#Dentist in Market Yard

[casper-spills]

| Tarot Cards: Places they represent |

✩░▒▓▆▅▃▂▁𝟑𝟎𝟎 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥!▁▂▃▅▆▓▒░✩

Hey guys! Welcome back to another post ♡

We reached 300 followers! And I'm gonna do a special for you guys because I seriously am so grateful for all of your support. My blog has been growing so fast and I literally never expected to be where I am today. Thank you! ♡

This post will be a little different to my usual stuff. I was thinking I might start a series like this where I give some tips on how to read your tarot! I'll also include the sources I use at the end in case you wanted to check those out too.

Anyway, here is a list of places that the cards represent ♡

Sincerely,

Cassy the friendly ghost ♡

✦Masterlist ✦Paid Readings ✦Support me through Kofi

𓆩♡𓆪 𝙎𝙐𝙈𝙈𝙀𝙍 𝘿𝙄𝙎𝘾𝙊𝙐𝙉𝙏 50% 𝙊𝙁𝙁 !! 𓆩♡𓆪

Ends on September 22nd

| KO-FI SHOP |

| MAJOR ARCANA |

1. Magician - Kitchen, labatory, shows, music, magic, performances

2. High Priestess - Secret place, secret society, library, somewhere quiet, reading rooms, theatre, halls

3. Empress - Old/stately homes, old school building, old hospital building, boutique, beauty parlor, restaurants

4. Emperor - Royal palace, business establishments, schools, univerisity

5. Heirophant - Church, univeristy, temple, place of worship, corporate building

6. Lovers - Sweet shop, date locations, love hotel, honeymoon places

7. Chariot - Car ralley, racing fixtures, garages, horse racing, highway

8. Strength - Zoo, petting zoos, gym, fitness studios

9. Hermit - Cave, retreat centres, hill walking

10. Wheel - Ferris wheels, london eye, casino, lottery tickets, shops selling wheels

11. Justice - Court, arbitration offices, counselling institution, police department

12. Hanged Man - Bungee jumping, sky diving, thrilling activities

13. Death - Church yard, funeral parlor, butcher, cemetary

14. Temperance - Cocktail bar, queues, waiting rooms, chemist dispensary

15. Devil - Adult shops, clubs, casinos, brothel, strip clubs

16. Tower - Chop shops, tall buildings, skyscrapers, stormy areas, fire

17. Star - Water, ocean, river, stargazing

18. Moon - Nighttime, stargazing, movie, stage, theatre

19. Sun - Birth centre, midwifery unti, hospital, holidays, tanning booths, abroad

20. Judgement - Rehabilitation centres, church, treament centres, spa

21. World - Airport, flying, dance studios

| MINOR ARCANA |

☁︎ 𝒔𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 ☁︎

Ace - Editor's room, skyscrapers, office, library, radio tower

Two - Statue of liberty, new york, seashore

Three - Hospital, rainy place, cloudy areas

Four - Bedroom, quiet places, funeral parlor

Five - Debate club, near water, themepark, competitive environments

Six - Boats, river, cruisers

Seven - Archery, secret location, casino, bomb shelter

Eight - Prison, therapy

Nine - Psychiatric hospital, confessional

Ten - Surgery room, accupuncture clinic, dentists

Page - Fraternity, rowdy places, sports arena

Knight - Windy places, windmills

Queen - Fenced off places, great walls, boundaries, spikes fences

King - Lawyers office

🕯 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 🕯

Ace - Workshop, construction site

Two - Balcony, overseas, historical travel, boat

Three - Seaside, boat travel

Four - Fastfood, cafe, outdoors, wedding, celebration

Five - Sport centre, pool game

Six - Market, downtown, show, event, someone/something noticable

Seven - Competitive/violent environment

Eight - Road trip, highway

Nine - Competitive environment, barrier, wall, bouncer, high security

Ten - Workplace, labour, sweatshop

Page - Disco, dance, party

Knight - Hot and dry place, bonfire, abroad, holiday

Queen - Social events

King - Active place, fast moving environments

꒦꒷ 𝒄𝒖𝒑𝒔 ꒷꒦

Ace - Lake, pond, birdbath, birds

Two - Luxury, home, common dating places

Three - Bar, pub, party

Four - Under a tree, graveyard

Five - A place of regret, place of bad memories, hospital, flooded areas, bridge, after party cleanup, alone in a bar

Six - Flourists, schoolyard, playground, nostalgic places

Seven - Highup places, views, drug suppliers, spots where people do drugs, drug shops

Eight - Bookstore, library, cave, quiet

Nine - Bar, party, pub, dinner, home

Ten - Family gatherings, park, outdoor, bbq party

Page - Aquariums, fish tanks, sea parks

Knight - Picnics, peaceful/romantic areas

Queen - Bathtub with cancles, home, skinny dipping, swimming

King - Beach, lake

˗ˏˋ 𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒔 ˎˊ˗

Ace - Dispensary, bank, currency exchange centre

Two - Circus, arcade, carnival

Three - Fashion show runway, art gallery, boutique, museum

Four - Uncle scrooge's home, gold reserves, saferoom, secret hideout, vault

Five - The streets, people living in powerty, homeless spots,

Six - Pawn shops, currency exchange shops, trade stores

Seven - Nursery, orchard

Eight - workshop, construction site

Nine - Gardens, green parks

Ten - Market

Page - Field, farm, family business

Knight - Workplace, chores, school

Queen - Home, nursery room

King - Bank manager's office

♥Thank you for your support!♥

Dividers by @cafekitsune, @animatedglittergraphics-n-more

Source

[forestraydentists]

London 01

During the late 16th and 17th centuries, London became a key center of international trade and banking. The city’s population increased to more than six million by the end of the nineteenth century. After World War I, London’s population began to fall. In 1950, the population stood at just over three and a half million. It is now estimated that the city’s population is around 6.5 million.

The history of London stretches back to the Romans who founded the city. In the fifth century, it was a small town, but it declined after repeated invasions by Anglo-Saxons. In the eighth century, Londinium was the capital of the Kingdom of Essex. In the ninth century, it was a thriving medieval port. In the fourteenth century, the port’s development led to the growth of London as a European hub for the distribution of goods. This contributed to its emergence as the capital of England. Click for more information

In the fifteenth century, London’s textile industry helped to drive the city’s rapid growth. Its central location facilitated the expansion of its maritime trade, which continued with the Stuarts. It became the world’s leading insurance market, and its financial services centered on its Royal Exchange. In 1734, the Bank of England moved its headquarters to a site on the south side of the Royal Exchange. The area was subsequently renovated to its historic form.

In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the boundaries of the City of London expanded, and by the sixteenth century, they extended beyond the old walled city. The Great Fire of 1666 destroyed much of the medieval core, but there are still remnants of the older historic fabric. A major rebuilding program occurred in the decades after the war. Some areas retained the older character of smaller buildings, but in others, street patterns and the size of buildings were changed.

In the mid-seventeenth century, London’s population had reached more than 500,000. In 1130, King Henry I granted the people of London control over the county of Middlesex. The county was then divided into 29 electoral units, which were governed by a London County Council. In 1888, the county was regarded as part of the City of London.

The modern City of London is made up of twenty-five wards, each represented by an alderman. These wards choose the Lord Mayor, who is in turn chosen by the Common Hall, the council’s administrative body. The Corporation also has responsibilities for land outside the city’s boundaries. The City of London is also a police authority. The Metropolitan Police Service is based in New Scotland Yard, while the Hampstead Heath Constabulary is also run by the City of London.

The current Lord Mayor is Vincent Keaveny. The city has a rich heritage and many fine Victorian and Edwardian buildings. A landmark is the Mansion House, which is the official residence of the Lord Mayor. The city’s oldest church, St Paul’s Cathedral, dominates the skyline. In the sixteenth century, the city was governed by a council of sheriffs, which is now replaced by a Commission of Lieutenancy. A fantastic read

Point of Interest #1 Princess Louise, 208 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EP

Point of Interest #2 London Graphic Centre, 16-18 Shelton St, London WC2H 9JL

Point of Interest #3 Prince Edward Theatre, Old Compton St, London W1D 4HS

Driving Directions TO Forest & Ray – Dentists, Orthodontists, Implant Surgeons From Prince Edward Theatre

Originally published here: https://forestray.dentist/london/london-01/

[natromanxoff]

(x)

PETE MEETS QUEEN

QUEEN OF ARTS

FREDDIE MERCURY and Roger Taylor are together now as members of that fast-rising group Queen, but they were partners even before they formed the group. Their first venture together was running a stall in the Kensington Market, selling old clothes.

"We used to sell lovely old velvet stuff with lace,” Roger told me. "I became an expert of scouring junk yards and rag merchants, looking for old clothes that had been brought in that morning.

“The biggest stroke of luck we ever had was when we bought a hundred fur coats from a rag merchant in Battersea for fifty pence each — and then sold them all for between £4 and £8!

"And they were still a bargain — today the you can't buy a secondhand fur coat that's any good for under £20.

"Another good buy we had was forty Russian fox furs. When we bought those, we had our own full length black velvet coats made up, and then trimmed each one with fox fur. They looked besatiful when we were ready to sell them."

Roger and Freddie kept the stall going for eighteen months, paying £10 a week rent, and according to Roger, making a good living.

"We really enjoyed ourselves as well,” he said. "In those days, the Kensington Market was run by actors, artists, writers and musicians — all those sort of people — who needed some little sideline to guarantee them some money every week.

“The atmosphere there, unfortunately has all changed now — those sort of people don't work there any more. There are none of the old eccentrics. Instead, it's run by the usual sort of people who run clothes and shoe shops and sell manufactured products.

“In our day, it was very different. Musicians were always wandering around the market, and we'd serve famous film stars like Warren Mitchell and Julie Christie. It was fun working there, almost a lifestyle of its own.”

Roger and Freddie however, had to give up the stall when they decided to become professional musicians.

“We were so busy when we first formed Queen that we just didn't have time to keep the stall on," said Roger. “In a way it was a pity, because we'd had it lot quite a while, and we really missed all the hustle and bustle of the market.”

Although Roger and Freddie are obviously close friends nowadays, they both have very different backgrounds.

Roger was born in Norfolk, but moved to Cornwall when he was young. His first move to London came when he went to the London Hospital Medical College to train as a dentist. He soon gave that up though, and instead took his Bachelor of Science degree in zoology and botany.

Freddie was born in Zanzibar, but grew up in Feltham, Middlesex. After he left school, he went to Ealing College of Art and did a diploma course in fashion and graphics.

Because of this training. Freddie is now the official artist of the group. He designs the group's album sleeves, and he's also the man behind their distinctive logo, which is made up from the symbols belonging to the boys’ zodiac signs — two Leos, a Cancer and a Virgo.

