#now I need to get airfare that's going to be at least a couple hundred bucks more

[thelightofthingshopedfor]

really feeling that ADHD tax today lads

[emmy-writes-sometimes]

Roomies

You and Tom accidentally get paired as roommates, but it quickly becomes something more. 

-

           You didn’t know what you expected when you signed up to have a random roommate because you didn’t know anyone else at the school. You were hoping you’d be friends, but you’d also heard stories of people having to change halfway through the semester because they hated each other. You hoped that wouldn’t be the case, but you were getting a bit worried when you were starting your drive up and still didn’t know who your roommate was.

           You were essentially on your own – your parents were helping your other sibling move into another college a few hours away and you weren’t all that attached to things you had at home, so you packed your clothes and toiletries and saved up money to buy everything the day you got there. Was it kind of ridiculous? Yeah. But would it save you a ton of time and pain moving in? Definitely.

           You noticed you were in one of the co-ed dorms when they gave you the key and the packet that had codes and information in it, but you didn’t know who your roommate was. You knew the last name was Holland, and that they were an international student, but other than that your packet didn’t help you. You got into the room and picked a side without much thought into it. You moved your furniture around a little, moving the bed up so that your dresser could fit underneath it and you had a little more space for your clothes that you’d brought.

           You were almost done unpacking when you heard the lock open and a guy carrying two bags walked in. You were confused for a second, and so was he.

           “Hi, I’m Tom, your last name’s Y/L/N, right?” He asked. He had a British accent, you noticed, so he was an international student after all. “I didn’t realize the rooms were co-ed.”

           “Yeah,” you responded. You shook his hand, giving him a smile. “I didn’t either. I can go to housing if…”

           “It’s fine with me if it’s fine with you. I have three brothers, so living with a girl would be different.” You smiled at him.

           “I have two sisters, so living with a guy might be nice.”

           “Is that all of your stuff?” He asked as he put his things on the bed.

           “Yeah, I tried to come with as little as possible. I figured I’d run to the Target up the street later if you want to join. I hope that’s not all of yours.” He laughed.

           “Actually, it is. I didn’t want to pay a fortune for airfare, so…”

           “If that’s everything, we could just go now. Unless you want to go to those orientation things.” He shook his head and the two of you headed down to your car. He explained that he’d just wanted to come here for college so he could move to California after, which made sense because he was going to be an acting major. Your major was similar, so you were kind of glad for the pairing. Neither of you had expected to get a roommate of the opposite sex, but you seemed like similar people so maybe it could work.

           “Okay, so if you get the fridge,” you started as you looked at the list the two of you had made in the car. “If you get the fridge, I’ll get the A/C unit. I smuggled in a TV and an Xbox, so we have those, and then we can just split the snacks if you want?”

           “Sounds good to me,” he replied. You both grabbed carts and got to work, buying everything you needed, and struggled to get it all up to your room later. By that night you were both unpacked, had set up everything, and you were putting the comforter you’d bought on your bed. It was your favorite color, and it was his, too, so he got a similar one. At least your room somewhat coordinated. You were getting pictures developed to put up on the wall, which he said he didn’t mind, and that was that. You were excited that Tom was so chill. The only inconvenience was having to change in the shower stall, but it didn’t matter that much.

           Every time you made friends, it turned out the both of you were involved, so you considered yourself lucky that Tom quickly became your best friend. You would go pretty much everywhere together, and since you had many of the same intro classes, you had a lot of classes together, too. You’d be lying if the thought of dating him hadn’t crossed your mind, but he was your roommate. He probably didn’t want to date you, and what would happen if you broke up? Nothing good, probably, so you let it go. You holed up during fall break and snacked on junk food and played games most of the time, you studied together, and whenever you went somewhere at night he would walk you there and back so nobody would mess with you.

           You were studying in the library a couple of months later when he did the first weird-ish thing. You were absolutely freezing, but it was still hot outside, so you were wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Your leg was shaking up and down and you debated walking all the way across campus for some hot chocolate. Tom looked up from his textbook and saw you were shivering.

           “I have a sweatshirt,” he said with a smile on his face. “You didn’t have to suffer.”

           “I wasn’t going to ask just in case you were cold!” You said. He handed it to you anyway and you put it on over your t-shirt. It was warm and it smelled like him, which was incredibly comforting considering you were worried you would fail the exam on the material in front of you. You muttered a thank you and he just gave you a smile, starting to type on his computer again.

           You decided to retire first and of course he walked you back, exchanged textbooks, and went down to the dorm’s common area to finish doing his homework. You were almost asleep by the time he came in and muttered a good night, earning a small laugh as he told you to go to sleep. It was little things like the sweater that started to add up. If you fell asleep he’d put a blanket on you. If he knew you were walking back to your car when it was dark he’d make you call him, or he’d volunteer to go get gas for you so you wouldn’t be out there alone. He would often bring you back food or drinks without you even asking, just because he’d gotten to know you so well that he knew you would never pass up an opportunity for a chicken sandwich and waffle fries.

           The next time things got weird was October. It was the week before Halloween and there was a party at one of the houses off campus. Tom didn’t feel like going, so he didn’t, but he told you to keep him on standby in case you needed him. You dressed up in your slutty outfit and tried to pretend you didn’t see him checking you out, and then you left. You met up with your friends, but they soon ditched you for boys they were both seeing, so you were alone.

           You started talking to this one guy, whose name you had no idea of, when Tom texted you to check in for the first time. You looked down at your phone just long enough to text him back and then grabbed your PBR, chugging the rest of it in hopes that someone had gone on another run and was back with some beer that wasn’t essentially water. It tasted weird, but you didn’t pay attention. You just kept talking to the guy.

           Your vision started going slightly blurry and you tried to walk straight on the back lawn, but you couldn’t. You noticed the guy was watching you and was never too far away, and you realized when your stomach started hurting. He’d roofied you. Shit, you thought. You took out your phone, crossing your arms against your chest to hide some cleavage, and called your trusty roommate.

           “Hey, how’s it going?” He asked, putting his phone on one ear while he continued playing with the Xbox.

           “I think some guy just roofied me,” you said, “when you texted me I looked away and he must’ve put something in it.”

           “Shit. Where are you? I’ll come get you.”

           “Take my car, it’s out in the parking lot,” you said as you started getting dizzy.

           “Don’t hang up on me, Y/N. Talk to me.” You did – he asked you about how your night had been other than that and before you knew it he was pulling up to the front of the party house. You got in and immediately reached across the console to hug him. He concluded that you’d definitely been roofied because you were drooling by the time he walked you back to the room. He herded you into the shower and then into bed after you were dressed. You woke up the next morning and he had gotten Starbucks for you, probably having borrowed your car again (and filled it back up, because that was who he was).

           “Oh, you’re a lifesaver. Literally,” you said as he presented you with the venti cold brew with sweet cream. You sat up and reached toward it and he handed it to you. You drank it like a baby drank a bottle, which just made him laugh.

           “No problem. You mind if I play Xbox?”

           “Only if I can too.” He handed you one of the controllers and sat down at his desk chair that was pointed toward the TV in between your two beds. “Come sit up here, you don’t have to sit there,” you said, referring to the wooden chair that was obviously uncomfortable. Tom always almost fell out of it, too, every time he used it.

           “Fine,” he sighed. He walked over and climbed on your bed with you, sitting down beside you, and you wasted most of the morning playing games. You both had class in the afternoon, so you bucked up the courage to go. You sat down and lo and behold, there was the guy that had roofied you. You elbowed Tom.

           “Tom, that’s the guy,” you muttered through gritted teeth, trying not to draw attention to yourself. Tom turned his head toward the guy, who looked straight at you. Tom’s arm flew around your back, pulling you to him uncomfortably.

           “Anyway,” Tom cleared his throat so the guy would look away. You elbowed him again.

           “What was that?” You asked.

           “He was looking straight at you. If he thinks the guy who picked you up was your boyfriend, maybe he’ll let you go.” You knew he was right. You tried not to let the guy get to you and eventually class let out. You were one of the last out of the hundreds of people in the gigantic lecture hall, waiting for Tom to ask the professor about an extension on a paper. You finally went back to the room and sighed.

           “There’s no need to panic, darling, you have one class with him!” Tom said as he typed away at his paper. You were pacing back and forth, shivering because the A/C unit was on full blast and you just didn’t want to walk over there to turn it off.

           “Yeah, but he definitely knew you were just pretending! What if he tries to, like, stalk me or something?” Tom scoffed.

           “Anyone that tries to stalk you will have to stalk me too because I live here. You’ll be fine. One of us’ll be with you all the time in classes and on campus. You really don’t have to worry. I promise.” You sat down in your bungee cord chair, pulling up the hood to the sweatshirt you were wearing. It was Tom’s, actually, you noticed. You didn’t notice when you’d pulled it out of your clean laundry, but you’d done some of his the night before since he didn’t have a full load, so it was definitely his.

           “I guess.”

           “Come on. Let’s go get some dinner,” he insisted, “and then we’ll go camp out in the library.” You got up and let him drag you halfway across campus to the only dining hall that was open.

           You ended up going to the semi-formal with him, because neither of you had another date, and the way he treated you was strange. He opened your door for you, he paid for the dinner beforehand, and he took about a million pictures of you for your Instagram without complaining one bit. He took care of drunk you and held back your hair, got you Gatorade, and took you to get a milkshake at 2 AM because you wanted one so badly that you were crying. You drunkenly told him you loved him and he laughed, just saying he loved you too.

           That phrase became familiar, too. I love you. You told him that when you were leaving him, when you were drunk, when he got you food without asking. He smiled every single time, responding that he loved you too. You always told your friends that, though, it was just who you were. It didn’t mean anything other than you valued the friendship you had together. He came with you for Thanksgiving, since he’d never been to one before, and your parents even made him sleep on the couch because they were convinced you two were together. And then there was the night of your friend’s birthday party, and all hell broke loose.

           You were sitting in a circle in your friend Sadie’s room, playing spin the bottle with a bottle of Malibu that you’d all emptied together not long ago. You still had a cup of half Malibu and half sprite in front of you. Sadie had to kiss her roommate, Allie, and a couple other roommates had done the same thing. It was just a peck, so it was whatever. You’d spun it, though, and of course it landed on Tom. His face got red, immediately, but he playfully patted his lap and you giggled, walking over to him, and his legs were crossed as you got on your knees to match his level. You cringed a little as he reached out for you and finally kissed you. It was just a peck, like most of them were, but you could tell that he didn’t want to pull away. He didn’t want to pull away.

           You lasted through most of the party and decided to leave once you were sobering up. Of course he came with you, and when he put his hand on your back to lead you out of the dorm you couldn’t help but look back at him.

           “Sorry the bottle landed on you,” you apologized. “We’re the only co-ed roommates on our hall and of course it ended up on us.” He shrugged.

           “It’s spin the bottle. Doesn’t mean anything unless you want it to.”

           “Unless I want it to?” You stopped on an empty sidewalk underneath a lamp-post, turning around to look at him. In the low, yellowed light you could see that his face was changing colors, and suddenly the heat rose to your cheeks and you were burning up in the sweatshirt you were swearing. Tom’s sweatshirt. Again.

           “I mean…”

           “Be honest with me for just five fucking seconds,” you said. “Would you have done that if we were both sober?”

           “I am sober, Y/N,” he insisted. “I am. And if you won’t lie to me I won’t lie to you, alright? Have you noticed how I always say I love you too? Or I bring you coffee and I know your order, have you ever considered why? Or did you consider at all why I came and got you at two in the morning at that party?” He walked a few feet in front of you when there was another set of people walking down the sidewalk. He paused to let them through and then looked over at you again. You were freezing in the sweatshirt. It was December, what were you thinking?

           “I thought…” You took a deep breath. “I thought. But I wasn’t sure, so I didn’t say anything. And now you’re telling me you’re doing all of this for a reason and I want to believe that you like me, but it’s so complicated, and…” Before you knew what was happening, he was closing the gap between you. His hand went behind your head and his other one splayed across your stomach, pressing you up against the lamp-post in front of you, and he kissed you. This time, it wasn’t a peck. This time, he didn’t pull away. He kissed you for a few minutes and you kissed back, and you only parted when you heard another set of people about to walk by.

           “Are you sure now?” You nodded, panting a little. He’d left you out of breath and the air outside was so cold that you could see it.

           “Yeah,” you said quietly, reaching out to take one of his hands.

           “I like you, Y/N. Roommate or not, I do, and I can guarantee I still would even if I didn’t live with you.” You smiled at him a little.

           “What is this, The Prince & Me?” You asked out loud. He looked slightly confused. “It’s a movie, where this guy comes to college in America and…”

           “I know the movie.” You felt heat rise to your cheeks again. “So…” You started walking again and so did he.

           “So?” You looked at him. “Tom, are you sure? Are you sure you want this? And it isn’t too complicated? Because we live together, what if we fight?”

           “Then we talk it out. Come on, Y/N. We can make a King sized bed with our beds put together.” You laughed.

           “Is that the only reason why?” He grabbed your waist and squeezed it, making you laugh a little.

           “No. I love hearing you laugh, is one of them.” You reached the dorm, finally, and rode the elevator up to your room.

           You went back to the room and immediately started moving your furniture together. You talked about going into the city to get brunch as your first official date as you tucked in a set of sheets. This time when he went to change his shirt you didn’t turn away, and he didn’t get mad when you reached for one of his shirts to sleep in. You smiled to yourself as you settled in beside him, assuming the position of the little spoon, as he picked a movie to pretend to watch.

           “Good night, girlfriend,” he said in your ear.

           “Good night boyfriend,” you replied with a smile on your face.  He squeezed your waist again and you smiled, thanking your lucky stars that you’d gotten the co-ed dorm that year.

A/N: I loved this request so much! Thank you for sending it in!

Taglist (if you’d like to be added, let me know!): @an-adventureland, @firstangeldragonranch, @ssebstann, @winterreader-nowwriter

[negrek]

How to Plan a Trip in Under Two Hours

And now for something completely different! A friend of mine recently asked me for some tips on travel planning, since she often feels overwhelmed when she tries to get started. I figured I might as well throw this up here as well, in case anyone else would find it interesting or useful.

Okay, travel tips! I'm going to assume for the purposes of this post that you already know where you're going, on a level of "what country," and what time you might want to go there, on a level of "starting and ending month." If you don't have that worked out yet, I can describe how I decide where/when to go if you like. Also, if you have in mind some specific activity you want to do in the place you're going ("I want to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu!") the process will be different (and easier!) than this. So: target country, target month.

Just as a disclaimer, everybody has different needs and preferences when they travel. I tend to be more on the loosey-goosey end, with relatively minimal planning. Obviously this makes things a lot less overwhelming! But if you really like having a set schedule, would feel much more secure knowing where you're going to be at a given time on any given day, know where all your meals are coming from, etc., I highly recommend that you consider a packaged tour or travel agent rather than planning your own trip. It's totally possible to figure things out down to that level of detail on your own, but if you tend to get overwhelmed by options, it will be way easier to have somebody else work things out for you. You can also do some kind of packaged or pre-planned trip and then tack a couple of extra days on at the end to have to yourself and use that time as a kind of practice for planning a longer trip; that way you can feel secure in that the majority of the work is handled for you and you'll know what to expect for most of the trip, but can also get some

That said, I think the most important thing to understand when planning a trip is that it is NEVER going to be perfect. You are NEVER going to get to do all the things you were hoping to get to do. You are NEVER going to be able to get the absolute best deal on everything. You WILL screw up and get suckered by the expensive tourist-y option, you WILL accidentally schedule something such that you end up not having the time to visit $landmark that you were dying to see, you WILL end up having disappointing experiences as well as great ones.

I think the huge proliferation of travel information available has kind of created this illusion that if you're smart and determined enough you can plan the MOST ENJOYABLE vacation that is also the CHEAPEST and "MOST AUTHENTIC" while visiting the optimal locations, eating only at the tastiest restaurants, etc. etc. This is not true! Even ignoring that online reviews are lies and everyone's preferences differ so the "best" experiences may not actually be the best for you personally, there is literally nothing the internet can do to stop you from having a bad oyster at what should have been a perfectly safe restaurant and then spending the next day horking your guts up instead of visiting Extremely Photogenic Waterfall Paradise. You can't, from hundreds to thousands of miles away, figure out what the best things to do are in a place you've never set foot in. On the other hand, the best way to figure out a travel itinerary is to visit somewhere; after a few days there you will absolutely know whether you have any intention of ever returning and, if you do want to return, a whole big list of things you want to do/see next time.

So it's more important to pick SOMETHING and just get there than it is to pick THE BEST THING. You'll have plenty of opportunities to change your mind later if you decide you really don't like what you've landed on, too. What you really need is a set of reasonable defaults and rules of thumb to fall back on when you have an overwhelming number of choices. If you do a lot of traveling, you will learn what works for you and develop these pretty fast. If you're feeling a bit lost, I'm about to give you a whole big list of them, and hopefully that will help to get you travelling so you have the opportunity to learn what your own are and develop a routine that suits you.

Just remember that these are reasonable and defaults and specific to me. They're supposed to keep you from overoptimizing, from wandering around airline discount mailing lists fretting about whether you could save $300 on your ticket if you just looked at one more web site (spoiler no you can't, if you really love deal-hunting or are on a tight budget airline scrounging can really pay off but otherwise don't even worry about it). So if at any point you look at some advice I give and go "whaaaaat no that sounds terrible," that's great! It means you have a clear preference about something that happens to be different than mine, and you should go with what makes the most sense to YOU. These recommendations are intended as guidelines to follow if you're feeling a bit lost, not the be-all and end-all of travel advice.

Let's get started!

Know where you're going and when, but not sure how long you should stay? Congratulations, you're staying for a week. Your budget is $1200. If you're planning to go somewhere that will require you to fly more than six hours, your budget is instead $2000 to account for airfare. There's virtually nowhere on earth where those figures aren't going to cover you, for the vast majority of the globe they're downright extravagant, and if you happen to have chosen one of those places where they won't cover you, you'll KNOW.

