who they really are and you don’t want them to leave you. My friends luckily did, even through my ex attempting to call BOTH of them behind my back to talk shit about me, and COMPLETELY skewing the story after asking me to come talk to her so she could scream at me and insult me for a half hour saying nobody will ever love me WHY would you call MY friends LITERALLY just to talk shit. That’s it. Not even asking for advice. She just wanted to be the one to get the first word in because she KNEW she was a fucking monster

Anyways

I never thought I’d allow myself to be the timid mousey pathetic person I was then. And I can’t even tell you how thankful I am to be out of it. Even though I begged for it back. She made me feel ABSOLUTELY worthless. I thought I couldn’t do better for the longest time.

Today, I am the happiest I have ever been. And not just in my relationship. In my entire life. I landed a job I fucking love. I moved all on my own. My own finances. I am stable. I’m independent. I met the love of my life. I know a type of mutual and undying love I didn’t even know was possible. She is the biggest blessing to me. Now I’m living with a significant other for the first time. And I’m so in love with her, with my life, with my future. Also I have an adorable demon cat who most of the time I hate but sometimes love. But that’s okay bc sometimes you need a lil evil thrown in there to remind you of the good 😂

Anyways I’m finally done with this I know I never post here anymore. But tbh this was my manic negative space and I’m proud that I don’t need it as much anymore. I’m so happy. I’m happy for myself. I’m so fucking proud of me.

[deadinsidedressage]

Anonymous Barn Drama #9

We Had to Flee the State

Buckle up because this is going to be a long one.

The barn I’m about to tell you all about is a barn I stayed out for seven years. You already know that that either means a long line of smaller issues just drove me nuts OR things suddenly went downhill very fast. This is going to be some prime drama.

I boarded my gelding, who we’ll call Scott, at this barn ever since leaving another stable who’s barn owner had tried to hurt my horse. I had refused to stop riding with my trainer (who’d been fired because she took her tack home) and he went a little crazy. I think I might be cursed.... Anyway, at first all was totally fine at the new barn. This new barner was taking very good care of my extremely bad hard keeper. No having to request extra hay or watching my horse get skinnier and skinnier, he just handled things. I was impressed by the care at these barn, even though the place kind of looked like a dump. The care really made up for the less than pretty atmosphere and honestly this was the first barn I’d recommend to people looking to board. The owner was just THAT on top of care.

A year into boarding there and my dad decided to lease the barn owner’s horse. Originally this gelding was a boarder’s horse, but at some point the owner stopped paying board, vanished and so the barn owner claimed the horse. We’ll call this gelding Loco. My dad ended up leasing Loco for six years, only having to pay a fee of $50 a month for him. 

 About three or four years ago, a new boarder came with her two horses who were half brothers. A 17 year old dark bay tobiano Quarter horse Saddlebred mix  called Cherokee and a 10 year old solid bay Quarter horse Paint called Hero.  The person who had bred Cherokee was hoping for a filly, so when she got a colt she gave him to this boarder once he was weaned.Hero was “supposed” to be a pinto like his brother (their sire was a pinto Quarter horse) but he was solid, so he was basically abandoned at four months old. The boarder just happened to also take him in. 

At the end of 2016, my nosy asshole of a day noticed Cherokee and Hero were looking kind of fat and that we really never saw their owner out working them. He tracked her down and offered our services getting them in shape. She agreed to let us ride them. My dad took over Hero and I took over Cherokee. (Hero needed a LOT of work, but that’s not really the point).

We have no idea why, but for some reason us riding these horses pissed off the barn owner. He just suddenly stopped talking to us, told my dad that Hero was not allowed in the round pen (even though he showed no intent on breaking it down), and if he did talk to us would tell me or dad something bad behavior about the horses that weren’t true. He’d find very small things, or completely lie about something, and call to tell the owner to try and get her to make us stop riding them (which thankfully only made her mad at him because she knew better).

After my dad started riding Hero, basically overnight all the fellow boarders started asking the owner if he or Cherokee were for sale. It’s kind of funny because everyone used to claim they were scared of the two boys because of how big and very green they were. We took it as a compliment, cause how else do you take it and didn’t think much of it. So, of course we learned late that the barn owner was telling everyone that Hero was getting in shape to be sold. Which... wasn’t true at all.

This guy had it out mostly for dad, which is a huge mistake. My dad has a mean streak from being in the Army for 20+ years. He takes shit from no one, and I’m honestly surprised that he didn’t deck the barn owner on many occasions. 

Dad and Hero just clicked. It was plain to everyone and luckily the owner noticed! She agreed to sell Hero to us when we had the finances to afford care for both Hero and Scott. Yay! We decided not to tell the barn owner because he was being a prick, and we wanted our own yard before we bought him anyway so there was no point.

When it became clear to the barn owner that we weren’t going to stop riding these horses, he started to mess with the horses. We noticed that they were starting to lose weight (and Scott was too, which was VERY alarming because he’s the type of horse who can lose 100lbs in a week). All the other horses on the property were totally fine... So, we brought it up with the barn owner and yes we totally flipped our shit on him. It was obvious he was targeting our horses.

Fast forward to day one of Hurricane Matthew, my fucking crazy dad decided to go to the barn to check on the horses. Thank god he did. All the horses were stalled up to keep from being crushed by falling trees… except Scott. The barn owner had left him outside to fend for himself (and yes there was room in the barn for him). Scott was flipping the fuck out because it was a HURRICANE. I know stalling horses isn’t necessarily the best course of action in a hurricane, but we were so far off of the coast that our only real worry was the gale force winds and pine trees getting knocked down. However, I do believe if you’re stalling horses to protect them then you should stall ALL of your clients’ horses?! Like fuck man, that was obviously intentional. It wasn’t like Scott was being unreasonable to catch or get in a stall either, my dad said the second the barn was open Scott just bolted in to get out of the weather. I won’t lie to you all, I wanted to strangle this man. Having come from a barn where someone was trying to harm my horse because of a grudge I just couldn’t believe this was happening again. I wanted to just get up in this man’s face and scream at him until he was too scared to even think about fucking with Scott again.

