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wandering-ish · 7 years ago

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(reposting this post from last year because it won’t show in my travel tag and it annoys me quite a bit (((a whole fucking lot))))

5 years ago and last year, I didn’t appreciate Korean food much. But during my last trip to Seoul, I learned to love the food I didn’t even like before! In fact, I spent quite a lot on food >__> So I decided to get the most out of the spending by… writing it down. My overlimit credit card and I proudly present:

SEOUL CULINARY DIARY

Fried chicken 양념 치킨 (yangnyeom chicken) is the first meal I had during the trip. Getting exhausted and hungry while trying to find Sinseonggak Jajangmyeon from Gongdeok Station, a hole in the wall chicken place got me interested. The owner saw me hesitating in front of her shop so she encouraged me to go inside, and I went. The place only had one table with 2 chairs. I was doubting at first, but ended up ordering half and half chicken set with fries. I was actually trying to order rice, but they don’t have it there (fortunately so, because I ended up struggling to finish the chicken). They served the chicken and fries with coleslaw and 치킨 무 (chicken mu) aka cubed radish pickle. Not much to say other than how amazingly delicious the chicken was, it’s like KFC but a zillion times better. Asked for more coleslaw because it was so good, fresh cabbage and tasty mayo. Also, I used to not like chicken mu but I ended up enjoying it. What I was surprsied about was that this little restaurant accepts credit card! They have that cashier machine thingy too. Really impressed. My guess was it was sponsored by the government for small businesses. If only the government here does that too~

My visit to Hello Kitty Cafe at Hongdae was planned. Pretty easy to find, you can follow this map here. I instantly chose strawberry mousse because it was the most representative of Hello Kitty. Tastes good, but nothing special. For drink, I ordered sweet potato latte because it seemed unique. It tastes just like our sweet potato, but in liquid phase. Overall, this place was nice to hang and chat, but the dessert was quite expensive. The mousse alone was 11500 KRW (around 130k IDR / 10 USD).

Still hungry after dessert and strolling around Hongdae, Izakaya bar was my next stop. Though it was a Japanese bar, it had 막걸리 (makgeolli aka Korean rice wine). The price for 1 litre of makgeolli was only 8000 KRW (87k IDR / 6.7 USD). Unfortunately, they asked me to order one food menu too aside from drink, so I ordered beef okonomiyaki (sadly it had shrimp and octopus too, so I didn’t enjoy it much). The makgeolli was nice. You had to drink it with a tin bowl. Felt quite buzzed by the end of the night because I had to finish half of this jar, possibly more.

Seoul was raining the next day, so a bowl of 삼계탕 (samgyetang aka ginseng chicken soup) seemed like a good choice for lunch. Personally, I am not really fond of samgyetang. I think it lacks the spice, but maybe it’s because my tongue is too used to overly spiced Indonesian food. Anyways, Tosokchon Samgyetang is a famous place, so I went there. The atmosphere was great there. I got the middle floor seat, sitting between a chinese tourist family and a couple of college guys. Ordered one regular samgyetang (there are a few types of samgyetang, but I chose the cheapest one, of course), a bottle of soju, and one pajeon. The pajeon came so late I thought they forgot this (they didn’t write the order, but only remembered it in their head). Pajeon had shrimp and octopus so I had to remove them before eating them. Samgyetang tastes like samgyetang did, I didn’t have improved opinion of it. But the weird part was I kind of didn’t hate soju anymore?? I used to dislike it, because it smelled like nail polish remover and tasted like how nail polish remover probably tastes like. Still smelled vividly like that, but I could finish half a bottle (probably more) of it. Obviously I got drunk in the middle of the day and passed out on the train ride.

SUM Cafe is located near Cheongdam Station Exit 6. I took pics and took a look at the magazines displayed there, but apparently you couldn’t sit in the cafe and read magazine without buying anything, so I ordered a lemon tart + coffee set. The lemon tart tastes just like those lemon biscuits from Khong Guan assorted biscuits tin. I meant it in a good way, because I like them biscuits. But this tart was way to overpriced. I went downstairs to take a look at the new SUM Market. It was a mini market, but the goods are packaged with SM artist names or arts on it, and sold about 5-10 times more expensive than the regular goods with regular packaging. In other words, the place was a capitalist hell. Sadly I still bought a thing, aka a bottle of SHINee’s sparkling water. Sounds ridiculous, but it was the least ridiculous thing of all things there. It was also the cheapest.

I got drunk for the 2nd time that day, this time at a bar called Oz in Itaewon. Last year I went to why not, the bar across from it, but it was too quiet and exclusive, so I chose Oz for a new experience. Because it was early, the bar still only had a few people. The bar was small with only bar seats available. The bartenders were CUTE and they tried to chat with us, albeit struggling while doing so. I ordered Banana Bomb, aka banana uyu mixed with vodka. Unexpectedly, it was really tasty. I wish we had banana uyu here so I could make this drink every other weekend. I can’t recall what others drank, but mine was the tastiest. Tho I didn’t reject Luthfi’s offer to finish his drink.

On the morning of my Railbike+Nami+Garden of Morning Calm Tour, I went to 7-11 to buy snacks. I was about to buy my favorite snack aka Thor’s Pretzel. But like dramatic fated meeting of lovers in kdramas, I stumbled upon a 2+1 deal for Cheese In The Trap potato chips! As a passionate CITT fan ☠webtoon only☠ I instantly bought it. I finished those three tubes mostly by myself during the whole day trip.

At Nami Island, I had lunch in the BBQ restaurant. Originally, I only ordered the pork one, but the restaurant won’t let 2 people share one set. Finally, one pork set, one chicken set, a bowl of dwenjang jjigae, and two bowls of rice were ordered. Plates of banchan and lettuce were served as well. Dwenjang jjigae came first, so I ate it with rice because it was cold and I was hungry. Personally, I didn’t enjoy it very much. Then, the meat came and I got into the grilling. I tried the wrap with kimchi and pickled chilli, but I ended up liking it without. Maybe because I’m not into Korean pickled things in general. All in all, the grilled pork and chicken was A++++ and I ate very happily. Most likely because it was the first time I ate rice in 4 days.

As I arrived at the Garden of the Morning Calm, I saw stalls of street food and I spotted The French Fries Coated Corndog!! I never found it in Seoul, so it got me super excited. After I finished going around the park, I went to buy it right away. They offered a few choice of sauce such as tomato ketchup, mustard, etc. I chose garlic. It was way tastier and better than the other corndog. I was so pleased. It was also so big and fulfilling.