Now, where to go in $country? You may have some vague ideas already. For example, if you haven't been to France before and you aren't going for some specific purpose, you're going to Paris. Just accept it. You're going to Paris. If the options aren't obvious to you, or you want a better sense of what's out there, go to Google Flights. It has the neat feature that you don't have to put in a specific destination to find flights. Put in your home airport and the country you'd like to go to and it will bring you to a page that displays the major air destinations in that country along with an approximate price for a round trip to each one. Take a look at the prices. If any of them make you go, "Mein GOTT!!" just at a glance, cross that destination off your list.

Even in a fairly large country, there probably aren't more than four or five cities with regular flights that look comfortable in your budget. That's great! Take your list of four or five, and if you aren't familiar with them, Google them. Look up their Wikipedia pages. Search "top 10 things to do in $city." Spend no more than twenty minutes on this. You're not trying to figure out an itinerary or get a fine-grained look at each place. You're trying to get a general impression: is this place your history-and-culture kind of city? Lazy beach getaway? Outdoor adventure paradise? I recommend looking up general climate/weather conditions for the month you expect to be there in as part of this exercise, because they can vary surprisingly widely within a country, and "miserable rain 24/7" is a great way to eliminate destinations from your list.

Now pick your top two cities based on what you feel like at the moment (e.g. low-key lying in the sun kind of vacation vs ALL THE NIGHTLIFE vs arts and culture, or a mix). You're flying into one and out of the other. (If there's one place that seems super interesting and you think you'd be amply entertained spending the whole week there, great! Two is just your maximum.)

Another of my rules is that I won't schedule fewer than three days in one place. Packing up and moving cities, even if it's just a quick half-hour hop, is a real hassle and eats up a surprising amount of time. Having to go through the whole rigamarole more frequently than once in three days is too exhausting for me to bother with. So, vacationing for a week, and you have to visit each place for at least three days, and there are two places. That means you're in one for four days and the other for three.

Based on the no more than five minutes of Googling you did on it, which of your two cities seems more interesting to you? Okay, you're going to that one for four days, and also first. Go back to Google flights and plug that in as your destination to get an actual flight list. Do the same, in another tab, for your return flight from city #2. Google Flights shows you a nice calendar with estimated prices on each day of the month. Pick a start/end date that seems reasonably on-budget and convenient to you and take a look at the actual flights.

I will not do flights with more than one connection. I will not do flights with less than an hour connecting time. I will not do flights that leave before 8 AM (it's often hard to find ways to get to the airport pre-6 AM), and I will not do flights that land after dark. Everywhere is just more difficult to navigate at night--consider if you have a picture of your hotel, which will inevitably have been taken in the day, and it will inevitably look nothing like that picture at night. So, no nighttime arrivals. Examine the flight list with these in mind. Go up or down a day if you can't find anything reasonable that fits those criteria, or whatever you may have for your own personal criteria. Pick a departure flight and a return flight that satisfy your constraints. Spend no more than another twenty minutes on this.

So you've got your destinations and your flights! The hardest part is now behind you. Next up is accommodation. As you can tell, Google Flights is my "reasonable default" for airline tickets. For lodging, my go-to is usually Hostelworld, although Googling "hostel $city" works perfectly fine. I'm guessing you might want to stay somewhere where you aren't going to have to worry about an unscrupulous roommate stealing your shoes, though, so I'd Google "hotel $city" instead. If you travel frequently enough you'll learn what booking sites you like or don't and come up with your own reasonable default; Google will do you well enough until then. Or, if you're comfortable with/excited by the idea of AirBNB, that makes a fine "reasonable default" hotel alternative.

Your budget should give you roughly $100 to spend a day, and you should expect lodging to represent roughly a third to 40% of that. This means you're going to be looking for something on the order of $30-$40 per night. In a lot of places, that's going to be a damn fine hotel! In a western European country, you're probably going to need to be tacking "budget" onto the front of that Google search. Nevertheless, don't panic if you can't find anywhere that seems like it doesn't contain axe murderers and giant rodents for under, say, $65 per night or so. All that means is you're probably going to have to spend a day availing yourself of your destination's lovely "free" or "under $10" attractions and eating food from the grocery store to make up the difference, which is about as "local" as it gets, so enjoy living like a citizen of $city for a day!

In any case, look at what's available in your price range. The primary deciding factor is going to be location. You need something easily accessible by public transportation. Even if you know for sure you want to rent a car and go out and do car-requiring things, you do not want to rent a car and then venture forth into a traffic system you've never experienced before in an unfamiliar city after being stuck in a cramped airplane seat for probably way too long. Be kind to yourself and pick the first reasonably-priced hotel option that is within 10 minutes' walk of a transit stop. You can figure out what hotels fall into this category by going to Google Maps, entering the name or address of the hotel, hitting "Directions," and then entering "subway stop" (or "bus stop," or whatever the primary mode of public transportation there is in the city--you can Google that if you need to).

Repeat this process for your second destination. That's your accommodation! You are now virtually done planning your trip! In fact, the only thing left is figuring out how to get from city A to city B. If you're going somewhere in Europe, I suggest the classic rail option. Anywhere else, because I'm a cheapskate, it's the bus. (And I'll even bus in Europe because, again, cheapskate.) In some countries you may need to take a flight, but I'd typically start with train or bus. This can get annoying if there are a lot of different bus/rail options, since unlike with planes there are few aggregator sites (and the ones that do exist suck), but it's at least a straightforward process: Google "bus city A city B" or "train city A city B" and have a look at that first page of search results. My rules for busing/training are generally the same as for flying, so take a look at your options and pick the first one that seems tolerable.

And you're done! If you haven't already, you can now make those flight and hotel reservations and perhaps even buy your $transit ticket to get you from one place to another.

You may have noticed, though, that you still have no idea what you're going to actually do in those places you settled on. Not a problem! This is the fun part, and you can enjoy picking stuff out at your leisure between now and whenever you're actually leaving on your trip. There is literally no place on earth that has a major airport and yet is so boring that you can't possibly keep yourself entertained for three days, so I guarantee you don't have to worry about finding things, provided you did your earlier mini-Google and therefore know that you didn't accidentally book yourself into jungle adventure city!!! when what you were really looking for was hang out at artsy cafes city.

Again, as you travel more, you'll figure out some reasonable default activities that will be available pretty much anywhere you'll go and that you can reliably fall back on if you're overwhelmed. Personally, I like to do a walking tour as close as possible to first thing, simply because they're a fantastic way to get oriented in a new place and to get an idea of places you'd like to come back to and explore more later, or additional places to check out beyond the tour's limits. As a bonus, they also tend to be pretty cheap. Knowing myself, I also know that there's probably going to be at least one museum and at least one hike/other outdoorsy kind of thing going on in those three days, so I know to direct my searches towards those specific areas. But if you don't have a strong sense of what you'd be into ahead of time, Googling "top things to do in $city" is a great place to start. There's no shame in doing the touristy things everyone else always does, especially on your first visit to a place where you're just trying to see what's out there--there's a reason they're super popular. All the same, don't feel like you have to do any of the big attractions because they're the big ones that you simply must do to properly experience a place or whatever--if you look at a description of something and can already tell you're going to hate it, or even if it inspires no more than a "meh" in you, I hereby give you full permission to skip it without feeling guilty.

My only major other tip is to limit yourself to only one thing per day. For people who can reliably spend less than four hours in a museum (...cough) this may be a bit stringent, so I will permit you to go up to two things per day if you think that only one sounds insane. But consider that the best way to figure out where you might want to go/what you want to see is to actually go to a place and get a sense for what's out there! If you come in with only one thing a day planned you will have the reassurance that you're not going to be sitting in your hotel twiddling your thumbs but will also have ample time to take advantage of cool opportunities that come your way. Also remember that you are not going to see all the things. Not even close. And at least for me there's a much greater chance of trying to do way too much and then having a crappier experience because I'm exhausted and don't actually have the time to enjoy all the different pieces of my itinerary than there is of going somewhere and being bored because I don't have enough to do. Things to do will be hurling themselves into your path all the time, for real. You don't have to worry about planning activities outside of making sure that if there's anything you're dying to see/do you make it a priority. Thus: one thing a day. Try it!

Also my final tip is that those "city passes" and whatever that give access to a huge long list of attractions for a "discount" are without exception a huge ripoff and invitation to huge burnout as you rush around trying to do six things in order to get your money's worth out of them. Finding the best deal on tickets to museums and whatever is another way to easily get sucked into an internet rabbit hole and it is just so not fucking worth it. Life is too short, pay the damn full price and don't worry about it, attraction costs are not what's going to break your budget, unless again you're doing one of a small number of very specific things, in which case you'll KNOW.

I hope you found that helpful! Let me know if you have any questions or want more specific advice about anything or any particular country. I can obviously ramble on about things for ages.

[meshugana1]

Could you turn me into an attractive maid? My friends keep making fun of me about how I'm single because of my looks, my shy and timid personality. Plus, I need a job to pay off a bunch of debts.

   My breath grew cold and heavy in my lungs like I had inhaled a block of ice. The center of the room felt like it was dangerous all of a sudden and every cell in my body screamed for me to avoid it. I couldn’t though, this was about personal growth. I wanted to slap myself but that would look really weird. Come on, come on, you can do this Jack. You’re the man, this is easy as pie. The scene played out before me. I had unconsciously crossed my arms as a woman asked a seated man about airfare to the Bermuda triangle. “What do ya want air rates for? We don’t even know if there’s no airports there anyway,” the travel agent said.“Well yes but ships always go missing in there,” she said.“Yeah, but we at least know there’s a couple docks so it’s probably safer.”“Probably? How often do ships go missing there?”“All the time. Every ship we send never comes back.” Come on Jack, jump in.“If no ships ever come back how does your company have such positive reviews?”“Well, no one’s come back to give us a bad one.” The crowd surrounding the pair chuckle and laugh, all but me. I’m still too nervous, a million lines and ideas are all competing in my head and it’s all too much. I’m sure a vein is throbbing somewhere in my head.

   “Hey man, I thought you said you’d get up there tonight? I’m bummed I didn’t get to see you freeze up in front of everybody,” Alan said. He was the lovable asshole that first suggested I come with him to his improve class to ‘break out of my shell’. I was perfectly fine in it, but it still got lonely. It was over nine years since my last girlfriend, and I’m not even sure how that one happened. “Sorry, I just got a little sidetracked thinking of what to say,” I said as I popped two Tylenol to squash the headache I gave myself. “That’s the fuckin problem dude, you don’t have to think in improve. You just do, ya know?” I didn’t know in fact. I can’t remember the last time I didn’t take a weekend off to plan out all the conversations I was going to have the following week. I was always just so scared of saying the wrong thing. “I’ll try better next time, I need to get to my night job or that dick boss of mine is gonna fire me.”“Ya know, I’ve heard you call him dick, asshole, fuckhead, motherfucker, cocksucker, pissant, and douce, but I don’t think I heard his name yet.”“Yeah, I may not like it but I really need the money. I have those student loans I took out remember?” This made Alan laugh, way harder than I thought was necessary. “Oh yeah, you were all set for a law degree and you got kicked out like the first day cause you called some woman ‘the most fuckable MILF you ever saw’.”“Yeah.”“And who did she turn out to be, again?”“The dean, alright? She was the dean.” Alan laughed so hard I thought he was actually choking. Part of me wished he would.

   I waited for Alan to recompose himself, he was the only one of us who could afford a car. I scanned the dimly lit hallway of the rec center. Looking for anything that could take my mind off my friend’s enjoyment of my situation. I saw a worn out cork board on the opposite wall lined with various ads. Better than listening to him choke on my misery. One said there was a snowmobile trailer in like new condition for sale, only $8500. Another advertised an old woman’s piano class, three times a week for only ten dollars a lesson. That was actually pretty good. A bright pink one hidden beneath a wanted poster from 1993 proclaimed the need for a groundskeeper at a country estate and offered to pay a hundred dollars an hour plus room and board. “What!?”

    A hundred friggin dollars an hour? I work a total eighteen hours a day between both my jobs and I barely bring home three hundred a week! “What’s wrong?” Alan said.“This lady want’s to pay someone a hundred dollars an hour to mow her lawn and stuff!”“No way, let me see,” Alan said grabbing the flyer from me. “Oh dude, that’s that old Haderly place like five miles outside town.”“So?”“Dude, she like a shut-in. But from what I hear she’s a total babe and makes all her money from doing cam shows online. No way you can work for a woman like that.”“Wow, I’m not used to hearing you so mature Alan.”“What? No, you can’t work for her cause you’re shy, short, and um, a homely guy. She’s not gonna want to hire you. She probably wants some super stud around to ogle at and get her in the mood. Sounds like a job for me!” Now it was my turn to laugh. He might have had a little nugget of a point, but he wasn’t exactly much better looking than me.“Don’t you dare. If anyone needs this job I do. You make plenty of money at your job.”“Not a hundred fucking dollars an hour. Don’t worry, when I’m loaded and she and I start dating we’ll let you live in the attic or something,” he said with a smile.

   It was an expensive Uber ride out to the property, but one hours wages from this lady would pay it back and more. It was early, the sunrise only just began to blind me as I walked down the path to the house. My fingers traced along the flyer as I walk, I would have called but there was no phone number on it, just this address. The air was so clean and filled with moisture I could hardly believe it. And the yard was nothing less than colossal. I had no idea there were even yards like this in the area. It looked like you had to measure it in acres. It took me nearly thirty minutes to walk it straight down the middle, no wonder the salary was so high, this was a full-time job. I was finally close enough to make out the detail on the ornate wooden doors when I saw another door at the side of the house open wide and a man stepped out. He was huge, built like a brick house and wore a really tight white shirt and jeans combo. He raised a Panama hat to his head and looked over the property with a steely gaze. Was this guy the lady’s husband? Not a second later did he reach back and grab a shovel and rake from the same doorway. Oh shit, was he a groundskeeper? Am I too late? Fuck, no wait. This place is huge, maybe she needs two? Oh please god need two, the ride back is gonna kill my wallet.

   The closer I get the more beautiful the house looks. This might actually be an old plantation home. That would make sense given the size of the yard. I can tell it’s solidly built as I step on the porch. Not a single creak or grown from the wood at all. I take a second before I knock on the door to check my appearance. My shirt is tucked, my shoes are clean, and my hair feels good. Ok, you’ve reversed this a hundred times since last night. Knock on the door, she answers. I say hello and offer a handshake, not too firm. We exchange names, I ask about the job. She asks my qualifications, can’t be too complicated for yard work. She either says yes or no, shake hands again and say thank you. Then I go home and wait for the call. Easy. I turn to knock on the door only find it already open, with a very beautiful woman laying against the doorframe.

   “And how can I help you young man?” she said. Her hair was a light brown color, accented with thin streaks of white. Her face looked beautiful despite light evidence of aging. He skin was still tight, but there was the odd wrinkle here and there. She wore a burgundy silk robe that failed completely at masking her impressive figure. Her hips made waves in her robe as they rested on the bawdy flesh. She looked like an ex-playboy bunny. “Young man? How can I help you?” she said. I hadn’t realized but her sudden appearance had thrown me off. “Oh, um, well,” I said. I fumbled with my hands trying to produce the slip for her. “I, well I was hoping that you could maybe hire me as a gardener. I mean the groundskeeper job,” oh god. I totally fucked this up. She had a questioning look on her face as she grabbed the flyer. “Well first off if you’re begging for a job you should probably lead with your name.”“Right, it’s Jack. I mean I’m Jack,” goddamnit Jack, you totally fucked up.“Thank you, Jack, my name is Irene Haderly. Secondly, I’m sorry to say that I filled that position over two years ago. This is just an old flyer, you probably already saw my groundskeeper, Samson, this morning. He’s more than enough for the property. What I really need right now is a maid. My last one quit about a month ago and it kills my knees cleaning this place by myself. So unless you want that job I can’t really help you.”

   I knew it was too good to be true. I never catch any breaks, I’m gonna be in debt for the rest of my goddamn life. But as she turned her back to me I felt this little ball of white-hot anger in my stomach grow. I was pissed at everything. My shitty apartment, my negative bank account, my stupid shyness, and it just sort of exploded. “Does the maid job pay just as well?!” I said. God, even angry I’m pathetic. But my whiny ejaculation seemed to peak her interest. “It does, actually. Even better, one-fifty an hour plus room and board. You would be expected to live here while you’re employed by me, and there is an appearance code that needs to be followed, are you up for that?” It was even better than I hoped, except for the appearance code. “Um, you’re not going to make me crossdress, are you?” Hell for that much money I wouldn’t even mind. “No, no. Nothing like that. You would, of course, need to sign an agreement, I lose maids so often I would just feel better if you made a commitment to working and living here. Would six months be alright with you?” Six months? At one-fifty an hour? With no expenses? “Could we make it a year? That sounds great!”

   I followed her inside and boy it looked awesome. It was the first time in my life I had an occasion to use the word opulence. I followed her down a naturally lit hallway, the sunlight blinding me on more than one occasion until we reached her office. She removed a simple looking brass key from her robe, it looked kinda heavy but I don’t remember seeing its outline in her clothing. “Now, other than tending to your duties, the only rule of the house is that you are never allowed in this office unless accompanied by me. Is that clear?”“Yes, ma’am.” That’s a pretty easy rule to follow. She handed me a fairly wordy looking piece of paper and told him where to sign. I had finally dotted the last I and crossed the last T, “Alright, ma’am, I think I’m done.” She smiled in a very loving way. “Perfect, now we just need to get your appearance up to snuff, follow me,” she said. This was the most nerve-wracking part. Was she actually going to make me crossdress? She said no but the thought was still chipping away at me.