More and more drama piled up. More and more stress built. We dropped the lease on Loco because we couldn’t afford it, and we just really didn’t enjoy being around the barn owner. The line was crossed finally when the barn owner snapped at dad when he was in the pasture grabbing Hero. The barn owner was yelling “That’s not your horse! Get out of that pasture! Or I’ll call the cops!” and making a big show if if. To which dad responded in his own nasty way “Make me.” Small old man vs Army Staff Sergeant. Not fair odds. Barn owner changed his mind real quickly when he was close enough to see the look on my dad’s face. My dad getting threatened was really the final straw for us. We were hemorrhaging money getting out to the barn and trying to take care of feeding ourselves, buying our own stuff and keeping it in the car. It was becoming impossible. We had been looking for another barn but we just couldn’t find something in our budget.

The day that my dad was threatened was the day we called my grandparents in Texas that had an acre of fenced land and told them that we needed to get me and my horse out of there.

We scrambled for a trailer. Luckily  my grandparent’s neighbor, who I had known since I was ten, loaned her trailer when told of what was happening. I can’t thank this woman enough. My grandparents got there quickly, I got vet and moving papers, and I was gone to Texas with my horse. Scott is now in my backyard. I got a job and pay for all his care.

Dad and Hero’s owner are still working out how to get Hero down here. Dad’s retiring from the military real soon so he will catch up with me and Scotty.

That stable is now shut the fuck down. The barn owner basically caused everybody else to flee as well, I just did it first, and he couldn’t afford a stable that had no clients. So it’s dead. Good.

[preciousmetals0]

2 Cheap REITs: Value Investors’ Dream or Value Trap?

2 Cheap REITs: Value Investors’ Dream or Value Trap?:

Since practically everyone has stopped going to work, ceased shopping, stopped going out for entertainment, REITs are suffering. Rents have been paused in an attempt to stabilize the economy. Unit prices of formerly popular names like H&R REIT (TSX:HR.UN) and RioCan REIT (TSX:REI.UN) are trading around or below their book values. 

Are they a value investor’s dream?

If you like sniffing around for deals, Canadian REITs are likely to be a sector that will grab your attention. H&R and RioCan look pretty tempting at these levels. They have been absolutely slaughtered and have not recovered as quickly as other stocks.

Right now, H&R is trading at around $10, a far cry from its previously stable price of just over $20 a share. RioCan is not doing a whole lot better, currently trading at around $16 a share after having fallen from its relatively stable price of around $25 a share. 

I’m going to skip price-to-earnings multiples at the moment, since it is pretty certain that earnings are going to fall into the toilet. I’ll instead focus on book value, which is a much more pertinent number at the moment considering much of the value of these companies comes from their intrinsic land values.

Currently, both companies are trading at huge discounts to their stated book values. RioCan trades at about 0.62 times its stated book value. H&R has an even more drastic discount, trading at about 0.42, or less than half, of its stated book value. These stocks are cheap according to this metric; there is no doubt.

Where’s the risk?

Much of the risk, in my opinion, comes from the book value itself. Earnings losses and the effect of a recession in Canada have been largely priced in already, so it is the value of the company’s assets that are in question.

Luckily, the good news is that many of the properties that the companies own are in large, urban centres such as Toronto. It is highly probable that these properties have a better chance to retain value over time. They also benefit from the fact that interest rates are likely to remain low, which lowers the cost of financing and might generally support real estate as an asset.

The problem is, what if real estate does fall sharply in the coming months and years? What if the global debt load, irrespective of insanely low interest rates, becomes unsustainable? The resulting cascade of debt defaults might push asset prices, including real estate values, lower. The book value of these companies could collapse with earnings, driving their stock prices even lower.

Distribution yield

One of the main reasons people buy REITs is for the steady income these companies generally provide. These companies are no exception, with current yields of 13.4% for H&R and 8.69% for RioCan. The yields are generous, but they are also more at risk of a cut than they ever have been before.

The pandemic is pretty much the worst thing that could have happened to these REITs. Even in a financial crisis, people can still go to buy things at a store. Right now, the doors are shuttered and offices are closed. There is literally no way to go out and buy much of anything, and the choice to go to work has been forcibly taken away.

Furthermore, after the crisis ends, who knows how much of the work-from-home mentality will remain. Maybe it will never return to pre-pandemic levels, leaving some offices shuttered for good.

The Foolish takeaway

In this article, I am neither recommending buying or staying away from these stocks. This is a bipolar choice, depending on your view of real estate and the economy going forwards. If you think real estate will hold its value over the next several years and possibly go up, these are screaming buys today. If you think real estate will go down and that there will be a permanent change in the working environment going forward, stay away.

Do not buy these as income stocks at this point in time. The dividends could stay in place or be cut. If you do buy, think of the yield as a bonus to a potential capital gain while you wait for a recovery.

Canadian Stocks to Buy on the Cheap During the Market Crash

Many investors fear market crashes. However, long-term investors should embrace this crash, because bear markets can potentially allow you to make millions. So if you’re tired of reading about other people getting rich in the stock market, this might be a good day for you.

Because Motley Fool Canada is offering a full 65% off the list price of their top stock-picking service, plus a complete membership fee back guarantee on what you pay for the service. Simply click here to discover how you can take advantage of this.

Learn More Today!

[goldira01]

Since practically everyone has stopped going to work, ceased shopping, stopped going out for entertainment, REITs are suffering. Rents have been paused in an attempt to stabilize the economy. Unit prices of formerly popular names like H&R REIT (TSX:HR.UN) and RioCan REIT (TSX:REI.UN) are trading around or below their book values. 

Are they a value investor’s dream?

If you like sniffing around for deals, Canadian REITs are likely to be a sector that will grab your attention. H&R and RioCan look pretty tempting at these levels. They have been absolutely slaughtered and have not recovered as quickly as other stocks.

Right now, H&R is trading at around $10, a far cry from its previously stable price of just over $20 a share. RioCan is not doing a whole lot better, currently trading at around $16 a share after having fallen from its relatively stable price of around $25 a share. 

I’m going to skip price-to-earnings multiples at the moment, since it is pretty certain that earnings are going to fall into the toilet. I’ll instead focus on book value, which is a much more pertinent number at the moment considering much of the value of these companies comes from their intrinsic land values.

Currently, both companies are trading at huge discounts to their stated book values. RioCan trades at about 0.62 times its stated book value. H&R has an even more drastic discount, trading at about 0.42, or less than half, of its stated book value. These stocks are cheap according to this metric; there is no doubt.