Apart from Freddie and Roger, the other members of the group are the guitarist Brian May, who formerly studied astronomy in Imperial College and basa player Deacon John, who has First Class Honours degree in electronics. As you’ll have guessed, they are pretty brainy too!

So far, Queen have recorded two singles, “Keep Yourself Alive” and of course, the “Seven Seas Of Rhye” and two albums, “Queen” and “Queen II” which was released this spring to great acclaim from fans and critics alike.

They have also done two tours of Britain — one with Mott The Hoople and one this spring, on their own — and, like many other pop stars, they recently visited Australia.

“We spent ten days in Australia,” said Roger, “and we made our first major international appearance there, topping the bill at a festival in Sunbury, near Melbourne.

“Our album had been released there, and the director of the festival phoned up, said he liked our music, and offered to fly us out there. Of course, we jumped at the chance of a trip to Australia with all expenses paid!

“It was the first time we had ever flown on a Jumbo,” he said. “They showed a couple of films, to pass the time, but we still found it very hard flying for twenty seven hours all at once.

“On the flight out there, there were 360 people on board, but coming back there were only 140, so we were able to spread out over three seats each — but it was still very hard to sleep.

“Afterwards we had terrible jet lag for three our four days. It was incredible because something had completely thrown our biological clocks — we would get up at 6 or 7 a.m. in the morning and then crash out completely at 6 or 7 in the evening.

“On the journey back we were chasing the sun around the earth, there was an incredibly long period of light while the sun was trying to set — we were chasing the sun for about five hours between Australia and Hong Kong and saw the sky go through all the colours of the spectrum.

“And then we had a very strange experience in Persia when we landed Teheran, and left the plane so it could be cleaned.

“The people who were cleaning the plane all gathered round to look at our hair in total disbelief!

“It was very strange landing Hong Kong, too, because the plane seemed suddenly drop out of the clouds on to this tiny air strip, with the sea on either side — it was quite frightening.

“And wherever we went we were mistaken for the Faces, because they were also due to tour Australia. About dozen people asked me for autograph, thinking I was Rod Stewart — even the stewardess did!

“Australia was a fantastic place! We managed to get some time off to go swimming, which was lovely, because the water was so warm. The only thing wrong with it was that Freddie went deaf for quite a while, because he got water in his ears. Luckily he recovered in time for the festival though.

“We played for an hour and quarter at the festival, in front of 40,000 people — that was great experience for us.

“We also managed to see some top groups down there, because they were playing at the festival as well. But most of them weren’t very good. Musically Australia seems to be two years behind Britain.

“It looks like they will be all right down under around 1976.”

[resellcourse]

Business And Commerce

The world of business and commerce is all about sales. It's amazing to find when talking to professional businesspeople, that for an alarming proportion of them, "sales" is almost a profanity.

Without sales, nothing moves, nothing gets done.

Even the more "highbrow" professions, such as the law, accountancy, architects, doctors, dentists, and politics would grind to an early halt if they didn't sell their services or products to others.

Members of those professions, and others, naïvely believe that their services don't need to be sold. The people that need them simply "find" them and engage them. The reality, of course, is that their "findability" is largely down to some component of marketing, another integral part of business and commerce.

Sales and marketing are “bosom buddies”. They sleep together, and are seldom far apart from each other

Business and commerce depend on the sale of goods and services to generate revenue, which is then transformed into further goods and services and transported to end users around the globe.

Without sales, nothing moves, nothing gets done.

How many times have you heard of or seen a fantastic product that, were it exposed to the right buyers or audience, would make its inventors phenomenally rich "overnight"?

It's the whole purpose of creating anything, from a yard brush to a jet aircraft. It’s all business and commerce. It’s all sales.

The products or services cost money and time to develop (a “sunk” cost at this stage), cost more money to promote and market, and – if the sales channel can get the benefits of ownership across to potential customers – then create enormous wealth. If the revenue generated from those sales exceeds the total cost of getting them to market.

This is what business and commerce is about.

For More Info: https://resellourcourses.com/

[tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors]

i was gonna ask if you have a map of wickhills but i get the feeling your dislike for concrete timelines extends to this kind of thing too

its not possible to draw a map of wickhills! the streets shift around and such. you can generally count on a few things like for example, Main and Fletcher always intersect at the very center of town and your specific street usually stays about the same. but the further out you get the less likely thats accurate, and Main and Fletcher sometimes switch place, and they can never seem to decide which direction theyre going North-South-East-West-wise

what i can give you is a basic rundown of What Wickhills Has In It, infrastructure wise, organized into general groups

going under a cut - this is all meta, and a lot of it

Governmental infrastructure

Wickhills Police Department (featuring kevin lemaster, the literal Only Cop - pretty much the only thing he does is hand out parking tickets and break up the occasional noise complaint, barring the very YikesTM interaction in Heir)

The fire department (again, very small - one truck, like five guys)

The Post Office and The Mailman (capitalized as such because he’s freaky as hell - heres an ask about him)

The Water Tower (featured in Bliss)

Fletcher Street Park (backs onto Fletcher Street Chapel Graveyard, next to Fletcher Street Chapel)

Cliff Park (the location of the wedding proper in Bliss - has a gazebo)

Wickhills Town Hall

Cultural/Religious infrastructure

6 churches (i know this seems like a lot but Trust Me if youve ever been in a small rural town you know this is a totally reasonable number of churches)

Calvary Freewill Baptist Church, Rose of St. Barbara Catholic Church, Wickhills United Methodist Church, Fletcher Street Chapel, Twin Cliff Church, Point Hill Lutheran Ministries

2 graveyards and one cemetery (Crown Hill Memorial Park is the cemetery, Rose Of St. Barbara Cemetery and Fletcher Street Chapel Graveyard are both graveyards in spite of the misleading name of the first)

Wickhills Public School District, which is a very funny and slightly misleading name seeing as its basically just one big school - all three buildings are on one campus.

Wickhills Elementary, Wickhills Junior High, and Wickhills High School - on the same campus are also football, soccer, and baseball fields. The mascot is the Marching Knights and the colors are blue and red

A public pool

The local paper (the Wickhills Community Tribune, commonly referred to as just “the Tribune”)

Other Infrastructure

the grocery store (very small, not well stocked, almost nothing in the way of produce)

the butcher

the farmer’s market (saturday mornings in the main square)

Wickhills Rural Hospital (featured in every other page is a mirror)

the dentist (Dr. Quickel, who appears in a blade buried in wet soil, and is the husband of Mrs. Quickel, from every other page is a mirror)

tow truck (the tow yard of which is featured in Spiderling)

hardware store/mechanic (owned by Anton Adams, Polly’s father and Remy and Nate’s uncle)

an agricultural store that is not a Tractor Supply but everyone CALLS the tractor supply and usually doesnt remember the actual name of

two gas stations, one of which has a deli

(much later in the timeline) Emile’s psychiatry practice

Other Shops

ice cream shop with an associated ice cream truck (Scoops, Patton works here through college)

2 antique/thrift stores (Salvage Garden, which features heavily in i looked just like everyone else, and Good as New which is mentioned but not by name in Small)

a barbershop

3 diners (Crown Hill Diner, The Gallery, Fiddler's)

Pepperoni's Pizza

the army surplus store

a bar (Main Street Pub - unofficial rivalry with the Adams, unofficial because the Adams are obviously whole ass breaking the law)

(much later in the timeline) Patton’s bakery

(much later in the timeline) Logan’s flower shop

other notable features and landmarks

the hanging tree (featured in trying to heal a burn victim by drowning them)

the main square/main square fountain (mentioned in every other page is a mirror, where the above mentioned farmer’s market takes place)

The train tracks (mentioned in Loyalty)

Wickhills Mining Company (abandoned mine)

the Wickham River

along the river there are two covered bridges (one of which appears in for the world’s more full of weeping), Twin Cliff Falls (from Joy), and a very wide assortment of tributaries and creeks running off of it (one of which is ~usually near the Gage house and appears in Reach)

there are a few other details i usually keep in mind. Wickhills has a lot of Cul-de-sacs. the two gas stations tend to stay on opposite sides of town and the train tracks tend to stay on the opposite side from the mine. the exact positioning changes but the Sanders’ house is almost relatively close to the school, and the school tends to stay close to the center of town. Downtown mixes itself up at lot but Logan’s flower shop and Patton’s bakery are always next to each other.

that was a lot of meta in one go - i hope yall had fun even if it was very mechanical. feel free to play in the sandbox!

[rubyvroom]

things I desperately need to do once COVID is gone / there is a vaccine

go to the dentist (ow)

try out / purchase a new mattress (also ow)

get an eye exam (I need glasses)

get a haircut (it’s getting out of hand)

go to my doctor for various issues that don’t rise to emergency levels

get physical therapy or massage on this shoulder injury plus my usual back pain (ow)

things I desperately want to do once COVID is gone / there is a vaccine

throw a party (haven’t seen my friends in six months)

go to a concert

TRAVEL

go to my favorite bar / barcade

go to the beach / swimming

go to an author reading

go to a movie

eat in Chinatown

hang around in a comics shop / bookstore / record shop

art museum

yard sales, flea markets, craft festivals

shop in a clothing store where I can try on clothes on my actual body to see if they actually fit

sit in a coffee place for an afternoon reading and writing and people-watching

walking to work, walking on errands, walking aimlessly around the city with my headphones in

taking a bus and not having to rely on a Zipcar to get everywhere

Harvard Square

dinner parties

barbecues

road trip

visit my niece

visit anybody

go anywhere

:(

(don’t tell me I can do all those things now - I live in a densely populated area where COVID is still circulating and I have multiple risk factors that make catching it a very bad idea)

[timehealsfanfictionbka]

Time Heals.....Chapter Fifty-Four Pt. 2

“I knew they’d be excited but I was not expecting that,” Robyn said as she pulled on her underwear. Chris walked out the bathroom while wrapping a towel around his waist, “I wasn’t expecting that either. Has everybody been planning our future and not telling us about it?”

“Apparently so.”

Chris chuckled lowly as he sat on the bed and grabbed his lotion. He frowned at the emptiness of the bottle, “Babe, can I use some of your lotion?”

Robyn chuckled, “I told you that you were out yesterday. You didn’t go to the store?”

“I forgot.”

“I don’t use lotion, it’s shea butter mixed with coconut oil. It goes on like a cream.”

“That’s why you always smell so good.”

Robyn handed him a plastic container and he scooped out a dime size bit to rub in between his hands, “what you think?”

“It feels good. I like that it stays solid at room temperature too.”

“I bought it a natural food market. It’s an African lady that sells it, Ms. Ogri.”