   I was both happy and confused when she lead me instead of her closet to a side room in her office. It looked like a pantry filled with mason jars. It looked like they were filled with various spices, maybe she made her money with some artisanal spice company. But why bring me here? She looked like she carefully considered each jar, then she reached up and grabbed a small one and dumped the contents into her hand. She brought her hands together and rubbed the spice into her hands repeatedly. She brought her hands close to her mouth as she rubbed and it seemed like she was whispering into it. “Now, this is going to feel a little weird but don’t worry, it won’t hurt a bit.”

   What? She lifted her palm to my face and blew the dusty spice in my face before I could ask what she meant. I coughed violently as the powder flew down my throat and into my eyes. “What the hell was that!?” I said trying to rub the powder from my face, oddly enough though, she was right in that it didn’t hurt at all. “Sorry, I thought you read the contract? This was all explicitly stated.” I was about to tell her that nothing in there said anything about getting sand blown in my face, but all that came out was slurred speech. My knees were getting weak too. I didn’t feel any pain at all. But it was like I could feel the little bits of powder burrowing into my body. My vision got really fuzzy but I could feel everything so much clearer. I could feel really big, powerful hands grab my shoulder and cradle me in even more powerful arms. I knew we were walking but I didn’t know where until I was placed on a bed. It felt like little tacks all over my body just scratching the surface of my skin. It was heavenly.

   My whole body felt like the head of my dick when I masturbated. I tried to reach down for my cock but my whole body felt like jelly. Then after what felt like an eternity, it started to die down. I could finally feel how heavy I was breathing and it was like a had weights on my chest. My back was arched somewhat awkwardly too, but overall I just felt a bit out of sorts. My vision was still cloudy, like my contact lenses had fallen out. Without them, I could barely see a foot in front of my face, but I could make out the shapes of two people on the opposite side of the room. One was Ms. Haderly, but the other one took a little thinking before I could recognize Samson’s broad shoulders. “Finally awake I see, well good. You woke up a lot faster than some of the others.”“Woke up? Did you drug me or something? This isn’t some kinda kinky snuff thing you have right? Please tell me it’s not.”“Don’t be silly, you just had to be altered to fit the appearance requirement, and you turned out pretty great too If I do say so myself.” What was she talking about, turned out great? Oh shit, this was totally like the human centipede. In a moment of cinema-induced paranoia, I reached a hand behind me and, for a brief moment, fully expected to feel the face of some other poor guy who got caught in her trap. I did end up grabbing a lot more flesh than I usually did, but it wasn’t someone else’s face.

   It was my own ass, but it felt gigantic. My bottom was, at its apex, a boney little thing that only by the most generous definitions could be called an ass. This thing I had my hand digging into though, this was a real ass. It was curved, meaty, springy and pretty responsive to touch. I could feel the blood rushing all sorts of places as I fondled my way to understanding. Unconsciously my thighs rubbed together, and when they did I noticed a distinct lack of testicular pressure when I did that though. I wasn’t alone in the room but I really had to be sure. With my free hand I reach to my crotch I closed my eyes and uttered one last prayer and tried to grab my dick. Instead, my palm slaps into a flat, slick, cleft.

   I’m not some super macho guy, so being emasculated wasn’t exactly earth-shattering to me but who wouldn’t start freaking out after losing something so important? Other than my ass and my chest my body felt so light and wispy. I felt a rising nervous energy in my toes and I started bouncing on my heels. Ms. Haderly moved to my side quickly. “Now I know this is a shock, I would be pretty flustered too. But let me just explain what’s going on, okay? Samson, why don’t you leave us to some girl time?” He didn’t say anything as he turned around and left. I still teetered on the edge of a meltdown, but if she did this to me she was the only one who could undo it. So I just listened.

   “You have probably guessed already but I’m something like a witch. And you may not believe me but this was all spelled out in that contract, and I wasn’t kidding about the pay scale. Every hour you live here you’ll make one-hundred and fifty dollars, now a young guy like you probably needs cash like that. And this is only for a year. Now do the math, 24 hours a day at one-fifty an hour, you’ll be a millionaire by then.” That stopped me in my tracks. That was so much money it was crazy. “Why do I have to be a girl though?” “That’s just the way the magic works. Aside from the looks, which are much improved by the way, it also comes with the knowledge of how to execute your duties. That and, well let’s just say the job comes with some really great benefits,” she said. Her nails glided along my thigh, and her hand reached and grabbed what I assumed to be one of my breasts. I hope that’s what it was because I still couldn’t see well, and they felt amazing to be held. She moved in closer and kissed me. Her much larger chest pressed into mine and her tongue darted around my mouth. When she separated I didn’t need my glasses to make out the sultry face she was giving me as she licked her lips. “So, what do you think?”

   She led me to my room a half an hour later, it was towards the front of the house on its left side. The room was directly beside Samson’s it seemed. When I stepped in, from what little I could make out, it was huge. It looked bigger than my crappy studio by three times. She guided me over to a bed and for a second I thought we were going to resume what she started upstairs, but instead, she told me to get dressed and start going through the list of chores. I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised by the uniform she wanted me to wear. It looked like a sexy french maid’s costume, but the thing I was excited about was the glasses on top of the pile of silky clothes. I wasted no time or thought in putting them on, and oddly enough they were my exact prescription. The room instantly became clear and I took in its full rustic splendor. A room like this in the city would cost no less than six thousand a month, and it was mine for just the cost of my cock and balls.

   I was nervous as I crept into the hallway in my new uniform, but not nearly as much as I expected or was accustomed to. This was the most flesh I had ever had exposed while still being dressed. My legs were encased in the thinnest white fabric stockings I could have imagined. The air passed right through and stroked my legs as if they were naked. My heels actually confused me in his easy I took to walking in them. They were over five inches tall, and at first glance, I had no idea how I could walk in them without undergoing training. But as my feet slipped into them it felt just like riding a bicycle, and not once did I even buckle in the slightest. The bra and panties went on in much the same way, but the feel of the silk underwear still caused a blush across my body. They were tight and the panties clung to my new sex, creating a slight camel toe. The bra seemed like it was intended to make my, really rather impressive, chest pop and call attention to itself. There I stood, dressed only in my new underwear and heels, like a lot of porn I had watched, with a chest that begged to be touched. I really wanted to, like really really. But Ms. Haderly had given me a list of chores to get to, and if she could do this to me to help my work go easier, then I really didn’t want to picture what she could do when she was mad.

   My incredibly short skirt bounced as I walked the halls and cleaned the rooms, with a feather duster no less. The house was kept mostly immaculate and only required light upkeep. Still, the house was large and the sun was setting by the time I had finished. I had been required to make Ms. Haderly both lunch and dinner, now I hadn’t made much more than Kraft mac n’ cheese for the last few years, but as I entered the kitchen I flitted about like a master chef. Before I knew it I had made her a hearty seafood salad for lunch, and that evening I made her a two-course meal, a simple Caprese salad and a roast beef for the main course. She even praised the meal, saying it was simply delicious. I had no idea magic could make someone so effective at something so complicated.

   Not only the cooking was different, but I seemed to have an intimate knowledge of the layout of the house, and my own timetable, and well…I seemed to just do everything in the sexiest possible way. I don’t think I ever bent my knees once the whole day, always at the waist and displaying my round ass to whoever was lucky enough to be behind me. My walk was punctuated with a side to side thrust of my hips with every step. Whenever I was in Ms. Haderly’s presence I always had my hands clasped in front of my stomach, which squeezed my breasts together making them look even larger. Honestly, I didn’t mind as much as I would’ve as a guy. I wasn’t good looking, not hardly, but now I was hot. Like really hot, and I kinda loved flaunting it. The sun was finally gone and as I returned to my sizable room, I ran into the groundskeeper Samson as he returned to his.

   I had never actually been introduced to him. A few times I saw him through the windows as I cleaned them, he mostly didn’t wear a shirt all day. That was concerning me. Normally I would be jealous of his intense physical fitness, he was as big as Schwarzenegger and as toned as Bruce Lee. I was jealous that I didn’t have his body, just not in the way I normally would be. He still didn’t have a shirt on and his body glistened with sweat and his tanned chest and face were planted with small, light patches of dirt and dust. “Oh, nice to see you awake. I’m Samson. So I guess you’re staying then?” he says. His rock solid arm reaches up and rubs the back of his neck. His body is so toned I can see each individual muscle move when he shifts his weight. “Y..yeah, it’s really good money, ya know?” My thighs rubbed together absentmindedly, feeling much hotter than I thought they should. “Yeah, that’s what drew me here a few years ago. What was your name again?” he said.“It’s Jack, but you can call me Jaclyn if you think it sounds better,” I said, blushing harder than I had for a long time. “That’s a pretty name, suits you much better now. It’ll take some getting used to though believe me,” he said.“Wait, did she…?” I said.“Yup, two years ago. My name was Samantha, if you can believe it,” he said. I very easily could. I moved my hands behind my back and took a few steps forward, hips rolling with each step. “So, did she change everything on you too?”

   Not five minutes later I was thrown on my bed as he used his powerful muscles to strip me bare. I undid his denim jeans with my teeth and his hard cock slapped against my face, the heat of his solid manhood made my glasses fog up. We were just about to get into it when we heard a that clear near the door. It was Ms. Haderly, dressed in the same robe from this morning. I was horny as hell but nervous, terrified I had broken some unknown rule. “You naughty, little servants should know better. You need to wait for your mistress before getting started.” She stepped forward and her robe slid off revealing her still tight and erotic naked body. She joined me on the bed and began to lick and tease Samson’s cock. Her hand was pawing at my supple ass. It was then that I had made up my mind, this was the best job ever.

The end. Hope Y’all like it!

[bangkokjacknews]

Wealthy Thais head overseas for VACCINE SHOT

Coronavirus vaccines are hard to get in Thailand, so the wealthy are heading on overseas jab tours

Wealthy Thai people are flying overseas for their COVID-19 shots, saying they do not want to delay getting vaccinated and do not trust the vaccines on offer in Thailand. Their choice to spend thousands of dollars getting the jab abroad comes as people across the rest of the country try to navigate what some have described as a "chaotic" vaccination program rollout. After a slow start and a confusing registration process, thousands of appointments had to be postponed because doses had not arrived in time. At the same time, Thailand is in the middle of its third and most severe wave of the virus, with more than 3,000 new infections reported every day, including the new Delta variant. Popular Thai language tutor and TV host Jakkrit Yompayorm recently returned from a trip to the United States to get two doses of Pfizer. "I know that  vaccine is good for me and for everyone, so I wanted to get vaccinated, and I don't know how long I  to wait if I stayed in Thailand," the 32-year-old told the ABC. "I'm not confident in the quality of Sinovac, so I wanted to get the vaccine that could make me confident."

Jakkrit Yompayorm spent $4,200 to travel to the US from Thailand for two doses of Pfizer. (ABC News: Mazoe Ford) Mr Yompayorm said he booked an appointment at a Walmart pharmacy before he left Thailand and already had a visa for the US. The vaccine was free but he spent about $4,200 on airfares and other travel-related expenses, including two weeks in hotel quarantine on the way back into Thailand.

Jakkrit was willing to pay up for a trip to the US to get the Pfizer shot because he was unsure about the effectiveness of Sinovac. (YouTube) Mr Yompayorm said he felt lucky that he could afford to go to the US for his vaccination. "It is a choice that I can choose, I think if you have enough money you can go and get vaccinated in the US, but actually I think the  government should provide a good vaccine for everyone," Mr Yompayorm said. "The main reason I made the decision to go to the US is that I want to be safe." Travel agents offer 'vaccine vacations' Some Thai travel agents whose businesses all but dried up when the pandemic shut down most overseas travel had been trying to cash in, offering so-called 'vaccine vacations' to the United States. Packages include visits to tourist sites as well as a pharmacy to get vaccinated, with the length and cost of tours depending on how long a gap there is between the first and second shots. Rachpol Yamsaeng, from Bangkok-based travel company Unithai Trip, said that when he and his business partner travelled to the US a couple of months ago they learned that "even tourists" could get a jab, so they decided to try. "We didn't believe it … but we tried anyway, and we got in the queue in two days," Mr Yamsaeng, 32, told the ABC. "I walked in and got the jab. I was shocked. I thought it was a fluke."

Rachpol Yamsaeng got the idea for jab tours when he was in the US and discovered foreigners could be vaccinated for free. (YouTube) Mr Yamsaeng said when his company first started advertising the tours, it received "hundreds of thousands of calls". As people then worked out the cost and practicalities, including getting a visa and spending two weeks in hotel quarantine in Thailand, demand eased. "They do need to have money, but money is not enough. They need to have time as well because of quarantine on the way back," he said. Even so, he said he had booked vaccine tour packages for several dozen people who did not want to wait for their turn in Thailand or had doubts about the vaccines on offer.

Thai tourism companies are offering 'vaccine vacations' to those who can afford it. (Supplied:  Unithai Trip) He said some people were spending as much as $8,300 to go on one of his tours. "Whatever it takes, they want to get the jabs  and at least they can feel more relaxed living in Bangkok ," Mr Yamsaeng said. As well as America, well-heeled Thais are also heading to Russia and Serbia for vaccinations. Some have flaunted their privileged travels online, much to the disgust of ordinary Thais — especially those who have lost loved ones or their livelihoods during the pandemic. For those living below the poverty line in crowded slums and construction camps who have seen large outbreaks of COVID-19, the thought of travelling overseas for a vaccine is unfathomable. Thailand is considered to be one of the most unequal societies in the world, with a 2021 report by Credit Suisse showing just 1 per cent of the population owned more than 40 per cent of the country's wealth. Ordinary Thais try to navigate 'chaotic' system at home The easy pharmacy jab with a fun-filled US holiday is a far cry from the shambolic vaccination program most Thai people have been trying to register for. So far 8 million people in Thailand have been received one jab — just over 10 per cent of the population. About 3 per cent are fully vaccinated, according to Johns Hopkins University. The government started with healthcare workers and vulnerable communities in March using the Chinese-made Sinovac product. The widespread rollout began in early June, primarily using AstraZeneca doses produced locally by a company owned by Thailand's King.

Vaccination centres have been set up within train stations and shopping centres in Thailand. Large, well-organised vaccination centres have been set up at train stations, shopping centres, sporting stadiums and airports to speed up the rollout, but booking an appointment has been confusing and complicated. An early plan to allow walk-in vaccinations was overruled by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha after it was announced, while a mobile phone app to book appointments crashed on day one then cancelled appointments without notification. Hospitals began taking bookings based on the number of vaccines they were allocated by the Ministry of Health, but more than 20 facilities in Bangkok had to postpone appointments when doses did not arrive in time. One of the people affected by the delays in Bangkok was 85-year-old Sawad Kamwaboon.

It has been stressful for Sirima Kamwaboon (left) to arrange a vaccine for her 85-year-old dad, Sawad Kamwaboon. (ABC News: Mazoe Ford) His daughter Sirima Kamwaboon, 46, said that after she registered her elderly father for an appointment through the app the first available date was not for another month. Then the day before they were due to go to their local hospital for Mr Kamwaboon's first dose his appointment was cancelled with no explanation and no replacement date offered. Ms Kamwaboon heard she could register her father again at a major vaccine hub at a train station on the other side of Bangkok to where they lived. "I tried to call to register and it was so difficult to get through but I got an appointment in the end," Ms Kamwaboon said. "But I had to come here, there was such heavy traffic, so many people, it was difficult to travel here, it is far from home. My dad is very old and he is tired from travelling."

Sawad Kamwaboon finally got his jab after weeks of trying to secure an appointment. (ABC News: Mazoe Ford) Ms Kanwaboon said she did not know how elderly people without children or a carer to help them would be able to work out the "chaotic" system. "It is frustrating," she said. Thai Prime Minister apologises for delays Thailand's Prime Minister has apologised for delays in vaccinations and said he had instructed the relevant government agencies to sort them out. "I am the top executive in this war against COVID," Mr Prayuth said. "I must apologise for the problems that have happened and I take all the responsibility." Despite the hiccups, the government says its plan to inoculate about 70 per cent of the population by the end of the year remains on track. Mr Yamsaeng said he was glad to see vaccines now rolling out across Thailand, even if the jab tours have provided his business with a much-needed shot in the arm. "It is good. I am glad. Even though I am selling tour packages, I don't wish vaccines to come slowly," he said. "If many Thais got the vaccine and the country reopened to both inbound and outbound then my business can come back again." - abc.net.au Read the full article

[notalwaysontime]

Video Bootleg Guide

This is everything you need to know about The Release of new Video Boots, both before and after you get them, and information about how it all goes down for those who are confused about it, thus making them get very upset when a new one comes out and they can’t get it. A little understanding goes a long way.

I Apologize in advance for the length of this, but I wanted to include explanations not just dos and don’ts, because I know when I understand WHY, I’m more likely to remember and comply.

There’s been a lot of issues about the releases of new video bootlegs lately. And almost all the issues stem from people who jump into it without actually knowing or taking the time to find out how the whole process works. Beyond NFT Date confusion and the reason you buy it in the first place, which gets talked about endlessly, There are more things that come up that people don’t seem to realize it’s not ok to do, or could be damaging, also how to go about actually buying the bootlegs so here’s everything you need to know.

One thing to remember about this is that IT. IS. NOT. LEGAL. This is not an activity that should be splashed around all over the place. You really should not be openly advertising and shouting it from the rooftops. There should not be a hundred posts in a show’s tag saying things like “THERE”S A NEW _______ BOOTLEG OMG SOMEONE GET IT! WHO”S THE MASTER? WHERE DO I GET IT??????” Like a little subtly guys, seriously, keep this shit on the down low. You all really suck at treating this for what it is. If you’re gonna buy drugs, you’re not gonna yell out on the street “YO! THIS GUY HAS WEED COME BUY IT FROM HIM OVER HERE.” Or “EVERYONE LOOK I HAVE WEED, WHO WANTS SOME!?” A little discretion goes a long way, and understand that if you have none, you’re less likely to actually get answers from people when you have questions because the people who know what’s up won’t feel like they can trust you. I understand excitment. BE EXCITED! Just don’t throw all that excitement up in public posts.