Where’s the risk?

Much of the risk, in my opinion, comes from the book value itself. Earnings losses and the effect of a recession in Canada have been largely priced in already, so it is the value of the company’s assets that are in question.

Luckily, the good news is that many of the properties that the companies own are in large, urban centres such as Toronto. It is highly probable that these properties have a better chance to retain value over time. They also benefit from the fact that interest rates are likely to remain low, which lowers the cost of financing and might generally support real estate as an asset.

The problem is, what if real estate does fall sharply in the coming months and years? What if the global debt load, irrespective of insanely low interest rates, becomes unsustainable? The resulting cascade of debt defaults might push asset prices, including real estate values, lower. The book value of these companies could collapse with earnings, driving their stock prices even lower.

Distribution yield

One of the main reasons people buy REITs is for the steady income these companies generally provide. These companies are no exception, with current yields of 13.4% for H&R and 8.69% for RioCan. The yields are generous, but they are also more at risk of a cut than they ever have been before.

The pandemic is pretty much the worst thing that could have happened to these REITs. Even in a financial crisis, people can still go to buy things at a store. Right now, the doors are shuttered and offices are closed. There is literally no way to go out and buy much of anything, and the choice to go to work has been forcibly taken away.

Furthermore, after the crisis ends, who knows how much of the work-from-home mentality will remain. Maybe it will never return to pre-pandemic levels, leaving some offices shuttered for good.

The Foolish takeaway

In this article, I am neither recommending buying or staying away from these stocks. This is a bipolar choice, depending on your view of real estate and the economy going forwards. If you think real estate will hold its value over the next several years and possibly go up, these are screaming buys today. If you think real estate will go down and that there will be a permanent change in the working environment going forward, stay away.

Do not buy these as income stocks at this point in time. The dividends could stay in place or be cut. If you do buy, think of the yield as a bonus to a potential capital gain while you wait for a recovery.

Canadian Stocks to Buy on the Cheap During the Market Crash

Many investors fear market crashes. However, long-term investors should embrace this crash, because bear markets can potentially allow you to make millions. So if you’re tired of reading about other people getting rich in the stock market, this might be a good day for you.

Because Motley Fool Canada is offering a full 65% off the list price of their top stock-picking service, plus a complete membership fee back guarantee on what you pay for the service. Simply click here to discover how you can take advantage of this.

Learn More Today!

[money-flow-19-blog]

Bitcoins Future Price: bitcoin future value predictions ?

Will Bitcoins Future Price keep rising again?

Bitcoins Future Price: cryptocurrency and blockchain in the last several months, you could become quite pessimistic about the cryptocurrency future. It seems like, for a certain category of people it has become a trend to criticize blockchain technology. Luckily, these materials are rarely based on serious facts. But this type of “eye-opening” critical content always gives its author an immediate rise in popularity and some kind of an “expert” status. Today I want to dispel all the pessimistic forecasts and give you a realistic view of the current market situation. I’d like to mention that I’m not going to quote any of the dozens of pseudo analysts with their crazy declarations about Bitcoins Future Price to be $20000. I do think that predictions on the market future should be based on facts, in accordance with fundamental economic laws, and not on pure emotions or a desperate need for buzz. At the instant of writing Bitcoin worth is around $3600 mark. Yes, this is the bottom. But what comes next? Plain and simple: the bull market. And the reasons why i believe that Bitcoin can rise once more in 2019.

1) Bitcoins Future Price technical analysis

Let’s analyze what was happening with Bitcoin price in the last months.

Bitcoins Future Price Chart analysis The rise of trading volume and an increase in the number of trading positions in December 2018 indicated that the market had touched its bottom, which was $3200 on December 15. Bitcoin price had reached its lowest point, and the upward movement started again. Besides, the trading volume has noticeably increased, which has led to an increase in volatility. These factors will likely lead to a significant rise in buyers/investors entering the field. And this, in turn, will lead to an increase in Bitcoins Future Price, as I said in one of my previous articles. Moreover, on the daily chart, we can also see the typical False Breakout pattern, which is a classic sign that the market is going to move upwards. Surely, a rational investor shouldn’t make his assumptions based entirely on technical analysis. It should be used together with fundamental analysis which considers the overall economic situation, the potential of the technology staying behind the asset, and many other factors. So let’s move on to the next points.

2) The history examples

A new, breakthrough technology arises all of a sudden out of nowhere. Unfortunately, in the beginning, its full potential is obvious only for a small “technical nerd” community, and initially, it is supported solely by these people. Then, little by little, it becomes more and more popular. Companies and entrepreneurs start to pay attention to the opportunities the technology gives. More and more people start to invest in it. At some point interest for this technology gets to a critical level. Mass media start to cover it all day long, and everyone is interested. Any company which is somehow concerned with the technology starts to attract enormous sums of investors’ money. Even having a specific technical term in a company’s name is enough to get a buzz and increase a company’s value. It goes this way to a certain point, and after that, it looks like the story is over. The hype is gone. The bubble has burst. The prices of all the technology related assets fall to the minimum. Nothing like? Yes, I’m talking about the dot-com bubble. Its story is suspiciously similar to the situation which is happening with cryptocurrency now. But did the Internet end together with the end of the dot-com companies? Hell no. Moreover, as we can see now, the value of many top internet companies which were founded before the dot-com bubble did fall after the bubble had burst, but afterward, it has risen again with the vengeance. What’s worth only Amazon! Amazon was one of the leading companies in times of the dot-com bubble. Its value increased together with other similar companies in late 1990th, and it also significantly fell in price after the dot-com bubble had burst. Luckily, it didn’t ruin the company. The potential behind online retailers stayed very high, and since 2008 we’ve been watching a significant growth of the company’s value.