“We’ll have to get some more then. I don’t wanna use up all your stuff.”

“Not worried about it. What’s mine is yours.”

“Thanks Babe.”

“No problem. You finish with your towel?”

“Yup. You can take it.”

Chris slipped on his boxers then handed the towel to Robyn. She dropped it into the clothes hamper by the closet door then turned off the bathroom light, “you need anything while I’m up?”

“No. I’m good. Come lay down.”

Robyn turned off the bedroom light and climbed into the bed. Chris wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she laid her head on his chest, “you ok? I’m still getting a really weird vibe from you.”

“Do you think there’s something wrong with me for not wanting to have a ceremony?”

“No. Why would you think that?”

Robyn shrugged and Chris pushed up to sit up against their pillows, “Sit up with me.”

Robyn sat up and pressed her head against the headboard.

“Talk to me, Baby. What’s going on?”

“I was telling Mel and Lele about the whole proposal and they just made me feel like I was wrong for not wanting a ceremony. Like it was crazy to skip it.”

“Robyn, you’re the one getting married. Why does it matter what they think?”

“I don’t know but its irritating me.”

“Listen, I do not want you to feel like you have to do anything you don’t want to do. This is our wedding and it needs to be for our comfort. And I love our families but fuck them if they have a problem with the way we want to do this. My concern is you. And if worrying about what they want is gonna have you feeling like you are right now, I don’t want you to be worry about it. If it was up to me, I’d marry you tonight, ok. Don’t give nobody that kind of power over you, ok?”

“Ok. I’m sorry. I really didn’t want to be bothered by it but it was just-“

“Baby, you care about your family and their opinions, even if you don’t really listen to them. I’m no different in that aspect but what I really care about is how you feel. Your opinion is the only one that holds weight here. You are not crazy or wrong for not wanting to have a ceremony. That’s your right.”

“Do you want one?”

“No. Especially if you don’t want one.”

“Babe, I don’t want to be selfish and take the experience away from you either.”

“You aren’t. What I want to experience is right here with me. What I’m concerned about is that piece of paper declaring us legally connected. Wedding ceremonies are cool, don’t get me wrong but they aren’t the end-all be-all. There’s nothing but death that would keep me from marrying you whether it’s at an altar or standing in front of a  court clerk.”

Robyn smiled and gently palmed the side of his face, “Thank you. I really needed to hear that.”

“Robyn Baby, don’t let anybody get you down or make you question yourself. You know what you want and I have no problem giving that to you.”

“What if we elope?”

“Really?”

“Yea, just me, you and the girls.”

“We’ll need witnesses.”

“We’ll get two people we trust not to say anything then.”

“Is that what you really want to do?”

“Chris, I need my sanity and trying to plan a wedding is gonna ruin it. I hated it the first time I got married and I really don’t want to go down that road again.”

“Robs, you don’t owe me an explanation.”

“You are the only person I owe one to. I really appreciate you being so sweet about this.”

Chris smiled and pecked her lips, “I love you and I want you to be happy. That’s all that matters to me.”

“I know. Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, let’s just brainstorm a way to make this work. How about we go to the court house and get married? The girls can still get to carry flowers and stuff but we skip all the other hoopla.”

“Are you sure?”

“I am absolutely sure.”

Robyn smiled as she hugged him tightly, “You’re incredible.”

Chris laughed, “you getting soft on me, Ms. Fenty?”

“I can take it back, Christopher.”

“No, that’s fine. I’ma shut up.”

Robyn laughed as she leaned into his chest, “seriously this means a lot.”

“You mean a lot to me.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Baby.”

“Wait, we can’t tell the twins what’s going on though because they will snitch.”

“We’ll make it a surprise for them then.”

“Good.”

“Good. Can we sleep now?”

“Did I tire you out in the shower that bad?”

“You gotta stop with those tricks, Woman. It be taking days before I feel like my dick works again.”

Robyn laughed out loud as she wrapped her arms around his waist, “but you’re a quick study. It makes it fun.”

“I bet.”

“Goodnight Christopher.”

“Goodnight Bajan Girl.”

                                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Knock. Knock.”

Robyn looked up from her computer screen and smiled, “Hey you.”

“How’s the love of my life doing?”

“Much better. What you doing here?”

Chris held up a large cardboard box, “lunch.”

“Thanks Babe, I had a taste for some BBQ too.”

“I figured that. Save whatever you doing and come with me.”

“We not eating here?”

“Nah, it’s pretty outside plus I want to run some stuff by you real quick.”

“Oh ok. Let me change my phone to out of office and grab my purse.”

Robyn saved her work, locked her computer and changed her phone setting before grabbing her purse from the locked bottom drawer of her desk. She turned off her lights and met Chris at the door, “there’s a really nice set of tables in the pavilion downstairs.”

“We can eat there the I want to take you somewhere for a bit.”

“After you.”

Robyn locked her office, left a note on her assistant’s desk then followed Chris to the elevators.

“How has work been?”

“Pretty good. We had this long ass virtual conference this morning so my boss let us go early. I figured why not spend the extra time with my favorite girl.”

“I’m already marrying you, you know.”

“I know, doesn’t hurt to work for security.”

Robyn giggled as they got inside the empty elevator car, “talk to Mama lately?”

“Both of them actually. Nothing out of the ordinary. You?”

“Yea. Mama Fenty is already planning for the reunion this year. I guess my father’s side of the family wants to show up this year and my Guyanese folks do too.”

“That should be fun. Have I met them?”

“You met some of them when you came there as a teenager but most of them will be new to you.”

“Cool. You doing ok?”

“I’m good. Had to take the twins to their doctor’s appointment yesterday.”

“They told me they went. I could’ve taken them, you know.”

“It’s not a huge deal besides the office is right down the street from my dentist office so I still made my appointment in time.”

“Oh ok. You know you still should be telling me about some of these appointments. You don’t have to take them by yourself.”

“It honestly slipped my mind.”

“Not a problem. Which way are we going?”

Robyn pointed to sparsely filled area a few yards in front of them, “did you get something to drink? We can stop in the little convenience store on the first floor before we go that way.”

“Drinks and cups already in here.”

“You do plan for everything?”

“Always prepared for you.”

Robyn rolled her eyes and they continued walking until they came to a back picnic table. It was shielded by a set of trees and bushes but there was just enough sunlight peeking through.

“You’ve been out here before.”

“A few times but not often and not in the last two years or so.”

“You like being cooped up in that office?”

“No, I like being alone and being out here during lunchtime when it’s warm, too many people.”

“Ah ok.”

They sat down and Chris doled out the food.

“So what did you want to talk to me about?”

“I wanted to take you to see about a dress.”

“Oh.”

“I know we haven’t set a date yet for our wedding but if it’s just a court thing, I still want you to have a beautiful dress.”

“You know what I didn’t even think about it.”

“Oh.”

“Not like that. I was so focused on the girls’ dresses and what flowers they could carry, my dress completely slipped my mind. I want it to be nice for them, you know?”

“Yes and I want it to be nice for you.”

“Are we going to a store?”

“Actually I got two dresses sent to a nearby showroom for you.”

“From where?”

“New Orleans.”

“Christopher.”

“Don’t say my name like that. I swear it wasn’t a lot of money and they aren’t super extravagant so you could definitely wear them for a fancy date or something.”

“What dresses did you get sent here?”

“Those two white gowns I saw you sneaking looks at when we went shopping there.”

“What white- you saw that?”

“I absolutely did. I was gonna ask if you wanted to go into the store to try them on but you tried to act like you didn’t know what I was talking about.”

Robyn chuckled as she took a sip of soda, “it wasn’t that deep.”

“No but you clearly really liked them.”

“How did you know they even had my size?”

“I called and asked. I’m always paying attention even when you think I’m not.’

“Wait- so you bought them even though I haven’t tried them on yet.”

“Yea. If you don’t like them for a wedding dress, we’ll just find another one. They can always be used at a later date.”

“Christopher, that’s a lot of-“

“No, it wasn’t. We are not discussing finances. I will give you my accountant to talk to if you think I’m wasting money.”

“That’s not necessary. Dramatic.”

Chris laughed, “you the one always worried about my pockets. I’m good, Babe.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

“That ‘for now’ is silent, I guess.”

“Oh shut up.”

They laughed and Chris kissed the back of her hand, “you sure you’re ok?”

“Life’s changing but I can handle it.”

“You’ll let me know if you can’t?”

“I will.”

“Good. What else you got planned for today?”

“Nothing. Come back to the office, finish up a presentation then home since the girls are still at your house.”

“You decide when you wanna move in?”

“Haven’t thought about it. I gotta sort though and see what stuff I’m taking with me, selling or putting into storage.”

“Are you gonna have a hard time with that?”

“What you mean?”

“I know you still have a lot of Michael’s stuff packed away in your garage. I imagine it might be difficult to go through it again.”

“You know, thinking about him doesn’t make me as sad as it used to but I guess I won’t really know until I start.”

“Do you want me to-“

Robyn started shaking her head before Chris even finished his sentence, “I’m an adult, a few tears won’t kill me.”

Chris twisted up his lips in skepticism before taking a sip of his drink, “we’ll see.”

“You don’t think I can do it.”

“I absolutely think you can but I also think it’s gonna be really emotional for you. Robyn, you haven’t dated at all since he passed which means you haven’t given much thought about what it’d be like to fully move on. You literally turned your master bedroom into a storage closet rather than sleep in it again. You’re gonna feel some kind of way.”

“And I will deal with it when it happens.”

“Well, I’m always available for support.”

“I won’t need it but thank you.”

Chris nodded his head as he finished off his macaroni and cheese, “what time do you need to be back?”

“By 3. I have a budget meeting at 3:15.”

“Cool, we have time then.”

  Robyn turned on the lights in her former master bedroom and looked around the untouched space. She hadn’t stepped foot in here since the day before Michael’s funeral. That day she was just in a rush to pack everything away so she wouldn’t have to look at it, she can’t even remember what was actually in here. She sighed as she looked at the stacked boxes, “I guess now’s a good time as any.”

There wasn’t as much stuff as she initially thought as she started removing the tops. Many of the boxes were in fact empty; those she placed inside each other and gathered away in a one corner. She pulled a large plastic bin from against the wall and her breath caught as she looked at the label. It was everything from her wedding day. Opening it, right on top was her wedding dress encased in a plastic garment bag. Holding up the bag, she unzipped it and pulled out the gown. It was still pristine white. She chuckled at the size on the tag. When she was pregnant, she had gained about 60 pounds, so she went from wearing a size 6 to a size 14. Lucky for her it was mostly baby.

