#the last photos are from tiny 5-second videos that I wanted to upload and (as always) couldn't 😔

[hedgehog-moss]

It was a cold summer but I still managed to recruit some friends to come swim with me a couple of times, using the magic words—"I have a waterfall to show you..." Sure entering the water will be painful but having a waterfall to yourself is such a luxury!

I love how alarmed Pandolf still is by the concept of underwater humans. He's always like "Wait! I'm coming to save you!!" and then he doesn't come to save us, merely stands close by and whines because he's just not a water dog.

"I want to save you but the water is wet :( "

[pterodactylterrace]

Guys Like You Chapter 19

Title: Guys Like You

Chapter: 19

Chapter Summary: Just a bunch of random fluff for the time being.

Rating: 18+

Warnings: Mentions of pregnancy, and so much tooth rotting fluff.

{Prologue} {Chapter 1} {Chapter 2} {Chapter 3} {Chapter 4} {Chapter 5} {Chapter 6} {Chapter 7} {Chapter 8} {Chapter 9} {Chapter 10} {Chapter 11} {Chapter 12} {Chapter 13} {Chapter 14} {Chapter 15} {Chapter 16} {Chapter 17} {Chapter 18}

“Faye?” Henry called out, wandering into the living room where she was lounging on the couch with Kal.

“Yes?” Faye asked slowly, lifting her head from the fluffy canine’s side.

“Would you mind looking this over? Tell me if you’re ok with it?” Henry requested, handing her his phone to look over his newest Instagram post in the making, several pictures lined up and awaiting her approval.

First, was one of his signature boomer selfies, his face and chest covered in pony and princess stickers, glitter shimmering on the planes of his face, almost shining as bright as his smile. Second was a snapshot of his feet, nail polish globbed on the ends of his toes, Briar’s tiny hands in the frame adding more onto the top of his foot. Next was another selfie, his curls now tugged up into random tufts, secured with bright glittery hair ties, another amused smile on his face. Last was a small video clip of Briar painting makeup on his face, chatting away about the differences between unicorns and pegasus’, Henry asking at the very end if he was pretty yet, only for Briar to very definitively tell him ‘no’ and continue brushing over his face with more eyeshadow.

The post was captioned as:

“Girl Dad

#girldad

#glitterbomb

#amIprettynow?”

“That… that’s adorable.” Faye gushed, throwing her arms around his neck, his nervousness fading away. He had yet to introduce his fanbase to Briar. They had seen Faye a few times, different paparazzi photos surfacing of the two of them out together along with her accompanying him to the Witcher premiere. Neither of them minded Faye being photographed. She knew what she was signing up for, and Henry was always careful to only show her the good comments and headlines. The last thing he wanted was for her to be driven away thinking she wasn’t good enough again.

They had yet to reveal Briar’s presence, however. He had a Zoom interview later on in the week, and they had agreed that he could mention her if he was asked about family life. This was just him wanting to reveal his daughter on his own terms before people began trying to invade the child’s privacy. He could already see the feisty toddler chasing after someone with a camera, smacking them with her stuffed rabbit, Kal dutifully chasing after her.

Though, in retrospect, Kal may actually not chase after Briar to back her up. In the last couple of weeks, he had been by Faye’s side almost constantly. Not that he was jealous or anything, but he wasn’t exactly happy about now being Kal’s third favorite human. He’d raised that dog since he was ten weeks old, then Briar comes into his life and suddenly she’s the best thing ever. Now that Faye was pregnant, he split his time between curling up next to Faye and playing with Briar. The only time Henry spent with him was when he fed him, literally drug him out for a walk and at nighttime when he would lay on Faye’s legs all night. The poor dog was going to go crazy after the baby was born trying to split his time between everyone.

“So, is it ok to post?” Henry asked, shooing Kal from the couch so he could be closer to his fiancé. The dog was less than pleased to be uprooted form his spot, but relented and laid at her feet instead, huffing in annoyance as he laid his giant head on her tattooed foot.

“Well, nothing is showing her face, and I can tell you’re about to explode if you don’t tell the world about her soon.” Faye teased, gently kissing his stubbly cheek.

“I’m going to disable comments on it.” Henry explained, taking his phone back to finish the post and upload it to Instagram.

“Might be a good idea.” Faye agreed, peering over his shoulder as the images uploaded, hugging his thick arm to her chest. “I love you so much.”

“Aww. The baby’s making you all mushy.” Henry teased, dropping his phone onto the couch and wrapping his arms around her, kissing the crown of her head.

“Shut up.” Faye whined, leaning further into him, her face drawing into a pout.

“Please don’t cry, I was just teasing.” Henry requested softly.

“Sorry. Hormones are making me crazy.” Faye apologized, hiding her face in his chest.

“There’s no need to apologize.” Henry assured, squeezing her a little tighter.

“We’re going to have to tell Briar eventually.”

“We can’t just wait until the baby gets here and just be all ‘surprise! You’re a big sister!’?”

“No. She’s going to wonder why I’m getting so fat long before then. There will be questions. They might make me cry. Are you still going to love me when I’m huge?” Faye asked suspiciously.

“When you’re rounded out carrying my baby, tits full and just begging to be sucked on? I’m probably going to have a hard time keeping my hands off of you.”

“You can’t keep your hands to yourself now.” Faye teased, turning her head to look up at him.

“You aren’t wrong. I love feeling your skin on mine. In any way I can get it. Kissing you.” He whispered, gently kissing her neck. “Holding your hand.” He continued, tangling their fingers together as he nipped at her neck. “But best of all, I love being buried balls deep in that sweet little pussy of yours.”

“Bedroom. Now.” Faye hissed, Henry popping up with her in his arms, all to eager to carry her back to their bedroom, closing and locking the door before Kal had the chance to squeeze his way in.

~*~

“Just pull it off like a band aid, right?”

“Quick and easy and it’ll be over with.” Henry agreed, wrapping one large paw around her hip and pulling her closer.

“Briar, can you come here for a minute?” Faye called, resting a hand on his knee.

“Hi Mommy!” Briar greeted enthusiastically, practically tacking her mother as she launched herself into her lap, stuffed bunny still in tow.

“Hi.” Faye giggled, situating her daughter in her lap. “Briar, Mommy and Papa have something to tell you.” Faye started, Briar turning her wide innocent gaze up to her mother expectantly. “Henry?” Faye delegated, looking up at him.

“Princess, you’re a big sister. Mummy and Papa are having another baby.” Henry explained, Briar staring blankly up at him for what felt like an eternity, processing what he just said.

“Where?” She finally asked, Henry stifling a laugh at her innocent question.

“The baby is in Mommy’s tummy.” Faye told her, taking her daughter’s tiny hand and resting it on her stomach.

“You ate baby?!” Briar gasped, her eyes going wide as she frantically pulled up her mother’s shirt. “I get you out baby!” She yelled, poking at her mother’s navel, Henry unable to contain his laughter this time.

“The baby needs to stay in Mommy’s tummy until they’re ready to be born. They’re still too little.”

“How baby get there?” Briar asked, continuing to poke at her mother’s stomach curiously.

“Papa put the baby there so they can grow big and strong.”

“Big and strong like Papa!” Briar giggled.

“Yes, like Papa.” Faye laughed. “So, Mommy’s tummy is going to get bigger and bigger as the baby grows, just like when you were in my tummy.”

“I was in you belly?” Briar whispered in amazement. “Papa tummy get big too?”

“Yes, you were and no, I don’t see Papa getting a big tummy anytime soon.” Faye laughed.

“Nope, no tummy.” Briar confirmed after pulling up Henry’s t-shirt and taking in his still firm, furry abdomen.

“Thank you.” Henry chuckled, pushing his shirt back down and kissing the top of her head. “So, is that ok with you, princess? Would you like to be a big sister?”

“Yeah! I help with baby!” Briar squealed excitedly, hugging her stuffed bunny close to her chest and bouncing on her mother’s lap.

“Will you show Papa how to take care of a baby?” Henry asked, Briar nodding her head excitedly.

“Yeah! I show you!” She agreed.

“Ok, how do you hold the baby?” Henry asked, leaning down to look her in the eye.

“Like this!” Briar explained, cradling her stuffed rabbit in her arms.

“Ok, I think I can do that. How do you burp the baby?” Briar flipped the bunny up onto her shoulder, smacking it on the back and looking up at Henry to make sure he was paying attention. “Alright. What about feeding, how do you feed a baby?”

Without missing a beat, Briar pulled up her shirt and pressed the bunny’s face to her chest, Henry bursting out laughing along with Faye. “Very good, sweetheart.” Faye praised around a laugh, kissing the top of her daughter’s head. “Now why don’t you go play with Kal for a little bit?”

“Kal!” Briar called, hopping off her mother’s lap and running off to her room, the canine hot on her heels.

“I still don’t think I’m going to be very good at breastfeeding.” Henry lamented, Faye snickering and shaking her head.

“Yours are still bigger than mine.” Faye pointed out, playfully grabbing at his chest.

“I’m not so sure about that anymore.” Henry teased, resting one hand on the side of his chest she wasn’t groping and the other on Faye’s swollen breasts, pretending to contemplate as he shamelessly squeezed at her chest.

“You may have a point. The only bras that fit anymore are sports bras. I’m gonna need to buy more. Sports bras and swollen tits are not a fun combination right now.”

“You have my attention.” Henry purred, perking up at her declaration.

“Henry, I’m going to be getting ugly nursing bras, not sexy lingerie.”

“Why not both?”

“Really?”

“What? You’ve been pouncing me at least twice a day for the last week. How is me wanting to see my gorgeous pregnancy fiancé in something sexy out of line?”

“Ok, first of all, I haven’t been pouncing on you twice a day.” Faye started, Henry raising an amused eyebrow at her declaration. “I may have suggested we get closer a few more times than usual, but it’s not like I’m barging in while you’re busy to try and get some. I’m not some sex crazed maniac.”

“You barged in on me showering twice.”

“You do that to me all the time!”

“And I haven’t been able to complete a workout without you demanding I finish with a round of couples cardio.”

“Have you seen what you look like all sweaty with your muscles all pumped up? It’s not my fault you’re irresistible.”

“I also seem to remember you surprising me in the gaming room and riding me while I was on coms playing world of warcraft.”

“Ok, so like one slutty instance.” Faye scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“There was also that time last week when we went out for dinner. You had your hand shoved down my trousers before the driver even finished putting up the partition.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I was bothering you so much.” Faye grouched, crossing her arms and scooting away from him.

“You’re not bothering me at all.” Henry laughed, grabbing her hips and pulling her closer. “I’m just making a point. You can’t keep your hands off of me, and I’m loving every minute of it.”

“Wouldn’t mind your hands on me a little more.” Faye lamented, turning sideways on the couch and tossing her legs over his, leaning back to rest her head on the armrest.

“Are you hinting at something?” Henry asked, his fingers just barely skimming above the waistband of her leggings, a shiver following in their wake.

“Probably not what you’re thinking. My calves have been really tight lately. It would be great if my loving fiancé were to rub them down for me.”

“Are you sure that’s all you’re wanting?” Henry teased, his hands sliding down her legs to gently knead at her tense muscles.

“We’ll see.” Faye half yawned, already settling down for her usual mid-afternoon nap.  

~*~

“Faye.” Henry started out sternly, crossing his arms and raising a brow at his fiancé as she attempted to look innocently over her shoulder.

“Yes, my love?”

“What do you have there?”

“Nothing.”

“So, it’s not another cup of coffee that I’m smelling?” Henry challenged, crossing the room as Faye sat the cup down on the counter, spinning around to face him.

“But… the baby…”

“The baby is the exact reason you asked me to make sure you’re not drinking as much caffeine. Remember what the doctor suggested? Only one a day.” Henry scolded, gripping her hips to pull her closer.

“The baby wants coffee.” Faye whimpered, giving him her best puppy dog face.

“Then the baby will have to settle for decaf.”

“It’s not the same! Why are you being so mean?”

“I’m not. You told me not to let you drink more caffeine than you should, so I am.”

“Can’t you just leave me alone for two minutes? One extra every now and then is fine!” Faye growled.

“Of course I can leave you alone. I’m doing what you asked me to, so don’t yell at me.” Henry stated calmly, reaching past her to grab the pot from the coffee maker, dumping it out and taking it with him to his office, wincing at her irritated ranting. She had been very clear and adamant about him monitoring, and limiting her caffeine intake, especially coffee. Unfortunately, her most recent craving had been exactly what he had been told to keep her from. Why couldn’t she just crave normal things, like pickles and ice cream? No, she had to be obsessed with something she couldn’t have, and now she was extremely upset with him for doing exactly what she had asked him to do. He could almost feel more gray streaking through his hair.

He was just finishing up a phone call with a contractor when he could hear her again, this time strangled sobs and quiet sniffles meeting his ears rather than her ranting. He was up and out the door in a second, almost running into her when he found her loitering just outside the door.

“Darling, what’s wrong?” Henry asked, holding her shoulders gently and leaning down to look at her more closely.

“I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.” Faye apologized, looking up at him with red rimmed eyes.

“Faye, please don’t cry.”

“I’m sorry, I just feel really bad. You’re just doing what I asked, and I started screaming at you!”

“Faye, darling, please calm down.” Henry soothed, pulling her closer and letting her cry into his chest. “I’m not mad, I know you didn’t mean it.”

“I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”

“Faye, I’m not mad.” Henry insisted, kissing the top of her head. “There’s nothing to forgive. I love you.”

“I love you too.” Faye sniffled, wrapping her arms around his thick waist and squeezing him tight. “I’m sorry I was acting so crazy.”

“There’s nothing to worry about.” Henry repeated, rubbing her back softly. “The builders are going to be starting later on this week.”

“Really?” Faye sniffed, looking back up at him, Henry cupping her face and wiping her tears away with his thumbs.

“Yes. I told you we would get it done in time. It does mean we’ll have to watch Kal when he’s outside now, make sure he’s not getting into anything.”

“This doesn’t even feel real. I’m engaged to an amazing man, pregnant with his baby, living in a house with more than two rooms in it, and now we’re building a guest house out back.” Faye half laughed, reaching up to rest her hands on his wrists.

“Well, originally I wanted to move back to Jersey before we started expanding out family, but well… that didn’t happen. I don’t think moving out of a house we just moved into while you’re pregnant is a good idea, and we don’t have any family that lives close. Next best thing is building a guest house so family can stay without everyone being under each other’s feet.”

“Are you still wanting to move back to Jersey?”

“It would be wonderful if we could, but only if that’s also what you want. I just wanted us to be closer to family.”

“Maybe after I recover would be a good time. Kinda sucks that we’re building just to sell the house not long after.”

“We don’t have to sell it. Unless you’re not wanting to come back here at all.”

“Hen, you have to remember, I’m not the kind of person that owns multiple houses. I’m used to renting questioningly inhabitable apartments.”

“Never again.” Henry stated firmly. “Only the best for you from now on.”

~*~

Five minutes. They made it five minutes before being interrupted. Four minutes longer than he thought it would take. He gave Briar specific instructions not to come into his office until the door was open again. He never should have said anything. She normally never went into his office, finding the room ‘boring’ even after she put stickers all over the back of the door and window clings to the window. Now that he had told her not to come in, she was looking for reasons to do just that.

The interviewer had just asked him a question, and he opened his mouth to answer when he saw the door opening out of the corner of his eye.

“Yes, Princess?” Henry sighed, smiling and turning his head to see her standing perfectly still in the doorway.

“Hi.” She whispered, quickly running over to him and throwing her arms around his leg. “I love you!”

“I love you too, Princess.” Henry replied quietly, gently removing her from his leg and shooing her off towards the door, “Papa’s busy right now, so you need to wait outside, ok?”

“Ok.” Briar agreed, sitting down in the open doorway and staring at him again.

“Can you close the door, please?”

“But I wanna see you.” Briar pouted, her face falling at his stern look, standing herself up and closing the door again. He could faintly hear her crying her way down the hall, his heart shattering at the sound.

“Sorry.” Henry apologized, shifting uncomfortably. He wanted nothing more than to go and apologize for pushing her away like that, but the interview wasn’t quite over yet.

“Was that your daughter?”

“Yes, it was.” Henry responded, unable to keep the smile from his face.

