#{/i also ate fried shrimp today}

[blindedguilt-archived]

Omg there's gonna be a Leonard visual novel? Ahhh please link this id love to support it!

Also you have an alt account with Leonard art 👀👀👀👀

//No idea if that bit at the end is a solid "i know what you are" or a "this you?" bit but just in case, i do!! i will refrain from posting it here (For privacy, though when you find it you should be able to clock it like "THIS IS THE BITCH" immediately anyways lol) if you would like it i can give it to you through DMs (unfortunately tumblr doesnt allow private answering to anon asks :( if i could i would...) but please dont feel pressured at all to come out!!! i enjoy chatting with you, anon *pats*

//But to answer your question, yes!! Technically it's already out though its currently only available in Japanese. I will say I have spoken with the writer though, and I'm very happy to say they've expressed interest in helping me make an English patch :3<! Once I'm done with playing the game for myself (I'm about halfway at the moment, I think? ;0) I'll hopefully start work. I've been playing with a friend and already have a few scenes (roughly, more or less) translated.

//Anyways, I'll put the links to both the trial and full version at the end of the post so they're easier to find vs. just sandwiching between my rambles about the VN!! because BOY is it good, this was made for leonard fans BY leonard fans and its SHOWS AAAAAAAAAA

//More under the cut~ (I'll be rambling about this for a w h i l e)

So the game is called Onaplus, and lemme just post my TL of its official Booth description for you before i try summing it up myself:

Play Time: About 5 hours Routes: 2 Endings: 4~5 Stills: None This is a visual novel game where you can - or can not - enjoy a "Psuedo-Romance" with various versions of Leonard from before he formed his pact, DOD1, DOD2, and LoV. The game is mostly linear; only a few choices on your path outside of the 4~5 different endings. You are the protagonist, a woman who travels through four different "Times" with Seere at your side. You can enjoy the story as it's nature changes between two vastly different routes; choose to spend a sweet and heartfelt time with Leonard, or take part in a good measure of slapstick comedy instead. Includes a number headcanoned details, otakuisms, and out-of-character gags. A game for those who believe no man is beyond forgiveness...

That's pretty much it!! I dunno how much I'll spoil by saying it, but it was NOT KIDDING when it said the main two routes (The more serious N-Route, standing for "Not Shotacon Route" and the gag S-Route, standing for "Shotacon Jerking Off in the Backwoods Route") were different.

I'll keep what I know limited, but I've completely finished the S-Route (much to my dismay, IT WAS SO GOOODDDD I DIDNT WANT IT TO END) and have JUST started the N-Route, so I'm looking forward to what's in store!! I dunno what the "5" stands for though in five endings, unless the N-Route has one I'm unaware of... 👀 but a quick breakdown

Where the N-Route is a very genuine, heartfelt ""Love letter"" to Leonard from his fans being like "We care about you!!! youre such a lovable guy!!!! please take care of yourself!!!!" and essentially plays as an "I can fix him" game, the gag "S-Route" ramps Leonard's "Shotaconness" up to an ABSURD degree to the point one or two scenes were complete "had me completely red in the face, unable to look at the screen"-level wreckage. one scene in particular around the DOD2 mark also made my heart DROP but im not saying what happened or what it is :)))) S-Route Ending A was also extremely difficult to TL because i had to search a few things up and do........ research............ to find suitable english-audience alternatives. it had me GAGGED ngl, but i would never do it again........... i'm turning red just thinking about it now dsjfhkshvwkslahsdfhj (the endings are so good though, and there was ANOTHER thing in Ending A that had me "!!!!!!! yippee!!!!!!" but that's another story.)

I've only finished the endings of the S-Route right now, but some of them were surprisingly (And welcomingly so!) heartfelt for what was 96% a gag route :0!

AND THEN THE PROTAGONISTSSSSSS okay so i was NOT expecting a little "heehee, we made leonard psuedo-dating sim" VN TO HAVE PROTAGONISTS THAT ARE LITERALLY LIKE A HYPERFIXATION FOR ME RIGHT NOW????? trust me when i say these are NOT typical "blank-slate-self-insert" protags their characterisation is so strong and entertaining i was HEARTBROKEN finishing the s-route because it meant saying goodbye to its protagonist more than anything, i literally have made ship fanart of them together i ADORE them so much and i need them in my life...... lately ive thinking about hdcing names for them i love them....

N-MC is so SWEEEEEEEETTT she's a lot more "Expectable" for a "Romantic" visual novel (At least for now... who knows, she might be hiding a dark secret of some kind though im like... more than half sure she's innocent? RIGHT????) and is just a little sweetheart whose dedicated her life to helping others as her parents always wished!!!! she has a ✨tragic anime backstory✨ and for leonard fans is THE embodiment of looking at this sad sack of shit and being like "Oh my god, he's so miserable, i just want him to be happy :((( i can fix him......." her relationship with seere is so SWEETTTT too it makes me melt, she's the one he NEEDS and im just aakshskhsdkvhsdkfh...... though honestly even if its 9/10 unintentional listening to the way she talks about seere sometimes has me like "hmmMMMMMM..... perhaps youre more of a shotacon than s-mc........" ("ara ara, seere-kun~" has become my new tagline for her, i admit..... you seem a bit too taken with him buddy...)

BUT THEN S-MC, I ADORE HERRRRRRRR me and a bud have been playing it together and their design for her has become like the unofficial one i literally use/WILL use no other for my own doodles and that is a FACT. how do i explain her... the game calls her "Caim-like", basically, but that's not enough. you see, S-MC is an over-exploited, sleep-deprived, brash, violent, porn-addicted shotacon (+possible femcel) otaku who's main goal in life is to find a decent person to get married to and whose only reason for living is to keep indulging in her PG (and not PG) fiction. she's more than eager to beat the shit out of anyone at the first opportunity (which she does) and wax poetic about her favourite games (which she does) and UNLIKE """N-MC oneesan""" and their (Unintentional) far-too-friendly comments towards seere S-MC spends makes it her GOAL to ensure nothing happens to the kid despite her annoyance with him, who is far too innocent for his own good dsfkvjhsfdkhvsdfj

The VN is written by the very talented Pixiv fanfic writer Kyon, whose works I would VERY much recommend checking out if you can read Japanese and are a fan of Leonard (They are my GO-TO for Leonard content, just talking with them was such an honour i was like "uUUWAUAaaaAUUGHhhHHhgaaghgH" they do his characterisation so good and they understand the tragedy and facets of what makes him compelling so well and im just UGHHHHHHH THEYRE SO GOOD ANON YOU ARE IN GOOD HANDS WITH THEM WRITING THIS, CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH!!!!!)

Interestingly enough, they did write a whole fucking novel on Leonard's past and life leading up Ending D and do reference part of that in this VN!! Albeit not heavily, though reading the preview on Pixiv I saw it was like "AYYYYYE" so I would recommend it if you can read it ;0 i hope to buy the full thing soon....

Also, I was actually skeptical of this going into it but Kyon is SO good with their writing they did write a Faerie x Leonard Modern AU smut fic I'm now also hoping to get the full version of well... do you know how good something has to be for me not ONLY to spend money on it, but to go from SKEPTICAL "this isn't my thing and i dunno why i'm even reading it" to "I need to read the rest of this NOW GET HIS ASS" i truly marvel at their talent and im so happy at the chance to work with them im.............

The illustrations were done by the also VERY popular Suiden, who you might recognise if you spend any time on Leonard's Pixiv tag in general!!! I admit, I kind of expected more as far as the quality of their contributions to the VN were concerned, but honestly, the character sprites are so charming in their own little VN way (Leonard's DOD2 sprite i ADORE) and i was so excited to see both recognisable artists i adore in there, I don't really have any major complaints so far outside the fact i sincerely wish there was a 1.3 leonard....... ONAPLUS 2 LETS MAKE IT HAPPEN‼️💥👏👏

Oh, and I also learned a LOT about LoV and its system through this game (and how much injustice they did leonard in the sequel, jesus fuck...) which was apparently all thanks to Haruoka's help advising everyone on the LoV bits (Though whether that stands for just gameplay or actual lore, i have no idea.... yet)!! You may also recognise some of the nice Leonard art they have on their Pixiv if you've dug through the tag as deep as I have lmao

it could happen

... Anyways, that SHOULD be enough rambling from me!! If you have anymore questions, do lemme know because this VN is my LIFE right now all I can ever think about is playing it and I'm literally going to be so sad when it's time to put it up......

If you think you'd like to check it out for yourself, please do check out the trial version!! You can get it free on Kyon's Booth and I think you SHOULD be able to just G-Translate your way through the N-Route with minimal confusion just based off of how clear I remember it, and the S-Route should be roughly understandable as well but uses a LOT more slang and "catechisms" with its spelling than N-Route, so you might have a couple more difficulties translating it if you use a machine.

The full version is a psychical disc copy that sells for 500 JPY (3.24 USD/3.05 EUR, i believe) and you CAN buy it through a proxy site like Buyee like I did!! Ofc that will include packing and shipping costs, so you might actually expect it to come up to around 20 USD as it did for me :,) perhaps the real pain though comes in how long you have to wait for it to actually arrive (just under a month for me)

But if you're a Leonard fan? Speaking as the self-proclaimed head of the church of ona, it is so worth it. ive never been so utterly enamoured and in love with a game, its kinda starting to concern me...

Either way!! It will still be a while till an English patch comes out since I've been very busy with work and unable to play it :(

I recommend you try it for yourself!!!

And please do refrain from posting screenshots of the game if you decide to play it (at request of the creators), you can quote it but if it's on a public platform like Tumblr or Twitter or anywhere outside of DMs, please no screenshots!!

Here's a link to the trial version (Free)

And if you like that enough...

Here's the full version!! (500 JPY)

...If you can, please give this your full support!! I very much don't think you'll be disappointed, especially as a Leonard fan~

As far as the English patch goes, I dunno how much I should share out of respect for the creators at the time other than

i plan to start working on it

But I am DETERMINED to finish this translation, i dunno how it might even be spread (Whether it will just stay a small-scale thing spread through the wings of tumblr dms or also posted on the authors booth) but either way!!!

This will be my first time working on a videogame, and if I'm allowed to say this in confidence, I'm 100% certain this will be my best translation yet. :3 perhaps better than even magnitude negative, im REALLY liking the way this is looking right now, even by the rough drafts.... i really only give my all for leonard i've realised, but that's not an issue for me <3

Anyways, anon, if you ever play it please do send some thoughts about it if you're willing (To either blog~)!!! and any questions, please ask!!! i'm so excited to see more people talking about this, thank you anon!!!!

[kabillieu]

Giant boring brain dump, so here's a cut

We were supposed to go back home tomorrow, but there will probably be snow? And you cannot drive on Alabama roads in even the lightest of snow. No one is prepared for it. Snow down here is often icy because rain freezes on the roads first. There's no snow removal infrastructure. Etc.

Dominic's work is closed Tuesday and Wednesday for the weather, so we will probably go back on Wednesday afternoon and just hope that roads are clear by then. We talked about going back today, but my big kid has his D&D meeting at 3pm, and it's just too difficult to work the drive around that. Leaving afterward would have us getting into town late. Leaving this morning is out because Dominic started a construction project on our house, and it's not finished. Plus, there's just a lot that goes into closing up the house each time we leave.

THIS IS ALL VERY BORING, literally just me brain-dumping. Anyway, so we are staying through today and tomorrow probably. It's cold outside in that very particular way where it's windy, damp, and in the 30's--which is to say, it's extremely and uniquely chilly. I feel antsy to go on a walk, but we're pretty stuck in the house all day, I fear.

Yesterday, I felt anxious much of the day. I know it's because my last semester of teaching starts tomorrow. I'm ready for it. I just need to check the links on my Canvas shell and proofread everything again, and then hit publish. Asynchronous teaching is still effort, but if I do as much setup as possible before the semester starts, the work is mostly just grading and communicating with students. I also mandate two sets of Zoom conferences, which is a lot of work for me and maybe even something I'm not supposed to do in an asynchronous course? ((I don't know; I've never looked into this because I don't want to know if I'm not supposed to be mandating conferences. I do it even though it's a lot of effort for me because they are extraordinarily helpful to my students (I know because they tell me this every semester) and if I didn't mandate them none of my students would show up for them.)) But aside from those things, generally there's not a lot of work on my end until my first set of papers comes in at the end of week 5. So I'm going to dive back into comps work--which also means begging my committee to give me the feedback they're required to give me. This is not happening in the way that it should, and it's annoying.

Us staying in Pensacola longer than we anticipated also messes with my kid's homeschool stuff. I'm not asking him to do it today because today is a federal holiday. But I'm going to ask him to do it tomorrow and Wednesday morning. I don't know how he's going to react to doing homeschool from our vacation house. I wish parenting him wasn't often walking around on eggshells, but that's what it feels like a lot of the time. (*this is an uncharacteristic articulation of a complaint that I feel but usually try to keep to myself. the more I learn about autism the more compassion and flexibility of thinking I have, but it sucks to be so deferential to someone else's needs alllll the time, and I do get tired of it. I also think it's worth it in the long run. I have more to say about this, but that's for another time.)

And finally, yesterday was a magical food day but also so incredibly indulgent. I ate raw oysters with hot sauce and delicious fried shrimp and drank a bushwhacker and then I stayed up late and ate ritz crackers with cream cheese and strawberry jalapeño jam, AND I ate more dark chocolate caramels. I would do it again, but also I kind of want to crawl out of my skin a little today.

