#tiny houses for sale in michigan

[azlyricss]

Tiny Houses: Everything You Need to Know

Tiny Houses: Everything You Need to Know

I am writing this article to guide you on everything you need to know about tiny house   However, Tiny homes have been growing by leaps and bounds over the past few years   What is tiny house ?   Tiny Houses are primary, full-fledged dwelling units on a small scale. also tiny house is Typically, tiny homes that are between 100 and 400 square feet. While there isn’t a set standard, a tiny house…

[mercerislandbooks]

Book Notes: Funny Story

A new book from Emily Henry is the perfect way to finish up the month of April, and this is definitely one of those times when the bookseller perk of getting to read Funny Story early was a wonderful treat!

Daphne Vincent thought all the pieces of her life were falling into place. She’s engaged to a wonderful man, moved to his hometown of Waning Bay, Michigan, and landed her dream job as a children’s librarian. The wedding is only months away and Daphne is settling into her future when Peter comes home after his bachelor party and tells Daphne he’s leaving her. For his childhood best friend, Petra. Suddenly Daphne has a week to move out of the house that she thought she’d grow old in, but only has his name on the papers. And she’s trapped in Waning Bay until the end of the summer because of the Library Read-a-Thon, a fundraiser she’s been planning since she started her job. After that she can leave and never look back. Her ex’s new girlfriend not only participated in breaking up Daphne’s engagement, but she’s left her own boyfriend, Miles, behind to be with Peter. Daphne needs somewhere to stay, and Miles needs someone to cover the rent Petra is no longer paying. They say misery loves company and who better to be miserable with than the person in the same position you are?

Yet it takes being blindsided by invitations to Peter and Petra’s upcoming wedding to push Miles and Daphne into a building a tentative friendship. He's chaotic, she's buttoned up, but a drunken night out, two RSVP’s to the wedding neither of them want to believe is happening, and a teeny tiny little lie (they’re dating each other, they don’t need plus ones for the wedding) puts these roommates on the same team. Emily Henry excels at creating characters with good hearts trying to do their best in relationships while also working through the baggage of their past. In spite of his chaos, Miles is an absolute delight. When he finds out that Daphne is planning on leaving Waning Bay as soon as the summer is over, he takes it upon himself to share with her all the things he loves so much. His pleasure in life, even with his recent heartbreak, spills over into Daphne. As she makes friends of her own and finds her footing in Waning Bay, she starts to reconsider what might come next. I loved these characters and I loved their story and the audiobook is read by my favorite, Julia Whelan. What more could a romance-lover ask for?

To celebrate the release of Funny Story, Island Books also has some fun related merchandise for sale from Out of Print. T-shirts, tote bags and zip pouches, all in pops of color and just right to show off your Emily Henry love! I’ve snagged a T-shirt for myself, and am definitely eyeing a tote bag to pack up with spring and summer reading. Stop by Island Books and preorder your copy of Funny Story, out Tuesday, April 23rd. I can’t wait to hear what you think!

— Lori

[finishinglinepress]

FLP POETRY BOOK OF THE DAY: Zero Is a Number by Michael Hammerle

On SALE now! Pre-order Price Guarantee:

https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/zero-is-a-number-by-michael-hammerle/

Michael Hammerle teaches creative writing and composition at a college and university. He holds an MFA from the University of Arkansas, Monticello, and a BA in English from the University of Florida. He is the founder of Middle House Review. His work has been published in The Best Small Fictions, Split Lip Magazine, Tendon at Johns Hopkins, Michigan State University Short Edition, Foothill Poetry Journal, New World Writing, Louisiana Literature, and elsewhere. He lives and writes in North Florida. www.mikehammerle.com

PRAISE FOR Zero Is a Number by Michael Hammerle

Set in crowded homes, pool-halls, and hospitals, the poems in Zero Is a Number are often tender, sometimes infused with violence, and relentlessly searching for meaning among stapled thumbs, snake tattoos, and gasoline baths. This propulsive pursuit of truth—words rushing across the pages in a passionate excavation—made me sit up straighter. Reading Michael Hammerle is like dreaming yourself into somebody else’s vehement, breakneck, ardent life.

–Rachel Pastan is the author, most recently, of In the Field. Winner of the Science + Literature award from the National Book Foundation in 2022.

Michael Hammerle’s Zero Is A Number is a poetry collection conveying snapshots of a family history—a family history full of fire, and Hammerle threads a nostalgic sentiment of a calm torment throughout these poems as he reveals a tiny splinter of the world, mixing and mashing video games with tattoos and skating rinks and wrenches and nails and sibling fights. There are variations of a household—a cracked image for each memory and a family member for each cracked image, as if we’re standing in the front yard and facing a home under the evening sun with our eyes barely open, squinting perhaps, as we try to make sense of the complications that come with those we love and remember. A door opened—indeed, into a living room of a family in search of each other’s hands. Zero Is A Number creates tangible ghosts and hazy realities, and it’s through these flashes and flickers of light, a marvelous poetry collection hums before us.

–Shome Dasgupta, author of Iron Oxide and several other books.

If we’re lucky, we live long enough to fix the math. Zero Is a Number allows us to go back to the board, and if not to erase the mistakes, then to at least stare at them again. In poem after startling poem, Michael Hammerle looks back with a searing honesty at a life you’ll have to read to believe. There are no symbols here. There’s just the burn of the Florida sun, a staple stuck in child’s hand, stepfathers troubled with the cost of love, and grandparents who would press their last nickel into your palm. There are elegies. There is plenty of beauty. Maybe all we ask of poetry is that it tell us something we can’t forget, and Zero Is a Number does just that.

–Jack Heflin, author of Local Hope

Please share/please repost #flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #poetry #read #poetrybook #poems

[threesquaredinc]

Shipping container homes for sale michigan

The shipping container homes for sale michigan is a freedom from raw materials and labour charges. Hats off to creative architectures thosebrought culture of cargo into real estate. It has created affordability for middle-class individual to build their own home or buy an apartment within their budget.  You can read case study of Grove Studios. It fills the token of entrepreneurship to every aspiring individual that a vacant place can become a dream achiever sign for many. The new age architectures has showered new blessing to speed up your construction plans because more choices keep a person confuse and delay in reaching to final construction plan automatically delays on multiple times.

Our architectures look for the schematic design and site plan approval so construction must match the rules and regulations of the municipality of the town. The restriction in shipping container houses offers a clear way to start. Things are finalized early and construction runs with speed. You are free to choose from tiny house movement and sustainable living movement. The  shipping container homes for sale michigan is a true compatibility with your plans to shift your family in owned shelter.

[premiumblr]

Beautiful 24 Foot Tiny House For Sale

—-PRICED TO SELL—-

—-DELIVERY INCLUDED IN PRICE—-

Brand New 24’ by 8.5’ Tiny House professionally built by Eco Cabins out of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

- This turn key house has never been lived in and is ready for your finishing touches.

- Complete with all full sized appliances and a standard flush toilet, this house makes sure there are zero compromises in terms of creature comforts.

- The living area is meant to be the center of attention in this cozy house and has room for a wall mounted 60” tv as well as a sectional.

- RV park ready to connect to the grid, or power the house with a generator. The choice is up to you.

Please message me with any questions at TheTinyAF@gmail.com. I’ve got plenty more photos and videos to share. Will add more details as time allows.

Thanks for looking!

—————————————————-

A detail that drove our design was something that we wanted to preserve from the original hOMe: how bright and spacious it feels inside. The first thing you’ll likely notice when you enter the 24′ version is the tall ceilings in the living area of the tiny house. The ceilings draw the eyes up and make the space feel quite large. The living area is an open slate, defined by windows, the entry door, and a suggestion about the placement of the entertainment center. The idea is that the space could be used in a myriad of ways, and we want you to decide exactly how your personal space should feel. After all, it’s your house!

The living area gently gives way to the galley kitchen and the bathroom beyond. The central location of the plumbing helps to keep construction costs low. The kitchen itself has a range/oven, refrigerator, storage, and a washer dryer stack unit.