Bootleg Releases/Buying the Videos

* Most masters have a mailing list you can get on, but they also announce their releases elsewhere. Do not expect people to just tell you who they are out in the open though. We protect the masters AT ALL COSTS, and honestly, most of what follows here is for that very protection. They risk A LOT so we can have these videos, and in return, the least we can do is protect them as best we can. That means private messages/emails/etc, not public (and as mentioned above, if it seems clear that you have no desire to respect, don’t expect to actually be given the information.)

* One big no no that’s been happening more and more lately is releasing masters’ screen caps. In the initial releases, masters will provide you with screen caps so that you can judge the quality of the video for yourself, and decide if you want to buy it or not if the quality matters to you. (It doesn’t to me so I almost never look at them, but some people it does). These caps are NOT for you to post. Like stop doing that. Remember what I said about protecting the master at all costs? Posting these is the opposite of that. It draws attention to them and the fact that this video exists and since it’s a new release it’s a hell of a lot easier to find than say one that’s been out for years. Do NOT underestimate Tumblr’s reach. People in the business have been catching wise to its existence for a long time now. You know that little show doing it’s Pre-Broadway run in Denver? A TON of stuff on Tumblr has been flagged by the people in charge of that show and taken down by Tumblr for violation. INCLUDING THE SCREEN CAPS FROM THE BOOT THAT SOMEONE POSTED. You know what that means? It means they knew it existed within days of it being filmed. That is not good. So please, I know you want to share them, I know you’re excited, but do NOT post these screen caps, share them privately, but do not post them.

* Before you contact the master, read all the information in their release posts, if any of their minimal guidelines are ones you cannot comply with, don’t contact them, it’s that simple. Wait for the NFT Date at that point. If it’s a solvable problem, ask someone else for help, but do not bother them with this extra burden, they have enough to deal with. (Ex. One master makes it clear they only take bitcoin, so if you cannot pay that way, do not waste their time. Either that, or find someone who can help you learn how to, or figure out how to pay them that way BEFORE you send an email)

* Masters are not quick to respond. They just aren’t. They have a lot of people contacting them, a lot of information to keep straight (not to mention they have jobs and lives). Email them once. THEY WILL GET BACK TO YOU. It can take 1-2 weeks to get an initial response about payment information. And once payment is made it can take another 1-2 weeks to actually receive the video. I usually don’t expect to have the DVD or link in hand until a month after I send my initial email.

* Every master is quite clear about their payment information and how they want things done, the directions are simple, so follow them to make their lives easier, because again, they have a lot to keep track of.

* It’s been said to death, but the reason we pay is to help them cover the expensive costs of getting us bootlegs in the first place. Its the least we can do since they risk so much for us. (Costs include, but are not limited to, Airfare, hotels, tickets to the shows, and filming equipment too. I know that once in a while, they like to buy new cameras so that the quality we get is better. That shit is expensive. Notice how amazing some of the more recent boots are? That’s because they have great equipment, and people who actually bought their videos from these masters helped them get that equipment.) Everything you pay these people gets put right back out FOR YOU. They don’t just profit and put it in their pocket, they use it to get more and more videos. Helping them helps you.

********* One MAJOR don’t that I’ve seen on the rise lately, and rest assured, continuation of this practice WILL make masters just decide to stop releasing videos, is this growing trend of “well the video is $20, so if we get 10-20 of us together we’ll only have to pay $1-2!!” STOP IT. STOP IT. STOP IT. Literally this is the worst, it is just as bad as releasing the video before the NFT date (more info on that below), its disrespectful and just rude. You bought ONE copy. If you have 10-20 pitch in, only ONE of you gets the video until the NFT date which hey, if that’s how you want to do it, that’s no skin off my nose, but that’s not what happens. You buy ONE copy between 20 of you, and then 20 copies exist where only one should. If you don’t have the $20 yourself, THEN WAIT. One of the perks of helping the master out is that you get the video 3-4 months before anyone else. Pay your fair share and give them a hand. It’s an insult to the risks they take when you’re a cheap ass like that. Do you go to Starbucks a few times a week?  Skip a visit each week and put that money in a jar, or ask anyone if there’s odd jobs they need help with for $5. Save it up, then when a video is released that you are DYING to have, you’ll have the money to pay for it. If it means as much to you as some of you say, you can find a way to do it, $20 really isn’t that much, YOU CAN DO IT! And if you truly can’t, I promise the wait time between then and the NFT date isn’t so bad, especially when you factor in the fact that you’ll be waiting one of those months anyway, even if you buy, like I mentioned above.

Getting the Video

So, You’ve Received Your Video, now what? Well first off, ENJOY IT! Watch it, laugh, cry, flail, watch it again, die, etc! I mean that’s what they’re here for! But after that, there are still some rules that need to be followed.

* Screen Caps and gifs, see the above point about the masters’ screen caps. It’s just not a good idea, and you really should stop. I know you want to gif and show off and have your favorite moments on a loop, but remember, these are still super new, it’s dangerous to bring this kind of attention to them. (Say it with me kids: PROTECT THE MASTER AT ALL COSTS!) The newer a bootleg is, the more dangerous it is. Old bootlegs, even ones that are just a couple years old don’t draw as much attention, and are a lot harder to track down the origins of them, so gifs don’t hurt anything, but one where maybe only a handful of people own it? Well that’s not hard at all. A good rule of thumb is if the NFT Date has not passed, keep the video, in it’s entirety to yourself. Make gifs to your heart’s content, but save them for the day that date passes.

* One thing master’s make very clear is never to upload their videos, but it keeps happening, and it’s another issue causing trouble. (Once again for the people in the back: PROTECT THE MASTERS AT ALL COSTS) Youtube is the least stealthy site there is, EVERYONE is on youtube. My mom who can’t ever remember the web address for it is on youtube, and I don’t care what “clever” name you think you gave it, it’s not hidden. I accidentally found a TROVE of NFT videos uploaded to youtube within about 5 minutes of being on the site. I wasn’t even trying and they popped up in the sidebar of a video I was watching. They get found. There is a reason the master’s request this so STOP uploading them! If you want to share the video when the date passes, upload it to a site like mega or mediafire, make them download it, but stop making them publicly streamable. (Do not even get me started on the existence of stage dork, like seriously guys? That site is just irresponsible. Remember, ILLEGAL activity here.)

* Also, come on, use your heads, never post your upload link publicly. I cannot stress enough that this shit needs to be kept on the down low. (Audios are illegal too, yes, but they honestly aren’t as big a deal as the videos.)

* NFT (Not for Trade) Until Dates - These are the BIGGEST thing you need to adhere to. Making the video NFT Until a certain date give the master not only the ability to make a little money from the people who have to have it RIGHT NOW and can’t wait, to cover their enormous costs, but it also protects them (Ok, you know the motto by now.) It keeps the video private until usually around 6-9 months after it was initially filmed and also gives it some distance from them as the filmer. When it starts circulating widely at that point it’s old enough that it doesn’t feel like such an immediate threat. Now, while trade may be in the name, it goes beyond and implies (and masters also state) no gifting til that day either. If a master sells 20 copies of a video, only 20 should exist until that date.

* Twitter and instagram - Guys, NEVER. EVER. EVER. Tweet or tag or whatever a bootleg or a screen cap of a bootleg or a gif or video clip to an actor. Just don’t. MOST get pissed, most hate them. It’s just safer for EVERYONE that you don’t. (Never forget the time someone even just accidentally tweeted a clip to someone (I can’t remember who), but they didn’t know it was a bootleg and the person was cleary mad. So like don’t do it on purpose. Some won’t mind, but it’s not worth the risk, It’s a slippery slope, so just assume that if you do this, the wrath of Patti LuPone will come down on you like the fire of a thousand suns. It’s not safe for you.

Other Stuff

* If you decided to wait for the NFT Date to pass, have some patience. The amount of posts I saw downright DEMANDING, the Bandstand video the SECOND the NFT date passed was disgusting, especially since all the people making said posts were outright expecting people to just give them the video. If Someone has intentions to gift a newly available bootleg, they will. But being rude about it won’t get you anywhere, and it’ll just piss people off. Also understand that newly available videos, for most people, are not things they gift, because remember, they paid actual money for it, so they’d like to get a little return on their investment in the form of other shows. (This is how, for the record, I grew my collection to the size it is. A friend started me off with a generous amount of gifts and I thank god for her every day because I was new and desperate and I saw the promised land on her trading site. After that I started buying the new videos and when the dates passed, I had things people wanted, so I was able to trade them for the videos I wanted. Also for the new videos I decided I didn’t want to spend money on.) So what I’m saying is, be on the look out for someone hinting that they have it for gift but you can’t always expect that.

* I get just waiting for a gift of a video if you only want a couple show bootlegs, but for some of you, who say bootlegs are your life and all you have, but who are still expecting everything to be gifted to them, you should really look into, and consider trading. Your life will be a whole lot easier, and honestly its not that hard. Look for people who give gifts, email people with large sites politely with a few wants and ask if they mind helping a new guy out (hint: The older the requests, the more likely they will be to gift it, things that are 5 years or so old, I’m pretty much guaranteed to pass it along.) Things you get might be common, but not everyone has them. THere’s a lot of common videos I don’t have, and when someone is new, I will try my best to pick something I don’t have out from their list. I was new at a time too, people showed me kindness, so I pass it along. It took me  no time, and just a little effort to grow my list to the behemoth I have now and I’m a happy girl. Also, trade people for things you might not want, necessarily, because someone else who has something you want might just want that video you weren’t interested in. It works, trust me!

* Video bootlegs are not super common, most shows will only get one, MAYBE two. Anything beyond that is lucky. (Wicked is the anomaly, and to a slightly lesson degree, Legally Blonde) If a new video comes out you’ll know, but your wasting your time if you go around saying things like “Someone film _____ tonight Becasue ________” Filmers don’t take requests, deciding to go and film takes planning. They’ll film what shows they want when they want, and there’s only about 5 of them so don’t expect that it’ll happen on a whim, and really the odds that some random person will A) just decide to film the show and b) that they’ll do it well and not get caught if they do, are slim to none.

And ok, it’s nearly 830 am and I’ve yet to sleep, so I think that’s everything and remember kids be kind to one another.

Also if anyone has anything that they feel needs to be added, or that I did not touch on, message me or comment on the post and I’ll edit!

[olwog]

So Boys and Girls, Today we’ll learn about cheap flights to Venice, how bad things can sometimes happen in more than threes, how beautiful this city really is and how to set off the security alarms in an airport.

The Pilgrim has been busy on T’internet and has a proposal.

“Fancy a run to Venice?”, she asks. “Do dickie birds fly and fish swim?”, was my reply.

It’s fifty quid apiece for the airfares and a little over that per-night for an AirBnB apartment in the heart of the town about five minutes from Rialto Bridge.

In the intervening time there has been a flurry of activity around the Passport Office in Durham which turned into an away-day holiday on the train and included a wonderful walk around the city followed by a gentle meander around the Cathedral. All very pleasant and I have to say the people at the Passport Office were charm and efficiency itself. My high tech passport had got a poorly chip and forgotten the colour of my eyes or shape of my retina or some such thing. You might say no big deal but it did result in me getting ‘special treatment’ on each trip away this year whilst the Pilgrim and the other travellers, presumably including terrorists, got to be fast tracked through the automatic barriers. I never got the thrill of the rubber gloves but the threat was always there!

Anyway, it’s three thirty in the morning and I’m having a coffee, the Pilgrim joins me at about quarter to four and by four o’clock we’re carefully removing the nearside mirror from the car by virtue of a stone gatepost; no matter, we’re going on holiday.

We’re not out of town yet and I realise I’ve left three hundred euros but decide not to return as I can use them when I’m in Nice in another month.

We’re on our way to Leeds/Bradford where it is chaotic. Staff are, as alway, cheerful and respectful but the airport itself seems to have outgrown its capacity. I know that in another two or three hours we’ll be in the sunshine but the morning hasn’t started well.

We eventually board the ‘plane and then begin counts and re-counts followed by threats to remove the luggage of some unpronounceable individual who, it would seem, has dematerialised during the short trip between check-in and the flight. After several more re-counts and a walk down the aisle with a clip board the threat is carried out. It’s really is stacking up to be ‘one of those days’!

So, we’re a little late but at least we’re off, short of the aeroplane falling out of the sky we’ll be there in two hours; it doesn’t and we are.

Carefree now, we board a bus that takes us about 50 metres to the door to the terminal whilst those that haven’t boarded the bus arrive just a little before us having walked – but it’s Italy and that’s OK.

We’re just about to go through passport control and I’m looking forward to testing my new chip but this is all manual so It’ll remain untested until our return. Then there’s an ‘oh shit’ moment as the Pilgrim realises she’s left her bag in the care of Ryanair on the ‘plane. “Well, pluck me with a feather”, says she (Well it was something like that) and makes a return to said ‘plane with considerable haste. I’m thinking that the morning started poor and has gone steadily gone down hill when the Pilgrim’s good intentions turn to bad as she sets off the airport security alarms whilst making her illegal exit to the tarmac. After a brief explanation and a thorough check of her passport by the officials who clearly believe her to be a threat to national security we’re reunited at the bag drop where both my hold baggage and her cabin back have made a miraculous appearance.

We exit the secure area into the arrivals hall and start the process of hunt the email that proves we have a ticket for the transfer from Treviso Airport to Venice itself and it seems to have done a runner. After several searches of the ‘phone and some sage advice from the help desk where the mere mention of Ryanair and a transfer into town brings a rye smile and a toss of the head in a John Mcenroe “You cannot be serious” kind of way. She points us to the ticket office at the other end of the hall where I’d already had some advice and thankfully they are well on the ball and hand a list of names to the Pilgrim to identify herself. That done and tickets exchanged we’re on the bus. All’s well that ends well; however, we still haven’t connected with Sandra who owns the apartment that we ‘might’ be staying in for the next four days. I’ve seen the trail of texts and emails on the Pilgrim’s ‘phone where she’s made every effort to respond both timely and in appropriate detail; however, Sandra’s replies have been inconsistent and efforts to ring her ‘phone have been unsuccessful. It’s quite important that we meet as she’ll be showing us where it is, letting us in and handing over the key, well that’s the plan.

Hopes are raised as the Pilgrim receives a call from Sandra, a lovely Welsh lady from Swansea and our contact for the apartment; no, this is a huge coincidence, the name is correct, we are wanting to talk to Sandra but not about solar panels, I think I’d have told her to piss off but the Pilgrim is made of sterner stuff and is rather more polite.

Back to the challenge in hand, we’d really, really like to be able to pick up those keys today. There’s some light hearted conversation about the scenery and a comment about what nice weather we’re having, then, about half an hour in and some WhatsApp activity there are smiles as contact is made. Sandra prefers the use of WhatsApp but had clearly forgotten to mention it.

So, we exit the coach at the bus stop, buy a hat, nice paper straw one made in China, buy a couple of three day tickets for all public transport a snip at 40 euros each, we activate them ready for our first canal excursion with the intention of meeting Sandra near the Travalex, she’ll be sporting a red rose and wearing a green scarf (OK the last part may include embellishment but the Travelex bit is true).

The journey along the canal is spectacular and the sky is unbroken sunshine, what’s not to like.

We disembark at Rialto and, whilst there’s no soft focus shot or slow motion approach we’re still quite glad that Sandra is really real and not a digital assistant living in a virtual world. We do the continental kissing bit, elaborate and on both cheeks and then she welcomes us to Venice.

The apartment is situated no more than 10 minutes from anything but only 5 minutes from Rialto Bridge so it’s central with a big ‘C’. It can be found, with a bit of patience, along a labyrinth of very narrow streets and if you have Google Maps on your ‘phone is dead easy to find, without it you need a Geographer!

Sandra is very patient and spends over an hour advising us of restaurants, cafes, sights to see and towers to climb to see magnificent views – and magnificent views there are aplenty!

After Sandra’s exhaustive and exhausting introduction we make our way back to Rialto Bridge and board the vaporetto to… well it could have been anywhere because you just can’t make a bad choice. We end up at Piazza San Marco where the Campanile di San Marco dominates the square and you can pay 8 euros for a coffee then be chased along the street for another 15 euros for the entertainment that just happens to be playing adjacent to where you’re sitting. We’d been warned (thanks Anne) so we make every effort to enjoy the square then make our way to a cafe with rather less eye watering intent but equally good coffee.

The return involves snaking our way along some of the narrowest and cleanest passageways that oozed safety. In fact I’ve never been to a city that’s felt this safe and hope that it’s not built on a false premise.

At ten to nine the sun goes down and at nine it’s dark and we pass a kind of courtyard that’s lit by coloured lights and there is one table ideally placed at the outer edge of the clutter that’s been recently vacated. It whispers an invitation that we accept with gratitude and the waiter immediately responds with a cloth to wipe it down and take our drinks order.

This is such a good place, there is no thoroughfare of people wandering past and knocking the chairs and tables. The lights are subdued but not dingy. The waiter is attentive and knowledgeable and the food is divine. An hour and half later we’re well fed, a little mellow and ready for bed and here’s the bonus, we’re only five minutes from our temporary Home.

How to describe Venice? Well. The Pilgrim summed it up where quoting someone else’s quote; ‘Venice cannot be compared with anywhere else but Venice. I couldn’t know that now but I will do when I leave.

We walked and floated on our second day around the City taking in vaporettos, bridges, churches and more canals. During the day there are crowds, and these are challenging on the vaporettos but it’s no real issue as we’re only on them for one or two stops and the staff are super efficient shouting commands first in Italian then in English. Everywhere we go we’re looked after by smiling locals who live either here on the main island or make a short commute from one of the islands.

There is evidence of the greatness of Venice everywhere. It was founded in the 5th century and became a dominant region for trade linking Europe, Africa and because of the sea links the far east and Asia. It’s had a number of titles but all of them include the word Venice. My favourite that is still appropriate today is Serenìsima Repùblica Vèneta which means the Serene Republic Of Venice. There is little traffic noise because there are no roads. There is some minor engine noise from the various boats but not intrusive. The noise of people talking to each other is clear and occasionally there’ll be locals shouting to each other in Italian as they toss merchandise, sometimes in huge and unfeasibly heavy packs off working boats from canal to shore and always with a twinkle in the eye and a captivating smile often accompanied with a baritone laugh.