And then: inauguration and all that. What a Monday.

[alex51324]

Beach trip day two!

We got up and walked down to the beach behind the motel:

It's another gorgeous, unseasonably warm day on the Cape May peninsula! (Yeah, I know, but when global warming gives you a day of lovely beach weather at the end of October, it's not like abstaining from enjoying it helps in any way.)

Up on the deck for a little breakfast:

Our first stop was the Cape May Nature Center, which didn't have a whole lot going on this time of year, but the gift shop was great, and it had a few exhibits and a nice deck for looking out at the harbor:

We took a walk around the harbor, taking in the Fishermen's Memorial, honoring fishermen lost at sea:

The earliest names are from 1897, and the latest from 2020:

Then we ended up over at the marina where the fishing boats live:

The nature center has a beach wheelchair!

I didn't see any information on how one gets to use it, but if you or anyone you know uses a wheelchair and wants to go to Cape May, maybe give them a call and ask.

Next we drove through downtown Cape May, ending up at Cove Beach, which is the last of the city beaches. I got lunch at a little beach-shack type restaurant:

The fries were nothing impressive, but those were some of the best fried shrimp I've ever had.

By this point in the trip, Sophie had come to the conclusion that she likes best the part of the beach that isn't too close to the ocean, so she hung out in the car and ate French fries while I went wading on Cove Beach:

In the distance there you can see the Cape May lighthouse, which is our main destination for the day. But first, let's turn back and look at the restaurant:

It's the long, low building with the red roof. (No idea why those people are bundled up like that, unless maybe they're from Florida or something. It was about 70 degrees out. (Or 21-ish, Celsius).

After Cove Beach, we drove on to Cape May Point state park, where the lighthouse is. Since Sophie was going to skip the lighthouse climb too, we started with a nice walk on the dry part of the beach at the park, out to the World War II Bunker:

This is a big concrete structure on the beach, now unsafe and boarded up, that was part of the area's coastal defenses. There's also a lookout tower over by Sunset Beach (where we were for the sunset the previous night), but we skipped that. In the background, you can see the lighthouse!

Here's the ocean and a jetty or something:

And Sophie watching while I go onto the dangerously damp part of the beach:

We exited the beach on the far side of the bunker from where we entered, and walked back via a path that ran between the dunes and this pond:

Which was full of swans. There was also a snowy egret, and a lot of other birds I don't know. It's a very big pond, and there were tons of the swans:

Here's a shot from the same spot that is less good for swans, but better for the lighthouse:

There is a little museum, with some natural history exhibits, and this sign explaining about the bunker, and the beach replenishment project they had to do around the turn of the century:

And also a sign about the concrete ship, that we saw at Sunset Beach yesterday:

OK, now let's head for the lighthouse!

The windows, like you see here, are basically normal house-sized windows, to give you an idea of the scale. The lighthouse was built in 1859, and continues as an active lighthouse today, marking the entrance to the Delaware Bay.

The cast-iron spiral staircase has a total of 199 steps up to the viewing platform. Here we're on one of the six landings, looking toward the staircase:

Each landing has a little niche with a window in it, and as you go up, you can see how the walls are thicker at the bottom.

Here's a view from about halfway up:

Here we are up top!

That's the bunker and the pond, where we were a few photos ago!

Looking out over the town of Cape May Point:

It was incredibly windy out on the platform, and I was very nervous about dropping my phone and having to find my way back home without GPS. Let's go back inside!

This little room here was the lighthouse keeper's work area; back in the day before the light was automated, they had three keepers, who divided the time from dusk to dawn into three watches, with one of them up there at all times. The main things they had to do were lighting the lamp at dusk, refilling the fuel--kerosene, for most of the lighthouse's heyday--polishing the lens, and keeping an eye out for signals from ships in distress, but in winter, they'd also have to go out and clear snow and ice off windows at the very top, above the viewing platform.

The light:

The modern electric light is a lot simpler; in the kerosene-burning days, they had a huge glass lens, with lots of facets to refract the light out.

A short set of wooden steps up to where the light is:

Visitors aren't allowed up in that part--again, this is still a working lighthouse; it's automated now, so there isn't a keeper up there every day, but they do sometimes have to go up there for maintenance.

Back on the ground:

Our next stop was Highbee Beach, another beach on the bay side, for the sunset:

It was nice, but the temperature dropped precipitously in the hour or so before dark, and the wind was very strong, so it wasn't as pleasant a viewing experience as we had at Sunset Beach the day before. I'd been planning to stick around and see if I could see the Cape May-Lewes Ferry leaving for its 6:15 crossing, but it was too cold! We headed back to Cove Beach, to see the lighthouse in action:

That's it there; the light was less dramatic than I thought it would be, but I guess if you're out in the ocean in the pitch dark it stands out more. (Also, at this point the lighthouse is more of a backup in case a ship's GPS fails, rather than being the primary means of navigation like it was back when it was built.) Different lighthouses flash their lights in different patterns, so in the event that a ship's crew were completely disoriented, they could use that to figure out where they are and which direction is which. The Cape May lighthouse flashes on a cycle of 15 seconds, and the one on the other side of the bay at Lewes is on a 30-second cycle.

And I've hit the image limit! Stay tuned for part 2B.

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #141

I think today, I might have created one of my best tea concoctions yet!!

Okay, so I started with these ones; I put one bag of each of these into my mug, and brewed it:

(Yes, once again, I do have weird mismatching socks on. I wonder if your socks are colorful like mine under your boots; maybe you can give it a try and see how it feels!)

Please say hello to Momma, our resident lady-in-a-tuxedo; she's VERY cute!

From there, I added sugar instead of honey this time, and a bit of heavy cream. The swirls today were absolutely mesmerizing:

And, once the swirls were all settled down, the physics involved with density and fluid dynamics caused my tea to settle itself into 5 layers - the undissolved sugar on the bottom, a layer of tea that is very saturated with dissolved sugar, followed by cold layer of tea mixed with cream, a warmer layer of tea mixed with cream, and finally just a thin layer of pure cream:

Isn't it marvelous!!! And when I mixed it all up, the result tasted EXACTLY like a kind of Girl Scout cookie called Samoas! I know you don't know what those are, because there aren't any Girl Scouts on your planet, but trust me, they're REALLY GOOD, oh my goodness!!

…Samoas were my mother's favorite kind of Girl Scout cookie, last I knew. I wish I could share this tea with her, too.

In any case, I went to physical therapy with M, because afterwards, we had made plans to get lunch! We finally went back to the place with those fried green tomatoes that I didn't take a picture of because I ate them too quickly (sorry about that!). This time, I remembered to take a picture for you BEFORE my appetite got the better of me:

Today, I got the seafood pasta. I know that you like pasta pescatore, and this isn't exactly the same, but… it's got shrimp and clams and linguine and pesto sauce and parmesan cheese on it, and… I think maybe you would love it, so I took a picture because I can't… I can't share it with you…

I also got their crème brûlée; their flavor changes every week. Last time, it was berries, remember? Well, this time, it was dark chocolate and coconut - just like my tea this morning!! And this, too, tasted just like a one of those Samoas!! It was SO GOOD!!

…I wish you were here…

On our way home, I managed to snap some really nice photos of the trees and the sky; I hope you'll like these:

After we got inside, I went ahead and put the rods in the kites that arrived yesterday. I'm hoping for a windy day tomorrow so I can test them out!! But I'm not going to take pictures of them just yet; like I said, I have PLANS for that eagle kite, and I don't want to show it to you until those plans come to fruition. I know what I have to do, and I found the perfect image for it; it's just a matter of getting it done. I think you're gonna love it when you see it. Or at least, I hope you will…

Today, J and I tried to go to Eggcellent with the lovely leader of the place we like to go to once a week! Unfortunately, Eggcellent was closed due to plumbing issues, I guess. So we went to a different place! And!! Oh!! Sephiroth!!! They had MACARONS!!!

Look at them all!!! 🤩🤤 But in particular, these three caught my eye:

...I know you like vanilla and roses, and I thought these might have a similar flavor profile, so I got them!! And I also got a cherry blossom matcha tea! More than anything, I wished I could share these with you, because I think you would have loved them:

...Alas, this picture is the best I can do.

...Given everything you've gone through, everything you are still going through, and everything that you likely will go through in the future... I'm sorry that this little bit is the best that I can do...

...

Well anyway, J and the leader from the place and I sat and talked for a couple of hours, and it was wonderful!! The best part was when the leader showed us the beautiful pictures from his sister's recent wedding; she and her friends and her husband looked so vibrant and happy and beautiful!! He's going to go through all of the pictures and select the ones he likes best so he can show them to us later! I can't wait!!

I also snagged some pictures of the evening sky in the outdoor spot where we enjoyed our tea and macarons; maybe you'll like these...

...I wish that I could give just a little bit of joy to you. I hope that anything I show you and tell you about can give you even a small reason to smile, or cause you to feel just a little warm inside your mind. Not even you, with your incredible power and all the amazing things you've seen up until this point, can imagine what I'd be willing to give if it meant I could have the power to gift these things to you. If I had the chance to trade your life for mine, so that you could be here, enjoying all these things in my place... I'd be happy and proud to take that chance without even a moment's hesitation. Even if I disappeared as a result... I wouldn't mind - not even a little. Not if it meant you could be happy and safe.

...In the meantime, I'll keep writing to you, sharing pictures with you, singing little songs to you, and gently calling out your name until you return to us. I have faith in who you are and in what you can do; I'll be waiting to see you shine in all the ways that only you know how to do.

...I guess that wraps it up for today. Tomorrow, I'll keep trying to capture the prismatic bits of delight that exist within all of the simple things so that I can show them to you and maybe help you to remember what beauty and love are like. I know you're capable of seeing it; I saw who you were before your fall, and I know you can rise up into becoming someone who believes he deserves to retrieve the parts of himself that others tried to steal away. I know you can do it because I am doing it, and I'm not better than you.

I love you. Don't ever think you're alone. I'll write again soon, so please stay safe and treat yourself nice, okay?

Your friend, Lumine

[asp1990]

Day 4: Friday January 3rd, 2025 [Tokyo]

Breakfast: Coffee and a ham&cheese sandwhich

Lunch: McDonalds terriyaki chicken burger, fries & melon Fanta

Dinner: Sub-par kimchi noodles & share plates

Steps: 11, 038

We had such a great day today! Despite waking up with incredibly stiff and sore feet, we pushed through and decided to take it a bit easier, but still explore. Morgan found a sit-in coffee shop down the road so we had a lovely slow start to the day that was soundtracked by smooth jazz. We both had a slow-drip coffee and a ham and cheese toastie for breakfast and I managed to half-order in Japanese. We saw the QR code for the English menu after ordering - d’oh!

We headed in to Asakusa on the train at 11am. It took about 30 minutes and was quiet as it was after peak hour. It was about 7º and I was very glad to see that my new thermals worked a treat. We got off at Skytree Station to visit the top of our second sky-high tourist attraction, the Tokyo Skytree. We collected another Eki stamp and were then immediately bombarded by more shopping! Floors of it! We visited a Pokemon store to get a souvenir for our niece and then queued up for tickets. The next available time slot was 2:30pm so we had an hour to kill. We walked through a giant merch store called ‘Entertainment Store’ that had a bananas amount of merch from a million different franchises - there was no rhyme or reason to the displays. Nothing really stood out to us, but I did try my first ‘gashapon’ - a vending machine that dispenses toys in plastic balls, akin to Kinder Surprises in Australia. They are everywhere.

We walked past a McDonalds and decided it would be a quick and easy lunch before our booking. We were keen to try the Japanese menu so I ordered the Cheese Cheese Terriyaki Chicken Burger & Morgan ordered the Shrimp Filet-O. Both were… fine. The fries tasted the same and the drinks we ordered were way too sweet. I felt crook after this meal, so I don’t think we’ll be having anymore Maccas. We ate our lunch outside so we could see the tower and it was so intimidatingly large that it gave us tingles. It felt like our necks were almost back on a 90º angle in order to see the top.

At 2pm we lined up for the elevators and it quickly filled up behind us. The line seemed congested, but it moved in blocks as they piled people into the lifts. We moved so quickly and so high up that our ears popped multiple times which was weird. They also had a window in the roof so you could see how we were moving and it looked like something out of a sci-fi. The views from level 340 were sensational but it was a bit cloudy, so we couldn’t see Mt Fuji. Hopefully we get to see it next week when we head out that way. We collected the venue stamps (of course!), got a free souvenir picture and then took the elevator up to level 450 to see even further over Tokyo! There were less crowds higher up and it was a much more pleasant experience.

We left the Skytree at 3:30pm and caught the train to Asakusa to visit the Senso-Ji Temple. We were apprehensive about visiting as it was only an hour until sunset, but it ended up being an incredible time to visit.

As soon as we arrived in the district it was buzzing. There were food stalls set up, people everywhere and hoards heading towards the shrine. Again, it looked packed but moved quickly. The temple was HUGE and the architecture was beautiful. We bought some charms from vendors (matching ‘relationship good luck’ for ourselves and ‘healthy birth’ for our friends Emmet & Amelia who are pregnant) and lined up to show our respects. We threw money into the shrine, made a wish and then headed into the gardens. We bought a ‘goshuin’ to put in our stamp books. A goshuin is a hand-drawn seal given to visitors at shrines as proof of their visit. They cost ¥500 each and were such a lovely souvenir. I am very glad to have received one and hope we have the opportunity to collect more at shrines in Kyoto. We then paid ¥100 to get our fortunes told which was a cute New Year’s tradition. We walked around the gardens and bought some street food before walking around the surrounding streets of Asakusa which were alive with people eating, drinking and shopping. A very stereotypical ‘Japanese street’ that Morgan was very enamoured with.