Stairs to the sleeping loft rise to the landing area above the washer/dryer and fridge, helping to conceal the utilitarian aspects of the kitchen and providing safe and comfortable access to the loft. Because of the shed roof design, the sleeping loft has plenty of head room, even for a tall person. A queen sized mattress allows for plenty of room to move around when getting in and out of bed. Dressers can easily be used to provide enough storage space for two adults.

Just beyond the kitchen in the 24′ tiny house, you’ll enter the bathroom where you’ll find a standard sized sink with two drawers of storage below and a medicine cabinet above. A standard shower stall is large enough for a conventional showering experience. A tall floor-to-ceiling cabinet is large enough for any extra toiletries and towels.

TheTinyAF@gmail.com

[threesquaredinc]

How do you build michigan container homes?

Want to build michigan container homes but don't know where to start? Lucky for you. At Three Squared, Inc.  We are excited about the growing demand for container homes, if you are ready to get started with the leaders in this industry, then we invite you to connect with our team by filling out this simple contact form today.For more details, please visit at our online address:

Other Source:

https://ext-6115093.livejournal.com/8184.html

https://ext-6115093.livejournal.com/7862.html

[hhtapes]

About Us

heavy heart tapes is a tiny nonprofit tape label based in mt. pleasant, michigan. our goal is to provide a platform for queer musicians that we believe in, with a focus on helping newer music projects get off the ground, on to streaming services, and into physical format (just tapes for now).

as a part of the online music community, we’ve noticed a lack of monetary transparency coming from some labels. we feel a label should play a supportive role for the artist every step of the way and should be as open and clear as possible about their production process, and how the artist will be paid. that’s why hht is nonprofit, and will always do as much as we can to be as transparent as physically possible.

our tape production method consists of buying old cassette tapes and testing them for quality, disassembling them so the tape housing can be custom painted, and hand dubbing them in real time. it costs us about $45 (+ time and physical labor) to manufacture a 30 tape run. while this method of production helps keep costs cheap, its a time consuming process and we probably won’t be able to pump out releases very frequently or quickly. however, we’d rather put love into a handmade piece of physical media while recycling old materials, and passing on the saved money to the artist and their audience, than have larger scale operation and have to either charge more or give the artist less of the money they’re able to pull in. we suggest making our releases pay what you want on bandcamp, with a price of around $4 to $6 per tape plus $3 shipping for the tapes, but in the end it is up to the artist to set their own prices.

when an artist releases with us, we post the album and sell the tapes through our bandcamp page. after the original tape production costs are covered (usually about 7 to 9 tapes sold), 100% of the profit on the tapes, and any digital sales will go directly to the artist via paypal or some other payment method that works for them. if for some reason the tapes don’t sell well enough to cover the production costs we will happily take the loss, hht is a passion project and our goal is to provide a launchpad for the artist, not make money. if the artist would like to post their album on their personal bandcamp as well, or ends up releasing with a different label, we will fully support them and link to it in the description of their release with us.

while we’d prefer to not distribute our artists music on streaming platforms for them, we may make an exception in specific cases. we would much rather empower the artist to manage their own distro. if for some reason they’ve had trouble getting distribution set up we would love to recommend one of the major distro services and help out getting it all set up. 

Additionally, we love to help with PR and blog networking for our associated artists and friends, even if you’re not releasing with us! Shoot us a message if you want some help getting the word out about your release ^__^

thank you for reading all of this! we love you and hope you find new music to enjoy today :)

send submissions to heavyhearttapes@gmail.com

[theatrelesbabe]

moon, folktale, sunflower, cupboard, sweet, sour cherry, pine needles pls!

anmoon: what’s your astrological sign? i’m a capricorn sun, virgo moon, cancer rising! got that double earth sign thing goin on haha

folktale: what stories remind you of your childhood? gosh...okay, so we had a huge collection of stories in like one big book, and i mostly remember those. hats for sale, harold and the purple crayon, the curious george book where he swallows a puzzle piece, pete’s a pizza, lots of little short stories. it’s especially cute when i babysit and they have the same books and i read them just like my parents read them to me. it’s funny how one remembers

sunflower: what do you love and cherish? my friends!!!! honestly i love them so much i’m thinking ab them all the time (the online ones and the real life ones). also, my home state of michigan. my happy place is up north by the sleeping bear dunes. and my notebooks! i keep a little tiny moleskine on me all the time and i go through one every few months, they are like pieces of my body

cupboard: a good childhood memory ok hm....this is random, but i remember when i would stay with my grandma, we would go to this little restaurant in her adorable town called “dam dogs”. it was a hot dog restaurant located right by the dam. i liked being able to say “dam(n)” and they had bottled pop there in like black cherry and orange cream flavors and drinking from the bottle made me feel very grown up. we’d always hang out by the dam afterwards too. very warm memories of that 

sweet: what candies or cakes are you fond of? i’m a very avid baker but i really don’t like cakes. i think they’re bland in terms of texture and flavor. i mean obviously i eat it but like i’ve im having sweets i love to make my family cookie recipe or like muffins or if i’ve got a lot of time on my hands, croissants. 

sour cherry: an obscure tradition from your family it’s not that obscure but since when i was little, we had a wooden advent calendar, and every day my mom puts a little slip of paper inside with something special about that day. it could b anything from stringing popcorn to reading by the fire to making gingerbread houses but the weirdest one we do is a cottonball snowball fight. it’s actually very fun but it gets cotton EVERYWHERE

pine needles: what is your favorite scent? alright so i have a  bunch of sensory quirks (to quote my mother “we should’ve taken you to OT when you were little”) so i dont really like a lot of smells but....the ones i do like i really love, and they include: the smell of the earth after rain, vanilla extract, lilacs, lake water, and one of my friends (idk why she just smells amazing. doesnt even wear perfume. this sounds weird sorry).

anyway thank you so much for the asks anon!! this was super fun to do and it was nice to think about :)

[apricot--pprincess-blog]

Flannel - The Cardboard Swords

This is sorta different but this song has always been there for me during breakups. It’s so perfect and I know all too well about the message it conveys. Especially in the spoken word portion. Basically I’m gonna be writing a short story in context to these songs, maybe add some Easter eggs eluding to my real life. I don’t know if this has been done before but sit down and buckle up. Because this is how I express myself and it’s gonna be a doozy. 

I got the shirt at a yard sale, I knew she’d like it. It was a faded yellow flannel with red and blue lines of various diameters, “I’ll just give it to ya’. That flannel did me good. It’s about time I pack up anyways.”, said a grumbly old voice. When I looked up it belonged to the owner of the shirt. A haggard old man I’ve seen walk around her neighborhood with an equally old and worn-down mixed breed dog, “Thank you. You moving out?” I said, I wanted to be nice. Even though he just let me have a flannel I felt like I owed him something more. “Yep. Ol’ Archie and I better go to our hometown...” I found out Archie was his dog, and his name was Oscar, he continued to tell me about the place he grew up in too. A city in New Jersey. He came to Michigan because he liked the cold and was tired of his old town, but now he says he wants to go home before it’s his time to go. By the time we stopped talking the sky was a bit darker, but still blue. “Well, thank you. I should go. Good luck moving.” I started walking away and waved, he waved back and his face warmed up, “See ya, kid.” He wouldn’t but it was a comforting goodbye.

I hopped into my car and started driving to her house. I looked out the window, checking if she went to my house first, then after driving past the book store I work at and concluding she wasn’t there waiting for me went to her place. My phone buzzed and I looked down on it, her name popping up with the green heart emoji next to it. I didn’t check it because I kind of really don’t want to die and continued on my route.

Not too long after I put the flannel on, it was getting kind of cold and walked into her house, finally reading the text. “V for Vendetta today?” We hung out like we usually did. Watched “V For Vendetta” and made fun of the kids at our school. I loved her so much. She was so unique and different but we were so similar. Her hair a dyed and faded red, left frizzy and wavy and short. She had freckles on her cheeks who always had a soft blush. She had a tiny button nose that she hated. And she had the lightest of green eyes. She was so small and so hopelessly devoted to me. Or so I thought.