She sat down on the floor with the dress in her lap as she started digging through more of the items. Next was the guest signing book and photo album. She flipped the photo album open and the first page was her and Michael posing together and he was cradling her belly. They had decided to do the photo session before the wedding as a precaution. As she started flipping through more photos, she didn’t feel the sadness she was concerned about. It was more of a relief than she anticipated. The sense of finality, that she was finally, officially moving on washed over her as she held her wedding dress in her hands. She didn’t need a ceremony. She didn’t need the extravaganza or anything of the noise. Her journey here had been enough. She just wanted peace for her and Chris and there’s was no better way to ensure that than to do things the way they wanted to.

 Just as she left the room, her phone rang. Robyn slid over the answer key, “Yes Christopher.”

“You ok?”

“I’m fine. You really don’t have to keep checking on me.”

“I know but I’ll do it anyway.”

“Clearly. How’s our babies?”

“They are good. Getting ready for bed. You coming back this way?”

“Do you want me to?”

“Always.”

Robyn giggled, “I have a preposition for you that might make life easier for you.”

“And what’s that?”

“Let’s get married this weekend.”

“This weekend?”

“Yup. In New Orleans. They only have a 24 hour waiting period and I don’t see any reason to wait any longer than that.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then I’m in.”

“Good. See you in an hour.”

“Ok. Be careful.”

“I will, Baby.”

“I love you.”

“Love you too.”

                                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Chris handed Robyn a bottle of juice as he sat next to her at the gate, “I was surprised we got the day off on a Thursday.”

“It always help to have a good relationship with your supervisor.”

“That’s true, “ Chris looked over to Erin and Erica who were sitting at a table coloring, “you think they’ve figured anything out yet?”

“Nah, I just told it was a quick vacation. I think we can make a room for some fun over the weekend.”

“You thought about a honeymoon?”

“Not really. You?”

“Not really either.”

Robyn laughed, “I mean we don’t have to take one right after. We can hold off for whenever.”

“Works for me.”

“Nervous?”

“More so anxious. We have a meeting with my realtor next week.”

“You’re ready to sell already?”

“Yea. I don’t see the purpose of waiting.”

“How’d the room cleaning go?”

“It went really well. I got rid of most of the stuff, whatever his mother didn’t want, I either threw away or donated.”

“I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you, Babe.”

Chris pulled her close and kissed her temple, “was it hard?”

“It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would’ve been. It was more relief than anything. I think the time was just right, you know? After 9 years, I think it was time to move on”

“Ever wish you would’ve done it sooner?”

“Honestly, no. I didn’t really have a reason to do it sooner. It gave the girls some connection to him and I got to keep my memories.”

“Do you think it removes any of those things?”

“No. His things being there was just my comfort, you know. Kept my life familiar. Now I realize, my memories and the twins memories of him aren’t going anywhere regardless of whether I kept his things or not. I don’t think I would’ve been receptive enough in the past to even consider that. Besides I wasn’t ready to move on.”

“Who are you? What have you done with my Robyn?”

Robyn laughed as she playfully shoved his shoulder, “stop it especially since you the one made me confront all this stuff.”

“I did do that, huh?”

“Would you have made me get rid of his stuff before I moved in?”

“No, I would’ve waited until you were ready. It would’ve had to be in storage, of course but other than, no problem here.”

“You’re sweet. Where’s my Chris?”

“He grew up.”

Robyn smiled and pecked his lips, “you ready for this?”

“I’ve been ready.”

About fifteen minutes later, they were boarding the plane to New Orleans.

  “Mommy, you look so pretty,” Erica said as Robyn walked into the living room of their hotel suite.

“You think so?” Robyn gave a quick turn, “thank you, sweetie. You look beautiful.”

“Thank you. Daddy said we’re going out to dinner later.”

“We are. We might be going on a haunted house tour this weekend too.”

“Really? That’s so cool.”

“I’m glad you think so. We’re gonna try and find as much fun stuff to do for our little vacation.”

“Yay!

Robyn carefully patted the top of her head to make sure she didn’t flatten her curls before directly Erica to sit down.

“Chris, Babe, are you ready yet?”

“We’re coming,” Chris replied as he and Erin walked into the living room. He stopped short as he looked up at Robyn, “wow.”

Robyn blushed as she brushed a stray hair behind her ear, “don’t look at me like that, you’re making me nervous.”

“I’m sorry. You just look incredible.”

“Thank you.”

“You wanna tell them now or wait until we get to the courthouse?”

“Now if you want.”

“Is something wrong, Mommy? Daddy?” Erin asked.

“How about you sit down next to your sister? Mommy and Daddy have something important we want to tell you, “ Robyn replied.

Erin sat down next to her sister as Robyn and Chris sat across from them on the ottoman, “Mommy is it bad news?”

“No, it’s very good news. Chris, do you want to do the honors?”

“Well me and Mommy didn’t want to wait so we’re getting married today.”

“Yay!!” Erin and Erica exclaimed as they jumped up to hug their parents.

“Do we still get to be flower girls?”

“Absolutely. We have your baskets and bouquets in the car downstairs.”

“Is anyone else coming?”

“No, we just wanted it to be us and our girls. We’ll surprise them later.”

“Oh ok.”

“So you ready for the wedding?”

“Yes, can we go now? I wanna drop some flowers.”

Chris and Robyn chuckled as they stood up, “let’s go get married.”

[skgway]

1828 Apr., Sat. 19

6 20/60

12

Went first down to my uncle, quarter hour there – Sent John for more holleys – Message to say Mr. Scatcherd will not be at home till tomorrow, consequently cannot come here this morning – 

From 8 to 10 wrote out index from 19 January to 16 February last – Breakfast at 10 4/60 – From 11 to 2 wrote 3 pages, the end and under the seal, and at the top of page 1 small and closeish, to my aunt, and 3 pages to Miss McL– [MacLean]. Letter from my aunt this morning brought in at breakfast – Very good account of herself – as to residing

“it would not matter whether it were in England, Scotland, or France as regarding climate, I have now tried it a year and a 1/2, and it has answered in restoring my health, and in some degree the use of my limbs (I mean my fingers), as when I came I could neither use a pen or a needle, and now I have the amusement of both – I have not, nor can I expect to derive benefit either from climate or anything else, in the way of walking, for I feel that my knees, ancles, and feet get gradually worse – I have had rather more pain and swelling in them the last week or 2, probably owing to the change of season, as I have of late years experienced a greater weakness in the muscles during the spring months, that whether I am in France or England, it will be the same” – 

Her teeth quite a take in – Shewn to 2 dentists who say it is an ill done job – “the usual price is 500 francs for the whole thing, not considering at all how many, or how few teeth are inserted, and that my mouth had not required any on the lower plate” – Dr. Tupper quite vexed about it – Mrs. B– [Barlow] and my aunt mean to try if they can get any of the money back again – “I should fancy that was quite hopeless – Do not pother yourself about it –” Shall I hurry Horner, and send the teeth I have thro’ Hammersley? – 

Expected Mr. Scatcherd this morning – Cannot see him till Thursday – Cannot delay writing so long, and must risk my letter in the H–x [Halifax] post office. Oates’s estimate for Northgate “certainly too low at ￡100” – well if done for ￡150 – George R– [Robinson] wants more building (his dissolved partnership) – “must lay out ￡200”. Hopkinson wants a small barn – They want the square of the Stag’s head house completing – 

Father has repaired the barn – Mr. Briggs not satisfied with Jackman – The new roof here as bad as or worse than the old one – Must get a new mason – Not quite pleased with this G–’s management of Northgate land – High time to come over – Satisfied with Briggs, “the walk so overgrown with grass, ‘tis almost as bad as making it over again, the holly hedges to be 1/2 renewed – Young trees 1/2 smothered” – 

It never occurred to me that my father would have at all neglected things of this kind after desiring me not to “engage anyone to look after them” – He well – Marian looks so, but seems delicate – The little Inman here above a year to stay till my father and Marian go to Market W– [Weighton] in the autumn – 

Cannot claim for the coal road – The canal up to the town injures the sale of home coal – Potatoes, fruit, etc. etcetera will be cheap – The dividend likely to keep up at 20 percent – Think we shall get our price for the ground for the new church – The tithe question will be settled by law “I must know more of all sides before I can adopt any” – Shall have to pay Carr for 300 yards of ground –

I know not when I can be off – told Miss McL– [MacLean] the end of this month – M– [Mariana] “has no particular spot in view for us” . . . . . My father has never once opened his lips upon the subject; and other authorities are

[Transcriber’s note: the rest of this entry on page 292/293 has been cut out, along with remaining entries for April 19, 20, 21, and the start of April 22] 

[postimalone]

I tried my hand at writing erotica, its non fiction based on my daily life. Tried to keep it as gender non specific as I could.

 r/Ruiasoftporn

 mom says, always brush your teeth in the morning:

I have read about liminal spaces. The waiting rooms between the Then and Now.  The connection between what was and what will be. This  Dadar railway skywalk in the cold morning feels like one. I relish cold mornings in Mumbai. I relish anything cold in Mumbai. We don’t get a lot of cold here.

In movies, they always show liminal spaces empty.  Like it’s your own personal moment . Lonely . But I don’t feel lonely here. Maybe before you, maybe before us.  There is a floating anticipation in this chilly air. This space is my waiting room for now, till you come. Till I see you. Waving at me, on this bridge lightly shaking from the footfalls. Lightly shaking like me.

You arrive with a smile on your lips and sleep in your eyes. You hug me good morning and I hold you still. I’m listening to my favourite song and the saxophone trill is perfect for this moment. I push a earphone in your ear and kiss you tight. It takes you a moment to register, but you pick up quickly. You pick me up quickly, and push open our mouths. Tongue on tongue at this time of the day is almost taboo but we are far from our beds and freshly brushed and bathed to start the day. Brushed mouths and fresh bodies roiling against each other.Your hands in my hair, my hands on your back. And now you aren’t sleepy anymore , rather energetic. I’m pushed against the thick metal railings, their wet cold seeping through my t-shirt.  But I don’t want this kiss to end, we can go on for longer and this bridge is empty.

Also I really like the cold.

********

Nipples aren’t weed, they don’t need to be rolled like a joint everytime :

I’m in college now. I travel halfway across the city every morning  to earn my degree. I will insert a line here now that my friends wouldn’t catch me dead uttering. Ruia isn’t a place, it’s a feeling. It’s a small world here, but it’s foreign. A quaint building nested in a quiet neighbourhood. But I’m standing in it’s epicentre and I can almost feel it engulfing me.  It’s small, but it’s huge.  It’s a fish tank sitting in the dentist’s reception area.  I feel like Nemo. 