Bitcoin Price history examples

3) Development of the cryptocurrency field

It’s clear that at the moment the blockchain technology is still far from the point of its maximum development. The cryptocurrency infrastructure has been built over the last several years. Now we have a number of acting and reliable cryptocurrency exchanges, cryptocurrency wallets and mining pools. At the same time, the existing infrastructure does not cease to develop. A lot of great ideas which has been proposed before are being implemented now, like crypto loans or Bitcoin futures. The Bitcoin protocol itself is also being developed in a more perfect state with different Bitcoin forks and implementation of such protocols as SegWit. Needless to say, cryptocurrency is not the one and only possible application of blockchain technology. A number of ICO projects, offering different adaptations of blockchain technology, were under development in the last couple of years and only now many of them are starting to act. So the field is still highly prospective. Just look at the current crypto services and companies: exchanges, wallets, coins, ICOs. They continue to develop, investing more and more money in the field. Look at the banks and governments which are working on the development of blockchain-based law- and banking systems. Do you believe that these people could invest in something unpromising? Consider these guys with pockets full of money as a role model for your cryptocurrency investment career. Another good thing which happened in the last couple of years is purifying of the market from the scam projects together with the projects which didn’t survive the market competition. This natural selection is a necessary step for the further development for every new and competitive field, so the cryptocurrency market enters 2019 being much stronger than before. Isn’t it a good sign?

4) Market stabilization and the end of mass hysteria

The huge blockchain and cryptocurrency hype in the second half of 2017 and the first half of 2018 wasn’t actually an entirely positive phenomenon for the cryptocurrency field. Of course, it has drawn the attention of hundreds of millions of people to the Bitcoin phenomenon and made cryptocurrency a valuable asset as opposed to its previous small experimental role, which is definitely a good thing. But besides that, it has led in the cryptocurrency field millions of people following the hype and hoping to get rich doing absolutely nothing. This mass hysteria somehow devalued the cryptocurrency phenomenon, making it a target for serious criticism. Since that many skeptics criticized the blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies, claiming it to be more of a “hype” thing than really a breakthrough technology. So the fact that the cryptocurrency field is gradually getting rid of the people hoping to get rich doing absolutely nothing and not having even basic economic or investment knowledge is a good thing. I’d really like to believe that now the cryptocurrency market will be evolving not because of hype, but owing to creating real value. Serious investors, who are necessary for the development of the field, are used to think with their own heads. They don’t follow the crowd but instead make decisions based on real facts and analytics.

5) Large investors are coming

Let’s say Bitcoins Future Price has declined once again and you are selling your assets. For you, it may look like the best and most obvious decision. Well, who do you think is on another side of your trades? Why are they accumulating thousands of BTC and ETH on their accounts? Believe me, it isn’t just because they are happy to help you to secure your investments. There is always an inner reason. An interesting fact is that when some asset’s price declines, small players usually sell it in fear to lose even more than they have already lost. On the contrary, the big players such as banks and hedge funds will often buy these assets for cheap while everyone else is getting rid of it. Needless to say, when the asset’s price rises again, the big players make really big profits. Being major companies and having strong risk management systems, they can afford risks concerned with holding big volumes of highly volatile assets. Even though we haven’t seen much official information about the large investors entering the field, the cryptocurrency market fluctuations of the last couple of years. The big players have already started to act anonymously, making large trading operations with different cryptocurrencies. These actions heavily influence the cryptocurrency prices, making it go up and down. what we are able to see on cryptocurrency charts. It’s a typical way of actions for large investors before they enter a new market: they test it first and only after that the official arrival is made and announced. This strategy is especially applicable to the cryptocurrency field. Unfortunately, cryptocurrency is still concerned with a big number of rumors and misconceptions. Any big investment firm entering the field may face misunderstanding in the financial community. So it’s still a common practice for big investment companies to act anonymously through the third parties until the cryptocurrency market gets more stable and widely recognized.

Which is the best Bitcoin investment site?

Buying bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies can be a fun way to explore an experimental new investment. But it’s also true that any investment in cryptocurrency should carry a warning label like cigarettes: “This product may be harmful to the health of your finances. Never buy more than you can afford to lose.” The value of bitcoin — the world’s first and most popular cryptocurrency — has risen from recent lows but is still trading far below 2017 highs. Like all cryptocurrencies, bitcoin is experimental and subject to much more volatility than many tried-and-true investments, such as stocks, bonds and mutual funds. NerdWallet advises investing no more than 10% of your portfolio in individual stocks or risky assets like bitcoin. If you’re new to investing, find out more about how to invest money. You can purchase bitcoin from several cryptocurrency exchanges. Many charge a percentage of the purchase price. Do your due diligence to find the right one for you. Some of the more popular exchanges include: Coinbase: This is a popular choice for U.S. bitcoin buyers, in part because you can easily link your bank account. Coinbase also offers access to etherium, litecoin and other cryptocurrencies. On each transaction, Coinbase charges a spread (an adjustment in the purchase or sale price of an investment) of about 0.5%, plus a fee. The fee is the greater of a variable percentage based on region and payment type — for example, 1.49% for a purchase funded by a U.S. bank account — or a flat fee that ranges from $0.99 to $2.99, depending on the amount transferred. Binance: The world’s largest exchange by volume for all cryptocurrencies, Binance charges a 0.1% fee for all crypto trades (some discounts are available), plus a withdrawal fee. Generally, you can only make purchases using cryptocurrency, though Binance did recently add the option to pay by credit card for an additional fee (this option is unavailable in some U.S. states). Bitcoin Future ATMs. These work like normal ATMs, only you can use them to buy and sell bitcoin. Coin ATM Radar shows more than 3,000 bitcoin ATMs around the U.S. Peer-to-peer bitcoin owners. You can buy bitcoins directly from other bitcoin owners, much like you would buy items on Craigslist, through peer-to-peer tools like Bisq, Bitquick and LocalBitcoins.com. Use extreme caution if buying bitcoin directly from individuals. Bitcoins Future, Trade Station offers a way for investors to trade on bitcoin futures, but this is pro-level stuff, not for amateurs. Here’s how to get started trading futures. Grayscale funds. Grayscale Investments is a digital currency asset manager. Two of its investment trusts — Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (its ticker symbol is GBTC) and Grayscale Ethereum Classic Trust (ETCG) — are publicly traded over the counter, which means you can buy them through many discount brokers. There are fees, and GBTC often trades at a premium, that is, GBTC shares often cost more than bitcoin, even though bitcoin is its only holding. The thinking is that some investors are willing to pay extra to buy bitcoin through a traditional exchange, without needing to worry about wallets and storage.

Will a bitcoin hit 1 million dollars?