The last day in Seoul, I chose to have brunch at Myeongdong Kyoja. Located near artbox in Myeongdong, it was easy to find. Famous for its 칼국수 (kalguksu aka knife cut homemade noodle), I ordered that along with a set of 만두 (mandu aka dumpling). Kalguksu had the width and thickness of pho noodle and the broth looked thick and rich but it was refreshing and not heavy. It got minced meat (pork? I think) and four dumplings. I enjoyed it very much. The portion was big, tho. And I still had to eat half of the dumpling set too. It was too much, but it was a great meal nonetheless. I had to poop before eating to reserve some space for the food.

Notes: All restaurant stated above (except street snack stalls) accepts credit card and provides free water.

Phew.

So that was my culinary diary from my last trip to Seoul. It was very mind opening. I had a great time and I feel like Seoul will never bore me?? There are still so many restaurants on my list that I have yet to visit. Which means I absolutely have to go back, right?

Right.

#travel #seoultrip2016 #seoul #culinary #food #korean food #hello kitty cafe #korean fried chicken #makgeolli #samgyetang #soju #corn dog #kalguksu #mandu #cheese in the trap #sum market #trip

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kbox-in-the-box · 5 years ago

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Austin Kingsley: Star Prodigy in “The Silicon Supertrain!”

“Okay,” Mitzi Klingfeld smiled indulgently, propping her chin up on her palms, for what she knew would be an extended lecture, “make me understand what the big deal is about the Supertrain.”

“The Silicon Supertrain,” Austin Kingsley corrected her, even as he strained to maintain a non-critical tone in his voice, “named after the original Silicon Valley, in the Santa Clara Valley of California.”

“So, San Jose,” Mitzi recognized, before positioning her straw to take a discreet sip of her vanilla-flavored Prof. Pym Pop soda. “And you said it was, what, 1979?”

“When the train line was started in earnest, yes,” Austin nodded, as he used his small plastic spork to slice off a bite-sized piece of his Dutch apple pocket pie, before holding it up to Mitzi’s mouth. Mitzi beamed briefly at the awkward yet gentlemanly gesture, before chomping at the proffered pie, even as Austin continued on, without even appearing to notice her blushes. “It eventually grew to include stops at 33 cities in 26 states, but it all started with San Jose, California, and Charlton, Delaware.”

“Charlton … isn’t that where Bianca has her super-science school, or whatever?” Mitzi checked, brushing strands of her voluminous hair out of her face, as they were caught by the gentle desert breeze, while she and Austin sat on the flat warehouse roof of the Bookhouse, to share their fast food dinners (courtesy of one of King Tut’s Food Pyramids) under the summer-warmed night sky.

“Arkwright College of the Sciences,” Austin confirmed, “where, even before Bianca Yong successfully defended her doctoral thesis, the collective brain trust on campus was burning brightly enough to draw the notice of like minds on the opposite coastline, and vice versa.”

“So, what, they wanted a more tangible connection than just …” here, Mitzi wiggled her fingers in the air, mimicking the action of typing, “clacking away at their keyboards?”

“Each side of the country was generating a world’s fair worth of technological innovations on a weekly basis,” Austin chuckled as he shook his head. “It was becoming a bit much to sum up in electronic mail correspondence, even with the frequency of their exchanges.”

“And all nerds love trains,” Mitzi teased with an affectionate smirk.

“That is a stereotypical characterization that is only … mostly true,” Austin faltered in the midst of his objection, before waving his hands to refocus his thoughts, “and that’s not the point. Instead of simply transmitting these people’s words, or crude visual depictions of their plans, over phone lines, the Silicon Supertrain would essentially supply them with a rolling expo on rails. Rather than tasking developers with trekking to a succession of annual conventions, far from home, the Silicon Supertrain would bring the next generation of computers and accompanying consumer technology TO them!”

Mitzi couldn’t help but bite her lower lip with giddy glee. Moments like this reminded her why she loved Austin. She might not have otherwise shared his interest in what she initially considered a rather sterile subject, but his escalating enthusiasm as he spoke was infectious, and his passion made up her mind that she was going to ravish him later that night.

“You’re looking at me that way again,” Austin observed curiously, cocking his head to one side like a clockwork bird. His tone and facial expression were placid, not at all offended, and yet already skeptical of the denials he knew were forthcoming from her.

Mitzi blinked and cleared her throat. “What? No, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” she sought to dismiss his concerns, before seizing upon an aspect of his explanation that had stood out to her. “Okay, so, we both know I’m no engineer, but I gotta think that a tricked-out, high-tech, high-speed supertrain is gonna cost a lot more than what even an Ivy League college and a bunch of boy wonders soldering circuit boards in their garages can scrape together between them.”

“Especially after the tech centers in those other cities I mentioned heard about the Silicon Supertrain during its brainstorming stage, and decided they wanted stops of their own along the way,” Austin dipped one of his tater tots (branded by King Tut’s as “Tater Tuts”) in ketchup, then used it to smear sticky red streaks in a rough loop across the wrapper of the soy burger he’d already eaten. “Incorporating them all meant creating three connected train routes — Boston to Dallas, Dallas to Seattle, and Seattle to Boston — with 10 more cities as stops in between on each route. Just to accommodate the size of the train, the stop that was planned for Charlton had to be placed in Dover instead.”

“Even still, none of those cities would have rolled the dice on funding a boondoggle like a supertrain for uber-nerds, especially back in the late Seventies,” Mitzi scoffed, before she squinted at the messy ketchup loop, with its extra-heavy dabs of ketchup at three of its corners, and quickly realized it was meant to be a map of the Silicon Supertrain’s three connected routes within the continental United States, with Boston, Dallas and Seattle represented by those extra-heavy dabs.

“Okay, Mister Kingsley,” Mitzi grinned, getting into the spirit of Austin’s playful lesson, “so, if this is Dallas,” she dipped a tater tot of her own into the southernmost dab, “and this is Seattle,” another dip, this time in the northwest dab, “then that makes this curve the Pacific coastline,” she smeared her tater tot along the ketchup streak, “but in between what I’m guessing are San Diego and Phoenix, the line goes all jagged,” she frowned speculatively, before chipping at the edges of her cherry red nail polish with her teeth out of subconscious habit.

“And what does that tell you, Mitzi Klingfeld?” Austin gazed at her adoringly, not only genuinely impressed with what she’d discerned so far, but eagerly anticipating how she would tie it all together.