“When are we going to get a peek at your family? There have been rumors of you settling down.”

“Yes, I am settling down.” Henry agreed, “I have found the most wonderful, amazing woman. We don’t want the children to be drawn into everything, though. That’s a pretty big boundary for us.”

“Children? As in, more than one?”

“We do see more children in our future.” Henry skittered around the question. Faye had been adamant about waiting until they knew what they were having before announcing it to the world.

“Papa, I brought you something.” Briar’s small voice cut in, peeking her head around the cracked open door, holding up a sticker she had already peeled from its backing.

“Thank you, princess. Papa’s trying to work now.” Henry chastised softly, leaning down when she crossed the room to let her place the pony sticker on his cheek.

“Almost done?” Briar asked hopefully, batting her lashes at him.

“Almost. Why don’t you go get Kal’s leash on him? We’ll take him for a walk just as soon as I finish up here.”

“Ok, Papa!” Briar gasped excitedly, rushing out the open door again.

“That should give us about two minutes.” Henry laughed, turning his attention back to the screen. “I’m terribly sorry about all the interruptions. I would have come in person, but my fiancé isn’t feeling quite well, and I didn’t want to leave her.”

“It’s alright, I understand.” The interviewer assured, flipping through their notes again. ��Last question, do you have any future projects in the works?”

“I have one movie that is in post right now, but I haven’t lined anything up right now for afterwards. I’m focusing more on family at the moment.”

“You’ve stated before that having a family was your dream. What’s it feel like to have it actually happening right now?”

“I’m happier now than I’ve ever been.”

Tags:  @weallhaveadestiny @lunedelorient @summersong69 @mis-lil-red @lharrietg @amberangel112 @mansaaay @packerfan43

[sophiexteresa]

Thomas Sanders Instagram Q&A Transcript

From @thatsthat24’s Instagram story, 25/8/2020. Questions in bold. Text added to the story in (parenthesis/brackets), and descriptive info in *italics*. I tried uploading the video(s) too, but Tumblr is having issues, so here’s the transcript only! 

Thomas: I had some time this evening so I figured, hey, why not? Another lil’ Q an’ A, so if you want to ask a question *posh French voice* be my guest!

When approximately will the next sanders sides be out? Very good question! Uh, we are aiming this for a late September release, that’s what we’re all working towards.

Favourite musical you have been in or just favourite musical in general? This is really tough, I can’t decide. I’m between Rent where I was in the ensemble, Peter Pan where I played Slightly Soiled, which was just one of the lost boyos — boyos? Boys — and, uh, Into The Woods where I played Cinderella’s prince and that’s where Roman’s first costume came from.

Are you ever gonna due your hair purple again? I loved it! Yes! I miss the purple hair too.

Do you love me? *laughing* Yes of course! I do love me.

What would each of the sides’ reaction be to seeing the Grand Canyon? *speaking very quickly* Roman would be revelling that we made the journey, Patton would be marvelling at the memories being made, Logan would be telling you to look at these fascinating signs for important information, Virgil would be telling you to ‘get back from those cliffs!’, Janus would be telling you to take pictures to make it look like you’re next to the cliff, ‘for clout’, and Remus would be like *Remus voice* ‘you could push somebody and get away with it’.

Also when will we get more Picani, I miss him? You and me both, Bri, and honestly with the amount of amazing cartoons that have come out recently *sighs while smiling* yeah, I am a-hankering (?) to get back to Emile!

How have you been doing, like really? Mental health is important as you teach us: I feel like everybody’s kinda struggling with mental health right now, especially people in the USA with COVID. Uhm *clears throat* for me I continuously struggle with the balance between work and leisure time, um, social media makes that difficult, blurs the lines, and I’m working on it.

Do you have any tattoos? Umm, I don’t, uh, I struggle with the permanence of tattoos. And like do I, can I, make a decision that I like? But! There are tattoos that I might like. Where I’d put them, I have no idea, umm, but I think like, maybe like, little stars!

What rank of “Gay” are you? Big gay? What rank? *speechless pause* uh... General. You know? I wanna do my duty. Come back a hero. An all-American Queero *gets an idea* *roughly quoting Hamilton* Queer comes the General!

Can you please make Logan day something Patton would say? *Logan’s voice* Something Patton would say? Umm... please, I request more baked goods from the kitchen so that I can fill Thomas’s body with more trans-fats at 3 am. I don’t know, I don’t like this game.

Have you ever dated a girl? *awkward silence* I have. It was pretty uneventful.

Do you miss your friends? *laughs* Oh... *face crumples as if he’s about to cry*

What are you voice acting in or are you now allowed to say? Not until tomorrow.

When did you know you were gay? I think I answered this one on the last Q&A, but it was early. I was like, 9 or 10 at least.

When will we see Gavin? Gavin has started school! He’s back in his hometown, so I don’t know when I’m gonna see him. He’s still getting taller — I can actually include a picture of him that his mom sent me after he got a new little hairdo *insert photo of an awesome Gavin here*

Do you miss vine? For like, sentimental reasons, yes. Uh, I mean, technically it had its issues and I don’t miss being restricted to 6 seconds anymore *laughs*

What has been your favourite part of the day? My favourite part of today was actually... I came up with this last minute short video, and I got it done and I sent it to some friends and they really liked it. I have to save it until Thursday thought, but it’s just nice to come up with stuff that makes your friends laugh.

Janus acting like Remus? *Remus’ voice* Remus here! Looks like the Dukey just dropped in! *Remus’ laugh* *Takes a breath and snaps into Janus’ character* I spend a lot of time with him so I’ve had a lot of practise.

Why do I feel like we’re gonna have another angsty Virgil moment? When is Virgil not being angsty...?

Please can you say trans rights? Uh, heck yah trans rights! I, uh, this one was very simple but I wanted to say it!

Do you think Virgil would be into anime? Actually, if you remember from, uh, Accepting Anxiety, uh, part 2, there’s actually a Death Note poster in his room, so he definitely likes some anime.

Hi! Can you say hola to the Hispanic fanders in el vecindario fander? Please? We love you! Oh my gosh, *a very naturally american pronunciation* hola! that’s very kind of you guys. I appreciate all of the support you guys give, and I love all of you guys. 

STORYTIME! I love you: *upbeat voice* Storytime! I love you back.

How gay are you? Like, 15 gay! I rank General! 

How did you end up meeting and babysitting Gavin? Gavin is actually Leo’s nephew, so he would come up here, uh, during the holidays or during the summer, and alternate being baby-sat between me and Leo’s mom - his grandma.

What was the inspo for Janus’ outfit? Ooh, that’s a really good question, uh... Joan had a vision in their mind for almost kind of like this early 20th century or late 19th century kinda Jack the Ripper vibe.

Any advice for gaybies to fit in with society? Don’t apologise for being yourself. If people have an issue, that’s their issue that they have to work through. Do not apologise for being yourself. 

What type of gay are you? (Math gay, plant gay, caffine gay, etc): Wait, there’s such thing as a math gay? I am absolutely that, and I feel like I’m just gonna be naming traits about myself but I’m a trivia gay, a driving gay, apparently a math gay, a Disney gay *laughs* and a theatre gay.

Not a question but I’m glad to be alive at the same time as someone as great as you: Dude, this stuff is really sweet. *laughs* That’s really sweet, umm, trust me, I feel the same way about all of you. Honestly.

Why don’t you own a doggo yet? I... went to Petsmart today - I didn’t get an animal, but like... I’m thinking about it and this question is like... hmmm...

I’ve run out of cartoons to watch, any recommendations? Owl house! Owl house, owl house. I just tried it, and I immediately got hooked. Infinity train’s also a really good one, duck tales is amazing, and I’m getting ready to start Tangled: the animated series, so *shrugs*.

What is Patton’s opinion on rats? *adorable Patton voice, slowly zooming in on his face* They are tiny little squishy precious babies!!!

How do I ask people for their pronouns? I don’t know, I mean, I don’t think it’s like a big deal? I hope we could get to the point where we could just be like ‘what are your pronouns?’ and then they would tell you, and then you’d just, you know, carry on the rest of your conversation. 

A circle has no bounds and it’s the same with your beauty: This is really precious, and it of course came from Nash (?) who is a poet, he published a lot of wonderful, wonderful poems on twitter, they are are amazing, and you are once again far too sweet, Nash. 

Dream role? This is a pretty broad question, so maybe dream theatrical role would be Sweeny Todd, dream movie role would be anything in the marvel universe, uh, really just give me anything in any voice acting role, *smiling mischievously* egg rolls are also really good.

Can Remus please say ‘I am the sand guardian, guardian of the sand’? *Remus voice* I am the sand guardian, guardian of the sand! (love that vine)

Are there still plans for the Roman series? *nods* Oh, yeah, yeah, it was definitely hindered by COVID, uh, as was this Sanders Asides episode that’s coming up, which is why it’s taking longer in the editing stage, it is our, uh... strategy, for circumventing the obstacle, and we hope you like it.

Are we still getting an August playlist? Uh, heck yah you are! But honestly, actually, if you guys have any suggestions I should include in the playlist, lemme know! I’d be happy to get some suggestions - but yes. You will be definitely getting one.

May I please see your feet? *confused, slightly disgusted expression* *begins to move the camera away from his face* *holds up a tape measure, extended to 1 foot long* *grins*

Any shows on Netflix to recommend? Umbrella Academy is really good, Dragon Prince, uh, She-Ra, of course, umm The Hollow (?) is really cool, there’s a documentary about video games called High Score, that was really fun.

Roman, who would you say the gayest side is? *Roman’s voice* Oh, we’re all equally gay, okay? *chuckles* it’s a sexuality, not a personality trait. *takes a breath and speaks quickly* I’m just kidding it’s *sings* meeeeee!

If you were not a YouTuber, what would you see yourself doing and why? Uh, maybe putting my chemical engineering degree to some use. *laughs awkwardly* Uh, I went to school for 5 years for that one.

Like you literally make me so flipping happy: I’m glad! I don’t know what I’m doing to do that, but the feeling is absolutely mutual. 

Can we have Virgil saying “Falsehood”? *hair already over one eye, in Virgil’s voice* Uh, c’mon, okay, sure. *very quietly and unenthusiastically* falsehood. Is that good? Is that? I don’t know, I don’t wanna steal his bit.

Which Sanders Side do you feel you embody most? Ah, I would probably say it’s either Patton or Roman because Patton can be definitely me, all the time, just really enthusiastic about things and finding things cute, but Roman... Roman’s sensitivity, oh. That’s me. 

What was the first job you had? I actually worked as a page in a library! A- pages basically just kinda like, shelve books, check books out; it’s one of the chillest jobs I’ve ever had, one of my favourites, and my dad always had a lovely dad joke for it: ‘you’re working as a page, when do you get promoted to a book?’

How tall are you? I usually say 5ft 10, but I think I’m trying to be a little more realistic with myself. And I’m probably 5ft 9 and a half. *zooms in on his face, staring into the camera* I’m holding onto that half a foot for all dear life. 

DROP THE SKIN ROUTINE PLEASE! This is very sweet, uh, I, *laughs nervously*, uh, I use Curology? They’re very nice. Umm, just... different kinds of lotion, I guess. (I suppose I should write down what I do lol)

Can we get a FALSEHOOD? *is standing* *clears throat* *points upwards from his eyeline* FALSEHOOD! 

Do you have a boyfriend if not are you planning on dating soon? I do not, uh, dating is kinda difficult right now midst COVID, you know, kinda tough... love... in the time of Corona... umm, but, you know, option’s open.

When was your first kiss? I’m sure I’ve answered this somewhere, it was in high school, I might have been 15 or 16. It was with a girl. *Shakes head* And all I can remember is hitting teeth. A lot.

Can we get a super super vague hint about the new Asides episode?  Alright, I’m getting ready to end the Q&A, so this, you know, if you’ve made it so far you deserve this super vague answer, umm... it includes a side that was not in the last episode. (This isn’t much, I apologise lol)

Thomas: And that is it for this evening! Thank you so much, you guys, for watching. I know some of you are still over in Europe watching and it’s like 4 in the morning, and I need to go to bed so thank you all so much for your questions - I gotta do this more often ‘cause I really enjoy it. Love you guys, gals, and non-binary pals. Peace out!

[yoificfinder]

Hey love, hope you are doing well ✨ I was wondering if you have any recommendations regarding side characters (personality analysis, friendship etc.) I absolutely adore all the side characters in the YOIverse however there are not many fics revolving around them so if you know any good ones, it'd be great!! Thank you so much in advance 💟

Hey dear nonnie! This took a long time, I hope you're still here. I combed through ao3 to find fics I remember that fit your request and discovered new gems along the way! Many of these are not popular/underrated but I guarantee that they're good reads so I hope you (and anyone else who finds this) enjoy! If only for that reason alone, I really hope this rec list becomes one of the most popular posts in this blog (I would really appreciate a reblog!) so these fics/authors can receive more love! Plus this is the most exhaustive and time-consuming rec list I've made so far (but I still feel that I missed a lot so other recs are welcome!).

Without further ado, here are some great YOI side-characters' stories in canonverse:

(Don't) Give A Damn by @forochel [T, 9K]

Mari, through the years.

an open door by tripcyclone [G, 8K]

Lilia never wanted children of her own, but caring for Victor gives her a glimpse into the life she chose to pass by.

Beautiful In Knowing by @val-creative [T, 1K]

Sara knew she was a girl, even if nobody else did or believed her.

She ordered Michele to call her "Lady Sara" from now on. He would roll his eyes and grumble, but never attempt to misgender her. She liked "Sara" — it meant "lady, princess, noblewoman". And she would never go back to her deadname.

by any other name by iguanastevens [T, 2K]

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

Yuri's life as told by the names he's given; or, how Yuri's names direct his life.

Feathers on the Ice by Kiranokira / @kyashin [E, 79K]

After dinner and a bath and quality hamster time, snuggled in bed cocooned within his eight entirely necessary pillows, Phichit indulges himself and investigates Seung-gil's hashtag. There isn’t much from Seung-gil himself, but Seung-gil's fans are many and dedicated. Amid the photos of Seung-gil at competitions or practicing and the few candid shots of Seung-gil in airports or out on the streets of Seoul, there’s a very recent professional video uploaded by user andjoy_studio.

Phichit clicks on it, and his life changes.

fermata by perbe [T, 3K]

When one is patchwork of growth plates and bruises, it is inevitable that one must admire boys with words a size too big, as if they know down to their bones that they are meant for something greater.

I used to burn for you, Otabek thinks.

(A character study on Otabek's reaction to his placement at the Grand Prix Finals.)

Go On Ahead by @kiaronna [G, 2K]

Sour, grouchy Yakov didn’t understand sparkly purple skate outfits or wanting to eat your weight in sweets or having crushes on boys.

But Viktor did.

Gossips, Chinese whispers and misunderstandings by womanroaring [M, 8K]

Series of short stories relating to how certain (often perfectly innocent) scenes in Yuri On Ice would have looked from the outside. And just the gossip and stuff that would have surrounded them.

I am Yuri Plisetsky by rinsled05 / @dreaming-fireflies [M, 1K]

Who is Yuri Plisetsky?

He's not Agape.

Not a “prima donna” ballerina.

And definitely no Russian fairy.

No, Yuri Plisetsky is an angry, loud, in-your-face, Russian tiger who will take to the ice and give you a brilliant gold-worthy performance you will never forget.

... a piece on Yuri's rationale for skating to "Welcome to the Madness". Rated for the actual foul-mouthed language in the story itself, courtesy of one Yuri Plisetsky.

if friends were flowers i'd pick you by windupbirdgirl / @tanpopori [G, 4K]

Yuuko thinks of Yuuri’s skating, beautiful and flawed. She thinks of Yuuri sitting with the girls instead of the other boys at practice. She thinks of Yuuri and Viktor, the posters of him he asks her to buy him for birthdays. The posters he wouldn't ask anyone else to buy.

“Oh, Yuuri.” She bites her nails, ruining the carefully applied polish. She doesn’t care at all.

Sitting in that tiny bedroom, she makes a big decision.

if love is king, who wears the crown by @crollalanzaa [G, 1K]

“Second is seen as nothing,” Christophe had derided.

“But that moment you glide onto the ice, that hush of the audience, and that expectation, isn’t that worth something?”

