#pay me 500 dollars to get the original post back

[hornetstabber]

[harlowarchives]

❝ a 𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐎𝐖 story!

HI! omg ok, so this was originally published on wattpad because it wasn't getting any getting reads i gave up on it & left wattpad completely but... out of boredom i re-read it this weekend and was honestly in 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐞 so i decided to upload it here if u like this i'll do some more but i love you, enjoy! ⁀➷

↳ listen to THIS PLAYLIST.

𝐍𝐎 warning today, all fluff & language!

Dawn was simply exhausted. She had been working all day at her job as a daycare worker with mostly 3-6-year-old kids from around 8:00 am to 1:50 pm. She walked down the street from her job towards the deli, picking up her usual chop cheese and pineapple Fanta with a pack of golden Oreos. Dawn waited for her food and had her usual conversation with her favorite deli guy, Max, who had been working there since she was seven. They had grown a tight bond and he called her "bestie" every time she walked in the deli to put a smile on her face when she'd had a rough day or wasn't in a good mood. Dawn shifted a bit, feeling a figure behind her as a person entered the store. She posted against the fridge waiting for her food to be ready as she glanced over at a tall Caucasian man with fluffy curly hair and deep blue eyes. She stopped herself for a second when he turned around to look back at her, releasing his hand from his pocket to give her a calm wave. After a second or two, it had finally registered that the man was someone familiar, Jack Harlow. "Nina! One chop cheese," Max called out, pointing towards Dawn.

“How much, bestie?" Dawn smiled. "15.98," he replied, returning the expression. "I'll pay for her," Jack called. Dawn began to blush. "Thank yo—" as Jack stopped her. "Least I could do when you look that gahdamn fine." Dawn was completely flustered, interrupting her daze. "You want anything else?" he asked, looking down at her small curvy figure, pulling $500 from his pocket. "I'm good," she said nervously. Jack then nodded, placing a $100 bill on the counter, then grabbing her bag and his bag across from it, smiling at Max as Dawn waved and they walked out of the store together. "Thank you, I really appreciate it," the short, curvy girl said, gifting Jack a warm smile. "No problem, I'm Jack," he replied, laughing as she peered at him.

“TRUST ME, I know.”

The two of them laughed for a bit while walking aimlessly down the street before Jack asked, "You tryna hit the park with me?" Dawn teased, furrowing her brow. "I don't know, stranger. Am I?" "Handsome stranger," Jack added as she rolled her eyes. "Hm, it wouldn't hurt. But if anything, I'm showing you around," Dawn said, pulling his wrists while grinning.

Dawn was a BIG talker the entire way to all of her favorite spots in the city, but Jack wasn't even short of entertained. There was a glimmer in her eye whenever Dawn started talking about Queens. She told Jack pretty much everything about herself, and he shared stories of him and his rugrat little brother Clay. Dawn made him feel extremely vulnerable because he'd never see her again. His secrets would never be used against him in a petty argument. Regardless, Dawn wasn't even the type - she was so warm.

The city streets were boiling. The children played outside - little girls playing double dutch, making dance routines while the boys raced each other down the streets and tripped the girls jumping rope. One of the little girls began shoving her friend, screaming to look across the street, running across the street towards Jack as others followed behind asking for pictures. As he laughed, scratching his head, embracing the kids, handing all of them 5 dollar bills, the kids were smiling and thanking him.

"Do you make that popping song?" a little girl questioned, as Jack nodded. "Yes, I do make the popping song," he smiled. "Momma said that's the devil's music," the girl responded, scrunching her nose, looking slightly disgusted. "Where's your mom?" he questioned while the girl pointed towards her mother sitting on the step, yelling at the kids who were misbehaving. "Give her this, tell her I make the popping song," he laughed, turning slightly red, passing the child an uncounted wad of cash as the little girl beamed running towards her mother handing her the money as the woman broke into tears, smiling. The boys and girls crowded around the mother and her children as Jack grabbed Dawn before the woman had a chance to see where the money had come from.

Dawn smiled, pulling Jack into a tight squeeze that was quickly returned she didn't have any idea what to say to him she let her actions speak instead, Jack walked towards a stand nicely located under a gazebo where three or four boys who all looked to be no older than 18 sold teddy bears, bouquets & fruit arrangements. He bought the largest bear available while Dawn just stood watching with a smile plastered across her face. Jack bought a card, standing in the corner writing a letter to Dawn for about 5 minutes before unzipping the bear and stuffing the letter inside. "You are so extra," Dawn added while cheesing, unzipping the bear reaching inside before Jack quickly popped her hand. "Read it later, Dawn!" he said placing his hand on his hip as she burst out into uncontrollable laughter. "Ok, Mr. Sassy, I'll wait," she sighed as he looked at her completely unamused.

Dawn and Jack had just roamed around the neighborhood for a while aimlessly talking about absolutely everything, things they wouldn't dare tell anyone else.

Dawn told Jack about every memory she'd made on the streets they walked, and he'd always had a similar memory of his hometown to share. After Dawn had complained about needing to rest her legs, he'd thrown her over his shoulder. Her body adjusted, resting her legs on his shoulders, her arms around his neck, gently stroking his chin, playing in his hair while he walked towards the park nearest to her house.

Dawn and Jack sat on the park bench feeding the birds the leftover bread from Dawn's sandwich. They'd laugh at the ducks who fought for food, pushing the others over. As the sky began to grey, Dawn rested her head on Jack's lap as he stroked her hair while she played with his loose yet tight moisturized coils. They had yet to break eye contact. Jack was entranced in her deep expanding brown eyes. 'Do you have a staring problem?' Jack scowled, rolling his eyes as Dawn laughed and pushed him. 'Bitch, da fuck you were looking at me first!' she snapped back, causing them to break out into even harder laughter.

⁀➷ shortly 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑!

Jack's fingers intertwined with Dawn's his varsity jack draped over her shoulders as the two walked up to her building. Jack licked his lips sucking his bottom stuck in her eyes like a tangled shoe lace.

Dawn began grinning at Jack opening her arms wrapping her arms around his chest placing his arms around her small waist, time sat still. They just hugged & hugged and hugged, until Jack layed a kiss on her forehead both of them cheesing "Thank you, Jack." Dawn said as he wrapped his hand around hers, "Thank you more, beautiful." clearing her hair out her face as the midnight breeze ran through her hair, he ran down the steps of the building before the girl blew a kiss at Jack that he quickly caught placing it in his pocket running off.

🏷️ 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒 ⁱ : @lexxlovesjack @iknowdatsrightbih @iheartharlow @livsters @honeyharlows @killatravtramp @jackmanduh

[desrac]

From what ive gathered online its lookin like this weeks hot topic is Beyonce goin on tour and pricing her concert tickets starting at $500? Thats what the girls are ranting about correct? Now A Beyonce tour isn’t really where Im putting my business this week but whats on my mind is the audacity and ridiculousness of this situation. Everyone is posting memes and making comments about having to skip their rent to get their coins together to be able to afford a B ticket, which is just silly. The internet has been going on for weeks about not even being able to afford the price hike of eggs and she has the audacity to charge like four weeks salary for middle class. 

Yea yea I get it, the production value of a Beyonce tour just goes up every year and her shows get bigger and bigger she’s a performer and gives the theatrics but dam are you really telling me she cant find producers to fund her over the top ideas? Instead she is forcing the girls to give up their rent money, bussy, and legs to see her for a couple hours?

Now I have no interest in attending a Beyonce concert and her newest album don’t concern me but whats bothering me is that this affects the bigger picture that Ive been seeing lately in the art and commerce world. Big companies and top artists destroying and building unhealthy standards that then become requirements that independent artists are expected to meet. A Beyonce ticket being $500 is only going to show other artists that they should steal as much as they can from their ‘fans’. Beyonce makes an album referencing ballroom culture, house music, and the gurls, yet pricing the show at silly ass numbers that cant no one afford without fucking up their monthly expenses....Zoooming out back into the art world these clients and companies expecting us to produce dover street quality while paying us wal-mart prices. They expecting us to make pitches and decks with references, that they aren't looking to reference but instead expect you to make an exact copy of what you are ‘referencing’, instead of adding any originality to it. Ive been on so many jobs where Im in the production stage and the clients are complaining or insisting that this doesn't look like the reference......ok are you serious? Did you not hire me for my style and direction????? nooo, you've hired me to reproduce the same recycled bullshit that we have all been regurgitating for the last 5 years and will forget about 10 minutes after viewers have liked the post and moved right on. Stylists are pulling from these corporate designers and then expecting independent designers to also deliver to them in the same capacity and pay them nothing for their work. You want deliverables in like a three day turn around but wont provide the funds for a team that can hand those over. Make-up and hair are paying thousands of dollars out of pocket beyond their fee and acting like its normal because thats what they've been doing. 

And the gag is all these independent artists are still taking on these jobs in desperation for work just feeding the whale so that it can turn into a shark. Theres a lot of demanding going on with no hands coming the other way and its its bad business.

[kristenbrady]

Earn At Least $200 a Month on Medium When You Follow These Tactics

If you’re making more than $200 a month on Medium, this article may not be for you. But, if you are new to Medium and still haven’t figured out how to make at least $200 a month, then read further!

In order to be successful on Medium, you gotta show up everyday and you MUST be strategic. Without a solid strategy in place, you will get frustrated and won’t make any money. The goal of this article is to encourage new writers to steal my tactics for growth. When you make your goal, and you will, you can then make a new goal to double your income every month until you see significant income rolling in. Without further ado, let’s get started!

You have to write a mixture of long-form and short-form articles. Try to build up a portfolio of at least 200 evergreen articles. (More on that later).

Write evergreen articles because you’ll want to keep promoting your work on those days when you don’t feel like writing, or you just don’t have the time.

Make sure you put a call to action at the end of every post. Your call to action (CTA) should link to a digital product you want to sell, your newsletter, and/or a link to get people to sign up to receive your stories sent straight to their inbox.

Don’t worry about getting into really nice publications. Someone in one of those publications said they don’t really make a difference. It’s better to find a publication that accepts most topics and publishes posts quickly.

My recommendation for a good publication for short-form articles is Minimalist Side Hustles headed up by Jamie Northrop. One of my short-form articles in his publication Need Money Today? These 3 Websites Pay Daily has earned me the most money I’ve ever made in my time here on Medium.

Need Money Today? These 3 Websites Pay Daily

These days you need multiple income streams to earn a living. Try these.

minimalistsidehustles.com

I recommend the publication “Illumination” for long-form articles. They always accept my work and are very good about publishing quickly. For any long-form articles related to making money, make sure to apply to the “Illuminations Mirror” publication.

To build your following, follow at least 50 people a day. I got this advice from another highly reputable Medium writer with a large following. Some of those people are bound to follow you back and become loyal readers.

Start a newsletter. Join a slack group. (The publication “Illumination” offers an invitation to all their writers to join their Slack group) It’s a great way to get your stories out there to other Medium writers.

Medium

Make sure you respond to EVERY comment if someone took the time to comment on your post. Then follow those who comment on your posts.

Make sure you publish or promote a story at least 3 times a day. If you don’t have time to write at least 3 stories a day, make sure you promote one of your past EVERGREEN stories. If you can’t think of a long-form article to write on, write a short-form article. If you can’t think of anything at all, promote one of your past EVERGREEN stories and comment on other people’s posts. Do this at around 9 am, 3 pm, and 8 pm.

Strive for 10,000 monthly views. Want to make at least $500 a month and get 30,000 views? Read this article:

To Get 30,000 Views Per Month on Medium You Need These Tools

30,000 views should earn you at least $500 a month.

minimalistsidehustles.com

To get better on Medium, you MUST read as many helpful articles from other authors who have had success on Medium as possible.

Absorb their wisdom like a sponge.

Start a newsletter on LinkedIn. Post all articles from Medium there. They won’t be considered duplicate content if you place at the end of your post, “Originally posted on Medium” with a link back to the original work.

