#Off to making. Lunch technically even if it's 5pm

[queer-omens-in-the-archives]

FINALLY clean after two weeks of not having the spoons to shower. Flourishing ✨

[fuck-customers]

a fuck my manager/coworkers rant:

store manager got a new girlfriend back in October and since then work has been his second priority (EVEN DURING THE HOLIDAYS). Which is understandable in some regards but him and his ex literally broke up over him wanting to prioritize work. So often he goes off on two hour lunch dates with his GF we can see (at the shitty brunch place across the parking lot) when he said he was just going to go run the deposit to the bank. And he doesn't fucking COMMUNICATE anymore. One of my coworkers was given 5 days to completely rearrange a section of the store that was due last month but no one knew bc he never TOLD anyone and now he wants it done before Inventory is due. This entire month our rewards program is doing a special double points when purchasing a certain brand. I didn't find out until TODAY (the 20th) when I saw it on the TV image slide thing. The assistant manager didn't know until the Eighth.

He ignored and denied phone calls from our shift lead when on Valentine's Day when a customer was screaming at her, SM claimed that his sister was in labor and he was with her (dude you can step out of the room for five minutes) but we ALL know he was at V-day dinner with his GF (it was 5pm.)

He's on salary and should be working 40 hours and is technically on the clock all the time but he ignores people's text messages and shows up to work 15-30 minutes late every day and tries to leave early. He randomly goes out of town and only tells people last minute. There's no way he's making his 40 hours and NO ONE can do anything about it. He's been reported to our district manager several times and when she comes over to talk to him about it they just spend an hour in the back room giggling together because she doesn't care and loves him! All that matters is the store is doing well numbers wise.

... well it's not Anymore. because he's been so out of WACK that no one wants to put in effort working anymore. Bye bye 4.15 UPT and 40 DPT goal. have fun with the average 2.5 UPT. We've been consistently missing our sales goal. Oh well. Sorry buddy.

My biggest irritant though is that we are a pet store and like I don't care if my coworkers wanna slack on sales, but when they slack on caring for our animals is where I lose my mind and I'm sick and tired of having to pick up everyone's slack in that regard bc the management doesn't care either, they won't check over how animal care got done and so I have to be the one to make sure our animals aren't literally standing in soiled bedding 24/7.

I hate it here. In May it will be two years and I'm making minimum wage still, because every time the MW goes up, I lose any raise I had received. I should be making more than the hire we got two months ago but I don't. It makes me want to tear my hair out. I want to strangle our DM because she is the only thing keeping me from getting promoted, she wants me to have a car but company policy says 3/4 managers need a car. Everyone else does!! I would literally be lowest position anyways, I'm just there to pick up management slack I'm not there for big issues.

hate it here.

@staff I HATE the new text editor!

[gdmbrwiththerealcrew]

Day 3 - July 1st (Canada Day)

Yes, I’ll say it again, last night’s campsite was the worst ever. When we got up, the five of us (including Natasha) decided to go for breakfast at Mel’s instead of cooking in camp. When we got there we learned that it was closed but that the Lions were holding a pancake breakfast at the community center. Sure enough, when we found the community we were able to enjoy some local hospitality for a good cause, whatever it may have been. By the time we left breakfast, we already had 5 ride miles logged.

The route out of Elkford started with a 1000 foot climb on pavement over 3 miles that took us north of town. At the top we turned onto a gravel road that was soon rutted with 4 wheel drive tracks and mud puddles. About 10 miles in, we looked into the valley below to see Elkford. We had gone north only to pass Elkford again as we came south and it took us about two hours to get there. That mountain road continued through high meadows with lovely mountain views. Fortunately it was taking us downhill.

Since it was Saturday and Canada Day we got to see how the locals enjoy the mountains. Let me tell you, it was on bicycles. Our first encounter was with a half dozen 4-wheel drive trucks and jeeps speeding their way higher into the mountains. Our second was with a couple trail motorcycles. Everyone slowed as was necessary but probably would have been more happy if they didn’t have to.

Somewhere along the way.