I do get carried away with these thoughts once in while. I get carried away a lot, mostly by you.  The Quadrangle is a strange place. It’s not square at all. It’s shape is a quarrel for another day, because  right now you are staring into my eyes. I hope the midday sun is doing me some favour hitting the right angles of my face.  After all, I don’t get your attention like this in public all the time. I straighten up in an attempt to make my boobs conspicuous. You laugh. “ You’ve got  really bad posture, you’re going to get a hunched back someday”, you say.

Apparently the next lecture is cancelled, it was 50/50 anyway. The professor is running errands for the Principal, couldn’t be helped. We have half an hour more, to while away. We both got dragged by our friends towards the stage at one end of this open yard. The Quadrangle is bustling with people and there is no other place to sit. I sit on the edge of the stage with my legs hanging over the edge. You sit cross-legged, behind me. I lean back into you and my ill-postured back finds comfort in this position. There are my friends on one side and yours on the other. My idiots couldn’t find a place and are standing on the ground in front of me. I put my bag on my lap, there is really no place here.

You are so busy talking to your friends, and my friends are busy talking amongst themselves. I might almost drift off to sleep. Your voice reverberates from your chest and I close my eyes in peace…  until I feel your  hand snaking under my arm.

My eyes are wide open now. The hand has progressed to the boob now. I regret having pads in my bra now. Suddenly  I am eerily aware of the number of people here. It’s bustling with people. My eyes dart all over the place, is anyone watching? My breath hitches, and my heart beats faster. I half turn to look at you questioningly. What are you doing? Why does it feel so good?

You are immersed in talking with your friends, who are dangerously close to us. Too close for comfort. I try to sit up,  but you hold me steady in place against you. I look at you, you smile at me. The sun is heating up the air, but that’s not why I am sweating.

You leisurely stroke my boob in rhythm with your talk. As natural as say, ruffling someone’s hair or swinging hands in hand. My toes curl inside my Converse. I look anywhere and everywhere except your face. I almost scream when the other hand lands on my other neglected tit. An audible “Oh shit” escapes my lips. The friend who was talking to you turns to me. He agrees, the tv show he was talking about had an unexpected main character death.

Now I have to focus on her and control myself. But your relentless ministrations won’t stop. My size doesn’t matter, you’re covering every inch. The gentle pressure is driving me crazy. I want to rip my bra off so you can find the nipple. But you find it even through the thick fabric, pressing on instead of rolling it with your fingers. I am losing my mind.

I am exposed here like this, naked amongst these people and your horny self. The strokes go back and forth from my tits to my back and everything in between. How hasn’t anyone noticed? My legs shiver from all of this madness. I slowly arch into the cup of your fingers, and my feet hanging of the stage lift on their own accord. I am no longer in control.

And I accidently kick my friend standing in front. Fast as lightning, I sit up straight and apologize. And that’s when I realize someone has unpinned my bra.

*************

Its considered rude in Japanese culture to not slurp your noodles:

The canteen is a funny place. It isn’t enough of a place, there needs to be more of it. There aren’t many tables inside and we always need to fight for a table to sit. Especially now, in monsoon every inch of the area that is not covered by a warm butt is cold and soppy wet. So the actual lunch tables are much coveted. Today’s star is me. I coaxed a group of people I knew to give up their seats to me. Hence, today everyone loves me.

Our seat is near a window, I am opposite to it. I have a good view outside. The canteen windows are funny too, they overlook the quadrangle and people can look directly into your plate. Marketing gimmick.

I feel like eating oily noodles today. So I lose my new and crisp 100/-  note today. Pity. I am slurping away when I hear your voice. I look up. You’re on the other side of the window looking directly into my plate. And then your gaze shifts to me.

The food is stuck in my throat. I take a fitful sip of water. I wave a ‘Hi’ at you. You wave back but don’t answer after that. You’re talking to someone on the phone. And that would be okay with me if you weren’t staring at me so much. I can’t question you, I can’t scold you. I can only look away. I am playing with my food now. I can’t eat. You make me so horridly uncomfortable in all the right ways.

But two can play this game. I start with the fork and lick it’s prongs. I smack my lips and run my tongue over them. I twirl my fork to heap noodles on it and caress the handheld end. I shove the glob of noodles in my mouth and lick the fork clean. I then proceed to moan like a kitten.

In any other circumstance I would be ashamed of myself, but this you totally deserve. You look visibly shaken. I see you gulping air, swallowing nothing. Your neck. “ I’d like to lick it someday” I think. Now I am getting distracted by the possibilities.

You end your phone call and half a minute later I get a text. 

--you’re coming home with me today.

Welp, looks like I might get to experiment today. 

“hey, Hey!” my friend sitting beside me calls me.

“what?”

“tell me what you ordered looks like it was really good, I’ll have a plate too”.

*************

Sometimes its better to bathe with Holy Spirit instead of Dettol after getting drenched in the rain:

Its really pouring cats and dogs today. We might get sent home early. We get phenomenal rains like these once every year in Mumbai. And Ruia lies in a low lying zone. Meaning water pools here like crazy. Just getting to college drenched me completely. The wind broke my umbrella. We all were sitting half soaked, waiting for lecture to begin. And again they got cancelled. But we still had lab work.

Me and my  group  of friends decided to go on the building terrace. It would be slipping wet, but we were soaked anyway. It was all empty and flooded. We dragged the tyre-cum-chaises and sat on them. It was lightly drizzling now.I looked around.

I really loved the terrace. It wasn’t too big and it wasn’t too small. It was the perfect size to hang out in. And from here, you could see the Matunga skyline. A weird mixture of really tiny, two-storeyed residential complexes and huge high-rising sky-scrapers. The clouds were rolling overhead. They looked so pregnant, their water ready to break at any moment. I loved being here, even if I was chattering from the ice-cold wind.

I text you, to come here. I need you to come here. You reply back a negative. You’re busy with your own labwork at the moment. This won’t do.

‘I am soaking wet from the rain and I’m so so cold’ I text back, attaching a selfie, as risqué as I can manage to get with people around.

I get a reply back.

‘give me 15 minutes’

Everyone else decides to leave. The labwork is simply not worth drowning for, we decide. Almost the entire college is emptying. I tell my friends I’m leaving with you. I wait inside until they leave and go back on the terrace waiting under the roof of the entrance. Out of the two entrances one is locked to prevent flooding. I am shivering.

I hear the elevator door open and close. I  attack your form furiously kissing you,pulling you into the terrace area. Thank God you’re alone.

‘Whoa,you’re wet!’you say.

“And not how I’d like to be” I reply.

You take that as a challenge. My bra is unpinned under my shirt yet again. You’re getting irritatingly good at this. I back you up against the wall next to the entrance, just out of range for any pair of wayward eyes. Not that it mattered, we were literally out in the open.

‘You are so worked up today” you whisper in my ear.

‘Mhmmhm’  is all I can manage while peppering kisses on your neck. My hands are all over your chest and fumbling at your waist. Your hands are splayed across my back rubbing sensationally, sending delicious electricity down my spine.

You bring your hands around my waist to slip inside my shirt and under my bra. I exhale. My hands are in your hair now, I can barely do a thing. I am shivering, but not from the rain.

‘Looks like you need this way more badly than I originally thought ,we need a quick fix’ you say.

I bite your ear.

You look around and suddenly your eyes brighten. You lead me to a corner section of the terrace, where  remnant beams of the building structure protrude outwards. They look like concrete tables. They are the perfect height to rest your elbows but a little difficult to climb and sit on.

But you straight up hoist me onto one, and pull down my pants. Track pants were a wonderful decision.

I gasped. I am soaking wet and now half naked, well almost, the pants pool at my feet. Your hands are under my thighs,over my calves racing across to my sex. Your fingers find me first, and I pull in your face for a kiss. I have crossed all my boundaries today. Your fingers come back slick, I blame the rain.

 Pleasing me is difficult. Both your hands are at work. One rubbing circles on my clit, the other pumping finger after finger into my vagina. I my legs start to shake, my stomach starts to quake.

 Every breath is inching me closer to glorious death. Le petit mort. I moan. Out loud.

The rain has gone from a drizzle to a raging storm. All that cold water on us, and I’m on fire.

You push away from my face only to bring yours on my sex. Your first lick on my clitoris sends me shaking into spasms. I can no longer sit upright, I lean over the surface, splayed out like a Thanksgiving turkey.

Your tongue finds rhythm with your fingers. Pumping me,  sucking me, pulling me closer and closer to you, until I can bear it no longer. With a scratch of your finger and flick of your tongue, I convulse into climax.

A bone-shaking, muscle-quivering, petit mort.

 I cannot move. You help me into my  pants and steady me inside the building, out of the terrace plot. Everybody is going home. We get our bags and reach the exit of college too. We leave and walk together. You notice I don’t turn towards my usual way.

‘You’re home is that way’ you turn to me and say.

‘I’m coming with you today, I have to finish what you started’ I whisper.

******* 

[ellinghamhq]

Oyez, oyez! (Yes, I’m going to use this phrase as often as possible.) I know I’m a tiny bit late, but I’ve finally finished arranging the pairs + prompts for December’s mini pairing up event! Basically, how this works is that all the characters who were entered in the google form were paired up (in every pair, one is meant to write the starter, and you’ll see that mentioned in the list) and then given a little prompt! The rules for it are quite simple, really! All you have to do is, if you’re meant to write the starter, to try and have it up before December 18. You can message the person you’re paired up with beforehand to plot a little, but it’s not obligatory! Then, the other person will reply to your starter, and ta-da! New thread started! As far as prompts go, some are more detailed than others, but I recommend playing around with them to try and make them work for you. You can follow them completely, of course, but I don’t want you to feel forced to do that, you know? So, yes!

p.s. If you have to back down for some reason, or if you want to join in last minute, or anything else, please don’t hesitate to message me and I’ll try and fix something up!

p.p.s. Please tag all your starters for the event with #ellingham:mini2, but NOT #ellingham:starter!

pairs + prompts under the cut!

Ingrid Abernathy ( @iddyabernathy ) should write a starter for Christian Garnet ( @heartstorn ) !!

PROMPT: An old man dropped his wallet in front of the grocery store, and both Ingrid and Christian have noticed it.

Roxanne Leclerc ( @deneigement ) should write a starter for Dakota Hefner ( @dckotas ) !!

PROMPT: Roxanne is putting up the Christmas lights in front of her house and yells out to Dakota for help to reach a bit higher.

Adrien Liu ( @amourxdhiver ) should write a starter for Declan Cleary ( @heartstorn ) !!

PROMPT: Adrien throws a snowball at a friend but misses, and it accidentally hits Declan in the shoulder.

Astrid Carrigan ( @amourxdhiver ) should write a starter for Elijah Winters ( @elijahwintcrs ) !!