We found an Izakaya for dinner and ordered a few things to share. The food was all average, but the hot sake was welcome as it was about 5º after the sun went down. We shared edamame, kimchi noodles, beef & rice and a cheesy Korean pancake.

After dinner we visited Don Quixote and Uniqlo again - we bought some cool patches for our feet to help with fatigue and Morgan wanted to get thermals after me bragging about how good mine were.

After a 15 minute walk and 30 minute train, we made a final stop at the Konbini for snacks and morning coffee and headed home to rest. This was an absolutely phenomenal day. We are having such a good trip so far!

[jacksulkes]

August 2 - Science Museum and Meinong Hakka

I got up today and made it to breakfast in the hotel, and then we took the bus to the National Science and Technology Museum. It was bigger than I thought it would be, and it had quite the array of topics. My favorite was the space one because they had actual rocket parts. One of the rockets said TASA, which is probably Taiwan’s NASA equivalent. A lot of the exhibits were more thought out with advanced technology. One of them was about cars, car parts, and car-making. I saw some robot arms used to build cars. After the museum, we were gifted a group lunch at Din Tai Fung, which is a restaurant chain based out of Taiwan. They are most known for their xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), and we watched workers make them while we waited. Of course, we ate xiaolongbao. But we also had shrimp dumplings, vegetable dumplings, spicy dumplings, shumai, vegetables, rice noodles, hot and sour soup, flavored cucumber, pork fried rice, and finally chocolate xiaolongbao for dessert. My half of the table didn’t quite finish all of our food, so I ate the rest to avoid food waste. Everything was so delicious. The restaurant was inside a mall, so they gave us an hour to go shopping before we left to Meinong. I went straight to a Japanese cheesecake bakery and bought their chocolate cheesecake. Japanese cheesecakes are very different because they are fluffy and jiggly instead of dense and creamy. I finally got to taste one, and it was pretty good. We left the mall and went to Meinong to learn about the Hakka people in Taiwan. We first stopped at a Hakka shop where they were making and selling lots of things but most notably the Chinese-style bamboo umbrellas. Then, we went to the Meinong Hakka Culture Museum and learned about the history and culture of the Hakka people in Taiwan. After we got back to the hotel, I and 2 other guys went straight to a Chinese Professional Baseball League game. I had hotdogs there for dinner. It was so fun.

Academic Reflection:

At the science museum, I learned that Taiwan actually has a decent space program. I originally thought NASA was way bigger than all other countries’ space agencies. I also learned about the manufacturing and technology in Taiwan. They had car and motorcycle parts and showed how they move. Taiwan is a leader in computer chip manufacturing, which is used in cars. I also saw an exhibit about natural disasters and earth science in Taiwan as well as one on the textile and clothing industry science in Taiwan. The natural disaster one had an earthquake simulator and small-scale model of flooding and landslides. This taught me how important technological innovation is in Taiwan to protect from natural disasters.

On the way to Meinong, Peter told us about the traditional Chinese umbrellas. They are made of bamboo and have painted oily paper on top. We saw lots of them at the shop. In Meinong, we learned about the Hakka people, who are originally from China, but aren’t from a specific area in China called Hakka as Peter told us. The museum told us that they originated in the northern part of China, and then they immigrated to the southern part of China, then they settled in the mountainous part of Taiwan. Peter and the museum said that “Hakka” means guest. The Hakka people were guests of southern China and then of Taiwan. They are a subgroup of the Han Chinese ethnic group that immigrated to these places together and interacted with the locals to create their own Hakka culture.

[un77404]

12, 13, 27, 30, 31, 34, and 40!

hi rain!! :D

12. what kind of day is it?

it's stay up all night-day for me... not much i can do abt it

13. when was the last time you ate?

just now! i got hungry so i ate some cashews

27. about how many hours of sleep did you get?

10 ish last time i slept (last long rest lol)? and yet i still feel sleepy all day

30. is there dishes in your room?

no, theres no room for them

34. is there a song you know every word to by heart?

fly my wings by mili :3 and i rmb the romaji for tousenbou by mafumafu

40. did you have any snacks today?

cashews! and chocopies. and also my parents made this fried shrimp-bread snack thing it was rly good

[travelingtheusa]

INDIANA

2025 Jun 20 (Fri) – We ran some errands today, getting ready for tomorrow’s move.  Breakfast/lunch (we ate late) was at Biggby Café.  It was basically a coffee place with a few sandwiches.  Paul had a sausage, egg and cheese on a bragel (not a bagel), and I had turkey, bacon and cheese on a bragel.  It was quite tasty.  Next was a stop at Walmart to get ink and paper.  Then off to the gas station to fuel up the truck.  We also stopped at the post office to mail off the USB sticks with the video of the Louisiana caravan to 14 people (4 are on this caravan).

      At 5 p.m., we had a potluck.  Unfortunately, the early eaters took more than a little taste and those at the back of the line didn’t get to taste everything.  We’ll have to address that at the next potluck.  The owner of the campground, Bob, came by and I awarded him with a certificate of appreciation.  He was so helpful during our many stays here.  Looking forward to coming back next year.

      When all was said and done, we held our first travel meeting.  It ran longer than most because it was our first one but things will smooth out as we go along.

2025 Jun 19 (Thu) – It was a free day today.  Everyone was free to do what they wanted.  We did laundry.  Lisa & Bobby were going to go over to the visitor center to see what kind of gift bags they could arrange for next year’s national muster.  But their rig leaked after the storm so they were stuck in the campground with the RV tech.  So, we went to the visitor center in their place.  We met with an agent who told us about tours and said she would email me the information.

      Paul and I then went to lunch at the Chubby Trout.  I had shrimp tacos and Paul had sushi.  Something different for both of us.  Then we stopped at Meijer for groceries and returned to the campground. 

      Reese & Diane bought a new rig.  Paul, Joe & Diane, and Ed & Sue went over with them to move their stuff from the old rig to the new rig.  Others of us had happy hour in the pavilion.  The weather was gorgeous today.  What a difference a day makes!

2025 Jun 18 (Wed) – We took the group to the RV/MH Hall of Fame this morning.  The displays were so interesting.  They had the very earliest forms of RVs on display, starting with the covered wagon.  It was fun to see how RVs changed over the years.

      After the museum, we invited everyone to return to Shipshewana Flea Market to do ore shopping.  We also encouraged everyone to take tours of the RV factories in the area.  It is a good idea to see the model you own being built at the factory.

      We gathered around 5 for happy hour.  Bad weather rolled in and we began getting warnings about tornados.  We packed up and got things put away just as it started to rain.  About 8 p.m. a siren went off.  Not being sure of what that was for, several of us went to the main building to huddle down just in case it was a warning.  The curious thing was that none of our phones got any flash warnings.  We stayed about 20 minutes then returned to the rig.  That’s enough excitement for now.

2025 Jun 17 (Tue) – Today was the first full day of the caravan.  We took the group to the Menno-Hof Amish Museum.  It was quite interesting.  There were several rooms, each with a different part of the story about the Anabaptists and their immigration from Europe to America.  They suffered persecution, imprisonment, torture, and execution.  As a result, they splintered into three groups: the Mennonites, the Hutterites, and the Amish.

      When everyone was done with the museum, we invited them to go explore the Shipshewana Flea Market – the largest Amish flea market in the world.  We went to the Shipshewana Auction Restaurant at Shipshewana with Johnny & Linda.  We left them to explore the market and we returned to the campground.

      At 5 p.m. we had happy hour outside our rig.  About half the group came over.  It was a good first day.

2025 Jun 16 (Mon) – We had a pretty frustrating and busy day today.  We ran out to try and find 15-tab dividers.  Staples had only 13.  We got one in the mail so we had to gin up six more. We went to the bank and I withdrew another $1000.  We made a quick stop at Burger King before returning to the campground.  Rick & Brenda and Johnny & Linda came over helped to put the dividers in the binders.  We got it done in time. 

      We had asked the campground yesterday to put four more picnic tables in the outdoor pavilion but we had to remind them today.  They were bringing them in when we were getting ready to start the orientation meeting.  Things started at 3:30 p.m.  I gave an overview of the caravan with Paul, Johnny and Linda chiming in.  Then we all drove to the Das Dutchman Essenhaus for an Amish family meal.  Everything was very good.

      When we got back to the campground, I went in and paid for 20 campsites for five nights.  I paid the full amount then realized I had given them a $200 deposit.  The manager will write me a check for $200 to return the funds.

      Finally, when the day was done and we were sitting around outside in our camp chairs, some friends came over and we spent two hours shooting the breeze.  It was a nice end to a very busy day.

2025 Jun 15 (Sun) – More people arrived.  Sixteen RVs are here now.  Four more will arrive tomorrow.  We’ll have our 20 and be ready to start the caravan!  We did some work on the travel guides – taking out pages where things have changed and adding new ones.  We are waiting for the dividers to put in the binders.  Late this afternoon, Amazon said there was a delay at the processing center and the dividers won’t arrive until Tuesday.  That’s too late, given that the caravan starts tomorrow.  Paul and I ran out to WalMart hoping to buy some but they did not have the 15-tab dividers.  We’ll have to run out tomorrow to Staples or Office Depot.  Paul put six ladder plates on RVs and we have handed out and we now only have four bags left to give out.  Our RV gave a big sigh of relief.  Those bags weighed a total of 120 lbs.!

2025 Jun 14 (Sat) – Folks have started to arrive for the caravan.  There are 9 rigs here now.  After happy hour, most of us went to dinner at the Brass Elk.  It was a good time.  We spent the morning putting together the goodie bags for everyone.

2025 Jun 13 (Fri) – Paul had another bad coughing fit last night.  This morning, we went back to the urgent care center where the NP prescribed a different antibiotic and cough medicine.  Afterward, I took Paul to RG’s Pancake House for breakfast.  Neither of us had pancakes.

      After breakfast, we went to CVS to get his medication and to pick up some cards.  Later today, Mike & Linda arrived at the campground; also going on our caravan.  A good number of folks will be arriving tomorrow.  Johnny & Linda will also arrive and we will get started getting things ready for the start of everything on Monday.  I spent the entire day confirming reservations and paying bills for the caravan.

2025 Jun 12 (Thu) – We went to Byron Center, MI, for 8 nights while I flew home to New York.  This morning, we pulled stakes and returned to the Elkhart Campground for the start of the Planes, Trains, Automobiles & Ships caravan on June 16.  We went out to do some food shopping.

      I got a call from the cardiologist’s office.  While home, he did a blood test for cholesterol.  My numbers are too high.  I got a call from the office today asking about putting me on a statin.  I asked for time to drop the numbers naturally by losing weight and exercising.  I got a 3-month reprieve.  We both got in 5000 steps today.  That will be the new goal.

      When we arrived at Elkhart, we found Dave & Dot already camped here.  They are on our caravan.  This will be their last event.  They are in their 80s (he is 88) and they have decided to come off the road (they are full timers).  It is kind of sad.

[guip10]

May 17 - Disney Sea (Academic Reflection)

     Today was so good. We started off this free day pretty much at the same time as our regular days, since we needed to get to DisneySea on time, as Carlos and Lance had warned us of the lines to get in the park. And they were right, but we’re not there yet. We ate a couple onigiri for breakfast and headed to Disney! 

     It was a decently long trip which Kat, Aiden, Sammie, and I embarked on, but we managed to arrive not much later than opening (Emily came later). During this wait, we faced some heavy winds and rain, which would stay with us on our trip until dusk! Not great! But we did not let that kill our spirits, as it actually made us laugh quite a bit when our umbrellas flipped. After a long wait, we were finally inside the park, and I was so excited. I immediately took a picture with the revolving globe, before heading further into the park. I really loved the first area when you enter the ring which is the park, the view from there is stunning. After taking a few videos and pictures, we headed to our first ride, this being Journey to the Center of the Earth!

     The line for this ride was pretty cool and did not take as long as it stated, but it was really cool. It was mostly slow until the end, where it really picked up the pace and made it fun. It was definitely a cool ride and I enjoyed it, but it was not my favorite. From here, we headed to another ride which was more exciting and actually had a loop! I was scared that my bag would fall, as I watched riders move upside during the loop, with no locker in sight. It was also raining pretty heavily at this point, leaving me a bit worried for my new Polaroid camera, as well as my other belongings. When it was finally our turn, Emily and I buckled in and both looked at each other with worry for our belongings. We each held our bags tightly under our legs, and felt the rain on our faces as we slowly rose up the tracks. The loop was pretty quick, so our bags remained where they were, thankfully. From here, we looked for somewhere to eat lunch, which we were waiting to do after the ride with the loop. 

     We actually ate lunch at the Snuggly Duckling! The food was pretty good, I had a fried shrimp sandwich which tasted great, meanwhile everybody else got different things. We were all drenched at this point, so sitting down felt kind of weird, but we were also already slightly tired from all the walking we had done, so we had to just look past it. After a while, we decided to get up and go to a store to shop for some ears/hats. I tried on the lost boy hat, which everyone told me looked good, but it was far too expensive, so I settled for the cheaper option, these being Oswald’s ears, which I proceeded to wear for the rest of the day. We then headed to Rapunzel’s boat ride, which was great! The animatronics looked amazing, and the scene with the lamps looked incredible in person. I liked how the lines were also in Japanese, as it gave us a new experience we would not have had back in the United States. We then headed to a ship nearby, where we took some pictures (Aiden and I recreated the Titanic pose).

