#vacation costs

[lingocurio]

My imaginary trip to the Azores starts in 10 days! Let's figure out what it would cost.

TLDR estimate of per person per day cost: CAD $235/USD $172 for solo travellers; CAD $205/USD $150 for dynamic duos.

Read on to see how I arrived at those numbers.

I already have my flights in and out of Terceira, my accommodations, transportation and activities. The only thing left to figure out is how much food is going to cost.

I first used Google maps to find restaurants in Angra do Heroismo. For some of them I was able to see menus. It seems that most entrées range in price from around €15 to €24. I can probably estimate an average price of about €20/day for a nice dinner.

I would opt to have a hot meal at a restaurant as my mid-day meal when possible. Oftentimes lunch menus have cheaper items available than dinner menus.

For breakfasts and suppers, I would shop at markets and grocery stores. My accommodations has a kitchen with a fridge, stove, microwave and basic cookware, so I can easily whip up some easy meals and store food.

I found this website that gives the cost of common grocery items. Here's a sample grocery list for the week that would provide for hearty breakfasts and simple suppers:

1 liter of milk, €0.69

2 loaves of bread, €1.44

500 g (1 lb) of rice, €0.54

A dozen eggs, €1.98

500 g (1 lb) cheese €3.86

500 g (1 lb) chicken €4.00

500 g (1 lb) apples €0.72

500 g (1 lb) bananas €0.32

500 g (1 lb) oranges €0.72

500 g (1 lb) tomatoes €0.72

Bottle of wine (mid-range) €5.29

Domestic beer (0.5 liter bottle) € 1.89

The grand total for this list is €22.17, or €2.77 per day (my stay on Terceira is 8 days long).

I always like to round-up when estimating to allow for unexpected expenses. So let's say I need about €3/day for breakfast and supper.

It also occured to me in the meantime that if I'm eating at a restaurant, there's going to be tax added to the bill. I thought I saw somewhere that Portugal has an 18% VAT (Value-Added Tax). So a €20 meal is going to come to €23.60.

Then we also need to figure in tips. In Canada, I usually tip about 15-20%, so let's just use the VAT rate of 18%. That means we have to add another €3.60 to the €23.60 meal (€20 entrée + €3.60 VAT) for a grand total of €27.20, on average. Again, I like to round up when estimating, so let's call it an even €30.

So altogether we're looking at about €33/day for meals (€30 restaurant meals + €3 groceries). For the 8 days that comes to €264.

Let's add it all up!

Meals: €264

Cab rides to and from the airport: €40 + tip = €47.20

Guided tours: €279 + tax + tip = €379.44

Bike rental: €45 + tax = €53.10

So far the total is €743.74. Let's convert that to Canadian dollars. The current exchange rate is about CA$1.46 per Euro. So the total in Canadian dollars is going to be about $1085.

Now let's add the accommodations and airfare, which I already have in Canadian dollars.

Accommodations: $296 + tax = $349.28

Airfare Terceira to Ponta Delgada (taxes and fees already included): $107

Airfare Toronto to Terceira (taxes and fees already included): $341.

The grand total to the nearest dollar is: $1882, or $235.25/day. In US dollars that would be about $1377, or $172/day.

This estimate is for a solo traveller. If you are travelling as a couple or with a friend or family member that you can share accommodations with, the per person cost will be cheaper since the cost of accommodations will not be double the amount for two sharing a room. I think the accommodations I pretend-booked can accommodate two people with no change in price. For food, you would obviously need twice the amount, but often with groceries buying double the amount doesn't necessarily mean double the price, since you usually pay a premium for smaller packaging. For restaurant food as well, you can sometimes get shared platters or a set dinner for two that is cheaper than buying two individual meals. And obviously for a cab, the fare is the same whether there is one passenger or two.

So let's say that food for two adults might cost around €60/day (€55 restaurant meal + €5 groceries), or €480 for 8 days.

Cab rides to and from the airport will still be about €50.

Guided tours and bike rentals will be doubled at €760 and €106 respectively.