PROMPT: The two of them are at the open-to-all skate night at the ice rink, and both come up to the concessions counter to get a mug of hot chocolate at the same time.

Jeremy Atkinson ( @deneigement ) should write a starter for Elodie Davis ( @heartstorn ) !!

PROMPT: Jeremy and Elodie get stuck inside the Winter Café during a big snow storm that makes the roads are too dangerous to drive on.

Delphine Nadeau ( @deneigement ) should write a starter for Jaylah Star ( @cfsiilverliiniings ) !!

PROMPT: They both attend a charity event to help fund nature conservation in Ellingham, and end up meeting at the open bar.

Eason Rush ( @easonxrush ) should write a starter for Melody Townsend ( @cfsiilverliiniings ) !!

PROMPT: The bottom of Melody's grocery bag breaks and Eason witnesses it.

Bronwyn Clarke ( @lasaison ) should write a starter for Lydia Henderson ( @heartstorn ) !!

PROMPT: The two are standing on the same street corner when they witness someone dressed like Santa on a bike ignore a red light and someone in a car honking quite intensely at that person.

Arielle Nadeau ( @diaphsncus ) should write a starter for Micah Davis ( @heartstorn ) !!

PROMPT: The two of them were standing in front of the Winter Café when they got cornered by very insistant girl scouts trying to convince them to give them things for the Christmas toy drive.

Alexis Cerone ( @lasaison ) should write a starter for Monroe Oakley ( @ffsmonroe ) !!

PROMPT: Alexis and Monroe are both shopping for Christmas trees in the little Christmas tree farm in Ellingham when they notice a doe standing not too far away from them.

Stella Marinos ( @justroses​ ) should write a starter for Quest Pryor ( @cfsiilverliiniings​ ) !!

PROMPT: There was a disturbance caused by someone a bit too drunk at a small Firestorm charity concert for the Maison des Marguerites, and Quest is the first cop to show up and is greeted by Stella.

Evan Woods ( @evanvvoods​ ) should write a starter for Royal Ford ( @cfsiilverliiniings​ ) !!

PROMPT: They both reach for the same book at the library, which is currently decked out in decorations for Christmas.

Arrow Hart ( @brokewinqs​ ) should write a starter for Zander Carey ( @zanderhq​ ) !!

PROMPT: Arrow notices Zander drinking alone at one of Ellingham's few bars, not too long before Christmas.

Sage Cooper ( @heartstorn ) should write a starter for Gabriel Royer ( @lasaison ) !!

PROMPT: Sage goes into the record store Gabriel works at and has to ask for help to find a specific record (either for her or for a gift or something).

Lucas Fernandez ( @lasaison ) should write a starter for Esme Vidal ( @deneigement ) !!

PROMPT: Esme's car breaks down and she's stuck standing beside it on the side of the road when Lucas drives by and maybe stops.

Lia Tran ( @amourxdhiver ) should write a starter for Joe Whenham ( @joewhenham ) !!

PROMPT: Lia witnesses Joe wandering around drunk/tipsy in the Ellingham Christmas Market.

Sutton Gardner ( @heartstorn ) should write a starter for Blue Wesley ( @justroses ) !!

PROMPT: Sutton notices Blue looking quite intense whilst doing some research at the library, and has to walk past them and ask them to move to get to the computer next to them.

Brooke Putnam ( @heartstorn ) should write a starter for Analyse Mikaelson ( @brokewinqs ) !!

PROMPT: Brooke helps Analyse out with something that fell from the latter's basket at the grocery store when they hear on the speaker that the store is closing in half an hour.

Adriana Mercan ( @adrianamercan ) should write a starter for Oliver Beaulieu ( @oliiverbeau ) !!

PROMPT: Adriana notices Oliver looking completely overwhelmed in a fancy store's perfume section.

Veronica “Ronny” Jacobson ( @lasaison ) should write a starter for Elara Adams ( @elaraadams ) !!

PROMPT: Ronny and Elara reach for the same Christmas drink to-go at the Winter Café at the same time after it's called by the drink's name, and the name written on the cup is impossible to read.

Carson Forbes ( @heartstorn ) should write a starter for Kay Harris ( @detectivekay ) !!

PROMPT: Carson is walking around admiring the Christmas lights when she notices Kay in his yard, playing in the snow with his dogs.

Valerie White ( @forensicvalerie ) should write a starter for Eloise Leblanc ( @ellelbc ) !!

PROMPT: Eloise is waiting in line with her son to meet Santa, when something falls from her purse and Valerie, passing by, picks it up for her.

Étienne Bellegarde ( @deneigement ) should write a starter for Marigold Arias ( @brokewinqs ) !!

PROMPT: Étienne has to pass by Marigold whilst she's filming a video and isn't sure when/how to do that so he just stands there awkwardly waiting for her to finish.

Valentina Moreno ( @deneigement ) should write a starter for Rebecca “Beck” Pasdar ( @beckpasdar ) !!

PROMPT: Valentina's helping Firestorm out with a small charity concert, and meets with Beck a few days prior to discuss things at the Winter Café.

Liam Atkinson ( @lasaison ) should write a starter for Mallory Reed ( @heartstorn ) !!

PROMPT: Mallory and Liam have been waiting in a dentist's waiting room for over two hours because of a snow storm that's keeping the dentist stuck at his place, and them stuck at the dentist's office. Alone, now that the secretary has gone to the employees' room.

Marlow Wilson ( @marlow-wilson ) should write a starter for Talia Tremblay ( @deneigement ) !!

PROMPT: Marlow's in line at the grocery force when a tiny lil child runs into her legs. That child is Leo, Talia's 2 years old son, and not long after, Talia is picking him up and apologizing profusely to Marlow.

Mali Krimkul ( @malikrim ) should write a starter for Noelle Laurent ( @justroses ) !!

PROMPT: Mali and Noelle are walking on the sidewalk when a group of 7-8 year old kids beg them to help them build a snowman.

Sydney Moore ( @detectivesydneymoore ) should write a starter for Autumn Cheng ( @deneigement ) !!

PROMPT: Autumn and Sydney end up trapped in a store when there's a power outage and the doors of the store automatically lock and neither of them can figure out how to open them.

[forestraydentists]

London 4

The capital of the United Kingdom is full of historical buildings and landmarks. You can spend hours in one of the many museums or enjoy the world’s best performing arts, then hit the bars or clubs to celebrate in the nightlife. You can even walk in the footsteps of history’s greatest figures. London is also a shopping mecca, with every niche catered for with a shopping mall or market. The riverfront is bustling with pop-up events in all seasons.

The United Kingdom is a highly developed country, with a highly developed economy and a high Human Development Index rating (it ranks 18th). The country consistently ranks high in international rankings in terms of healthcare, education, life expectancy, and other indicators of human development. Historically, the United Kingdom was the world’s leading power in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and it maintains its influence on world affairs. In terms of military expenditure, the UK ranks fourth globally.

The United Kingdom is made up of the countries of England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. The term UK is often used informally to refer to the whole country. Moreover, the islands of Ireland and the Channel Islands are not considered part of the United Kingdom, and hence are not included in the United Kingdom. Nevertheless, there are a number of differences between the various regions of the country.

The capital of the United Kingdom is London. The capital of England and the largest urban region in the European Union, the city is a cultural, business, and research hub. It has six major international airports and has a population of over eight million people. It also hosts the largest concentration of higher education institutions in Europe.

The United Kingdom is a member of the OECD, and has high standards of living. In the OECD Better Life Index, the UK ranks seventh among OECD countries. However, the country has slid down the rankings in recent years. The country has a lower score in religious freedom and women’s safety. However, women’s rights in the UK are generally well protected. It is illegal to discriminate against women and to pay them less than men. Despite this, many women still face prejudice because of taking time off work. Check this site!

The UK is also known for its rich culture in the arts. The country is home to many acclaimed symphonic orchestras and choruses. Famous British conductors include Sir John Barbirolli, Sir Malcolm Sargent, and Sir Charles Mackerras. International conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle have also become leading performers in Britain. A great post  here.

When you visit London UK, make sure to try local dishes and beverages. Its food scene is rich in diversity. Many restaurants and cafes have seasonal specialties. There are a lot of options for food and drink, including vegetarian and vegan options. If you are in the mood for something a bit more healthy, try a traditional English afternoon tea. There is a traditional blend of teas for afternoon tea in London, which is lighter than the usual breakfast blends. It is meant to complement the meal.

Point of Interest #1 The Ritz London, 150 Piccadilly, St. James’s, London W1J 9BR

Point of Interest #2 Spencer House, 27 St James’s Pl, St. James’s, London SW1A 1NR

Point of Interest #3 Lancaster House, Lancaster House, Stable Yard, St. James’s, London SW1A 1BB

Driving Directions TO Forest & Ray - Dentists, Orthodontists, Implant Surgeons From Lancaster House Originally published here: https://forestray.dentist/london/london-4/

[noro124]

hey everyone it’s my frog collection + other cool things i had on the shelf at the time! i have 57 frogs (counting the packaged ones as one unit), which is 45 more than the last time i took a picture of my frog collection. enjoy!  

under here i will tell you where i got each frog & why i grouped them like that! the groups can also be read in the captions. all pics try to go from left to right, from the back row to the front. 

i. frogs that are big

Summer relaxin’ - my dad got him for me at a yard sale a few years ago. 

HAPPY FROG - my dad also got him for me at a yard sale, but closer to 6 months ago. He’s hanging over my bed right now on my Wall Of Stuff.

Paper frog - my sister ripped him off the bulletin board at the Starbucks where she works to give him to me

White frog - picked him up at TJ Max when my mom took me dress shopping.

Dark green frog - i don’t know...i think from a yard sale? he’s hollow & i keep a semicircle paperweight in the hole in his stomach.

ii. 8 frogs that will break if you drop them & 3 that won’t

Yoga frog - my dad got him for me, maybe from Goodwill? 

Ol Chumbo - got him at the flea market for $8. He is solid iron.

Just Eat What Bugs You!! - got him from a thrift store in a small town in Colorado. he’s got beans in him! if you shake him he rattles

Blue glass - he’s a candle holder! I got him from an antique store in Tennessee & then saw another one of him at the flea market years later. 

Bronze goofball - crooked eyes. very endearing. also very heavy. got him in a shop that sold lots of bronze things outside the Louvre. 

Gold - a gift from my boyfriend!!!

Sassy Frog - i think my dad gave her to me? or maybe i bought her at the antique store. 

Little brown frog - more fragile than he looks, missing his front right leg so i got him discounted from the antique store near school. 

Glass frog king! - got him in prague! he was overpriced, but worth it

Teeny glass frog - also got him in prague for $3! 