“You speak as if you know. You used to skate?"

Past tense. It still stung, even if it was expected.

Minako knows exactly what it's like to be at the top of your game, and she remembers the descent just as clearly.

if she wants me by renaissance [G, 6K]

Hiroko and Minako, then and now.

kagura by night by seventhstar / @pencilwalla [T, 1K]

The world around her is like the mountains.

A mortal lifespan is narrow; mortals watch the mountain’s unchanging faces, unravaged by the same measure of time that takes a human from dust to dust, and think them immortal in comparison. But stone erodes, just as flesh decays. It just takes longer.

If she watches long enough, everything changes. Languages drift until all the words she learned before are meaningless. Technology changes until she ceases to believe in magic because human ingenuity is more infinite than the stars. What is beautiful, what is polite, what is wrong, what is right—time, given its way, reshapes all.

But Minako’s body remains as it has always been. That’s why she loves to dance, she supposes; it’s the one thing time cannot take from her.

Katsudon by @azriona [G, 8K]

Hiroko doesn’t need to see to coat pork cutlets in egg and panko. She has made this dish for her family for over thirty years; she’ll make it another thirty, if she’s lucky.

Now she makes it for Yuuri and Victor as they fly home from Barcelona, with silver around their necks and gold around their fingers.

keep me steady as we go by strikinglight [G, 3K]

When Isabella stood and crossed the room to where he sat she saw her notebook open in his lap, turned to the last page of their to-do list, all but three items crossed off with less than a month to the wedding date. License. Ceremony. Everything after. She saw the angle of his gaze, too, not on the words but straight ahead, staring blank and glassy and brittle into some invisible place she still wasn’t sure she could follow him to, yet. And yet she had been the one who’d promised to try—and to keep promising, forever and forever.

Kooks by BoxWineConfessions [G, 3K]

Mari clasps her right hand across her left hand and rests them both atop her growing stomach. “I guess you’re just lucky that your father, I mean your other father, my brother-“ Mari giggles. “God, it all sounds so weird, doesn’t it? Do you care? Do you care that we’re all so fucked up and we don’t care at all?” Mari laughs again. It’s all she can do when she hurts this much, and wants a cigarette this much, but can’t stop smiling despite the fact that her body seems to hate her so much. “Well he means the world to me. That’s why I have you.”

Living in the Maybe by @adrianners [T, 6K]

It wasn’t hard to spot a 180cm platinum blond in Fukuoka International Airport. Especially when he was the only person wearing sunglasses. Indoors. At night.

Mari picks Viktor up at the airport when he returns from Moscow. Without Yuuri there to play his usual role of interpreter, they learn to communicate around their linguistic, cultural, and personal barriers.

post tenebras lux by @alykapediaaa [T, 1K]

“Which skater would you say has inspired your skating the most?”

The question catches him unaware, so much so that he’s rendered speechless. It’s only when he sees Yakov lean towards the microphone to answer in his stead that Yuri blurts out the first name that comes to mind.

“Yuuri Katsuki.”

The Best Men by @kiaronna [Not Rated, 5K]

Just as Viktor lives to surprise, Christophe Giacometti lives to scandalize, to sensationalize. But innocent little Phichit Chulanont is proving to be an impossible victim.

OR: where Christophe tries very hard to get under one Thai skater’s skin, and instead finds himself all over the younger skater’s Instagram feed and wrapped around his finger.

the city of bridges by @stammiviktor [T, 5K]

After three flights, a train ride, and dinner at the Katsukis' table, Yakov finally sees Hasetsu through Viktor's eyes.

The First Cut by BoxWineConfessions [E, 27K]

People made divorce seem like this long drawn out and ugly process, but it really wasn’t. He bought the town home for Isabella as a gift, and so it was hers. The flat down town would go to him, as it was closer to the rink. They paid off her medical school loans last fall, so that was done too. He had a few cars, which she unanimously agreed were his to keep, so long as she could keep her Corvette. She changed her vanity plate from Dr. Leroy to Dr. Yang. He saw it parked out front of the courthouse.

trials of Coach Yakov series by @naraht [T and M, 40K]

Summaries of fics in the series:

1. Forced to share a bed with Victor at the Sochi Grand Prix Final, Yakov learns more than he wants to know.

2. Yakov attempts to prepare Yuri for his transition to Seniors. Yuri doesn't care to listen.

3. No sex while you're competing – this is Yakov's rule. His athletes often have other ideas.

4. In 1980, Yakov Feltsman is the USSR's skating hero. At a dull official reception, he defends his loyalty to the motherland – and makes the acquaintance of a beautiful young dancer from the Bolshoi.

5. In which both Victor and Yakov have to remake themselves – Victor after his first Olympic gold and Yakov after his divorce.

Tz'ror by athoroughlybakedpotato [T, 3K]

Yakov changes much slower than the times do, but steadiness is not always a bad thing.

---

ETA - Other people's rec:

curtain of lies by @mandolinearts

JJ's Bizarre Adventure by Falahime

Landscapes of Spring and Summer by @myyoitrashblog

The Melancholy of Georgi Popovich by Falahime

+ a lot more recs on this reblog!!

Thanks for the rec, @vilchen, @genuine-firefly, @adrianners, and @kaleidodreams! ❤

[zakariazakri]

12 Essential Photography Supplies

1. UV LENS FILTERS

1. UV LENS FILTERS

Lens filters can range dramatically in price counting on the function you’re trying to find, except for a beginner-level or hobby photography, you just need a lens filter to guard your actual lens. It’s a touch glass screen that screws onto the front of your lens. That way, 

2. & 11. 50MM PRIME LENS

I love this lens such a lot, I included two versions on my list! Both my lenses are fixed so that they don’t zoom in the least. But you get tons more bang for your buck with these! All the lenses I list during this post have a pleasant, wide aperture for the beautiful, crisp foreground, and wonderfully soft backgrounds. That also enables you to shoot in lower light at faster shutter speeds.

No idea what I’m talking about? Learn more about aperture and shutter speed.

50mm 1.8f – this is often commonly referred to as the “nifty fifty.” It’s an incredible prime lens for a touch over $100. Yes, $100! counting on how you shoot, you would possibly never even take this lens off the camera. you'll take great portraits or get beautiful bokeh in your shots. I used this lens exclusively for years. 50mm 1.4f – this is often the lens on my camera most of the time now. I honestly would have cursed with the 1.8f indefinitely, but I broke it (SUPER sad day!). The 1.4 is metal rather than plastic, so it's a touch bit more weight and sturdiness thereto, and it takes gorgeous pictures with the aperture wide open! Click for more photography tips & tutorials!

3. DSLR CAMERA BODY

I’m including two camera bodies here because I’ve shot with both, and therefore the first one may be a LOT cheaper. It’s an excellent, great starter camera and has just about all the functionality you’re probably trying to find at a very manageable tag. Unless it’s an equivalent price, I like to recommend buying the body only and learning lenses separately. I even have a few recommendations during this post.

Canon Rebel T5i – At the time of publication, this camera body runs $599 on Amazon with the kit lens (18-55mm). I shot on the T3i for about four years before upgrading late last year, and it had been fantastic. It’s a crop frame (or crop sensor) camera, which just means the camera captures a rather smaller field during a photo than a full-frame (or full sensor) camera. Especially if you’re just starting, you almost certainly won’t need anything quite this, and therefore the lightweight body is easy to lug around! Canon 6D – The 6D may be a more mid-professional range camera. It’s full-frame, so you'll get more photo area with any lens, which makes an especially significant difference when shooting with a 50mm lens. it's WiFi, which I exploit constantly alongside the camera’s app, either to shoot remotely or to upload pictures directly from the camera to my phone. This body may be a good bit heavier than the Rebel cameras but is sturdy and well-encased. But all that comes with a better tag — $1,399 at the time of publication.

4. MEMORY CARD

Unless you’re getting to shoot tons of video, you'll escape with a basic SD card. I do, however, recommend getting a card with 32 or 64 gigs of space for storing so that you never run out of the room.

Also an honest idea? Keep a spare card in your camera bag so that you don’t end up on a visitor within the middle of a project with no card in your camera. inquire from me how I do know that…

5. WHITE BALANCE CARD

It’s good to understand the way to set the custom white balance on your camera so that you'll get true-to-color shots regardless of what kind of light you’re shooting in. you'll use any “true white” surface — even a sheet of paper — to calibrate, but it’s nice to possess a white balance card in your camera bag. It’s sturdy and may tie onto your bag for straightforward access. It also features a black and neutral grey card with it, but I’ve honestly never used those two.

Click for more photography tips & tutorials!

6. REFLECTORS

Using reflectors completely changed my photography. Completely. you'll hold or prop a reflector to bounce light from a window or other light, and it instantly erases harsh shadows and uneven lighting. you would like to urge everything as perfect as possible before you get to the editing phase so that you’re only doing minor touch-ups, and getting the lighting right makes all the difference within the world!

You can also use white foam core to bounce and reflect light. Bonus: it doubles as an excellent background for your photos. Here’s an inexpensive, easy tutorial to make a folding “photo studio” out of it!

Learn a touch more about using reflectors and light-bouncing here.

7. DUST BLOWER

You spent a bunch of cash on your lens(es), so take excellent care of them and treat them right! Before you wipe the lens, use a blower to puff any specks of dust or other fragments on the surface. Otherwise, wiping will rub those particles around the lens causing tiny, tiny scratches. No Bueno, guys.

You can also use canned air for this, and canned air is kind of awesome, right?

8. 35MM PRIME LENS

I had a true “treat yo’ self” moment once I turned 30 this year. I went crazy and eventually invested during a new lens, and now I’m just about hooked into it.

9. TRIPOD

You must, must, must have a tripod if you’re getting to be taking your photography seriously in the least.

Why? Let me offer you three reasons: 1. If you’re a blogger, you’re likely to wish to require pictures with yourself (even just your hands!) within the shot at some point. 2. If you ever want to shoot in low light or with slower shutter speed, shaky hands will ruin every shot. 3. Shooting at strange angles or very low or high heights can make it difficult to duplicate an attempt for multiple images if you would like to require an opportunity in between shots or shoot on multiple days.

Basic lightweight tripod – I used this $20 tripod for four years before finally upgrading, and it served me faithfully along the way. It’s relatively versatile, but once I upgraded to a heavier camera body, I worried about the tripod tipping over. It also limits the range of angles you'll get compared to the tripod I even have now. Lateral arm tripod – this is often definitely an investment piece, but now that I own it, I can’t remember how I survived without it! This tripod is heavier duty and tons more versatile. it's a ball joint, therefore the camera can swivel to only about any angle. you'll also use the lateral arm to shoot straight down, which may be a lifesaver for shots like these. The legs also move independently, so it’s easier to suit tight spaces. If you’re getting to use the lateral arm function to shoot straight down, you would like to counter-weight the arm to stay the camera from tipping forward. There’s a take up the opposite side, and you'll hang something heavy, sort of a bag of books or photography sandbags.

10. MICROFIBER CLEANING CLOTH

After you blow the dust off your lens, you'll use a soft, lint-free microfiber cloth to wipe off any fingerprints, smudges, or water droplets. Just make certain to stay the material clean, too, or you’ll rub in additional dust!

12. WIRELESS remote

A remote allows you to require pictures of yourself without having to click the 10-second timer and sprint across space. We talk tons more about the way to use a foreign for nice selfies during this post.

It’s also great for shots in low light or slow shutter speed to scale back camera shake.

[elevenhoursinfront-blog]

15th September 2017

We woke up around 0730. Well, I did but I woke Steve up trying to get out of the bed. I woke up starving because we had our "dinner" at lunch time. I had my muesli straight away outside on the bench in the courtyard area. Steve eventually joined me but he didn't have breakfast. He's not a breakfast person really. I was still having a pitty party. Why did this happen to us? Why couldn't it happen 3 months down the line. I needed to get out of my state of mind. The problem isn't that the farm shut down, really. We didn't want our second year and that's what farm work is actually for. We were going to keep the second year but just as a back up plan, in case we wanted it for a few years down the line. I like having options. We wanted the experience and we got it. Now that we've lost it, we're going to miss it, I'm sure. The actual problem is that I don't like unexpected change that I didn't create for myself. This wasn't my choice therefore I don't like it. I like to be in control and there was nothing I could do about it. I sat on the bed and completed the Seafarm application form. Steve did his after mine. I went to the office to collect the van keys so I could drive there and drop the forms off. I asked Cait if she wanted to come with us, but she hadn't done hers yet. I told Hugo and Donald that we were leaving and they jumped in the van with us. I had only been to the seafarm once yesterday but I have an excellent sense of direction and managed to get us there without any help. I was shocked when I managed to get us to Coles last week which is a 45 minute drive away, I had no Satnav or anything then either. That was by memory. I definitely don't get that from my Mum. We handed the forms in and the lady said it'll be about 6 weeks. Funny that. When I first rang, the guy said 3-4 weeks. Yesterday when we picked them up, the lady said 4-5 weeks and now it's 6 weeks. I don't think they know what's happening. The Seafarm will probably make Steve and I so miserable. It's 6 days a week, 14 hour days with 1 half an hour break. The only reason we want it, is because the money is brilliant. We'd save up what we'd need for the East Coast in 4 weeks... (The money is only good because we're there for 90% of the 4 weeks). We got back and I found an application form for the Banana Farm in Tully. I done my application and then Steve's, and sent them off. Tully is 40-60 minutes away so we'd be able to probably stay in Cardwell and drive there. I'm trying my hardest to stay here because we're so comfortable. I love our room, I love the area (as much as you can love being in the middle of nowhere with nothing). I love the pool and just how chilled out it is. I panic having to start again somewhere new. It started to rain. Like we needed any more reasons to be down around here. I got myself showered and chilled in the room. I started to get my blogs done. Steve came into the room after chatting away to Danny outside. He said that Danny and Fraser were going to walk down to the Aboriginal Museum if we wanted to join. We weren't doing anything else so we said yeah - why not. I put jeans on because I get cold easily. One bit of aircon and I've got goosebumps for the entire time. We walked the 10 minutes down to the 'museum'. It was a museum, but it was tiny. I'm not sure what I was expecting to be fair. We're in the tiny town of Cardwell after all. It was basically a house with two big rooms. One room had items from Aboriginal past with loads of information and the other had gifts and art you could buy. We stayed there reading all the facts, looking at the things they made from hand. It was really interesting, especially because it was mainly about Cardwell Aboriginals. There were photos displayed of their groups in 1940. We went outside and walked around their mini botanical garden before I found the weirdest looking spider we've ever come across. It was medium size, nothing all that big. It was the shape of an X with 4 legs. It's spiders web went in an X shape too but if you looked closely, they were in zig-zag form. It was beyond weird. I took a photo. We walked back after spending the best part of 45 minutes walking around. We got back to the hostel and I was sweating. It was cloudy and raining earlier but now it was blue skies and sunny. I wish the weather would make it's mind up. I got out of my jeans as soon as possible. I spent the next hour trying to catch up on my blogs. I went outside to see what everyone was doing and I found Steve, Danny and Fraser on the floor playing giant snakes and ladders. Men are so easily pleased I love it. I let them continue and hid back in my little den, right where the aircon was. I uploaded my GoPro photos and videos to my laptop, then continued with the pile up of blogs I had. Around 1500, I heard a knock at the door. I answered it and it was Lisa and Hugo. They said they were going to go fishing on the jetty and asked whether we wanted to go. Of course, big ears did so we put the laptop away and went outside into the courtyard. I stood around waiting for the boys to find the fishing rods and spoke to Mitch and Cait. The boys sorted themselves out and then we turned around to find Vicki behind us. I went over and gave her a cuddle. She was here to say goodbye to Cait and Mitch and pick up some books they were giving her. We stood there for 45 minutes chatting to her. We were able to get some photos together which was nice. Vicki said she'd spent the whole day crying. She woke up thinking it was a dream but it wasn't. Luckily, she has good links to other farms and one of them in Innisvale rang her. The guy said to her that he has no idea why he's ringing her because he literally has nothing to offer at the moment but, he knows... That's so lovely. She said hopefully something comes up in a month and he said that he should have something by then. Hopefully Vicki will be alright. She said that she'd never stepped foot off of the Australian ground so we said that she should 100% go to England, and other places obviously. She'd have so many people that would let her stay with them too. We had to say goodbye and she started to cry again. She said that it was a good job that the farm has closed because she couldn't keep doing this. See gets attached to the backpackers she hires and then her heart breaks when they leave her. I really hope she, and her family will be okay. Steve and I walked down to the jetty because the others had already left. I didn't want to leave mid-conversation with Vicki so I gave them the van keys. It was really windy out. We got to the end of the jetty and the two lads Donald and Hugo were fishing, or so what they called 'fishing'. I sat down and watch Steve get involved with a crab line or something like that. After a good, long, boring 10 minutes. I decided that it was time to go back... It was windy and very unenjoyable. Lexi joined us on the way home from work, so I drove her, myself and Steve back to the hostel. I said I'd pick the others up later when they wanted. Around 1900, I had my dinner which was cereal. We weren't that hungry so cereal would do the trick. I sat outside with Lexi who was having a meltdown about farm work. She said that she was running out of time to get her 3 months in to secure her second year which she really wants. This is the standard situation for the majority of backpackers. Although, you only have to do 3 months (88 days), backpackers spend roughly 6 months of their year getting these signed off. Waiting lists are ridiculously long and farmers take the p*ss because they know they can. Some aren't legitimate which is scary. I would only go to a farm that I know is safe because someone has already stayed here. Hence why we're here and we're happy. Thanks Emma! There are about 4 options a backpacker can have when it comes to farm work. 1) Do the farm work, if you're lucky enough to find a great farm. 2) Don't do the farm work and find a farmer to pay to lie for you about completing the 3 months. Usually will cost $300. The visa itself costs $440. 3) Try your hardest, work at stupid farms and then give up on the idea of a second year because you are hating on Australia so much (in the moment feel). 4) Lie about doing your farm work, apply for the visa and hope for the best. Only 1/5 visas get investigated. You put the application in, lie about your days, pay for it and wait. If it gets accepted, you're a lucky son of a mother. If not, you can just cancel your application so the investigation doesn't go ahead. Lexi said that she was thinking about just applying for it but she said she was scared. I said go for it because the only thing she has to lose is the money for the visa... That way, she'll know what to do with the rest of her first year. Naughty, but hey ho. Thousands do it. She came into my room and borrowed my laptop. The form took around 30 minutes to complete and she parted with the $440. Here's hoping... Lexi said she wanted to watch a DVD. I was sad that our room didn't have one - only some did. I remembered that Katie had one in her room and I was hoping it was still in there. Steve went and broke into the room and found it. BTW, we live in a tin can and you can get into anyone’s room with ease. It's not really breaking in. He took the DVD player and wires and put them into our TV. The TV then had a weird line across the front of it. He then decided to change our TV over so he went breaking in again... He's such a crimmie. We went to the office and it was shut with the lights on. Leonie was just sitting there. She's devastated that she's losing her backpackers because of the farm shutting. I feel so, so sorry for her and Rod. I don't really like Rod as a person, he's not very nice to English people. But still, it's not their fault and they give us as much as they can. We picked our DVD's and left. They have loads to rent for us which is great. We got into bed and ended up falling asleep without even putting a film on...