“Well, I spent enough time growing up in Las Vegas to spot where it sits on a map, so that’s why the line zigs so far to the north, coming from Phoenix,” she picked up the uneaten tater tot she’d used as her pointer, “but if it was just heading west, from there to San Diego, the line would flow a lot smoother, so for it to zag back down south, as sharp as it does? That means somebody was awfully invested in getting Apex City on that route,” she leaned back and finally popped the tater tot into her mouth triumphantly. “And nobody else but your dad would have been both loaded and nerdy enough.”

“Technically, it was an investment by the Athenæum, but yes,” Austin couldn’t help but nit-pick, even as he tossed a tater tot into his own broadly beaming mouth. “My family basically bankrolled the project, and Pournelle Propulsion Systems was brought on board as a partner, to help design and build the train itself.”

“And I take it that the Silicon Supertrain has been bringing together overgrown whiz-kids like a Love Boat for Trekkies ever since,” Mitzi lifted her tall plastic cup of soda in a mock toast.

Austin twitched slightly, in what Mitzi had learned was his equivalent of a wince. “For the most part. But there’s been a problem. Very recently, some high-profile passengers on the Silicon Supertrain have been found dead — on board, in transit, NOT of natural causes. It’s been kept out of the press so far, but given the names involved, I don’t expect that to last.”

“So, the clock is already ticking,” Mitzi nodded, her tone growing muted to match Austin’s subdued, utilitarian exposition, before her lips curled into a rueful smirk. “And this is why our last meal of the weekend was drive-thru.”

“Because we have to wake up early tomorrow, and I didn’t want either of us to have to do cleanup duty after a fancy dinner. Sorry,” Austin ducked his head sheepishly.

Austin felt Mitzi kiss his cheek before he saw that she’d scooted her chair around next to his. “Don’t be,” she patted his cheek. “How many other gals who work in admin can say they get to solve bona fide murder mysteries on the job? It’ll be like we’re riding the Orient Express … only, you know, for dorks,” she snorted, before she narrowed her eyes mischievously. “So, what time do we have to be at the Crossroads Transit Center?”

Austin shrugged. “The Silicon Supertrain pulls out of the station promptly at 8:20 a.m. Why?”

Mitzi suddenly slung her legs around Austin’s hips and sat on his lap, facing him. “Because that gives me at least a few hours to eat you alive, Mister Kingsley,” she breathed, affecting her best attempt at a husky Brenda Vaccaro voice, before she tore open the front of his shirt, causing his buttons to spill onto the rooftop beneath them with an audibly tinny clatter, and began licking his downy, peach fuzz-covered chest.

“D-do you want me to — ah!” Austin gasped, trembling reflexively as Mitzi moved hungrily to devour his exposed neck. “Do you w-want me to haul out the guest bed for you again?”

“Oh, honey,” Mitzi cooed, resting her forehead against his, as she stared into his eyes, “it’s so cute that you think we’ll be using a bed this time.”

#Austin Kingsley: Star Prodigy #Austin Kingsley #Star Prodigy #Mitzi Klingfeld #Silicon Supertrain

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authorsdenbyorihime-may · 5 years ago

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I removed rust from steel nibs (Hunt Imperial 101 and Hunt Mapping 103 Nibs)

What to do when rust attacks your shiny metal stuff

I had to put up this post in case I need it again. 2 years ago (2018), I bought an oblique nib holder with an adjustable flange from The Curious Artisan (click here to go to their page. I am not sponsored by the way.). The whole thing has lotsa freebies like free calligraphy pad, Engrossers' Script or Copperplate templates, and a whole bunch of vintage nibs. I thought the nibs were all nice and OK but I found 4 that unfortunately had some rust so I did some rust removal on them. I might post that later because that’s a whole story altogether. Also apparently I can only post a maximum of 10 pictures per post so. yeah.

Fast forward to 3 days ago, I had to check up on my not-vintage nibs from Speedball and HOLY CRAP THEY GOT RUSTED 😢😢😢 Like seriously look at em, LOOK AT EM 😭😭😭

You know that's rust when it doesn't shine and just absorbs light. I like shiny things and seeing rust is a pet peeve, due to the aesthetic as well as functional implications.

Even the dorsal side wasn't spared of the rust issue.

Of course I had a tiny panic attack, and did my best not to self-hate for storing them in what I thought was an airtight bottle. Spoiler alert, it wasn't, as indicated by the deflated moth balls. So after 3 days of gathering supplies, I made today rust-removal day.

What I used:

Ketchup packets - only a bit is used, to dislodge the rust and chemically reduce that sh** into a more removable form. CHEMISTRY!!!

Cotton swabs - for dabbing the ketchup

Diluted dish soap - as neutralizing solution, since baking soda would be OVERKILL. Again, CHEMISTRY!!!

Water-proof sand paper - for physical removal of rust, ideally one rough and one fine but because I had to ask my dad for some and he only has the rough ones for pots and pans, and I lost my tiny scrap of super-fine I used 2 years ago so... they didn’t get polishing

Kitchen towels - tissue paper dies fast, this one can stand some hugs

Petroleum jelly - for the aftercare, and prevention of more rust. Ideally should be oils used for bikes and hinges but we ran out of that oil so this is the next best thing

Porcelain or glass plate or wax paper - surface to work on, not gonna suggest plastics because that dissolved iron oxide has some really good staining power, it's hard to remove, if that’s even possible so something inert and easy to wash is good

So first identify the places where there is rust. Then add some ketchup on the rust. No need to flood them like I did here, this is just for illustration purposes.

Just leave them on for 5-10 minutes or so. If you're working on vintage nibs it's best to leave the ketchup a bit longer, for up to 30 minutes before the next step, which is sanding the stuff off. Remove excess ketchup, just leave a bit for the abrasion process. Use the rough sand paper, cut into a tiny piece and start lightly rubbing in circular motions. You can rub in a straight line but you could miss some spots so going around in circles is best. Plus it would look better later. 😀 You can wash the ketchup off with some dish soap and then water to see if any rust is left. Repeat the scrub as needed. Then dab a bit more ketchup before using the fine sand paper. This is again, for the abrasion process. Rinse with dish soap, then with water, check if the rust was removed according to your standards. Dry with a paper towel.

This is what it would look like if there wasn't fine sand paper used. Not so smooth. Kinda makes me arrgh.

Yeah, see how small that is? I had to use my chonky hands to remove rust from tiny steel plates. Plus the sanding off of the rust. It's a miracle I even manage to remove as much as I can, but here they are now.

Dorsal and ventral sides

Lol did I use dorsal and ventral? Seriously I need to doze lol. But hey, I removed as much rust I could with the bare minimum material, and I am suprised. I used some petroleum jelly to seal in their shiny reborn selves before storing them with my other nibs in the best place I could find.