Finally, it was summer. We finished High School together, something we’ve always been dreaming of. In the last minutes of homeroom I felt a buzz from my phone, her green emoji name popping up along with a list of or other friends’ names above the words, “let’s all go to the lake after school ?” I quickly tapped back, hoping Mrs. Robins wouldn’t see, “you guys bring the drinks and blankets and whatever. i got the pizza” we never drank alcohol, both of us having lives been haunted by the stuff. Her dad drank like he liked it. Nobody really does, people just like being drunk. Just like nobody likes breathing, you just do it because you like being alive (at least most do). The ball rang and everyone flooded the halls. It’s a miracle I got out without injuries, I sent a tiny sarcastic thank you up to Jesus and I got in my old red car, I was wearing the flannel and a Bad Religion shirt that she loved so much. She traced the words with her tiny finger lazily saying, “Now that I look at it, I’ve never loved Bad Religion more.” I smiled, “You don’t listen to Bad Religion.” with a small chuckle she let out, “Yeah. But you do.” and kissed me with such ease that only she could. When we touched, even minor things like accidentally bumping into each other in my cramped kitchen, I felt electric. Nobody in the world has ever made me feel that since her faded red head walked out my front door for the last time.

Though the hottest month in Michigan is usually July it was pretty warm. She was wearing dark blue ripped shorts and a cut up Anti-Flag shirt I got her forever ago. Everyone was already cuddled up with their sweethearts next to the lake, laughing and eating and drinking whatever they brought. “Finally. Was there all of a sudden traffic? Or did you guys make a quick pit stop?” Her best friend let out, of course he didn’t really mean a pit stop he was too cocky for that, “Actually, I didn’t have to ride in his janky car today.” I chimed in, “Excuse me? Cherry Red is a goddess and you will not disrespect her and go unpunished.” I narrowed my eyes at her and she let out a small laugh, “Sure, whatever. Let’s get in on this.” We sat next to her cocky and closest friend, and she took a seat on my lap and covered both of our bodies with a dark purple blanket, planting a kiss on my cheek. “I love you.” I kissed her nose back, “I love you too.” she smiled and we started joking around with our friends. The pizza was gone in a matter of seconds and everyone took turns telling crazy stories and having a fun time. Eventually our friend group seemed to shrink, people leaving to probably make out at each other’s houses probably. “Are you guys gonna come with us?” Our three best friends asked, not wanting to be rude. They were going to the mall and I knew she wouldn’t want to go. “No, I wanna stay for a bit longer.” And I being, the incredibly amazing sweetheart that I am, stayed with her until it got dark. Hours of laying on her blanket and making each other laugh I got up, “Remember when you disrespected Cherry Red and thought you got off the hook earlier?” She looked up at me, “I would never do such a thing.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her up, “Well no bad doings go without repercussions or whatever. We’re diving.” I pulled her to the edge of the water and took off the flannel, knowing I’d need it after since we’d both be freezing and soaking wet.

“No, you’re diving and I’m watching. I’m not an idiot.” I looked down at her eyes and found a sparkle in them, picking her up suddenly like I always did and jumped into the water. She laughed and screamed, obviously loving it. After swimming and splashing with the occasional kissing (making out) for about 10 minutes we got out and I gave her the flannel, covering her up with the purple blanket and running to her car.

“I hate you.” she said, as she turned on the heater in her tiny car and got out of her t-shirt and shorts, changing into a pair of black and white gym shorts and a different t-shirt, adding the flannel for extra warmth, not wanting to die of hypothermia. “No you don't.”, I said. We were both looking at each other, taking it in. Little would I know this was one of the last times I would feel like she loved me back. We kissed, her tiny pink lips feeling cold against mine. When she finally pulled away they were a darker shade, I always thought about how I was the reason her lips were a darker pink, her cheeks a rosier blush, and her life a little sunnier.

“Your dad will kill you if you come home any later.” I said, starting to gather my thoughts. It wasn’t even that late. “You’re right. Get out.” she smiled and left a kiss on my nose this time, softly shoving my shoulder. “Text me when you get home.” I added, and got out of her blue car, the smell of vanilla car freshener leaving with me.

That was the second to last time we were in love. The last time was the beginning of the day I found out she would leave me. It was sudden, sort of. She went to a concert with her cocky friend and others, I told her I’d stay home since my dad recently broke his arm at work. She broke up with me the next morning, coming over and saying goodbye. Four days later it became known to me she had kissed her friend that day. While I was at home trying to be there for my dad and cheering him up.

Now we don’t talk. I drive a different route from work to my own house just so I wouldn't see her on her front lawn with her bikini on getting a tan. Here’s the thing: life may or may not be about finding true love but, it’s certainly not about begging for it from someone. Now that I’m alone I’ll keep doing the things that I do, late nights, fat blunts, pizza pies with my crew, driving home from whatever bar’s half-off after two, while I’m blasting my favorite tunes and seeing my local favorite bands at whatever venues while you keep doing the things that you do shifting blame and twisting truth and making absolutely, positively sure that everybody in the room is certain that the victim just had to be you. Well, I’ll keep doing the things that I do and I’ll find someone who wants me like I wanted you. Someone somewhere said all good things end, so what in my mind made me think this time would be different?

-----

I dunno if you caught it but the bolded lines were lines that related to my life specifically. the bolded and italicized lines were the lines from the song.

[tinyhousecalling]

384 Sq Ft Studio Room For Sale in Hastings NE $35k ~ Needs to Be Moved

384 Sq Ft Studio Room For Sale in Hastings NE $35k ~ Needs to Be Moved

This building is a handicap studio room. You could use this building as an office, guest house, cabin hunting blind plus so much more! 934 S Kansas Ave, Hastings, NE 68901    $35,000 Studio 1bath 384sqft Build date 2015 Google Map Property Listing Realtor: Kellie Abrams Related: 224 Sq Ft Tiny Cabin on Wooded Acreage For Sale in Northern Michigan About This 384 Sq Ft Studio Room For Sale in…

[berniesrevolution]

NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE

Late on the evening of Sept. 20, 2015, Basim Razzo sat in the study of his home on the eastern side of Mosul, his face lit up by a computer screen. His wife, Mayada, was already upstairs in bed, but Basim could lose hours clicking through car reviews on YouTube: the BMW Alpina B7, the Audi Q7. Almost every night went like this. Basim had long harbored a taste for fast rides, but around ISIS-occupied Mosul, the auto showrooms sat dark, and the family car in his garage — a 1991 BMW — had barely been used in a year. There simply was nowhere to go.

The Razzos lived in the Woods, a bucolic neighborhood on the banks of the Tigris, where marble and stucco villas sprawled amid forests of eucalyptus, chinar and pine. Cafes and restaurants lined the riverbanks, but ever since the city fell to ISIS the previous year, Basim and Mayada had preferred to entertain at home. They would set up chairs poolside and put kebabs on the grill, and Mayada would serve pizza or Chinese fried rice, all in an effort to maintain life as they’d always known it. Their son, Yahya, had abandoned his studies at Mosul University and fled for Erbil, and they had not seen him since; those who left when ISIS took over could re-enter the caliphate, but once there, they could not leave — an impasse that stranded people wherever they found themselves. Birthdays, weddings and graduations came and went, the celebrations stockpiled for that impossibly distant moment: liberation.

(Basim Razzo’s home before the strike.) 

Next door to Basim’s home stood the nearly identical home belonging to his brother, Mohannad, and his wife, Azza. They were almost certainly asleep at that hour, but Basim guessed that their 18-year-old son, Najib, was still up. A few months earlier, he was arrested by the ISIS religious police for wearing jeans and a T-shirt with English writing. They gave him 10 lashes and, as a further measure of humiliation, clipped his hair into a buzz cut. Now he spent most of his time indoors, usually on Facebook. “Someday it’ll all be over,” Najib had posted just a few days earlier. “Until that day, I’ll hold on with all my strength.”