Put something for sale on Gumroad. You can make an easy digital product (You can use these 10 from J.R.’s challenge) and charge $0 (zero dollars) just to get email captures to add to a newsletter. And then you can create other digital products that you can charge money for later on down the road. If you don’t have any digital products for sale, ask another content creator on Gumroad if you can be a part of their affiliate program and you can earn a nice commission by promoting their products.

Make sure you always interlink to other articles you have on Medium. It helps people discover your other work.

Join a Medium Facebook group. When sharing posts on social media, share your friend link.

Join Twitter. Follow 20 people a day to build a following. (I follow Taylor Swift’s followers, as she’s a good influencer and has a large following).

Join LinkedIn. Connect with 20 people a day to build your following. Make sure you also join at least 10 groups. It gets more eyes on your work.

Join Instagram. Follow 20 people a day to build your following. (Again, Taylor Swift).

Join Pinterest. Post once daily.

Join Tumbler. Follow 20 people a day to build your following. You can post all your articles from Medium there. It won’t be considered duplicate material if you add at the bottom of your post, “Originally posted on Medium” with a link back to the original Medium post.

Join Buffer. Get the free membership. Schedule posts periodically all throughout the day and overnight to catch other countries and time zones.

On your newsletter, link to a few of your Medium articles in every post.

Still with me? Cool!

What’s beyond Medium?

Join Upwork. You can get the free membership or you can upgrade to the higher level. Make sure you put a call to action at the end of every Medium post to get hired as a writer for further work.

For more writing work opportunities, see this article:

Where Can Writers Find Quality Jobs Online?

Where the heck can you go to find a decent writing job these days?

minimalistsidehustles.com

As aforementioned, post products on Gumroad for extra income.

Self-publish on Amazon or Audible for extra income.

Start a YouTube channel and monetize it for extra income.

Start a podcast on Substack then offer a paid subscription to it for extra income.

Whatever you do, DO NOT USE AI (Artificial Intelligence) to create articles. Medium frowns on it.

Remember: when engaging with other writers, leave constructive criticism. NEVER tear someone down.

And most importantly,

NEVER GIVE UP!

You can follow me on any of the following places:

Let’s Get Social 🎉

👉Facebook

👉Twitter

👉LinkedIn

👉Pinterest

🍉Sign up here to catch every story when Kristen publishes.

Originally posted on Medium

[sintheyokai]

Meeee, writing something for Obey Me? Shocking yes but an idea popped in my head regarding my OC, Arabella Roun, and I simply had to write it because it's the first time I've ever had a full script in my head (again shocking, especially from a writers point of view). I value your time, so this story will be in two parts, the first of which will be under the cut:

[Part 2]

No Father of Mine (Part 1)

************************

**for additional information, Arabella is originally French living with her found family in Mexico and she's multilingual. Translated French will be italicized and translated Spanish will be bolded, unless presumed otherwise. This is pre-Belphrelease.

Arabella is many things- an assassin, an actress, a spy, all of which require a mask she's worn since childhood. All of which, as she learned in her previous home, require a heart of stone. Because of this, Arabella does not see herself as kind, unworthy of praise where praise is due. Despite these thoughts, however, she is determined to pay off Mammon's debt, even if it means dragging in others to do so. While doing so, the topic of a name comes up, which brings along other, uncomfortable topics.

"Mammon, exactly how much do you owe those witches?"

It was a very sudden question Arabella brought up at dinner, pulling out a notebook and pen from her bag. She received many stares from the six avatars that watched over her, even Leviathan had paused his game to stare in disbelief.

"Bella baby, you DO know what you just asked for, right?"

"I do, Asmodeus, and I am fully prepared for an answer."

Mammon grimaced, scratching the back of his head as the numbers churned in his mind.

"Severalllll billion Grimm I think? I couldn't give you an exact number."

Arabella made a noise in the back of her throat, "Very well. But it is below the trillion mark?"

Mammon nodded. He knew that much. Conversation thought to be over, the lords continued to eat.

But Arabella was not quite done yet.

"Do you know how much that would be in human change?"

Several distressed sounds were heard.

"Why are ya so damn interested in my debt!?"

"If a normie like you has that much money, I'm eating my headphones."

Lucifer finally silenced the whole table.

"I understand you and Mammon are very close to each other, Arabella," he started, "But the thought that you could pay off his debt is ludicrous, and will teach him not-"

"With all due respect, Lord Lucifer, I've earned quite a lot of money doing my human world job," Arabella interrupted, "If you will not answer my question then I will ask another: how much Grimm is equal to a human dollar?"

"Bout 500." Of course Mammon would know that instantly. She nodded at him and began to write in her notebook- 500 Grimm= 1 dollar; Trillion Grimm= ??? dollars.

Asmo looked like he was about to faint, "Arabella, our sweet little human, you can't be serious! You say you have a lot of money but this is Mammon we're talking about, you shouldn't spoil him like this!"

"It is because of his debt that they hold power over him, is that not correct?"

The room became silent. Arabella continued.

"Now, I do not know where lines are drawn in terms of morality here - how far people must go before someone finally says enough is enough. But where I draw my line is when you have people who hold themselves higher than they really are, and they flaunt it for all the world to see. Even worse are those who think that no one will challenge them, then abuse their power further when someone finally does. If these witches want money I will give them that money. But I will not let them hold that much power over a lord of Hell and do nothing when they laugh in his face."

She noticed Mammon slightly tearing up, and she almost smiled. She didn't, instead turning her attention back to her notebook, "Now please allow me to work."

The permission given was silence.

************************

"So if 500 is 1 then it's reasonable to assume 5000 is ten... right?" Arabella was muttering to herself.

The sudden switch in languages nearly sent the table into a frenzy once more, especially Asmodeus.

"1000 is two, two times five, 1000 times five... Yeah yeah okay that's 5000. How many 0s is a trillion again?"

"Oh darling you speak Fre-" Asmo tried to squeal before Arabella covered his mouth.

"Trying to count. It's much easier in my native language. So a trillion is... A million iiiis- six. So a billion is nine, meaning a trillion is twelve zeroes. Twelve, twelve, Quetzalcoatl please save me."

"Oi, how many languages do ya spe-"

"Several, Mammon, and if no one is eating please get out so I can concentrate."

The room stayed quiet from then on.

"A trillion is twelve zeroes... Wait." she paused, "What the hell all I needed was a trillion divided by 500, fuck. Okay so that's.. gods above what is that." She pulled out her D.D.D., quickly typing the numbers into her calculator

"What I'm getting is that I would need 2 billion to pay off your debt." she directed towards Mammon writing the number down in her notebook, "And that's if I did this correctly."

"I'nt tha a lo'?" Bell asked, mouth bulging with the others' unfinished plates.

"Well yes," Arabella said, "But with a little contribution from my other family members and friends, this could actually be paid off. If I spent all the money I have currently saved, aside from money used solely for donations to charities and money set aside for familial business, that would take a chunk out of such a large number in itself. The remainder would be about 1.5 billion."

"As impressed as I am with your determination on this matter," Attention turned to the eldest brother, "I'm concerned as to where you got all this money."

"My job pays high depending on how well the end result is. And my squad produces very good end results, Lord Lucifer." She turned to Mammon.

"Mammon, what nationalities are these witches? I'm aware there are three, but remind me where they come from."

The demon clicked his tongue, "One is from Romania, one's from Japan, and the last one's from France."

"Alright, so 2 billion divide by three.. that's going to be uneven." She typed the numbers, keeping in a strangled chuckle. "66,666,666.67 dollars per witch. How ironic. Okay so converting that means..." she typed a few more numbers, "270,700,010.21 lei for Romania, 7,312,366,949.56 yen for Japan, and 55,022,751.91 euros for France. Provided I didn't mistype anything."

Arabella stood up, "Very well then! I'm going to make a phone call to a few family members, a few friends of mine, and we'll get this sorted."

Notebook with these calculations in hand, she walked to the common room, unaware of the six lords following her all the way.

************************

And that is Part 1! I will post the second part within a day of posting this at the same time, so keep an eye out if you want, please reblog if you can, it’d be really appreciated, and send me feedback if you feel like it too.

[followthebluebell]

asking out of genuine curiosity: what’s the problem with “adopt don’t shop”? (implied but not explained in a post you reblogged)

When it's applied to mill breeders and pet shops, I'm in complete agreement with it. If I remember right, that's what it was originally MEANT to apply to. Then it became co-opted by Animal Rights Activists, who are generally against pet ownership completely. It became a blanket statement against breeders of any sort, vilifying responsible and ethical breeders and those who purchase from them.

So, four years ago, I started looking for a prospective service dog. It was natural for me to start my search within rescues, because most of them were known to me already. I look like a pretty good applicant: I work in rescues, I specialize in handling animals with difficult temperaments, I have vet records stretching back to when I came of age (basically, I've been fully responsible for my cats' vet care since I was 18), and all of my animals have either died of old age or random chance (I've never rehomed any of my personal animals for any reason, including health issues).

But it turned out to be borderline impossible.

The fact that I was looking for a service dog prospect was an immediate disqualification for most of them. This is because a lot of dogs (especially rescue dogs) wash out of training and can't go on to become fully trained service dogs. Since most disabled people can only afford one or two dogs, most of these dogs are returned to the shelter/rescue. That knocked out about 60% of the rescues I was looking at.

Another rescue asked for an 'application fee', which smacks of a scam to me. It was around 40 dollars, but still. That's a shitty fucking thing to do. :/

Another priced their dogs around 800 dollars, which is on the low end range for popular purebred dogs from pet-quality breeders. There was no way I was going to pay 800 dollars for a dog with an unknown genetic background and no health testing if I could pay the same thing and get a dog WITH all that.

Another asked me to take pictures of my fenced in yard, including the gate and ALL the fencing. My land is 22 acres. While it IS fully fenced, many of the fences are inaccessible to me because they're on cliffs. There was no way I could physically get all the pictures.

Most require that you own a house. I rent.

Another rescue had a sneaky little addendum in their policy, stating that they can visit my home at ANY TIME without permission or knowledge and take the dog back within two weeks of adopting it. This place also had a very high adoption fee (around 500 dollars). I don't remember the exact wording, but it was something along the lines of, "You're not ADOPTING this dog. This is a temporary foster for two weeks, and the adoption fee is non-refundable if we take the dog back within those two weeks, which we may do so at any time for any reason without your knowledge or permission."

I was feeling pretty good about the next rescue, until it came out that my pet reptiles are all intact. Like... they're non-breeding. But the fact that they weren't spayed or neutered was enough, apparently, and I was denied. "Come back when they've been fixed," I was told. The fact that they're reptiles, housed separately, and literally have never made contact with each other was deemed irrelevant, as was the fact that attempting to alter a 50 gram gecko would likely kill her. It was the LOOK of things that was important, rather than the actual animal welfare.

The local poodle rescue had a waiting list of approximately 5 years.

There was no way I was going to wait that long. So I started looking at shelters. There are three in my travel radius (did I mention that, as a disabled person, my travel radius is quite small? Because it is). One was immediately knocked out because it has a long history of transphobia against me in particular. One was knocked out because it was going through a panleuk issue at the moment, so I wasn't going to risk bringing it home or to work. The third was almost completely bully breed mixes, chihuahuas, or huskies (which are all fine breeds, but not compatible with my lifestyle).

Another issue with 'adopt don't shop' is that it implies ALL rescues/shelters are equal. They aren't. I've also encountered some extremely unethical rescues who outright lie to adopters about an animals' temperament or health. I've seen rescues who actively purchase puppies from mill auctions, because demand for 'rescue purebreeds' is so high. This is especially common with cavalier spaniels and other in-demand small breeds.

I recently cut ties with a cat rescue who actively refused to report a bad breeder for animal abuse/neglect----this breeder was mass-producing cats and not socializing them or treating them for heavy health issues. Every few months, they'd turn over whatever they couldn't sell to the rescue and these cats were inevitably poorly socialized messes who couldn't even be touched (and these were cats who required a high amount of grooming). The rescue didn't want to turn the breeder in because these cats were in high demand; they were 100% sure guaranteed adoptions. People didn't care that they weren't healthy animals; they just wanted something pretty with a sob story.