Eventually we reconnected with the Elk River Trail. This time it was a few miles of flowy single track. Fortunately not technical but definitely up and down. We popped off that and onto some secondary roads into Sparwood. As we approached town we could see the coal mining operation that was reducing a nearby mountain to 1/2 its size. The coal was hauled away by train, one of which we saw rolling by but never saw its first or last cars even after watching for 5 minutes.

You’re looking at a coal mine. Zoom in to see current operations. To the left of that is previous operations.

In Sparwood we checked out the worlds largest truck (a monument to big coal) in the center of town. That gave us a chance to have lunch and just sit in the shade on a patch of grass for an hour or so.

Big truck! Used to move coal.

After we left Sparwood we ended up on a stretch of gravel road that was so rocky it was like riding on the cobbles in France. Again, bone jarring. It required all of our concentration to stay upright.

Steep AND rocky!

Later we found some smooth gravel then some double track that required a little hike-a-bike. Back on smooth gravel we found the road’s end at some railroad tracks. We had to carry our bikes over the tracks to get on pavement for the final miles into Fernie.

Busy tracks!

Throughout the last few hours of the day we were hammered by a constant headwind. It both slowed our progress and drained our spirits.

Insane winds.

Finally at our hostel for the evening, we quickly ordered beers and sat out on the porch overlooking the street and the mountains beyond. Two women were there and, naturally, we sparked up a conversation. They were in town from Calgary to see a band they liked, Daring Greatly. They didn’t have tickets so they needed to get to the club early for the 10pm show. They were already 3 drinks into their evening at 5pm so it was going to be interesting to hear their reviews on the show. It turned out they didn’t make it to the 5th song.

Beers upon arrival.

We, on the other hand, filled our afternoon with laundry and a good meal downtown. Upon returning to the hostel we met an attractive young couple that said they had just moved into the area. They were quick to invite us into the bar for shots. However, they just gave off a grifter vibe and we all thought better of their offer. Our bunk beds without AC were the better choice.

Downtown Fernie

Couple observations from the day: First, it may look easy on paper but… today was our toughest day mentally and physically. Jet lag, lack of sleep, head winds, rough terrain all made it difficult. Second, sometimes people give off a vibe and you know there’s an agenda. Follow you gut and avoid a situation.

Cheers!

Ride stats:

Miles ridden: 49.53

Elevation gain: 2,027 ft

Max elevation: 5,075 ft

Start time: 8:07am

Moving time: 5:21:05

Elapsed time: 8:04:46

Ave speed: 9.2 mph

[maranull]

valentine's day headcanons for Malenia my beloved? 💕

Hi Hug! Sure thing.

Going with modern AU and a first Valentine setting. Also taking some more liberties with the "reader's" actions.

She's the type that never really cared for Valentine's, like, she's aware of the typical candles, petals and moody lighting dates but she never gave it any thought

Which makes a surprise easier (although you still had to call upon her brother's assistance)

Part of our plan is spending the full day together, as you usually spent most of your together time in the evenings

So, you are up at 5:15am, trying to wake yourself up while running behind her along her morning jog

No matter how athletic you may or may not be, after some time you are barely on your feet and she is "forced" to carry you back home

After recovering you start your date

You'd love to visit the local flower exhibition, but given the obscene amount of Valentine's Day displays and bouquets, you decide on "flower hunting"

Flower hunting is walking around quiet neighborhoods and looking for interesting flowers poking out of gardens and yards. Whoever finds the most, or the prettiest looking, wins their drink/snack of their choice when returning home

Given that you're preoccupied with keeping her away from the flower exhibition, you end up loosing and you gave to pay for a hot cocoa*

You get lunch at Miquella's and poor guy is doing his best to hide your plan, but he keeps side eyeing and winking at you at frequent intervals

At around 4-5pm, you leave to spar at your usual park, with a small detour back home to get your sparring gear

(Miquella showed you off then sprinted like hunted by the devil to reach your sparring area)

There, you reveal your gift that Miquella hid for you inside a dead tree trunk

She's a bit shocked at your "Happy Valentine's Day!" exclamation

But she doesn't seem to care for it, or the gift, as she basically lifts you in the air and on the back of a tree with the hug she gave you