Sometimes, after his parents locked up for the night, Najib would fish the key out of the cupboard and steal over to his uncle’s house. Basim had the uncanny ability to make his nephew forget the darkness of their situation. He had a glass-half-full exuberance, grounded in the belief that every human life — every setback and success, every heartbreak and triumph — is written by the 40th day in the womb. Basim was not a particularly religious man, but that small article of faith underpinned what seemed to him an ineluctable truth, even in wartime Iraq: Everything happens for a reason. It was an assurance he offered everyone; Yahya had lost a year’s worth of education, but in exile he had met, and proposed to, the love of his life. “You see?” Basim would tell Mayada. “You see? That’s fate.

Basim had felt this way for as long as he could remember. A 56-year-old account manager at Huawei, the Chinese multinational telecommunications company, he studied engineering in the 1980s at Western Michigan University. He and Mayada lived in Portage, Mich., in a tiny one-bedroom apartment that Mayada also used as the headquarters for her work as an Avon representative; she started small, offering makeup and skin cream to neighbors, but soon expanded sales to Kalamazoo and Comstock. Within a year, she’d saved up enough to buy Basim a $700 Minolta camera. Basim came to rely on her ability to impose order on the strange and the mundane, to master effortlessly everything from Yahya’s chemistry homework to the alien repartee of faculty picnics and Rotary clubs. It was fate. They had been married now for 33 years.

Around midnight, Basim heard a thump from the second floor. He peeked out of his office and saw a sliver of light under the door to the bedroom of his daughter, Tuqa. He called out for her to go to bed. At 21, Tuqa would often stay up late, and though Basim knew that he wasn’t a good example himself and that the current conditions afforded little reason to be up early, he believed in the calming power of an early-to-bed, early-to-rise routine. He waited at the foot of the stairs, called out again, and the sliver went dark.

It was 1 a.m. when Basim finally shut down the computer and headed upstairs to bed. He settled in next to Mayada, who was fast asleep.

Some time later, he snapped awake. His shirt was drenched, and there was a strange taste — blood? — on his tongue. The air was thick and acrid. He looked up. He was in the bedroom, but the roof was nearly gone. He could see the night sky, the stars over Mosul. Basim reached out and found his legs pressed just inches from his face by what remained of his bed. He began to panic. He turned to his left, and there was a heap of rubble. “Mayada!” he screamed. “Mayada!” It was then that he noticed the silence. “Mayada!” he shouted. “Tuqa!” The bedroom walls were missing, leaving only the bare supports. He could see the dark outlines of treetops. He began to hear the faraway, unmistakable sound of a woman’s voice. He cried out, and the voice shouted back, “Where are you?” It was Azza, his sister-in-law, somewhere outside.

“Mayada’s gone!” he shouted.

“No, no, I’ll find her!”

“No, no, no, she’s gone,” he cried back. “They’re all gone!”

(Continue Reading)

[surveyhoursss]

146.

Your name is Jordan

You were born in April

You're 19

Gaming is a huge part of your life

You have more than one gaming tattoo

You have a tattoo of your animal's paw print

You drive a Lincoln

Sports cars > supercars

You love 90's cars

You're planning on getting a Subaru Impreza next

You do cosplay

You have 11 piercings

You have endometriosis

You graduated in 2015

You were named after Michael Jordan

You want to get into the Youtube world soon

You have almost 10k followers on Instagram

You went to cosmetology/beauty school

You did not pursue cosmetology as a career

You're into graphic design

You own a screenprinting business

You sell products on Etsy

You've been in a relationship for over a year

You've been mentally abused by a past relationship

You own a gaming laptop because you like mobility

Your all time favorite game is Sly Cooper

You have 50+ gaming consoles

You have 500+ video games

You joined the Harley Quinn bandwagon this year

You like to collect pink things

You don't travel a lot (wish I did more)

You live in Michigan

You're trying to gain weight

You were bullied for most of your school years for having acne

You have a pet that means a lot to you

You've been in long distance relationship

You've had your belly button pierced since you were 14

Your favorite drink is chocolate milk

Your eyes are grey (grey, green, i have no clue lol)

Your favorite movie is Pulp Fiction

You own every Tarantino film on VHS, DVD, and Blu-Ray

You've become more confident with your body lately

You used to hate Victoria's Secret but now you love it

You love to play board games

You like to host game nights with prizes

You wear extensions

You have a promise ring

You have trouble growing/strengthening your hair

You try to be organized but fail most of the time

You used to work two jobs and 7 days a week

You shop at thrift stores

You rarely ever buy clothes at full price

You've seen 15+ bands live

Your favorite was Foo Fighters

You enjoy all music

You're trying to change your style of clothes / hair

You love to sing even though you're not good at it

You get emotional easily

You're the oldest child

You didn't go to college

Your boss is your role model

You usually sleep 9 hours a day

You take a lot of naps

You have social anxiety

You have trouble speaking

You love winter

You're very generous

You don't really get the generosity from others back to you

You don't like water

Your favorite pizza is Buffalo Chicken

You weighed 95-100 lbs until you were 18 (i've been anywhere from 80-140 lbs lmao)

You recently gained about 20 lbs (refeeding ;w;)

You're 5'1

You did cosplay of a Pokemon

You like glitter

You like space buns

You complain a lot

You hit puberty in 3rd grade

You've always had iPhones

Your computer or laptop cost over $1,000

Your town has a population of around 3,000

You like horror games but are deathly afraid of them

You have a natural tan

You don't have any freckles but wish you did

You go to garage sales often

You've gotten an I.V before

You've lost part of your eyesight temporarily due to a migraine

You've had extremely bad panic attacks in the past

You get 'triggered' very easily

You have grey eyes

You hate doing laundry

You don't mind other house chores

Your S/O is over a foot taller than you.

You write poetry, mostly about the stars / space

You used to write short stories

You own every single Sims game

You've bought all the Sims 4 add ons even though you hate it lol

You used to write stories with the Sims 2

You were dedicated to a forum around the age of 9

It was a 4kids forum haha!

You used to make short films

You hate texting

You learned HTML when you were 10

You wanted to go to school for Computer Science for a long time

You used to play Call Of Duty competitively

You have a lot of online friends

You've never been on a plane

You've never been zip lining but might soon

You enjoy camping

You own a quad / 4 wheeler

You've always dated boys older than you

Your boyfriend is 6 years older than you

You love to drive long distances

You enjoy going to car shows

You're voting for Gary Johnson

You have self-harmed before

You take short showers

You love wearing dresses

You wear cat ears a lot

You like taking photo-shoots of yourself

You have A.D.D

You take Vitamin D supplements for depression

You've kissed more boys than you can count on your hands

You've never been drunk

You play Pokemon GO

You never eat popcorn at movie theaters

You still use 720p screens

Your first console was a PS1

You really want the Playstation VR

You've funded a game before

You're unsure if you will be able to have kids or not

You've had mono before

you enjoy being creative

You used to make perler sprites

You've paid for art of yourself before

You've accidentally cooked something in the microwave that didn't belong in there.