Bitcoins Future Price are a dime a dozen. They can go anywhere from zero to over a million dollars. Some bettors like John McAfee are so confident that they are ready to go through absurd lengths (such as consuming their own member) to show their conviction. Do these crazy predictions hold ground? We scoured the web and discovered that John McAfee is not alone in his prediction that the king of cryptocurrencies will reach a million dollar valuation. Here are the most insane bitcoin predictions bravely shared by reputable financial figures. Jesse Lund, Former VP of Blockchain and Digital Currencies for IBM The former IBM executive is a bitcoin bull after stating during an interview that the price of BTC will eventually tap $1 million. In the interview, Lund says that at $1 million, a Satoshi would equal one U.S. penny.

He also noted that liquidity would skyrocket to over $20 trillion if one bitcoin is valued at Bitcoins Future Price $1 million. In his view, the $20 trillion liquidity would be a massive game-changer in the global financial services sector. Wences Casares, Member, PayPal Board of Directors Casares also hopped on the bitcoin $1 million valuation, but his prediction comes with a somewhat reasonable timeframe. According to the newest addition to PayPal’s board of directors: “One bitcoin may be worth more than $1 million in seven-to-10 years.” In his forecast, Casares emphasized stats that are often overlooked such as: Ten years of uninterrupted progress Over 60 million holders 1 million new holders each month Global transactions of over $1 billion per day Julian Hosp, Author and Crypto Analyst Like Casares, Hosp is also a big believer that Bitcoins Future Price will hit $1 million in the next decade. To make this prediction, he relied on the metric called the stock-to-flow ratio. The metric computes the current supply of the asset and divides it by the annual amount produced to estimate future valuation. Using this ratio to compute for bitcoin’s future value, the limited supply of 21 million coins will eventually play a huge factor.

Will Bitcoin halving increase price?

The bitcoin block halving is the moment that the miner reward per block is divided by two. This halving takes place every 210,000 blocks. Mining one block takes ten minutes on average, so it can be estimated that there is a bitcoin block halving approximately every four years. This continues until 21 million bitcoins are circulating. On top of this page you can see how long it will take until the next halving. What does the bitcoin block halving mean for miners? Creating bitcoin is expensive, but miners can make a profit when their income, the block reward, exceeds the costs. These costs include energy bills, equipment, and insurance for the equipment. The bitcoin block halving can be predicted, so miners know precisely to the day when the reward in bitcoin is halved. In that respect, the block halving provides some certainty for miners. But there is also uncertainty. The computing power on the network has been unstable for years, just like the delivery time of mining equipment. It may sound as if the miners receive less income after the halving, but halving the reward in bitcoin does not necessarily mean halving the reward in euros or dollars. Does the demand remain constant and is the supply growth slowing down? Then the price can rise in the future. But the role of transaction costs can also become greater. In this way, miners still receive sufficient compensation for their work. What happens to the bitcoin price after a block halving? After a block halving, the amount of bitcoin a miner receives when he finds a block gets halved. When the very first block was mined, the reward was a staggering 50 bitcoin, although the market value at that time was nearly zero. After the first halving, the reward was reduced to 25 bitcoin, and the current reward per block is 12.5 bitcoin. The corresponding value in a fiat currency such as the dollar or euro is different at any given time, depending on the bitcoin price. Some traders believe that a bitcoin block halving affects the price directly. The first halving took place in 2012. A year later, bitcoin reached a provisional all-time high. The same thing happened a year after the next halving, in 2017. Is the block halving responsible for such price activity or is it just speculation? Currently there are 1,800 bitcoins mined each day, and the vast majority of those coins are sold instantly to cover for the mining expenses. When there is a halving, the number of coins that will be brought into the market will consequently decrease, leading to more scarcity. This is the best logical explanation that reflects on the price increases following block halving. But will this happen during the next halving in 2020 as well? We really can’t say; the bitcoin price is volatile and since the halving dates are known, the increasing scarcity could already be taken into account leading up to the halving. What happens after the last block halving ever? After the last bitcoin block halving, miners will no longer receive a block reward. By this time they will only earn bitcoins through transaction costs. This means transaction costs will play a bigger role in the future. Does this mean transactions will become more expensive? That doesn’t have to be the case necessarily. There are many developments on the network that will make the expenses manageable. For example, with the implementation of the Lightning Network. This new technique makes it possible for transactions to take place on a second layer instead of on the actual blockchain itself. Perhaps smaller transactions will take place on this second layer in the future. The transaction costs for sending coins on the Lightning Network aren’t high, which ensures affordable transactions in the future. But this is all in the future; we won’t even experience the last block halving ourselves. It is estimated that the last (piece of) bitcoin is mined in the year 2140. https://www.bitcoinblockhalf.com/

Bitcoin Bull Rally Coming?

Bitcoins Future Price, Bitcoin (BTC) has a finite supply. There will only ever be 21 million Bitcoin in existence. This is a key factor in the value of Bitcoin and is crucial to understanding why Bitcoin is rising in value today. I’m not a prophet, I don’t own any magical crystal balls, I don’t even own any magic 8 balls — I don’t claim to know every factor that contributed to the price of Bitcoins Future going up. I do know, however, that all the factors below are contributing to its’ next parabolic run. So, let’s talk about why Bitcoin is going up in 2019. A Shrinking Supply The chart above plots the price of Bitcoin (the black line) over time, compared against the colored bands, which represent the % of Bitcoins supply that has not been spent within a certain time frame. The blue bands at the top represent the % of Bitcoin in existence that hasn’t been spent in over 5 years. The red bands at the bottom represent the percentage of Bitcoin that hasn’t been spent in less than 1 day. What does this all mean? There are more HODL’ers You’ll notice that while the total supply of Bitcoin is rising, the liquid supply of Bitcoin is decreasing. This is represented by the growth of the blue bands in the top right corner of the chart. As mentioned, these bands represent the % of Bitcoin in circulation that hasn’t been moved or spent in over 5 years, it represents the HODL’ers.