The streets, paths and passageways are narrow and always have a bridge as they criss cross the canals. The labyrinth is intimidating to start with then, as I begin to appreciate how small the city is, it becomes irrelevant. I’m also accompanied by own Geographer/Map Reader with an unerring sense of direction in the form of the Pilgrim who seems to have memorised areas of the city and the means of getting between them.

Going back to the Serenìsima Repùblica Vèneta, there was an unofficial referendum in 2014. It was claimed there were 2.34 million votes cast and the result was that the Serene Republic of Venice should be re-established and it would accede to the EU, adopt the Euro and join NATO. It was all non-binding of course but it is an indicator of the pride of the people in their region. Their sole purpose in life is to show us their city and make it an amazing experience into the bargain, well that’s my take on it anyway!

It did enjoy a period of about a thousand years as a sovereign state from the ninth century during which time the focus was almost exclusively trade although they did indulge in a bit of fighting along the coast with a navy that was not to be ‘messed with’.

There is evidence of great men in the form of statues to saints and sinner alike. Vivaldi is prominent together with Marco Polo and there are exhibitions and more statues in fabulous open piazzas usually dominated by a church. Sadly, there is very little in terms of great women and the only female statues that I saw were saints or references to Giocometti’s exhibition of his Women of Venice statuettes which, apparently, travelled the world including the Tate in Britain.

It is a city of contradictions with occasional signs that politely ask you not to picnic on the steps of a bridge; however, there are no public seats in any of the piazzas so they’re ignored anyway.

The bars and restaurant/cafes have seating areas which are not particularly jealously guarded and I do sit at one or two of them whilst checking the map with no intrusion by waiter or owner such is the welcome.

On the third day we go by vaporetto to Lido which is a long island to the south east of the main conurbation of Venice. The beach is busy but not crushed like some of the popular Spanish ones and the Adriatic is warm so we take the opportunity to swim and follow that with drying off under the warm sun.

It reminds me of childhood days in Redcar when we’d be taken there once per year usually as a church outing in a ‘luxury’ coach with seats that were rough on the skin of boys and girls in short trousers and equally short dresses. As I doze I can remember the first shout of “I can see the sea” as we reach the top of the bank at Yearby and the excitement of nearly being there as the coach pulled into a parking area. These ‘coach parks’ were really an area of waste ground and there were so many coaches that they were parked extremely close to each other so that it was necessary to agree a time for our return which was not negotiable.

There then followed a day of sandcastles carefully built with small, brightly painted, tin buckets and matching spades. Then we’d attempt to fill the moats with sea water that disappeared at the same rate as you poured it from the bucket. The bucket, of course, was now rendered useless as a receptacle for building more sandcastles because the wet inside would make the sand stick so you couldn’t get the smooth sides necessary for the turrets. We found a way around that though by wetting the sand first, not too wet though or they would collapse; the mix had to be just right.

There’d be ice-cream as a treat and a break in the middle of the day to consume the pre-prepared sandwiches wrapped in grease proof paper and usually with the added thrill of additional sand that grated in your teeth and this, sometimes, was supplemented by chip show chips and I still enjoy a sandwich of any sort with a few chips on the side of the plate as a treat.

All of this was interspersed with occasional dips in the icy North Sea followed by violent shivering as the water evaporated from our skin and ‘me Mam’ would vigorously rub us down with a towel that removed the water droplets and warmed us up but left a residue of sand so that whatever tan we’d acquired through the day would be sandblasted off by the afternoon rub.

Twenty minutes before the pre-determined time we’d all return to the ‘coach park’ along with half the mother & child population of Yorkshire to choke on the exhaust fumes of the now started coaches and be transported back home with tales to tell in the playground the following week. Oh, and, I don’t remember a day that wasn’t sunny but I do remember my sisters listening and singing Buddy Holly’s “Peggy Sue”.

I drift back to the sand here at the Venice Lido and enjoy the same sandy sandwiches only this time it’s a baguette and some very pleasant cherry tomatoes. The Pilgrim has prepared one with some olive oil, bay leaves and tomatoes so that it infuses into a bit of soft mass but the result is a very acceptable sandwich on the beach. I have separate components as I’m not keen on the thought of the soggy infusion but on the day, it does smell very nice.

We hire a four wheeled bike and I’m put in charge of the steering wheel but, in less than a mile, we’re returning to the owner with a request for a couple of two wheel bikes. There are no gears on the four wheeler and we both agree it is too slow.

Now equipped with a two rather more appropriate machines we tackle a circular route that more or less follows the coast. If you do come to Venice, I’d urge you to do this and just take your time. Whilst the Lido is not as picturesque as Venice proper, our afternoon is a delight and coupled with the spell on the beach, is a great way to soak up some sun.

We make a return to Fondemente Nove on the main Venice island passing the Hospital on route then make our way adjacent to the Ospedale Ss Giovani e Paolo (they don’t make it easy) and into the wonderful Basilica piazza of the same name. Time for coffee and a rest then off to gently walk the relatively short distance back to the apartment.

We’re lucky with evening meals. All are exceptional and by utilising the “Venezia Typicale” part of the menu we get beautiful local treats. Our first evening meal was in a small square, our next involved two, or it could have been three cicchetti (we did have a drink at each one – OK maybe it was four) which is the Venetian equivalent of tapas and they are wonderful.

The other two nights are spent with best bib and tucker on the banks of the Grande Canal. The prices are somewhat challenging but the ambience can not be bought and the Pilgrim is looking stunning so it has to be done. We eat as the sun goes down and the tide comes in. The canal laps on to the piazza as the vaparettos and other boats go by but the tiny waves only encroach by a couple of yards and we’re another twenty yards away. There are youngsters all dressed up and some of them wearing wreathes around their necks to celebrate graduation. They’ve had a few drinks but are not intrusive and they seem to want to do is sing. A police boat goes by with blue lights flashing but the picture is surreal as it doesn’t seem to be in any hurry.

Sobriety is abandoned in my case when I indulge in a bit of wine tasting that results in an empty bottle, I’m guessing the two or three Moretti as warm up may have contributed too. It did result in some significant snoring; however, why anyone would want to stay up and listen to me snore is a mystery to me.

Our final morning involves a 6am start and a bit of a walk which is pleasant in the sunshine. We do underestimate the time to reach the coach park where the airport shuttle bus operates and we arrive two minutes after seven. The bus is timetabled to leave at seven so things get a little tense as I wave my hat at the driver whilst the Pilgrim lies on the road in front of his wheels. Needless to say, we get on and although the rest of the occupants are not best pleased, we are – albeit, in my case, somewhat sweaty.

If you use the Treviso Venice airport there is a nice cafe just over the road that the Pilgrim points out. She’s used it before and it is far more ‘local’ and less frenetic than the ones in the departure lounge.

This is a glorious city every bit as wonderful as it’s been described, I’d go back in a heart beat and have already begun the planning.

Enjoy the snaps…G..x

With the Pilgrim Cecilia Kennedy

PS: if you can, view the snaps at full size and try not to get “Veniced out” as there are rather a lot of them.

As always please feel free to share.

Commercial use requires written permission and all is copyright.

Venice 2017 So Boys and Girls, Today we'll learn about cheap flights to Venice, how bad things can sometimes happen in more than threes, how beautiful this city really is and how to set off the security alarms in an airport.

[mortvivanthqs-blog]

welcome to the outpost, landon scott, we’re sure you’ll find the place accommodating. daniel sharman is now taken! please review our checklist and send in your account within twenty-four hours!

🡶 OUT OF CHARACTER:

NAME andres

AGE 24

TIMEZONE mst

PRONOUNS he&him

🡶 IN CHARACTER:

NAME landon scott

FACE CLAIM daniel sharman

GENDER & PRONOUNS cismale / he&him

BIRTHDAY  november 13, 1991

BIRTHPLACE london, england

JOB(S) commander-in-chief, medic, floats generally though (mostly field but sometimes hospitality work)

KILL COUNT twenty-one (a couple of these during his time in the u.s. army, the rest post apocalypse)

ANYTHING ELSE?  leader of original and current group

🡶 BIOGRAPHY:

a smudge of orange acrylic accidentally adorns strong features, but he’s spotted all over, touches of reds and blues and yellows and all those shades in between. a canvas, flesh, pigmenting a canvas, cotton.

mum and dad never liked that very much, the young boy’s hobbies, the psyche permanently in the clouds. utters of you’re no van gogh, go outside, go play football with the boys your age. this’ll get you nowhere, they said, crushing, nowhere but a mess.

he was a quiet boy– shy even; too timid to speak up, too afraid of consequence to stand up for himself…. he, an easy target. with a single friend to his name and a rocky home life – parents too acquainted with the bottle – primary was relentless.

‘s not so bad, landon, ‘least both your parents are still together, your dad only strikes you to knock a little man into you.

sixteen, oh sixteen, supposedly sweet. nothing was sweet about the binds he had to his home. all wasn’t lost. he met someone, online (myspace), couple years his senior, an american. a man. david, who he spent hours upon hours skyping, sacrificing his sleep just for a few more hours to see that face he adored so much. they went on this way, couple of years, landon’s brain unable to remember the last time he’d gotten a full eight hours of sleep. everything was on david’s schedule, david’s timezone, david’s convenience. was alright though, landon always told himself, david was worth it. david was all he had.

he’s twenty now, attending vocational schooling, working one too many jobs. he and his “main squeeze” still in cahoots, though he still hadn’t relayed the truth of his sexuality to the ‘rents. something inside him, something deep in the gut, knew that talk could never end well. so, landon internalized. internalizing: landon’s specialty. the loneliness. the inadequacy– never living up to his parents expectations. never the son they wanted. the feeling of indestructible shackles.

an impasse, he versus himself.

let’s get married, a blinding smile tugs at his features, c’mon, david, you love me, don’t you? we’ll head up to new york, tie the knot. I could be with you, there’s heartbreak pooling in impossibly blue eyes, it’s been four years, we can finallybe together.

no.

david, he isn’t ready. doesn’t know when he’ll be ready.

landon packs his bags anyway. clothes, small trinkets. everything else is sold or donated. hands clutch the handles of his entire life, boot clad feet lead his person to heathrow, never even spares a glance out the window at the country he leaves in the dust.

marching down in the valley I heard a loud roar, curly locks litter the floor, it was a bravo trooper treating alpha like a toy, he drops and gives his sergeant twenty, so put your feet on the peddle step down on the gas, left faces every corner, legs marching in sync with a cadence ringing in his ears, move over awful alpha let the mighty bravo pass, wonders what he’s gotten himself into. bravo company is on the go.

68w combat medic, landon finds himself stationed in texas, fort sam houston in san antonio. texas, a state away from david. yet david never, in landon’s five years of service (when not deployed), does he visit landon. he offers to pay for his airfare, babe, one weekend, please, to no avail.

doc… you can’t save them all.. rounds in afganistan both hardened and crippled, gaining and losing brothers and sisters, if i try.. i can if i try.. that sweet and timid boy from london, who loved to paint, who was afraid of his own shadow, buried underneath a lifetime of horrors. and landon, the poor fool, still spent every minute of leave with david, the man who wouldn’t dare spend a cent or second to come to landon, who barely wrote, barely called. that innate need to be loved, even with an element of pretending, to be touched, and feel wanted for just a little while won over the soldier every single time.

it’s april, he’s twenty-six, still a fool sprung on a man who if he’s ever loved the londoner, hasn’t in a long time. the pair are seated outdoors, a rhythmic jazz in the new orleans air, coffee in paper mugs: one sickeningly saccharine, a scoop of unbothered bliss, no real strings attached to the man opposite him; landon takes his coffee black these days, bitter to the core, hurt etched in the heart. the man-at-arms rests his leg over his thigh and pretends, pretends he’s fine, pretends being on holiday with a man who he’s expendable to. if david was his king, landon was nothing but a jester in his court.

a screech, piercing and afraid – screaming bloody murder – rattles the ear drums. he furrows his brows, what was that? david doesn’t even spare a glance, mind ya business, landon. dick. a sea of pedestrians rush down the street of the french quarter, berserk. a harmony of emergency alerts sound from hundreds of cellular devices. the beginning of the end.

time clocks, the end of may creeps around the corner, humidity’s risen. it’s all the same, death and the dead unwilling to stay dead. the ex soldier’d gone awol shy of two months back. every passing day hope slips, he slips, nothing will ever be the same. david grows more and more useless, obscenities and degradation constantly on the tongue (falling on landon, toward landon). and something snaps, a deep-seated anger brewing for years and years and years unearthing.

snarling and restless, decay hanging from reanimated extremities clawing, clawing, and clawing. a man and his “lover” prisoned atop a rooftop; fresh meat. it’s been hours baking in the sun, emptied magazines and a single can of peas between two. they’re surrounded every which way. Hands, greasy and matted, run through brown curls. eyes, blue and bloodshot, capture the undead in their crosshairs then to david. this isn't where you die, not for this man, never for this man.

“y’know, david,” there’s something sick, something sinister pulling at the englishman’s lips, the ghost of a smile, “been a decade now. gave you my whole life– and that’s on me. i’m the fool. but there comes a point in a man’s life,” fingers feel over the hilt of the blade strapped at the thigh, “where he needs to shed the dead weight holding him back.” hunting knife unholstered, landon marvels the blade, “trim the fat.”

david’s wrestled to the ground now, he never loved you, landon, fists fly and a strike manages to connect, never gave you the time of day. a snigger escapes chapped lips, and perhaps, perhaps a sliver of humanity too. david’s pinned– landon’s taller, stronger, hungrier. a blade rests at the back of the elder man’s ankle. funny how much one mutilated tendon can have a man down, how much he can scream, how lips who utter nothing but self-serving charm and bile can beg for mercy.

he never loved you anyway.

combat boots force the mass of dead weight to the ground, a sacrifice, living and breathing. the horde pools in like a herd of starved hogs. he takes off the opposite direction, feet catching himself hitting the foundation beneath him. never looks back. but that scream? that scream went on for miles.

landon indulges in carnal pleasure, thrives in the lawless of the land. robs and kills, and not just the dead. every man for himself. the thing that keeps a man human further and further. never recognized himself in a mirror again.

yet, he meets a character or two along the way – forces violent and irrational tendencies down, far, far from the surface – allies himself. there’s a strength in numbers, one man is nothing to twenty. he’s got a plan now. a vision. throws on the charm, undigs the courageousness he’d held in his few years of serving. his true – now true, this world’s truth, that landon scott of the old world gone with the wind – colors too untrustworthy to stand a chance in rallying people, in gaining their trust. they hole up in an old baptist church and he offers himself (protection, direction, and a promise of a better tomorrow) in exchange for skills. empires aren’t built alone. stragglers come and go, landon offers a night or two and a hot meal at most to some, and a permanent position to others. the leader goes out of the way to gain the people’s trust, build a personal relationship with each and every one, acts in fearlessness and ‘selflessness,’ and never lets a wicked thought bleed through. it’s important people can vouch for the man they take a chance on. he’s nearly always out, always gathering and collecting, to stockpile supplies. never comes home empty handed. works his ass off. proves himself.

they’re nine when they abandon the church. lugging along scavenged necessities (food, water, firepower), in route to somewhere much larger. we need to stop just surviving out here, he says, create something the future generations can inherit and thrive in this madness.

but, it’s only a matter of time, a ticking time bomb, ‘till lost-and-never-found sanity uncoils at the seams.

[marketerarena-blog]

Americans Are Traveling Abroad for Medical Care. Here’s How it Could Save You Thousands

Three years ago, Justin Bull was goofing around with friends, swinging on a tree rope, when he lost his grip. The 29-year-old multi-sport athlete and dirt biker plunged 35 feet, landing on his right shoulder and snapping a tendon. Worse yet, he was uninsured, which meant getting surgery in his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas, would cost $40,000, all out-of-pocket.

    “I was looking at going into serious debt,” he says.

Then Bull’s mother made a surprising suggestion: Go abroad to get it done. A few years before, she’d traveled to the Czech Republic for surgery on her ankle. The procedure had been top-notch, complication-free, and a huge cost-saver. Bull did some research and opted for the Hospitales Amerimed in Cancún, Mexico—an orthopedic-surgery destination for professional athletes worldwide. Bull was hesitant at first, but says ultimately it couldn’t have gone better.

“The surgeon was great at communicating,” he says. “We spoke twice before to Mexico.”

When he and a buddy arrived, they were picked up and taken to the hospital for Bull’s blood work and transported to a resort for a four-day, pre-op vacation. Total cost of airfare, a week in a resort for two, and all medical costs: $7,400. He checked with two U.S. surgeons afterward who said the work on his shoulder passed muster.

Plastic Surgery Is Skyrocketing Among Men: Here’s What Guys Are Getting Done

Bull’s experience is hardly unusual. So-called medical tourism—traveling outside the country for care—has become a substantial global industry. Many of these patients live in countries with subpar medical systems, and their destination is the U.S. But since American health care is more expensive than any other nation’s, more U.S. citizens—even those who have insurance—are going abroad for surgery, advanced treatments, and other types of health care.

The typical medical traveler is looking for a relatively minor, elective procedure that may not be fully covered by insurance. Data is spotty on how many Americans travel for care, but experts estimate it’s at least a few hundred thousand a year. And as the cost of domestic health care rises—and insurance excludes many types of treatments altogether—that number is likely to grow.

By all accounts, the quality and safety of overseas care can be excellent. Many foreign physicians were trained in the U.S. or Western Europe, reducing the language barrier. And they tend to specialize in one or two procedures, helping to ensure better outcomes. Outside of the operating room, meanwhile, the patient experience can be well above typical U.S. standards, with shorter waiting room times, longer pre- and post-op physician visits, and greater attention from the nursing staff. There’s also concierge-level assistance with travel arrangements and booking recuperative care at nearby hotels that cater to their recovering clientele. Once you get home, your foreign doctor will have sent medical records to a hometown physician for follow-ups.