In her rush to kiss you she kinda forgets to stop pressing you to the tree, resulting in you kicking your legs in the air while simultaneously trying to kiss back

Back home, insist to shower first and when you're out, you rush to make the table as she's in the shower

Food is her favourite takeout, since you didn't have time for cooking

You set it among white candles and onto a red table cover

You had no time to dry your hair before you hear the water closing, so you run to your seat and wait

She gets out in her usual bare chested, towel tied low around her waist. Somehow she doesn't notice you or the ambiance from the candles as she passes by the hall to get dressed

She comes out in her pajamas and finally notices the table

The dinner itself is very domestic, most remembering moments from old dates and planning a couple new ones

By the end, you end up teasing each other, which turns into play-fighting towards the bedroom

You may or may not spent the night wrestling ;)

I think I managed to finish this before the end of the 14th, so it's still technically in time. :P Also I'm normally passed out at this time so I really hope this is semi-decent cause I have no brainpower to re-check rn.

Hope you like it!

[deafsignifcantother]

evil woman

♥ summary: the desire to 'win' him it goes beyond words. as the girlfriend of jason and one of the most approved cheerleader, you have everything you could ever want, so why focus so much energy on eddie munson?

♥ relationships: eddie munson x deaf woman reader

♥ word count: 2.1k

♥ details: femme fatale reader, reader can read lips, briefly mentioning that reader has a school interpreter

♥ warnings: cheating/disloyalty, one sentence mentioning sex, alcohol

♥ author's note: this is based off of this evil woman [technically a cover] by black sabbath. also i have a hard time with english grammar so >.>

You glance around the lunch table. There's a distracting amount cola bottles hitting the table as well as the stomping of feet that annoy you only because of your overly-aware sense of vibration. These things; these feelings; these failed attempts at accessibility make your head whip back and forth.

‘Who's talking now’ you always find yourself wondering.

Horrible isolating, you think for the millionth time before putting a water bottle to your mouth. During that quick second, everybody at the table starts to laugh, and it takes you a second to realize somebody had told a joke.

You just laugh too.

From across the cafeteria, Eddie watches you, tightening his jaw when he sees the look of confusion on your face. He also eyes Jasons hand that has a permanent wrap around your waist. Even though it seems as if he is glued to you, that man doesn't even face you when he talks.

"You should invite her over here," Dustin says. Even though his tone was genuine, he held a mischievous smile on his face. Eddie scoffs at him.

"Invite her? No way. It's not as if that guy would even let anyone talk to her, look," he gestures weakly to your table. "She doesn't understand a word they're saying."

Dustin's brain flashes to the schools rally's and games during basketball season where the drums would pound to the rhythm of the dance for you to follow. You smile brighter than the other girls. Because of your circumstance, and the way your features make you stand out anyway, you seem to be more praised than anybody else on the team.

Jason likes to hold you tight to him for those such reasons.

Dustin also notices the way you watch faces and then smile along with the conversation. You do understand what they're saying.

His eyes go between you and Eddie. What is he seeing that he can't?

Eddie completely loses the concentration on his face when you actually turn your head to look at him. You do a double take before staring back.

You tilt your head. He smacks his lips. You lean in a bit, a smile still on your face, but one side twitches into a smirk, your eyes darkening before you shake your head and face your body more towards the center of your friend group.

You press your thumb to your lip and appear to check out mentally.

⭐️

The TTY got smaller. That big ol box was never your favorite, but getting the electric contemporary product made you feel a bit cooler. When the light starts to flash, your heart starts to beat. There's only one person who talks to you this late in the day.

He types...HEY HEY HEY GA.

5pm on the clock. He has consistency.

You type back within seconds, ANYTHING NEW Q GA.

Eddie takes a second to think after almost every message. He gets nervous talking to you.

JUST MISSING YOU GA

I SAW YOU LOOKIN TODAY GA

WORRIED HE SAW TOO GA

You laugh. WHAT WOULD HE DO GA

Eddie slouches in his seat. You asked a stupid question. What would he do? Nothing he can't take, of course, but just imagine what would happen if Jason were to find out that his girlfriend was talking to somebody else.