Right now, around 20% of the total supply of Bitcoin hasn’t been spent in over 5 years, meaning 20% of the supply is currently being held for the long term, or maybe even lost due to forgotten keys and passphrases. For the past week news about Project Libra has been all over my Twitter feed, Medium, and even traditional media outlets. Forbes, Fast Money, Financial Times; everyone is covering Facebook's entrance into crypto markets. This is amazing for Bitcoins Future. The retail investor wave hasn’t begun even begun. I don’t have old friends from school calling me asking me about Bitcoin just yet, we haven’t hit critical mass. The search volume on Google for “Bitcoin” is still at relatively low levels compared to the last time the price saw this much growth. As the retail market catches on, we’ll see that search volume rise, and FOMO will kick in. Read the full article

[un-enfant-immature]

Chewy founder Ryan Cohen on its fast-approaching IPO: “It’s like seeing my baby graduate”

Ask any venture capitalist about the most important ingredient to success in startups, and they’ll tell you it centers on founders who can persuade not only investors to part with some of their capital but, more important, who can convince people to leave what are often more stable jobs in order to build a company from scratch.

Ryan Cohen certainly fits the description. It goes a long way in explaining why Chewy, the online retailer of pet food and supplies that he cofounded in 2011, sold to PetSmart for a reported $3.35 billion in 2017 — and why it’s also expected to stage a successful IPO this Friday, when PetSmart spins it off (though PetSmart will continue to hold a majority stake in the company).

Just today, the expected IPO price range, originally planned at between $17 and $19 per share, was raised to $19 to $21 per share, with the IPO advisory firm IPO Boutique saying the guidance it has received is that the deal is “multiple times oversubscribed.”

Cohen stepped away from Chewy last year, nearly a year after its all-cash sale. Naturally, he’s still excited to stand on the balcony of the NYSE as the company’s shares begin trading publicly on Friday. We talked with him earlier today about his path, beginning as a baby-faced founder without a college degree or any kind of network — and what, at age 33, he’s planning to do next.

TC: Your company sold in what was called at the time as the biggest e-commerce sale in history, yet most people still don’t know who you are. Who are you?

RC: [Laughs.] I’ve been an entrepreneur since as far back a I can remember. My father was a glassware importer — so a businessperson — and I saw what it was like to be accountable and responsible and to have your own employees and from an early age, I just knew that I wasn’t cut out for a traditional job, that entrepreneurship was the right path for me.

TC: Were you coding away in your bedroom like 90 percent of the founders we talk with?

RC: I was building websites at [age] 13, 14, then I moved on to affiliate marketing . . . My cofounder, Michael Day [who became Chewy’s CTO] and I met each other in an internet chat room, back when they were pure and bad things weren’t happening [online]. It was [centered around] website design computer programming, and we just hit it off.

TC: You get together, and then you settle on creating a retail pets business. Why? 

RC: We were doing affiliate marketing and we wanted to own the entire customer experience and were looking for big categories that were underpenetrated. In fact, we thought the jewelry space was ripe for disruption, so we started going to trade shows and building the site and the back end.

We even spent a few hundred thousand dollars on jewelry and we were a few weeks away from launching the company, but I have a poodle, Tylee, who’s now 12 years old, and I would go every couple of weeks to buy products from this store owner who knew me and who I really trusted and who was a pet lover like me. And I had this epiphany; I realized I’m so much more passionate about this category. So we sold the jewelry and luckily got back most of our money and started Chewy.

TC: Obviously, you’d heard of the terrible fate of dot.com high-flier Pets.com. Why didn’t that dissuade you?

RC: The world was full of business models back then didn’t make sense. People weren’t online. They were using dial-up. They weren’t comfortable putting their credit card online. But over time, so much changed, including that the pets market had moved up into high-margin, higher-retail price points. You could also suddenly ship 30-pound boxes from most of the country overnight, thanks to shipping density.

TC: You were living in Dania Beach, Florida — not exactly a tech hub at the time. Did you think about moving?

RC: I had family here, growing up. I also knew it would be really expensive to build customer service in a big city.  So it ended up working our really well. But you’re right, from a financing standpoint, south Florida is not a popular tech hub. We also had the fact that we were going head-to-head with Amazon, that I have no college eduction, and the demise of Pets.com, and so when we talked with VCs, it was like, ‘We’ll pass.’

TC: Without outside help, how did you get started?

RC: We contacted a local distributor who worked with a [third-party logistics] company that was next to him, and we started buying product the same day.  Then we started marketing to cities and states near fulfillment centers, using all direct response marketing that we were able to optimize on the fly. We’d buy the inventory as we sold it and we were doing almost everything ourselves, so if an order came in and we didn’t have inventory, I’d go buy the product and ship it out from a local Kinkos.

For the first couple of years, it was three guys and a call center.

TC: When did that change?

RC: We hit an inflection point where three [third party logistics companies] we were working with [were getting overwhelmed]. We’d give them weekly or monthly projections so they could plan ahead and have warehouse space, but they didn’t fully believe our growth and by the end of 2013, we had these 3PLs that couldn’t scale any more, so we had to bring fulfillment in house.

We didn’t know anything about this, so we hired a bunch of people who were experts in fulfillment and we flew to Mechanicsburg, Pa. to lease a 4,000-square-foot space, and within nine months or so, we became expert at doing fulfillment. It was risky. It was totally outside of our areas of competence. But by August of 2014, after breaking everything first, that center was humming along, and then we launched another in Reno, and at that point, we went national.

TC: How would you describe your hiring process?

RC: A lot of it was intuitive. I believe in the Warren Buffett model of treating people with respect and being honest and transparent with them. A lot of these people would come from Amazon and Wayfair after I went home at night and reached out to them after finding them on LinkedIn. We’d jump on a call and we’d talk about this vision to build the largest pet retailer in the world, while focusing on delighting customers and being category experts. And all of my management team, they came from amazing companies and stable jobs, and they pulled their kids out of school to come to south Florida because they believed in me.

I was grateful they took that leap of faith, but it was also a huge responsibility, so I was going to fight even harder; I wasn’t going to let them down.

TC: You say VCs weren’t interested. How did you reach out to them, and how did you go about it?

RC: Almost from the beginning we reached out to investors, but I knew nothing about raising capital. I have no network. I come from a middle-class family. I don’t have a rich uncle. We just started cold-calling VCs and I learned the hard way that’s not how it works. [Laughs.]. I got turned down basically every single time, until Larry [Cheng of Volition Capital] invested, and it was not a competitive process.

TC: What convinced Larry to write you that first check?