How to Find the Right Doctor for You

This industry didn’t arise accidentally. Over the past decade, private hospitals have come to view medical tourists as a major profit center, treating them as valued customers who can boost their business with good word of mouth. Some national airlines have even discounted or subsidized fares for medical tourists. In Thailand and Malaysia, patients are greeted at airport-based hospital service centers and may start their treatment there. Some of the medical centers are advertised like resorts, boasting suites with bucolic views, concierge services, indoor pools, and fine dining.

Nonetheless, it takes a special kind of person to grab his passport and get surgery in a place he’s visiting for the first time. Josef Woodman, CEO of Patients Beyond Borders, a medical-travel advocacy group, says the prime new market is millennials, like Bull.

“A lot of them have sports injuries, which aren’t always covered by insurance,” Woodman says. “They like to travel, they don’t trust U.S. health care, and they love beating the system.”

This helps explain why one of the most common types of significant surgery sought by U.S. medical travelers is orthopedic, especially for knees and hips. Typically, these procedures are nonemergencies, require short hospital stays, and have low complication rates, making them well-suited for travelers. Main destinations for procedures like joint repairs and replacements include Mexico, Thailand, and India.

The Sick Cost of Medical Paperwork

Dentistry is the other big draw, accounting for about half of U.S. medical travel. Many patients head to Mexican border towns like Los Algodones, a 22-minute drive from Yuma, Arizona. The city has become devoted to the industry. Staffers in the dental clinics speak English, and local restaurants offer soft-food menus. That’s where Vincent Humphrey, a 32-year-old lawyer from Seattle, went to get $14,000 worth of long overdue dental work. He spent one heavily medicated week in Los Algodones and returned to Washington just $3,500 lighter. Two dentists back home who reviewed the work were impressed, Humphrey says. Going to Mexico for a root canal may not yet be front-of-mind. And medical tourism has had to shed its bad rap, primarily its association with botched plastic surgery. But quality and accountability have improved in that specialty, too. These days, countries including Costa Rica and Brazil are a draw for Americans seeking an aesthetic upgrade, and a growing number of them are middle-aged men.

“In Silicon Valley, if a 40-year-old guy shows up at a meeting, people ask who brought their grandfather,” Woodman says. “More men are getting work done, and are looking to travel to do it.” And being out of town is often a plus for cosmetic surgery patients, who’d just as soon hide out at a resort for a week or two until the telltale swelling and bruising goes away.

Travel for in vitro fertilization is also popular, with Greece a frequent destination.

“People travel as a couple, have the procedure, and then go sightseeing,” says Maria Kniazeva, a professor at the University of San Diego School of Business who studies medical tourism marketing. The cost savings for in vitro fertilization are substantial—about $3,500 in Greece compared with $15,000 to $18,000 at home.

Some medical travelers have such positive experiences that they become total converts. Take Kenneth Cunningham, a 58-year-old clinical social worker in Toledo, Ohio. When his physician reviewed Cunningham’s family history, which is rife with cancer, he called the situation “alarming” and ordered a colonoscopy and other tests. Cunningham had let his insurance lapse in the face of increasing premiums and learned the bill for a diagnostic workup would come to $10,000.

“People travel as a couple, have the procedure, and then go sightseeing”

That’s when his son, who lives in Budapest, suggested his father get the tests done there. Cunningham’s doctor in Hungary did her residency at Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans and was highly familiar with all of the cancers in his family.

“I wasn’t worried one stitch,” he says.

Cunningham says he was ferried to and from the “exquisite” hospital, given a thorough preoperative exam and battery of lab tests, and attended to by empathetic nurses.

“It was a much better patient experience in every way than I’ve ever had here,” he adds.

His total medical bill: $616.

Cunningham now plans to forgo U.S. insurance altogether and have all his medical needs taken care of overseas, from routine dental work all the way to significant procedures and treatment should the need arise.

While most medical travel is for non-urgent procedures, it sometimes makes sense for patients facing massive bills for more serious care, including heart surgery and cancer treatment. Both draw patients to India, where major surgery can be a fifth of the U.S. cost, and chemotherapy drugs a twentieth. Some of the most advanced radiation treatments for prostate cancer, such as proton-beam therapy, can run to $120,000 in the U.S. but average just $35,000 in South Korea. Major surgery may require a stay of several weeks, but some cancer treatments can be done over the course of a few days, with a return visit months later.

9 Health Statistics That Actually Matter—and When You Should Check Them

Certain types of promising and sophisticated new treatments can only be had overseas. Lutetium-177-PSMA therapy, a highly targeted prostate radiation procedure for late-stage cancer, is still in clinical trials in the U.S. but is routine at the Docrates Cancer Center in Helsinki. Given how many Americans now receive care abroad, insurance companies have started to respond. Travelers generally pay everything out of pocket, but it’s worth checking with your employer or insurance carrier to see if they will offer an incentive to get care abroad. In some cases, you could be saving the insurer thousands, and some companies are now willing to chip in—or even pay you to do it. BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina and UnitedHealth Group already have insurance plans with medical travel options, and other carriers may follow suit.

As with any medical intervention, there are risks. Complications, such as infections, can arise no matter where a procedure gets done. But logistics get tricky if you’re in, say, Southeast Asia. Plus, surgery can go awry. That’s why experts recommend medical travel insurance, which pays for follow-up procedures to fix bad work, either in the country where it was originally done, or back in the U.S. Most patients opt for this coverage, which is why there are few stories of uninsured people who get strapped with a big bill to remedy a bungled surgery.

That extra layer of planning is one of the aspects that can be a turnoff. Plus, consider that international travel is stressful, as is having surgery. So imagine going to the Middle East for a major operation. Even if the logic behind the effort is unimpeachable (the quality is the same; the cost savings are significant), emotionally it may not be worth it. But for seasoned travelers, the trip could net a vacation financed entirely by the savings on astronomical health care costs in the U.S.

6 Secrets to Snagging a Last-minute Doctor’s Appointment

https://askfitness.today/americans-are-traveling-abroad-for-medical-care-heres-how-it-could-save-you-thousands/

[dawnrockssocks]

Tournament of Death June 2017- Meeting Jimmy Havoc and Danny Havoc

Wow, I can not believe that I have not written this blog before now. I had written parts of it along the journey of this trip/wrestling event. Well, I only wrote when I was on the plane to Maryland and when I was at the hotel the night before and in the morning before the trip over to Delaware. Here I sit in my new house/apartment (it's a house but we rent it so I find myself calling it an apartment but it's not an apartment, I am sure you all know what I mean) 4 months later with no internet in this house yet when I found myself I should use this time wisely to get some writing done. I have started a Dean Ambrose fanficition a good while ago (that I never started posting for the sole reason that I was not writing enough and did not want to get my readers upset with such delay of posts) and this blog, what better time to write these things then when you have no internet to post it on? I know, that makes perfect sense right? Write something you want to post on the internet when you have no internet but hey, at least it will be ready to post when it gets installed though so that is the silver lining here. Anyways...shall I begin? Considering I don't have internet, I can't send what I had already wrote during the trip on my Kindle (which I took with me to Maryland on my trip compared to this laptop, I am sure you all know the size difference between the two and understand why I didn't choose the laptop) since I don't have internet I am just going to paraphase here and try to remember what I was feeling and thinking. True I could just re-type it from my kindle to here by just looking at my kindle but I am too lazy to do that. So with all this nonsense being said; here I go: With my tax money, instead of putting it into savings (which I had originally done when it got deposited, ha! I get to laugh at myself now) or pay off my debt on my credit card (which I am regretting not doing for other reasons now but you all don't want to read that tangent or my problems, you want to read about my wrestling adventures), I had found out that Jimmy Havoc, my gothic king, my gothic savior, my british love, my Progress champion, and one only favorite wrestler from across the pond (yes, I have other favorite wrestlers from England but I just adore and love Jimmy just a tad more okay?) was going to be performing at CZW's Tournament of Death. So if you were to think that I, of all people, were going to turn down this opportunity not to go, you are crazy. I know you all are probably like, you are crazy because he was at that Wrestlecon during Wrestlemania weeekend and you could have went to Wrestlemania and met so many more people, blah blah blah. Well you all can just suck my dick because I did not have the money to do that whole shebang so here I sat seeing this chance and to be honest, who am I to know when the even next opportunity or time that will arise where Jimmy will be in the states to perform (besides at WrestleCon IF he ever does it again, which I am sure he will but do you all know how much WrestleMania weeekend costs? Honestly? More than all my organs are worth plus some) or when will I ever afford to take that plane to fly across the pond to England and considering I don't have a passport that would be another additional $100 or so I would have to invest in to get to even make the trip possible. So there I sat looking through all these different airfares finding the cheapest rate but times that would work. The show was on a Saturday and my days off were at that time were Friday and Saturday so I was trying to make it work where I would fly out on Friday and fly back Saturday after the show but none of the flights on Saturday to return would work, and I am glad that I did not purchase a Saturday returning flight because I would not have made it to any of the last flights out and if I would have made it, then I would have missed some of the show and/or the meet and greet after the show that they had. I booked my airfare then looked into the hotel situation, once they were all booked my leave slip was instantly put in because I was not about to spend that amount of money then have to work, and technically I was only asking for one day off since Friday and Saturday's were my given days off at that time. The time approached for my trip a lot quicker than I realized. My biggest problem was how much baggage should I take for barely even 36 hours? I was going to land in Maryland at 7:30 PM on Friday night and flight out was leaving at like 6 AM on Sunday morning. I really wanted to just do my carry-on because I was planning on buying Jimmy's new shirt at the show so I just really needed an outfit for the show and I could re-wear a pair of leggings for Sunday since all I was doing was flying so it didn't matter what I wore as long as I was comfortable while I flew but then I was like I should bring a bag so I could bring all my shower goods (instead of using the hotels baby ones) amongst other things. I ended up just taking a piece of luggage with me even though I did not want to go throught the whole checking and my best friend had dropped me off at the airport where I had flown to Maryland. I did have a baby layover somewhere, but I do not remember where but I did have a layover somewhere. I just remember sitting on the second plane in disbelief that I was on the plane flying across the United States for a wrestling show and to finally see Jimmy Havoc. At that time this year, I had so many other things going on that going to this show had been put on such a backburner that when I sat on that plane is when it actually sunk in that here I was embarking on this journey on my own. Then is when I began to question myself, was this even worth the hundreds of dollars to fly acorss the United States to see Jimmy Havoc and have a slim to none chance to even meet the man? That was the thing, there was NO guarantee that I would be meeting him because he did not have to come out to the merchandise tables to meet anyone because it is not forced upon the wrestlers to do so. Here I am, already more than halfway across the United States judging my life choices because I was alread in the hole hundreds of dollars so someone had to go because there was no chance in getting that money back since I had already checked in and was sitting in my second airplane seat of the day. I began to question, why did I even impulse buy this? Then I just remembered to consider it my own mini vacation out of all of this, it was about 36 hours or so by myself without work, my family, friends, or anyone to really consider other than myself. I could do whatever I wanted to do rather than having to take in others opinions. Upon landing in Maryland, I had went to get my luggage and my rental car then had to find my way to my hotel. At this point, I was trying not to let my hangry out because I hadn't ate lunch and was beyond starving plus nervous for driving in a place I had never driven in nor knew anything about where I was going besides my GPS Linda lady that was speaking directions to me in order to get me to my hotel safely. I am sure I had pissed off a few drivers during that short distance but hey, I got to my hotel safely and settled in. My first task after closing that hotel door behind me was ordering me a pizza in which lasted me the whole weekend. After pizza arrived, I had ate then sunk into my bed to get some slumber. Awakening bright and early the next morning, showering, packing my baby bag for the day with sunblock, medicine, wallet and other baby items that I knew I needed for the day ahead of me. After shooting a few texts out to my boyfriend and best friend, I jumped into my car putting in a CD that I knew I can stand listening to for hours on end (yes I travelled across the United States with CDs in my bag just for this reason cause I did not want to deal with messing with the radios while driving to find something decent to listen to). I then began my drive to Delaward, yet again a state I had yet to travel to and here I was travelling into it alone. I ended up finding a Wal-Mart where I bought sharpies, something for the fans bring the weapons match and something to eat since I was hungry. I then found my way to the venue, which I found out was in the middle of the woods and apparently someone's backyard/property whom is related to someone in the company so yeah, that was probably the best way to lure people in for a mass murdering if that is what you are into, I certainly fell for it apparently. The line of cars to pull in to park was long as freak but once you got up there to check in and to park, it was not too bad at all but it was just that wait that took the longest. I parked my car, applied the first set of sunblock before making my way to the wresling area. They had fewer merchandise stands than when I had last been to CZW but I understood why. Food trucks, more like one food truck and portable potties. I wish I had known earlier about the bathroom situation because the whole time I felt so icky from using such bathroom but that was the only way to use the bathroom and I was not about to test my luck and hold it. The event went from 2ish PM to 9 PM so yeah, no way Jose on holding my pee in on that shit. But here is when I got really pissed off and mad that I even went to this thing. I had bought my second row seat when they first went on sale, why was my seat not even there? I went to the right section and someone was already in my freaking seat so I presumed maybe they just scooted a seat down cause they wanted the aisle (I had an aisle seat). I figured to just sit in the seat next to the last dude, which I did then this couple came up saying that was their seat so I again got up and moved to a different seat. Then it happened again, someone came claiming their seats. I know I should have just stood up and say 'hey that is my seat,' but here I am having no clue how this seating arrangement thing went besides the map that is shown on my ticket but I was pissed because I spent $40 on a seat to sit my fat ass in that I didn't even get. I know you are all going to tell me that is my own damn fault because I needed to speak up and tell that fucker to move but I am not one to confront people but I felt like it was so disorganized and people were sitting anywhere. People brought their own chairs, umbrellas, coolers, canopies and other things to claim their spots and people were claiming any open seat from what I saw so it was like freefall for any open chair and it really sucked for people like me who wanted and paid for a seat only for it to be took from me. I understand I could be bitching about nothing because I didn't confront that person but what good would that be? I didn't want to get into an altercation over a stupid chair, so I moved to the other side where the entrance was and stood the whole time, but at least I got to choose where I stood, able to move around to get better shots and even then a lot of action happened where I was standing. People jumping off the truck onto the barb wire trampoline and Masada and Havoc came right through that area so I honestly began to forget about the seating situation. I could complain about it all I want but in the end, it didn't even matter. I must say that the show itself was phenomanal, I hadn't seen shit like that happen in person and I shouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did. True I was concerned for their well being but there I was screaming and cheering for more stuff to happen. Yes, a few injuries did occur during the show which were taken very seriously, as they should be took. I had bought my new Jimmy Havoc shirt during intermission only because my self-conscious side didn't want to tell Jimmy Havoc himself the size shirt I wore. I knew that he probably wouldn't have cared and would know how chunky I am and know that I would wear that size but then again, why should he care cause he was taking my money? After the show had ended, there I was being a lurking Lucy because I was just pacing in front of the merchandise tables watching people purchase things, meeting with and talking with the other stars as I was impatiently waiting for Jimmy Havoc to come out if he were to come out. I knew that I really must meet Danny Havoc that night as well, he had announced that he would be retiring later this year and I hadn't took any opportunity to meet him prior to this and as a person that has been a casual fan of his. (Casual fan as in, I am his fan but not obsessily following him, if that makes sense?) Anyway, I was wanting to go meet him before I had gone off to meet Jimmy but my nerves were building up and I didn't want to risk or waste my time meeting Danny then end up missing Jimmy or having to be at the end of Jimmy's line, I was honestly torn. I would take a couple steps towards Danny's line then get out then get back in line then step out. I was like a teetor totter cause I honestly didn't know what I was doing. But the moment I saw the man (you all know which man I was talking about) in that all white attire with dried blood on his forehead and that was run down his attire came around the corner beelining towards his part of the merchandise stand, big King Kong Dawn came bursting through crowds marking my spot first right against the merchandise stand where his things were. Why oh why did I do that to myself? I instantly realize what I was doing or about to do was he was still walking his way towards where I was. There I was, a nervous wreck standing there waiting to greet this blue eyed man (he was blue eyed that day) with his hair combed to one side covered in blood. I stood there to greet him like a dumb idiot, I didn't even give him time to prepare for the fans much less did I give myself time to prepare. I had to just go for it, which I did and how I ended up in this scenario. So when he finally approached, I greeted him with a hi and I know I probably just spilled out everything about how I flew all the way from California just to see him and I know he responded with how he wanted to come to California to perform at PWG which I know that he would fit right in at and he is very unique but I am not even sure rest of the PWG fans are into the all Progress wrestling thing or not. I know that if he does get booked, the chances of me even getting tickets to get into the show are slim to none, to be honest here. Tickets for that show go under 3 minutes which is ridiculous. Why am I complaining about PWG? That should be for a separate post, I progress on. I know I asked him for a signature along with getting a picture, I even had him take the picture (yes, I handed my phone over to him for a selfie) because I was shaking so much. I complimented him on his eyes and I know I said something about my boyfriend wishing to be there. I just know I was a rambling geek. Man, I really wish I wrote this a lot sooner because I wish I remembered everything. I need to invest in one of those Go Pro cameras just to be attached to me every single time I go to meet a wrestler or celebrity so I have video footage of everything that had occured. OH YES! I remember I asked him for a hug, I just know I texted my best friend that he was real because I hugged him. I just know after meeting him, I was so giddy and I talked to Brain Damage but didn't ask for a picture then went straight to Danny Havoc where we chatted a little bit. I told him how sadden I was that he had to retire but it would be for the best because he said it was just his body couldn't take it anymore and I can't be selfish and wouldn't want to see him do more if his body is as bad he says it is to the point of retirement. We began to talk about my shirt 'Die Havoc Die' and the different Havocs in wrestling today. I purchased a photo that I had him sign addressed to me then I got two photos with him. After meeting Danny, I was done for so I had made my way to my rental car and drove the hour and half drive back to my hotel where I ate cold pizza then zonked out for my 4 AM alarm clock to make the travels back home.