Even if that somebody else was someone who was obviously better.

HLD

"Excuse me, Munson," the librarian smiles sweetly at him. "You know what time it is."

"Just a few more seconds." He says with an impatient tone. He types with even more impatience.

NEED TO GO GA TO SKSK

SEE YA TMRW ED SKSK

He picks up his backpack and heads back to the car. He had lied about owning a TTY to you. He'd never seen one in his life until he went to the library.

The first time you caught his eye, it was at one of the rally's. When the school year started, you had been brought up often. Whenever your name would be mentioned the common response amongst people would be, “The deaf one?".

And then he saw you with your pom-poms and your scrunched socks. He noticed how attractive you were immediately. And then you sat down with your team but at the end of the bleacher, and in all black clothing was an interpreter. It's you.

Then he saw you in the halls. And you're with him.

Now, you try to avoid the halls that he's in so he doesn't have to get the sight of your boyfriend. And you're still with him.

You play your little mind games when it comes to being in public. Sometimes when you do end up passing him as you're next to Jason, you'll do risky things like wink at him, or flashing him a see you later or a point and a sexual sign. Once he even saw you unbottoning the top of your shirt, looking at him in the eyes as you do it. His least favorite thing that you did was drop your books in front of him. His heart made him move before his brain could stop it, and he picked them up before offering them to you, holding them all in one hand. Jason pushed his shoulder between the both of you and snatched the books away before stepping up.

You tapped on his back, holding your hand out and letting him pass you the books. Your friends rested their bodies against your side and that's all it took for you to leave him to his own devices.

This all started when Eddie first followed you into the public library. He was driving down the streets on a low weekend, and then your backpack appeared at a parking lot in his view. He pulled in immediately, excited to have seen you out of school. He's been practicing his ASL.

He saw you sat down at one of those machines, and he wandered the aisles pretending to ponder before gaining the confidence to approach you. You offered him a smile when he introduced himself and starting describing his interests. He asked you what you're doing here, and you helplessly motioned to the TTY.

"Mine at home is broke, we are getting a new one." You signed.

"Oh yeah, for real, mine too."

You looked surprised. He sucked in a breath, wondering why that even came out of him.

"Really?" Your eyes start to shine. "So you've meet a Deaf person?"

"Yeah, you know, I’ve seen them in Children of a Lesser God."

The quizzical look in your eyes was something he'd never forget. When you made that expression, your lips spread into a grin and your eyebrows furrowed.

Sometimes he reads the expression as sassy because more often than not, you would just give him the siren eyes before shaking your head and looking away. The thought of sassiness mostly comes from the fact that you were the one that came on to him, and not the other way around. He had spent the beginning of the relationship thinking that he was the one pulling you, but he didn't know that you were the one that was luring him in.

You are like this: the instigator of problems yet not being the one that is most concerned about them. You wave him off whenever he mentions the infidelity, and you do this because you know no one would expect that much deviance from you.

Your audacity was a bit alluring. Eddie liked your enchantress-like beauty and your masterful capabilities. He considered you the dungeon master of the high-class society you were in.

Your wickedness was better portrayed in your kiss, as those lips controlled you more than your brain ever could. You love innocent-looking gestures like pecking him on the cheek, it juxtaposes the sly expression in your eye that pierces through him when he tries to approach you at school.

He calls you almost every day. The librarians know him and always saved the machine at the end of the shift for him. He wanted to go towards closing hours so that it lessened the chance of somebody seeing him there (a library of all places, how could he!).

You always pick up instantly. Why do you pick up so fast yet not even look at him at school? You were driving him crazy. He wanted you, he wanted to hold you tightly and keep you for himself. He's tried to convince you to break up with Jason but you heavily refuse under the means of "imagine what that would do to me".

You like his passion[ate feelings for you], but you're too goal-orientated to realize that this man is already entranced by you, you feel as if it could always be more. Truthfully, you are more than content in this situation. Jason and his friends can think you're submissive and compliant and that's okay with you. You're fine with being the underdog if it means you can get away with more things.