Yeah sure, laugh all you want but seriously, the vintage nibs I fixed 2 years ago haven't gotten new rust since I placed them in this jar. That's some serious sealing capability. Also adding a moth ball helps to control the humidity.

See? No new rust growth. But the ketchup can really remove colored plating as you can see from the top nib, so it’s important to keep the ketchup ONLY ON THE RUST. Although these were sanded off with a finer grained sand paper so they look a bit more polished. Well, I tried. 😂

Also I highly recommend the Code9 moisturizer, it's good for humid days, like the Jeju Ice from Face Shop. But that's another story. 😂

So anyway, I hope this post helped you somehow, in removing tiny rust from tiny metal stuff. If you have any questions feel free to drop an ask or a comment on this post. Thank you.

#personal stuff #removal of rust from pointed pen nibs #rust removal from steel nibs #how to remove rust from steel nibs #remove rust from nibs #nibs with rust #remove rust from steel nibs with some instructions #rusty nibs

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pawarsaagar-blog · 5 years ago

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Carmine Market: Global Industry Trend Analysis 2012 to 2017 and Forecast 2025

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Carmine market can be defined as a natural color additive extracted from the bug coccus cacti that gives food a deep, dark red color which is slightly purple. Carmine is also known as Cochineal Extract. The dye processed from the cochineal bug is collected, killed by immersion, and then dried. The shade of red color that results depends on whether it is dried using the sun, steam, or an oven. Basically, carmine is a red dye that comes from the crushed shell of female beetles. Carmine is a coloring agent which is obtained from the dried bodies and shells of a cochineal which is the aluminum lake of the coloring principle. Cochineal bug is also named “true bug”. This acid is processed further to produce the carmine, which used by several known food industries to color their food in red.

Cochineal bug attaches itself to specific varieties of cactus like opuntia or nopalea which is found in semi-arid areas of Chile, Peru, Bolivia, the Canary Islands and Mexico which is used as a coloring agent in dehydrated and canned soups, frozen meat & fish, various types of drinks, canned fruits like cherries & jams, ketchup and others.

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Latin America

Western Europe

Eastern Europe

Asia Pacific

Japan

Middle East and Africa

Canada

Brazil

Argentina

Rest of Latin America

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allofusandco · 7 years ago

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with @amadnessofmuses

Benny, who runs a diner, finds a very strange kid raiding his kitchen.

Dean:

His heart beat in his chest, breath coming in short pants as his body slammed into something solid. He could feel the fear creeping up his spine, spreading over his skin, hairs standing up along his body in its wake. The light was bright in his eyes, blinding him, stinging until he closed them against it. His mind flashed to the first time it had happened. It had been the same then.

He’d been playing in the corn field when the noise has started, the same one that rang in his ears now, he’d run, heart beating so fast, terror propelling him through the rows and rows of corn that blocked his view. He’d run into the light, the same one that was receding behind his eyes. They were leaving again. Leaving him alone once more. Darkness always meant he was alone.

Shaking, the boy pushed himself into a crouching position, ready to run, eyes searching the tree line, taking in the surroundings. Woods, trees, swamp. There would be food this time, he could eat, he could make shelter but there would be predictors, there was always predators. Panting softly, he pushed himself to his feet; ears straining for any sound that would let him know where to go. He was silent as he stepped forward, bare feet making no sound on the muddy swamp floor. His brain told him to stay away from the water; his training said it wouldn’t be safe to drink anyways. Looking down at himself his eyes widened at what he was dressed in, jeans, ripped at the knee and coated in blood from a gash in his knee long since healed. A t-shirt with a band name he wasn’t sure he remembered any more, something itched in his mind, a tune, something foggy to couldn’t really get too. Usually they gave him more supplies than this, food for the first two days of survival while he got his bearings, small weapons, sometimes at least a knife, this time there was nothing.

The boy took a hesitant step forward, eyes turning up to the horizon, the sun was long since gone, it was late, the moon sitting in the peak of the sky. He had a few hours till the sun came up. He could stay awake till then, he’d stayed awake longer. He didn’t know if he could go that long without food, not as his stomach rumbled, the sound echoing over the hum of bugs, over the sound of music. Music? There had never been music before.

Cocking his head to the side he listened, eyes closed as he pinpointed where it was coming from as he cleared his mind, pushing out with his powers. It was easy enough to find the source of the sound, a radio, in the back of a kitchen, a diner with food. Even now he could smell it as his mind mapped him out a path to get there. No obstructions, a few humanoids but nothing he didn’t think he could take. They didn’t appear to have any weapons or powers, not like him.

Taking off at a run, he slid twice, bare feet slipping in the mud that splashed along his legs as he ran, mouth watering for the food he could smell. When he reached the diner his eyes scanned the small building, seeing two men out in front, as he snuck around the back through one of the doors, nose guiding him to the food.

Reaching out he grabbed the food by the handfuls, shoving it into his mouth as he eyed the men. He wished he could remember what he was eating, the taste, the flavor, it all stirred something in his mind behind the training, but he couldn’t care. He needed to eat and needed not to get caught but he could see the man turning around, green eyes wide as he took in the scene, mind mapping escape routes as he shoveled more food into his cheeks.

–––––

Benny:

Quiet sort of night, nothing special for mid-week, when he was busier at lunchtime anyway. Handful of regulars, the ones he knew by name and the ones who never spoke a word except to order the same thing every day, eyes cold because they didn’t want to be known. Couldn’t run a place like this as long as Benny had without learning when to leave someone the hell alone.

Probably time to turn the deep fryer, but Benny was sat at the bar chewing on a toothpick, hand curved around a mug of cooling coffee he’d have dearly liked to top up with a little bourbon, talking. Charlie Pitt, owner of the pawn shop just off fourth, talking as he so often did about Vietnam. Wasn’t a single word in his story that Benny hadn’t heard at least a dozen times but he never minded listening. And he was tired. Sort of tired that creeps up when nothing really happens or changes for a few years, wearing a man down.

“Saw him a couple of years later,” Charlie was saying. “Didn’t even recognize me. Junk, you know. Start on that shit to dull the memories and it eats your soul.” He drained his mug and Benny reached automatically for the coffee jug, topping it up. Glass washer finished its run and he returned to his place behind the counter to polish all the glasses before they dried too streaky. He adjusted the dial on the radio (good music on a weeknight, but during the day, Benny preferred to pick his own than play the cheesy pop the station preferred; nothing but holy rollers and talk back that put his teeth on edge on any other station he could tune to, just here).

“Benny,” Charlie said, and Benny raised an eyebrow. Something sharp in the man’s tone. “Got a rat in the kitchen.”