Not every breeder is responsible. Not every rescue is responsible either. The saying SHOULD be 'adopt responsibly, shop responsibly'. On a purely pedantic note, you SHOULD be shopping responsibly regardless, because adopting is also shopping. You shouldn't adopt the first cute animal with a sad backstory. You need to look into everything and make sure they're the right fit for you and your life.

I fully support rescues. But I also support breeding. My goal as a rescue worker is to create a world where every animal is born with a home already waiting for them and the shelters are empty. For that, we need breeders to keep producing healthy animals.

Basically, don't vilify people who buy from responsible, ethical breeders. We have our reasons for doing so.

[jimmymcgools]

Can you do a directors cut for they pay me a golden treasure?

hi! this has been in my ask box for like two weeks! i'm so sorry! my brain broke and i forgot how to think about things!

i'm glad you asked for this one, thank you so much 🙏 i'd had the first ~500 words of this sitting in a google doc for so long -- i was originally thinking of posting after i finished slip and fall season. but then my brain did that thing where i wanted everything to be exactly perfect and i kept working and overworking the first few paragraphs until way too much gluten had formed in the dough and it was chewy and terrible.

but then i took a step back and just tried to write a thing that captured all the little interesting ideas i wanted to include, and that helped me get the ball rolling.

commentary below! 💖

Two points of pressure weigh down his shoulders, as heavy as the bags of cash had been—heavier, even. It feels like he has two hands locked on either side of his neck. He can feel the man who owns the hands standing behind him, and he can hear the echo of the word wife.

this idea was one of the first things that made me want to write this oneshot -- linking this physical sensation of carrying the bags with this metaphorical way he feels lalo's control over him.

He swallows. His mouth is tacky with a sugary layer of Gatorade.

i wanted the whole thing to hopefully be SUPER sensory and way deep in jimmy's head. and this is the kinda shit that takes me longer than it should to remember. sometimes i have to just sit and think through every part of my body as if i'm in that situation and see if anything good leaps out.

He’s just standing there outside the apartment and his arms are so heavy and his shoulders are so heavy and his head is so heavy he feels as if he’s going to fall right through the ground, as if he’s going to plummet into the earth before she can even open the door.

this is one of the sentences that previously died to being overworked. i kept changing it and changing it until eventually i looked back at my very first version, which was more brainstormy note than intended prose, and i thought it was better than anything else i'd managed. so i used that!

There’s a bang and his eyes snap open. The door is widening to a square of light and his hands are in front of his chest, curling into balls.

this part is a reverse of the previous example, though! here i kept an earlier version for a while, something that started like "The door opens with a bang etc etc" and then i realised it DID need more work, it needed to be more in jimmy's head and not tell the reader exactly what was happening in the first three words.

A square of light—sand and sky and space blankets—and then she’s there, silhouetted against the white, and he takes— —one step, then the next, then the next— —through the bright doorway.

fuckin' love an em dash, mate

His legs, having delivered him here, to this final glowing space, give up.

another one of the ideas i was very excited about for this one-shot was comparing kim to the golden glowstick he holds that night in the desert! i always think about it when i watch that scene!

here's my first shot at making the comparison -- this final glowing space. for a while i wanted to include the memory of him holding that glowstick right here, so that people might link it with him holding her in the entryway, but it didn't work with the pace.

Her voice sounds like it’s coming down a long phone line, traveling through thousands and thousands of copper-lined miles. Crackling and cracking.

i'm a self indulgent lil shit so i put some references to my other fic in here. hopefully if youve read acb, this specific description makes you think of baby kim and jimmy talking softly on the phone at night.

Kim’s fingers are razors in his hair, crushing his head close against her shoulder.

another metaphor from early acb used here, which in itself is a reference to a song by the national, of course. all my fics are just a bunch of national songs stacked inside a trenchcoat

As soon as his chest touches hers, he’s clawing with tight fists at her back, holding her faster and faster, like he’s scrabbling for purchase over screaming dirt

i loved the idea of drawing all these parallels between the desert experience and his experience here. it makes me think of the split-screen opening. jimmy's dry tongue sticking to his mouth is like him trying to say the first part of kim's name. the way he hugs her is like the way he scrambles towards the esteem.

it's all entwined forever now.

From down the long crackling line, she says his name again. Jimmy. He almost can’t hear it. Jimmy.

god, i'm such a writing nerd and i love thinking about writing so much and it's like -- what does not having his name in speech marks add here? in my head it adds so much. is it real, is she really saying it? is he just thinking it? yet he says he almost can't hear it. somehow not having the speech marks also makes it feel far away to me. intangible. if she's really saying it, it doesn't feel real anymore.

i love writing!!!!

“Hey,” Kim says, her voice quiet, her eyes locked on his. The dry skin on his lips stretches with his smile. “Hey.”

would die for these two softly exchanging "hey"s.

It’s good to be close because he knows there’s something horrible trapped between their chests. Something he can feel running warmly down his white and unblemished t-shirt.

jimmy brushing his hand over the spot as they sit together on the sofa.

Like he’s something that might burn her, or something that might break. Or both—like he’s fragile and electrified.

i kind of want to do more with this duality at some point. i think they both feel this about the other. that they could burn them or be burned by them.

He wants her to cradle his cheeks the same way she always does, or stroke her thumbs over his mouth, or curl her fingers around his ears, but she doesn’t. She just holds him in her fingertips. Like water in her hands, he thinks.

more of that wild self-indulgency, but god i couldnt resist linking this moment with the first time they makeout in acb:

"Then she pulls back, breathing heavily, looking down at him. She frames his face with her hands. Gasping for breath, staring up at Kim from between her palms, Jimmy feels like she’s the only thing holding him together. Like he’s water in her hands."

the only thing holding him together.

the ", he thinks." i added in the one-shot makes me feel like jimmy's making the link too, not just me as the writer.

The apartment smells of smoke. Another thing he’s dragged with him over the threshold from the desert: one hundred thousand dollars in cash and the word wife and the smell of dust burning beneath a high sun.

of course, it smells of smoke because kim's been smoking inside, but jimmy doesn't know that

Boxers picked up and then put down in almost the same spot on the bathroom floor.

this moment always gets me. these actors are incredible. there's so much goddamn emotion in one little action.

In his hand now, the ache of a yellow glowstick. The edges of his fingers are made red with it, and his skin and bones and all the gaps between the different parts of himself are marked out with the light. He’s awake, and the yellow stick is fragile in his grasp. Glowing through the cold and the dark. Burning a ghost on his retinas. His suit jacket is thin above him, a loose sheet. The desert is loud with lizards and wind and tires wheeling over dirt roads. The glowstick is golden.

and now finally i get to this glowstick moment. i'm really proud of how i executed this paragraph. it's the writing nerd in me again. i love what the present tense does to it. to me, it makes it feel eternal, ongoing. this is how i felt okay about not setting up the glowstick thing earlier. this paragraph makes me feel like jimmy's been thinking about this the entire time.

all the gaps between the different parts of himself are marked out with the light

also the thought of like... jimmy sitting awake in the desert thinking about the jimmy vs saul of it all.

Burning a ghost on his retinas.

"Did I dream it or did I have $1,600,000 on my desk in cash? When I close my eyes, I can still see it. It's burned into my retinas like I was staring into the sun."

Kim’s face is warm against his spine. Her heartbeat seems to pulse through his skin.

more of my stolen acb lines, this from the final chapter:

"He can feel her breathing, her knees pressed up close behind his, her chest against his back. Her heartbeat seems to pulse through his skin. If he didn’t know better, he’d feel like the Sandias, like a line of protection between her and the world."

When he closes his eyes, he’s walking, he’s still walking.

returning to the first sentence here gave it all a terrifying feeling to me. like -- does jimmy feel like this moment of getting home is the dream? this looping dream?

thank you so much to everyone who read this one-shot, by the way! i was super nervous about tackling canon times, and everyone's messages have been so reassuring. i really appreciate it 💖

[dippedanddripped]

It’s rare that it reaches 100 degrees in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon.

Even rarer still is the presence of an all-gold Dodge Challenger, its reflection giving the appearance of a bejeweled shooting star pulling into the parking lot.

This one also has a vanity license plate – “Sammyy” – that enhances the car’s extraterrestrial appearance.

The Challenger’s occupant exits and joins me at a table. As she takes a seat across from me, a group of 20-somethings not too far away becomes intrigued.

More stares start to accrue from the outdoor mall goers. Next up is a young couple pushing a stroller, followed by the employees at the coffee shop I had just exited.

A minute ago, neither myself nor the table I was at seemed to warrant much, if any, attention.

You can get the sense that “somebody” just entered the premises, even if they’re not quite sure who that somebody is.

I can tell that the attention phases me more than my recently-arrived guest. Despite the now fishbowl-like dynamic between the two of us and the mall-goers, she seems to barely notice.

Then again, when you have more than 2.5 million followers on instagram and nearly half a million more on Tik Tok, being recognized by random passerby doesn’t come as a surprise like it would for most.

Rockstar? No, influencer

I distinctly remember the plethora of classmates I graduated high school with who promised to one day grow up and become “rockstars.”

Unsurprisingly, I haven’t heard from any of those classmates since. What is surprising is how anachronistic the notion of being a “rockstar” has become.

The reality is that “rockstar” should probably be replaced with a new term – ”influencer.” Sure, it’s not quite as catchy, but it’s far more accurate when describing the world’s latest (and perhaps most enviable) celebrity class.

These days, very real rock stars have nothing on the modern day Influencer.

Influencing by the numbers

What little data on the subject tells us is that, in 2016, social media influencing was just under a $2 billion industry ($1.7B, for those with a penchant for exactness).

This figure grew to $3B in 2017, and $4.6B in 2018.

In 2020, estimates tell us that the sector is likely to surpass the $10B mark.

While that may not seem like a lot of money, think of it this way – in a little under 4 years, the size of the influencing industry grew 500%.

Should the industry continue on its current growth trajectory, it will become a $50B industry by 2024.

To put this in perspective, Goldman Sachs estimates that the total value of all recorded music streaming will grow to about $30B by 2030. That means that it will take some years for music to reach just half of what influencing brings in annually.

By some metrics, influencers have become more relevant as celebrities than their musical counterparts. It’s happened quickly; adults who use social media religiously often can’t see it.

But real professional influencers are out there. As a crowd begins forming near our table, I begin to witness firsthand what these ridiculous financial statistics truly mean.

Who is Sammyy02k?

Since 2014, Samantha Krieger has gone by a number of different names. These days, she’s known as Sammyy02k.

Despite her reluctance to do in-person interviews, she’s agreed to be the subject of an Artvoice feature on the rise of social media influence.

And while Krieger can exercise her massive reach with just a few taps of a smartphone, a lot of misinformation about her continues to circulate.

As part of her agreement to the interview, I offer to help clarify the basics about just who exactly she is.

Samantha Krieger, AKA Sammyy02k

Samantha Krieger was born in Portland, Oregon. For some years, she was no different than you or me, working tedious retail jobs and driving a non-gold car.

At Lakeridge high school, she was dealt with taunts from wealthy classmates. It’s likely these experiences would activate whatever latent stardom was already within her.

After graduating from Portland State University in 2014, Krieger had a vision.

She suspected, correctly, that it doesn’t take much to at least get started as an influencer.

You need photos and/or video, sure… but given the prevalence of acceptable cameras on the backs of phones, finding a suitable recording setup was simple.

The second ingredient Krieger inferred was something less tangible – the courage required to be exceptional.

Despite her natural shyness, she had ambitions that extended beyond what she thought her bachelors degree would help achieve. Then, one day, it clicked.

“You could say I decided to become an ‘antisocial social media star.’”

“I did what I wanted to do, and I knew there was going to be a way to make it work for me.”

From 0 to 60 (thousand followers)

Like any new profile, at one point, @Sammyy02k had 0 followers.

Constant content and connection with followers helped drive things quickly, however.

A few hundred followers within a month turned into one thousand, and one thousand turned into tens of thousands in less than a year.

While impressive to most, Krieger knew there was more to be gained.

“Once I hit 50 or 60 thousand, things started to snowball. I hit the gas.”