Eddie is special to you.

Eddie has only heard your voice when you moan, and he has seen your hands do much more than sign. After you leave, he will ponder on your and Jason's relationship. Do you do all of this with him too? Or maybe not, and maybe Eddie is fucking Jason's girl when not even he could go that far with her.

No matter what's going on behind closed doors, he's being played and still, he's in denial. He considers himself special to even be talking to you, as if since you are Deaf, he gets extra points of sort.

Maybe he should be fine with the situation you all are in, too. If you were to date him, you wouldn't have the respect that you deserve. He worries that it'll make high school harder for you. Plus, you seem happy with your friends, and you are not as happy around the people he hangs with.

He's too open-minded for his own good - and he can only admit this when it comes to you. He sees the good in you. He sees the same things that everybody else can, too, even though none of it is true.

The moment he approached you in the library was the moment you knew you wanted to have him, so with a clueless attitude and a reassuring smile, you made him feel as if he was special. He now presses his head against your sternum before kissing all the way up to your neck. You are incredibly seductive and morality-ruining and yet he has no plan to let you slip away (more as: you have no plan to let him slip away).

You and Eddie had gone out in public for the first time together, and quickly you went back to his car that was parked across the street for what you claimed was a trip for your water bottle, resolving to bring this “date” charade to a sudden yet bloodless end. The whole idea had been an idiotic thing: there are just too many factors in the two of you being seen together. Maybe you can tell him you're tired or that you're expecting Jason to come over later. What could get you out of this situation?

You arrive back at the table where Eddie had meanwhile opened another beer and was staring at the entrance, waiting for you to return, while a man and a woman stepped onto the restaurant's patio from the back, where the forest is, and where also the teenagers lucky-spot is.

"Can you walk me back to my car?" said the chick in the distance. Eddie felt his spine straightened. You are too distracted trying to think of an escape goat to even notice the fact that a couple was walking nearby.

"Eddie I think I need to go," you sign. "Do you think we can leave?"

But his attention had been wrenched away by the man's reply to his girl. "You trust me that much?" And then a teasing laugh that he knew too well.

"Eddie, did you understand?" You wave.

But Eddie was staring across at Jason as he wrapped an arm around the girl from out the forest: the couple who were beginning to walk away together.

He felt a surge of anxiety and yet an anticipation that keeps him staring. Then, suddenly, it was the anxiety that became the only thing on his mind when Jason said a sudden oh wait and padded his pockets as if he had left something behind. In a moment of pure anguish for Eddie, they saw one another, man and man, from across the patio.

Jason saw him with you, saw what was going on, assumed everything correctly.

Eddie only saw his lips move, and it was a curse, as the girl from across the patio stared as well, but in surprise.

"Eddie?" You wave again.

[plaidbooks]

You're cold take my jacket. ADA Sonny with paralegal y/n

You were happy to be assigned to Sonny Carisi; he was nice, funny, and cute to boot. You had his coffee order memorized, and knew his lunch order from each place he got takeout from. Plus, he actually complimented you on your work--something you found a lot of the veteran ADAs either forgot or refused to do.

Another pro was that he never asked you to stay late, like others had before him. Some nights, Sonny left when you did at 5pm, and others, you had no idea when he went home, still hunched over his desk as you bade him goodnight.

Tonight was one of the nights he was leaving at 5pm, like you. He walked you out, regaling you with a story from his childhood, making you laugh heartily. You both left the building, but by some unspoken agreement, you stood on by the curb, chatting.

You wanted nothing more than to ask him out to a drink with you, but you didn't know if it would be appropriate or not. He was technically your boss--or at least, your supervisor--and you weren't sure if you were allowed to date him.

Sonny seemed oblivious to your feelings, smiling and laughing with you. "I think I should head on home. I'll see ya tomorrow," he said, smiling.

You nodded, and he went to flag down a cab. You turned to walk away, and Sonny stopped you. "Are you walking?"

"I am; I don't live too far from here," you replied.

"Can I...I mean, do you mind if I walk ya home?" he asked. He noticed your blush and quickly added, "not to overstep; I just...well, you see the cases we deal with...."