[lauramclark]

#8 & #9 Mt. Shavano - 14,299 and Tabeguache Peak - 14,155

Today I hiked Mt. Shavano and Tabeguache Peak, otherwise known as Shav and Tab to most because no one know how to pronounce Tabeguache (TAB-uh-wash).  Up until late last night I wasn’t sure which peak(s) I was going to hike today.  I’d planned on three possible hikes for today before I left for Europe, and it would just depend on the weather when I got back.  I really wanted to hike Redcloud, Sunshine, and Handies because I had 2 days in a row available and I’m 75% sure it would require an overnight, but when I looked at the weather for the area it showed thunderstorms all day for the next two days. Drat.  

So I looked up the two other hikes I had ready, Shav and Tab, and Grays and Torreys.  They both had similar weather (rain and thunderstorms at either 10am or 11am both days), so I decided to make a spreadsheet.  In the end I went with Shav and Tab because it’s further away (by half an hour), a longer hike (10.5 miles), and had more elevation gain (5400+ feet). I figured if it was going to rain in the afternoon both days at both places I’d get the harder one over first when the rain was scheduled for an hour later and have more time to deal with weather if it became an issue on the shorter hike.

For this one I was up at 2am and on the road by 2:30am. I had to do a little work (like, for my job) before leaving so it took longer than anticipated.  I was able to find the trailhead without too much difficulty and began at 5:30am, at the last-minute stuffing a winter coat in my backpack just in case. It adds about 3lbs to my pack (which honestly only has water, some snacks and first aid supplies), but I’ve never regretted having it on a hike.  

I hiked for a bit and found the register.  I signed the date, my name, Colorado Springs, and continued on.

The sun was just beginning to light up the sky, waking up the crows, flies, and cows.  I heard them all for the first two miles or so as I walked through a muddy trail.

Then the red glow of the sunrise.  I always LOVE this time of the morning on a hike.  It only lasts about 5 minutes, but everything is bathed in a reddish orange glow.  It’s beautiful.

The sunrise woke up a woodpecker (I’ll upload the video on Wednesday, sorry!)  

I walked over several small streams those first few miles, then didn’t see any water for the rest of the hike.

Early on in the hike I passed a group of three male hikers.  They were glad to let me pass, as they couldn’t keep up.  They were taking their time and didn’t know if they were going to summit both peaks today or not.  Around mile 2 I started seeing scat.  Lots of it and it looked fresh.  Then out of the corner of my right eye I saw something move quickly and bound up the hill. I only say the legs, but I’m thinking it was either a deer or a bighorn sheep.  I’m thinking sheep because of the scat.  It even smelled like they were in the area.  

I rounded a corner and saw the Angel of Shavano, or where she should be.  I’ve known of Mt. Shavano for years, ever since we’ve started skiing at Monarch.  She’s the famous symbol of the area.  The Twisted Cork (where we like to go out to eat when we ski) owns the Mt Shavano winery and the Angel of Shavano is on all their bottles.  It’s a pattern in the mountain when there’s snow that looks like an angel.  Kind of like a Native American Angel (hard to describe, but that’s what she looks like). The middle of this picture is where she’d be… only half of her is still here due to snow melt.

This hike goes up, up, up, up, with just about no leveling out.  I made it to the top of the saddle, looked right, and could see Mt. Shavano, but I didn’t know it was Mt. Shavano at the time.  To be honest most hikers, no matter how much research they do, aren’t sure which one is the actual peak until they’re hiking it. Most hikers today thought it was a peak to the left.  Nope, this is it.  As you can see, I cross the saddle, then make my left before swinging over to the right to cross between the two humps, and then around again to the left to summit.

I came across this sign about half way up that mountain.

There was no clear trail, but a bunch of little trails to try and follow.  Probably because this is a popular snow route and it’s sometimes easier to just make it up as you go.  In any event, I summited, and was super proud!  Oh, and it wasn’t windy and I didn’t need my extra jacket!  Bonus points for this peak!

Now to find Tabeguache.  I got out my map and figured out which peak it was, and my stomach dropped.  I was going to have to cross this ridge (there was no trail, I just had to cross it).

Here’s a better picture.  I had to cross the ridge to the bottom right, then go down and left towards a saddle, and follow the snow line to the left to the peak.  I took a deep breath and was on:  I’ve got this!

I met a rather photogenic marmot just as I started descending Mt Shavano towards the ridge.

As I was hiking I was continually disturbed there was no actual trail to follow.  My mind got to wandering and I got to thinking about how dangerous it was not to have a trail to follow.  I knew this was senseless because of the activity I was partaking in, but I felt it anyway.  For some reason, I felt entitled to a trail.  Well, there wasn’t one, so I aimed towards where I needed to go and just worked my way towards it.  

As I was crossing the last patch of snow I spied a snowman.  So cute! There was one other hiker ahead of me (I’d noticed him off in the distance as I summited Shavano), and I’d seen him stop here, but I thought he was just resting.  This was much better!

There was just a little more ways to go.  I skirted the snow to the left

And all the sudden, I was there!  I’d summited! I was super proud of myself for this one!  I’d hiked for over a mile down one mountain and up another, over piles and piles of rocks, without a trail, and still managed to get where I needed to go.  It was now 9:30am and there was one tiny cloud in the sky.  

I turned around and saw what I’d hiked thru without a trail (that’s Mt. Shavano as seen from Tabeguache). I’d hiked just over 5 miles in 4 hours.  That’s a very, very slow hiking time for me, but I had hiked over 5400 feet in elevation, so hiking 1100 feet in elevation an hour isn’t so bad, right?

I took a summit-shadow-selfie and was back on my way.  I don’t like to spend too much time at the summit.

At the saddle I had a great view of Mt. Antero.  I’ll probably do that one soon…

This hike is an out and back hike. So I hiked up Mt. Shavano, then to Tabeguache, then down Tabeguache, back up Mt. Shavano, and down Mt. Shavano to the trailhead. Basically I summit Mt. Shavano twice, which seems awfully unfair since it only counts as two summits.  

As I was hiking back up Mt. Shavano I got to thinking about what I’d just accomplished.  Sometimes there isn’t a trail, and that’s ok. Maybe you need to make your own trail. Set a goal, keep your eye on that goal, head in that direction and keep putting one foot in front of the other. Eventually you’ll make it.  It may not be how everyone else made it, but you can make it just the same.  There’s a moral in there somewhere…

I summited Mt. Shavano a second time and saw the group of three hikers I’d seen earlier.  They were impressed I’d already hiked out to Tabeguache and back.  I was about 2 hours ahead of them hiking time.  We discussed whether or not they could make it to Tabeguache.  They weren’t planning on hiking it because they didn’t have a ‘summit sign’.  I thought this was a lame excuse, but did comment on the clouds building quickly.  When I’d looked at the weather last night it had said thunderstorms were highly likely after 11am, and it was now 10:15am.  While it had been clear at 9:30am clouds were quickly forming.  I wished them luck and told them to watch the weather.

Unfortunately, people just don’t realize how quickly weather moves in on a 14er.  The weather can turn in 15 minutes and put you in a dangerous position.  I saw about 15 hikers as I was making my way down to the ridge.  For some reason, I feel a personal responsibility when I’m hiking to everyone else hiking the same trail, since I’m usually the one with the most experience. I talk to them all, ask how they’re doing, if they’ve ever done a 14er before (or this one), where they’re headed, etc.  It takes time out of my hike but I feel responsible to advise in some way because I have more experience.  

I told each and every hiker on my way down to watch the weather.  I got a lot of responses, none of which sounded concerned.  Most said things like “it’s not forming too fast” or “it doesn’t look that bad” or “we aren’t supposed to get rain today, are we?”. But I had more information than them. I knew it was supposed to thunderstorm today.  I advised them to watch the weather and if they couldn’t hike it in an hour to turn back. None of them did, and I also knew none of them could make it the rest of the way in an hour. Hmmmm.

I crossed the saddle and came upon an alpine meadow.  I love how these flowers seem to be saying “hi”.

Then I turned and saw the trail back.  Ugh! This wasn’t going to be fun.  The entire trail was up, up, up (much more than is visible in this photo).  While it was challenging to hike up it was extremely difficult to hike down.  I couldn’t hike fast.  There were just too many rocks in the way and it wasn’t safe to hike down any faster than I’d hiked up.  Oh, and notice the shadow in the picture?  Clouds are beginning to seriously form above me.  I needed to make it to the treeline as fast as possible.

At least the view was great!

So, I hiked and hiked and hiked and hiked down, down, down.  It was slow going and I really had to pee, but, you know, I’m above treeline so that’s not really a good idea.  Just as a side note, NEVER pee directly on a trail.  Besides the obvious ‘ew’ factor and LNT and all that, no matter how sure you are you’re alone, you’re not.  Someone WILL come into view as soon as you drop your pants.  This is a fact.

Anyway…  about a mile after I made it past treeline I started feeling drops of rain.  Small, icy, cold drops of rain.  They started out slow, and then I heard thunder and it started pouring.  Within 30 seconds there was thunder and lightning everywhere and it started to hail.  I quickly pulled out my winter jacket (Woot!  See?  I’m always glad to have it) and put my camera into my backpack to keep from getting wet (so no pictures, sorry).  At one point, it was hailing so hard I wasn’t sure if I was still on the right trail, but I was below treeline and I needed to keep getting lower, so I continued.  

The entire time I kept thinking about everyone behind me on the trail who hadn’t turned around when I’d warned them of weather.  I was absolutely positive they were ALL still above treeline at this point, right in the middle of that thunder and lightning and hail.  I sent encouraging vibes their way and continued onward.  

Eventually the rain stopped and all that was left was water slowly dripping down from the trees. I was roasting in my coat (but dry!) and started looking for a time to take it off.  I came upon this tree, figured it was something I needed a picture of, stopped and made the switch (and took the picture).

I saw several pretty flowers on the trials today.  Here are just a couple…

The last 2 miles seemed to take forever.  I mean, forever.  And they kind of did.  It took me 4 hours to summit and 3.5 hours to make my way back to the trailhead when I would have expected it to take about 2 hours to get back down.  I found the register, added #8 and #9 to my name (it seemed bad luck to do so before actually summiting them) and sloshed my way back to my truck.  

I got a lot of good thinking done on the mountain today.  Oh, and I’ve now decided to write a book.

[theconfusedmaiden]

The EXO’rDium in Manila Day 2

After 1 year and 1 month, the kings are back in Manila!! Exo’rDium in Manila! The boys are back with 2 nights concert. Dated February 25, 2017 for the first day and February 26, 2017 for the second day. It was held at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao. And guess who's freaking excited? Phixo!! Me!! EVERYBODY!!

Last year, I was in the Lowerbox B, day 2. This year, after so much "Kakuripotan" and “Iponing”,(Thank you 13th month and freelancer.ph!) I was able to purchase the VIP Seated Ticket! Costy? Yes! A LOT! But that was just some of the things that I did for them, even I can't believe it.

And so the nights of the concert came! Sadly, as in SUPER SAD AND FRUSTRATING, Zhang Yixing/Lay won't be able to attend the concerts again. It really broke my poor fangirl heart. I thought that I'll be able to see my love this time but no. Reason, the producer said it's because of his other commitments. Just goes to show how hard working my baby is! However, my guess would be because of some 'politics'. One thing is for sure, It's not his fault! Stop blaming him guys! Let's just wait for the right time that we'll be able to witness his handsomeness in person.

Going back to the concert. I really tried my best not to spazz what's happening from day 1. I promised not to open twitter but then again, I failed. hehe I really got hyped with all those videos uploaded. Guess what, the morning of Feb 26, 2017 my mom saw me smiling right after I woke up. I did it unconsciously. hehehe

My friend whom I met at last year's concert, Raine, also came with me this time. Due to traffic and slow walking people, it's already 4:30 when I got in the venue. Raine, got there first. When we got inside, the coliseum is almost full already! And the stage is sooooo much closer than I thought!! *But my phone camera make it seem like its far. Sorry. hehehe

The concert started at exactly 5:30 pm. I sooo love the opening VCR!! They crowd got soo hyped up!! The opening VCR seemed like it lasted for 10 mins. It's soo cool. I got the "W" feeling after I saw the comic book effects on the video.

And so the concert began!! Wooooohhh!! It's only the first song but I already got tired. I shouted as much as my lungs can take! It's not just me but everyone inside. I couldn't even hear their voices because of the screams!

I didn't get to take a picture of the very first part because I forgot to when I saw them. I don't know what to do first, to capture the moment or to watch the moment. The result:

SAARRREEEHHHH!!

When I finally got to see them clearly, I automatically counted the members present. I know. I know. I just wish that Lay would surprise us that night. Whatever!

The first set of songs include the remix versions of MAMA, Monster and WOLF. I love the remix versions especially the monster because of Baekhyun’s solo dance! PH EXO-Ls cheered for him all through out that part! (Byun Baekhyun!!  Byun Baekhyun!! Byun Baekhyun!!)

Here are some of the shots I took from the first set of songs. I didn’t took a lot because I’m busy fangirling. hahaha

MENT TIME!! As usual, the screams were sooooooo freaking loud!! The members introduced themselves in english. It was so fun hearing them speak in english. They were all so excited with the concert! Chen and Kai looked so hot because of their sweat. They were all so hot nowadays!!