RC: We’d reached out to Volition six to nine months earlier and spoke to an associate who took down our information that went into a Salesforce database, and they followed up with us in late 2012. We’d given them our projections and we were crushing our numbers. Larry was doing to Disneyland anyway with his family, so he decided to make a pitstop to meet with us. I remember he was like, ‘Who is going to take this company to $100 million in sales?’ and I was like, ‘Me! Who do you think?’ I looked very young at the time so I think I was easy to underestimate. I’ve been slightly aged now from Chewy.

But he gave us that needed credibility. Then Greenspring Associates — they’re investors in Volition — came in to lead our Series B.

TC: Did you want to take the company public or were you hugely relieved when Petsmart came knocking?

RC: We were building a big company that inevitably was going to go public. Especially in those later years, we’d become ‘public company ready.’ We built up our finance and accounting team; we had audited financials. We’d raised a lot of capital — $350 million — we had a lot of discipline. We also had a lot of revenue. We went from $200 million in sales in 2014 to $3.5 billion in sales by 2018, and we’d burned through $130 million, but that cash burn was going to new customer acquisition and future fulfillment centers.

TC: So when you got that call from Petsmart . . .

RC: It was very fast. From the time I had a conversation with Raymond [Svider, the executive chairman of Petsmart] to the time he gave us a term sheet — and I was looking for an all-cash deal — the entire thing happened in 30 days, on our terms. We weren’t going to go and open up the kimono unless we got comfortable, and we were comfortable with the entire transaction. TC: You stayed on for bit, though I gather you weren’t locked up.

RC: I wasn’t locked up at all. I could have left a day after the deal. I stayed but I felt like the teams were built and the systems and strategy were in place, and it felt like a fine-oiled machine. The business was at a significant scale. I just felt like my job was done. I’d been at it for more than seven years, going 24/7. I gave my life to this thing. But I have a two-year-old today and just being with my family and being able to return to civilian life was [too irresistible after a point].

TC: I’m a Chewy customer but I’m not even sure why, except that it’s easy for me to re-order. Why do you think I’m a Chewy customer?

RC: Because Chewy is the best in the business. It has the best selection, competitive pricing, fast shipping, excellent customer service and we know the product better than our competitors. If you need a weight loss product for your dog, we’ll tell you which to buy.  All Chewy does is sell pet products, and that’s a big differentiator. E-commerce can feel like a series of faceless transactions; we wanted to recreate that feeling I use to enjoy at the pet store, shopping with a pet parent who I trusted. And we did that at scale, which is hard, but we stayed focused.

TC: How are you feeling about the IPO?

RC: It feels like my baby is graduating from the college that I never went to.

TC: There are concerns over the fact that Chewy remains unprofitable. Do you worry that, as a publicly traded company, Chewy might have to charge for shipping, for example?

RC: It’s not profitable because it’s continuing to execute on scale and market leadership. If you reduce your marketing and decide you don’t want to grow as much, the could have been profitable years ago. The underlying company is profitable.

TC: What about the fact that Amazon and Walmart are expanding their own pet product offerings?

RC: Amazon made us fight really hard. Obviously, they’re a fierce competitor. But I don’t think it was the category that made us successful. I think it was delighting our customers. You focus on that and you’re doing to do just fine.

TC: You’re a young guy. Are you retiring?

RC: Retirement is overrated.

I’m lucky. I’m talking to a lot of different entrepreneurs and business and looking at corporate board opportunities. I’m going through that exploratory process.

TC: Would you partner again with Michael on a different e-commerce business or maybe a venture outfit?

RC: We’re really close. It needs to be the right opportunity obviously, and we need to be picky. But I have no plans to sit in retirement, that’s for sure. I’m 33 and I’m competitive and I like consumer businesses and I like to win.

[into-the-nether-blog1]

Family?

So our car broke down last week. We’ve had a family friend looking at it and doing the mechanic work. He’s been at it since about Thursday and we finally got it fixed today. AWESOME. Yes, and no....

The communication tower for the household has been slowly rotting away with rust for months now. And tonight, it feels like it’s completely collapsed.

I woke up at about 6pm, the cold has just ruined anything that looks like a sleep schedule. I also have insomnia, my brain just refuses to shutdown without some assistance. Anyway, I laid in bed rehearsing my plans for getting up. I have to prepare myself mentally sometimes, just to get through the day. Especially if there’s a lot weighing on me. 

The dishes fall on my fiance and myself, 98% of the time. So when we both came down sick with the rest of the house, we’d let them go for a day. So I had two sinks worth of dishes, unbeknownst to me, my fiance had already planned to do them. I ended up doing them anyway, because I didn’t know. That was fine. 

Recently though, I seem to have had cooking added to my list. Cooking for 6 people is no picnic. Originally, Mom was having bad days with her back. So we were waiting for the weather to clear out. Then today my fiance says something to me about he thinks there was a miscommunication. I told him that I was told it would be until her back was better. 

So I went to ask her about it, which takes a lot of nerve on my part these days. When people hit a hostile period? I tend to take cover and avoid it at all cost. She’s been on a crazy roller coaster of emotions since she came home from the hospital. So I really didn’t want to have this conversation.

“Hey, I hear there seems to have been some miscommunication. I thought that I was only on dinner until your back was good?”

“No, until my ankle is better. Right now it’s hard to get up and stand on it.”

She had fallen on a curb the following weekend. Her ankle was pretty swollen and bruised. The doctor said it wasn’t broken, just badly sprained. I had somehow missed this announcement. 

“I don’t remember this conversation.”

“I can’t stand on it for long. I laid out some chicken for tomorrow night. I can do it in shifts tomorrow. But what are we going to do tonight?”: “Well, when I found out I had tonight’s dinner to do. I went ahead and decided on chicken alfredo. I just don’t know what type of vegetable to do with it.” About the time I mention vegetables, she’s back off into her show. She’s a nut when it comes to vegetables, so I thought it was odd. I just left it alone and went on with dinner. 

I’m probably 30 minutes out from it being finished when she comes through the kitchen.

“We’re going out for a little bit. To get cold medicine.”

“Will you be back in 30? That’s about how long dinner is going to take.”

“Oh don’t worry about us. We’ll probably pick something up while we’re out.”