Convert the subtotal of €1396 to Canadian dollars at the current exchange rate of $1.46 and you get $2038.16.

Accommodations stay the same at $349.28. Double the airfare for the two flights to get $214 and $682. Grand total is: CAD $3283.44, or CAD $1641.72 per person (about $205/day per person). In USD that comes out to $1201.40 per person, or about $150/day per person.

And there you have it! Now I can start saving up for a real trip one day!

Next stop: Ponta Delgada.

[youthchronical]

He's British, she's Australian. Here's their trick to traveling 10,000 miles — with kids in tow

I’m proud to call the tiny sugarcane farming community of Ingham, Australia, my hometown. It boasts blue skies, sandy beaches and Australia’s longest single-drop waterfall. But its location — at the northern end of the state of Queensland — is a problem for me. Lured by the desire to explore Europe, I left for London 17 years ago, on a two-year working holiday visa. I had no idea that a handsome…

[neyatimes]

Can ChatGPT help plan trips? Yes, if you use these prompts

When you use a guidebook, you’re limited by its contents. The advantage of using ChatGPT is that it can take you down any track you want. It’s even possible to uncover hidden gems – if you ask the right questions. Like finding pasta cooked by a “nonna” in an Italian restaurant frequented by locals, or getting a brunch recommendation to eat at E Pellicci in London — a fabulous spot that might be…

[the-raindeer-king]

Simon and Price are the kind of guys that insist on paying for everything on a vacation. They're paying for the hotel, the rental car, food, any stupid knickknacks you want. If you even pull out your wallet, they're going to be all huffy. John will politely tell you not to worry about, he's got you covered. On the hand, Simon's taking your wallet from you, telling you that you don't need to spend your money, you've got him for that.

Johnny and Kyle don't mind splitting things with you. You pay for the hotel, he'll pay for the flights, dividing out the expenses so you've both got money for the actual trip. Johnny gets all lovey-dovey when you buy him things, jokes that you're spoiling him. But don't fret, he'll get you back later. Gaz gets all warm and fuzzy when you pay for dinner, staring at you with a lovestruck expression. He thinks it's so sweet, and it's just one more push towards finally pulling the ring out of his pocket.

[light-intothedarkness]

الساحل الطيب💕

[here-comes-the-moose]

When I’m writing my Modern AU but then try to figure out and calculate how the life I gave the Batch is financially possible:

[seraphirism]

Butler’s Cruise Vacation - Outfits.

[tazmiilly]

woke up from a disturbing nightmare before immediately passing back out and having another dream about this friend I have only in my dreams. she showed me her awesome kid icarus arcade machine. it was super cool

[barksbog]

I've been looking into hiking a lot with leon and it's honestly driving me up the walls how gentrified hiking is here in Austria. most of the nicer routes are overrun and/or have horribly expensive parking.

multi day hikes/short camping trips are impossible here if you're broke and have a dog because you need to reserve and pay to sleep in sheds in the alps (that don't allow dogs) and all forms of wild camping are illegal.

idk the realisation that all of the "hardcore" hikers sleep in little well temperatured huts that usually even offer food and drinks made me realise hiking like that is just another pay to play sport. i'll just keep crawling down the day trip mountains instead.

[skellydun]

thinking about ending it all (quitting my job)

[youthchronical]

Major airlines are cutting services to China or quitting entirely amid low travel demand, high costs

British Airlines, Qantas and Finnair are some of the airlines that are reducing services to China. Nicola Economou | Nurphoto | Getty Images Major global airlines are reducing services and, in some instances, withdrawing from China altogether as longer routes to Asia following the closure of Russian airspace have raised operational costs, while demand has been low. Virgin Atlantic and…

[mixelation]

laptop update: they diagnosed the problem and somehow the warranty for the battery replacement i got also covers this repair even though it's a different part (yay!). however it is in the shop until the part comes in (boo!!!)

so i am stuck using my shitty PC lmao

[kalibabysworld]

I'd bet a lot of money that at least 50% of the reason Charly smashed his racquet today is because he's still carrying over frustration and anger (and disappointment) from the loss in Paris. That wasn't even two weeks ago and he himself admitted that that loss hurt more than most.