"Y-yeah, no, that's fine. Thank you," you said. He fell into step beside you, walking with you down the street towards your place. You let out a shiver as the cool evening air hit you, and Sonny pulled his jacket off.

"Here, you seem cold. Take my jacket." He draped it over your shoulders, and your blush returned. You could smell his cologne, and the warmth from his jacket flooded you.

"Th-thank you. I can have it dry cleaned and returned by Monday--"

"Don't worry about it; I have quite a few replacements. Whenever is fine."

You nodded, continuing to your apartment. Once there, you turned back to him. "Thank you, Mr. Carisi."

"Of course. And outside of work, you can call me Sonny," he replied, smiling.

You were overwhelmed with the desire to kiss him, so instead, you rushed out, "see you tomorrow," before heading inside. Sonny watched you, making sure you made it safely into the building, before hailing a cab.

[soldrawss]

Does Big Bro!Mikey AU have an april or no? I think it would be nice for Mikey to have a bff april!!

April is a part of this au, yes! She started out as just a classmate of Mikey’s, they had the same homeroom in high school before Mikey dropped out the summer before his Junior year. They hadn’t really kept in contact, mostly because she only knew him by proxy (Mikey was nice and friendly to everyone, April of course included, but they didn’t have much in common, and their main friend groups were different, so they didn’t hang out much) and when Mikey all but disappeared without an explanation, she kinda just figured he moved or something, and left it at that, not giving him any thought for the next three years.

That is, until she meets him again, in the halls of Hunter College, looking like he was gonna collapse at any minute, which he kinda does, into an empty bench at the schools outside cafe and lounge area. April waffles for a few seconds, because ‘holy shit is that Mike Hamato?’ before biting the bullet and making her way over to say, “Hey, Michael right? Hi, it’s been a while. It’s April, we had homeroom together freshman and sophomore year. I haven’t seen you since Savanti Romero’s pool party. How are you?” And his smile is a slow, automatic thing at first, more out of common politeness than anything else, but then it grows into something much more genuine and glacier melting when he responds back, “April, hey, yeah, hi! Wow, has it really been that long? Man, it seems like just yesterday you were fishing Mondo and me out of the pool after one too many chicken fights. It’s good to see you!”

And catching up seemed so easy, April was almost surprised they hadn’t been better friends in high school. Though, she suspected that was mostly due to Mikey’s incredibly easy charm and naturally inviting warmth. (Dude could make friends with just about anyone)

He was a little different than how she remembered, a little more weather-worn and tired, a kinda weariness that hung off his shoulders like heavyweights. But there was still a bright shine to those penny-colored eyes, and when he smiled, it was with all the dimples and joy that she remembers so clearly from when she was 15. Holding back a laugh at the Hamato kid that was preforming springing handstands across the cafeteria just to draw attention away from the impending fight between two of their more hotheaded classmates and ease the tension out of the air in a ridiculous but effective manner.

She doesn’t ask why he left high school, it doesn’t really occur to her to ask, but after 2 hours of talking (April not even realizing she was missing her history class because she was so caught up in their catching up) he offers the information anyway.

His dad died. When he was barely 16, and he was left alone with 3 baby brothers and no other family that could help take care of them, and oh my god, he just dropped out of school to get his GED like it was the most common thing in the world and he went to work, what, 2, sometimes 3 jobs just to make enough money to support them all and April didn’t mean for tears to start pooling up because that so wasn’t fair to Mikey at all, if anyone should be crying, it should be him, but Mikey just looks a little shy and bashful about it all. “It was hard, but we got through it. And hey, now I’m working at like, this really prestigious Italian restaurant, super classy and everything! And they pay me more than I’m probably worth, but I’ll get my culinary degree in like a year, and then after that, a lot of things will change,” He says like everything in the world is just that easy, handing April a few tissues from his book bag and giving her one of those genuine, if not a little crooked, smiles of his.

Mikey promises to have lunch with her again (because April absolutely refuses to let this dandelion haired lunatic walk away from her life a second time and practically demands that they hang out again) since they both have the same free time before their respective classes at the college, and makes a show of saving her number with probably a few too many emojis as a contact name just to make her smile.