“No rats in my kitchen,” Benny said, shaking his head. “Could eat off the floor back there. Shut up before you put me out of business, Charlie.”

“Not that kinda rat,” Charlie said.

Benny turned to look. Stuck there like a deer in the headlights, barely visible behind the heat lamp he’d turned off an hour or more ago, was a kid. Benny didn’t have a whole lot of experience with them, but he’d have guessed he was about ten or twelve. Dirty face and hair, a t-shirt that looked too big for him, eyes wide, cheeks bulging like a chipmunk’s; hands still in the half cold basket of chips he’d made to tide himself over a little while back and forgotten about.

“Hey,” he said, putting down the glass. “Hey, kid. You’re not in trouble. Just…”

He didn’t look like some casual thief, the kids who occasionally broke in overnight looking (and failing) to steal liquor, pouring ketchup all over the place. Looked hungry.

He took a few halting steps towards the kitchen, palms up.

“You lost, kid? I can call someone for you.”

–––––

Dean:

There was a back door to his left, it led out into the swamp. There was the door to the kitchen, that led him out the front but it would take him past the man, so would the door he had come in. His only hope would be the back and he was sure that was what the man thought too. Shoving another handful of food into his mouth he swallowed down some of the others he had been chewing on. The man said he wasn’t in trouble, so had they.

What was curious was the way the light around the man showed, he showed blue, he showed good and he wanted to trust him but he didn’t know if he could. Maybe the monster in this round were different just to confuse him. Then again he looked just like a human not a monster. Giving himself a few more seconds to decide he took in the other man in the building the light around him shown in blue too, it would have helped if one was red, there was never good guys only the bad guys and the monsters.

Panting through his nose he took a step back, hands curling around as much food as he could get before he took off heading for the side door, hands forcing the soft food into his pockets. He could go back the way he came in. The path was clear and the route was safe, he could still see the energy lines he’d left behind when he came in. They would be easy enough to follow. he had to get past him, even if he was bigger than him. He had fought off bigger, that was when he had weapons however. This time he didn’t, all he had was his powers and food slick fingers as he tried to run past the guy, arms coming up to try and block him from touching him.

–––––

Benny:

There was that hospital. Next county, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t possible. Benny was pretty sure after a week or two of hospital food, even cold chips would taste pretty good. Long way to come, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t possible. Could even have been one from the… well, where they looked after kids who weren’t quite right in the noggin.

But no, he’d guessed that far too quick. Benny watched the kid’s eyes dart around the room, weighing up all threats and possibilities, including Benny himself, deciding he was better off heading back the way he came, where he at least knew the dangers. He was smart, quick. And slippery as hell. Something bad had happened to him, bad enough so he had honed his instincts, in a way no kid should ever have to.

But Benny was no slouch, and he was fast enough, despite his size. The race to the door was brief, but Benny had an arm around the kid’s waist and the door closed pretty damn quick. Still talking.

“Well, now, if you’re willin’ to stuff your pockets full of those nasty cold chips, wonder what you’d do for a basket of them, fresh and hot? Cook y’ up a burger, maybe, get y’ a chocolate shake.” Give him time to… well, Benny didn’t know quite what, call the police, maybe?

Or not. No, just get him talking, see if he could figure a few things out.

“Or a can of coke. You tell me. Even got some pecan pie, for dessert.”

He felt the resistance let up, and pulled away just far enough to see the kid’s face properly. He was filthy. Hands, face, his hair. If he was on the run from someone he had been for a while.

“Y’can call me Benny,” Benny said. “You got a name, chief?”

He turned on the deep fryer again; wouldn’t take long to be ready.

–––––

Dean:

The kid was shocked when the man’s arms came around him the door closing before he had ever gotten a chance to get close to it. He hadn’t expected the man to move that fast. It wouldn’t matter if he used his mind on him but he at least knew that physically beating him was out of the picture. Instead he stood where the man left him, breathing slow and even as he concentrated on him. He sounded like he was telling the truth, he sounded like he did want to feed him but he wasn’t sure.

Closing his eyes for the briefest of seconds he focused on the part of his mind that could read people, that could read their energies. When green eyes opened again he could see colors around the man, the way his own energy and the man’s mingled, his own trusted him. Something about the colors and feel of him said he was good. He showed in colors of blues and purples and not in reds and yellows that made him a bad man.

Blinking, he took a step back, head cocking slightly to the side as he reached into his pocket pulling out the food he had been eating and offering it back to the guy. His stomach growled and it took everything he had not to eat the cold chips. That was what the man had called them.

“Chips,” he echoed the word and the food back to him. He didn’t want them if he could have better. He didn’t want chips if there was pie.

“Pie,” he added. Something about he word he remembered. Something about it made him want to smile inside. He didn’t know why and he couldn’t find a memory to put behind it but he wanted it.

–––––

Benny:

Such a strange kid. Benny mighta thought he was one egg short of a dozen, if not for those eyes. But he took the cold chips (kid needed some clean clothes, who had a son this size?), and tossed them in the trash.

“Strictly speaking,” he said, ushering the kid to a table, “pie is dessert, and dessert comes after. But somehow I don’t think anyone’s gonna stop us. G’night, Charlie,” he said, as his friend left, last one for the night. He locked the door and flipped over the closed sign. On the counter was a platter with two-thirds of a pecan pie Benny had made only yesterday. He cut a double-sized slice, added a scoop of ice cream for kicks, and set it down in front of the kid, with a dessert fork and a long-handled spoon.

“I’m Benny,” he said. “This is my place. So anything you want, long as I can make it, I’ll make it. Sure would like a name for you, though. Somethin’ I can call you, since ‘kid’ sounds a little rude.”

Not big on talking, though.

“And if there’s someone you think I should phone… mom or dad? Grandparents?” Something told Benny parents weren’t part of this picture, though what, he couldn’t have said. Maybe just the fact the kid was running around out there starving. He supposed if nothing else, he should call child services, though the thought made him ill; no kid had a great time once they were in the system, and it changed them. He scratched his head. Had to clean that little face up, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to get between the kid and his pie.

“Maybe I’ll join you.”

He cut himself a slice as well, and sat again.

“So. You ready to tell me? Your name? Or am I gonna have to make something up?”

–––––

Dean:

The kid watched every move the man made every step, every move of his hand, every turn and every breath. He watched as he cut the pie and put something cold and wet looking on top of it and then as he got himself the same thing. He wanted to eat it but he had eaten bad things before and he didn’t want this to be a thing. He didn’t want to deal with that again. He could still remember the pain in his stomach, the way he had curled up on the ground unable to move, they’d had to pull him out of the training earlier than he should have been and he had missed his reward. He didn’t like it when he didn’t get his reward.