     It was finally time for the Indiana Jones ride. This line was probably one of the longest, but it was pretty cool! The ride itself was also great, I loved how quickly it moved, as well as all the things that were happening, including the iconic ball that rolls down the hill after him. I think Kat got the picture which was taken of us on the ride, which was funny as we all had different expressions. We then headed to an “underwater” ride which was actually kind of scary. It was a pretty tight space that mimicked a submarine, and there were creatures in the dimly lit space outside. It was really cool, however, as I had not seen a ride pretend that it was underwater before, so it was very unique. After this ride, we split as Kat and I wanted coffee, meanwhile the others rode Journey to the Center of the Earth again, this time with Emily!

     After they were done with their ride and we were done with our coffees, we headed to our last ride of the day: Tower of Terror. I really like this back home, so I was looking forward to this. The line was also cool, it followed the same theme of a spooky hotel. Seeing the park at night as the windows opened was really cool, an experience that made our decision to visit the park very worth it. The firework show we wanted to see was canceled due to rain :(, so we gathered at the center of the park and took a group picture, and I took one with my Polaroid which turned out terribly but it’s okay because I remember the scenery really well (and I also have other pictures). We then decided to head to the hotel and rest for our bullet train ride!

Academic Reflection

     The article which I have chosen is Michelle J. Smith’s 2022 publication, “Colonialist Histories in Tokyo's DisneySea Theme Park”. This paper discusses Tokyo DisneySea, and the colonial themes scattered across it. Smith discusses how the Jungle Book ride in other Disney parks was changed due to racist depictions of indigenous people and culture, meanwhile some characteristics of DisneySea which have spurred some debate regarding a possible removal due to similar concerns remain. For instance, Smith states that pictures in the Tower of Terror line can display instances of white superiority, such as the one below:

     As seen, Harrison Hightower III is being carried by locals, which is made even worse by Smith’s next point, as she states how this is not the only image associating indigenous people with animals. This is not the only ride which displays colonial themes, however, as even Journey to the Center of the Earth does in its lore. Smith states, “aspects of the volcano that have ‘not yet been mapped’ and which require ‘far more research,’” reinforce the theme of discovery and “European exploration” (Smith, 2022). This, once again, further proves how colonialism, which is generally negatively perceived due to its detrimental effects on local peoples and natural resources, is present amongst these modern day amusement park rides which are meant to bring individuals thrills and happiness.

     The reading made me feel more conscious of my surroundings and realize how even in the present day, racism and colonialism are still evident, even more surprisingly so in a place such as Tokyo’s DisneySea. Although I very much enjoyed my experience at the park, it reminded me that there is still much work to do with regards to shifting society towards a more accepting place. Racism is still prevalent and updating rides such as the Jungle Cruise ride are a step in the right direction, however it is obvious that there is still work to do, an example being some of the pictures and the storyline used in the Tower of Terror. 

References:

Smith, M. J. (2022, August 11). Colonialist histories in Tokyo’s DisneySea Theme park. Children’s Literature Association Quarterly. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/862119  

[lauraandjoelleinbrazil]

The girls from Ipanema

We woke up at the literal crack of dawn today (04:00) to see the sunrise over Rio at the Dona Marta Viewpoint. The sunrise was vibrant and quite beautiful, but I have to say, I was a little shocked at how many people were there. I would estimate 100 people were crowded on this tiny stone balcony. The guides from all the groups essentially banded together to create a queue system to take a million photos for the women on their tours, which were beautiful, but it, along with girls filming tiktoks, slightly killed the ambiance. Overall, still very beautiful. After that we actually visited the Selaron steps again, this time before any crowds were there. It was nice to have some time to enjoy the art without feeling rushed.

We actually saw an unexpected amount of animals on this tour. We saw a falcon, some monkeys, and even a pig walking in the streets. This pig was enormous. I could have sat side-saddle and ridden him around, no problem.

Our next stop was Christ the Redeemer. We got there before it opened and there was already a small line. I’m so glad we were there early, because apparently the crowds get so thick you can’t even walk. Christ the redeemer was built on a high peak overlooking Guanabana bay, to bless all those who came to Rio. It is one of the seven New Wonders of the world, but it is much newer than all the others (colosseum, Petra, Great Wall of China, etc). Honestly, I don’t get the hype. It’s just a really tall concrete statue of Jesus. I enjoyed seeing the monkeys in the trees and the views of Rio more than anything. You could see North vs South Rio, and there is a clear difference. North Rio is much poorer, and mainly favelas. It has almost no trees, and is just densely packed houses. South Rio is quite wealthy, and very green in comparison. Apparently the shade and climate impact from the trees can make a 5 degree temperature difference between the north and the South.

The last stop on our early morning tour was this beautiful park in called Parque Lage, in Jardim Botanico. It used to be the home of a man who had the house built for his wife, and now the grounds are gardens with walking trails, and the house is used as a beautiful cafe and visual arts school. It sits at the bottom of the Corcovado, where Christ the Redeemer is perched.

We found a lovely little brunch place to eat something after our tour. It was maybe my favourite meal we’ve had. We both got the special, which was avocado toast with this Brazilian cream cheese, fried eggs, and tomatoes. I also finally got a “Brazilian” lemonade. I thought they would be everywhere given the name, but this is the first place I found one! It’s made using whole limes, ice, and sweetened condensed milk. It’s like a key lime pie in a glass. Delicious.

We didn’t have the energy to do much afterwards, so we headed to Ipanema beach to lay in the sun for a couple hours. There is actually a famous song called “the girl from Ipanema”. It was hit worldwide in the 60s, and even won a Grammy! The woman who it was written about is about 70 today, and looks fabulous. She still lives in Ipanema!

It was a good people watching spot. There are so many types of food vendors. Some I understand (drinks, ice cream, chips), but some seem wild to me. Shrimp on a skewer? Boiled corn? Coolers of hamburgers? Styrofoam bowls of rice/noodles/meat that have been out in the sun since 08:00?! Very questionable. Joelle and I brought our own snacks in an effort to save ourselves from food poisoning. We had two classic Brazilian treats: acai, and Globo manioc crisps. The crisps are very airy, light, and mild. They come as either sweet or salty (red vs green bag) and are pretty easy to put away. They are quite dry though. You need to eat them with a liquid. Most of the men selling them also sell mate, an herbal, caffeinated drink similar to coffee/tea. The açai was frozen and mixed with guarana - super refreshing on a hot day. We actually also ate these frozen chocolate covered raspberries. Not Brazilian, but amazingly tart and delicious.

We had a sunset tour of Guarabana bay booked for the later afternoon. It was peaceful and delightful after our early start. We had Antarctica beer (local) and caipirinhas, of course, and when we got hot enough, we jumped off the boat to swim. At the end of a couple hours we were treated to a beautiful view of the sunset behind Christ the Redeemer. Gorgeous.

We had initially planned to try to go to a samba club, but we were dead tired and opted for dinner and then home. We went to quite a nice restaurant in our bathing suits, again, anything goes here, and enjoyed cocktails and a steak dinner. We actually tried to order more food, but the waiter flat out refused to let us, telling us it was “way too much”. Mildly offended, but tired and happy with steak and cocktails, we turned in early for the night. We’re getting old, I think.

[personaldairyentriesarchive]

Monday, May 30, 2022

14:22

I am sweating. Today when i woke up it was 7:20 and i wanted to sleep for two more minutes just to ease my mind but i forget to press the start button on my timer so i almost passed out without knowing. Luckily i woke up in four minutes. Yesterday mom put mosquito spray oil into my lunch bag and i put them in my back pack, the lunch is three cucumbers, two boiled eggs and pork steak, the breakfast, which i ate really late was sandwich with lattice, egg and ham. When I departed i went to take a PCR test and got the code. When I arrive and preparing for opening i found out that the milk refrigerator was full of bugs, i killed them and cleaned it. Why are they here? I even sterilized the inside of the refrigerator with alcohol.

I had the lunch with the lady from reception, we barely talked, she had chicken breast pan fried with soy sauce plus vegetables(purple yam, carrots, cucumber which she complained about why it was cooked rather than raw) and spaghetti with tomato sauce. She gave a bit spaghetti to me and it was good. She left a bit spaghetti and asked for a cup for storing the left over chicken breast and purple yam for the stray kitten that is in the security room. I don’t know why there is a kitten there.

14:49

just few minutes before i had two female customers ordered 5 cups sea salt caramel latte, take away. I gave one cup to them with sealed opening because she wanted to drink it but she didn’t. We ran out of the four cups take away bags and i used two cups bags. I apologized about not having the take away bags due to only few customary coming in and one of them(black hair, no glasses) asked how many cups of coffee i have sold today, i told them before them it was five and we only sold for like 2-3 cups per day last weeks, they chuckled. She then asked “i spent Sox much money here can I get something like a discount or benefit?” I proceed gave her a coffee ticket expire before 30th the June. I heard from their conversation that some guy throw the tickets away because they are expired. I then told them that they could still use them here and then they left.

14:55

I spent the morning reading Anarchist’s Handbook and it pretty hard to understand some 19 century article which are presented in the book. I asked in WeChat moment for a good anarchism book and a high school philosophy enthusiast replied me with Anti-Odeipus or whatever it is called. That was happened in the noon.

I had two cup of handmade Americano today, it was refreshing because they were icy, but I can’t stop sweating.

14:58

uncle brought a bunch hentai games and one of them is hardcore gay sex themed.

18:30

I arrived home at six and mom is happy but she told me about the bull dog in our neighbourhood who seemingly having epilepsy, he had seizure attack once. Then we talked about something fun such Margaret Atwood’s fire proof book etc. Dad is not home yet and mom told me another thing: grandpa is coughing (he does that sometimes) and they ran out of the coughing syrup. The pharmacy is not opening for those medicine yet due to the bullshit COVID policies, mom suggest she buy it for them online but they refused thinking its a waste of money. Mom later found two bottles of syrup and bought it to them. Today’s dinner: daikon and rib soup, soy sauce cooked green bean(?), stir fry tomatoes and eggplants, soy sauce cooked pork left over and water boiled shrimps. Dave and mr hua are good. Also i forgot to bring the coffee syrup home, and we forgot to feed the stray cat yesterday

19:27

dad is back and he is unhappy, through the whole meal he talked about shit and was grumpy.

[elijahhendley]

8月2號 Day 22: Technology museum, Din tai fung, the Hakka people

So today I had a normal morning. Woke up, got ready, and had breakfast. Today breakfast was pretty good. They had barbecue pork baos which I really like, so I was satisfied with breakfast this morning. Then we all got on the bus to head to our first stop: National Science and Technology museum. It was a giant museum and I couldn’t even visit all of the exhibits. They had planes, old computers, a space exploration exhibit that was missing the “S”, and they even had a health/medicine exhibit. The old technology was cool to see and the space exhibit even had some interactive displays that showed the laws of physics. At the health/medicine exhibit they had fun facts and even a place where you can check your blood pressure. The museum was 7 floors, so I saw more but these were the most interesting to me. After the museum, we got on the bus to go to our second stop: lunch at Din Tai Fung. But on the way to Fin Tai Fung you would never guess what we saw: COSTCO! We all got Din tai Fung because our hotel was bad and it was SO good. We did not have to order anything because they already had a set meal to bring out. We ate xiao long bao, shrimp dumplings, spicy dumplings, fish dumplings, vegetable dumplings, hot and sour soup, and fried rice. After lunch we walked around the mall a bit then went to our third stop: Meinong folk village. It had a cool koi/fish pond and some cool relics from the Hakka people. Here we got to learn a lot about the Hakka people and their mysterious origin. At the folk village we also found a room for kids and built some things with legos. I spelled out peter’s name because Peter is the best tour guide ever. After that we got on the bus and headed back to the hotel and ended the day there after getting a quick dinner while taking a walk.

Academic reflection

So the Hakka people’s origin actually still has multiple theories. But who are they and what makes them unique. Hakka actually means “Guest people.” The Hakka people migrated throughout China and were either given this name by local natives or more likely self identified themselves as the Hakka. There are 5 major Hakka migrations recorded in history and this migratory lifestyle is part of what made the Hakka different from other groups of people around them. As aforementioned, there are multiple theories for the hakka. They could all be Han people who migrated south and lived with locals in south China for a while. The other theory is that they are a group of ethnic minorities that merged with the Han who migrated south. This second theory would make them unique in that they are a mixed group, not defined by the region they live in or a family name, but by their own unique identity. In the past, many people groups were defined by a family heritage in a certain region. But, this group could have possibly been a mixed group of people with no real settling place. Not until they migrated to taiwan and in 1736 settled in Meinong. So it was really cool to see one of the main settling places of the Hakka people. 

Until next time, 再見！

[hollowthatfollowssme]

TW: WL WIEIAD (-1LB LOSS PER WEEK)

🦋Day 2💙

Weight: 119.2lbs

I knew 124.4 wasn’t right HA!! In the morning I weighed 120.0 and in the evening I was feeling super light so I weighed again and I was 119.2!! Idk how that even happened.