@Sammyy02k posted more content, becoming more aware of her developing voice with every post.

At 500k followers, the contracts rolled in.

Brand building, Sammyy02k style

Krieger’s first contract of note was in Spring 2018, a lucrative deal with clothing brand Fashion Nova.

Now, instead of developing a brand on her own money and time, Krieger had companies competing against one another for the privilege of paying her to do what she loved.

The Fashion Nova contract was quickly followed by others, and within just a matter of months, Krieger’s lifestyle had changed dramatically.

She quit her last remaining part-time gig and moved into a luxury 2-bedroom apartment in Portland’s famed Pearl District.

With newfound status, however, came the need for significant soul searching.

Overcoming obstacles, digital and personal

Not too long after inking the Fashion Nova deal, Sammyy02k was offered to do a paid appearance at a party in downtown Portland. While there, she got a call from the police.

A gray Dodge Charger registered in her name had crashed into a median in China Town. The driver had fled, and the car was totaled.

Krieger immediately had a suspect in mind: a reckless boyfriend who had started taking advantage of her recently-acquired celebrity status.

Boyfriends weren’t the only concerns that Krieger had to deal with – even some of her own friends had started to become jealous, the relationships turning toxic.

To her friends, Krieger was still known as just “Sam”. People in her circle had difficulty comprehending the controlled entrepreneurism required to run @Sammyy02k.

They’d ask for shoutouts or suggest off-brand posts, not understanding that the Instagram profile required attention to detail and discipline.

Old friends becoming enemies seems like an overplayed Hollywood trope.

For a young adult who now could command thousands of dollars for just a few minutes of work, it was reality.

The type of loneliness that hides in shadows of success began to stretch further and further into Krieger’s personal life. The totalled car was the last straw.

While on the phone with the police at her first paid party appearance, Krieger took a deep breath and decided that staying on her desired path would require serious changes.

“I saw this as an opportunity where I could come back, and make a statement.”

It turned out that ditching the car (and the boyfriend) would be one of her best career decisions yet.

A car is born

A few weeks after the incident, Sammyy02k returned from a luxurious all-paid overseas trip to the Seychelles with a new travel sponsor. Krieger decided that she “needed a new whip.”

By now, Krieger had registered an LLC in her name. Business was coming fast and steady, and it wasn’t uncommon for her to be recognized on the street – not only in Portland, but in Los Angeles and even cities as far away as Kansas City.

Krieger elaborates:

“At this point, I was really stepping into my role as an influencer. This is when I really refined my style, my brand, and my image.”

For you and me, “refining your style” might mean picking up a few shirts from a department store.

To Krieger, it meant buying a brand new custom Dodge Challenger R/T wrapped in metallic gold with scissor-doors, the kind you’ll find on a Lamborghini.

According to Krieger, the car represents the essence of her brand, and the luxury of travel. It’s now one of the most recognized facets of her style.

Sammyy02k all over the world

Sammyy02k’s influence, today, is international.

With sponsorship deals taking her to the Seychelles, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and beyond, she is now recognized in 4 continents.

She prides herself on showing her fans different places around the world. The path less traveled, the freedom to be everywhere, the luxury lifestyle that many in our always-connected society dream of.

“I feel connected to the road, and traveling to exotic locations”

The opportunities that sudden stardom has afforded her seem almost surreal, even to her. Normalcy is a mirage in the rear view mirror.

Responding to criticism

In mid-2019, Krieger was the main guest on a Portland Fashion Week panel. Already an influencer to influencers, she insisted that whatever secret ingredients success exist come naturally.

During a Q&A, she fielded numerous questions regarding her chosen career path. Not all of the questions were softballs.

Some questioned the materialism and sexuality often used by influencers.

The response was simple:

“Your opinions don’t pay my bills.”

Always on the go

With more followers pouring in every day, Sammyy02k stays busy. She recounts tales of distant travels, and the types of perks that I thought were originally reserved for a few select people who orbited high above in the LA movie industry.

Thirty minutes into the interview, I notice that a distant crowd has accumulated around our table like rings around Saturn.

Krieger barely seems to notice. A reminder goes off on her phone, a notification about another engagement she has back in the city.

After a polite exchange of thank yous and goodbyes, she heads back to her car.

I hear the exhaust note of the Challenger float away from the parking lot as I gather my notes and get up from the table.

As I glance up, the crowd has already dispersed. The only people left pay me no mind as they stare at their phones.

[audiohut]

What do you think you need to produce and engineer your own music? SSL Mix Console? Teletronix LA2A? API 500 modules? The answer is none of thee above. Your skill in the craft is far more important than your equipment. While the gear you use does have an impact, if you do not know where and how these tools should be used, it will make no difference to the quality of your music nor the mix and master.

For the bedroom studio musicians, there are only a few elements you NEED to start up your learning process. With digital tools accurately replicating beautiful vintage pieces of outboard hardware you have more than what you need to get started. But the on a dime musician should start with: (And this entails all instruments digital and live)

Obviously you need a computer. Until you reach a specific point in power, most any desktop or laptop with 8GB’s of ram will suffice. You need decent processing power to stay away from latency as well as distortion and glitches within your project which will also translate to requiring latency in order to move past this until further power is required thus demanding more latency to allow your PC to process information from your wav and tools before it delivers the audio to your speakers or headphones.

An audio interface. You can find great budget friendly interfaces made by Focusrite, Berhinger, Avid and many more that offer great digital amps and a small handful of recording parameters most of which including phantom power if need be per microphone. I recommend the Focusrite 2i2 for starters who want to capture that of both XLR microphones as well as 1/4″ DI or analog signals from bass, guitars, vocals, keyboards and really anything that is mono. For stereo there is a bit of routing you need to implement via your Digital Audio Workstation which will allow multiple inputs to be recorded at once. This can come in handy for things like Drum Rooms, Vocals, Drum Overheads and again, anything you see fit for stereo recording.

This one is a good one as i know most certainly you want the best recording at the source. You can only fix so much in the mix and there is nothing that beats the genuine quality of a great recording as well as one that mails the take rather than editing to compensate. Good microphones ranging from $100-$300 includes the Shure SM58, Rode NT1A, Aston Origin and the famous AKG Pr Audio C214. All of these microphones deliver a brilliant high end as well as capture very natural elements of the performance in detail. The Shure as well as the Rode are very quiet in ways that they eliminate outside noise thanks to the full grill surrounding the unit in case of live recording with other instruments like a full band or group of vocalists in a choir.

This one is optional, but you can never go wrong. You will want a acoustic treatment shield to surround your microphone to help eliminate any reverberation that might make its way back to your microphone. I have an Auralex shield that i swear by in my studio as the whole thing i solid wood leaving lots of room for unwanted reverberation and frequency bleed which can stunt the quality of your performance. There are lots of great products that offer the same kind of shield, but i highly recommend Auralex. (Not noted but obviously you will need a microphone stand to equip your gear upon.)

This one is also quite obvious, but you will need a method of playback and monitoring. I love the process between headphones to monitors as i will detail my mix on headphones for lows and mids and focus the high end to the monitors as well as see how it all translates on a separate pair. Budget monitors are kind of tough, which i why i DO recommend headphones. Sennehsier 589SE or any Sennheiser headphone with a closed back will deliver very honest referencing, but depending on your purchase point you might end up with a pair that emphasize areas of your mix you want heard more truthfully. It is important to remember to reference your mix in your car. This is where most music is enjoyed and will provide a great ground for your further mixing or mastering decisions as subconsciously we all know what pro productions sound like in our car from years of listening. For budget monitors, i highly recommend Yamaha’s HS8’s or HS5’s. These are very transparent speakers that have adjustable parameters for your room as well as low end boosting, mid boost and high end boosting which can all be reduced to best suit your mixing and referencing needs per your room or just flat out what you are comfortable with audibly. I also recommend KRK Rokits. These speakers define your mix in a clean and precise way that is honest for the price point. Standing at around $300 for the five inch monitor set you can not beat this price. I had been referencing on a set of Fostex RM900 eight inch monitors for about a year and added the KRK set to my system and was blown away by how well the high end worked in comparison. To define it by ‘you get what you pay for’ the Fostex monitors were over one thousand dollars as the KRK’s i found used for $175 for both making a set.

Finally, you will need an audio workstation of some sort. Unless you plan on recording to tape, a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) will inherently make your work flow more ergonomic. With the ability to punch in, edit, sample, use amp sims to develop tone and recovers mixes and so much more without tape you save  yourself an enormous amount of time in these processes. Depending on your styling of music there is a DAW for you! Sadly, not all of them are on a budget… For beat producers you can grab something like FL Studios from anywhere between $100 to $1000 dollars depending on the package you would like. Ableton is a great DAW as well, but does cost you a pretty penny of i believe a fat $800 for the full version. You can get a lite version which does not include some tools here and there for $100. You can find these tools among other companies to implement in your DAW of any kind to compensate as well but in some cases, you can not replicate the original tool. What i started with was Audacity because it was totally free. As i advanced in my needs, i found that Reaper was the best deal on the market as you can trial the FULL version for as long as you would like until you choose to purchase a license AND when you do purchase, it is only sixty dollars! You can download tools from various other aforementioned DAW’s and load them into Reaper to use as if though you were in the DAW of your choice. You get community based updates every thirty days or so which all do nothing but improve the quality and work flow for the people who pay into the company. But at the end of the day, there is no RIGHT DAW. Try the free versions of each one until you find something that pleases you in any way shape or form and really dive into it. I was told to get Logic but did not like how it felt for the price i had to pay. If you can afford it, i do recommend something that is industry standard along with the previously mentioned pieces of gear, but this is about a budget and the artist that is on a dime.

Edit: DO NOT FORGET YOUR CABLES.

And with that i bid thee happy mixing and creating. This small studio setup which should obviously include your instruments of choice (not mentioned for obvious reasons) will run you anywhere between $800-$1500 depending on your products of choice as well as what kind of computer you get with what kind of power. There is nothing cheap about audio and production but this is a killer setup that i spent years on to develop the skills needed to accurately apply those Teletronix LA2A Compressors, API 550’s and various other pieces of boutique gear we all seek. Once you learn the way your tools work you can present your talents among any genre as you will know what needs attention when and where. Do NOT let people tell you genre matters. As it does help to find a niche within your passion for listening, these skills work quite universally unless it is the physical beat, lyric or performance you are delivering. For mixing and engineering yes this applies about 15% from 100%. Stay strong with your setup and remember that practice makes perfect. If you can master your digital tools then you can master your outboard ones with an extra analog touch given by the actual electronics and tubes powering them.

I hope this helps you find the motivation to start recording and engineers your own music as i know hearing this helped the spark for me. For awesome digital tools check out VST4FREE as well as the product companies Waves and Fabfilter which all produce high quality tools for you mixing and writing. If you seek more song writing information or thoughts on music production follow my space and read back on my previous posts!

-Andrew Giordanengo

-Audiohut

[blockmind]

Hurt Kitty Vet Bill Help!

CHECK BOTTOM OF POST FOR UPDATES!  WARNING: INJURED KITTY PICS

Hello!  Today on the way to class I noticed a young calico cat who had been injured on the side of the road. She was stumbling and confused, and traffic was blowing past her so I pulled over and picked her up.  I rushed kitty to the hospital, thinking that she was in worse shape than she was, and accepting the fact that I would likely be paying to euthanize her. Several phone calls and test results later, and the vet confirmed that medical intervention could save kitty and restore her quality of life. So I’ve gone ahead and allowed them to treat her and now I need help raising the funds for her! 

I can cover the down payment today, but will need help with the rest!  If I could get at least 20 people to donate $50 I would be golden! What’s in it for you?  If you’re feeling extra generous, for a donation of $100 or more I will reward your generosity with a one-of-a-kind, mailed to your address traditional commission. As you know, my commissions have been down for a while to allow time for paid projects (I’m on two indie books, and doing colors for Dynamite) but I’m willing to make time for the sake of kitty

The kind of commission you will get is:  12x18 water color paper  Inked and fully painted  The results of which look like this: 

PLEASE SEND ALL DONATIONS FOR KITTY TO  >>> PAYPAL.ME/BLOCKMIND <<< Absolutely ANY amount is helpful! Even a dollar! If you send $100 or more, you are entitled to a commission of any character or creature of your choice, original or existing.  In that case, please ALSO contact me at:  hailey@hailrenarts.com For information on the commission! Please include your paypal address so I can keep everyone organized! 