So he waited, waited with wide green eyes watching the man carefully, fingers twitching on the table beside his fork as he waited for Benny to eat his. When he did, once the man swallowed his bite he dove into his own, fork in the center of his curled fist. He pushed at the stuff on top watching as it slid off the side of the pie and onto the plate below. When it was gone he dove into the pie scooping up half of it at once and shoveling it into his mouth, cheeks bulging as he tried to get it down as fast as he could. He didn’t know when Benny would change his mind and take it back.

With his other hand he held out his arm, to show it to the man who had asked his name. On the inside of his left arm just an inch or so below his elbow was a single letter. D.

“D” he offered, voice a little gruff as he stuffed another large bite of pie into his mouth, working on this one just a little slower than the first.

–––––

Benny:

Benny remembered back in elementary school; hit and miss affair, out here, it always had been, some kids showing up on the regular, some making an appearance once or twice a week, many without shoes. The church brought school lunches for the poor kids, and some of them you’d see eat so fast they couldn’t have tasted a damn thing, like if they didn’t do that someone else might come and take it (and knowing some of their older brothers and sisters, sometimes that was the plain and simple truth of it).

“Slow down,” he said. “You’re gonna do yourself an injury.” He stood and brought the rest of the pie down to put on the table. “All yours, much as you like. I ain’t gonna take it, hell, I made it. And I can make another one.”

At last that arm uncurled. Benny almost recoiled. What kind of a monster tattooed a little kid like that?

“Uh-huh,” he said, scratching his chin, and trying not to betray the horror he felt. Would you have to hold a kid down, to do that? Kid seemed kinda stoic. Maybe not. “D. Big D. Yeah, okay, D. Look at that. Now I know your name and you know mine, we’re friends. Time to celebrate with some more pie.”

He couldn’t call child services. He couldn’t do something that might end with this poor kid being handed back to folks who’d mark his skin like that when he was barely old enough for long pants. Benny watched for a while. Real food would be smarter but he wasn’t gonna argue the point.

“Maybe now we’re friends you wanna tell me a little bit about yourself,” he said. “Like, maybe we could play a game. You tell me the first thing you remember seein’ when you woke up this morning.”

… yeah, nice try, Benny.

“Or the last thing you remember when you went to sleep last night. Your pick.”

–––––

Dean:

D’s eyes went wide when the rest of the pie was sat in front of him and he slowed down even more swallowing the large bite in his mouth and filling it without a second thought with another mouthful. The man talked and D listened. He liked the way the man’s words matched up with the way his aura moved around them. He could tell he was being honest, the blue swirls at the back of each word indicated that he was being truthful, the bubbles matched.

When the bright men had done this to him he hadn’t let them know that he could tell this, whenever they said something to him, whenever ever they would lie the colors around them would change, their words turning a nasty yellow green color.

“I don’t know,” he mumbled around a mouthful of pie. Pushing himself up in the chair he leaned forward eyes on Benny as his tongue peaked out from between his lips. He leaned down licking the top of the other pie before stabbing his fork into the center of it a snarled Mine leaving his lips.

He knew the man didn’t intend to take it but he had to just so no others showed up to take it from him. Returning to his seat he stayed poised ready to strike as he used his hands to eat the pie, licking it from his fingers.

“They’ll come back,” he added softly. He didn’t know what the purpose of this test was or why he was here without fighting but he knew they would be back. They always came back.

Leaning down under the table from his chair, mouth still full of pie he let his eyes scan the sky for their lights, when he didn’t see them he sat back up, stuffing his face with more pie. He wanted to answer the man’s question, he wanted to show him what he saw last night when he went to bed, what he saw when he got up.

“Wanna see?” He asked moving so he could stand up on the chair and then onto the table, steps light and easy, dirty bare feet stepping carefully over the plates of pie until he was face to face with Benny. Narrowing his green eyes he could feel them roll to the back of his head, vision going dark as he sent the man an image of his cell from the night before. The small cell was all glass, he knew it because he had seen it from the outside, from the inside however it was all white, nothing but white creating the illusion that it stretched for ever when in reality it was only a few feet. The next image was the first one he remembered when he had been dropped from the light above him and into the dark swamp, the view of his own restaurant looming in the background.

Pulling away from the man’s mind he stood there panting as he came back from the vision, chest heaving as he panted in small gasp of air, he could still feel the sharp pain in his head as he moved over the table and back to his seat. Reaching up for more pie he shoved some in his mouth, hand wiping the blood from his nose like it was nothing out of the normal. For him it wasn’t, this time it wasn’t even bad. Next time it would be easier because he wouldn’t have to forge a link with the man’s mind.

–––––

Benny:

Benny had a vague idea that it was a really bad idea to let a kid stuff his face with nothing but pie, but he didn’t want to walk away and make something else, either. Besides, rough day, apparently. Maybe he’d try for something green and leafy tomorrow. He’d come up with something that might appeal. Never saw a kid turn down a burger and fries.

He didn’t laugh when D – was he really gonna call the kid D? – licked the pie. This was a kid who’d learned to fight for his food, and it worried Benny too much to let him so much as crack a smile.

“Y’know, folks around here like my cooking, but I ain’t never seen someone appreciate it with this much gusto,” he said, angling his head to work out what the damn hell the kid was doing under the table. He’d never felt so far out of his depths before. He sat up straight again. Who did he know, who knew about kids? The woman who was always comin’ by asking’ him to go to one church thing or another; she had kids. Benny didn’t want to call, though, because she had some funny ideas about him, too. Or she might call the cops.

“See what?” he asked. It was unsettling, to suddenly find himself so close; D’s eyes were huge and a bright green Benny wasn’t sure he’d seen anywhere before, save maybe on a cat. He startled as they rolled back. Seizure? Benny wanted to reach out, try to catch him before he fell, but he was overcome, suddenly.

He couldn’t move, not until it was done. Couldn’t make much sense of the first, but something told him there wasn’t much sense to make of it, either. The second one was clear enough. But more to the point; how the hell had the hid even done that?

Benny was badly shaken. Always figured on his being a practical sort of fellow, not prone to flights of fancy, never really believed in anything he couldn’t see with his own eyes. But that – his head wanted him to believe it was a hospital, somewhere, that same hospital he’d been thinking on before. But he didn’t believe that. Couldn’t even force himself to believe that. He just sat, pale and still as a ghost, as D tucked into his pie again.

When he could force himself to, he moved to the counter to fetch some paper napkins, and placed them on the table alongside D’s plate.