[annoyingcherryblossomnight-blog1]

Reasonably priced Packages For You! By Jason Born

Have you always needed to make a journey to the Bahamas, and now you're getting married and considering of honeymooning on this tropical area? When a proposal happens, a little envelope appears on the icon and the system could be set to use or disable an audible "ding" when offers are available. Clicking on the icon permits connection to the Southwest Airways web site and the very restricted time particular. At such instances low cost journey low cost holidays might be attained with much ease. Sightseeing is also a must do in Phuket and there are various journey companies that offer joined excursions in small groups to the totally different points of interest in and around the island. There may be absolutely no purpose to consider that Phuket is just for males, and women vacationers can find their place right here as anywhere else in Thailand. TIP: When you name the hotel together with your Journey Axe deal they are going to normally try and beat their offer. If you're in search of airline tickets for flights inside a week or a few days, then you must undoubtedly search for last minute flights. It is often the quickest option to travel lengthy distances and in as of late of competitive pricing methods, lots of the no-frills and finances airways are offering very low-cost flights throughout mainland Europe. Sometimes taking a multi-leg journey can save you a number of hundred dollars over a direct flight. In every State, you'll be able to find inexpensive motels which can be clear, comfortable and allow you to uncover a new city with an excellent first impression. In case you want a couple of door, that is probably one in all your finest bets for great costs on matching pieces. Look for airfares on They have a whole lot of bundle deals and get reduced tickets from many giant airlines. The web has multiple websites, which you should utilize to seek for low cost lodge offers. Should you do this, you'll get the benefit of getting low cost flights in addition to low cost lodging without any hassle. Finding cheap Puerto Rico flights just isn't troublesome, if you already know the place to search for them. Touring in the off season is a good idea on the best way to journey cheap. I believe it's a steal, and an awesome thought on how one can journey low-cost. Though the costs are a bit steeper than other discount airways you'll be able to still discover some nice deals right here occasionally. Not all do. I suggest you book a tour that does, as trying on the Dam from a bus window will not do it justice. The advantage of spending time in both Quito or Guayaquil before departing the mainland is that you simply could possibly find final minute deals on cruises and flights by calling the airlines or visiting journey companies in person. You possibly can usually discover cheap or discounted flights during these off peak journey instances. 2) The shopper care executives of trusted on-line journey portals have widespread information to facilitate all of the queries of travelers'.Thus, for finalizing your itinerary and to seize the most affordable fares it's essential to consult these travel executives either by calling them or dropping them an e-mail of your necessities. These aggregators will offer the obtainable flight seats and generally the costs can differ wildly between the sites. When flights generally board, one can find that most employees are fairly aggravating throughout this time. The less visited islands, which also have few direct flights offer some unimaginable beautiful solutions. You can start your price range trip to Vegas by getting the most affordable flights to Las Vegas. If you're planning to remain at a hotel on the Disney property you will pay more for the resort however it can save you cash on a rental automotive on the identical time. In some cases your airfare might be nearly free with a package deal deal, especially in vacationer areas which can be suffering lack of visitors. There are many, many various choices so that you can reap the benefits of when attempting to locate cheap airfare. Part of my dream was to journey cheaply, without spending a lot cash as a result of I did not have money then, and now I might write a e book about learn how to journey low-cost. 1) Plan upfront to get pleasure from air tickets at a lower cost. In the U.S., it nonetheless prices a reasonably penny to get around, to remain places, to eat at restaurants, or to go to cultural points of interest. However you probably have an awesome sense of adventure and at least a little bit of a gambling nature, you may get some candy deals by flying at the very last minute. Resorts tend to supply low-cost travel charges when bookings are at their lowest. However, it is a good idea to substantiate with the actual resort previous to booking the room to ensure that the deals are real. Should-sees when you're in China are the Forbidden Metropolis, Terracotta Warriors, Nice Wall of China, Tiannamen Square, however, these are all simply from the Northern a part of China, there's nonetheless a lot to see within the other components of this big country, just like the futuristic metropolis of Shanghai and the cuddly pandas that abound in the metropolis of Cheng and the wholesale markets in Guangdong where a number of the style equipment that you see in malls may have come from. cheap flights jet Most of the instances, the airline might be friendly and offer you some flights that you may probably fly standby on. If you do find that airline you name would not have a standby flight out there, try to name different airlines to see if they have potential options. Some online travel businesses have a policy for purchasing tickets upfront. Since there are just one or 2 flights to the islands day by day, both departing in the morning, you will generally be forced to remain in a single day wherever you are flying from. It is important to perceive at same time, that the media has kept pushing us to get final minute deals. So a bead may be retired in maybe Canada yet nonetheless be out there as a daily piece within the US, and the UK. So right here once more, it is essential that you take the time to do some analysis before you snap at what appears to be a hot deal. Southwest Airlines low-cost flights operate on a degree to point system quite than the more conventional hub and spoke system that many other carriers desire. One of many good issues about cheap journey to Japan is that you can even avail of a discount in one of many many luxury inns. Whereas these excursions usually are cheap, you might be able to see the totem poles for even cheaper in the event you take the town bus by yourself to Totem Bight State Historic Park - $1 every method. Additionally, accommodations and airlines have raised their prices as far as journey agents are concerned, as a result of they now have the facility, and actively encourage customers to directly guide through their web sites. This option would interest you if you are planning on traveling by automobile and wish to stay in motels throughout the States for reasonable without ending up in some dive. Within the meantime, use the cable automobiles and the Muni, which is part of the town's intensive transit network. Useful websites for comparisons and prices are Journey-Insurance coverage-Net for Europe-solely journey and Insure For for world-wide travel. When people consider Vegas they consider spending money and playing. First, there are numerous discounted-fare flights there, and also public transportation can be discovered to just about wherever on the island. Weekend air journey shall be costlier. It relies on your destination, but if you're in search of international flights, then you should utilize among the low costs airlines to get the cheapest airplane tickets. Travel deals in terms of flying there are lots of, as competence for Thailand is very excessive and in this case journey agencies are strongly fighting one with one another. Though the general price will usually be increased than staying on land, some discover cruises to be a greater worth as a result of they allow entry to distant islands, water activities and marine wildlife which are a serious draw for most guests. Find out how to travel cheap at pet-pleasant motels? You may make reservations online, call or take your possibilities by dropping by. Check-in hours can run up to eight:00 PM. Verify in consists of filling out a registration and waiver type and paying for the nights you plan to remain (cash and credit cards are accepted). This means you will get your airline tickets, your lodging, and your ski tickets all for one low, mixed worth. In case you click on on JetBlue for instance, it'll present you all of the flights out there on the desired dates. The details about the ticket costs and flight timings are all talked about together which makes it attainable for the passengers to compare them all collectively. Pack a large cooler with sandwiches, fruit, drinks, vegetable sticks, and so on. Additionally bring many varieties of food that won't go bad if they don't get eaten within the first few days. These firms use couriers because it is faster and cheaper to ship freight as baggage somewhat than air cargo. Even should you do not see something like that on-line before you start out in your journey, test the billboards once you arrive as a result of I've seen such deals marketed that method many instances. As a consequence, journey brokers have lowered their costs by some margin to compete, resulting in cheaper journey for the customer at the finish of the day. They'll surely recuperate, and the nice people of Iceland are reacting to the scenario with attribute poise and good-cheer, however that's all of the more purpose why now's the proper time to go see the glaciers, the fjords, the attractive green vistas, and the surprisingly cosmopolitan capital city of Reykjavík. Examine your suitcase once you take it off the airline carousel. One other factor to bear in mind is that you shouldn't ebook your low-cost flight from the identical website over and once more because it may well typically, costly for you. Whenever you begin to search low-cost airline flights, you merely need to visit some journey websites that supply the cheap tickets. Not only will you retain your cruise within your price range, but you may additionally find you save enough on one shore excursion to assist pay for those dearer, as soon as-in-a-lifetime experiences akin to a seaplane exploration of the Misty Fjords. Look into hotels that aren't on Las Vegas Boulevard. While Asia is a continent which is pretty safe to journey to, do remember that you should all the time concentrate on your surroundings and take warning in no matter you do. Don't preserve your money in only one place, just remember to maintain your passport in a secure place, and do not just belief strangers - particularly the ones who are very eager to take you someplace.

[mikebrackett]

How to Get Home for the Holidays for Cheap

Planning to travel for the holidays? Because rates for planes, trains and even buses can jump quickly, you’ll need a plan of action that begins now.

Talk to Your Significant Other and Family Members Early

The fastest way to add to your holiday budget is if you don’t really know which way you’re headed. If your parents live in separate states or you’ll be spending the holidays with a significant other’s family, have a discussion now to determine where you’re going.

Costs may drive which place you pick to travel to and when. For instance, you may find that it’s $200 cheaper to fly to Nebraska for Thanksgiving than it is for December celebrations. You could then opt to take a trip to California to see other family in December.

Check Multiple Sites, but Quickly

Flight prices can rise quickly as planes fill up, and popular travel sites may not include airlines such as Southwest Airlines. Check at least three aggregator sites and the airlines’ sites for the best prices. Try to do your research within a 24-hour period, but in the first hour, if you find a good price, do a 24-hour hold, even if it requires a credit card.

Just make sure you cancel within 24 hours if you get a better deal. You don’t want to end up paying for an extra plane ticket! Also, make sure you read all fine print to determine it’s a temporary hold. If you need to change plans after your tickets are booked, keep in mind that change fees will be involved.

Know Your Airport and Date Boundaries

Traveling an extra 20 – 80 miles may save you a few hundred dollars. Especially if you’re traveling to or from a city with multiple airports, avoid restricting your search to a particular airport when comparing prices, unless you truly are willing to fly in and out of that airport only.

For instance, I live in NYC. I have the option of JFK, LaGuardia or Newark. I’ll always search for NYC, but I have a strong preference for JFK and LaGuardia. Both of those airports take an hour to get to by public transport. However, if I leave early in the morning, I know the cab is twice the price to go to JFK.

When calculating the differences in flying into one airport versus the other, always include the prices of transportation or gas to and from the airport. If booking shuttles for a time as busy as the holiday season, get reservations in advance. If shuttles fill up, you’ll have to spring for an expensive cab ride.

Get Money Back if Last-Minute Sales Arise

Thanksgiving and the winter holiday season aren’t ideal to wait for last minute sales to arise. But if they do, you might be able to get a travel voucher back for the difference. Many airlines will give you a voucher (that you can use for another trip!) for the difference in price if there’s a sale at a later date.

All you have to do is call if you happen to check on their site and see a lower price. The agent checks to see if they see the same price and then issues the voucher.

Don’t Forget Trains and Buses

In the Northeast, trains and buses can be faster than planes. When I’m going from New York to DC, I rarely fly. By the time I add in the hour wait (two hours during the holidays) to arrive, get through security, buy snacks and board the plane, the entire trip takes four hours. That’s the same amount of time it is to take a bus and an hour longer than it takes to ride a train.

Trains aren’t necessarily cheaper than flights, but they can be more convenient and can be cheaper if one mode of transportation fills up faster than another. If you don’t live in a major metropolitan area, check bus prices. For example, Montana’s sparse population and often-pricey airfare means buses tend to make financial sense.

I took a bus from Helena, Montana to Spokane instead of choosing a flight that would’ve had a connecting flight. The trip only took a couple of hours longer, and I saved over $200.

Compare Prices Early for Hotels and Rental Cars, Too

In theory, it’s nice staying with family. But sometimes if you’re staying for longer than a few days, it’s nice to have your own space. Plus, your family might enjoy use of hotel pools and gyms. If you think you might need a hotel room or rental car, book as soon as possible and look for the best prices on multiple sites.

Even more than airfare, hotels and car rentals can vary greatly from site to site. I always start a rental car or hotel search by googling for prices. Then, I check around the sites that pop up as results. With hotels, those sites tend to be the usual suspects such as Hotels.com and the hotel’s official site. With rental cars, it could be a variety of sites.

Read the fine print, but always checks multiple sites, ask about hotel packages, and always call the hotel directly or rental car company reservation line. Unlike airlines, hotels and rental cars don’t charge extra for booking over the phone.

Do you have plans to travel this holiday season? Share your travel tips with fellow readers below!

The post How to Get Home for the Holidays for Cheap appeared first on ZING Blog by Quicken Loans.

from Updates About Loans https://www.quickenloans.com/blog/get-home-holidays-cheap

[eveningcoffee-morningregret-blog]

Planning Your Thailand Holidays

Thailand vacations may be customized to match almost any traveler's budget and personal preferences. Since tourism is such a critical part of the Thai economy (representing a larger percentage of Thailand's GDP than that of any Asian land), nearly every area of the place is equipped with food and lodging crafted toward foreign visitors. Moreover, the country's extremely varied location offers a wide range of actions to pick from. Regardless of what it's which you'd like to do on your trip, there are undoubtedly several, easily-available areas in Thailand that offer it at a high price that fits your budget. Planning Your Thailand Holiday For some of us, the first steps in preparing any trip include setting a budget, determining how long our holiday lasts, and determining once we can go. When you go through these measures in organizing your Thailand trip, listed here are a couple of crucial facts to consider:

The price tag on lodging in Thailand goes the range from as little as around £8 GBP every day (about $5 AUD/USD) to get a bed in a hostel, completely upto hundreds of pounds per night for five-star rooms at world-class, worldwide hotels Within my personal opinion (and this is distributed by a great number of international travelers I Have met over time), you must anticipate paying no less than 10-14 days in Thailand during your holiday if you like to see the country's main attractions without being rushed Since Thailand's warm climate is hot, damp, and rainy for a lot of the entire year, the country's "high season" for vacation is throughout the somewhat drier, cooler months of November through February Some additional ideas on these items... In terms of costs for food and lodging, although it is appropriate to convey that daily charges cover a serious broad range, it is also true that one may find many outstanding deals through the entire region once you learn when and where to look. Like, in September 2010 I was able to book four nights at a reliable, five star luxury resort in one of the most-popular parts of Bangkok (Thailand's most-expensive area) for just under £90 GBP per night (that's roughly $60 AUD/USD). In an upcoming report, I'll examine some of the most-effective approaches for finding bargains that improve your vacation budget. When determining how much time to spend in Thailand, it's important to consider that, for anyone folks traveling from an English-speaking region, our vacation will include at least two extended airplane flights (in route there, along with the return trip), and adjusting our body clocks to a significant time difference. For me, this results in a sense that jetlag and journey always reduces my real time in-state by two days. I'll pad the amount of time I expect to commit seeing the places, or relaxing by two extra days for this reason.

As for selecting a season to see, avoiding the hot, moist British summer and autumn monsoon is a legitimate factor for a lot of travelers. Temperatures typically approach 40° H during these weeks which, along with the tropical humidity and nearly-daily thunderstorms, can be a bit overwhelming for many visitors. The flipside of the situation is that airfares and lodging are considerably cheaper with this socalled "Low-Season". If youare on a tight budget, and do not mind somewhat heat and water, you'll discover that your hard-earned money stretches alot more right now of year. The Five Parts Of Thailand - Where Should I Move? To see the amazing level of geographical and cultural diversity that exists within Thailand, all you need to complete is assess the country's five unique places: the Main, East, North, Northeast, and South. Depending on how long you're able to pay in-place, you may be able to visit all five during one keep (privately, I wouldnot try this until I'd a complete month to spend on holiday). If your time is more limited, you need to probably focus on no more than several areas, and keep others for future British holidays. Get acquainted with more about thajsko zajezdy

[ronaldmrashid]

A $500,000 Redo: How One Couple Got Their Mojo Back

About once every couple of years, a Financial Samurai post goes a little nuts on the internet. Recently, Twitter got a hold of “Scraping By On $500,000 A Year: Why High Income Earners Can’t Escape The Rat Race” and consumed it like a rabid dog shaking a rag doll.

I first started noticing Twitter activity Friday morning, March 24. Overnight, it seemed, about 500 new tweets of the post had appeared. By Monday, March 27, the tweet count had risen to a whopping 40,000+! What the heck was going on?!

Apparently, the internet found the $500,000 a year couple’s budget so absurd it started poking fun at the post. Some say my chart has even reached meme status. Well pinch my nuts! I get to check off another bucket list item before I croak.

The budget I originally posted is actually a real life couple’s budget shared with me to share with you. Their budget has been corroborated by hundreds of other couples and individuals making similar incomes while living in an expensive city like NYC, SF, London, Paris, LA, and Hong Kong. Financial Samurai already gets over 1 million organic pageviews a month, so it’s easy to gather feedback. Just check the comments on the post to see for yourself.

Here are some points I wanted to make from the post:

1) It’s not what you make, it’s what you keep. Without discipline, it’s easy to spend everything you make. Lifestyle inflation is the biggest culprit for why folks never feel like they have enough. It’s not just the cars and houses that people compete on, it’s also the schools parents want their children to attend. Hopefully, the post encourages everyone to take a hard look at their own finances or if they haven’t already done so, create and monitor their own budget. “If you can’t manage it, you can’t improve it.” – Peter Drucker.

2) High income comes with high costs. Yes, it’d be nice to earn big bucks living in the heartland of America, where I’m bullish, but in the heartland, those high income jobs are harder to come by. If one shouldn’t spend any more than 3X – 5X their gross income on a home, how much does one have to make in order to afford the $1.2M median home price in SF or NYC?  Answer: $240,000 – $400,000. Unfortunately federal income taxes do not account for cost of living.

3) Think about geo-arbitrage. Technology and the internet are allowing people to untether themselves from an office. Find companies that allow you to work remotely in a lower cost area. You might not get to relocate to Bali, Indonesia, but there are plenty of fantastic cities that are much cheaper than NYC, SF, LA, Boston, and Washington DC. I’ve interviewed several CEOs in SF and they all say that given SF’s tight labor market and high cost of living, they are hiring more remote workers. Better yet, have your own internet-based business. Take advantage of the best technological shift in history.