PAY ATTENTION TO THIS ORIGINAL POST FOR UPDATES! I will edit it as necessary! After Kitty is rehabilitated, I might already have people interested in providing a forever home for her! Will keep you updated and will hopefully have a photo of her tonight!  THANK YOU FOR HELPING! <3

UPDATE #1 2/7/19  Kitty needs to be transferred to an overnight hospital so she can be looked after there. She is stable and has no diseases, but may be partially blind from head trauma. She is sitting upright and looking around and in general being perkier, but her breathing troubles persist. She’s not out of the woods yet, but there’s still help to be had for her. 

We’ve raised $500 so far! Thank you all so much! We still have a little distance to cover!

UPDATE #2 2/8/19

Kitty has been transferred to an overnight hospital and I will be getting a call about her sometime today. Turns out the blindness was temporary due to trauma, and her troubled breathing may be because of the swelling in her brain. They’re treating her brain swelling and the vet seems very optimistic about her recovery. She doesn’t appear to be debilitatingly brain damaged.

I finally have some pics of kitty to attach! You can see her injured face and swollen eye. 

We’ve raised in total $776 ! Thank you all so much for helping Kitty!  With that we’ve almost covered the first bill, the second bill is an estimated $544, so in total we still have $848 to make up! :(  Please keep spreading! Thank you! 

UPDATE #3: 2/8/19 

Kitty has been declared healthy enough to come home and she’s currently quarantined in a room with supplies for all her needs while she’s watched for any further signs of illness! She’s eaten, drank water, used litter and is now catching up on sleep. She’s wary of people but the vet says there’s likely no neurological damage from her accident. She must have been swiped fairly hard on the side of the face, disoriented and stressed but with medical intervention she’s so far okay! 

We’ve raised a total of $1207 ! With an adjusted total bill between the two hospitals of $1595 we have $388 left to totally cover everything! Thank you all so much for pitching in and spreading this! 

UPDATE #4: 2/9/19 ONLY $288 LEFT TO FULLY COVER KITTY

UPDATE #5: 2/10/19

Only $188 to cover Kitty fully! Thank you all so much! Couldn’t have done it without you!

As for Kitty—she’s doing much better! Eating full plates of food and gaining her energy back! I’m very proud of her!

[ibeati]

2008 Internet Real Estate Agent

Happy New Year! Here's to 08 being the year for taking your business and personal life in their highest level. The need for people to connect and exchange things and services has been one of civilization's ongoing themes. Currently, the need for people to get on the internet and search for real estate advice is going to increase exponentially. The big question is, not even how technology will advance the real estate industry, but rather how will you use it. 2008 poses many challenges for those real estate industry and its irrevocable relationship with the internet. Ways are you positioned to garner your share of particular real estate leads and marketing potential of the internet? Presently investing in old traditional training techniques of sending through post cards, fancy listing presentation displays and a creative tag line? You already know that marketing to your sphere regarding influence and past clients is essential. But what other enterprise systems have you implemented for seller or buyer brings? How are you spending your education dollars and instance? Now is the time to take action. Search engine optimization and online lead generation is a cut-throat game, and it is growing more competitive by the day. You've see the articles, watched it on the news and read the press releases. The biggest companies in real estate are investing any lion share of their resources to the internet. No more good old traditional training, old school marketing or ideas. Big corporations are dumping money into their internet business in order to contend in the networked society we live in. What are you going through now to further your education and online real estate leads business? That's your challenge in 2008 and outside of. As I've stated before, you can still create a highly successful online real estate lead-generation business. However , these days will be numbered. The Web is big, but it's a finite reference. Well, more accurately said, cyberspace is infinite, and yet people will only dig so deep. Real estate Web sites who capture the top spots in the search engines are garnering premium quality leads and massive lists of interested buyers along with sellers. But, as more and more big-brand companies compete and even figure out how to grab high ranking search engine positions, they will slowly but surely elbow out the little guy. It's the nature of an market place to be "open" to early adopters at the beginning and then gradually close to only those that can afford the great investment of time not to mention money needed to stay competitive. As more and more buyers and also sellers use the Internet for real estate research, the "evening plus weekend traditional real estate agent marketing model" is fast staying extinct. If you want to stay competitive in the period ahead, you will have to grab a piece of the Internet action, and now is the time to grow your foothold. You CAN still create a successful real estate over the internet lead-generating business. You CAN still get top spots from the search engines. It's not too late, but I guarantee any time you wait, it soon will be. More and more, I get enquiries from companies selling real estate leads. They notice Now i'm everywhere on the internet. My sites rank very high organically just for specific real estate search terms and cpc. I also personally own the right spots on other real estate portals that travel targeted traffic to my listings, my sites and sure..... generate high quality, exclusive leads. I just received a label from a company selling real estate leads. As published into my book, Internet Real Estate Agent: A Guide To Dominating Internet Realty Leads and Marketing, there are specific questions you must ask in avoiding wasting money and time. After going back and to fruition with the skilled sales rep., I was able to hone down the fundamentals of how the program works. Here's how their direct program works: 1 . A person is watching television, listening to the radio and / or sees a banner ad online. The add is expecting the person to call a phone number to learn about a real estate place a burden on advantage and commission rebate back to them if they obtain or sell real estate. 2 . Pay $60 a month for just a zip code. 3. Pay 19% referral fee within closing (this gets split between the "lead company" as well as customer at closing). 4. Here's the kicker.... the particular leads are given to 7 other agents as well. The real estate sales lead business model isn't new and many providers have a slight variation to it. Personally, I would never order leads from this business model. I prefer to create my own exclusive cause systems. Here's some of the pitfalls with the real estate lead business design you're being sold. 1 . Leads coming from TV, Print, r / c or the internet that rely on some form of incentive offer are likely to be very low quality leads. One of the incentive offers is a "commission rebate program". Need I say more? 2 . The reason pay a monthly fee so you can compete for the result? Why not get EXCLUSIVE leads that are not incentive qualified prospects. You can't do every lead program on earth, so find and chose how you spend your money and time. 3. I have a hard time paying a referral fee to a professional when I'm competing with other agents, given the minimum quality lead and there's no personal relationship. That's not the referral, it's a lead. No relationship, no history rarely are commitment from the potential customer to use me. I like paying reference fees to agents that have personal relationships with their authentic clients. When I get a referral call from another professional, they know the person being referred to me and When i get the client. That's a real referral and qualifies towards the big referral fee. 4. There are so many ways to produce leads. You should pick and chose the best ways to spend your time and money. After reading Internet Real Estate Agent, you won't come prey to poor Internet business models. You may make a mistake or perhaps two--I do from time to time when trying something new--but, all these mistakes are quickly remedied. You will understand exactly how to extend your real estate website, what to know before buying a properties website, advanced concepts for Google AdWords, how to current market your listings online for more leads, the shifting Broker/Agent model and much more. Discover how to set up your own internet realty lead generation machine. Don't be dependent on any one company for sales opportunities. Get educated and become independent! The book will draw you through a tremendous amount of information and facts, not hype, regarding Word wide web real estate lead generation and Internet marketing. It's the lowest cost real estate instruction and education you will ever spend. It's all about word wide web real estate lead and marketing. Keep this book with you and use it as a trusted reference guide. Start working with your Web site, and then move onto the other areas of online list size and Internet marketing. Once you have your online real estate lead-generation business put in place, it really will run 24 X 7, by positioning the right message in front of the right people, at the right occasion. Agents and Brokers already know they need to market to history clients and their sphere, but it only gets you will so far. They also know the urgent need to embrace the world wide web. The value of traditional farming techniques is diminishing. It's a fact, everyone is mailing something; everyone is doing longer open properties; and everyone is getting into the real estate business. But, rarely anyone is doing online advertising. Even fewer are doing it ideal. In fact , most agents and brokers attempting to do web based lead generation and property marketing are doing it totally erroneous. Don't waste money and time by buying leads originating from a company that sells false dreams of Internet riches. Take control of your business lead systems and start implementing your prepare today. Here's a short sample from the book: Marketing Your own Listings for Leads The majority of this book has been regarding creating a real business Web site, driving quality traffic with your Web site, and converting that traffic into leads. At this time let's focus on how to create more business by online marketing your listing online. You've worked long and very hard to get the listing, now let's leverage that listing to set-up more business. For most of the homes I've sold, typically the buyers began by viewing the pictures and information online and then contacted me about a private showing. Any time you market the property correctly, you will get leads. Using the list of selling resources below, I average over 2, 500 precise property views for each listing. I get highly capable internet buyer and seller leads when marketing a home online. Think about that for a second. Online, people are hunting for a specific home, in a specific area, in a specific college district, in a certain price range, etc .... and my entries are showing up. That's a ton of quality traffic the majority it was free. I just read the other day about a Home of Technology who serves on a major MLS panel who said the traditional business model of getting leads from sustaining open houses is almost dead. People are using the Internet for researching, and they are contacting an agent long before they enter the house. Dependant on my personal experience, I agree with this assessment. Having expended many Sunday's working at open houses, I think it's very rare for someone to walk through the door as well as say "I don't have an agent. " The following list of strategies will put you in a position to actually make more money from each one listing you have. If you don't have any listings or are having their first go real estate, I suggest approaching an agent in your office that has a list of and ask if you can do some Internet advertising for him or her. Be sure that you abide by any local MLS rules you have...

[wicca-and-astrology]