You've made friends from a video game

You used to use Piczo

You don't like modern/futurustic FPS

You don't like RPG's

You've NEVER seen the Notebook

You own a Ouija board

You took online classes in school

You failed gym class

Your favorite Pokemon is Cubone

You're an Aries

You're pro-choice

You got a dry socket after getting your wisdom teeth removed

It was the worst pain you've ever been in

You've written down every dream you could remember for the past 2 years

You're an introvert

You don't really like to be touched

Your voice is high pitched

You hate shaving

You bite your nails

You have tiny ears

Your natural hair is a few inches past shoulder length

You have huge scars on your knees

You have a deep scar by your eye

You like to read

You've read Rage by Stephen King

you like cleaning

Your favorite arcade game is Mappy

You own every color Gameboy Color

You've felt unloved before

You've been bit by a tick before

You don't understand the obsession with Funko Pops

You're into kitten play

You believe you're talented

You still live at home

You clean your car... a lot

You like to take pictures of everything

You like the name Amethyst and Jade for a girl's name

You like the name Nathan and Jayden for a boy's name

You've had pink hair

You've had lavender hair

You've had red hair

You've had blonde hair

You've had a pixie cut

Your hair is naturally curly

You never leave the house without makeup on

You love the rain but hate thunderstorms

You're afraid of being alone

You're good at math

You always do the cat eye eyeliner

You don't know how to contour

You've watched every single episode of Friends

You've watched every single episode of That 70s Show

You own a pair of the Nintendo vans

You're spoiled

You own around 50 Pulp Fiction related merch

You've seen the movie countless times

You have A.D.D

You've gone to a teacher for personal help and they didn't help

You've never had to call 911 before

You eat Honey Nut Cheerios nearly every morning

You love breakfast foods

Your parents aren't divorced although they should be

You've started a GoFundMe for an LDR before

You saw Back To The Future in theaters

You used to smoke weed but don't anymore

You've never smoked a cigarette

You would never work in fast food

You don't really like concerts but you still go

You love going to the dentist

You've had a guinea pig before

You've had a turtle before

He was named after one of the Ninja Turtles

You've had a German Shepherd before

You've never watched a Kardashian show

You never swear

You like to go on walks

You prefer Pepsi over Coke

You're really picky about food

You own a machete

You own a Halo helmet and energy sword

You don't like Bethesda as a company

The first game you ever beat was GTA III

Your favorite mini games are the ones on Pokemon Stadium 2

You only own one perfume

You buy clothes for dirt cheap and sell them to make profit

You enjoy making your bed because it's aesthetically pleasing

You've done Harley Quinn cosplay

You want to do Daenerys cosplay

You made love coupons for your boyfriend on Valentine's Day

you like to be creative with cookies/cakes/desserts

You own a pink gaming headset (Trittons)

You own Astros A40s

You've never had a Scuf controller

Your voice is very quiet

You've had the same Pikachu plushie since you were 4

One of your favorite bands is ADTR

One of your favorite bands is Volbeat

One of your favorite bands is Taking Back Sunday

You've seen all of your favorite bands live

You don't have a favorite song

You get jealous of people that are more successful than u that are younger

You sing in the shower

Music puts you to sleep fast

You're too optimistic

You've sexted someone you weren't in a relationship with before

You've gotten a girl expelled from school before

You've never been in a physical fight

You laugh a lot

You suck at making eye contact

You've been threatened for your life before

You play video games with your sibling

All your grandparents are still alive

You've met your great-great-grandfather before

You naturally have brown hair

You wear glasses

You've lost your glasses before

You have bad memory

You used to have almost 5,000 friends on Facebook.

Now you only have around 300

Your favorite restaurant is Red Lobster

You have a Lenovo computer

You only buy Samsung TV's

There were less than 70 kids in your graduating class

You check on your ex's social medias every so often

You've seen someone with a gun to their head before

You have Cards Against Humanity and ALL of its expansions

You have Exploding Kittens

You see Canada almost every day but you've never been there

You've kissed a girl before

You've been cheated on while living with that person

You've been best friends with someone since elementary school

You prefer hot foods over cold

You have an innie belly button

You prefer fruits over vegetables

You have a lot of collectibles

Your phone is pink

Your favorite game show is Family Feud

You're right handed

You have a birth mark on your butt

Your favorite month is February

You don't like Harry Potter

You like Pearl Jam

You like to dance even though you're bad at it

You're not athletic

You're not very good with saving money

You have a dual screen monitor set up

You have 5+ consoles hooked up currently

You have string lights around your bed

You don't have any posters up

You own a Japanese video game

You want to buy a game that's currently valued at $300+

You've never gone hunting

You've never gone fishing

You've been to a drive in theater

You've been to Florida

You've driven in a car for over 24 hours straight

You're not really close with any of your cousins

You're not a huge fan of chocolate

You've owned a pair of Uggs

You only use white clothing hangers

You try to keep the boxes for everything

You got your first job at 18

You've always had creative ways to make some extra cash

You have a tattoo that your parents don't know about

You got a tattoo as soon as you turned 18

You don't like kids

You always panic over the worst case scenario

You don't like wearing jeans

You don't like wearing pants in general

You haven't showered yet today

You've never gotten stitches

You hate whipped cream

You have Irish heritage

You're not religious

You gave your first BJ at 14

Your longest relationship was 2 years

You've never been asked on a date by a stranger

Your favorite music video is No One Knows by QOTSA

You have a very short temper

Your Youtube inspiration is SSSniperwolf

You've always wanted to start a cookie decorating business

You've always wanted to own a business in your own store instead of online

You've lived in the same town your entire life

You're going Pokemon hunting tonight

You like exploring

You've never had a full time job

You never want an office job

You've never been to Warped tour and never want to go

You own 5+ copies of one of your favorite games

You put a lot of effort into your Instagram page

[allthingsdarkanddirty]

My Kind of Perfect by Tracy Brogan is now live!

Available in ebook, audio + paperback!

http://getbook.at/MKOP

From Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author Tracy Brogan comes a sweet, funny Trillium Bay romance about moving on, creating your best self, and discovering the true meaning of love.

After her scandalous May-December romance comes to an end, baby of the family Lilly Callaghan returns home to Trillium Bay braced for the torrent of “I told you sos” from her sisters and the rest of the tiny island community. Floundering both personally and professionally, she’s at an emotional crossroads but determined to figure out her next best steps.

When a surprise job offer from her house-flipping sister reacquaints Lilly with handsome, free-spirited Wenniway Island transplant Matt Eastman, Lilly wonders if she’s ready for a new romance. Then she meets Hollywood heartthrob Jayden Pierce, who is filming a movie on the island, and she’s certain of it—but with whom? She’s caught the attention of both men, and both men have caught hers. So what’s a girl to do?

Earnest Matt shares her love of the close-knit island community, while surprisingly down-to-earth Jayden encourages her to live life outside her comfort zone. As the flirtatious triangle sets the town talking, Lilly must choose: Does she want to plant forever roots in Trillium Bay with Matt? Or follow a man who makes love stories for a living? Two very different men. Two very different futures. But deep down, Lilly knows that only one holds the promise of her kind of perfect.

About the Author:

Tracy Brogan, author of the bestselling Bell Harbor and Trillium Bay series, is a two-time recipient of the Amazon Publishing Diamond award for sales exceeding one million copies, a three-time finalist for the RWA RITA award for excellence in romantic fiction, and a three-time winner of the Booksellers Best award. Her books have earned spots on both the Amazon and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers list, as well as the Kindle Top 100. Translated into numerous languages, her books are international bestsellers. Brogan lives in Michigan, and loves writing stories about fictional versions of all the places she loves to visit. She enjoys hearing from readers so please contact her at tracybrogan1225@mail.com, or visit her website at TracyBrogan.com. You can find her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AuthorTracyBrogan or twitter.com/tracybrogan

[mes-reparations-iphone]

In which Have You Been, Neon Signs, and Where by Are You Likely?