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s4 episode 22 thoughts

i watched this episode last night and wasn't sure how i felt beyond Sad, so i figured sleeping on it would help. but it didn't. the main flavors of this episode were Sad and Ableism. join me for this ride.

now. after the utter ROLLERCOASTER that was last episode, i haven’t a clue what to expect today. but i hope it’s good. because i want it to be good. i want to be at the edge of my seat again. but this time, with more scully.

but also if they were going to go camping and sit around a fire and tell spooky stories, i would also be entirely content with that. actually that episode would cross into my top 15 for sure. so really it can go either way.

hmm… allow us to read the episode description. it kind of sounds like another monster of the week situation and not at all a continuation of the last episode. so i will go into that expecting it. but i swear i’ve heard this episode title mentioned before, which usually indicates it’s either beloved or beloathed. let’s find out which!

(is it a fan fave or hated by the masses? i couldn't tell! you tell me!)

(and oh god... the episode title... after knowing what happens in it... pain. everywhere)

we open with bowling!!! a fine activity when you’re in good company. but given that this is taking place in the opening part of the show, i figure some sort of grisly murder will go down.

this guy (later revealed to be named mr. pintero) is collecting beers and sodas while creepy music plays. another fellow (harold) is organizing the rack of bowling shoes. harold is not done yet, but boss tells him to go home. it is clear that having the shoes unorganized is making harold unhappy. 

but one of the pin machines (i had to look it up- it's called a pinsetter! i really do learn so much here) is going off!! despite no prompting!!! and a ball comes back… covered in BLOOD????

BOWLING MACHINE MURDER???

one of the pins is dripping blood too… so pintero goes down to investigate inside the pinsetter

WHAT THE FUCK THERE’S A GIRL IN THERE??????????????

pintero is trying to get help as ghostly girl hangs about inside the pinsetter. he runs outside to find a cop and he sees a girl on the side of the road bleeding from her neck!!!

same girl…? different girls??? hard to tell 

mr. pintero quickly confirms that it IS the girl he saw in the pinsetter now laying out here on the pavement. it was hard to tell because she had gone goth since her death. and also why was she in a bowling alley??? upon death that’s not where i’m going to go. i hope. do you get to choose? i mean maybe i’d go bowl some rounds, but i wouldn’t climb INTO the machine

now how does this involve harold…..?

SCULLY BOWLING??????????? GOD, DID YOU HEAR ME WHEN I ASKED FOR HER HAPPINESS??? 

(author's note: -_- )

okay, so maybe she’s at the murder bowling alley, but still!!!! she’s tying on her shoes and mulder is with mr. pintero investigating the lane. 

oh man, is she just putting the shoes on to go investigate and not even play a few rounds…? i knew i shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up. it was too good to be true.

mulder beckons her to slide into the pinsetter machine in between him and mr. pintero, who says the ghost girl was caught up in the machinery. and i do love a little bit of them being smushed together. but mr. pintero says that the ghost girl was gone when he came back after seeing her hit by the car. is this confusing to read? it’s confusing to write.

mr. pintero is self conscious of his story because of the look on scully’s face LMAOOOO noooo mr. pintero please do not be sad... she is just like that!

mulder asks for a soda… king

(i thought he was getting scully caffeine because we know she needs it to survive, but he actually had it for a larger plan) 

“what is that look, scully?” “i would have thought that after four years, you’d know exactly what that look was” <- lmaooooo

“what, you don’t believe in ghosts?” (he proceeds to elaborate on the difference between ghosts, disembodied spirits, and death omens while bowling) (scully looks impressed as he gets a strike) LMAOOOOOOOOOOO i swear she thought he was attractive there. you could see it in her eyes.

so: three death omens have appeared in three weeks before three murders. that’s a pretty consistent pattern. the omens have been trying to say something… but what?