4) Save and invest often over the long run. There’s great value in maxing out your 401k and building home equity over time, even if you have very little left over. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only about 55% of the American workforce has access to a 401(k) and only about 38% of the total workforce participate. Doing some low level math, that means roughly 31% of those who have access to a 401(k) are not participating. I strongly believe that over time, home equity is one of the major reasons for a widening wealth gap between home owners and renters. Find a place you know you’ll be for the next 10 years and try and get neutral real estate by owning your own place. Of course, be responsible with your purchase.

5) What it’s all for at the end of the day. I know plenty of high earning people who are not happy because they are stressed at work and can never spend as much time with the people they love. Not only that, they know the work they’re doing isn’t really helping society so they feel they’re selling their souls. They can’t leave due to an unhealthy desire for prestige, money, and power. Realize there’s a wonderful life beyond just making lots of money. Seek your happiness before you look back on life full of regret.

I realize it’s only human to judge others, even if we’ve never walked in their shoes. However, simply judging others does nothing to improve our own situations. Therefore, let’s do our best to approach things with open minds. With open minds, progress can be made.

Financial Samurai has always been about finding solutions to problems. I’d like to provide an optimized budget for this $500,000 couple. I’ll conclude by highlighting some interesting observations I’ve made about the public’s reaction to my original post as well. 

Making A $500,000 A Year Couple Rich Again

Original budget:

Optimized budget:

Let’s go through the major line-items one by one!

Income Taxes ($9,280 savings): I’ve brought the couples effective total tax rate down to 38% from 40%, saving them $9,280 a year. Their total tax bill of $176,320 includes federal income tax, state income tax, city income tax, FICA tax, and sales tax. It’s very hard to bring your tax liability down as a W2 wage earner. Having a business is consistently one of the key differentiators between the rich and the rest of us. If you’ve got a business, you can deduct many of your overlapping life expenses as a business expense e.g. business trip to Honolulu for a semi-annual offsite. You can also contribute more to your pre-tax retirement savings.

Property Taxes (* $10,595 savings): The property tax rate in Park Slope, Brooklyn (King’s County) is surprisingly only 0.627% compared to the New York State average of 1.5%, and the national average of 1.2% (that’s what it is here in California). Therefore, on an assessed value of $1,500,000, the couple really only pays $9,405 in property taxes versus the $20,000 originally estimated. However, because there are all sorts of weird property tax assessments in NYC, I’m still inclined to believe the figure is higher. If anybody owns in Brooklyn, please share your wisdom.

Childcare ($6,000 savings): If you haven’t figured out by now, children are expensive! Every parent wants their best for their kids, which is why demand is relatively inelastic the higher prices for child-related expenses go. Given all the backlash from the internet, the couple decides to find a better deal, a little father away. They’re now spending $1,500/month per kid compared to $1,750/month per kid. As their kids enter kindergarten and spend more time on lessons, childcare costs will naturally decline.

Food For Four ($2,400 savings): Unfortunately, date night every two weeks has got to go! Each date on average cost the couple $200 when you add up transportation, food, wine, tip, taxes, and a Broadway show. Try landing a ticket for Hamilton for under $50. Good luck! Therefore, the couple is now saving $2,400 a year. Instead of going out to eat they start cooking more at home and ordering from a variety of food delivery services. Not only is this couple saving money, they’re also eating healthier for a double win.

Home Maintenance ($3,800): Both parents start spending time getting smart on YouTube to fix their own toilets, paint their own walls, and unclog their own faulty dishwasher valves. They also do all their own cleaning. Nothing is more attractive than being handy with a wrench and smart in the office. Total annual savings: $3,800

Three Vacations A Year ($3,000): By deciding to vacation in NYC for one of their three vacations, the couple saves $3,000 on airfare, hotels, and activities. NYC is the greatest city in the world for six months of the year. There are so many free and fun activities all around. There’s a reason 48.8 million people annually visit NYC! Yes, $15,000 still seems like a lot of money, but it’s divided among four people across 21 days. Without living it up a little on vacation, this 60+ hour a week couple might burn out at work or blow up their marriage because they hate life so much.

Children’s Lessons ($6,000 savings): Screw violin! I learned violin for three years and hated it. Even if I got any good, it’s not like I’d bust it out at a party and play. That’s what a guitar is for, which can be easily learned online for free. Athletics is part of Americana, so the kids are still receiving swimming and tennis lessons. Who knows, both of them might get athletic scholarships one day. At the very least, college admissions officers and employers look much more favorably on scholar athletes. Just having a 4.0 GPA and a near perfect SAT doesn’t cut it anymore, especially if you’re Asian.

Charity ($6,000 savings): Sorry alma mater, your tuition and endowment are already massive enough. Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford all have endowments over $20 billion. MIT, U Penn, Michigan, Texas A&M, and Columbia all have endowments over $10 billion. It’s best they save their money for those who really need help. Giving $1,000 a month to Feed The Children means a lot to this couple. 300 million children go to bed hungry every day while 68% of America is obese. Something is wrong with this picture and they want to do their part in making a difference.

Miscellaneous ($5,000 savings): Something always comes up, otherwise why doesn’t everybody have a perfect financial record? Because this couple is now more self-sufficient, they should be able to minimize any excess spending or surprises. Financial independence is all about generating enough passive income streams to cover your expenses indefinitely. If you can also build cooking, cleaning, fixing, and maintenance skills, you’re going to be golden. Not too long ago we had to start our own fires and hunt for our own food. A self-sufficient woman is a rich woman.

College Savings ($12,000 expense): One glaring expense the internet pointed out was that this couple wasn’t saving for their children’s college education. Annual tuition alone now costs $15,000 – $55,000 at many universities (William & Mary in-state tuition = $16,370, Columbia University tuition = $52,476). Add room and board and we’re talking $30,000 – $80,000 annual outlays for four years! Can you still afford to give money to your alma mater? In 10-15 years when this couple’s kids attend college, the cost could easily climb by 50%. Let’s hope these kids get into public Bronx High School of Science, Stuyvesant High School, or Brooklyn Technical High School to save their parents the expense of private grade school tuition. Related: Public Or Private University: Depends On Your Fear And Guilt Tolerance

Total Cash Flow Improvement: $48,875

Total Cash Flow After Improvement: $56,175 ($48,875 + $7,300)

Total Cash Flow + Net Worth Addition: $117,175 after contributing $36,000 to their 401ks and paying down $25,000 in mortgage principal.

$117,175 equals a respectable 23.4% gross savings rate or an impressive 36% after tax savings rate once we adjust for paying taxes on the $36,000 401k contribution amount. This couple should be able to build their net worth by at least $1.2 million every 10 years, assuming their incomes don’t continue to rise and their expenses stay the same.

The problem with this new scenario is that despite optimizing their budget by $48,875 a year, they still have a $231,505 annual after-tax nut to cover. Given they have no other significant passive income streams, they need to likely work for at least another 18 years until after their kids graduate from college to even consider doing something other than 60+ hour workweeks in the law office. But given 80%+ of people wash out of big law by year eight, anticipating to last for 18 years isn’t very prudent.

The point of aggressively saving and developing a side-hustle when you’re young is so that you one day have the OPTION to do something else with your time when you start hating your life. Believe me, that day will come because everybody will hate their job at one point. Unfortunately, to many people start aggressively saving and side-hustling AFTER they start hating their jobs. Misery ensues.

There is NO rewind button in life, which means we all have to try and anticipate the future today.

Related:

How Much Savings Should I Have By Age

Ranking The Best Passive Income Streams

Observations From The Internet’s Response

With over 42,000 tweets, 5 million+ views of the chart, and media mentions from CNBC, The LA Times, Jalopnik, MarketWatch, Apple News and many more, it’s been fascinating to observe the reactions. Here are three common threads I’ve observed:

1) Shoot first, ask questions later. A study by the Media Insight Project, an initiative of the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the American Press Institute highlighted that 60% of readers just read headlines, and not the actual article. As a result, the use of “Scraping By” instigated many people to condemn this couple’s budget (and me by extension) because they hadn’t read the substance behind the post. The featured image in my post with the caption, “Help! I’m drowning from all my money!” provided a clue to the astute reader that I was being facetious.

2) People see what they want to see. With over 100,000 comments left on Financial Samurai since it started in 2009, I’ve observed this phenomenon many times. There is a perpetual echo chamber of people refusing to see the other side. It plays out in politics, stubborn arguments with friends and loved ones, generational wars, and in the work place all the time. The more we can try and understand another’s point of view, the more we can improve. Trying to see the other side is why I’ve given over 500 Uber rides, keep up with my Mandarin, coach high school tennis, constantly travel abroad, and invite people from different backgrounds to write guest posts. It’s easy to contract Dunning-Kruger disease and think anybody can do it if they just work hard enough. When you see the other side, you gain empathy and understanding.

3) Humor is incredibly effective. Understandably, a lot of people were mad at the budget because 99% of households earn less than $500,000 a year and must make tough choices to make ends meet. You can take a negative stance like Pulitzer Prize winner, Michael Hiltzik did with his column in the LA Times. You can focus on class warfare like wealthy Boston University millennial alumni, Jeremy Binckes did in his Salon article. Or, you can take Kristen Lee from Jalopnik’s approach and focus on humor to get things across.

Remember, the way you approach anything is a reflection of your own state of mind. You have a choice to look on the bright side or on the dark side. I’d certainly much rather grab a beer with an uplifting person like Kristen, than listen to Jeremy attack the woes of high income earners. When you come from a privileged family, it’s quite interesting to witness his negative viewpoint on wealth. Perhaps there’s an area of “rich guilt” that I can delve deeper in a future post.

Making $50 Million A Year Can Still Feel Average by Kristen Lee from Jalopnik

Got Me Some Body Doubles To Throw Off The Assassins! by Dan Amira, Daily Show writer

Control What You Can Control

Writing about personal finance is generally pretty boring. After all, if everybody spent less than they made, everything would be just fine. But we know nobody is perfect. Some people actually make mega millions over their careers and still file for bankruptcy! We’re all trying to get a little better.

Love or hate my article, I’m just happy that so many more people have decided to take a good look at their finances. Many have written in to say sheepishly they’ve finally created a budget of their own, but have not told anyone for fear of judgement. Who knows, maybe the next financial crisis won’t be so bad because millions more people are more prepared after reading this post!

Making a lot of money is great, but building wealth that can generate money for you so you don’t have to slave your life away is even better. Sooner or later you will tire of the same old grind at work. When the time comes, you want to be armed with multiple income streams and a war chest of savings to carry you through to your next adventure.

It’s been a little over five years since I had a day job. Even though I don’t make a lot of money, I’ve got enough to be happy. It feels amazing to help other people with their financial problems. Find your enough and you’ll feel like the richest person in the world!

Related:

The Rise Of Stealth Wealth: How To Stay Invisible From Society’s Rage

Once You Have F You Money, It’s Really Hard To Tell Others To F Off!

What We Can Learn About Rich People Who Are Bad With Money (Lifehacker’s Kristin Wong provides my favorite response yet)

Rich And Marcus’ Entertaining Podcast – I couldn’t stop smiling and laughing at some of the commentary about the couple’s budget.

Readers, anybody want to try optimizing this $500,000 a year couple’s budget further without causing them to spend money for marriage counseling? Anybody want to verify the property tax amount in King’s County, NY? What else have you observed from other people commenting on this rich couple? 

Why is there is much hatred towards people who pay over $176,000 in income taxes AND contributes to help eliminate child hunger? I never presented this couple as whining about their money as some in the media have portrayed. I simply highlighted how a couple can easily spend almost all their $500,000 salary if they aren’t careful. 

Finally, if anybody in the media or who has a podcast wants to chat about this important subject, my door is always open. Just shoot me an e-mail found towards the end of my About page. 

from http://www.financialsamurai.com/a-500k-redo-how-one-rich-couple-got-their-mojo-back/

[chrisroberts2016-blog]

Bacall Associates Travel Singapore: Eight Ways to Save on Travel in 2017

Saving on flights, hotels and other aspects of travel is a question of how much you value your time versus hours and energy spent. You can scour the internet for low prices on rooms and airfares, but at some point you just have to pull the trigger so you can start planning your trip. Keeping that in mind, there are still some great, relatively easy ways to get more bang for your travel buck in the new year. Here are eight things to think about as we boldly forge into 2017.

1. SAVE MONEY without thinking about it. Spending less money on that next trip is all fine and good — but what if you don’t have any money socked away in the first place? The Digit app is trying to make saving for that next special excursion (and saving in general) an effortless experience. The free app analyzes your financial situation and spending habits, then pulls a few dollars from your checking account every so often and deposits them into a separate F.D.I.C.-insured savings account that Digit opens for you. You can tweak the app’s savings habits, chatting with it in a text thread and telling it to be more or less aggressive depending on how quickly you want to save. (Digit is confident in its algorithm and offers overdraft protection, as well.) While it might be scary to have a robot taking money from your checking account seemingly at random, reviews from users have generally been positive.

2. CONSIDER BRITAIN I don’t always feel good about exploiting the weakness of a nation’s currency — but with the United Kingdom (and London in particular), you’ll forgive me for having no such qualms. After Britons voted to leave the European Union, the pound sterling, which was exchanging at over $1.60 just a couple of years ago, plunged to around $1.17 in October, making Britain one of the best travel values in the world right now. Suddenly, that £5 cappuccino on Oxford Street is no longer cause for outright alarm. A quick look at the travel aggregator Trivago shows hundreds of hotel rooms available for under £100 a night for a weekend in mid-April. While London will never truly be a bargain, if you have always wanted to go, this may be as cheap as it’s going to get. As for feeling guilty — an argument can be made that American tourist dollars are exactly what an ailing economy needs.

3. IT’S THE WILD WEST for airfares. With European low-budget carriers like Norwegian Airlines and Wow Air aggressively expanding their routes stateside, there is no better time than now to go with whatever company rolls out the lowest prices. And there are some truly head-scratchingly low fares out there: As I write this, Norwegian is offering $585 round-trip, nonstop fares between Los Angeles and London in April, and I just found a $306 round-trip flight from Newark to London on Wow Air (with one stop in Iceland), also in April. Even the larger carriers are slashing fares: I’m currently able to find round-trip flights from Boston to Beijing on Air Canada for a mere $485.

4. OR, PICK AN AIRLINE, any airline — and stick with it. There is another side to that coin: Sometimes allegiance to a particular airline can pay off. The turning over of the calendar year resets the accumulation of qualifying miles and dollars that airlines track to assign status, so if you’re planning to stick with a particular carrier to reap the potential benefits of loyalty, January is the time to start. A new year gives even modest travelers a chance to shoot for low-level status on a major airline.

If you travel even somewhat regularly between a few predictable destinations, you can achieve the lowest tier of status on one of the major carriers by the end of the calendar year. Flying round-trip every six weeks between New York and Los Angeles, for example, could be enough to reach the lowest status (silver) on Delta Air Lines. What does that get you? Quite a bit: Free access to Delta Comfort Plus, which could ordinarily cost you $120 on each leg, along with priority boarding and a free checked bag. (Don’t expect any upgrades to first class, though.)

5. GET FLEXIBLE. “If your travel plans aren’t 100 percent finalized, learn the rules of your preferred airlines in relation to holding a ticket before purchasing it,” said Mark Orlowski, a travel contributor at Marketplace Morning Report. Sometimes it can actually help to do a bit of research and use a different partner airline that is part of the same alliance. For example, if you have Chase points and are looking at redeeming a United Airlines award flight, consider transferring those points to Singapore Airlines instead of United. Why? You can use Singapore miles to book awards on other Star Alliance airlines (including United) while benefiting from Singapore’s more generous fee policies. Changing an award ticket booked with United miles could cost you a whopping $125. If redeemed through Singapore, changing that same award ticket would cost you only $20.

6. TRACK YOUR PRICES after a purchase. Citi Price Rewind is a service that will refund you up to $500 an item, and $2,500 per year, if you buy an eligible product (think jackets and sleeping bags) with your Citi card and the price drops within the next 60 days. The best part? It will do the tracking for you automatically when you register your purchase (made with a Citi card, naturally) on its database of retailers. You can search, too, and if you find an advertised price that is lower, you can initiate a refund request. It’s a painless way to avoid the stress of wondering if you’re getting a good price. (Other cards offer price protection as well, but Citi makes it easy.) You can also do some monitoring on your own: The site Camelcamelcamel tracks items on Amazon and offers data on price history, which can help you decide when to buy.

7. FOCUS ON POINTS, not miles. Legacy loyalists who have hoarded their miles over the last several years have learned this lesson the hard way: Miles are getting less and less valuable. Frequent-flier programs at all three major carriers have gone through changes that have left many travelers less than pleased, to put it generously. If there is a bright side to this, it’s that credit card points are more plentiful and valuable than they have ever been. “The trend I see is more focus on nonairline/hotel branded cards and more focus on transferable points cards that allow for more flexibility when booking travel and don’t have blackout dates or capacity controls,” said Brian Kelly, the founder of the website The Points Guy.

There are some incredibly generous credit card sign-up bonuses available now, including 100,000-point offers from certain Chase and American Express products. While you certainly shouldn’t take opening a new line of credit lightly, those bonuses alone will be enticing to many: 100,000 points can be worth as much as $2,000 when redeemed directly for travel.

8. CHECK OUT PROJECT FI. Sick of switching SIM cards or paying outrageous overages to your phone carrier while overseas? Google’s Project Fi charges flat rates of $20 per month for unlimited talk and text, as well as $10 per gigabyte of data. Even better, Project Fi offers unlimited messaging and no roaming data charges in over 135 countries. You can use your phone as you normally would — provided you’re using a compatible phone. (You knew there would be a catch, right?) Officially, Project Fi works only on Google’s Pixel, Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X. At least it will transfer over your existing number if you decide to make the switch.