“Your nose,” he said, though it didn’t seem to be bugging the kid none. Benny felt like he was losing his mind, the images he’d seen… no, it wasn’t that. This was all about the way he’d seen them. This was all about the fact that a kid with bare feet and pie all over his dirty face had pushed those pictures into his mind.

“Seems to me we gotta do something to keep you safe, Big D,” said Benny, hating the way his voice sounded thread, low as it was. His hands shook slightly. He was exhausted, suddenly, and needed to sleep. Was that his mind stepping in to protect him or had that brief link really worn him out so bad?

��Reckon you should stay here,” he said, crossing his arms on the table so his hands wouldn’t shake. “I don’t know who the hell’s after you, kiddo, but I don’t guess we should let them find you. You can’t run around out there.” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “My place is out the back. I got a couch, we can make you up a bed. I guess you ain’t slept anywhere that comfy in a while.” He only hoped the kid slept at all.

–––––

Dean:

D was focused on the pie, the one on his plate until it was gone and then the one in the pan he was tugging closer and eating with just as much vigor as he had the first piece. He wasn’t worried about the man and what he had done. It had been done to him and he was still alive. He didn’t even think twice about what it could be doing to Benny and how it could be affecting him. It hurt, that was part of the process but that didn’t mean he should worry, Benny would be fine. At least he thought that he would.

He watched Benny carefully with curious green eyes, leaning over slightly in his seat to see around him at what he was pointing his thumb at. He didn’t see anything back there but the door and he wasn’t sure what Benny was talking about, he knew he was safe and didn’t mean him harm but that didn’t mean he wasn’t a little weird.

Swallowing the mouthful of pie he was working on he leaned back into his seat, eyes fixed one again on Benny, head tilted slightly to the side as he played his words over in his mind again. “What’s a couch?”

–––––

Benny:

Trying to have a regular conversation with this kid was like trying to argue with a funhouse mirror. Benny didn’t know which way was up. Though he wasn’t sure he wanted to know, either. He felt a tremor in his hand, and watched Dean continue to eat like the laws of the universe didn’t just get beat all the way out of shape.

“A couch is… like what you’re sitting on, that bench, only it’s soft. You can sit on it, or you can stretch out to sleep. I’ll find you a soft blanket, too, that’ll keep you warm and comfortable. Pillow to rest your head. You can have a bath in the morning, wash some of that dirt off you. And we’ll figure out what to do next.”

And he’d cook a good breakfast, or this kid was going to be running around on a sugar high for days, which might not be the best considering his powers.

“You can have some more pie tomorrow,” Benny promised. “But you must be beat.” Had to be, the pictures he’d put in Benny’s head. Benny clenched his hands into fists and splayed them out again, working out the tremor.

–––––

Dean:

D thought that a couch sounded like fun, some place soft to stretch out. He almost felt like he remembered a couch before but he didn’t know where he would have seen it. Shoving the last bite of pie in his mouth he dropped his licked his fingers clean before wiping them on his pants and looking at the man again when he said he was beat.

Wrinkling his face up, he looked around ducking down once again to look out the window at the sky before letting out a laugh. “You haven’t beat me,” he laughed.

“If I was beat they would have come, I’m not beat yet,” he added voice serious as he looked at Benny. Benny seemed nice but he didn’t seem to understand what was going on here. Somewhere there was something to battle, something he had to fight. That was how it always went. He got put on a planet and had to fight, Benny was saying he was beat but he wasn’t beat yet.

–––––

Benny:

Benny blinked at D, and glanced at the window, trying to understand what the kid was lookin’ at. Beat. Beat, As in hurt, maybe, or like he didn’t win, or…

“Naw, kid. Beat, as in tired, y’know. Y’feelin’ tired?”

Jesus, maybe the kid didn’t even sleep. Benny tried to think through the images that were still swirling in his head, but his conscious mind seemed to be trying to eliminate them like the remainder of bad dreams in the morning light. Did he see anything that said D even slept? The blinding disorientation of finding himself somewhere unexpected… if he got shifted all over the ass end of the galaxy and back again every time he closed his eyes, he might not want to sleep.

“D… you ever close your eyes, and…” This was absurd. “Let your body be still for a few hours, maybe you get to dream about a pretty girl… wake up with the sun out. Wake up in the same place, like?” How did you explain sleeping to someone who didn’t? Benny hoped he was wrong. If there had ever been a kid who needed a good night’s sleep, it was this kid right here.

–––––

Dean:

D watched as Benny struggled to explain something to him. Did he ever close his eyes and see pretty girls? Did he close them and open them in the same place? He had closed his eyes plenty of times and seen people. It was a thing he was trained to do. The men had shown him how.

“I see people all the time when I close my eyes.”

He wasn’t sure what the man was trying to tell him about in this world. Maybe it was some kind of power that Benny had. Sitting up straight, he closed his eyes, letting himself sink into the darkness, searching out the nearest mind past Benny’s, searching for a girl. As he walked through the blackness he could see a speck of white coming closer, the neon outline the trees and things around him took coming into view as he walked around the space outside f the building he was in.

“There’s a girl down the road. She’s pretty; she’s in stasis with a man. He’s in a deeper stasis then her. They don’t have any weapons in the house. They have a smaller girl. She’s alone in her room and the window is open.”

He opened his eyes then, a grin spreading over his lips as he looked at Benny, leaning in over the table some, a predator ready to pounce.

“Do you want me to catch her for you?”

–––––

Benny:

Benny watched in rapt fascination as D closed his eyes, focusing, and began to speak. Might as well have been a different language, but Benny got there eventually. Stasis – sleep. He was seeing June and her husband, and their girl. The words ‘no weapons in the house’ gave him a chill, but he didn’t think the kid was malicious.

He reached out a hand, and patted D’s hand. “You don’t need to catch anyone,” he said, feeling overwhelmingly sad. Was this kid just bending over backwards to please him, or was that what he’d been trained to do? And trained by who? Benny’s mind went to government conspiracy easily enough, but this seemed infinitely stranger than that. If the government couldn’t get their shit together to fix a damn street sign, he didn’t think they could be smart enough to manage this, either.

“Stasis,” he repeated. “I guess that’s what I mean when I say sleep. Do you go into stasis, Big D? ’cause that’s what I meant about the couch. It’s good for you. Gives your mind a rest, and your body, too. I ain’t gonna let anyone take you, kid. Not from my house.” As if there was a damn thing he could do about it. He offered his hand.