2008 Internet Real Estate Agent

Happy New Year! Here's to 08 being the year for taking your business and personal life in their highest level. The need for people to connect and exchange things and services has been one of civilization's ongoing themes. Currently, the need for people to get on the internet and search for real estate advice is going to increase exponentially. The big question is, not even how technology will advance the real estate industry, but rather how will you use it. 2008 poses many challenges for those real estate industry and its irrevocable relationship with the internet. Ways are you positioned to garner your share of particular real estate leads and marketing potential of the internet? Presently investing in old traditional training techniques of sending through post cards, fancy listing presentation displays and a creative tag line? You already know that marketing to your sphere regarding influence and past clients is essential. But what other enterprise systems have you implemented for seller or buyer brings? How are you spending your education dollars and instance? Now is the time to take action. Search engine optimization and online lead generation is a cut-throat game, and it is growing more competitive by the day. You've see the articles, watched it on the news and read the press releases. The biggest companies in real estate are investing any lion share of their resources to the internet. No more good old traditional training, old school marketing or ideas. Big corporations are dumping money into their internet business in order to contend in the networked society we live in. What are you going through now to further your education and online real estate leads business? That's your challenge in 2008 and outside of. As I've stated before, you can still create a highly successful online real estate lead-generation business. However , these days will be numbered. The Web is big, but it's a finite reference. Well, more accurately said, cyberspace is infinite, and yet people will only dig so deep. Real estate Web sites who capture the top spots in the search engines are garnering premium quality leads and massive lists of interested buyers along with sellers. But, as more and more big-brand companies compete and even figure out how to grab high ranking search engine positions, they will slowly but surely elbow out the little guy. It's the nature of an market place to be "open" to early adopters at the beginning and then gradually close to only those that can afford the great investment of time not to mention money needed to stay competitive. As more and more buyers and also sellers use the Internet for real estate research, the "evening plus weekend traditional real estate agent marketing model" is fast staying extinct. If you want to stay competitive in the period ahead, you will have to grab a piece of the Internet action, and now is the time to grow your foothold. You CAN still create a successful real estate over the internet lead-generating business. You CAN still get top spots from the search engines. It's not too late, but I guarantee any time you wait, it soon will be. More and more, I get enquiries from companies selling real estate leads. They notice Now i'm everywhere on the internet. My sites rank very high organically just for specific real estate search terms and cpc. I also personally own the right spots on other real estate portals that travel targeted traffic to my listings, my sites and sure..... generate high quality, exclusive leads. I just received a label from a company selling real estate leads. As published into my book, Internet Real Estate Agent: A Guide To Dominating Internet Realty Leads and Marketing, there are specific questions you must ask in avoiding wasting money and time. After going back and to fruition with the skilled sales rep., I was able to hone down the fundamentals of how the program works. Here's how their direct program works: 1 . A person is watching television, listening to the radio and / or sees a banner ad online. The add is expecting the person to call a phone number to learn about a real estate place a burden on advantage and commission rebate back to them if they obtain or sell real estate. 2 . Pay $60 a month for just a zip code. 3. Pay 19% referral fee within closing (this gets split between the "lead company" as well as customer at closing). 4. Here's the kicker.... the particular leads are given to 7 other agents as well. The real estate sales lead business model isn't new and many providers have a slight variation to it. Personally, I would never order leads from this business model. I prefer to create my own exclusive cause systems. Here's some of the pitfalls with the real estate lead business design you're being sold. 1 . Leads coming from TV, Print, r / c or the internet that rely on some form of incentive offer are likely to be very low quality leads. One of the incentive offers is a "commission rebate program". Need I say more? 2 . The reason pay a monthly fee so you can compete for the result? Why not get EXCLUSIVE leads that are not incentive qualified prospects. You can't do every lead program on earth, so find and chose how you spend your money and time. 3. I have a hard time paying a referral fee to a professional when I'm competing with other agents, given the minimum quality lead and there's no personal relationship. That's not the referral, it's a lead. No relationship, no history rarely are commitment from the potential customer to use me. I like paying reference fees to agents that have personal relationships with their authentic clients. When I get a referral call from another professional, they know the person being referred to me and When i get the client. That's a real referral and qualifies towards the big referral fee. 4. There are so many ways to produce leads. You should pick and chose the best ways to spend your time and money. After reading Internet Real Estate Agent, you won't come prey to poor Internet business models. You may make a mistake or perhaps two--I do from time to time when trying something new--but, all these mistakes are quickly remedied. You will understand exactly how to extend your real estate website, what to know before buying a properties website, advanced concepts for Google AdWords, how to current market your listings online for more leads, the shifting Broker/Agent model and much more. Discover how to set up your own internet realty lead generation machine. Don't be dependent on any one company for sales opportunities. Get educated and become independent! The book will draw you through a tremendous amount of information and facts, not hype, regarding Word wide web real estate lead generation and Internet marketing. It's the lowest cost real estate instruction and education you will ever spend. It's all about word wide web real estate lead and marketing. Keep this book with you and use it as a trusted reference guide. Start working with your Web site, and then move onto the other areas of online list size and Internet marketing. Once you have your online real estate lead-generation business put in place, it really will run 24 X 7, by positioning the right message in front of the right people, at the right occasion. Agents and Brokers already know they need to market to history clients and their sphere, but it only gets you will so far. They also know the urgent need to embrace the world wide web. The value of traditional farming techniques is diminishing. It's a fact, everyone is mailing something; everyone is doing longer open properties; and everyone is getting into the real estate business. But, rarely anyone is doing online advertising. Even fewer are doing it ideal. In fact , most agents and brokers attempting to do web based lead generation and property marketing are doing it totally erroneous. Don't waste money and time by buying leads originating from a company that sells false dreams of Internet riches. Take control of your business lead systems and start implementing your prepare today. Here's a short sample from the book: Marketing Your own Listings for Leads The majority of this book has been regarding creating a real business Web site, driving quality traffic with your Web site, and converting that traffic into leads. At this time let's focus on how to create more business by online marketing your listing online. You've worked long and very hard to get the listing, now let's leverage that listing to set-up more business. For most of the homes I've sold, typically the buyers began by viewing the pictures and information online and then contacted me about a private showing. Any time you market the property correctly, you will get leads. Using the list of selling resources below, I average over 2, 500 precise property views for each listing. I get highly capable internet buyer and seller leads when marketing a home online. Think about that for a second. Online, people are hunting for a specific home, in a specific area, in a specific college district, in a certain price range, etc .... and my entries are showing up. That's a ton of quality traffic the majority it was free. I just read the other day about a Home of Technology who serves on a major MLS panel who said the traditional business model of getting leads from sustaining open houses is almost dead. People are using the Internet for researching, and they are contacting an agent long before they enter the house. Dependant on my personal experience, I agree with this assessment. Having expended many Sunday's working at open houses, I think it's very rare for someone to walk through the door as well as say "I don't have an agent. " The following list of strategies will put you in a position to actually make more money from each one listing you have. If you don't have any listings or are having their first go real estate, I suggest approaching an agent in your office that has a list of and ask if you can do some Internet advertising for him or her. Be sure that you abide by any local MLS rules you have...

[00sheven]

business as usual

(taking a scary and unpredictable time and making it mor scary and unpredictable.)

well shit,

unemployment.

unemployment is insisting on giving me a good spanking.

when I was on it before I was using it as a safety net. a lot of stagehands will file for it to fill in gaps between work ( it is considered being under employed) so at least they receive some income when things get slow. it's not much but at least its something.

in my case I believe if I made over 200 and change I wasnt eligible to receive benifits. (maybe 300 I dont remember, but it wouldnt be much over that) it is impossible to live on but you can pay a bill and buy some groceries.

well silly me forgot to log sick time into one of my certifications.

you practically need a course in simple accounting when being a freelance stage hand when filling out an unemployment certification. (jokes.)

when you know you wont quailifiy you have to do it anyways.

how many hours did you work?

tally tally tally tally tally

who were your employers?

list employers 1 through let's just say 10

A) employer's name and address

how much money did you make?

tally tally tally (didn't get paid yet) guess tally tally guess guess tally tally.

did you look for work?

yes

provide contact information.

who

what

where

when

why.

have you pooped today and if do how many times.

hopefully you are getting the drift.

I was happy to do it, it was helping me out.

anyhow, forgetting to log in sick time.

I forgot to log in sevral hours of sick time and was paid by my employer and unemployment.

honest mistake.

well, I had to pay back the money, fair enough.

then I had to pay penalty money, understandable. they will let me make payments.

we are going to refuse benifits for (I cant remember how long) okay that sucks.

(apparently) you must continue to certify for benifits during this period to be eligible for unemployment benifits. that you are not going to recieve.

what I have not mentioned.

I was going through such a bad depression at that time that I couldn't even put on my shoes. I would sleep for one or two days at a time. I would leave my bed to eat and use the restroom, it was difficult to do simple things like hygiene related tasks. I know it's hard for people to understand. you really cant unless you experience it for yourself, and I wouldnt wish that on anyone.

I worked when work was available, but it was very difficult.

I scraped by and made enough to pay off the debt.

I thought I was done and got off unemployment.

although I needed it I managed to get by without out it. I ended up getting a job with the AV company (the one i was working with full time until all this craziness started happening. see earlier posts) on a freelance basis, and doing music production as a runner. I started making good money and making ends meet. dont get me wrong. I wasn't making enough to get an apartment. but I was making enough money to live a little more comfortably at the hobo compound. ( see hobo compound in previous posts.)

kick in the balls time. (recap)

I have to move from the hobo compound.

(the overlords are remodeling wont be taking tenets anymore) I am homeless, goose moves in at the outpost.

(see money breakdown in earlier post. if you think my bills went down, they didnt.)

covid 19

I work in the entertainment industry. no shows. no work. I get laid off.

(lots of other fucked up shit happens. review the blog if you wish.)

I have to refile for unemployment.

my case gets accepted, no mention of previous problems.

2 maybe 3 weeks later. nothing.

I check my account online last night.

your benifits are denied for this week due to penalty period.

the next week

your benifits are denied for this week due to penalty period.

what the fuck.

I paid the money back.

I paid the penalty money.

I did the pointless certifications.

how much longer is this going to last?

I tried to make a call to talk to them.

they are no longer taking calls.

I go online and through an online maze to find something close to a predetermined question that I can choose from that matches my situation.

it allows me to ask for information.

message sent.

we will get back to you in 5 to 7 business days.

okay I'll wait.

I have an indefinite amount of money to sustain the goose and I while we wait.

it's cool guys.

this commercial break is brought to you by the circle jerks and the endowment for the arts.

next

I wake up to a vague text message from the insurance adjuster.

as you can see from my response I required a little more information.

why?

what you dont know.

when dealing with my insurance company

I was kept in the dark

they didnt respond to my calls

I found out they settled my claim when I went to pay my bill

they sent the check to the hobo compound.

the check was issued to the guy I bought the car from.

they didnt notify me of a settlement at all.

they didnt inform me about where I should go to get my car fixed. as far as I know they got a random estimate and then subtracted 500 dollars for my deductible.

the payout to my claim was like 730. somthing dollars.

when I called them to inquire

goes though phone maze.

waits on hold due to covid 19

finally gets through.

it appears we forgot to subtract 20% for some type of fee. you were over paid we are going to stop payment on your check.

we can write you another check minus 20% or you can contact the insurance company the other party yourself to see if you have better luck. we are terribly sorry for the inconvenience.

yeah, fuck you.

so I call the insurance of the other party.

phone maze

on hold, covid 19

we thought this claim was closed

no it is not. I rejected the offer from my company. why would I pay a 500 dollar deductible when I am 100 percent not at fault.

we need to talk to your insurance company call you back.

they call back

we see you want to settle through us we are going to send a guy in a couple of days.

yesterday.

guy shows up hella early in the morning. (yell talks.) is rude. tells me a guy is gonna call me to discuss outcome of my claim. takes pictures. leaves.

today.

hella early receives text message.

try to text number the text originates from.

you can't text that number.

why would I want to speak to someone regarding my claim you ask.

well I'll tell you. it so happens I'm my case that people are dropping the fucking ball mother fuckers and I want to avoid any more possible complications and dragging this situation out any further than it needs to be.

so.

I call insurance co.

goes through phone maze

doesn't have correct option.

chooses incorrect option in an attempt to speak to someone.

gets put on hold due to covid 19

someone answers.

you need to talk to claims. I will try and contact your adjuster. (knows who I am because of phone number.)

your adjuster isn't available. I will put you through to someone who can give you the information you've requested.

gets put on hold.

other person picks up.

I repeat information to new person.

new person has no idea who I am. (has no information tied to my phone number.)

new person asks when the loss occurred.

I dont know that off the top of my head.

new person can't proceed without that info.

I dig the info up.

new person what was the other parties name.

I'm getting really annoyed at this time

digs up other parties name.

new person can you spell other parties name

I spell other parties name.

new person do you have a claim number

how may fucking people with that name on that date have had accidents mother fucker.

gets put on hold.

waiting on hold

waiting on hold

waiting on hold

new person comes back.

new person. here is the number and extension for you claim adjuster.

hangs up

calls insurance company

goes through phone maze

puts in extension

phone rings

phone rings

phone rings

phone rings

some weird electronic music comes on.

electronic music plays instead of going to voice mail.

keeps playing

keeps playing

keeps playing

keeps playing

I hang up

calls insurance company

goes through phone maze

something goes wrong hangs up

calls insurance company

goes through phone maze chooses different option

something goes wrong hangs up

calls insurance company

goes through phone maze

chooses different option

gets put on hold due to covid 19

something goes wrong hangs up

calls insurance company

goes through phone maze

puts in extension number again

gets put on hold due to covid 19

adjuster picks up the phone.

the clouds part and Angel's sing

talks to adjuster for 3 minutes confirming information is correct.

hangs up the phone.

next.