mulder takes his soda and says that if she waits a second he might have an answer. does the cola reveal things to him???

no, he pours the soda onto the wax of the lane and finds writing on there!!! it says “she is me”. now what does that mean!!!

now they must be debriefed by a detective in a room full of other investigators. the three victims have all had the same age, weight, hair, and eye color, which is horrifying. and all were attacked in the same 6 blocks!!!

mulder is whispering something to scully in the back of the room (adorable), but the guy who is running the debrief finds it less so, and asks what tf he has to say and who tf is he. which leads him to explaining his apparition theory while scully looks on, very much recalling the incident with plane guy mike from tempus fugit. at least this time it wasn't her birthday.

mulder asks if there were any other written messages at the crime scenes and if “she is me” means anything to anyone, and the jerk detective says someone claimed those were her last words, but she couldn’t have actually said them as her larynx was severed (she could have said that before the severing???)

but the detective dismisses the claim as coming from “a nut” and sends the agents off to follow that lead, which leads them to a psychiatric center. where someone is painting a bird!! it’s pretty nice. 

the nurses gather the patients to ask if anyone used the payphone to report a murder on friday. our old friend harold looks deeply uncomfortable. 

mulder holds up a photo of the dead girl, which the patients identify as the murder victim. and then scully pulls out a magazine with jay leno on the cover and a few patients say jay leno did it??? can you imagine. god. that’d be a crazy episode. she leaves the room, seeming to think this is a waste of time. but mulder notices that harold was very quiet during this whole exchange. 

scully is going over the crime scene photos in the hallway…. ohhhh, she found that the murderer changed the hand the ring each victim wore was on!! she’s very clever to notice such a small detail

he asks about what would make a person switch the rings around, and she points out a form of OCD that usually does not escalate to murder, but it involves doing things over and over again until they’re just right……. is that supposed to be a hint to harold….?

mulder says he’s about to get harold to confess to making the call. but harold is denying it. when mulder asks if he’s seen a ghost, he starts yelling. this did not go as planned.

scully says that harold has something called “atypical autism” which i am going to google (it seems to go by a new name now in the DSM 5?), and that he has spent his life in and out of treatment centers like this one. and he also has severe OCD… which she says would explain the switching of the rings. 

hey! OCD does not equal murder.

but i suppose that anyone is capable of murder, and perhaps she is just accounting for taking the rings off of one hand and onto another.

mulder asks a very relevant question: if harold did it, why did he now start killing people? he was clearly prone to outbursts when under distress… but that doesn’t explain the “she is me” or the apparitions. or, you know. going from yelling over being asked uncomfortable questions to slitting people's throats. bit of a jump there.

harold can come and go as he pleases, and he has a job…. hmm. this does not mean he did the murdering.

but then scully’s nose starts bleeding onto his files!!!

there was so much concern in mulder's “oh, scully…” and she insists that she’s fine, just needs to wash up. mulder looks like he was just punched as she leaves.

(i need the gif set please. please gif it. the pain... i want to microdose it in a controlled environment)

she goes to the bathroom to clean up and WHAT THE FUCK?????? she sees the “she is me” written in BLOOD on the mirror.

AND THEN A VERY SILLY LOOKING GHOST GREENSCREENED IN APPEARS LMAOOOOO (i love you 90's tech you are my best friend) but the ghost is bleeding from her neck. which is less funny.

hold on. DOES THAT MEAN SCULLY IS GOING TO DIE??? because she saw the death omen?????

mulder’s knocking on the door of the bathroom, asking if she’s in there, and when she finally replies with a quiet and strained “yeah” he reports that they've found another victim, a college student with her throat cut. and the girl she had seen had a college sweatshirt on!!!

she is utterly gagged. this must be a very challenging thing for a non-believer to see. and to confront the implications.

at the crime scene, she’s looking at the victim's body. and this victim also had a ring on her finger that was switched from one hand to the other. scully is still staring in shock.

and harold escaped somehow!!!

she seems almost like she’s about to tell mulder what she saw back in the bathroom, but then she says that she’s going to go get “this” (gesturing to her nose) checked out. he asks to drive her and she says no, she’s fine, and he double checks and says it’s just precaution, the doctors have been keeping a close eye on it, etc etc. LET HIM DRIVE YOU!! IT’S OKAY!!!!!!! he watches her, puzzled. 