Breakfast: I didn’t lie yesterday, today I gave myself a heavy breakfast! Peach and cloud berry skyr yogurt (130 cals) with a chopped up honey crisp apple mixed in for volume (77cals). I also had a 10oz coffee with toasted u marshmallow skinny syrup. Between the coffee and the yogurt I split 18g of collagen peptides (63cals). Meal total 273 and 32g protein

Lunch: my office ate out at Jersey Mikes so I had a #7 turkey and provolone no oil or mayo, I get it with the chopped hot pepper relish instead. It’s TO DIE FOR spicy and little sour and is the best swap for a high cal condiment meal total 480 and 39g protein

Dinner: I got a spicy shrimp roll (150cals) that I realized I HATED 5 bites into stuffing it in my face and some cottage cheese ( for a quick dinner before going to the hospital again to visit family! I was there for about 5 hours again so again I’m not super hungry after all that. Meal total 280 and 24g protein

Cals for the day: 1033 cals and 95g of protein!

Another day visit family in the hospital, saw a lot of sad stuff today when I was there, hospitals are so heart breaking. My family member is out of surgery and doing well so I truly feel so blessed today.

Not going to lie I’m surprised I have been able to eat so close to 1000cals 2 days in a row without being tempted to binge, usually I struggle with binging impulses a lot more! I think the hospital plays a part in that, maybe if I was a nurse I would be skinny by now LOL. I was craving something salty and fried like French fries so hard right before bed but I remember that I had 1/6th of my left over sandwich from lunch in the fridge so I finished it off and it hit the spot! I’m so glad I was listened when I was full at lunch so I could have that extra bite for later. I think my ability to fight of the nightly cravings I get came from that super high protein breakfast, I’m going to keep doing it since it seems like my body prefers I actually eat breakfast lol, normally I try to skip it for black coffee with collagen peptides and skinny syrup

[angelicyouth]

Parallel ; Chapter 2

⇢ pairing: stan marsh x mccormick!reader

⇢ genre: fake dating ; hogwarts AU

⇢ synopsis: ❝Transferring to Hogwarts during your fifth year, you were excited at the prospect of all the new potential eye candy to choose from. That dream gets crushed, however, when your childhood enemy impulsively claims you as his girlfriend.❞

⇢ warning: underaged drinking

⇢ [AO3 link] ; [series masterlist] ; [previous] ; [next]

You stare in child-like wonder as you watch the snowflakes begin to gently float down from the sky, a soft giggle escaping from your upturned lips when one delicately perches itself on the tip of your frost-bitten nose. Longer fingers begin to intertwine with yours in your momentary distraction, Stan tugging your body closer to his as he begins to blow some warm air onto your joined hands.

Giving them a quick rub, he then places your interlocked fingers into the pocket of his robe as you watch with amused eyes at his unprompted chivalry. It was strange—watching the kid who used to think he could gain the memories of the shrimp he ate in his fried rice whenever you guys got Chinese food evoke butterflies like this.

He doesn't bother sparing you a glance as he speaks up, “What? I know that you have to look at yourself everyday in the mirror but you should be used to the ugliness by now to not be so mesmerized by someone with actual good looks.”

The moment is ruined as you loudly scoff, roughly trying to yank your hand away from his when his deep laughter cuts through the air at the disgusted sneer that begins to form on your lips. “I’m kidding! You look beautiful today, my love.”

Your feet clumsily stutters to a stop at the whiplash you get from the sudden compliment, Stan gently lifting your smaller hand towards his lips at the sight of vermillion quickly spreading across your cheeks. He presses a light kiss against your knuckles, slowly dragging the heated point of contact until it reaches the rapidly beating pulse on your inner wrist.

You can feel his smile on your skin as he lingers there for a moment before raising his eyes to meet yours, his voice soft at the suddenly intimate atmosphere that his actions grant. “I’m so lucky because you always do. I must’ve saved the world or something equally remarkable in my past life for whatever higher deity deemed me deserving of a girl like you.”

The ravenette shoots you a charming smirk when a group of Hufflepuff’s pass by the both of you, their high-pitched giggling snapping you out of the hypnotic hold of your pretend lover. 

Ah. Fake boyfriend has to play the part in public… Right.

・ ─ ・ ⋯ ・ ─ ⊹ ♡₊˚๑

“Where the hell are we going? I know your sense of direction is heavily impaired from all the times Aunt Sharon not-so-accidentally dropped you on the head as a kid, Stanley, but Honeydukes is that way.” You condescendingly say in a sickly-sweet voice when you see your safe haven steadily disappear from sight, the tall ravenette dragging you in the opposite direction.

The Gryffindor scoffs at your words, his eyes rolling as he begins to purposefully guide your body into a lamppost in retribution for your words. “Yeah? Well I’m glad that your memory is past the capacity of a fucking goldfish to remember our deal but I also promised you a date at Madam Puddifoot’s, remember?”

“You don’t actually have to take me there.” You spit back as you muster up all of your strength to pull your boyfriend’s larger form against the metal pole instead, a bunch of patrons strolling on the streets shooting the pair of you weird looks as they avoid your general vicinity.

“No shit, it’s just for appearances. Don’t worry though, I said I’d treat you out so lunch is on me.” He grits back out, your intertwined hands now painfully digging into the lamppost as you both switch your childish competition into stubbornly trying to get the other to give up and let go first.

(Neither of you win because a shopkeeper ends up yelling at the two of you for being bad for business, your rivalry repelling potential customers as it plays out at the front of their humble establishment.)

・ ─ ・ ⋯ ・ ─ ⊹ ♡₊˚๑

“What can I get started for you two?” Your waitress politely asks as Stan takes a quick moment to scan the menu, ultimately deciding on a classic once his options were laid out. 

“Two orders of hot chocolate, please. No whipped cream in mine but extra for my girlfriend—she needs a little extra sugar.” The ravenette says in a tone of faux innocence as he sends you a sly look from the corner of his eyes, as if daring you to argue.

“We’ll also have a selection of finger sandwiches for two and a slice of every cake you have today.” You quickly bite out, sending your boyfriend a dirty look before looking back at the employee with a sweet expression on your face. “Oh, and a side salad for him—he’s watching his figure.”

After the last of the savory food and array of dessert that you both ordered gets placed on the tabletop in between you two, you waste no time in digging in as you happily hum around the beautiful mirage of flavors in your mouth. But your chewing comes to a stop when you catch the Gryffindor in front of you staring with a foreign expression on his face, your hand shooting out to wipe around the vicinity of your mouth for any possible crumbs.

A corner of Stan’s lips quirks up at your frantic actions before he brings a ring adorned hand up, his thumb grazing the side of your lips so lightly that its touch is almost nonexistent. You feel as if you’re in a trance when you attentively watch him bring the aforementioned finger to his own mouth, his tongue quickly darting out at the smear of frosting with his eyes alight in mirth.

“What’s wrong, McCormick?” His voice is so low, almost a whisper in its taunts when he catches sight of your slightly parted lips.

“Don’t do that shit again—I know you don’t always wash your hands after using the bathroom, nasty ass.” You force your eyes back on the abandoned confection laid in front of you, snarking the ravenette with the embarrassing admission he made when you all went to the waterpark as kids.

“Oh fuck off, dickface! Says the one who didn’t know what a thot was and cried like a bitch when you called your mom one because Cartman told you that it meant a thoughtful person.” In response to his words, you bring a booted foot backwards to gain further momentum before kicking him on the shin from underneath the table.

“Did you just call me a bitch? Are you insinuating that crying holds a negative connotation in which your sexism identifies with the female species?“ You quickly pull out your cell phone, a few customers in the shop staring at your muggle device as you obnoxiously stick it in Stan’s face.

“Come on, Marsh! Say that one more time for me on camera. It’s time the people finally got to know who you really are and cancel the shit out of you!” 

A pretty pink begins to tint the Gryffindor’s cheeks at the growing attention of others as people begin to stare from out on the streets, watching the two of you from the store’s window. He tries to push your hand away, your laughter unashamedly echoing out into the room at the embarrassment you’re causing him.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, okay? Fuck, stop it!” Luckily for your boyfriend, your stomach begins to hurt from all the giggles escaping your lips as your hands lower down to wrap around your waist in a futile attempt to soothe the pain.

When your amusement finally dies down and the older teen has deemed the amount of minutes he spends giving you the silent treatment enough, Stan picks up conversation once more. “You know, I was prepared to convince you more in helping me win back Wendy. I figured you’d fight for her after how upset you were that I ruined her attempt to ask you out.”

“You saying that she’s your ex is enough for me to not be interested. The fuck is she thinking if she liked you enough to be your girlfriend? That’s all the information I need to know that her taste is utter fucking trash.”

“Fuck you! You’re dating me right now, dumbass!”

“Yeah, as your pretend girlfriend! Don’t get it twisted, Marsh. I know its hard but it’d be messy as fuck if you fell for my irresistably good looks and charm. Let’s not forget that this is fake and the only way you’d get me to date your ass.” Your snark around a bite of cake, your head soon lifting up from the treat you were nibbling on when your companion doesn't say a word back after a few seconds. 

Your eyes slightly widen when you see the clenched jaw of the ravenette sitting in front of you and the dark look in his cerulean eyes, confusion sweeping through your body at the unknown expression on his face. He doesn’t break eye contact with you as his larger hand reaches out to take hold of your lifted wrist, slowly guiding your fork into his mouth as he begins to wrap his lips around the baked dessert propped up on the utensil. 

It's almost hypnotic as your eyes slightly lower to watch as his throat shifts to swallow, your breath slightly hitching when you see his tongue dart out to leisurely lick the icing clean off of the fork. Once the utensil is rid of the sugary concoction, he lowers it back down on the plate to grab another piece before offering you a bite.

You obediently open your mouth as the sweetness overtakes your senses, the ravenette watching before his eyes drop down to your lips once more. Figuring that you probably got something around your mouth again, you compliantly lean your body forward to get cleaned when you see his hand begin to reach out towards your face.

However, his fingers gently caress the side of your cheek as they guide your head even closer to his, the Gryffindor holding eye contact with you for a charged second as the space between you two begins to diminish. There’s a questioning look in your eyes as a heated moment passes by, an attractive smirk all you can see before he closes the distance to languidly drag his tongue against your lips.

When your breath hitches in surprise, you’re rewarded with a handsome smile before he dives back in and connects his lips with yours. You’re not granted even a second to register what’s happening before his mouth fluidly moves against your own, your head beginning to get light from the overload of sensations you’re suddenly feeling right now.

The way the hand caressing your face gets firmer as you become increasingly pliant in his touch, his teasing made apparent even now as he draws out each movement for as long as possible—biting and licking your lips in a way that leaves you wanting more. Every kiss lights a fire in its wake, heating up your body and generating an excited thrum with each goosebump he elicits.

Your head begins to spin as you become steadily aware of every point of contact between the two of you, the way his tongue feverishly works against yours and coaxes it into a familiar battle of domination. His teeth begins to tug on your lower lip, a whine involuntarily escaping your rappidly heaving mouth as you can just feel the smirk forming on his own.

He keeps his face close to yours when you reluctantly part, your quick breaths mingling with one another as your lungs desperately take reprieve at your separation. Your voice is close to a whisper in the otherwise loud store as you press your forehead against his, “What was that for?”

“... Wendy was watching.” His azure eyes languidly scan over your wrecked form, a lazy smile accompanying the smug expression on his face before he cuts off your response with another kiss.

When you leave the shop later on, you can’t help but to notice that you don’t see your boyfriend’s ex seated anywhere.

・ ─ ・ ⋯ ・ ─ ⊹ ♡₊˚๑

“Why the fuck is it so cold? You’d think growing up in South Park all my life would’ve prepared me for this shit but my balls are as shriveled as the raisins Tolkien puts in his oatmeal.” Decked out from head to toe in full winter apparel, Kenny can’t see the disgusted expression forming on Kyle’s scarf-hidden face.

“Hey, Butters. Does the front of my pants look less full? I don’t want the ladies to think—” 

“Shut the fuck up!” You instinctively dodge the hand that angrily shoots out across the front of your face, the ushanka wearing teen roughly grabbing onto your elder brother’s scarf in an attempt to asphyxiate him for his blatant vulgarness. 

Slender fingers gently settle themselves around the earmuffs you wear, Tweek making sure that your ears are fully protected from the frosted winds invoking goosebumps to run along your arms. You offer him an affectionate smile at his constantly caring virtue, the grin being returned against the skin of your forehead from the fond peck he gives you as you burrow your pink nose into your knitted scarf.

“It’s not even a Slytherin match, I don’t know why the fuck we have to suffer in the cold just to watch Clyde be a fucking simp and get distracted by the whores in the stands.” Cartman grouchily mutters, his mitted hands curled around a can of diet mountain dew as if the cold beverage were a mug of hot chocolate to warm him up.

“It’s common courtesy!” Butters enthusiastically pipes up, his arms wrapped around one of yours to further generate some heat between the two of you. Resting against his legs on the floor of the stand you're seated at is a hand-made poster that the blonde took the time to write out and decorate to verbalize the support he has for his friends currently playing.

“Well I’m here just to watch Gryffindor eat shit and lose.” Craig mumbles as he concentrates on the calls being hollered out from across the pitch, the game quickly becoming intense as Gryffindor and Ravenclaw score simultaneous amounts of points. 

Your fellow Slytherin’s visage is as expressionless as ever but growing up with him, you can see the little spark of competitiveness flashing through his emerald orbs and the slight quirk to his lips that indicates interest. A giggle slips out of your throat, deeply endeared to see your future brother-in-law keeping up his childhood rivalry with your boyfriend.

At the ravenette’s words, Kenny unceremoniously shoves an indignant Kyle out of the way so that his hands can reach towards his face. Streaks of blue follow his fingers as he smears lines of paint across Craig’s cheeks, a large grin adorning your brother’s features.