3/31/20

red tape circle jerks

[wallbrat]

Felicia

I Intro I read a lot. I research. I pay attention to the news. I do a lot of fact checking. I have 10 to 15 news sources and the news I pay attention to is domestic and international. I spend hours fact checking because people lie. I also make mistakes. If you can prove to me, logically, that I’m wrong, I’ll admit it, apologize and write a retraction. Keep all of this in mind as you continue. II History I’m a student of history. My favorite periods are Ancient and Medieval, however, I’ll read about any period. I spent a few years digging into WWII because my Grandfathers served then. For the last few months I’ve been focused on WWI and the Spanish Flu. The H1N1 virus got it’s nickname not because of where it originated. Spain was neutral and wasn’t under media censorship like the countries fighting the war. Anything detracting from the war effort was not allowed so the news you saw then was not impartial. Spain, however, reported on a disease that was killing people. While H1N1 impacted us in 1918 and 1919, there were reports of it back in 1915. Yes, our government knew about it and restricted the information because of the war effort. The H1N1 virus hit America in three waves, the second wave being the worst. A deadlier strain of H1N1 surfaced and was spread by the massive troop movements of the war. It’s been said that the dropping of the quarantine restrictions are what caused the second wave and that’s incorrect. While it was a small factor, the troop movements are what spread the new strain. The cramped conditions and the malnutrition among the soldiers hastened the spread. It’s estimated that 500 million people died from H1N1. While that doesn’t sound devastating today, in 1918 that was about one third of the world population. The transmission vectors for H1N1 and Covid-19 are similar and a century of time doesn’t tend to change that. While we lack the troop movements and the conditions of WWII, we more than make up for that with our transportation technology. If that technology had been present in 1918, the death toll would have been much higher. We’ve been extremely lucky so far, yet stupidity is attempting to alter that. III Rampant Stupidity Why do we refuse to learn from the mistakes of the past? We have people protesting, with loaded guns, because they want a hair cut. Instead of throwing these morons in jail, they are allowed to continue in their stupidity. I have a few questions for these paragons of questionable intelligence. Where did you get your medical degrees? What? You don’t have medical degrees? OK. Then your Google Fu must be strong. What? You didn’t use Google? Where are you getting your information then? Ahh, I see. It all becomes clear to me now. This is not about politics and it never has been. These shining examples of American arrogance are simply angry because they’re being told what to do. They think they know more than the experts and they rage against any kind of restriction. Instead of doing what they need to do to protect their families and themselves, they prove their stupidity by endangering everyone around them. If people are still wondering why I view humanity as a failed experiment, this is a perfect example. IV The CDC I'm not a doctor and I don't play one on TV. They have advanced degrees that qualify them to advise us on disease, contrary to what some might choose to believe. Science is fact. Disbelief of science does not invalidate it. In the middle of a pandemic, these are the people I'm going to listen to. Our politicians have no more training in this than I do and out President is less than worthless. To the idiots protesting: No. Your Google Fu is not strong. You're not a scientist or a doctor of anything. If you won't protect others by doing what you're told then stay away from me an mine. I'm 54 years old with a stressed immune system. I follow what's been laid down because I refuse to put you at risk. I could be asymptomatic, meaning I could have the virus and have no symptoms. Having no symptoms does not entitle me to disregard the advice of the experts. Your Pastor or Priest is no more an expert than you are. Some churches ignored the restrictions and what happened to them? Many got sick and others died that may not have if they had done what they were told. V Trumpus Defectus To be clear, our president is neither insane or damaged. He simply doesn't care about you. As long as you vote for him, you could die immediately after casting that vote. He's a billionaire and you're not therefore you're beneath his notice. You don't care about the feelings of a bug when you step on it and that's all you are to him. He's been trained that way since birth. Most of the other billionaires are just like him, he's simply in the public spotlight. Most of the older politicians are no better than he is. They've been bought and paid for decades ago. The sooner we realize that we're nothing more than voting numbers to them, the sooner we can actually make our votes mean something. VI The Economy Money is nothing but ones and zeros in a computer. The dollar is worth what those computers say it is. The economy should have been shut down completely, No money, no revenue, no bills yet everything continues. We could have stayed home, ordered what we needed until this virus burns itself out. Afterwards we could have restarted things, there would have been no penalties and everyone would have been fine. If we had done that it would have restructured the economy, which is exactly why it wasn't done. Another option would have been to turn all of the billionaires into millionaires. Take everything that the filthy rich have, above $500 million, and use it to pay the American people to stay home. We don't need billionaires or the class distinctions they create. It's obvious why this wasn't done. VII Mental Restructuring Since I can't give our country the mental ass kicking it so desperately needs I have to focus inwards. While I'd like to say that this is by choice, it was forced by recent events. Few things are more painful than discovering, or feeling, that you're insignificant in the scheme of things. During a pandemic, our focus should, understandably, on our families and ourselves. Survival is paramount. Understanding that, with the exception of two people, I've done all of the reaching out to make sure that people are OK. These are the same two people that poke ate me if I've been quiet for too long so I wasn't surprised that they reached out first. I'm not a needy, whiny bastard. I'm fairly self-sufficient, I can order what I need and I'm a fairly good cook. Pumpkin, Onyx and I are fine alone, especially since I'm not a big fan of humanity in general. I love certain people but humanity, as a whole, is a lost cause. I didn't reach out for personal connection. I did it see how my friends were doing mentally. The Covid-19 situation has been tough on everyone, especially those of us with mental illnesses. I'm 54 years old with ADHD, Anxiety, Depression and three hernias requiring surgery, which explains the stressed immune system. If it wasn't for the fact that my meds had been increased a month or two before this happened, this situation would have broken me. Two people checking up on me would not have been enough to stop me from imploding. I would have been reduced to a gibbering mess because of the stress or I'd be dead. I'm fine because I noticed a couple of things about five months ago and I consulted my doctor about it. Most people in this situation aren't as lucky as I am, which is why I reach out. Having only two people that bothered to make sure I was OK was eye opening. I'm forced to reevaluate why certain people are in my life and who remains. VIII Bye, Felicia This has honestly been coming for a long time. There are people that only contact me when they want something, usually money. There are others that don't do anything. It's past time to do some pruning. I don't like giving up on people which is why I've avoided this for so long. There are some that are immune to this. My three adoptive sisters in my local area and the ones I love who are out of state. CA, WA, CO, UT, WI, WY, LA, TN, TX, GA, NJ, NY, NH and MD. Wow. Apparently I love more people than I thought I did. They know who they are. If not then they aren't paying attention. If I contact you or interact with you, in any fashion other than work, then I probably love you. Toxic people are leaving as I can't afford to keep them around. Stupidity is also making an exit. Stupidity is Willful Ignorance so why would I want them around to begin with? I have a perfect example of both. There's a post circulating on Facecrack. This one states that the plight of the jews in the Nazi concentration camps is comparable to the Covid-19 quarantine. An old friend shared that on my timeline. If he had been anyone else, I would have deleted and blocked him without hesitation. The only reason he remains is that I've known him for 38 years. I'm waiting to see what he does next. Student of history, remember? I studied WWII in depth so that means that I know more about the concentration camps than most people. The jews were herded there a variety of ways, primarily by train. They were tortured, experimented on, starved, brutalized, a huge number of them were gassed to death and those are actually the high points. It was much worse than I'll ever be able to properly describe and in no way is it even remotely similar to our quarantine. Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequence. We're all free to say anything that we want to. We just need to be prepared for the repercussions that arise. If anyone else is stupid enough to share something like that on my timeline, or share it any other place that I can see, they are gone. No questions asked. All anyone needs to do to understand the difference between the two situations is to read a US history book that covers WWII. Posting crap like means that you're choosing to ignore basic evidence. I have no room for anyone like that so Bye, Felicia. IX Best vs Worst This situation can bring out the best or worst in people. You can rise to the occasion or you can sink into depravity. There are plenty of example of both around us. I'm working from home. My bills remain paid. My cats and I are fed and safe. I choose to help where I can. While it's true that I have little faith in humanity, that doesn't mean that I have to circle the drain with the rest of them. I will always try to help those around me. I've been extremely fortunate during this and that should be shared with those that are struggling. This is going to get worse before it gets better. I hope I'm wrong yet there are reports of increases in the infection rate where businesses are being reopened. The last thing we need is a second wave but I'm afraid it may happen. X Dystopia I look around and I have to wonder if we're ever going to grow up as a species. We keep making the same mistakes decade after decade. It's a wonder that we haven't blown ourselves off of the planet. The truth is that this is already a Dystopian society. It's not as bad as the examples we see in movies and on TV yet we are moving towards that. Compared to 20 years ago, we have less privileges now than we did then. We gave them away in exchange for the illusion of safety. We have privileges, not rights. Rights don't exist and are simply an invention to make us feel superior. If it can be taken away, it's a privilege. XI Conclusion While that last part was a little darker than I intended, it is true. I write, primarily, to relieve stress and to clear out my head. It gets pretty cramped in there otherwise. While this won't win me any friends, I may actually post this. My life needs some simplifying anyway. Namaste

[thirdorgan]