(god, how i want to get onscreen, shake her by the shoulders, and tell her that letting herself be loved and cared for is not weakness... idgaf what sort of mentality her navy father installed in her. let's work it out together)

harold has a paper in his hand and is applying glue as he mutters some numbers. they’re bowling score sheets he’s gluing to the wall!! kinda cool. recycling.

BUT they read “she is me” in BLOOD…. he turns around and sees the ghosts of the victims!!!!!!!!! he just wants to be left alone!!!! leave harold alone!!!!! why are they haunting him????

scully is getting blood drawn. oh god i can’t look and she looks horrified…. she’s looking in the mirror

and now a jump to a therapy scene. she’s talking to her therapist about her fears, how she's scared to talk to mulder about them, and how she’s kept working despite the diagnosis. she says she doesn’t feel she owes it to mulder to keep working. good. know your value.

“i guess i never realized how much i rely on him, before this” <- STOP. STOP STOP. actually no. please continue. please express your feelings. i’m just gonna cry while you do it.

“his passion. he’s been a great source of strength that i’ve drawn on” <- oh... oh...

the therapist asks what happened last night, and she says she saw something, and she doesn’t know what it was or why, but she’s crying. then she explains the apparition. the therapist asks if she’s sure she doesn’t know what the ghost was trying to tell her. 

oh my god……. she knows what it means....

mulder is back at the bowling alley, looking for harold, and mr. pintero says he would never do such a crime.

but lane 6 is dropping pins…. harold is hiding back there?!!!

mulder follows him in as he climbs up the walls… and when he finds him, he’s muttering “she is me” over and over and over again. WHAT DOES IT MEAN???? 

the jerk detective from the police is here while harold is being questioned, and he blatantly ignores the lawyer telling him not to ask any questions about his guilt or innocence. wow! great guy. said with heavy sarcasm.

mulder asks harold if he knew those women, and if he’s scared they’ll visit him, to which he keeps reciting numbers. is he reciting their bowling scores??? and then he gives one of the victim’s shoe sizes when asked!!!!!

detective jerk takes this as a confession, while mulder says he needs harold’s help to prove him innocent. it just seems to me like he has an amazing memory. luckily, mr. pintero is very kind to him. 

detective jerk continues to be a dick as harold shows them to a room where he tons and tons of score cards pasted to the walls, and can recall them by name, including those belonging to the victims. very impressive.

but then harold sees a ghost?????

he’s running away and finds mr. pintero dead on the floor!!!!! harold is sobbing. omg... no... mr. pintero... i grew to be fond of you in our brief time together.

cutscene to scully at home in her fuzzy robe, praying. it feels we are interrupting a very intimate moment. the doorbell rings. it’s mulder!

he needs her medical expertise at this late hour. then once he enters the apartment, he asks what her doctor said, to which she reassures him she’s fine, which i do not believe in the slightest.

the contrast between him in his suit and her in her fluffy robe is very sweet, but he’s trying to explain that harold saw an apparition of mr. pintero’s death

(he lowkey did just imply that harold’s autism is what lets him see ghosts though??? so that’s kinda wild. that or i misunderstood something drastically)

NOOOOO. MULDER POINTS OUT THAT EVERYONE WHO SAW THE VISIONS WERE DYING. he wants to know if harold’s dying?? no no no. 

OH MY GOSH SHE’S TRYING TO GRASP WHAT THAT MEANS……………..

no. no no. and to think, i thought we were getting fun bowling time when this episode began. 

they go to the home he’s at to examine him, but someone is listening. it's harold's roomie chuck.

harold’s supposed to take his meds, but he’s not doing that. the nurse, named nurse innes, says to TAKE HIS POISON??? is that euphemistic or...