However, Baekhyun saw some fans got injured on the standing side. He said on his ment that when another fan got injured, they'll stop the concert. NO!! They asked everyone in the standing area to take a step backwards. Thankfully, they followed them nicely and they didn't need to ask them again.

When it's Suho's time to speak,  he was working so hard to finish his ment in english and in the middle of his speech, he paused for a short time. The crowd cheered for him louder! He's so cute! He even took a bow after the screams.

Now it's the second set of songs!! The sexy songs! LOL. They were supposed to have a rain on stage but they didn't push it through, maybe because of the space. The second stage includes White Noise, Thunder, Playboy and the most anticipated Artificial Love! But the stage is still full of their sexy body waves and godly voices.

Here are some snaps!

Kai needs to stop winking and doing a finger heart while he’s covered with sweat. It’s a fangirl’s death!

BUT! Here's the highlight of the second set of songs. The Artificial Love crane Dance!! Woop Woop!! I managed to take a video of Baekhyun in this dance. Here it is:

Sorry for my voice. As you can hear all I got to say is ‘Oh My god’! hihihi Don't need any explanation.

VCR TIME!

I couldn't forget this VCR! It's because the very first frame is Lay's face! He's so cute! He's so handsome! He's such a boyfriend material! I love seeing them having fun by themselves. I wish they also have a time to party like that by themselves. Just having a lot of fun together.

The sang Unfair with this cute stage set up.

They are wearing all white and their skin is so white so the result from my camera:

Jamming Time! Chanyeol is in charge of the guitar. That curly haired giant was so hyper playing with his guitar that Suho needs to stop him for them to start. Cute! The first song they sang is the good old Hawak Kamay by Yeng Constantino. After a few lines, Suho reminisced the time when they forst sing this song. It was 4 years ago from the DKFC concert. Just about their debut year. They promised to sing a new Filipino Song when they come back next year.

Chanyeol played the acoustic versions of their songs (My Lady, My Turn to Cry, Moonlight, Call Me Baby, Love,Love,Love and Lady Luck) and just like the whole time, PH Exo-Ls sang along with them. I don't care if I got the lyrics wrong, as long as there is melody. HAHAHA! They even let us sing some parts alone. Here are some of the snaps.

They sang What If during this part (but I’m not pretty much sure).

When they were singing, the background shows their serious faces. I didn't forget to take a photo of Lay with the rest of the members. I take a photo everytime he appears on screen.

Here are some of the snaps of the next stages which includes Tender Love and Love Me Right.

The Vocal Line, D.O., Chen, Baekhyun and Suho were left to sing in the middle of the stage.  They sang One and Only and Stronger.

Chen's voice is so lovely. He's slowly climbing up on my already ruined bias list. My heart still flatters when I hear them sing live. It's surreal.

Fun Time! Haha. The VCR for their next stage is adorable. The VCR where their heads were huge. All of them are so cute that I wanted to make them into a keychain. Hahaha But D.O. role is the cutest. He's a sleepy head!

Here’s some pics of them with their cutie cutie costumes.

Cutie little Baekhyun dropped his little red hat. 

I didn’t get to take too much picture with this stage because this was the time when I stared at their faces one by one. They all look like an angel. Especially Chanyeol, who all throughout this stage is so hyper! He keeps on shuffling and running around each member. I wonder how can they be so cute and handsome and hot, all at the same time. 

For the next VCR, the first frame showed ChanBaek riding a motorcycle going to the stadium. While the other members are preparing for the concert. I remember a shot of Lay while sleeping, Kai while having his hair blow dried and the beagle line being beagles. 

I thought that all they’ll do for the whole VCR but hey! There’s more! The VCR prepared by the Dance Line! (Kai, Sehun, Lay). I didn’t got to take a full video because I wasn’t prepared. Here’s some part from the VCR. I started capturing on Lay’s part. I remember this performance during one of the awards night last 2016. 

After that, the next set of stages are the, as I call it, “Handsome Stages”. All their stages for their songs like Overdose, Transformer and Lightsaber! Here are some snaps:

I managed to take a video for the last part of their performance for Lightsaber. 

Time for their ment! And this ment is the longest! The only members left were Suho, Chen, Kai and D.O. Chanyeol, Xiumin, Baekhyun and Sehun went backstage to change costumes. They were all wearing just plain black shirt in which they all look hot. (like all the time)

This time, Suho revealed that a lot of them were injured from the first day of concert. He said it was a secret but he also said that they were all healed by how much crazy(in a good way) PH fans are. 

Here are some tiny bits that I remember from what they said. D.O. said that he discovered new Filipino food that he likes, ‘Lechon Manok’. He said he didn’t have a chance to taste the pork but he will the next time they come back. Suho also enumearte which places in the PH he wants to visit and it includes Boracay etc. (haha can’t remember). He also asked Kai about what places in the PH he thinks is popular and guess what Jongin said. “Yeogiyo” (This place) (this place is now the most popular).

The leader-nim noticed the fanproject a while ago and he asked for a sample banner. He asked some fans on the standing area for a copy. Like what happened last concert, he held it up and showed it to the members. He also asked us what does the alibata written means. Even though they can’t understand what we’re saying (Imagine thousand of fans explaining at the same time, how would you understand a thing?). They just concluded that it means I Love You. Which is quite right because the alibata written in it is “Iniirog Kita, Bes”.

This time, Baekhyun, Chanyeol Xiumin and Sehun were left on stage while the other went backstage. Baekhyun kept on talking about how crazy PH EXO-Ls are. He once again asked us to stomp our feet and so the whole coliseum sounded like a whole battalion running from somewhere. They were amazed about how passionate we are. 

The fans chanted “PHIXO” after that. We are expecting for him to remember us from the concert last year. He named us “PHIXO” last concert after seeing some fans dance from the standing area. Again, they didn’t got to understand what we’re saying. Gladly, after several minutes of chanting, Baekhyun finally understood. “Ahh, Phixo! Philippine EXO!” Finally guys! Finally!!

Now it’s time to party!! Sehun, Xiumin and Chanyeol thought us on how we’ll respond with their next song. “Katchi Katchi Hae!” (Do It Together). 

Chanyeol asked us to stand up and just get crazy! You know it’s about to get really crazy! The song is not yet commercially released and it’s just exclusive for the EXO’rDium Concerts! It’s just like Drop That but with a different feels! The Rap Line nailed it! Everybody was on their feet, jumping cheering and getting crazy!

After that Chanyeol had his solo stage with his Electric Guitar skills! 

Soon after, the members went out to party with us! Chen, why do you have to show up wearing a muscle tee? Don’t you know how much hot you are with your biceps?! But thank you for showing it, though. 

LET’S PARTY!! The fans partied with their songs like Full Moon, Drop That, Let Out The Beast, Lucky and Remix version of Run. Imagine partying with the boys! It’s really unforgettable and we didn’t even feel tired after all! 

We finally got time to relax for a bit when they went off stage. It was also several minutes and we seemed to miss them already. We started chanting “E-X-O!”

It’s now the ENCORE STAGE which means the concert is about to end. NO!!! The boys came back wearing their white baseball jersey shirts! They sang Cloud 9, Growl and Lucky one! 

I love seeing them goof around while playing with the toys on stage. The one that caught their attention is the moving puppy stuffed toy. Xiumin even played with it while performing. Chen placed it on the side when they were going to dance.

They’re in the middle of their performance but see how Chen and Xiumin look at the little moving puppy.

And here you can see Baekhyun lying on stage. In which Chanyeol also did after their Tender Love stage.

For these songs, they were just roaming around the stage to get close and wave to the fans. The fans threw some stuffed toys on stage and the stage became messy! Hahaha For Lucky One here’s a video a Suho getting all hyped up dancing alone! Our funny Leader everyone. And you can also see how ChanBaek danced together at the back.

Here’s how they ended their stage for Lucky one. One of my favorite pictures I’ve taken.

Now, time for the last MENT! NOOOOOOOO!!!!

How time flies when you’re having too much fun! All of them said their thanks to us. Suho asked us to anticipate their comeback here next year! YES! YES! YES! Kai said that their 2 day concert in the PH will be unforgettable for him and the members as well. 

Baekhyun said that all of them really got crazy that night. Proof? He just sang “I Believe I can Fly” while wearing a pink butterfly wings and a cute white hat. Chanyeol played so well while wearing an Iron man Mask and he pretended to fly and run around the stage. Suho also said that when all of their fan gather in one place he can easily locate where the PH EXO-Ls are. YEP YEP YEP![Filipino fans are one of the best crowd you’ll ever see in the world! And that’s a fact, even Steve Harvey from the Ms. Universe will agree! Hahaha]

The leadernim really got curious about the banner and he maybe asked the Filipino staff backstage about it and for the last time all of the members shouted “Iniirog Kita, Bes. Manila!” We all got Bes-zoned. hahahahaha

Now it’s really their last stage. They sang Angel for the last time. The members roamed the whole stage waving to every section of the coliseum. The member who’s very diligent about waving at every fan he could is the Maknae, Sehun. I even thought that I got an eye contact with him and Kai.

All throughout the concert, we sang all of their songs, from the very first up to the last one) together with them and they even asked us some time to sing it louder! During the VCRs, we also sang their songs even if it’s just instrumental. Now, tell me how dedicated we are the whole concert! hahaha

Before saying Goodbye, they even asked for a picture together. YES!!!! I finally have a picture with them!! hahahaha (as of writing, they still haven’t uploaded the photo) Here’s how they posed for it from my perspective.

Finally, here’s their last moment on stage:

Yes, it’s me screaming from the background. And again, sorry for my ugly voice. hahaha

I love how Chanyeol screamed “Mahal Ko Kayo!” so long! and As you heard, they promised to come back! Sehun stayed on stage until the screen closed. 

Bye boys!! I already miss you big time!! And don’t worry, I’ll be there with you again, next year! I promise! I love you guys!!

PS. I wrote this as detailed as I could because I want it to be properly documented for my future reading, when I want to reminisce the moments I had with them. 

PPS. All the photos and videos I used are all mine. The pictures are blurred and unfocused, I know, but don’t bash, my phone doesn’t have a good quality camera. 

Sharing with you my edits.

I LOVE YOU GUYS!! 

from your forever fangirl,

-theconfusedmaiden

[felixnozc169-blog]

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Every year Google issues more than 500 search bot changes to its search engine, and with greater than two hundred SEO conditions, tracking what is working for SEO is a critical thing every marketing manager or business owner must be doing.What follows below is an overview of the ranking factors to watch carefully if you desire to be # 1 ranked on Google in Desert Hills Arizona. But first, read what SEO can do for your business website traffic.Video: Watch what a Desert Hills best in class SEO expert can do for your business. SEO ranker agency in Desert Hills partners with Arizona local business owners who want to grow their impressions on Google search.

Grab a 100% FREE SEO AUDIT.

In our experience, an integrated search method that utilizes both search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per click (Pay Per Click) is an extremely reliable approach. To assist further inform company owners, executives and marketing directors on the virtues of Pay Per Click and SEO, continue checking out for more highly valuable info as it relates to paid marketing and search engine optimization. To start, PPC uses laser focused presence.

Top SEO conditions:

# 1 – Optimizing for mobile discovery is everything.Over half of standard searches occur on a mobile device. Isn’t it time that you made your website mobile responsive? Do this work, and there is a guaranteed SEO and conversion benefit.Video: Why ranking your site for mobile search is so important.

# 2 – The importance of AMP optimization is growing.Accelerated mobile web pages (AMP) is an innovation that allows a website on mobile platforms to load more quickly than standard HTML rendered in a mobile browser. Google has been saying that AMP compatible websites will perform better in search. Don’t wait, you need to have your website mobile ready with AMP.# 3 – Better design means enriched UI/UX and deeper engagement.Google prefers websites that supply users with a favorable experience, and those which make finding the information the user is requesting simple. If you wish to rank high in the SERPs, the design of your website is an important ranking element, and focus should be paid to it. To learn more about the role of video in marketing, watch this video.# 4 – Page load time must be reduced.In addition to making sure that all your photos are correctly labeled, and metadata fields such as the ALT tag are completed, the extra time to scale your photos and reduce their size, is worth the expense. Google is now taking into consideration website load times, as a factor for ranking. In addition to using a photo optimization product like JPEGmini, a fast and simple way to reduce image sizes is to make sure that all your images are scaled appropriately. Don’t upload images that are larger than the web design requires. E.g. you do not need to upload a 1000px tall image if the window in your design only supports 300px.# 5 – Rank Brain by Google and AI have taken over search.With artificial intelligence driving everything Google does, whether developing self-driving cars or a next generation search engine, AI, beginning with RankBrain is the power behind the search engine results pages (SERPs) served by Google. Local Desert Hills SEO consultants must now invest even more R&D dollars to learn the most effective ways to tune websites for ranking performance and discoverability.# 6 – New content wins on Google.If you wish to rank your website in your local niche, you must craft engaging, original content. Google is able to track almost every website, which means that content which is not unique or does not add value to a subject will have a difficult time being discovered.# 7 – Content that is longer is more likely to rank.If you are still authoring 450 word posts you should reconsider your approach. Research is showing that Google now rewards posts of more than 1,500 words, with better ranking results. As with all things, SEO, it’s difficult to make a rigid rule on the best length of an article that is needed to rank.# 8 – Search engine results are now factoring in rich snippets, schema, FAQs and pre-populated information fields.Searches where Google can identify common questions, FAQs, or other identifying information, they are beginning to fill more and more of the home page with data lists, including frequently asked question blocks so that the consumer can get their question answered without needing to click on a listing. For this reason, the correct use of schema on your website should not be overlooked.# 9 – Social variables carry a ton of weight when it comes to website ranking results.At SEO Ranker Agency our team sees that social shares from the referring page are now a top 100 ranking signal. This idea is backed by the thousands of page one rankings that SEO Ranker Agency Desert Hills has delivered where social traffic, backlinks, and shares, were demonstrated to be a major ranking condition.# 10 – Voice search and IoT tools may remove SERP ranking order at some point.As voice interfaces are expanding on smart phones, automobile infomercial systems with gadgets like the iPhone, Amazon.com Alexa, Google Home and others, more individuals will be getting solutions from a search inquiry expressed by voice. Not only will remaining in the top matter even more now, if you are not in the first or possibly second position, you are not mosting likely to obtain any of the search inquiry results.# 11 – HTTPS will become crucial for ranking.Net security specialists see Google pushing HTTPS ever before harder as cybercrime and hacking proceed to provide a real danger to the world. Google as well has talked regarding the prioritization of HTTPS in such a method that it can be a ranking variable not to overlook.# 12 – The Facebook internet search engine will get more and more customers.All Facebook individuals are using the FB internet search engine. Anticipate this fad to increase as users do not wish to leave the Facebook application simply to seek out something on Google.# 13 – Titles as well as Summaries with far better click thru rates will certainly place greater.Google will certainly proceed fulfilling authors that have actually gone above and beyond to generate catchy titles that get clicked. You could expect to see articles that draw in even more clicks to go up in the SERPs while relate to typical titles are pushed down. There is no doubt that Google no more offers top priority to sites just for the large number of incoming web links that they have. Google is currently tracking engagement, click thru rates (CTR) as well as time on web page. This is reasonable as the longer someone remains on a site, as well as the more they connect with it, the more involved they will certainly be.# 14 – Even more customers are searching for video clip, infographics, photos and also multimedia content.Customers are currently ending up being mindful of the indexing capacities of Google, Bing, and Yahoo! – as well as they are performing searches for video clips and also also scenes inside of videos.Video: See the value of SEO compared to paid traffic.