2008 Internet Real Estate Agent

Happy New Year! Here's to 08 being the year for taking your business and personal life in their highest level. The need for people to connect and exchange things and services has been one of civilization's ongoing themes. Currently, the need for people to get on the internet and search for real estate advice is going to increase exponentially. The big question is, not even how technology will advance the real estate industry, but rather how will you use it. 2008 poses many challenges for those real estate industry and its irrevocable relationship with the internet. Ways are you positioned to garner your share of particular real estate leads and marketing potential of the internet? Presently investing in old traditional training techniques of sending through post cards, fancy listing presentation displays and a creative tag line? You already know that marketing to your sphere regarding influence and past clients is essential. But what other enterprise systems have you implemented for seller or buyer brings? How are you spending your education dollars and instance? Now is the time to take action. Search engine optimization and online lead generation is a cut-throat game, and it is growing more competitive by the day. You've see the articles, watched it on the news and read the press releases. The biggest companies in real estate are investing any lion share of their resources to the internet. No more good old traditional training, old school marketing or ideas. Big corporations are dumping money into their internet business in order to contend in the networked society we live in. What are you going through now to further your education and online real estate leads business? That's your challenge in 2008 and outside of. As I've stated before, you can still create a highly successful online real estate lead-generation business. However , these days will be numbered. The Web is big, but it's a finite reference. Well, more accurately said, cyberspace is infinite, and yet people will only dig so deep. Real estate Web sites who capture the top spots in the search engines are garnering premium quality leads and massive lists of interested buyers along with sellers. But, as more and more big-brand companies compete and even figure out how to grab high ranking search engine positions, they will slowly but surely elbow out the little guy. It's the nature of an market place to be "open" to early adopters at the beginning and then gradually close to only those that can afford the great investment of time not to mention money needed to stay competitive. As more and more buyers and also sellers use the Internet for real estate research, the "evening plus weekend traditional real estate agent marketing model" is fast staying extinct. If you want to stay competitive in the period ahead, you will have to grab a piece of the Internet action, and now is the time to grow your foothold. You CAN still create a successful real estate over the internet lead-generating business. You CAN still get top spots from the search engines. It's not too late, but I guarantee any time you wait, it soon will be. More and more, I get enquiries from companies selling real estate leads. They notice Now i'm everywhere on the internet. My sites rank very high organically just for specific real estate search terms and cpc. I also personally own the right spots on other real estate portals that travel targeted traffic to my listings, my sites and sure..... generate high quality, exclusive leads. I just received a label from a company selling real estate leads. As published into my book, Internet Real Estate Agent: A Guide To Dominating Internet Realty Leads and Marketing, there are specific questions you must ask in avoiding wasting money and time. After going back and to fruition with the skilled sales rep., I was able to hone down the fundamentals of how the program works. Here's how their direct program works: 1 . A person is watching television, listening to the radio and / or sees a banner ad online. The add is expecting the person to call a phone number to learn about a real estate place a burden on advantage and commission rebate back to them if they obtain or sell real estate. 2 . Pay $60 a month for just a zip code. 3. Pay 19% referral fee within closing (this gets split between the "lead company" as well as customer at closing). 4. Here's the kicker.... the particular leads are given to 7 other agents as well. The real estate sales lead business model isn't new and many providers have a slight variation to it. Personally, I would never order leads from this business model. I prefer to create my own exclusive cause systems. Here's some of the pitfalls with the real estate lead business design you're being sold. 1 . Leads coming from TV, Print, r / c or the internet that rely on some form of incentive offer are likely to be very low quality leads. One of the incentive offers is a "commission rebate program". Need I say more? 2 . The reason pay a monthly fee so you can compete for the result? Why not get EXCLUSIVE leads that are not incentive qualified prospects. You can't do every lead program on earth, so find and chose how you spend your money and time. 3. I have a hard time paying a referral fee to a professional when I'm competing with other agents, given the minimum quality lead and there's no personal relationship. That's not the referral, it's a lead. No relationship, no history rarely are commitment from the potential customer to use me. I like paying reference fees to agents that have personal relationships with their authentic clients. When I get a referral call from another professional, they know the person being referred to me and When i get the client. That's a real referral and qualifies towards the big referral fee. 4. There are so many ways to produce leads. You should pick and chose the best ways to spend your time and money. After reading Internet Real Estate Agent, you won't come prey to poor Internet business models. You may make a mistake or perhaps two--I do from time to time when trying something new--but, all these mistakes are quickly remedied. You will understand exactly how to extend your real estate website, what to know before buying a properties website, advanced concepts for Google AdWords, how to current market your listings online for more leads, the shifting Broker/Agent model and much more. Discover how to set up your own internet realty lead generation machine. Don't be dependent on any one company for sales opportunities. Get educated and become independent! The book will draw you through a tremendous amount of information and facts, not hype, regarding Word wide web real estate lead generation and Internet marketing. It's the lowest cost real estate instruction and education you will ever spend. It's all about word wide web real estate lead and marketing. Keep this book with you and use it as a trusted reference guide. Start working with your Web site, and then move onto the other areas of online list size and Internet marketing. Once you have your online real estate lead-generation business put in place, it really will run 24 X 7, by positioning the right message in front of the right people, at the right occasion. Agents and Brokers already know they need to market to history clients and their sphere, but it only gets you will so far. They also know the urgent need to embrace the world wide web. The value of traditional farming techniques is diminishing. It's a fact, everyone is mailing something; everyone is doing longer open properties; and everyone is getting into the real estate business. But, rarely anyone is doing online advertising. Even fewer are doing it ideal. In fact , most agents and brokers attempting to do web based lead generation and property marketing are doing it totally erroneous. Don't waste money and time by buying leads originating from a company that sells false dreams of Internet riches. Take control of your business lead systems and start implementing your prepare today. Here's a short sample from the book: Marketing Your own Listings for Leads The majority of this book has been regarding creating a real business Web site, driving quality traffic with your Web site, and converting that traffic into leads. At this time let's focus on how to create more business by online marketing your listing online. You've worked long and very hard to get the listing, now let's leverage that listing to set-up more business. For most of the homes I've sold, typically the buyers began by viewing the pictures and information online and then contacted me about a private showing. Any time you market the property correctly, you will get leads. Using the list of selling resources below, I average over 2, 500 precise property views for each listing. I get highly capable internet buyer and seller leads when marketing a home online. Think about that for a second. Online, people are hunting for a specific home, in a specific area, in a specific college district, in a certain price range, etc .... and my entries are showing up. That's a ton of quality traffic the majority it was free. I just read the other day about a Home of Technology who serves on a major MLS panel who said the traditional business model of getting leads from sustaining open houses is almost dead. People are using the Internet for researching, and they are contacting an agent long before they enter the house. Dependant on my personal experience, I agree with this assessment. Having expended many Sunday's working at open houses, I think it's very rare for someone to walk through the door as well as say "I don't have an agent. " The following list of strategies will put you in a position to actually make more money from each one listing you have. If you don't have any listings or are having their first go real estate, I suggest approaching an agent in your office that has a list of and ask if you can do some Internet advertising for him or her. Be sure that you abide by any local MLS rules you have...

[golbrocklovely]

only the lonely survive // colby brock - chapter one: just another la devotee

A/N: so... I’ve had this story in my head for a long time, and now I’m finally posting it! I have a bunch of chapters already written, but I’m gonna be posting the first two just so ppl can get a read for them and see if they like them. and if i get some good feedback, i’ll post weekly :)

here’s the description of the story

trigger warning: swearing

word count: 1766

DAY: 1/14

"Are you sure you have everything?" My mom asked, standing in between me and the front door. 

I rolled my eyes, "Yes mom. I literally went over this with you last night. I've been packed for, like, three days now."

She sighed, smiling. "I know, I just don't want you to leave yet. I can't believe I'm not gonna see you for two whole weeks. How will I survive?"

"You'll be fine, trust me. Besides, this is like a trial run to see what it will be like when I actually move out to LA." I stated, grabbing my bags and pulling them closer to me.

"That's not funny, Skylar." Her voice was deadpan. Oh no, not this again.

"I wasn't trying to be, Mother." I remarked, my voice the same as hers.

She exhaled, "Let's not argue before you leave. We'll talk about it when you get home though."

"That's fine with me." I smirked. Then, I heard my phone vibrate. I looked down at it, seeing I had a new message from Casey.

 Casey: ayeee bitch im here leTS GOOOOO

 I chuckled and then looked at my mom, nodding my head. I opened my arms to her, and she smiled sadly. We embraced, hugging as hard as we could. As much as I couldn't wait to leave, I'm still going to miss my mom.

"Text me when you land, okay? Make sure to call me every night, or as often as you want. Whatever hour, it doesn't matter." She whispered.

"I will, Mom," I said pulling away from her. "I love you."

"I love you too, Skye." She leaned in and kissed my cheek. I grabbed my bags and opened the door, seeing Casey in her red Jeep. She waved at my mom.

"Have fun! Don't do anything too crazy! Make sure to use protection!" My mom yelled.

I groaned. "Would you like to yell that to the whole neighborhood?"

"I meant sunblock, not condoms. But now that I'm saying it, maybe don't use too much protection. Ya looking a little pale, and I want grand kids anyway." She laughed.

I snorted, "Bye mom!"

"Bye honey!" She grinned, slowly closing the door.

I rolled my bags over to the car, opening the backseat's door. I threw my luggage in, closed the door, and then opened the passenger side. I huffed, winded from how heavy my bags were.

"Did you bring your whole closet?" Casey asked.

"Just about." I sighed, jumping into the car.

"By the way, I fucking love your mom." She giggled.

Starting up the car, the radio turned on. Panic! At The Disco's 'LA Devotee' started playing. It must have been from Casey's playlist, specifically made from our trip to LA.

After a moment of silence, I smiled. "Oh my God, we're actually going to LA. Like, this is happening."

We both looked at each other. Then we screamed excitedly.

"I have been waiting so fucking long for this to happen!" She yelled, turning up the music.

"You're telling me! The fact that we are actually leaving Philly and going all the way across the country to fucking Los Angeles... is fucking mind blowing. Like, I can't believe it. Why did it take us so long?" I sighed.

We both sighed and nodded our heads at each other, "School."

"If only we could have graduated sooner." I stated, shrugging my shoulders.

"If only we had met sooner." She smirked. I smiled back at her.

Casey and I hadn't been friends that long, only three years. We met because we both went to the same college. I was in the theater program working on my acting abilities, while she was taking dance. We ended up meeting because we both got into the same musical - 42nd Street. If you've never heard of that show, that's understandable. It's old as hell, but honestly still a good musical.

Casey is originally from Florida, while I've always lived in Pennsylvania. We connected with each other because we were both the outcasts. I was always overlooked, not for lack of talent but I'm overshadowed easily. She, however, is amazing at dance and always picked first. This caused a lot of jealousy to be thrown her way, but she took it like a champ.

We also have a lot of the same interest - youtubers to be exact. While we both love the bigger influencers, like Shane Dawson and Jenna Marbles, we also love a lot of relatively smaller ones. Like, the Trap House for instance. We talk about the guys a lot, especially Sam and Colby. I mean, I do most of the talking while she just listens.

Because of them, we started youtube channels. We're pretty popular on there, having both around 500+ subs. She does dance videos, while I do random covers, Q and As, and just whatever I can think of.

"So, explain to me again why we didn't have to pay for a place to stay at?" I asked, turning my head towards Casey.

"My uncle owns a bunch of properties out in LA and he turns them into AirBnbs so I asked if I could 'rent' one for two weeks and he was cool with it." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Thank God you have a rich uncle because otherwise I don't think I could have afforded this trip." I groaned, annoyed.

"What? You mean making eight dollars an hour can't afford you the luxury of living in LA?" She snorted.

I fumed, "No bitch. I can barely afford ramen at this point, and that shits three for a dollar."

"Don't get your panties in a twist now. We both got enough for the trip, and my uncle also stocked the house with food, so we'll have some when we get there. Plus, he's lending me his car for the time being too, so transportation won't be the biggest bitch." She responded.

"Why does everyone have a rich uncle but me?" I mumbled. She slapped my leg and laughed. I giggled back at her.

/  /  /  /

"Skye, Skye... Skye wake up!" Casey whispered, loudly into my ear.

I jolted awake, glaring at her immediately. She snickered back at me.

A muffled voice came over the loudspeaker, "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We will be landing in Los Angeles in 15 minutes. The temperature right now is a cool 75 degrees. It is currently 2:38 pm. On behalf of me and the crew, thank you for flying American Airways and enjoy the rest of your day."

"Oh shit we're already here?" I asked, shifting myself in my seat.

"Yeah, the moment we got off the ground, you went out like a light." She replied.

"Well, I'm sorry but waking up at the ass crack of dawn isn't something I usually do so I'm little tired." I retorted.

"Yeah whatever. Oh, so you know, we don't have to get a cab anymore to get to the house. I have some friends out here and one of them is gonna pick us up from the airport. He's leaving right now." She stated.

I nodded my head, "Oh that's good. I remember you telling me about your friends, but like, you never went into detailed of who they are."

"The one that's picking us up is an old friend from Florida. We used to live next door to each other until he moved out to LA and I left to go to school in Philly." Casey explained, grabbing her carry-on bag and putting her phone inside of it.

"What does he do?" I questioned.

"Uh... he does youtube and he's a dancer, like myself. He's the one that got me into dance to be honest." She explained, shrugging her shoulders.

"Oh wow, I must meet him then. Without you being a dancer, I never would have met you." I smirked.

She laughed. "How much would your life suck if I wasn't in it?"

"Honestly I would be better off." I joked.

The plane soon landed. After getting our stuff and rushing out, we went and got our luggage.

Casey had told me she had been to LA multiple times, mostly to come visit this friend of hers that lives here. She told me that he has a bunch of roommates that we will probably meet at some point during our stay.

After waiting outside for ten minutes, Casey started to get impatient.

"Ugh, where is he?" Casey groaned, tapping her foot on the ground and looking out into the street.

"Didn't you say he was leaving for us while we were still in the air? Shouldn't he be here by now?" I replied, leaning against my luggage.

"Traffic in LA is a bitch..." She mumbled back.

We both looked down the street, car after car after car passing us. None of them were him apparently.

"Oh shit there he is!" She yelled, pointing at a black car come toward us.

I squinted, trying to see who was driving. I shrugged and grabbed my bags, turning my back to the car pulling up next to us. I grabbed my phone and sent my mom a quick text saying I had landed. She would have been pissed if I didn't say something to her soon.

"It's so good to see you! What's it been, like a year, since I last saw you?" Casey shouted.

I turned around to see Casey hugging the person, their back to me. He was kind of shortish, even though he was still taller than me. He had his hair in a short ponytail. He was wearing a sweatshirt, jeans, and sneakers.

"Let me introduce you to Skye." Casey said, pointing at me. Her friend then turned around.

My eyes widened. I shook my head, trying to look away and play off the fact that I knew who her friend was.

"Skye, this is Corey. Corey, Skye." She smirked.

"It's nice to meet you Skye." Corey replied, sticking his hand out.

"Uh, it's nice to meet you too. T-thank you so much for picking us up." I stuttered, shaking his hand.

"No problem. Sorry I'm late though, traffic has been backed up for like the last five miles. Here, let me take your bags." He slowly took my bags from me and popped his trunk, putting them in.

I turned to Casey. "We are having a serious talk when we get to the house."

"What's there to talk about?" She joked. She turned towards the car and got into the passenger side. I rolled my eyes, getting into the backseat.

| CHAPTER 2 >>