Another glass frog - got in the same store that I got tiny frog in.

iii. frogs that are minerals

Chunky brown frog - got him at the antique store near school. i think my boyfriend bought him for me on one of our first dates! 

Black frog - $35 but worth every cent. smooth, elegant, made in Japan. gotten from the antique store near school.

Flat brown frog - got him from the flea market. 

Malachite frog - bought him online from Bekkathyst! Expensive, but I took advantage of a sale.

Rose quartz frog - got from a really cool mineral shop in Prague! I did a project on that shop, about redesigning the storefront.

Pink frog - got from a yard sale a long time ago, only recently rediscovered in my room & added to the collection.

Little frog on a leaf - got from a gift shop at the end of a long 14k altitude hike in Colorado.

Frogs 8-12 were all given to me by my boyfriend after he came back from NY. They’re a big family!!! 

   13. Tiny frog bead - got from the flea market! 

iv. frogs that are squishy

Mint green frog loaf - picked this up from a recent con!! my boyfriend paid for half of it because he said this was something i needed to have, & he was right! 

Webkinz frog - my dad got him for me at a yard sale because he liked the mischievous look in his eyes. 

Little frog orb - part of a set of 3 round squishy things my boyfriend’s parents gave me for easter. 

TY Beanie Baby Frog - a beanie baby original my sister got from a yard sale. he might be worth a lot of money since he’s an original. i’m looking into it. 

Dark blue sand frog - I’ve had this since I was a child. he’s got stitches in his armpit because he used to have a big hole that let all the sand out.

Stripey sand frog - got her at a yard sale when i was maybe 9 so the dark blue frog could have a friend! 

Green and orange beanie frog - picked this up from a “Night Market” in Vienna. having seen real night markets in Taiwan, I was kind of disappointed, but the frog was a good purchase.

Green beanie frog - got in belfast from a cool museum. has a pink twin owned by one of my friends. all frogs have sweet dreams

v. frogs that are toys

Skeleton frog - one of my roommates got him for me from a halloween store.

Glowing frog - he changes rainbow colors! my sister gave him to me for my 20th birthday last year.

Slime frog - my boyfriend got him for me as a Welcome Back present after i returned from Prague! he’s nasty. he’s full of yellow goo & he has a cap on the bottom of his body that you can undo to take out the goo. it takes hours to put the goo back in. 

Keychain frog - also a flashlight that croaks when you turn him on! I saw him in Milan & had to have him. 

Lime green frog - my dad gave me 3 frog bath toys for Christmas. I have one in my collection (this one), one at his house, & one at my mom’s house.

Blue frog whistle - I think one of my friends gave this to me but I’m not sure.

Wooden frog - bought him from a nice lady at the night market in Taiwan in 2017.

Wooden frog 2 - he rolls! picked him up for $4 in one of the Golden Lane shops in Prague Castle. 

Frog rubber band - got him as a reward for being good at the dentist in like 2007. 

vi. frogs i have not unwrapped

 boblende fro - a frog bath bomb with a toy frog inside that i got from a weird store called Flying Tiger in prague. i don’t want to open him because he’ll be crumbly & i like the packaging a lot, & also i don’t want to use him yet.

Grow Frogs - another gift from my boyfriend’s parents for easter. I haven’t used them yet because I’m lazy & I don’t know if they’d crumble & I don’t know where I’d put them if they were unwrapped.

Frog King stickers - got these in northern ireland as well! i haven’t used any yet because they have layers & the things I’d put them on (my phone case, sketchbook, my laptop) move around a lot & the stickers would get destroyed really fast. 

vii. frogs with jobs

Candle holder - one of my friends gave it to me for my birthday.

Green frog - got him from the local crafts store my roommate used to work at. He can hold onto the outside of cups or flowerpots or my finger! 

Frog thimble - a different roommate gave him to me after he got back from his trip to Spain. 

Frog clip - one of my friends gave it to me for no reason! really nice of her!!!

Mosaic frog - the roommate that went to Spain got this for me there too! he doesn’t have a job, he just doesn’t fit into any of the other categories.

Keroppi pin - got this for 50 cents in Taiwan & then lost it for a year.

Tiny rubber frog - given to me by one of my roommates for Christmas. he got it in Florida. he doesn’t have a job either.

Milan eraser - picked this up in a stationary store in prague called McPen.

viii. miscellaneous items on the frog display shelf

Fat cat with big poofy cheeks - i went to the flea market with my dad & saw this funny man.

 Round unicorn & pink fish - the other 2 round things that came with the frog my boyfriend’s parents gave me for easter this year.

Crab ornament - given to me alongside the tiny rubber frog. he’s missing a leg and is EXTREMELY fragile - pieces of his shell fall off all the time.

Red wooden painted egg - got from an easter market in Prague.

Eggplant container - I keep souvenir pressed pennies in here. 

Stone egg with stand - I got this for my dad from an antique store, but my dad said I could keep it.

Golden pig - gotten somewhere in Prague. I was gonna give it to one of my roommates, but my mom said “You should keep it for good luck, it’s the year of the pig!” & so I did.

Snake carving - my grandma used to give me little carvings made of the same material all the time before she died. I don’t know where I got this.

Little glass crab - a gift alongside the crab ornament & tiny rubber frog!

White rock - looks very pretty in the right light. got it from a mineral store in Cesky Krumlov.

Smooth rock - smokey quartz I think? got it from the same mineral store. 

Carnelian scarab - got this from a really cool mineral store outside the Louvre. I could have spent all day in here - they sold really expensive frogs too. I had my eye on one made from turquoise, but it was 160 euros. Maybe next time. 

Labrodorite heart - my boyfriend paid for half of it when he came to visit me in Prague! it’s very blue & very gorgeous. 

Labrodorite chunk - my boyfriend got this for me at a hippie music festival!

Chunk of limestone - got this in northern ireland where there was a cool bridge near an old limestone quarry. I thought this rock looked cool, like mochi. You can’t tell from the picture quality.

Glass lizard - part of the gift with the crab ornament & the other things.

Turtle - got him from the flea market. not sure what he’s made of, but he’s handcrafted!

Shiny turtle - this was on the ground at the flea market. it probably had fallen off a display & cost money, but i put it in my pocket. please don’t arrest me

Stone turtle - got this guy from an aquarium that’s 2 hours away from home! we went as a group over spring break to the beach, but half of us immediately went home & half of us went to the aquarium. i got to touch a shark there. 

& that’s all, folks! thanks for reading my frog lore! 

[quanjewelry]

It Is Important To Follow A Few Tips When Buying Jewelry

When it comes to jewelry, there is a lot of advice that people have to give. This article will give you many tips about jewelry, whether it is for buying, selling, or even making. Use this article to help you learn more about jewelry, and have fun on your adventure.

Try adding a special personal touch to your pieces by getting them professionally engraved. You can add just about anything and it makes it a more special and memorable piece to you or somebody you care about. You can get names, initials, small messages, symbols, etc. finely carved into your pieces to truly make them one-of-a-kind.

Many people see jewelry labeled as sterling silver plated and oftentimes think they've hit the jackpot when they purchase it at a very low price. In this case unfortunately, you do get what you pay for. This type of jewelry only contains a very thin coating of sterling silver on top of a cheap metal which can usually be identified as copper. The jewelry will eventually tarnish and cause the copper to show through underneath with enough wear.

Attending yard-sales is a great way to build up a collection of jewelry. Many people sell old costume jewelry for practically pennies. This is a perfect opportunity to stock up on broken pieces that can be repaired or made into new jewelry later. Many new beautiful pieces of jewelry can be born of old broken pieces. Use yard-sales to build up your collection.

The world of body piercing has taken body jewelry to new heights. Many people like the feeling of having their tongues pierced, but having metal jewelry in your mouth can be damaging to your teeth. There are many colorful options available for plastic tongue jewelry that is safer for your mouth and won't make your dentist cringe.

To make sure your necklace matches your outfit, look for pieces that mimic your neckline. If you're wearing a v-neck top, pair it with a dramatic necklace that has angular elements. To compliment a scoop necked shirt, look for a necklace that's rounded. A boatneck top looks best with a long, dangling necklace.

To create a fashion forward look on a budget, try shopping for vintage jewelry. Jewelry trends are cyclical and stylish jewelry can often be found for cheap at thrift stores. Take the time to sort through the old jewelry at your local thrift stores and flea markets. You're likely to find some great pieces at a low cost.

If you're making wire jewelry and don't have wire cutters, just use a pair of fingernail clippers. The fingernail clippers are small and great for fine cutting. They will be able to manipulate through most sterling silver wire with ease. The fingernail clippers will no longer be useful for your nails though, because wire will dull them fast.

Now that you have read many tips on jewelry, you are ready to enter into the world of fashion. There is so much that can be done when it comes to jewelry, and you need to have the knowledge before you get started. When it comes to jewelry, knowledge is power.

Quan Jewelry - Get our baking jewelry. It's gonna be FUN!

[svguavajelly]

Maladies

Within the first 6 weeks or so of moving here we had some medical issues. Nothing serious.

I had diarrhea about every other day for 3 weeks, and found myself biking across town to drop off a stool sample. Which came back fine, no parasites, and the diarrhea cleared up. I guess just adjusting to the different food here—mostly the dairy products seem quite distinct. And even though things are labeled the same, they don’t taste the same. (ex. Cream cheese, yogurt, cheddar cheese, milk…)

Jade got a UTI, and unfortunately we didn’t diagnose it properly for 5 days…so then it was Saturday night, and I was sure she had had a UTI since Wednesday night, and I was trying to find a doctor open on Sunday morning to treat her. An acquaintance from the Midwest who has lived here 6 years and married a Cuencano gave me her doctor’s info—a lovely female doctor who is very thorough, good with kids, and charges $10 per visit, including follow-up visit. I called her at 9 pm Saturday night, and she saw us at 8:30 the next morning (first we had to go to the lab to leave a urine sample). The only downside to the doctor is that she is on the other side of town, so either a loong bus ride or a $3.00 taxi ride. Poor Jade. She had to take antibiotics for 10 days, and at first she hated taking it—I had to hold her on my lap while Riki syringed it into her mouth, meanwhile Jade was screaming. Twice a day. But then she adjusted and even wanted to take her medicine, no more crying.

We also all got a round of colds, runny noses, coughs, sore throats.