Numerous professionals in the lighting industry imagine that the in general outlook for neon signage looks to be incredibly optimistic. Neon signals have a record of a hundred yrs of profitable use in promoting. If there were no neon signs towns and cities would be darker locations and the neon signal marketplace would stop to exist, but that is not possible to occur.Let’s start out with some normal data about neon these types of as why it is really utilised, works by using other than advertising, where it truly is utilized here and in other international locations, neon signage close to the planet, and so a lot extra. Everyone is familiar with its primary use is for promoting and that is what retains the neon signal business likely, but it has lots of other utilizes that are valuable to the public. Get pleasure from viewing Television set? Neon is made use of in in television tubes. Do you have a neon wall clock? Neon lighting is use in the house and in a lot of firms to improve and emphasize darkish places. It is made use of in fuel lasers is used to take out eye cataracts and for other professional medical difficulties. Numerous folks have flown, but did you know this? It has been made use of in beacons and it has can be observed by pilots have observed it twenty miles absent when it was extremely hard for them to see other forms of lights. Neon lights can be witnessed by the fog. Lots of tourists have discovered it really practical when searching for a motel on a foggy evening. Neon does all this and extra.However, neon’s biggest and most widely-known use is in neon indicators. What would make it so useful for symptoms? There are two causes for this. First neon is a initial-rate conductor of electricity, and secondly it has the remarkable ability to give off light-weight that can be seen at wonderful distances. As challenging as it might be to believe neon know-how started off in Europe in 1675. It really is not that neon signs had been invented then but just the idea that would mature into the fashionable neon sign. In simple fact, odd as it could seem to be electrical power was not even found out nevertheless. These two strategies created independently because neither was dependent upon the other staying in position.It was not right up until 1910 that in Paris a, man known as Georges Claude came up with the concept for neon symptoms. His initial work was a signal for a barber shop in that town. How and when did they very first appear to the United States. Earle Anthony, the owner of an automobile dealership in Los Angeles, evidently heard about neon indicators and frequented Paris. The outcome was two Packard neon indicators which he acquired for $one,250. The yr was 1923. The plan unfold speedily due to the fact the two companies and the community took keep of this new idea in promoting. Standard signal promoting was hit with the amazing explosion of neon indications. These initially indicators have been named “liquid fire” no doubt due to the fact of the shiny crimson light-weight they emitted appear to signify hazard.The initially indicator that arrived to Las Vegas was a indication promoting a location known as the “Oasis Cafe Home”. Who recognized then that the town would turn into one particular of the country’s two premiere neon signage showcases? It was a noteworthy party but handful of persons, gave a great deal thought other than that.When discussing neon signage in The united states the Las Vegas Strip(or “The Strip” as it is typically referred to as) and New Yok City’s Moments Sq. are the rational starting off factors. It is straightforward to see how they gained their titles. Equally receive tens of millions of people every calendar year who watch neon displays that are almost blinding. Las Vegas might have an edge over Occasions Sq. since it receives a lot of far more visitors mainly because of its casinos who present the city’s neon display screen. In comparison Periods Sq. signals are issue to additional repeated adjustments thanks to the simple fact that organizations in that metropolis adjust

usually though Las Vegas has casinos that are the mainstay of the city’s revenues and the casinos are often in business enterprise.The Las Vegas Strip is dwelling to a globe renowned iconic neon sign that was erected in 1959. The indicator was the thought of Betty Willis, who worked for a regional indicator firm. The indicator contained the phrases “WELCOME TO Wonderful LAS VEGAS NEVADA”. The indicator was never copyrighted for the reason that Willis regarded as it her gift to the town. This indication is synonymous with the City of Las Vegas. The Willis indication is quantity 1 on the listing of the world’s ten most amazing neon signages. Las Vegas is also household to the world’s biggest neon signal which carries the identify Hilton and is owned by the Hilton Hotel Corporation. This sign was erected in 1996 and handles in excess of 70,000 toes, The Hilton identify is 164 toes vast and the letters are 28 ft large. At a price tag tag of about $9 billion it could conveniently be referred to as the world’s most high priced neon signal.Moments Square received its to start with neon sign in the mid-1920’s. The density of illuminated signs in Moments Sq. has reached the place where by it really is starting to give the Las Vegas Strip a operate for its money. This density is the final result of the lesser dimensions of Moments Sq. when compared to that of the Las Vegas Strip which operates for miles. In any case both equally of these areas are crammed with thousands of signs.Turning our focus from these two neon showcases there are other sites in the Us that have noteworthy neon signals. However, they are naturally not on the exact same degree as the earlier mentioned giants of neon signage. In Elk Metropolis, Oklahoma at the National Route 66 Museum proudly displays the giant legendary Route 66 neon indication. The city of Saginaw, Michigan statements it has the largest neon sign in the condition an d the biggest figural sign in the country. Figural neon signals display individuals and animals. This neon sign is 35 feet superior and fifty ft lengthy.The listing of the major ten neon signs in this region has a lot of neon signs that are nationally acknowledged. Numerous of them are lengthy absent. They all after brightened a metropolis road. Selection a person is Boston which experienced its Schrafftt’s n sign which was a symbol of the company’s candy and chocolate small business. Next area on the checklist went to the “Vegas Vic” signal which was standing tall on the city’s Fremont Strees from 1951 to about 1995 when it was retired.In quantity three situation is the Wonderful Grain Belt Bear signal in Minneapolis which was employed a wonderful lots of yrs since it was installed in 1940, and is now up for sale. Fourth is the Coppertone Woman signal that was erected on Miami’s Biscayne Boulevard to promote the company’s products, suntan lotion. It was a town landmark and was there from 1959 to the 1990’s. What designed the indication so recognizable was the pet that was tugging on the tiny girl’s bathing match. Subsequent on the checklist is the Skipping Woman sign from Abbotsford, Australia. She was identified as”Minor Audrey” and she advertised the Nycander Firm’s merchandise, sugar. She was long gone in 1968 but because of to the public’s outrage at the decline of this landmark she was changed by a reproduction in 1970. Portland, Oregon’s “Manufactured in Oregon” indication which marketed sugar was erected in 1941. It was improved more than the a long time and remained in location when the business remaining the developing in the 1950’s.The Westinghouse Company’s signal in Pittsburgh to the amount seven place. It experienced been up given that the early 1920’s and was taken down in 1998. Having the amount 8 spot is the Magikist’s Organization of Chicago with its signal promoting carpets. The 41,400 pound lips on this signal ended up regarded as a metropolis landmark Nonetheless, all of the past neon symptoms talked about are gone. The quantity 9 sign, the Reno Arch in Reno, Nevada which was constructed in 1927 and is

nevertheless heading potent. Final on the checklist is the Traveler’s Insurance policy umbrella indication which can be identified in Des Moines, Iowa. It was constructed in 1963 and nonetheless in procedure.No mention of neon indicators would be full with out which includes a record of the world’s 10 most impressive illustrations of neon signage. It ought to be of no shock that amount one particular on the record is the iconic WELCOME TO Fantastic LAS VEGAS, NEVADA neon signage. This is followed by the Periods Square exhibit. Third put goes to Hong Kong’s fifteen minute complete skyline mild present, The following spot belongs to Osaka’s Dotonbun signage which was the inspiration for the transfer, “The Blade Runner”. Shanghai’s Najinj Highway takes position range 5 with Tokyo’s Ginza and Shibuya occupying the quantity 6 put. The Vegas Boneyard (the place outdated and iconic Las Vegas signs are restored and exhibited) is up coming. This is adopted by the signage showing Vintage Periods Sq. neon indicators from the 1920’s to the 1950’s.As for the final two on the checklist the Caesar’s Palace neon signage is in ninth location and Bankok’s soi cowboy street completes the checklist. It is interesting to observe at this point that at an before time London’s entire world well known Piccadilly Circus would have most undoubtedly occur in around the prime of this list. It gained what many have called the very first neon sign to occur to Europe, a common smooth drink signal, which was changed a new model in 2003. Having said that, today all of the neon symptoms in Piccadilly Circus are on one particular setting up with the names all becoming large international organizations.Numerous corporations have sprung up in all sections of this nation. Their goal to to gather, restore, and show aged traditional neon and iconic neon signs. One of these is the Neon Museum of Philadelphia which opened in 1983 and shows neon indicators from businesses. The Neon Museum in Las Vegas has legendary neon symptoms from closed casinos and businesses. It has far more than one hundred fifty historic restored and non-restored neon signs. It is non-financial gain and was proven in 1996. The American Indicator Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio was founded in 1999 and is asid to have about two,800 signals of all varieties together with neon. The Los Angeles Neon Museum opened its doors in 1981 with the intention of preserving previous neon symptoms and other sorts of neon artwork. In a related vein a gallery and workshop identified as Permit There Be Light-weight opened up in New York Metropolis in 1972 to practice artists how to use neon.Just after illuminated indicator use started in the United States other cities followed despite the fact that at a a great deal slower rate. Tokyo appears to be a single of the initially towns outdoors of the United States to get them. They had been mounted in a metropolis park in 1926. Australia’s 1st just one appeared in a Melbourne suburb in 1930. Johannesburg, South Africa acquired its very first a person in 1935. India didn’t get its initial just one right up until about 1940. Living Room Neon Signs Shanghai, China experienced to wait around until finally 1982 to get its initially one particular. Puskin Sq. in Moscow acquired its 1st sign in 1989. It was a preferred comfortable drink indicator. Stockholm. Sweden received its first a person all around 1936. On the other hand, Zurich Switzerland is reputed to have no neon symptoms.Even so, their are some metropolitan areas in the earth that have banned the use of neon indications in their jurisdictions. The Prime Minister of Pakistan, seeking to battle his countrys expanding electrical power dilemma, banned them and brightly-lit billboards. In January 2010 the town of Sao Paulo, Brazil, which is the world’s fourth major city, banned them to try and quit its growing pollution difficulty. In the US in 1996 the city of Avon, Connecticut passed an ordinance banning the use of what they termed uncovered tubes, but neon signals encased in plastic were alright to use. The town’s