This did not make sense to me. You wanted dinner done, but now you’re eating out? I, once again, tried to ignore the weirdness.

Then when she came back with chinese and no cold medicine. All I could do is fume. I ask her about the cold medicine, she says they didn’t make it in time, I looked at the clock in the kitchen and knew that the place wasn’t closed. So I ended up pretty irritated. I felt like I’d been deceived, not once, but twice.

I felt she could have just said she wasn’t interested in what I was making, instead of just ignoring me with the vegetables. Then to say she’s going for cold meds and coming back with chinese? Really?!

This led to a lot of aggression building for me, luckily it’s not in my nature to be violent. And aggression doesn’t come easy for me. It’s been an ongoing side-effect since I came off my Celexa. Did I mention it wasn’t on the side-effects list I was given? More agitation. 

Then about the same time I’m in full fume mode, Dad asks me to water the dog. I said I would, I go back to reading all the side-effects of Celexa that could possibly long-term. Then I hear our daughter yelling at her Nana like she would a kid on the playground. Further agitation.

“Excuse me, who do you think you are?!” “Well, she wouldn’t let me get my water!” “There is no reason in this world you should be speaking to an adult in that tone! For water or anything else! Shame on you!” I gave her a pop.  “Now, brush your teeth, use the bathroom and get your butt in the bed!”

Nana, is showing the early signs of dementia. It’s one of the reasons she ended up moving back in with us. Our daughter has picked up on it, but we haven’t really explained it. There’s only so much she would understand of it. But since she knows something is off, she figures that means she doesn’t have to respect her anymore. This does not work for us.

I get back in the kitchen and my fiance is sitting in a chair looking like death warmed over. He’s having a rough day, lots of stress and anxiety boiling over all at once. I’m asking him what’s wrong when Mom steps into the kitchen.

“Did you water the dog?” “No, I forgot.”

“Well he sure didn’t forget.”

She’s obviously agitated, fills up a bowl and takes it into the living room. I’m ready to pop by this point. 

Then I got on Facebook to see a post, Dad had shared to my Timeline. A massive update on things going on in the family, to his friends. I was going to blow a gasket. 

I found out through this post that not only were they now on a waiting list for apartments, but that fixing our car had cost us the money put back for the power/water bill. 

Years ago, right after I had first moved in in fact, we had been kept in the dark with bills. Months later, we were evicted. We were homeless. After we had our lives somewhat stable again, we had agreed as a family that finances would no longer be a ‘parental’ problem, because it affected us all. 

Then this happened today. Are we even a family anymore?

I feel like she’s separated the families mentally and doesn’t feel the need to keep us in the loop. Even though this loop is what keeps us going as a family.

[meireviewproduct]

Text Connector Review

Home: https://mei-review.com/text-connector-review/

Text Connector Review – Turn Any Local Business Website Into A Sales Generating Machine

Right when our business environments get more crowed, the opposition get fiercer, the affiliations snatch less opportunity to discover possibilities who care about and purchase their associations/thing. On the off chance that you are encountering equivalent battles, you are in the ideal spot getting comfortable with about a right reaction for this.

Your clients drive your business, that is the clarification it's vital for notice how they help out your image, stay related, and center around your clients. Text Connector, the mechanical get together I will audit, is endeavored to complete this mission.

This contraption licenses you to rapidly and helpfully set up a definitive relationship from client to finance manager/director, particularly, through cells. By excellence of Text Connector your business can develop a huge affiliation and accumulate trust by immediately reacting to their tendencies.

Intrigued? Follow my Text Connector survey to discover more data about this change contraption!

WHAT IS TEXT CONNECTOR?

Text Connector review is the custom "Text the business" button executed on affiliation objections which licenses you to immediately answer the guests' solicitations and convert them into paying customers. This module winds up being ideal for nearby relationship, from Chiropractors, Dentists, Real Estate Agents, Gyms, Mechanics, and everything in the middle.

TEXT CONNECTOR REVIEW – ABOUT THE CREATOR

Zach Anderson is the ordinary name of Silicon Valley, who was for the most part called the facilitator of a quickly making startup – Reputation Loop. This Text Connector is the showing stage that connects nearby finance managers effectively control and cultivate their web standing.

By uprightness of the noteworthy stable progress of this startup, Zach has taken out his own exercises following quite a while of following, evaluating, and updating his advancing cycle. Prior to dispatching this Text Connector, Zach endeavored this framework for a critical long time and ensured his customers saw phenomenal outcomes from this arrangement.

Luckily, this arrangement works, up to introduce! By adding the breaking point which permit the guests to message their telephone, Zach helped this financial specialists triple his month to month visits and 3x as much business.

Today, you find the opportunity to try an equivalent headway, which has been changed and improve for more direct utilization and better highlights, to change over your decent site guests into new purchasers.

TEXT CONNECTOR REVIEW – THE FEATURES THIS PLUGIN PROVIDES

Text Connector will change any WordPress site into a nearby deal discussion machine since it interfaces a likely client to a business visionary/manager's telephone so they can find courses of action quickly (through text). Reconnect your customers and sponsorship them at whatever point they need your assistance, which is an insightful plan to improve your standing and your image.

So this is the manner in which it works: There is somewhat support button appeared on the objections so the guests can click a catch to address a solicitation and begin looking at straightforwardly with you (or you affiliation clients) through their PDA.

I can say that introducing Text Connector will work on your help and speedier. You will currently don't scrutinize your email inbox typically or days. Offering brief help indisputably give you a ridiculous benefit over your obstruction!

Having a fundamental asset isn't satisfactory for you to get paying customers, undeniably. You should consider how to utilize it shrewdly and how to cause it to computerize the association for you.

Despite how Text Connector is expected to accomplish more correspondence, nothing works on the distant chance that you can offer genuine responses that fulfill your guests. In this manner, while drawing nearer procedure with your likely clients considering Text Connector, you ought to get familiar with the substantial approaches to manage encourage your business.

Without heading off to some place else searching for a high ticket course, you will get the second acceptance to the improvement preparing modules under offered by its own merchants – Zack Anderson and Ben Adkins.

CHECKMORE:

https://mei-review.com/text-connector-review/

https://blogwithmeiliz.blogspot.com/2021/06/text-connector-review.html

https://sites.google.com/view/text-connector-review-oto/home