“Well, aren’t you just the Ravenclaw dickrider?” He smugly inspects his work as the Slytherin rolls his eyes, his nose scrunching up as he waits for the uncomfortably wet mixture on his skin to dry. 

Your brother then turns to you once he deems it satisfactory, his unmarked hand holding a small tub of paint. “Want some, N/N?”

Obediently leaning your face forward to allow him the same treatment he did with Craig, your brother annoyingly pulls his colored concoction away at the last moment with a mischievous expression crossing his features. “Or do you want to show some support for your boyfriend, Stan? Kyle, why don’t you turn this red so that—”

Tweek yelps as your whole body dives over his to wrap your hands around Kenny’s neck, the older blonde manically laughing as your two other brothers try desperately to yank you back into your seat. It takes Tolkien joining in to bring your angered self to give up your plans at first-degree murder, a pout adorning your face as Kyle pats your head in comfort.

Although Tolkien and Kyle were Ravenclaws, their interests were more aligned with their academics and of other extracurricular activities (the redhead kept up with his childhood passion in the muggle sport of basketball and the ravenette thoroughly enjoyed music, playing instruments like the bass guitar). The two aforementioned and Butters always attended the respective group member’s Quidditch games, your personal cheerleaders despite not playing the sport.

Focusing back on the game, your eyes unconsciously searches for Gyffindor’s seeker until crystal blue meets your own. You begin to fight off a blush when Stan takes the time to lift a hand up to leisurely wave at you, a lazy smirk on his face as his eyes possessively zone in on his larger robe drowning your smaller figure—at the way his house colors beautifully complimented the undertones of your skin and hair.

Kenny begins to obnoxiously make loud kissing noises when he notices your wordless interaction, your boyfriend’s grin growing wider when his team captain admonishes him for not paying any attention to the possible whereabouts of the Golden Snitch. You count your lucky stars at the fact that your knitted scarf hides the giddy smile stretching across your already blushing face, the slight feeling of breathlessness causing an unfamiliar sensation in your stomach.

“Go, Ravenclaw! Beat Gryffindor’s ass so that Slytherin can fuck you up at the finals!” Cartman begins to screech, the rest of you snickering at his version of… support.

“Have it all figured out, don’t you, fat boy?” Kyle snorts as the side of stands filled with red and their lion-shaped balloon sends nasty glares at your group. None of you pay them any mind, however, having grown up used to the unpleasant reactions your friends often evoke for their dumbassery all your life.

“Stan sees the Snitch!” Tolkien abruptly shouts, his body straightening up from his perched position on the bench as you all jump to immediate attention at his words.

The aforementioned seeker is a blur of red and gold as he zooms down the pitch, your boyfriend’s hands tightly clenched around his broom and his body leaning forward to gain further traction. Your eyes widen in amazement as he effortlessly swerves around both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw players alike in his pursuit of the tiny ball, the other team’s seeker belatedly noticing and starting to fly after him. 

“For fuck’s sake, Ravenclaw is even shittier than I thought.” Cartman grumbles in vehement disgust, his larger body slumping down in defeat as he begins to eat his woes away with a pack of snacky cakes.

Just as Stan approaches where the group of you are seated, you anxiously watch with bated breaths as his flying form rapidly crosses over your positions. Despite the fact that he’s chasing after the Golden fucking Snitch, the ravenette finds the time to slow down just the tiniest bit to catch your eye.

And in his theatrically obnoxious Marsh fashion (as he’s been in publicly displaying his love and affection for you), your boyfriend cockily yells out for everyone in the pitch to hear, “This one’s for you, N/N!”

There’s a smug grin on his face as he hurtles down the stadium, his hands stretching forward towards the fluttering globe–

“Marsh got the Snitch!” The commentator loudly announces into the microphone over the roar of cheering students, the blush on your cheeks making its permanent residence on your face.

Your friends all look at one another in a mixture of expressions, ranging from wide eyes and slightly dropped mouths or snickering smirks at the bold declaration of love. You don’t take notice of any of them—you can’t—not when your eyes are mesmerized at the sight of your boyfriend spinning around in mid-air to triumphantly hold out the Snitch for all of Hogwarts to see, his own eyes locked with yours.

・ ─ ・ ⋯ ・ ─ ⊹ ♡₊˚๑

Your brother’s legs lay on either side of your waist as twitchy fingers begin to clumsily weave your hair into two french braids, the both of you lounging on the deep blue of the linen that covers the bed. Butters lays on his belly in front of you with his legs leisurely swinging back and forth in the air, his two hands cradling his face as he happily hums and reads a muggle teen-gossip magazine that your mom regularly sends to him.

"Loo, loo, loo—"

“I can’t fucking concentrate if you keep humming out of tune like that!” Kenny angrily shouts from his position on the floor, his eyes never leaving the parchment paper in front of him as he rushes to write out five scrolls worth of Transfiguration homework.

Before anyone can make a scathing retort back in typical sibling banter, the fireplace located at the end of the bedroom ignites in a colorful assortment of neon green flames. The fluorescent lights steadily flicker away to reveal the towering frame of Craig, the Slytherin using the Floo Network to sneak into the Ravenclaw tower past curfew.

“Hey! It’s our boyfriend!” Your eldest sibling and you annoyingly yell out in synchronization, the ravenette tiredly rolling his eyes as he steps into the dorm and dusts the remnants of ashes lingering on his robes. 

You all snicker at the reaction your obnoxious teasing always elicits, Tweek sending an apologetic smile to his significant other as he continues weaving your hair together. The reason for this long-running joke is as follows:

If the stoic teen wanted to surprise his lover with ice cream, then he’d better have four to bring for all of you (lest he wants his boyfriend to have a few bites while the rest of his annoying siblings eat the rest of it). If he discreetly invited the blonde for a romantic night out to the movies, he can only drag his feet in grumpy defeat to the ticket counter when he sees that all three of his boyfriend’s siblings have tagged along despite it being a date.

He didn't know that asking Tweek to be his boyfriend would entail him getting into a relationship with three additional people but here he was—tired beyond his years and with a noticeably lighter wallet.

“Fuck off, dipshits.” Craig irritatingly mumbles as he dives headfirst into the silk-covered pillows decorating the head of Kyle’s bed, a long groan monotonously being drawn out from the teen after suffering in detention. 

The red-headed Ravenclaw was still off doing his duties and patrolling the halls of Hogwarts while the rest of you took advantage of the private dorm room that prefects were granted, invading the space as if it were your own. You snort around the sweetness of the lollipop in your mouth, your lips wrapped around the blue raspberry-flavored treat as you watch the fireplace ignite once again. 

You all hear Clyde’s obnoxious whooping before seeing him appear with his arms raised above his nest of brown hair, his hands brandishing bottles of Blishen’s firewhiskey and Dragon Barrel brandy. He gets roughly pushed out of the way by Tolkien, the Ravenclaw rubbing his temples in annoyance at the already loud noises coming out of the Gryffindor despite being sober.

You attempt to hop up and join the brunette in his excitement but a quick tug on your blonde locks has you pouting as Tweek continues to braid your hair. But when your brother finishes his task at hand, you’re quick to join the makeshift circle beginning to form on the floor as the rest of the boys steadily begin to join the room via Floo.

You’re all chatting with one another when the door behind you opens, the rest of the boys hollering out loud as the man of the hour finally joins, the guys rowdily congratulating him for securing Gryffindor a place to compete for the house cup. You keep your body facing away from the newest members joining, a snicker escaping from your mouth when you hear Kyle heaving out a deep sigh before mumbling the incantation to magically erect a barrier around the room so that the other students in the tower couldn’t hear your late-night festivities.

You slightly jolt in surprise when someone suddenly settles themself behind your seated form, your body getting pressed against a hard chest as you feel the vibrations of your boyfriend deeply chuckling behind you. You slightly turn your head to send him a pout for his teasing, a discreet hand going to pinch him on the thigh in greeting as you internally roll your eyes. 

He quirks an eyebrow at you in return, his muscular arms wrapping around your waist to forcibly place you on his lap with an admittedly handsome smirk adorning his face. But before you can say anything, Cartman administers a round of shots and loudly prompts a toast within the group to celebrate the start of a shitfaced night.

・ ─ ・ ⋯ ・ ─ ⊹ ♡₊˚๑

“Hey. How’s my pretty girl doing?” Stan’s voice is low as he speaks to you from behind, a puff of air accompanying every word leaving his mouth and softly hitting the shell of your ear.

You feel his large hands reach underneath your uniformed button-up, his cool fingers lightly skimming themselves against the bare expanse of skin he has access to. Your lips slightly part at the sensation, the rings adorning his fingers eliciting a trail of goosebumps to arise at the difference in temperature due to your alcohol induced warmth.

“Hmm?” The deep baritone of his voice further prompts you to answer when a beat of silence stretches on between the both of you for too long, the tone all too-knowing and annoyingly confident.

Your head slightly turns from its position at the front of his shoulder to look at the teasing expression on his face, every hue in his sapphire eyes becoming more apparent when they come into contact with your drunkenly cloudy ones. You can’t help but to notice that the distance between your faces is miniscule, the small space slowly diminishing until you can feel your breaths begin to mingle with one another.

The pungent smell of alcohol is prominent between the two of you, lightly sweetened by the hickory scent of the cinnamon firewhiskey you both drank. There’s a small whiff of blue-raspberry from the little treat you indulged in earlier and a smell so comforting, something so innately Stan that you can’t help the way its scent relaxes your muscles even further and makes you feel at home.

It’s confusing—this rivalry you have always had and this faux relationship the ravenette has suddenly proposed. You can’t help but to think to yourself: has Stan always been this handsome? 

With the way the amber hues of the fireplace further accentuates the features on his face, the warmth of the fluorescents hugging the slope of his cute nose and the pretty pink coloring his plump lips. Your eyes greedily drink in the way the raven locks of his hair falls perfectly against his forehead, the dark tresses complimenting the slight tan on his honey skin from the time spent out in the sun to polish his already superior Quidditch skills.

You don't realize that your eyes have started to close until you feel your eyelashes lightly flutter against the skin on your cheeks, a pair of soft lips coming into contact with your own. Your lips begin to quirk up at the sudden wave of happiness you feel when you finally realize what you’ve been missing when your friends talk about love and relationships with the way Stan kisses you—so soft and sure, like you're the only thing that matters in the world. In his world.

The way he slots your lips together has no ounce of hesitation, it’s gentle and patient—like this is something you’ve both been doing forever with one another and like it's just something that naturally belongs in this universe. Like the way people have readily accepted the fact that the sky is blue and that grass is green with no further question, his loving embrace makes you feel like there is no other place for your lips to be but here.

But when your lips part, you can’t help but to think about how this all isn’t real. That this thing happening between the two of you is all because he loves another girl, that he still wants her after all those years. 

The startling realization feels like a bucket of ice cold water drenching your whole entire body, the suddenly intrusive thoughts quickly bringing your mind to clarity as it needlessly taunts you. Your internal depreciation sobers you up, your teeth harshly biting down onto your lips to invoke the metallic taste of copper in an effort to stop the thin film of tears that begin to form from trailing down your cheeks.

The only way you can get this love is if it’s fake, Y/N.

[purple-babygirl]

What about Bucky dealing with a Little that's very picky about food and nervous about trying new foods so Bucky does things like eating the new food first and then asks if the little would want some, and maybe something to do with the fact that the little eats the same few foods nearly everyday? You can ignore this if you want!!

Word count: 2,613

Warnings: ddlg dynamics, it's all fluff.

A/N: Hi! I loved this so much and I loved writing it and I really hope you like reading it just as much💜 Thank you for sharing this idea with me; it was awesome💜 Also, it might take me some time to get to your guys' asks, but I will never ignore you. Please enjoy xx💜💜 I know I said I was trying to write them shorter but they keep getting longer idk I like to make food so🤷

~~

chef daddy adventures

Bucky was a democratic daddy. He had rules and they were agreed upon and followed, but there were still certain things his girl got to choose to her own liking. Bucky would schedule a play date and she would decide what to wear. Bucky would say it's bath time and she'd point to the bath bomb she wanted to drop in the tub. Bucky would cook and she'd pick what she wanted to eat.

The thing was, though, that she picked almost the same things every single time. She ate the same things every week. And not only that, but there were stuff she would refuse to eat or even taste. Her doctor assured Bucky it wasn't something physical: no sensitive palate and no allergies. She was just a picky eater; always nervous about trying anything new.

This left Bucky with limited options both when he was cooking or ordering food. He wanted to make his girl comfortable, but that didn't mean he wanted her to miss out on all the benefits other foods offered because mushrooms were tasteless, seafood tasted ocean-rancid or the texture of cooked zucchinis was weird.

“Hey, bubba, what do you think we try something different today?” Bucky proposed after she picked fried chicken again when asked about what she wanted for dinner.

“Different?” She tilted her head, dropping her colouring pencil, letting Bucky carry her outside of the playroom.

“Mhm, maybe we could try a new recipe for chicken? You know daddy only makes you tasty stuff, right?” Bucky said as he sat her up on the kitchen counter.

“I don' know, dada..” she trailed off unsurely, the thought alone making her nervous.

“You're doubting daddy's cooking skills?” Bucky gasped, closing his eyes and clutching his heart.

“No, no, dada, no!” She assured him quickly, wrapping her limbs around him like a baby koala, arms and legs hugging his torso.

“You like daddy’s cooking then?” He asked her playfully.

“Yes, daddy, I like it a lot.”