“did you tell them about your little girlfriends? did you show them your pictures??” <- HUH?? WHAT IS GOING ON!!!!

“you think they loved you back? no one could love you, harold” <- HEY WHAT. WHO IS THIS LADY????

oh that’s a slur. that’s a full on slur she says to him. 

there’s a distant scream and the doctor has been attacked, it seems. well. deserved. 

innes is claiming “he went berserk” and attacked him. i do not believe this at all.

the other nurse seems very nice :(

they’re going to split up, scully will talk to chuck the roommate and mulder will look for harold

OH! innes pulls out a scalpel. so she fully cut her own head. wow. what a great lady. again said with great sarcasm. we have some real charmers in this episode.

scully’s talking to chuck. and he asks her if harold is dying, because nurse innes is trying to poison him. harold TOLD chuck that innes was poisoning him!! nooo, harold :(

chuck says he really loved them, and when she asks who it was that harold really loved, he pulls out the pictures of the girls who were murdered that harold kept in his drawer. the only other person who knew about those pictures was nurse innes!!!

did she kill them???????????

scully goes to find innes and notices that she is clenching her fist….. she drops the pills… and then tries to attack scully with the scalpel!!!

bad idea to try and attack an FBI agent, you absolute buffoon. she manages to slam scully around a bit, and then to promptly get shot.

mulder hears the gunshot and is sprinting to get there. he notices scully is cut on her hand right away 😭😭😭 i love when he worries about her

she used her stellar aim skills to once again land a non-lethal shot to the shoulder, to which i am very proud to see her sharpshooting skills once again highlighted!!

and she says that he should bag the scalpel, she’s pretty sure it’s the murder weapon. dang! she solved this one without him. queen.

the theory she cooks up is that innes has been taking harold’s meds, which can cause unstable behavior, and maybe she was trying to kill harold’s happiness. and then mulder breaks the news that was harold found dead in an alley. no, harold :(

she’s trying to say he wasn’t dying, he was being denied medical care. he clocks that this has a deeper meaning right away… “is that your medical opinion?”

(not even joking, someone poked their head in my room while i was watching this and said "you have a miserable look on your face". yeah. i know <3 it hurted)

“i saw something, mulder” <- oh my god. oh my god. she's going to tell him.

“i saw her in the bathroom before you came to tell me”

(holy fuck i need to rewatch this three times)

“why didn’t you tell me?” (he's keeping his voice so calm)

“because i didn’t want to believe it. because i don’t want to believe it”

“is that why you came down here, to prove that it wasn’t true?”

“no, i came down here because you asked me to” (there's annoyance in her voice)

“why can’t you be honest with me?” <- ohhh. oh my goodness. he sounds so sad.

“what do you want me to say? that you’re right? that-that I believe it even if i don’t? i mean, is that what you want?” <- ohh, that is a low blow. she’s hurting and she’s throwing words in any direction to try and deflect the pain she feels… because she cannot control it and she desperately wants to 

now he’s growing annoyed, but trying to reign it in: “is that what you think i want to hear?”

silence. a beat. and then: “no.” she seems to realize that trying to hurt him helps nobody.

“you can believe what you want to believe, scully, but you can’t hide the truth from me. because if you do, you’re working against me. and yourself” (and oh my god, she would never want to work against him... the weaponization of their mutual cause to get her to be honest and take care of herself)

“i know what you’re afraid of. i’m afraid of the same thing” <- chills. i have them. rare moment of mulder vulnerability. pain. pain.

“the doctor said i was fine”, she says. “i hope that’s the truth”, he replies.