If you are wondering, “how can I improve my ranking results?” then don’t stop reading.Desert Hills Search Engine Optimization – free Google traffic, is the most cost effective promotion approach for any company who delivers their items as well as solutions to neighborhood clients. Exactly what is better, Search Engine Optimization or PPC? Truthfully, we can not address this question without examining the business’s objectives and also objectives.A snugly niched down company with little competition in a really tiny service area as well as a need for just a few leads weekly might establish strong exposure in the regional and also natural search engine result with a fundamental SEO consulting package.An ecommerce shop completing with initial web page SERPs from Amazon, eBay.com and also various other significant on the internet retailers, is most likely going to struggle in organic search.A digital marketing as well as SEO strategy with concentrated short- and also long-lasting goals is essential. Does your business requirement leads now? Exactly what is the paid search (PPC) cost per click for your targeted search phrases? Does your website have authority? Are you playing the long video game online or seeking short-term results just? Exactly how difficult is your organic search competition?CTR and trust are in favor of organic search, so why would an organisation consider paid search? Here are a few PPC benefits:PPC controls the content are above the fold. Simply put, on a smaller screen, you will not have to scroll to see the ads, but you will need to scroll to see all the organic search listings. Keep in mind that PPC ads are simply that: ads, which indicates as an advertiser you will have more control and space offered for delivering your marketing messages.Google provides the alternative of a visual shopping ad that can help a user picture exactly what they are selecting/clicking. This ad type enhances significantly the advertisements CTR by providing a feature (visual carousel) that is not available in organic search.By running paid search ads, you will be seen by the right people and make sure brand exposure. Additionally, PPC enables a much tighter control of the budget. Figure out what does it cost? you want to invest per day and this is all you will be charged. Pay Per Click likewise gives the small company owner a highly targeted way to obtain in front of possible customers or clients. Organic traffic is a bit more scattershot while advertisements might be targeted by search keywords, time of day they will be served, the day of the week, location/geography, language, device and custom audiences based on previous check outs to your site.Developing a strong natural search presence can take time, making SEO a medium to long range play. On the other hand, a Pay Per Click project can be ramped and return positive results in weeks. Since there is no faster way to get in front of your audience than with PPC, many business utilize PPC while the authority of their website is being built up and SEO methods take a firmer hold.Where natural search obscures keyword information, there is no limitation with paid search (PPC). Using conversion tracking and with a strong integration with Google Analytics, we can identify what keywords convert best, and at exactly what expense. This intelligence can be fed into SEO marketing projects and inform other advertising methods to enhance results throughout the board. Speed supplies dexterity and enables fast feedback on brand-new mottos, messages, product statements, etc. with the use of brief burst Pay Per Click advertisement jobs.If you are a service targeting a local service area with a restricted set of keywords, you will discover that PPC can produce more than sufficient leads without going over budget plan. Mindful use of match types and analysis of the search term reports allow for the elimination of scrap search and a boost in return on financial investment.The advantages of Pay Per Click as well as Search Engine Optimization might not be so noticeable, yet they include the following points of factor to consider.1. Conversion data from Pay Per Click keywords can be useful to determine the most effective organic search (SEO) technique.2. Pay Per Click can ramp site traffic by targeting clicks in paid and natural for high-performing keywords. E.g. If you are winning the Google AdWords auction and rank in the top 3 SERPs for the very same keyword, you can anticipate up to 50% or more of the total search volume.3. A/B testing of PPC landing page and marketing copy can be fed into your natural listing and landing pages.4. Usage Pay Per Click to evaluate your keyword technique prior to committing to search engine optimization project initiatives.5. Speak with users in all stages of the client journey from initial product research study to the competitive contrast, through to the purchase choice phase, with industrial intent keywords.6. Look huge online and increase the self-confidence and awareness in your brand and business with a robust organic and paid presence.7. Retarget your site visitors on other properties using the Facebook and Google pixel on your website. This is an extremely reliable strategy that permits you to stay in front of visitors to your website after they have actually left.There are numerous benefits to paid search marketing, but there are likewise mistakes advertisers need to be cognizant of.1. PPC is fairly easy to copy which implies your competitors can quickly mimic your advertisement copy, images and contact us to actions. Successful PPC project management needs keeping an eye on bids, Quality Ratings, keyword positions and click-through rates (CTRs). Some of this work can be finished with automation, but no matter the method, you should make sure that a system is in location to track this vital info.2. Paid search marketing (PPC) needs an upfront and continuous financial investment. There are many choices available for PPC that can affect your outcomes. If product listings dominate the screen for the keywords you are targeting; then text based advertisements may not transform.For this factor, it’s important to do some research before you introduce your PPC project. Make certain to Google the keywords that you are targeting and be especially mindful to watch exactly what type is being revealed. Likewise, make certain to look at the words they are using. Do not copy the advertisements, but you would do good to replicate them.Enhance search traffic to your business site with search engine optimization of your business website.A significant need to buy SEO is because of the power of online search engine to enhance your awareness. If you have presence in the search engine results pages (SERPs) for the keywords that you are targeting, this will put your company in front of a tremendously high number of potential clients. The best method to consider SEO is that SEO drives brand awareness and is free Google marketing.Branding is another benefit of SEO in that search terms and informative questions related to your organisation can have a positive branding advantage. As your brand name is returned in the search results, it can (and usually will) end up being more associated with and relied on by searchers, and this will lead to a purchase choice.Research studies have actually shown that search engine users trust organic outcomes as being more reliable than paid advertising. Lots of users skip over the ads and go straight to the natural results as they assume that Google also ranks the organic websites more extremely. Showing up on the very first page of Google will give your service a stamp of approval that can be the difference between someone clicking on your listing (ranking) or your competitors.Finally, remember the function that positive evaluations play in getting your target consumer to call you. It’s a reality that even if you rank greater than your competitor if they have more stars showing outstanding reviews, this can make all the distinction in your conversions. For numerous service based companies, evaluations are vital.SEO increases website traffic as the higher you rank, the more visitors you will have to your site and the more chance to own awareness of your business. Though traffic from organic search is complimentary, establishing exposure requires time and effort, as Google has actually decreased ranking results significantly over the last couple of years. The advantage of SEO is that unlike PPC, once you stop investing, there is a slow decay to the rankings. This does not suggest that you shouldn’t continue investing in keeping your rankings, however it implies that you don’t have to spend the very same quantity.As an outcome of the points above, organic search engine traffic by way of seo can offer an improved ROI over conventional types of paid media including PPC. While SEO is at first not low-cost or simple, it is in the long run much more cost-effective than a lot of other marketing methods and provides stronger brand awareness and traffic to your organisation website. Unlike paid search marketing or Pay Per Click, totally free traffic from Google does not dry up the minute you stop paying.There is a strategic benefit with optimizing your website for better discovery on Google because once you have actually established yourself in the organic outcomes, your rivals will be unable to purchase their way in as they can do with PPC. Likewise, a higher portion of users click on the organic outcomes as we previously discussed. This implies that SEO will produce more clicks from an organic search listing than from an extremely put paid advertisement. However to take full advantage of visibility and clicks, you will desire listings in both paid and natural results. Keyword-level experimentation is had to make sure that you are not spending for clicks that you might get for free, but to take full advantage of results which is qualified leads, some businesses discover that exposure in both paid and natural listings are needed.Because of the constantly changing and vibrant nature of the web, lots of business owners and marketing executives find that working with a specialist digital marketing and SEO specialist is the best method for them to ensure the very best results. Organic traffic can take some time, and the knowledge had to beat those above you in the SERPs is substantial. Which is why, if you are just beginning, and the keywords you are targeting are currently “owned” by high authority sites, you may have to rethink your technique.A qualified search marketing specialist should be able to aid your group in developing content possessions to search engine ranking supremacy. A top rated search engine optimization company will prove their worth by assisting you construct safe, sustainable links so you can accomplish the site rankings that will propel your company to the next level.Click here to receive a no cost SEO audit and learn how search engine optimization can impact your business.Learn what local SEO in Desert Hills Arizona can do for your business online presence. Watch this video:

SEO for local business websites in Phoenix

The post SEO for local business websites in Desert Hills appeared first on Get your website on the first page of Google with SEO.

[pretty-fuckiing-blog]

The best way to Get started a Blog - Beginner’s Manual for 2018

Why it is best to generate a weblog and join the blogging neighborhood So below, I’m gonna outline exactly what you desire to complete to get started and setup your very own personalized website. Just before we dive in however, I actually need to discuss WHY you need to develop a site.

Note: If you happen to presently possess a solid thought of your whys, then skip this and go ideal ahead together with the guide.

Blogging has promptly end up among the most well-liked options of communicating and spreading information and information. One can find virtually hundreds of thousands of blogs on the web (don’t get worried, you are able to make yours stand out and get observed!). It’s a great way for you to express oneself and in addition an incredible strategy to share info with some others. You end up a greater particular person as well as a improved writer. The top cause? You'll be able to earn cash performing it! I bet you already knew all of that, but it’s wonderful to be reminded.

One particular really last point just before we get going:

Producing your own site can take a little whilst, possibly as much as 30 minutes. So grab yourself a coffee or juice (whatever you fancy) and let’s get stuck in. If you happen to need to have any assistance through the set-up technique, get in touch with me right here and I’ll help as finest I can and response any concerns you may have).

  Disclosure: This guidebook to commencing your personal site is made up of some affiliate hyperlinks. In case you obtain a support by 1 of these links I might possibly earn a small commission, this can be at no added cost for you.

The Ways Covered On this Blogging Guide It is nowhere close to as hard as setting up a web site from scratch (there is quite tiny technical means wanted here). In actual fact, there is no coding expected by you. Very good information, huh?

The way to Commence a Weblog in 5 Measures: There’s 5 principal methods you might want to do as a way to begin a weblog. In case you observe this guide specifically, you’ll have your own personal site set up in thirty minutes or significantly less.

Decide an excellent blog site platform Choose a web host for the web site The right way to Set up a blog site on your own domain Design and style your new website Valuable resources for blogging So, we manufactured it. Phew. Far better late than hardly ever! So, without even more ado, let’s leap into stage one.

Stage 1 - Opt for your preferred blogging platform Choosing where you should create web site is quite a great deal the initial issue you need to do. I’m going to take a leap and presume you have heard of WordPress, and this is the platform I advocate. It’s large.

It’s by far one of the biggest blogging platforms from the world, with many plugins and add-ons and pretty much infinite strategies to design and style and layout your blog site.

There can be in excess of 82 million energetic users of WordPress = quite a lot, quite simply.

wordpress

One can find other choices having said that, plus they are listed below:

Blogger - Most certainly the next finest thing to WordPress. Tumblr - Half social network, half weblog. Exciting, and particularly straightforward to utilize. Despite the fact that WordPress is larger (and most likely much better) than these two, right here are my motives why make sure you nevertheless go with WordPress:

Super uncomplicated set-up and it is zero cost to use A lot of free of cost themes and layouts (I’m not kidding, there’s gazillions). There’s a massive help forum in case you will get stuck (you will not, but it is good to possess it there for those who desire it). Your blog will likely be insanely quick and it’ll also look Performance and form - ideal! Individuals can interact with you simply. Your material might be shared, commented on, and so on. Here’s an report about distinct blogging platforms (including WordPress), give it a go through:

How to Pick a Blogging Platform - (up to date for 2018)

Now, Stage 2 (see, we’re moving quickly now!)

Stage 2 - Self-hosting or even a free option? Whoa, decelerate there! This is the greatest choice you will should make before we go any additional. You need to choose whether to spend for your web site or grab a 100 % free one.

WordPress, Tumblr and Blogger all give totally free blogs for anybody. Amazing, ideal? It is great for all those of us who are not super serious about blogging. Nevertheless it does have downsides:

1) You will not manage to get your own personal domain identify

On the zero cost site, your blog’s internet tackle (your URL) are going to be butt-ugly. Like, definitely ugly. In brief, generate a cost-free website with every other the over zero cost site services and it’ll look like this:

yourblog.wordpress.com yourblog.blogspot.com yourblog.tumblr.com I realize, unsightly best?

2) Limits and much more limits

There are several limits to free of cost blogs. You can not totally monetize it, and you also really do not possess the likelihood to upload all those video clips and images you need to present anyone - it’s all limited. Worse nonetheless, you will not even have access towards the free themes offered by WordPress.

three) You Really don't Own your blog

It could sound silly in the beginning, but you really do not actually own your blog site. It’s hosted on an individual else’s net residence and so they can delete it when they want so. They have executed so during the previous, and preserve engaging in it during the future. Which means all your very difficult function on your weblog, all people many hrs of writing website posts may very well be vanished inside of seconds. Sad…

To the other hand, by using a self-hosted weblog on your own domain name - you happen to be the Genuine proprietor of the site. You’ll be capable of name your weblog no matter what you desire, one example is “YourName.com” or “YourAwesomeBlog.com. You can actually finish it with .com, .co.united kingdom, .net, .org, or virtually any other net suffix. Include to that unlimited bandwidth for movies, photos and material plus the free of cost themes so you possess a winning combo.

So just how much is internet hosting in addition to a domain identify? Not as much as you’re contemplating, fortunately. It typically operates out to about $5 to $10 each month, based in your hosting provider which can be under several coffees.

If you should still have issues, here’s some further information for you to have a look at:

Have to I Determine a Hosted or Non-hosted Blogging Platform? Step 3 - Start a web site on your own domain (if you chose self-hosting in addition to a custom domain) wordpress blogging platform

I’m likely to push ahead based upon the premise you’ve selected WordPress, and if you ever haven’t, you ought to. Critically, it is the perfect.

If you are nevertheless a little bit confused by what a self-hosted blog site is, enable me to make clear and just how it is possible to go about setting 1 up for your self.

You will demand to come up with a domain name you like and in addition opt for a hosting business which could host your website.

Domain: The domain is mainly the URL of your web-site. Examples: google.com (Google.com may be the domain), Facebook.com (Facebook.com stands out as the domain). See? Very simple! Hosting: Internet hosting is fundamentally the firm that puts your website up to the online so almost everyone else can see it. All the things will likely be saved on there. Imagine of it like a laptop or computer hard-drive over the internet the place your web site will probably be saved. Personally, I use iPage (for my blog site domain and hosting), and I’ve got nothing but decent elements to say about this. It is quite possibly among the cheapest (less than $2.50 monthly) internet hosting companies on the market. A domain title will value about $10-15 a year, but with iPage they throw that in at no cost :). Great smiles for that! They’re the companies I use for all of my blogs, as well as the a single you’re studying best now.

If for just about any purpose you don’t prefer to go with iPage, really feel totally free to pick your individual hosting service. Most, if not all of them, should possess a “one-click” WordPress install choice on their admin panel.

That button will instantly set up WordPress on your site. Did I say it had been very simple or what?

All you need to do is sign up with iPage (or your selected supplier), choose your hosting system and also a domain identify and hunt for the one-click WordPress install button over the admin panel.

A maquina de vendas online funciona

[skillzme]

2017 Social Media Cheat Sheet [Infographic]

When setting up social media posts, it's easy to get into a routine in what you post, when you post, and how you set up your posts. Did you ever wish to have social media cheat sheets?