inhabitants questioned the reasoning behind this ordinance. A lot more recently a ban in opposition to the production and sale of illuminated tubes has long gone into impact in Vermont and Massachusetts with other states looking to follow suit. Illuminated tubes not applying mercury are permitted.The metropolis of Madrid, Spain, has an ordinance that prohibits all illuminated indications in the city’s heart so as to lessen contamination, preserve energy, and to make the city additional aesthetically pleasurable. This ordinance covers all neon utilised in pharmacies, theater marquees, company indications, and bars. Madrid had experienced illuminated indications for around 70 many years up to this issue.The city of Duluth, Georgia prohibits neon indicators, and even though these symptoms are not prohibited in Mesa, Arizona the city’s present working day ordinances and guidelines weigh seriously against the survival of illuminated signals.Starting in the 1960’s there was a motion in the United States and Canada towards illuminated indicators. The city of Vancouver banned the use of these symptoms on what once were brilliantly-lit streets which then turned darkish passageways that left the city with a chilly, heartless, look.Considering that we are talking about neon signals it might be a great thought to get an idea about the neon indication industry. In 2008 neon indicator organization full revenues had been about $2.nine billion. The sign marketplace, as a complete, had revenues of about $eleven billion. At that time there have been some 35,00 signal retailers, which include illuminated sign outlets, in this region. These quantities have developed in thw succeeding a long time.

[minimotives]

First and foremost:

I am absolutely sorry for the last blog post that you may or may not have seen if you subscribe to this blog (It’s gone now).  I was not hacked but apparently James was.  Also, apparently he was set as a contributor to this blog.  So someone hacked into his account and published some sub-par English (like I have any room to complain!) post about something or another… I am sorry to be a cruddy email in your inbox though and thank you so much for those of you who let me know so I could handle it!  It has been fixed and I’ll do my very best to not let it happen again!

Quick Recap!

So, 13 months, to the day, is how long we were on the road.  And 39,998 miles (I’d like to just round that up bat I can’t do it).  In that time we were able to hit 45 national parks (all of them in the lower 48 excluding 4 island parks accessible only by boat or plane).  We can all, including Denver, say we’ve been to 48 of the 50 states.

I did technically take a computer but it was not easy to hook it up to the internet (I attached via phone).  Then, every time I did my computer wanted to update.  So any time I wanted to write a blog post I had to basically wait 2-4 hours and hope I remembered enough to scribble it down.  As you can see, I think I wrote about 6 blog posts the whole time we were out and that was from my phone (its not easy to blog via touch pad!).  I’m sorry for that but it was a lot more fun exploring the country!!  Hopefully, if you wanted you were able to find us on Instagram where I still updated.

We left in the middle of some hot and heavy tiny house discussions and it’s pretty much been tabled the whole time we were away.  We are very happy to be back thought to finish working through the nuances and hopefully make it easier to live tiny in Idaho at least!

Before That Happens Though:

We have to find a home base.  The thought of mooching off any family while we figure it out is not appealing.  We have great tenants in our ‘real’ house and have no ambition to kick them out just so we could live there a little while.  We can’t occupy the tiny house. Short term (or long term) rentals are astronomical in Boise right now. (Click here for a special link to Yahoo about our hometown)

This left us with one logical answer.  When James moved in to the tiny he never fully downsized.  He just kind of put his things in boxes and then built a basic, detached garage for his ‘real house’, then stored all of his stuff in there.  So we’re converting that garage into some temporary housing for our family of four!

Our Anniversary

We didn’t just end our trip 13 months to the day after take off, we also ended it one our anniversary.  Every year we take a family photo in front of our home as a snapshot of the year.  I am glad to get another picture with ‘Lil Beastie! (our camper).  Here are our anniversary photos to date, I wonder what next year’s will look like! ha!

We lead a pretty cool life, I am so glad I, on a whim, started taking these pictures!

Year six, can you believe we were on the same vacation as the picture taken one year earlier! 🙂

Year Five, new home on wheels for a while

Year four, no new family members!, yea!

Year three, Miles is just about done cooking!

Year two, surprise baby Hazel!

Year one, the day Denver came to live with us!

First date – who even gets this picture??

Now The Downsizing Begins Again!

James has been hardcore into the real downsizing efforts.  A year on the road has been pretty eye opening for both of us on what we really need (spoiler: less than what we currently own!).  Honestly, I have cleared the tiny house of several truck loads of stuff!  Our kids have grown up in a year and they really don’t need all the baby stuff we had.  James has gone through box upon box.  We’ve taken two truck loads to the dump, were planning a yard sale for anything else.  Whatever doesn’t sell will be donated to start a new life elsewhere.  Hazel and Miles have been going through all their stuff, they are excited to earn money from their toys AND plan on hosting a lemonade stand for cool refreshments.  I absolutely cannot believe the amount of STUFF we have accumulated in our tiny little places!

Building Anew!

After this weekend we really get going!  We will be adding a kitchen, a custom playhouse/fort for the kids, and doing all those little projects that take a garage to a home for a family of four and their dog!  I will try to do updates because its totally relevant to ‘tiny homes’ and living in small spaces.  Sometimes Instagram is just easier for me because it’s quicker (and can be done from my phone).  I will definitely update on the legalities once that conversation gets going too.  I am happy to be back and ready to rock this world again!  In the mean time here are some of my favorite pictures of our adventures!

Also, this is not the end of our travels, we absolutely plan to make it to those four parks we skipped and are already planning our trip to Alaska (my last state) for next summer followed by celebrating James’s 40th birthday next fall in Hawaii!  We should be able to see all these amazing National Parks before too long!

Oh, P.S.

Our cat is mad we are back.  Did you know we had a cat? It’s probably because I am a dog person ;-).

He misses his bachelors pad and all the fancy parties he used to throw! While we were away we had an RFID cat door programmed to his microchip so that he could enter and exit the house at will (but nothing else could).  We set up a camera pointed at his food so we could make sure he was alive and eating.  Any time the food got low we would order another bag from Amazon and have James’s sister or mom run over and fill his dish.  Pretty sure he enjoyed that set up a whole lot more than he enjoys our company!

The Pictures

Tetons NP

Washingtons Peninsula

Cascade NP

Mt. Rainier NP

The Oregon Coast

Crater Lake NP

Redwoods NP

Patricks Point, CA

Everglades NP

Bug watching, She is the best at finding lizards, frogs and catipilars

Bryce Canyon NP

Death Valley NP

Suguaro NP

Florida dog beach

Grand Canyon NP

Yosemite NP

California Free Camping

Zion NP

Zion Hike

Utah Farm

Mesa Verde NP

Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP

The dop of the highest sand dune in North America, Great Sand dune NP

Petrified Forest/Painted Dessert NP

Painted Desert NP

Spring in Death Valley NP

Death Valley

Death Valley Dunes

Joshua Tree NP

Saguaro NP

White Sands NM

White Sands NM

Big Bend NP

One of MANY awesome aquariums (this one is in Mississippi)

Mardi Gras Parade in New Orleans!