~complete~

#p: D #v: big d #benny rp #amadnessofmuses #amadnessofmuses: dean #all of us; & queue

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buyherepayhereusa · 7 years ago

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10 Cleaning and Organization Hacks for the Car

Are you sick of a dirty and disorganized car? Whether you have kids or not, it’s difficult to maintain car cleanliness. Instead of treating your vehicle as one big storage dump, use these cleaning and organization hacks to keep things fresh and tidy all year long.

HOW TO KEEP THE CAR CLEAN & ORGANIZED

10 Cleaning & Organization Hacks

Use toothpaste to clean headlights and remove scuffs.

Foggy headlights are a safety hazard. According to AAA, restoring your headlights can increase the overall amount of light projected by 30% and reduce glare-producing light scatter by 60%.

Just as toothpaste cleans your teeth, it can also be used to polish your headlights and remove marks from CDs, DVDs, phones, tablets.

Simply wipe your headlights down with soap and water and allow to dry before going over your headlight lenses with a small amount of toothpaste on a clean rag. Rub in circular motions until clean.

The mild abrasive in toothpaste helps restore clarity and remove scratches, however, it is only a temporary fix. In 2-6 months, that hazy look will come back again.

For a longer-lasting solution, buy an inexpensive do-it-yourself headlight refinishing kit at your auto parts store. You can also pay a professional around $30-$150 to do it for you.

Not only does toothpaste help restore clarity to your headlights, but it can also be used to remove minor scratches and scuffs from your car. Make sure the surface is clean before you apply any toothpaste. Since toothpaste acts as a mild form of sandpaper, you don’t want to buff dirt and debris into the paint.

Once the surface is clean and dry, rub some toothpaste onto the scuff with a damp cloth. Use circular motions until the mark is gone.

Toothpaste has also been known to clean vinyl or leather interiors. After you vacuum the area and remove crumbs and dirt, dab some non-gel toothpaste onto the stain and wipe clean with a damp cloth.

Clean and deodorize carpets with soda, vinegar, and baking soda

Every vehicle owner knows that carpets and interiors can get really dirty, especially if you have children. If you want to get rid of stains and smells, you can restore some of that new car smell by using water, vinegar, and baking soda.

First, start out by deodorizing your car. Simply fill two bowls with white vinegar and place one on the dashboard and the other on the back seat. Leave overnight and remove in the morning. Open up doors and windows until the vinegar smell has gone away.

After the vinegar smell has dispersed, mix 1 cup of water with ¼ cup of baking soda. Use a toothbrush to wipe away all of your stains, such as ketchup and coffee. Let the mixture penetrate the stains for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, take a clean, dry cloth and blot the area dry.

Finish up your cleaning job with a spray bottle mixture of ¼ cup of vinegar, 1 cup of warm water, and a couple drops of dish detergent. Use a soft-bristled brush to wipe your upholstery clean. After 15 minutes or so, use a clean, dry cloth to absorb extra moisture.

Now, you have a clean interior!

Keep cleaning products in your car

In order to keep your seats and interior clean while on the go, carry some cleaning products in the car:

Baby wipes are great for quickly cleaning up small spills and stains. Since they don’t contain any harmful chemicals, they are a safe and effective way to keep your vehicle clean.

Microfiber cloths are great for cleaning around the house, garage, and the car. These ultra-absorbent cloths are strong, durable, and reusable. They are better at pulling away dust and dirt than paper towels and old rags, which is why they are perfect for automotive cleaning. Carry some microfiber cloths in the car and use them to wash the inside and outside of your car.

Seltzer water/club soda is a great stain remover. Keep a can or two in your car for a cheap and quick cleaning job. Use your microfiber cloths to get rid of stains as they occur.

Vinegar can be combined with soda water to effectively clean upholstery and carpets.

Coffee filters can be used to wipe up dirt and dust from your car. They are also used to create a streak-free shine on windows. Simply add a little club soda or your favorite cleaning solution and run it along your interior for a cheap and easy cleaning job.

Foam craft brushes are perfect for getting in between small spaces in your vehicle. For instance, if you wanted to clean the dirt that has collected in your A/C vents or get inside your door-side container, dollar-store foam brushes are the way to go.

Cupcake liners can be used to keep your drink holders clean. Just replace them once they get dirty.

When you are done with your cleaning job, you can also use cornstarch to soak up any remaining moisture. Just vacuum it up afterwards and enjoy your new, clean car.

Use seltzer water and alcohol to prevent windshield wiper streaks

Clean your windshield wipers and prevent streaking by periodically wiping them clean with a cloth dipped in seltzer water and alcohol.

Use a plastic cereal container as a small garbage can

Where do you toss your garbage when you are in the car? Do you use those small slots in the door?

Rather than making a mess of your vehicle and clean-up a pain, pick up a plastic cereal container for a couple of bucks. It will serve as your mess-free garbage can for the rest of your driving days.

You can easily insert a plastic bag for easy clean-up, and it also has a lid to contain any smells. This is a great way to keep trash where it belongs—in a trash bag.

Use an empty tissue box to store your plastic bags

Instead of throwing away your old tissue boxes, reuse them for your car. Put a bunch of plastic bags in a tissue box for easy access. If anybody needs an extra bag for shopping, barfing, or cleaning up, it will always be there.

Place a laundry basket in your trunk for easy organization

When you are driving, do you hear stuff rolling around and making noise in your trunk? If you had a laundry basket in there, you would be able to contain all of your items so they aren’t flying around the trunk.

Laundry baskets can be picked up for just a couple of dollars at your local discount store.

Drape a shoe organizer on the backs of seats to keep everything neat

You’ve probably already heard of this little car organizing hack, but have you actually done it? It’s surprisingly effective at keeping everything in your car organized and easily accessible.

The “hack” has gotten so popular that you can now buy back-seat organizers that have been specifically designed for the car. Store everything from maps and medicines to toys and coloring supplies.

Also, if you have loose colored pencils or crayons lying around, you can store them neatly in an empty DVD case.

Use a shower caddy to organize all of your vehicle’s fluids

Where do you currently store your motor oil, coolant, and windshield wiper fluid? If they are just knocking around in your trunk, now’s the time to make a simple change that will greatly improve your life on the road.

Simply purchase a cheap shower caddy and use it to organize all of the necessary fluids for your car.

Learn more about car fluids and how to maintain your vehicle here.

Consider a wheel cover

While some people argue against wheel covers, they can help keep your steering wheel in good shape. Sun and dirty hands can quickly make a steering wheel look old and raggedy. In addition to keeping your steering wheel clean, wheel covers also increase safety by improving grip and reducing driver fatigue.

Additionally, a cloth cover won’t ever get as hot or cold as your regular steering wheel, enabling you to get on the road in comfort sooner than usual.

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