"I know what you did in your last Marketing campaign, do you?" Today's infographic about Social Media Cheat Sheet 2017 may pull you out of that rut. In addition to sizing specs, it also includes keyboard shortcuts and tips for posting on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn. The infographic, created by On Blast Blog, About A social media cheat sheet highlighting the tools that complement each social platform. Social media cheat sheet check list An image sizing cheat sheet for every social platform so you’ll have a handy guide when selecting the best image sizes & type for each social network. Keyboard shortcuts to save you precious time in connecting with your community. The best days to post for each social network so you’ll know with confidence your last post will engage the most people. Social Media tools you have to be using every day. Tips & tricks on how to generate more shares and engagement, broken down by the social network. Finally, a proven blueprint on how to write the most irresistible headlines so you can keep your readers thirsty for more. Well, as you can plainly see, the world of social media has grown far beyond a simple internet hang out.  A social media cheat sheet would be a good short cut to save time and energy without sacrificing the value and the quality. Today, websites like Facebook, Twitter, and plenty of others are becoming CRUCIAL for success as a blogger. They offer a rich potential to connect with, engage, and attract new readers and leads to your site. This trend isn’t going anywhere in 2017, so today we're going to give you the complete rundown on how to rock the social media world in the years to come with the tiny bits of the social media cheat sheets only for you. Social Media Cheat Sheet also includes the best times of the day to post and trends marketers should expect in social media and it wraps up with a formula for writing irresistible headlines.  Meet and Greet: An Overview of The 5 Largest Social Media Platforms to use social media cheat sheet Today we’ll also be covering five of the internet’s most popular and widespread platforms which you may want your social media cheat sheets utilized for. Let’s take a look at the contestants: 1. Facebook  Launched on February 4, 2004, by Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook is one of, if not the most, recognizable social networking platform in the world. With over 1.4 billion users around the world, just about everyone you’ve ever known, or will ever know has a profile on this platform. These Facebook Statistics will blow your mind: People share 1.3 million pieces of content every minute 350 million photos are uploaded each day Facebook adds 8 new users per second, or 7,246 people every 15 minutes 2. Twitter  What started as a microblogging site has now become one of the largest social media platforms. It all started back in March of 2006. Since then, the site has garnered some impressive numbers: 300 billion tweets have been sent since the site’s beginning Average number of followers is 208 Tweets including images have 5 times the engagement 3. Pinterest When Pinterest first hit the scene, it was entering a world dominated by text, not images. Despite being the underdog, it became the third largest network in the U.S. within two short years! Today it is a marketing gold mine. Check out these Pinterest statistics: Despite the thinking that most Pinterest users are women, 33.3% of all sign-ups are actually men. 75% of time spent on Pinterest is done with a mobile device There are over 100 million active users 4. YouTube began as an idea drummed up by three PayPal employees who wanted a website where they could upload, share, and watch videos. The domain became active in 2005. It’s incredible how far the site has come since then. These YouTube numbers are mind-blowing: There are over one billion users on the site. 80% of YouTube’s traffic comes from outside the U.S. YouTube has paid over $1 billion to partners in revenue 5. Instagram  What started as an iOS exclusive app has since become a mobile and internet icon for sharing images. It’s a relatively young platform with roots dating back to 2010, but it’s already built up some serious statistics: There are 400 million active users per month 51% of users are male, 49% are female 75% of Instagram users are outside the U.S. Here we’ll cover all the aspects of this platform how to use for all of your marketing and content promotion needs. These platforms started their lives as social networks, but today they hold huge potential for marketing your content and promoting it to readers both new and old. Marketing and promoting your content on social media. 

The 7 Best Practices for Marketing on Social Media Platforms

Ultimately, the goal on everyone’s mind right now is to make money blogging, right? Making that dream a reality absolutely requires that you learn a thing or two about social media marketing. Time, therefore, is an important element. A good social media cheat sheet could always be your best friend to put it in the realm. This also is where you’ll find your audience and connect with them. Your efforts here will bring people both new and familiar back to your site to read your content. So follow your call-to-action, and ultimately convert into customers for your brand.   Social Media Marketing Best Practices Plan Ahead – Don’t go into this blind, make sure you perform keyword research and get to know your audience. This way, you can make sure you're showing them things they’re interested in. Offer Value and Quality – High-quality content is always a major focus, and it’s no different here. Focus on promoting content that is interesting and valuable to your audience Maintain Your Brand’s Image, Ensure that your brand’s image is consistent on every platform. Use the same voice, language, and identity regardless of which site you’re using. Start a blog – It goes without saying, but you’ll need something to promote if you’re going to be on social media. Whether you’re an individual or a large business, creating a blog gives you a place to develop and content you’ll be promoting on your profiles. Link to Other Sites – Your primary focus should be sharing and promoting your content, but don’t hesitate to mix that with relevant and interesting content from other sites. Linking to other sources can earn you links of your own and improves your credibility. Keep an Eye on the Competition – Always keep your eyes on the competitors in your social sphere. If you see them doing something that works, adopt that same strategy and make it your own for improved results. Measure Your Success – Since many social media efforts will require some level of investment, you should track the effects of your marketing by utilizing an analytic tool like Google Analytics, which will show how your website’s traffic, bounce rate, and other factors are changing. Hope our 2017 Social Media Cheat Sheet would be a good reference in your marketing strategy in the future.   Click to Post

[tanisisdreaming]

Episode 102: Radio, Radio

Part 2 of 2

[voice of Nic]: sorry it took me a while to pick up, I’m actually driving.

MK: Okay. Are you cool to talk?

Nic: Yeah! I’m hands-free.

MK: Well that’s great.

Nic: Ha, okay.

MK: I found something you might be interested in.

Nic: What is it?

MK: Okay well I had a few bots trolling some Russian and eastern European bitbuckets for the word ‘Tanis,’

Nic: Okay…

MK: I got a hit this morning. It might be nothing, it’s a few weeks old, um but somebody in Kiev posted something to a now defunct bulletin board.

Nic: Uh, what was the post about?

MK: Some guy looking for his sister.

Nic: Some guy looking for his sister?

MK: Yeah.

Nic: I don’t understand.

MK: Okay, well apparently this Canadian guy living in Kiev named Sam Reynolds’ sister went missing, she was working for the…uh, hold on…Tesla Nova Corporation on some kind of top secret project?

Nic: Oh, well that’s interesting.

MK: Yeah. Somebody posted the word ‘Tanis’ in response to his last message. And then, of course, it was deleted right away.

Nic: They deleted the response right away?

MK: They deleted the entire message board.

Nic: Wow.

MK: Yeah. It looks like Reynolds posted three times before the board was disabled.

Nic: Could you send me those messages?

MK: Yeah, I did it.

Nic: You did it?

MK: Yeah.

Nic: Oh! Well thanks, great.

MK: No, there’s more, hold on.

Nic: Okay

MK: Three audio files were uploaded as well.

Nic: If you don’t mind sending those over when you get a chance, that would be awesome.

MK: Already done.

Nic: Great! Well, thanks a lot.

MK: Nothing to it. Later.

 Meerkatnip was turning into an invaluable resource. Both the message board posts and the voice messages were waiting for me when I got back to the office. I’ll be reading the posts by Sam Reynolds, and I’ve recruited Alex Reagen again, to read the posts from his missing sister. The messages that prompted Sam Reynolds to track down this message board and reach out, in the first place.

 [Nic, reading Sam Reynolds’ messages]: I’m posting here because I don’t know where else to turn. It all started with an email I received from my sister. Her name’s Tara Reynolds. And she’s been working up near Seattle. She was contracted by Tesla Nova Corporation more than a year ago, kind of a retainer situation. About a month or so ago, she finally received a call. There’s quite a bit of security and secrecy surrounding the project, so her messages have been limited, and monitored. She’s an archeologist specializing in new energy, so a bit of security isn’t all that unusual for her. Here’s her first message:

[voice of Alex Reagen, reading Tara Reynolds’ email]: From: Tara Reynolds. Tuesday, June 8th, 2015, 11:57 am. Subject: You’ll get a kick out of this.

Hey, kid. I talked to Steph last night. She bought a sailboat. Crazy. I can’t wait to make fun of her when it sits there unused for three years. I hope you’re well. I miss you. Things are getting pretty interesting up here. Exciting. Although, the bugs would drive you crazy. I won’t be able to communicate as much as I’d like, they took our phones this morning. And after tomorrow, we’re only allowed one hour of monitored internet each week. But it’s a fair trade. You wouldn’t believe the funding. We’ve got everything. The food is amazing. Better than any other placement. Better than the cryptography training institution outside Paris, if you can believe it. This is post-grad living at its best. Talk soon. Love you, Tara.

[Nic, reading Sam Reynolds’ messages]: the next message came a few days later.

[Alex, reading Tara Reynolds’ email]: No way you’re going to believe this. You know how I told you we’re not allowed phones, cameras, or recording devices of any kind? Well, I kind of made a pinhole camera out of one of those mini cereal boxes. Frosted Flakes style. I’ve attached a photo I took with the cereal camera to this message. This is probably the last email you’ll receive from me for a while. They stepped up security around the area as soon as the cabin appeared. Out of nowhere, by the way, I’m not kidding. One day the woods are empty, the next day, a tiny old wooden cabin. Some kind of rare hardwood too, I heard the experts mumbling something about it, but all the senior team members are Russian. My Russian is pretty far from outstanding, as I’m sure you remember. I can’t wait to sit down in a pub and tell you all about it. They outlawed anything with a camera, so the guards all carry old flip phones. There’s one guy who leaves his coat unattended for hours. I’m sure his phone is in his pocket. If I can get his phone, I’ll give you a call. If I can’t get a signal, I’m pretty sure that phone has a voice recorder. I had the same one in high school. I’ll try and send you an audio file. Anyway, this is awesome. You’re going to lose your mind. Love you.

 We uploaded the photo Tara took from her cereal box pinhole camera to our website in our notes section. Sam says he didn’t hear anyting from his sister for a few weeks, and then…this.

 [voice of Alex reading Tara Reynolds’ email]: Hey Sam. I hope you got my picture. It’s been crazy. I couldn’t get away. I stole the guard’s phone, but I was almost caught. It was close. We’ve only been allowed sporadic access to the cabin, mainly to examine some ancient text carved into the floor and walls. It’s amazing. I wish I had a camera. A video camera would have been perfect. But it’s too late now. The cabin disappeared. We woke up and it was just…gone.

 A few days later, another message.

 [voice of Alex reading Tara Reynolds’ email]: Something is happening. It didn’t disappear. It moved. It took a few days, but they were able to track it somehow. A man just arrived this morning, an American. Apparently he’s been working with the Russians for a while. He seems to know a lot about whatever this is, whatever’s happening. It looks like he’s in charge of the whole operation now. He’s smart, and also not that hard to look at. He has some kind of electronic device he consults. Im guessing he’s using that to track the cabin somehow. The theoretical science they’re looking at here is bonkers. I’ve seen some things up here…you wouldn’t believe it. I don’t believe it.

 Then nothing for a week, until…

 [voice of Alex reading Tara Reynolds’ email]: It’s insane. There’s so many people here now. They don’t trust each other, and I don’t think they trust any of the outsiders. I’m scared. I can’t even walk to the food tent without an armed escort. I’m still working on one of the guards. Sometimes they leave their bags when they shower. I might be able to get the phone, but I don’t know for sure. They definitely have some way of at least guessing where this thing might end up. ‘This thing’ being the cabin. If what I overheard yesterday is true, which is unlikely because it sounds nutso, they’ve been tracking this thing for ages. All over the state. Part of me can’t wait for this contract to end, but, and this may sound crazy, I really want to get back in. To examine those markings.

 Sam tells us that the next three messages he received were blank. But each had a brief audio file attached. We’re going to play them in order. This is the first message:

 [voice of Tara Reynolds]: I bribed one of the guards to go down the hill to smoke so I only have a few minutes. I brought a small flashlight and a tape measure. Just, stay with me. It gets good, I promise. I noticed something that the other archeologists missed. Everybody’s thinking in such a linear way, but I saw something in the ancient writing, just a few inches of blank space at the end, and it’s gonna sound crazy but I’m sure it wasn’t there yesterday. So, you guessed it. I’m measuring the cabin. Inside the cabin, the south wall is exactly 31 feet 4 inches long.

I’m back outside in front of the south wall. Are you sitting down? Outside measurement of the south wall is exactly 26 feet. Sam, I don’t know how, but this thing’s bigger on the inside than the outside! I’m not making this up. Do you have any idea what this could mean? Yeah, me neither. …Shit, I have to go.

 The next audio file was sent two hours later.

 [voice of Tara Reynolds]: I-I don’t have long. I got back to my tent and I couldn’t sleep, I forgot to mention that nobody can agree on the age of this thing, which is really odd. Carbon dating puts it…well, it must be a mistake. There’s no way it’s that old. Something else is bugging me. A symbol on the cabin wall? I came back, and I snuck past the guards. Sam, two hours ago the south wall measured 5 feet longer than the outside wall, and now…Sam, the south wall? Measures 94 feet! The exterior’s exactly the same. It’s incredible. And inside the cabin the air is cool, and feels thicker, or maybe just different, or maybe it’s just me, but there’s a slight metallic smell in the air? Sam, I think I can hear them outside. I’m gonna have to –

 It cuts off there. Her last message comes in, just a few seconds later.

 [voice of Tara Reynolds]: I’ve been inside the cabin for the past four hours. I’m using the light of the phone, I-I didn’t notice something. The wall was 94 feet, but there was a new corner! I couldn’t see it until later. A hallway…Sam, I’ve been walking for 90 minutes through a maze of halls and rooms. It’s…I don’t know where I am. I-I tried to go back, but I’ve been using the light of the phone and the battery’s about to die…Sam, I love you. And I’m scared. I’m –

 There’s a lot to think about here. Is she overtired? Is she maybe experiencing a kind of garrison mentality? A lonely wilderness type of madness? That seems unlikely, as there were other people in the camp. And what about the cabin itself? She seems convinced that its measurements make no sense. In addition, her last two messages come in only seconds apart, but she believes she’s already spent four hours wandering, lost inside a 26 foot square cabin.

Sam’s last post on the message board reads: “That’s the last I heard from Tara. That was three weeks ago. They’re treating it like a missing persons case. The police have been supportive generally, I suppose, I really don’t think they’re taking her messages or recordings seriously. They believe she was sick because she stopped taking her medication. She’s on Lexapro for very minor general anxiety, nothing like this. She’s not crazy. If she says it was bigger on the inside, then it was. She doesn’t have a boyfriend or husband, and there’s no family but me. She’s all alone out there. Please, help me find my sister.”

We’re still looking into it. But at the moment, that’s everything we have on Tara Reynolds. Which brings us, as it often does, back to Meerkatnip, who found something very interesting on the internet this morning.

 [voice of Meerkatnip]: Heya.

Nic: Hey, how’s it going?

MK: I don’t have long to chat.

Nic: Oh.

MK: Sorry, softball game.

Nic: Oh, alright, well then uh, let’s get right to it then.

MK: I got a Tanis search term hit from an archived cache system in Australia. From a PDF.

Nic: Oh, you can search text in a PDF?

MK: I can.

Nic: [laughs] okay.

MK: It was something called a galley? I guess that’s some kind of a book?

Nic: Yeah, it’s like a pre-release.

MK: Like a beta release?

Nic: Yeah, kind of.

MK: Looks like one of the chapters featured the word ‘Tanis’ more than twenty times.

Nic: It looked like?

MK: Yeah, I wasn’t able to get that one, somebody snatched it before I could reassemble the bits.

Nic: Really?

MK: Mhm. Crazy tech.

Nic: What was it, uh, what was it called? The galley?

MK: The document was titled…uh, hold on…Pacifica.

Nic: Pacifica…? Are you able to remember anything else?

MK: My system usually captures an image of everything that hits my desktop.

Nic: Cool. Uh, usually?

MK: [sighs] There are a few…organizations that frown upon that kind of tech and take precautions, usually some kind of after-the-fact encryption? I never know until I try and pull up the captured files.

Nic: Wow. And?

MK: Somebody did not want me taking pictures. I was able to save one page using the camera on my phone.

Nic: Well, can you send me that photo?

MK: You know I will.

NIc: Cool, thanks. Um, well I’ll try and work on –

MK: I gotta run, okay?

[sound of skype call ending]

Nic: Oh, okay.

 Meerkatnip sent the image. It looks like the first page of a galley, a fictional novel, maybe fantasy or science fiction based on the writing style. I’ll include a copy of it in the notes section of our website, at tanispodcast.com. But basically it’s an introductory paragraph, nothing revelatory. But there is a header that mentions the title, the writer’s name, and the date. Pacifica, by A. Ellis. March 19th, 2003. The Publisher wasn’t mentioned anywhere on the document, and they were unable or unwilling to confirm any involvement with a book called Pacifica. And they also told me that there isn’t now, nor has there ever been, somebody on their roster writing under the name A. Ellis. I asked Meerkatnip if she could look into it.

One of our executive producers, Paul Bay, went to school with one of the senior editors at that publishing company. He got in touch with her to set up a meeting.

 [voice of Paul Bay]: Alright, so, my contact told me nobody at the company has ever heard of a book called Pacifica, or a writer named, um, okay so this is where I think it gets really interesting.

Nic: Really? What…okay.

Paul: What she told me is that there’s no one, nobody there has ever heard of a writer named Avery Ellis.

Nic: So, okay, all we had on the document was A. Ellis.

Paul: Yeah. Right, exactly.

Nic: Well, okay, but, Avery Ellis is Cameron Ellis’ daughter, it could be a simple slip-up.

Paul: That’s exactly what she told me. A. Ellis is like M.K. Olsen or P. Hilton, a simple mistake.

Nic: But…?

Paul: Yeah, but. [laughs] I’ve known her for a pretty long time, something doesn’t feel right here. So I tried to push, but I think it’s a dead end.