Cocoa Beach with Poppy

Furthest South Point in the US

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Disneys Magic Kingdom

Florida

North Carolina

Playgrounds across America!

Mammoth Cave NP

Smokey Mountain NP

Random Virginia picture (such a pretty state!!)

Shanendoah NP

Shanandoah NP

West Virginia

Washington DC

Wild ponies!!

Birthday Boy in Maine

Furthest east point in the US

Denver could not contain himself around that much water!

thousand Island area in New York

Hot springs

Sibling bonding

Denver got a lot of this!

He learned to fake his first smile and I caught it on camera!

Sand dunes in Michigan

Teddy Roosevelt NP

National Grasslands

Idaho is kinda pretty too 🙂

Learning new tricks

Glacier NP

Teton NP

Mt. Rushmore

Badlands NP

Rocky Mountain NP

Happy Campers!

Colorado bonding

Great Salt Lake

Spiral Jetty, UT

Great Salt Lake

AND… We’re Back! First and foremost: I am absolutely sorry for the last blog post that you may or may not have seen if you subscribe to this blog (It's gone now). 

[orbemnews]

After Tony Hsieh’s Shocking Death, Zappos Looks to Move Forward It was never going to be easy to succeed Tony Hsieh, the celebrated chief executive of Zappos, who turned a tiny online shoe seller into a $1 billion behemoth through an obsessive focus on corporate culture and happy employees. But Kedar Deshpande took over at a particularly fraught time. Zappos, which is owned by Amazon, was already navigating remote work and grappling with pandemic-driven changes in how people shop when Mr. Hsieh abruptly retired in August after two decades, which led Mr. Deshpande to be named C.E.O. Then in November, tragedy struck: Mr. Hsieh, 46, died from injuries suffered in a house fire in New London, Conn., sending shock waves throughout the roughly 1,500-person company, as well as tech and entrepreneurial circles. Since then, it has been reported that Mr. Hsieh had been behaving erratically for months and that friends had considered staging an intervention last summer. The revelations brought new scrutiny to the circumstances of his exit from Zappos. Mr. Deshpande, who was previously Zappos’s chief operating officer, said that when Mr. Hsieh told him last summer that he wanted to pursue other projects, he did not push back. “From my experience working with Tony, Tony always believed in the things that he wanted to change,” Mr. Deshpande said in an interview, his first as chief executive. “I asked him, ‘Hey, Tony, are you sure?’ And he said, ‘Yes, I want to retire’ — so that was the end of the conversation.” Now, Mr. Deshpande, 42, is tasked with shepherding Zappos through the late stages of the pandemic and into the company’s next phase as an online retailer, without Mr. Hsieh’s guidance. He must also show whether the company’s culture of “fun and a little weirdness” in Las Vegas can survive without its chief architect. “The Covid situation and everything else going on makes it very tough, particularly with a culture that is built on physical proximity and happiness associated with that,” Mr. Deshpande said in the Zoom interview, from his home in Henderson, Nev. But he said he was optimistic about the future, especially given the decade he had spent at Zappos in different roles. “The culture is not just one person or two people,” he said. There was apparently no long-term succession plan when Mr. Hsieh stepped down. Zappos’s board, which consists of Amazon and Zappos employees, elevated Mr. Deshpande to the role. The company, founded in 1999, has long functioned as an independent unit within Amazon, which acquired it for $1.2 billion in July 2009 and does not disclose its financials. It’s tough for a person to replace a C.E.O. with an outsize personality like Mr. Hsieh, said Erik Gordon, a professor at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, who anticipated that Zappos’s culture will face some changes under new leadership. “The person who takes over from the founder who created the culture doesn’t have the authenticity or moral authority that the founder had,” Mr. Gordon said. “Can he maintain the same spirit of fun and a little weirdness and positive team spirit?” (Mr. Hsieh did not found the company, but has been referred to as a founder based on his involvement as an investor and chief executive from its earliest days.) Mr. Deshpande, who is from Aurangabad, India, came to the United States for a master’s degree in computer engineering, and joined Zappos after stints at General Electric and PepsiCo. He joins a growing list of South Asian chief executives in the United States, at companies like Microsoft; Google’s parent company, Alphabet; and Gap. Zappos, which derives its name from “zapatos,” the Spanish word for shoes, was an early e-commerce success story under Mr. Hsieh, who wrote a best-selling book in 2010, “Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose.” It argued that a company’s top priority should be its culture and that keeping employees happy translated into success with customers. The company, which moved from the Bay Area to southern Nevada in 2004 and now has a campus in downtown Las Vegas, developed a reputation for being a fun, almost cultlike place to work, where employees regularly socialized at work and outside the office. The company has claimed that it is harder to get a job at Zappos than it is to get into Harvard. Mr. Deshpande said Zappos employees had become closer in some ways in the past year as they brought family or pets into the remote-work fold. “When we have Halloween contests, it’s the entire family that is participating,” said Mr. Deshpande, who has two young daughters. He described packages Zappos sent to employees and their families for activities like planting herb gardens or performing science experiments. He guessed that employees would start returning to the office after July 1 and were likely to develop hybrid schedules with some remote and some in-person work. While Zappos did not have to struggle with the drop-off at physical stores that so many other retailers did, it did take a hit early on in the pandemic as shoes and clothing became an afterthought; few people were buying high heels last March. Sales have recovered since, fueled by demand in the so-called performance and home categories — think running and hiking shoes, pajamas, athleisure and slippers. Mr. Deshpande said he was unsure when demand for high heels would return, but anticipated that people would continue to want comfort as the economy reopened. Zappos has introduced and expanded ways to smooth out the kinks of online shopping during the pandemic, like allowing some customers to make returns through UPS home pickups, and making it easier to exchange items. It also observed that the average length of calls with customer service representatives had increased as people had more time in a closed-off world. They also left more detailed reviews on products. One of the company’s biggest goals, and a top priority for Mr. Deshpande in coming years, is figuring out how to make online shopping less transactional and more like the browsing experiences that people seek out in malls and department stores. That includes developing new digital magazinelike “verticals” — much like what media companies create — such as “The Ones,” which is tailored for female sneakerheads and advertised as “powered by Zappos.” Zappos is also behind VRSNL, a luxury site that has its own web address and no visible link to the shoe site. It features wares from designers like Dolce & Gabbana and Proenza Schouler. The company has been pouring new effort into product detail pages and informational videos catered to audiences like new runners, and even co-developing merchandise and campaigns with the brands it carries. “What online fails to deliver, which physical delivers today, is around these different experiences,” Mr. Deshpande said. “Until you actually go and deliver on these experiences, people will go back to the physical, in my opinion, and they will stay online for only transactional experiences.” The company refers to these efforts as “experience commerce,” and said the category was driving 25 percent of its investments. Outside of prompting consumers to explore more, Zappos is also trying to make online shopping more cohesive — all with the aim of getting consumers to spend more money over time. “One of the challenges has been that when somebody walks into ‘online,’ somebody looking for a jacket, for example, we show them inventory next to each other — like a $30 jacket, $50, $100, $300,” Mr. Deshpande said. “This is a very disorienting experience.” In his view, all of the efforts are in line with Zappos’s obsessive focus on service for the past 20 years, which he anticipates remaining its focus for the next 20 years. While the company is still grieving Mr. Hsieh, Mr. Deshpande said, employees will continue to embody the values that he championed. He pointed to an instance during the holidays when one employee mentioned children missing out on meeting Santa Claus during the pandemic, leading to a multidepartment effort to set up Santa Zoom meetings for children around the country. “To me, Tony’s legacy is around delivering this happiness to everybody,” Mr. Deshpande said. “This culture he has created or pioneered, it’s going to be alive.” Source link Orbem News #Death #Hsiehs #move #Shocking #Tony #Zappos