(whispered) “i’m going home”

that line is fascinating because it sounds like he’s directly accusing her of lying….. and what if she is? what if she’s too scared to tell him that she’s not okay?

nooooo :( she gets in her car to drive home and starts to cry :(((((

AND THEN SHE SEES HAROLD……… 

WHAT THE FUCK MAN??????? HEY. WHAT THE FUCK. 

pain. pain. pain.

okay. so: this hurts. scully being scared of talking about how she feels, of letting down mulder, lying to him because she’s too afraid to speak the truth, lashing out at him to try and deflect from her pain. and then realizing that trying to hurt him helps no one.

and how he’s trying so hard to keep his cool when he wants to tell her to be honest, to stop lying and to just tell him the truth, to take care of herself and let him take care of her. he wants to convince her that it’s okay to be scared and that he is too.

this little fight is really recalling that other fight they had in tunguska and what struck me both about those is how he works so hard to keep his voice level, even when you know he wants to yell. the restraint there is astounding. he loves her so terribly.

and scully can see those ghosts, which means she’s dying, which she knows means she’s dying, and she tried to find any other explanation for it, to blame it on the power of suggestion or stress, but she knows what it means and she’s so scared. we saw her praying, likely begging for help and for her loved ones to be comforted as she leaves… 

bro. the tears. in my eyes. they are forming. 

seeing her cry is just horrible. 

but honestly, the fact that she even opened up to mulder about seeing that apparition is huge. she works so hard to be as closed off as she is, and even though she went for the low blow with trying to hurt him with the whole “you want me to say that you’re right?” thing, it was still a very big deal that she felt she could say that. but it also attests to the fact that she is in so much pain that she feels she has no choice.

goddamnit. pain. 

little did i know that day i decided to watch this show that THIS was the find of stuff i was getting myself into.

okay. so: the rest of the episode. 

well, i didn’t see the killer coming, so i was surprised there. but it was not an easy episode to watch, with the depiction of medical abuse and ableism inherent to the story. we got a full on slur moment. that did make me jump a little. the 90’s, man. they’d put anything on the TV.

so it was weird to reckon the A plot with the B plot even if they were tied together with the common thread of “these dying people can see the dead”. it was an abrupt shift between the two. 

how do i feel? sad. sad sad sad. damn you, season 4. how you fill me with unrelenting sorrow. have i been happy once in the last 22 episodes? i find it hard to recall. 

i like seeing mulder protective of and caring for scully, but seeing her suffer is so sad. i know it’s not real!!! i know she’s a character on the screen. but holy hell if it’s not emotionally taxing to watch her confront her own mortality, watch the people she loves mourn her while she’s still here but know they likely won’t have her for long.

and i know that there will likely be some sort of magical resolution because there are like what, 5 more seasons and 2 movies? but it still hurts. especially because so many people really do die of cancer and face those realities. i once again wonder how people who have cancer felt about this storyline, if they felt represented or not.

there’s an element of sorrow that gets added in knowing that these things really do happen. i can take comfort in knowing that my sibling will not statistically likely be abducted by a UFO and i will probably not be injected with goo in a gulag. these sorts of storylines have in-universe weight and are devastating in terms of the story, but we recognize that such things do not happen to us ordinary folk. and the inverse is true, at least for me, in terms of the tragedies that happen in this show that COULD happen to a person like you or me. the grief you feel from seeing a character dying of a horrific disease is all the more accentuated when you know people who have endured tragedy like that.

man, you s4 fans are real suckers for pain. i actually admire it. god bless you, actually. i need a certain good times to sorrow ratio. and i considered myself an angst aficionado before this!!!

now what in the hell is going on? while i was writing this, the beginning of the next episode started playing, and out of the corner of my eye i saw horrific flashings of color that i thought i was imagining. but no. they were real.

egads! for a moment i thought my laptop was like, on fire or something. perhaps this is a sign that i must go. i am both excited and scared to see what the last two episodes bring!!!!!

[steelthroat]

First time staying at the hotel of a theme park (against my will, but that's a long story) and... it's so weird??????

Like I feel like I am not supposed to be here, how do I put it... it screams luxury but I a... childlike/childish way????

And I feel restless, like something is wrong. Uncanny.

[chronurgy]

If you spend 6k actual real us dollars on one single two day vacation it better blow your dick clean off!