 [voice of MK]: Avery Ellis? The rich bitch?

Nic: Yeah. Is there any chance that she wrote that book?

MK: Well, I don’t think so. Um, but outside of the society stuff I can’t find much on her. I do know she paid a cleaner to scrub her off the web after that nude photo came out a few years ago.

Nic: A cleaner?

MK: Yeah, they did a pretty good job. There’s still a shitload on there, but most of the real information was buried.

Nic: Wait, you can do that? Erase yourself from the internet?

MK: Kind of. There’s two kinds of cleaners. There’s ones who change the story and bury the bad stuff under page after page of good stuff. And then the other kind, the kind she used. People like me go in and…clean. You can rewrite your entire history if you want.

Nic: And they call that cleaning?

MK: Yeah. And it’s expensive. Like, two commas expensive.

NicL Wow

MK: Oh, before I forget. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to the meeting, it’s not because I don’t want to meet you in the flesh, I just couldn’t get out of my other gig in time.

Nic: …I’m sorry, what meeting?

MK: Um…did you smoke a huge bowl earlier? You set up a meeting with me for coffee this morning.

Nic: Um…not me.

MK: You didn’t send me an email asking to meet for coffee to talk about another job?

NIc; No, I didn’t.

MK: Well, somebody used your computer to send me a message.

Nic; What, somebody used my email account without me knowing?

MK: Not just your email. They used your computer.

 So, who used my computer? Who sent Meerkatnip a message, posing as me, asking for a meeting? And why?

On the next episode, our investigation uncovers a very strange story about death, water, and another mysterious cabin in the Pacific Northwest. It’s Tanis. I’m Nic Silver. Until next time, keep looking.

[wildwandererblog]

#8 & 9 Mt. Shavano-14,299 and Tabeguache Peak-14,155

Today I hiked Mt. Shavano and Tabeguache Peak, otherwise known as Shav and Tab to most because no one know how to pronounce Tabeguache (TAB-uh-wash).  Up until late last night I wasn’t sure which peak(s) I was going to hike today.  I’d planned on three possible hikes for today before I left for Europe, and it would just depend on the weather when I got back.  I really wanted to hike Redcloud, Sunshine, and Handies because I had 2 days in a row available and I’m 75% sure it would require an overnight, but when I looked at the weather for the area it showed thunderstorms all day for the next two days. Drat.  

So I looked up the two other hikes I had ready, Shav and Tab, and Grays and Torreys.  They both had similar weather (rain and thunderstorms at either 10am or 11am both days), so I decided to make a spreadsheet.  In the end I went with Shav and Tab because it’s further away (by half an hour), a longer hike (10.5 miles), and had more elevation gain (5400+ feet). I figured if it was going to rain in the afternoon both days at both places I’d get the harder one over first when the rain was scheduled for an hour later and have more time to deal with weather if it became an issue on the shorter hike.

For this one I was up at 2am and on the road by 2:30am. I had to do a little work (like, for my job) before leaving so it took longer than anticipated.  I was able to find the trailhead without too much difficulty and began at 5:30am, at the last-minute stuffing a winter coat in my backpack just in case. It adds about 3lbs to my pack (which honestly only has water, some snacks and first aid supplies), but I’ve never regretted having it on a hike.  

I hiked for a bit and found the register.  I signed the date, my name, Colorado Springs, and continued on.

The sun was just beginning to light up the sky, waking up the crows, flies, and cows.  I heard them all for the first two miles or so as I walked through a muddy trail.

Then the red glow of the sunrise.  I always LOVE this time of the morning on a hike.  It only lasts about 5 minutes, but everything is bathed in a reddish orange glow.  It’s beautiful.

The sunrise woke up a woodpecker (I’ll upload the video on Wednesday, sorry!)  

I walked over several small streams those first few miles, then didn’t see any water for the rest of the hike.

Early on in the hike I passed a group of three male hikers.  They were glad to let me pass, as they couldn’t keep up.  They were taking their time and didn’t know if they were going to summit both peaks today or not.  Around mile 2 I started seeing scat.  Lots of it and it looked fresh.  Then out of the corner of my right eye I saw something move quickly and bound up the hill. I only say the legs, but I’m thinking it was either a deer or a bighorn sheep.  I’m thinking sheep because of the scat.  It even smelled like they were in the area.  

I rounded a corner and saw the Angel of Shavano, or where she should be.  I’ve known of Mt. Shavano for years, ever since we’ve started skiing at Monarch.  She’s the famous symbol of the area.  The Twisted Cork (where we like to go out to eat when we ski) owns the Mt Shavano winery and the Angel of Shavano is on all their bottles.  It’s a pattern in the mountain when there’s snow that looks like an angel.  Kind of like a Native American Angel (hard to describe, but that’s what she looks like). The middle of this picture is where she’d be… only half of her is still here due to snow melt.

This hike goes up, up, up, up, with just about no leveling out.  I made it to the top of the saddle, looked right, and could see Mt. Shavano, but I didn’t know it was Mt. Shavano at the time.  To be honest most hikers, no matter how much research they do, aren’t sure which one is the actual peak until they’re hiking it. Most hikers today thought it was a peak to the left.  Nope, this is it.  As you can see, I cross the saddle, then make my left before swinging over to the right to cross between the two humps, and then around again to the left to summit.

I came across this sign about half way up that mountain.

There was no clear trail, but a bunch of little trails to try and follow.  Probably because this is a popular snow route and it’s sometimes easier to just make it up as you go.  In any event, I summited, and was super proud!  Oh, and it wasn’t windy and I didn’t need my extra jacket!  Bonus points for this peak!

Now to find Tabeguache.  I got out my map and figured out which peak it was, and my stomach dropped.  I was going to have to cross this ridge (there was no trail, I just had to cross it).

Here’s a better picture.  I had to cross the ridge to the bottom right, then go down and left towards a saddle, and follow the snow line to the left to the peak.  I took a deep breath and was on:  I’ve got this!

I met a rather photogenic marmot just as I started descending Mt Shavano towards the ridge.

As I was hiking I was continually disturbed there was no actual trail to follow.  My mind got to wandering and I got to thinking about how dangerous it was not to have a trail to follow.  I knew this was senseless because of the activity I was partaking in, but I felt it anyway.  For some reason, I felt entitled to a trail.  Well, there wasn’t one, so I aimed towards where I needed to go and just worked my way towards it.  

As I was crossing the last patch of snow I spied a snowman.  So cute! There was one other hiker ahead of me (I’d noticed him off in the distance as I summited Shavano), and I’d seen him stop here, but I thought he was just resting.  This was much better!

There was just a little more ways to go.  I skirted the snow to the left

And all the sudden, I was there!  I’d summited! I was super proud of myself for this one!  I’d hiked for over a mile down one mountain and up another, over piles and piles of rocks, without a trail, and still managed to get where I needed to go.  It was now 9:30am and there was one tiny cloud in the sky.  

I turned around and saw what I’d hiked thru without a trail (that’s Mt. Shavano as seen from Tabeguache). I’d hiked just over 5 miles in 4 hours.  That’s a very, very slow hiking time for me, but I had hiked over 5400 feet in elevation, so hiking 1100 feet in elevation an hour isn’t so bad, right?

I took a summit-shadow-selfie and was back on my way.  I don’t like to spend too much time at the summit.

At the saddle I had a great view of Mt. Antero.  I’ll probably do that one soon…

This hike is an out and back hike. So I hiked up Mt. Shavano, then to Tabeguache, then down Tabeguache, back up Mt. Shavano, and down Mt. Shavano to the trailhead. Basically I summit Mt. Shavano twice, which seems awfully unfair since it only counts as two summits.  

As I was hiking back up Mt. Shavano I got to thinking about what I’d just accomplished.  Sometimes there isn’t a trail, and that’s ok. Maybe you need to make your own trail. Set a goal, keep your eye on that goal, head in that direction and keep putting one foot in front of the other. Eventually you’ll make it.  It may not be how everyone else made it, but you can make it just the same.  There’s a moral in there somewhere…

I summited Mt. Shavano a second time and saw the group of three hikers I’d seen earlier.  They were impressed I’d already hiked out to Tabeguache and back.  I was about 2 hours ahead of them hiking time.  We discussed whether or not they could make it to Tabeguache.  They weren’t planning on hiking it because they didn’t have a ‘summit sign’.  I thought this was a lame excuse, but did comment on the clouds building quickly.  When I’d looked at the weather last night it had said thunderstorms were highly likely after 11am, and it was now 10:15am.  While it had been clear at 9:30am clouds were quickly forming.  I wished them luck and told them to watch the weather.

Unfortunately, people just don’t realize how quickly weather moves in on a 14er.  The weather can turn in 15 minutes and put you in a dangerous position.  I saw about 15 hikers as I was making my way down to the ridge.  For some reason, I feel a personal responsibility when I’m hiking to everyone else hiking the same trail, since I’m usually the one with the most experience. I talk to them all, ask how they’re doing, if they’ve ever done a 14er before (or this one), where they’re headed, etc.  It takes time out of my hike but I feel responsible to advise in some way because I have more experience.  

I told each and every hiker on my way down to watch the weather.  I got a lot of responses, none of which sounded concerned.  Most said things like “it’s not forming too fast” or “it doesn’t look that bad” or “we aren’t supposed to get rain today, are we?”. But I had more information than them. I knew it was supposed to thunderstorm today.  I advised them to watch the weather and if they couldn’t hike it in an hour to turn back. None of them did, and I also knew none of them could make it the rest of the way in an hour. Hmmmm.

I crossed the saddle and came upon an alpine meadow.  I love how these flowers seem to be saying “hi”.

Then I turned and saw the trail back.  Ugh! This wasn’t going to be fun.  The entire trail was up, up, up (much more than is visible in this photo).  While it was challenging to hike up it was extremely difficult to hike down.  I couldn’t hike fast.  There were just too many rocks in the way and it wasn’t safe to hike down any faster than I’d hiked up.  Oh, and notice the shadow in the picture?  Clouds are beginning to seriously form above me.  I needed to make it to the treeline as fast as possible.

At least the view was great!

So, I hiked and hiked and hiked and hiked down, down, down.  It was slow going and I really had to pee, but, you know, I’m above treeline so that’s not really a good idea.  Just as a side note, NEVER pee directly on a trail.  Besides the obvious ‘ew’ factor and LNT and all that, no matter how sure you are you’re alone, you’re not.  Someone WILL come into view as soon as you drop your pants.  This is a fact.

Anyway…  about a mile after I made it past treeline I started feeling drops of rain.  Small, icy, cold drops of rain.  They started out slow, and then I heard thunder and it started pouring.  Within 30 seconds there was thunder and lightning everywhere and it started to hail.  I quickly pulled out my winter jacket (Woot!  See?  I’m always glad to have it) and put my camera into my backpack to keep from getting wet (so no pictures, sorry).  At one point, it was hailing so hard I wasn’t sure if I was still on the right trail, but I was below treeline and I needed to keep getting lower, so I continued.  

The entire time I kept thinking about everyone behind me on the trail who hadn’t turned around when I’d warned them of weather.  I was absolutely positive they were ALL still above treeline at this point, right in the middle of that thunder and lightning and hail.  I sent encouraging vibes their way and continued onward.  

Eventually the rain stopped and all that was left was water slowly dripping down from the trees. I was roasting in my coat (but dry!) and started looking for a time to take it off.  I came upon this tree, figured it was something I needed a picture of, stopped and made the switch (and took the picture).

I saw several pretty flowers on the trials today.  Here are just a couple…

The last 2 miles seemed to take forever.  I mean, forever.  And they kind of did.  It took me 4 hours to summit and 3.5 hours to make my way back to the trailhead when I would have expected it to take about 2 hours to get back down.  I found the register, added #8 and #9 to my name (it seemed bad luck to do so before actually summiting them) and sloshed my way back to my truck.  

I got a lot of good thinking done on the mountain today.  Oh, and I’ve now decided to write a book.

Woodpecker:

Views from the top:

[jamesflauber]

IP Roundtable (EP-233)

Click the title of the article to read this post on Improve Photography, which includes all media files mentioned.

Article of the Week:  5 Habits to get you to the next level of landscape photography

Shoot one single lens

Jim – After talking to Michael Frye a year ago on this show, I had in my mind to shoot long-lens landscapes.  I then went to Zion and got some of my favorite landscapes of all time with a long lens.  Planning to use this technique helped me shake up my norm.

Track the weather every day for a month

Jim – I’ve actually been doing this.  Testing my apps against what is actually happening and sharpening my ability to plan for being in the right spot.

RadarScope, Photo Pills

Visit one spot repeatedly

Jim – This is something I really need to work on.  I’m too excited to go to the next spot and don’t re-visit old locations enough.

Find opportunities to immerse yourself in photography

Plan a roadtrip

IP Meetup

Been holding off a little.  I’m traveled-out right now

2018 Reatreat

Learn a new TECHNIQUE

Focus stacking

Timelapse

Luminosity masking

Day-to-Night pano

Crazy long exposure of stars

Midroll

Shutterstock

Hotline:

HE De Zeine – 5D mark III or a 6D mark II ?

5DIII

$2,200 new BUT $1,500 used

Jim – I ALWAYS buy used if it’s available.  Rarely an exception.

Dual SD Slots

1/8000 max shutter

Jim – I’ve taken 767 photos in the last 5 years at 1/8000.  But I like them.  It mattered on half of them.

6DII

$1,999 – Not gonna find it cheaper for at least 6 months

Fully articulating LCD

What’s the same?

Frames per second (6 on 5DIII vs 6.5 on 6DII

Low light – VERY similar most likely, but 6DII will likely have a SLIGHT advantage.

Brian Horne – Wanting to go pro.  What do I do about marketing, insurance for liability and health?

Health insurance

Jim – I pay $420/month for decent health insurance for a family of 5.  I’m grandfathered in to a pre-Obama care plan.  If I change my plan, the cheapest similar plan I could find is over $1k/month

Consider catastrophic-only insurance, and then put $3k in a money market account

Get multiple quotes!  Don’t just walk in to an insurance salesman’s office and expect to get a good deal

GET INSURANCE!  Just a single normal pregnancy and delivery will cost $20k+

Liability

Get multiple quotes from different insurance people

Jim – Nobody would sell it to me for general liability

Ed Nisbet – Best hobbyist starter cam under $1k

Canon 6D – $900 used

Sony a6500 – $1,100 used

Sony a6300 – $850 used

Nikon D7200 – $800 used (D7500 a little too pricey)

I’d skip the Fuji XT1, Oly, and Panny – fine for experienced shooters, but AF on older models not good enough for beginners.

Upgrade from the 6D to the 6D2 or get the 70-200f2.8 ?

Jim – I wouldn’t hesitate for a SECOND on buying the 70-200 over the camera upgrade.  6DII is barely any different.

Gilbert Gatchalian – Mavic or Spark?

Mavic

Small, but twice the size of the spark.

$999

Significantly better camera, but still BARELY publishable as a still.  Great video.

Better obstacle avoidance with 2 cameras

Spark

Incredibly tiny.  Smaller than an iPad

$699 with controller

Simulated shallow DoF

Gilbert Gatchalian – “do I bring my gear” or just go “point and shoot” for summer vacations?

Jim – If I will be able to do any SERIOUS shoot and there’s a good spot nearby, I’m bringing the gear.  I almost never take family photos with the big camera.  I’d rather just enjoy it and have snapshots.  Video is best for family memories in my opinion.

News Desk:

IBIS coming to Fuji cameras

REALLY weird the first time you clean an image stabilized sensor

Stock Photography Update

Jim: Uploaded my first images.  Spent 10 hours to prepare 300 images, which I’ll upload this week.  Best guess is 15 hours total of work to cull, prepare, and upload the 300 on 8 different stock sites.  Fewer than I’d thought were suitable for stock.

Drone photography of fireworks

Really cool, but hard to do without getting too close since the lens is so wide

2 Photographers arrested for drone photography near wildfires

DO NOT DO IT!

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Submitting to Apple.  Could be days or weeks depending on how fickle they are.

Doodads of the Week!

Jim: CamelCamelCamel.com – How to avoid getting taken on Amazon Prime Day.

Sirui K-40x 54mm ball head $160

Connor: New 2017 Wacom Tablet

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