“So you're gonna help daddy with our newest recipe?” Bucky opened one eye, smiling mischievously at the girl wrapped around him.

“Yes, daddy.” She meekly nodded in his chest.

“And you're gonna give it a try? Eat it with daddy?” He opened the other eye, his big hand rubbing her back.

“Yes, daddy,” she repeated, looking up at him.

“Such a good girl.” Bucky kissed her forehead and she smiled at the praise.

~

A few minutes later, Bucky had the needed ingredients on the spacious counter beside his girl: chicken breasts, shallot onions, a couple garlic cloves, cream, some shredded mozzarella and parmesan and mushrooms. Now, she did object to the addition of mushrooms to the dish, but Bucky convinced her it won't affect it because it had no taste. She couldn't argue against her own words.

Bucky could see the slight sadness on her face because she actually liked everything he put in that pan except for the sliced button mushrooms. But he needed her to give the fungi a chance.

“Bubba, you wanna sprinkle the cheese?” That should cheer her up.

~

“Baby doll, you wanna try some?” Bucky asked before scooping her a portion, though he knew what she was about to say.

“Only cream, no mushrooms, please, dada.” Exactly that.

“But, bubba- just give it a try.”

She stayed silent, her fingers pinching the tablecloth.

“For me?” Bucky pleaded with her gently.

“Dada..” she didn't want to say no but she didn't want to eat the mushrooms still.

“Here, look, daddy will try them first and I'll tell you if they don't taste good, okay? Promise,” Bucky said, scooping some cream and mushrooms on his spoon.

“Okay, daddy,” she agreed quietly, his promise making her feel less nervous. She trusted her Daddy's judgment.

“Bub, you're missing out,” Bucky told her as soon as he chewed his food, licking his spoon in emphasis, “those mushrooms are delicious.”

“They have a taste?” She asked with wide eyes, making Bucky smile big.

“Yup, taste like the cheesy cream sauce we made. You want one?” He picked one slice of mushroom, rubbing it in the white sauce.

She nodded, opening her mouth.

“Good girl.” Bucky slid the fork in her mouth, watching her face as she chewed.

“How does it taste, bub?”

“Like cream,” she confirmed with a smile.

“Wait till you try it with chicken in the same bite, hold on.” Bucky excitedly started preparing the next bite on her fork, internally sighing in relief that he was able to get her to try something new.

~

When he tried to do that again with zucchini though, Bucky miserably failed. The second she saw the tall vegetables through the plastic shopping bags, she asked Bucky if they could order pizza for dinner that night, not even giving him a chance to cook them for her. The same thing happened when he attempted to sneak shrimps into their linguine. She wasn't near as compliant as she was when they cooked the mushrooms. Maybe it was because mushrooms didn’t have a strong, distinct taste or texture for her to remember and complain about. Whatever the reason, she made one thing clear: she did not want her teeth anywhere near that green vegetable or that shellfish.

Bucky almost gave up on zucchinis and shrimps until one day when they were watching Ratatouille, a lamp lit above his head. He saw his girl mesmerized by the dish Remy made Ego so much that she constantly kept talking about it: how colorful it was, how she wished she could taste it and how she wondered what was in it. Bucky being Bucky, he knew the recipe. And he knew it essentially contained zucchinis. So the next day when grocery shopping, Bucky made sure to get all the ingredients needed to make one, delicious, authentic ratatouille for his girl.

Only problem was, she was a smart little one. She knew zucchinis when she saw them and she saw Bucky thin-slicing a few. So she refused to eat when dinner was on the table, asking if she could have noodles instead. It would be the fifth time that she'd wanted noodles for dinner that week. Bucky made her noodles anyway so she wouldn't feel left out on the dinner table, but he still had to convince her.

“Mmmm, it tastes so good, baby doll. I bet it's better than the one Remy made,” Bucky said, exaggeratingly savoring the bite he took.

“Remy is the best chef ever, dada,” she mumbled, fingers playing with the tablecloth.

“Exactly, so what does that tell ya?” His question made her gaze on the full pan in subtle contemplation.

“That daddy is a better chef?” She bit down.

“That's right. You want a taste, bub?” Bucky asked her softly.

“Dada, I don't like zucchinis,” she said in subtle frustration, her feet almost kicking air under the table. She wanted a taste, she just didn't want a taste of zucchini.

“Too bad; tastes delicious,” Bucky shrugged apologetically, watching her as he took another fork between his lips.

“Does it really taste good?” She wondered curiously, eyeing the tomato sauce-smeared plate.

He successfully had her attention.

“Mhm.”

“So good?”

“Yeah, so so good,” Bucky promised, “you wanna try?” He offered her the next loaded fork with a hopeful smile.

She stared at Bucky, hesitation clear in her eyes despite her mouth-watering at the sight and smell of the dish, the sweetness of basil filling the air.

“But just a li'l bite?” She negotiated, still trying to get out of having to eat zucchini.

“Just a little bite; see if you like it?” Bucky dropped the food back on the plate, getting her a smaller portion on the fork instead.

She nodded, “yes, please, dada.”

“Good girl. One little bite coming up. Open up, bub.” Bucky smiled, positioning the fork before her mouth.

She faintly pouted at the thought of zucchinis but opened up and let herself taste the food. The more she chewed the more her eyes widened, making Bucky chuckle.

Bucky didn't put any zucchini on the first fork, not wanting her to feel betrayed. He wanted her to warm up to the meal bit by bit, so he only gave her eggplant and tomato.

“You like it, baby doll?”

“Yes, dada. 'S delicious.” She nodded, tongue licking the side of her lips.

“Told ya.” Bucky grinned wider, reloading the fork for her.

“No, dada, that's too much zucchini,” she whined when she saw the bite he was preparing on the fork.

“Tell you what, did you like the sauce?” Bucky asked and she nodded in confirmation.

“Yeah? Okay, we'll dip it in lots of sauce, cover it up real good and you won't even know zucchini is there.” He promised, rolling the zucchini on the fork around in the bottom of the casserole pan.

“But I saw it.” She continued to whine.

“Trust me, bub, just like we did with the mushrooms, yeah? Open up.”

She obeyed and let Bucky feed her the sauced veggies and he was right, all she tasted was the amazing sauce and the slight crunch of the onions hid the weird texture of the zucchinis.

“Dada, wan' more please,” she requested with a sheepish smile after swallowing, her feet now swinging under the table.

Bucky was just staring at her, proud of himself that he got her to enjoy a food she would've continued to claim to hate minutes ago. He was more than happy to be the Remy to her Ego.

“Of course, baby doll.” He smiled wide, scooping another serving on the plate for her, “tell me I'm a better chef than Remy first,” Bucky teased, keeping the fork at a distance from her mouth.

“Dada's better.” She blushed, opening her mouth, making Bucky chuckle at her cuteness.

She was finally eating zucchinis and she was relishing them. That was amazing progress; Bucky just had to find a good movie for every food she refused to eat…

~

It was two weeks after Bucky made them ratatouille that he tried to sneak in another recipe containing something she didn't like to eat. Bucky had done his movie research.

And so on movie night, Bucky put on The Princess and The Frog for them to watch and made sure his baby had her eyes on the screen when Tiana's father was stirring the pot of gumbo.

“Oh, look how tasty that gumbo's looking, bubba.”

“It's a movie, dada. Real shrimps taste like-” She shook her head as her smart mouth ran.

“The ocean, yeah, I know, bub.” Bucky sighed, kissing her temple. The hardheadedness he'd encouraged on her before was coming back to bite him in the butt.

But Bucky wasn't a daddy to give up. He set up his ingredients the next day and invited his baby doll to the kitchen to assist. She was always happy when they were doing stuff together, and Bucky wanted her to see how everything was made so she knew what she was presented when it was time to eat.

Bucky did the dangerous stuff: peeled and deveined the shrimps, cut up the sausages and vegetables, minced the garlic, and simmered the sauce while she did the safer stuff like handing him the salt and pepper, tasting the warm broth a couple of times before Bucky dropped in the shrimps, and occasionally giggling when he would peck her nose or cheek.

“You wanna put in the last magic ingredient, baby doll?” Bucky suggested, pointing to the Tabasco sauce bottle.

“Yes, dada.” She nodded, happy that she gets to play Tiana's part.

She let Bucky open the bottle for her and hand it over, his hand on hers to make sure she didn't spill too much into the pot.

She was pleased to be cooking with her daddy, but she wasn't exactly as pleased about the thought that she might have to eat shrimps or something that tasted of it for dinner.

When they were seated, she didn't let Bucky scoop any shrimps for her. She only agreed to try the veggies and the sausages and maybe get a couple of warm broth spoons. But Bucky wasn't going to have it be like this.

“Oh my god! Who made these amazing shrimps that taste nothing like the ocean and everything like Tiana's gumbo; they are yummy!” Bucky announced loudly, making her giggle as she chewed her beef sausage slice. She was thankful the shrimps didn't ruin the whole dish for her.

“Baby doll, you've got to try this. It's too delicious!”

She shook her head stubbornly, trying not to gag as she watched Bucky bite into another shrimp.

“Bub, I promise it doesn't taste like the ocean.”

“I don't know, dada..” she replied, nervously picking at the tablecloth again.

Bucky frowned, disheartened, as his shoulders drooped. She didn't like that look on daddy. She wanted to make him smile.

“One bite?” She asked in her small voice, eyes becoming curious again.

“One bite.” Bucky cut her a small piece of the shrimp and carefully neared the fork to her mouth.

She pulled away before it touched her lips “but.. if I don't like it daddy eats the rest? Please?”

“Okay, baby doll, whatever you want.” He smiled in agreement.

She sniffed at the fork, surprised to find that it smelled of herbs instead of the ocean. She locked eyes with an expectant Bucky as she closed her lips around the fork. She pulled back and started chewing slowly, Bucky anxiously anticipating her wanting to spit the food out.

She chewed for a minute before swallowing and smiling. She actually smiled at the taste, “'S good, dada.”

“Really? You like it?” Bucky asked cheerfully and she nodded.

“Yeah, daddy didn’ lie to me. It doesn’t taste like the ocean.” She beamed gratefully.

“You want more?” He offered with a grin and she nodded harder.

“Yes, please, dada.”

Bucky was so contented with himself he could write it in the papers. His girl was eating stuff he cooked that she'd refused to eat from the hands of certified chefs before. And she is liking them! No spitting, no throwing up, no disgusted, grimacing facial expressions made. He was really succeeding!

~

“Dada? Thank you,” she whispered shyly to Bucky as she sat on the kitchen counter, watching him do the dishes.

“For what, baby doll?”

“For cookin' me all the delicious food in the world.”

Bucky turned the water off and dried his hands before walking to her and engulfing her in his arms, her face finding its hiding place in the crook of his neck, “you're welcome, bubba,” Bucky sighed, kissing her hair, “thank you for trying it.”

She pecked his jaw in reply. She was so precious and adorable and she didn’t even know it.

“And I also like it when daddy tastes the food for me first,” she added, pressing her nose further into his neck.

“Yeah? Why's that?” Bucky smiled at the thought of her feeling safe eating aft-

“'Cause then if it tastes bad daddy could eat it alone and I don't have to eat it.” She mumbled, making Bucky fake another gasp.

“An' because I trust daddy too,” she peeked at him, biting back a smile.

“Oh no, too late, young lady, my heart has already been broken.” Bucky shook his head dramatically, playfully trying to pull away from the hug.

“No, no, dada, I love you,” she giggled and wrapped her arms tighter around his neck, not wanting him to stop holding her.

Bucky laughed, “I love you too, bub.” Bucky kissed her forehead, nose and cheek, “I'll taste every food first for you.”

“Forever?”

“Forever.”

[travelingtheusa]

VIRGINIA

2023 Nov 7 (Tue) – I went to the hairdresser today and got lowlights and a haircut.  It looks pretty good but I’ll have to get used to it.  I don’t think the cut is very good though.

      After the hairdresser, we went shopping at Kroger for groceries.  We also picked up a fried chicken meal for lunch but by the time we ate it, it was much closer to dinnertime. 

      Paul got propane at Tractor Supply while I was in the hairdresser and wandered around Lowe’s for a while.  When I came out of the hairdresser, we got fuel for tomorrow’s move.

2023 Nov 6 (Mon – Paul’s birthday) – We went to the Secret Sandwich Society in Richmond for lunch.  The menu was very eclectic as they had lots of unusual combinations in sandwiches.  They did have a full bar and we were able to celebrate with a margarita.  What else?

      After lunch, we drove to Maymont Estate.  When we arrived, we realized we had been there before in 2019.  The park and grounds were open but the buildings were closed.  There were several tents set up around the grounds.  They had some kind of event this weekend.  There was a sign saying they were all sold out.  As we walked the grounds, trucks began pulling up to take the tents down.  Too bad we missed whatever it was.

2023 Nov 5 (Sun) – We went to the riverwalk this morning.  It was short walk along the one side we walked on.  We read the story boards and learned that the canal was a dream of George Washington’s.  When built, it was over 500 miles long and connected to the Mississippi River.

      After the walk, we went to an Irish pub for lunch.  The Sine Irish Pub was in a historic building made of lots of dark wood and glass.  The food was good.

2023 Nov 4 (Sat) – We were going to go into Richmond today to the riverwalk but we saw on the news that there was an event going on for Alzheimer’s.  Because of the crowd, we didn’t go in.