Then Jade had these bites on her feet, ankles, calves…hands, face, and neck. She scratched them so bad they bled, and turned into huge red welts. I had no idea what they were…more kept showing up each day. But no one else in the family was getting bitten. I asked around, and some Ecuadorians said maybe fleas. Hmm. My friend Lorena told us to sweep with this plant “altamisa” that I could find in the market, because the fleas don’t like the smell.  So we washed all the bedding, changed Jade to a different mattress, swept the whole house, mopped the whole house, and swept again with the altamisa rubber-banded to the broom. Whew! Lots of work. Also, showered her at night and I inventoried the bites, so we could see if she had more in the morning.  And something worked…because the bites stopped. Now, in retrospect, I don’t think it was fleas, but maybe no-see-ums that live in the grass here, so she was getting bit while playing in our front yard perhaps?

Negotiating health problems and doctors in a foreign country is always a bit intimidating. We haven’t found a dentist yet (or looked for one) but that will be next.

[sneakerspotlight]

An Offline Analysis of Converse

To get an idea of what an all-American brand like Converse means to consumers, I didn’t have to look further than my own all-American family for my offline analysis of the brand. 

My parents are in their late 50’s, and my three siblings range in age from 20 to 24, so we can see two different generations represented. They all live in different places, across the states of Illinois, Texas, and California. They also have their own tastes in politics, hobbies, and overall lifestyle.

My father is a dentist and a business owner who works a lot and likes to spend his weekends playing the piano, doing yard work, and spending time out in the countryside. He has a pair of Converse low-tops, which he asked my mother to buy for him to remind him of his youth in rural Indiana. Growing up in the late 70′s and early 80′s, he liked to go for drives with his friends while listening to music, and he also played basketball any chance he got. He is a conservative man who would prefer to stay home and cook a meal while watching some sports on TV, and he has always had a wistful appreciation for anything retro or vintage, from cars to fashion. For him, Converse shoes are nostalgic, and when he got his most recent pair he chose the color navy blue, which is fairly neutral and timeless.

My mother was also sent on a mission by my two brothers who each wanted to have a pair of Converse after they had spent some time in university. When I asked them why they suddenly desired these specific shoes, they told me that they could see them everywhere on campus, and that they seemed very comfortable and easy to wear with any kind of outfit. Their versatility and popularity were big factors in their decision. My brothers live in Texas and went to the same university, but their lifestyles are different enough to make their common desire for Converse sneakers so notable. My oldest brother is pretty serious and spends his time either doing school work or hanging out in the gym; fitness is his passion and he wears a lot of exercise clothes and casual-wear. He has a pair of black low-top Chuck Taylor All-Stars. My younger brother has a much more social lifestyle with concerts, parties, festivals, and traveling as his top ways to spend his free time. He opted for a pair of white high-top Chuck Taylor All-Stars. He is much more socially liberal and easy-going than my oldest brother, and yet they both can see the value of Converse shoes. At the end of the day, they both told me that they want comfortable shoes that are simple enough to demonstrate the laid-back sides of their personalities, stylish enough to show their peers and their girlfriends that they care about their appearance but are not obsessed with it, and affordable enough on their student budget.

The last person who I asked about their thoughts on Converse was my younger sister. Her lifestyle is on the other side of the spectrum from my parents; she lives in southern California near the beach, is vegan, and politically left. She spends her time outside, near the ocean or on hikes, frequents farmer’s markets and thrift shops, and loves all things vintage because the environment is really important to her. She has a pair of beat-up cream-colored Chuck Taylor All-Stars that she wears often, and only buys a new pair after her current pair has been worn into the ground and falling apart. When I asked her why she chose Converse, she told me that she enjoys the simplicity of them, as well as the way that the look of the well-worn shoes fits with her laid-back, beachy, and earth-conscious lifestyle.

When presented with all of their insights and thoughts on the brand, my biggest takeaway was that Converse really brings people together across political party lines, state lines, and differences in lifestyle. This simple canvas shoe is a blank slate for anyone to express themself in an authentic, grounded, and calmly confident way.

[gov-info]

December 15, 2017

Press Release: "American Dream is rapidly becoming American Illusion," warns UN rights expert on poverty” [Spanish]

Full Report [English] [Spanish]

Sections:

Introduction (below)

The human rights dimension

Who are ‘the poor’?

The current extent of poverty in the US

Problems with existing policies

The undermining of democracy

An illusory emphasis on employment

Shortcomings in basic social protection

Indigenous peoples

Children in poverty

Adult dental care

Reliance on criminalization to conceal the problem

The gendered nature of poverty

Racism, disability, and demonization of the poor

Confused and counter-productive drug policie

The use of fraud as a smokescreen

Privatization

Environmental sustainability

Principal current governmental responses

Tax reform

Welfare reform

Healthcare reform

New information technologies

Coordinated entry systems

Risk assessment tools in the pre-trial phase

Access to high-speed broadband access in West Virginia

Puerto Rico

About the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights

I. Introduction

1. I have spent the past two weeks visiting the United States, at the invitation of the federal government, to look at whether the persistence of extreme poverty in America undermines the enjoyment of human rights by its citizens. In my travels through California, Alabama, Georgia, Puerto Rico, West Virginia, and Washington DC I have spoken with dozens of experts and civil society groups, met with senior state and federal government officials and talked with many people who are homeless or living in deep poverty. I am grateful to the Trump Administration for facilitating my visit and for its continuing cooperation with the UN Human Rights Council’s accountability mechanisms that apply to all states.

2. My visit coincides with a dramatic change of direction in US policies relating to inequality and extreme poverty. The proposed tax reform package stakes out America’s bid to become the most unequal society in the world, and will greatly increase the already high levels of wealth and income inequality between the richest 1% and the poorest 50% of Americans. The dramatic cuts in welfare, foreshadowed by the President and Speaker Ryan, and already beginning to be implemented by the administration, will essentially shred crucial dimensions of a safety net that is already full of holes. It is against this background that my report is presented.

3. The United States is one of the world’s richest, most powerful and technologically innovative countries; but neither its wealth nor its power nor its technology is being harnessed to address the situation in which 40 million people continue to live in poverty.

4. I have seen and heard a lot over the past two weeks. I met with many people barely surviving on Skid Row in Los Angeles, I witnessed a San Francisco police officer telling a group of homeless people to move on but having no answer when asked where they could move to, I heard how thousands of poor people get minor infraction notices which seem to be intentionally designed to quickly explode into unpayable debt, incarceration, and the replenishment of municipal coffers, I saw sewage filled yards in states where governments don’t consider sanitation facilities to be their responsibility, I saw people who had lost all of their teeth because adult dental care is not covered by the vast majority of programs available to the very poor, I heard about soaring death rates and family and community destruction wrought by prescription and other drug addiction, and I met with people in the South of Puerto Rico living next to a mountain of completely unprotected coal ash which rains down upon them bringing illness, disability and death.

5. Of course, that is not the whole story. I also saw much that is positive. I met with State and especially municipal officials who are determined to improve social protection for the poorest 20% of their communities, I saw an energized civil society in many places, I visited a Catholic Church in San Francisco (St Boniface – the Gubbio Project) that opens its pews to the homeless every day between services, I saw extraordinary resilience and community solidarity in Puerto Rico, I toured an amazing community health initiative in Charleston (West Virginia) that serves 21,000 patients with free medical, dental, pharmaceutical and other services, overseen by local volunteer physicians, dentists and others (WV Health Right), and indigenous communities presenting at a US-Human Rights Network conference in Atlanta lauded Alaska’s advanced health care system for indigenous peoples, designed with direct participation of the target group.

6. American exceptionalism was a constant theme in my conversations. But instead of realizing its founders’ admirable commitments, today’s United States has proved itself to be exceptional in far more problematic ways that are shockingly at odds with its immense wealth and its founding commitment to human rights. As a result, contrasts between private wealth and public squalor abound.

7. In talking with people in the different states and territories I was frequently asked how the US compares with other states. While such comparisons are not always perfect, a cross-section of statistical comparisons provides a relatively clear picture of the contrast between the wealth, innovative capacity, and work ethic of the US, and the social and other outcomes that have been attained.

By most indicators, the US is one of the world’s wealthiest countries. It spends more on national defense than China, Saudi Arabia, Russia, United Kingdom, India, France, and Japan combined.

US health care expenditures per capita are double the OECD average and much higher than in all other countries. But there are many fewer doctors and hospital beds per person than the OECD average.

US infant mortality rates in 2013 were the highest in the developed world.

Americans can expect to live shorter and sicker lives, compared to people living in any other rich democracy, and the “health gap” between the U.S. and its peer countries continues to grow.

U.S. inequality levels are far higher than those in most European countries

Neglected tropical diseases, including Zika, are increasingly common in the USA. It has been estimated that 12 million Americans live with a neglected parasitic infection. A 2017 report documents the prevalence of hookworm in Lowndes County, Alabama.

The US has the highest prevalence of obesity in the developed world.

In terms of access to water and sanitation the US ranks 36th in the world.

America has the highest incarceration rate in the world, ahead of Turkmenistan, El Salvador, Cuba, Thailand and the Russian Federation. Its rate is nearly 5 times the OECD average.

The youth poverty rate in the United States is the highest across the OECD with one quarter of youth living in poverty compared to less than 14% across the OECD.

The Stanford Center on Inequality and Poverty ranks the most well-off countries in terms of labor markets, poverty, safety net, wealth inequality, and economic mobility. The US comes in last of the top 10 most well-off countries, and 18th amongst the top 21.

In the OECD the US ranks 35th out of 37 in terms of poverty and inequality.

According to the World Income Inequality Database, the US has the highest Gini rate (measuring inequality) of all Western Countries

The Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality characterizes the US as “a clear and constant outlier in the child poverty league.” US child poverty rates are the highest amongst the six richest countries – Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Sweden and Norway.

About 55.7% of the U.S. voting-age population cast ballots in the 2016 presidential election. In the OECD, the U.S. placed 28th in voter turnout, compared with an OECD average of 75%. Registered voters represent a much smaller share of potential voters in the U.S. than just about any other OECD country. Only about 64% of the U.S. voting-age population (and 70% of voting-age citizens) was registered in 2016, compared with 91% in Canada (2015) and the UK (2016), 96% in Sweden (2014), and nearly 99% in Japan (2014).

  About the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights: Professor Philip Alston is the current Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights. The Special Rapporteur is an independent expert appointed by the Human Rights Council and undertakes the following main tasks: (1) conducting research and analysis to be presented in separate thematic reports to the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly; (2) undertaking country visits and reporting on the situation in those countries in relation to the concerns of the mandate; (3) sending letters to governments and other relevant entities in situations in which violations of human rights of people living in extreme poverty are alleged to have taken place.

The mandate on extreme poverty was first established in 1998 by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, and was taken over by the Human Rights Council in June 2006. It is one of a number of mandates that together form what is known as the United Nations system of special procedures. For more information on those procedures see: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/SP/Pages/Welcomepage.aspx