2023 Nov 3 (Fri) – It is still cold.  Again, Paul disconnected the water hose before going to bed.  He began work on our next caravan – Planes, Trains, Automobiles & Ships.  This is such fun!  I started research for my next book.  It’s funny.  It’s turning out that I am writing one book a year:  Golden Nuggets in 2022, Letters From the Dessert in 2023, and Let’s Go Caravaning in 2024.  I can’t think of what I would write about next in 2025.

      We went out to lunch at Skrimp Shack.  No, that’s not a misspelling.  I thought I was looking wrong but on closer inspection, it is spelled with a ‘k’ and not an ‘h’.  I had a shrimp taco and Paul enjoyed a shrimp po boy.  After lunch, we went to Kroger and picked up a few groceries then to NAPA to pick up some DEF for the truck.  Another light came on in the dashboard.  Paul had to pull out the manual to look it up.  It was particulate matter in the fuel filter and he had to run the engine to burn it off.  I think it's related to the recall Ford sent out on the EPA system for the truck.  I just hope the truck holds on until we can get to the shop in Greenville, SC, on November 14.

2023 Nov 2 (Thu) – A cold snap blew through last night and temperatures dropped to the low 30s.  We disconnected the water hose before going to bed. Good thing, too.  The thermometer read 32 degrees this morning when Paul got up.  We stayed in all day.  It was too cold to go anywhere.  Paul called a Ford dealer in Greenville to make an appointment to bring the truck in.  Not only do we have a recall on the EPA sensor, but the truck has been acting up.  We get a CHECK ENGINE light, a picture of a wrench, a warning signal for tire pressure, and in the last two or three days, the light in the back seat will not go out.  Paul had to disconnect it entirely.

2023 Nov 1 (Wed) - Paul took me out to dinner at Chicken & Bread.  It turned out to be a Latin American restaurant where Spanish was the primary language.  The place was full when we walked in but cleared out fairly quickly.  I joked that everyone in the place thought we were with immigration.  We got roast chicken with mashed potatoes and vegetables.  Paul ordered a tamale as a side dish but it was not anything he was used to.  It was not wrapped in corn husk and the masa was undercooked.  Also, there were bones in the chicken in the tamale.  When he explained to the waitress that it wasn’t like any tamale he had every eaten, she patiently explained that the food in the restaurant was Guatemalan and other Latin venues.  We were impressed that she didn’t just blow us off but stayed to explain the difference from the traditional Mexican tamale.

      We went to PetCo afterward to pick up some digestive enzymes for Sheba.  Next door was an ABC store where we picked up some booze.  (The state operates all liquor stores in Virginia and they are named VA ABC – doesn’t even say it’s a liquor store.)  Next stop was at an RV dealer where Paul picked up a repair kit for the door.  He also got a cover for a connection that broke off after he installed it on the outside of the rig.

2023 Oct 31 (Tue) – We waved goodbye as rig after rig pulled out of the campground.  We were packed and ready to leave at 10:30 a.m.  The drive was about 120 miles to the DLA Supply Center Richmond Family RV Rec Area.  We were here in 2019.  The “campground” (if you want to call it that) only has six sites located around a circle.  All campsites are full.  We have 50 amp electric and water hookups.  We pulled out the paper plates in order to keep water usage low since we have no sewer connection. 

      At 5:30 p.m. we went out for dinner at the Half Way House.  It was an historical building that stood during the civil war.  The restaurant was in the basement and was dimly lit with lots of old wood.  It turned out the kitchen was in a separate log building next to the restaurant.  The meal was excellent; expensive, but excellent.

2023 Oct 30 (Mon) - We did some shopping at WalMart today.  I collected contributions from other members of the caravan to give a gift to the wagon masters and tail gunners.  We went to WalMart and picked up a bunch of gift certificates to restaurants.  We stopped at the Southern Kitchen for lunch.  It was good but, again, a long wait for our food.

      At 5:00 p.m. we went to the Speakeasy at Mimslyn Inn in Luray for our caravan farewell dinner.  It was in the basement of a large hotel.  It was our caravan and other people from the general public in the restaurant (they didn’t take any reservations; it was first-come, first-served).  After our meal, we presented the WM and TG with their gift certificates.  Then I gave a brief talk to the group as the 1st VP and incoming president of SMART, encouraging everyone to join in musters and help with recruiting and retention.

2023 Oct 29 (Sun) – We did laundry today.  I worked on paying bills.  Paul worked on repairs to the RV.  He got the parts he ordered from Amazon to make various repairs around the rig.

The group toured the Shenandoah Caverns today. It was pretty large. They divided us into two groups, each with a guide. There was another tour group going around at the same time we all were and it seemed pretty crowded at one point.

203 Oct 28 (Sat) – We toured Luray Caverns today.  What a phenomenal experience!  There were more stalagmites and stalactites than we have ever seen in any cave.  And the rooms were so large and roomy.  There was a lake that reflected the ceiling so perfectly that you couldn’t tell where the landforms ended and the reflection began.  The caves are set up on a self-guided tour with you following descriptions of key forms on a brochure you get when you register.  I guess COVID changed how they do tours.  This is the first cave that we’ve gone in that did not have a guide to make sure your did not touch anything or take any souvenirs.

      After the tour, we met Joe & Diane at the Watch & Warrant for lunch.  Ugh.  It was almost an hour to get our food and it wasn’t that good.  At 5 p.m. the group went to a nearby café for dinner.

2023 Oct 27 (Fri) – We packed up and moved from Waynesboro to Luray.  It was only 45 miles away.  We were in the last group to leave at 11:00 a.m.  The Luray RV Resort is very much a resort.  They have a motocross track, a track for bicyclists, pickle ball, a water park, corn hole, and lots more.  Our site is a generous size and all hookups work well.  There is lots of grass and some trees.  The caravan is located all together in one row.  There is another part of the park that appears to be brand new with no one in it.

2023 Oct 26 (Thu) – It was a very long day today.  We drove into Lexington, VA to tour the Virginia Military Institute.  It was a beautiful campus, built in the same style as West Point in NY.  The sprawling campus called for a lot of walking.  We toured the VMI Museum, looked in the chapel, and followed a guide around as we learned about life at the institute.

      When the tour was done, we had lunch in the dining hall.  It was a very large cafeteria with many choices.  The food was pretty good.  Then we walked over to the Jackson home and learned about Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.  His was a life filled with loss.  He was orphaned at age 7, his first wife died giving birth to their stillborn son, and he was shot and killed by one of his one men during the Civil War at the ripe old age of 39.  It is said that General Lee lost the war when General Jackson died. 

      We returned to the campground.  My dogs were barking!  That was a LOT of walking.  We had a travel meeting then a campfire.  We move tomorrow. 

2023 Oct 25 (Wed) – It was a free day.  We went into town and had lunch at Stella, Bella & Lucy’s.  This was a café named after their dogs.  Quaint and good food.  Afterward, we drove to the Silverback Distillery for a tasting.  Joe and another member of the caravan bought bottles of liquor.  We did not buy anything.  After happy hour, there was another campfire.  It was very pleasant.

2023 Oct 24 (Tue) – We rode into Staunton to the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Museum & Library.  We had been here in 2021.  The tour was the same – 3 buildings: one was the home he was born in, one was a private home turned into a gift shop, and the third was the museum.  Afterward, we walked into town and had lunch at the Pampered Plate Café. It was a small place but the food was good.

      After we got back to the campground, we hopped in the truck and ran some errors.  We got fuel, propane, liquor, groceries, and postage stamps.  There was a delightful campfire tonight.

2023 Oct 23 (Mon) – The caravan left early this morning (8:00 a.m.) to drive an hour to Charlottesville to tour the Thomas Jefferson Highland.  It is the location of where Thomas Jefferson’s home was located.  The house was lovely but totally unexpected.  The rooms were small and plain.  We thought the home would be more opulent given that it is in the south and was owned by an ex-president. They broke us up into 2 groups and each had a guide.  We walked around the first floor of the home and then around the grounds.  I was extremely disappointed.  It feels like they missed an opportunity to tell us about Jefferson’s presidency.  It was all about the house.

      After the house tour, we drove to Michie Tavern for a delightful buffet lunch.  The setting was an old log cabin.  After we were seated with our food, waitstaff came around to give us refills on anything we wanted. 

      Next on the agenda was a tour of James Monroe’s Highland.  This was an even stranger tour as his home had burned down.  We took a tour of someone else’s house that was built on Monroe’s property.  Again, they missed the opportunity to talk about his presidency and what he accomplished. 

      We got back to the campground around 4:20 p.m.  It was a long day.

2023 Oct 22 (Sun) – We packed up and left at 11 a.m.  We were in the last group today.  This was the longest leg of the caravan – just under 200 miles.  It was like everything conspired to interfere on our trip.  There were 3 accidents, the last just as we got to the intersection when a large fire truck pulled up and blocked our way.  We pulled into the Luray RV Resort & Campground around 4:30 p.m.  As we were setting up, the call came out over the radio that happy hour was at 5:00 p.m.  Talk about not having a chance to catch your breath!

      We went to happy hour and happily found a campfire blazing away.  We joined the group around the circle until it started to get dark, then came home for dinner.

2023 Oct 21 (Sat) – A fierce wind blew up overnight.  It started around 2:45 a.m. and kept up for most of the day.  It let up around 4 p.m.

      We carpooled with Beth & Marlin into Mt. Airy, NC, to the Andy Griffith Museum.  A docent gave us a comprehensive talk about Andy Griffith’s career, then we all filed outside for a group photo by the Andy & Opie statue.  Then we walked around the corner from the playhouse to the museum.  Having been here before, I soon left because the place was packed – not only with our group but the general public.

      When we were all done, we walked downtown to Mi Casa for lunch.  After lunch, we walked to the historical Earl Theater.  There were a group of musicians playing hillbilly music.  They were on the air for a radio program. The radio program has been playing for years.  We listened for about 30 minutes, then left to go to Wally’s Service Station.  There, the caravan had arranged for 11 police squad cars to give us rides.  When Beth & Marlin and us got in the car, the driver took us on a half hour tour of Mt. Airy.  He was a delightful tour guide and regaled us with stories of the town and the characters from the Andy Griffith show.  We thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

      After return to the campground, I prepared cheese stuffed mini peppers for happy hour (we were supposed to have heavy hors d’oeuvres tonight but John cancelled that, thinking we would get back too late to prepare the food).  Some of the other folks prepared their hors d’oeuvres as well.  You can’t save the food, sometimes.  After happy hour, they held the travel meeting.  We are in the last group tomorrow, leaving at 11 a.m. for the 200 mile trip to Waynesboro.

      There was a campfire tonight.  That was delightful.

2023 Oct 20 (Fri) – We invited Allen & Carol to join us for lunch at the Creek Bottom Brewing Co.  We met Allen and his first wife, Judy, on the Canadian Maritimes caravan.  Judy passed away last year.  Allen and Carol met due to both of their spouses having dementia.  Her husband also passed away last year.  They got together and got married.  Now, they are traveling the U.S. making up for lost time.

      At 4:30 p.m., the group met back at the Creek Bottom Brewing Co for dinner.  The caravan covered $15 per person for a meal; the rest you covered on your own.  We stayed until 6:45 p.m. and left before the entertainment for the evening began to play.  Everyone said she was very good.

2023 Oct 19 (Thu) – We didn’t go anywhere today.  I spent the day on the TENS machine and heating pad.  At 5 pm, we had happy hour.  The caravan had a grill-out tonight.  Everyone brought their grills to the rec center and cooked either steaks or pork chops (according to what you ordered).  Everyone brought sides to go with their meat.  As usual, there was way too much food.

2023 Oct 18 (Wed) – We went to WalMart for groceries, then to the County Line Café for lunch.  My back has been steadily getting worse over the past few days and this afternoon, it hit is apex.  I could barely walk by the time we got back home.  I used the TENS machine, Biofreeze, and a heating pad.  When all that didn’t work, I took a couple of Tylenol.  Nothing seems to be helping.  I may have to seek medical attention.

2023 Oct 17 (Tue) – We rode with Joe & Diane into the town of Galax this morning.  We all gathered at the visitor’s center for a guided tour of the town.   She walked the group down to the School for the Arts.  We walked around the building admiring all the hand crafted items on display and for sale.  The curator gave us a talk about the school, its beginnings, its funding, and its purpose.  After half an hour, we walked down the block to the Hillbilly Barber Shop.  It used to be a barber shop in its day but now it is an antique music store.  The man who runs it – Tom Barr – used to perform in the day.  Now, he makes violins and entertains visitors to his small shop.  There were pictures all over the walls of folks who have played music.  Two of his friends came in and played for us.

         Afterward, we drove to the Blue Ridge Music Center.  There were two buildings connected by a portico.  One building contained a small museum about the start of American bluegrass music.  The other building was an auditorium.  In front, was a group of four people playing instruments. We sat for about a half hour, listening to them play, then went over to explore the museum.  The trees in the area are really starting to turn now.  The hillside was beautiful.

      At 5 p.m., we went down to happy hour.  At 6 pm, we returned to the camper.

2023 Oct 16 (Mon) – We packed up and left Bristol, TN at 10:30 a.m.  There were 3 of us in the group; us in the middle.  The ride was fairly easy and we arrived at the Cool Breeze Campground in Galax, VA at 1:30 p.m.  The wagon maser had a problem with his airbags and had to stay in the campground waiting for an RV tech to help.  The folks that came in as group one did a superb job of parking everybody.

      We went to happy hour at 5:00 p.m.  The campground has given us the clubhouse to use every day we are here.  It is a small room that says it can hold up to 30 people but 36 of us fit in there just fine.