And what turned into a promise for another lunch date turned into almost a daily routine, them having lunch together on the bench, talking about classes and teachers and jobs and April’s problematic little kitten she affectionately named Mayhem and Mikey’s little brothers who are probably equally as problematic but he doesn’t have a say in what their names are, and things are fun and casual between Hamato and her.

That is, until two months later, when April gets a call from Mikey at 5pm on a Saturday.

“Donnie’s sick,” Mikey says almost breathlessly, and even without the context, April was already springing to her feet just at the sheer tension and concern in Mikey’s voice, like a taught wire about to snap. “I can’t get off work for another few hours, but I don’t want to leave him by himself with a fever. And I know this is like, putting you on the spot and really awkward and you can totally say no if you want to, but I don’t know who else to call and,-”

“Mike, it’s ok. Breathe hun,” April is saying, not unkindly pushing Mayhem off her lap and reaching for her backpack off the floor in her dorm room, stuffing a few random things in it before grabbing her jacket and her car keys off the counter. “Text me your address. I’ll be over there in 5 minutes tops.”

And it’s more of a promise than a fact, because his building is technically 20 minutes away from hers, but April makes it in 10 just by spite alone (and maybe driving a little recklessly downtown) and knocks on the door of the little apartment on the 6th floor, unit 404.

It takes a hesitant second, but then the door lock clicks open and April is greeted by warm brown eyes and a freckled face that reminds April so much of Mikey that it takes her almost a full 10 seconds before she introduces herself with an automatic smile. “Hi sweetheart, I’m April. I’m a friend of your older brother Mikey.”

Raphael, if April remembered Mikey’s brothers correctly, didn’t really need much convincing to let April in after she mentioned he was a friend of Mikey's, and doesn’t hesitate to pull her into their little apartment, leading her to the bedroom that the twins share with a small but tight little fist around hers.

“Mikey called and said you were coming. Leo’s atah sleepover, but Donnie’s in here. His head’s still hot and his voice is all scratchy, even though I made sure that he took the medicine Mikey left out. And he won’t eat anything I give him,” the 7-year-old reports diligently, much more mature than April had expected from the young child. 

April’s been babysitting since she was 11, and considering how all the neighborhood kids around her block adore her, she likes to think that she’s got a pretty solid Ph.D. in knowing how to take care of a sick pre-teen who wants nothing to do with her. So the heavy-lidded and red-eyed glare that Donatello shoots at her from under his covers is duly noted but otherwise ignored as she gently knocks on the door and slowly follows a much less hesitant Raphael into the bedroom.

It takes a while, a long while, for Donatello, no, Donnie, to warm up to her, but he gets there eventually, with the help of Raphael, Raph, who’s hanging off of Aprils shoulders, having warmed up to her almost immediately simply because ‘any friend of Mikey’s is a friend of ours Dee! Don’t be mean and eat some soup!’

After realizing that Donnie just had a little cold, and was in no real danger even with a fever, Raph seemed to cheer up immensely, and was more than willing to help answer all of April’s questions about what medicine Donnie had taken, any allergies, the last time he ate, and even helped her make some egg drop soup since they didn’t have enough ingredients of chicken noodle, which Donnie put up a fight about, but eventually took after one look of Raph’s puppy dog eyes.

Donnie was out like a light 15 minutes later, after taking some night time cough medicine and April sent a reassuring text to Mikey two hours later when his fever finally broke, to which Mikey replied with an explosion of heart emoji’s that April couldn’t rightly decipher other than he was happy about it.

Mikey got home at 11 that night, and April had to flag him down quietly from where she sat trapped under a sleeping, pj clad Raph on the couch; a Jupiter Jim movie marathon playing on the tv. 

“Thank you so much, April,” Mikey said to her in the kitchen 20 minutes later, handing her a cup of hot tea. He had efficiently plucked Raph off of April’s lap like a pro with years of experience, putting him into his own bed before checking on a still sleeping Donnie, whose face was no longer a burnt red from his fever earlier. “I don’t know what I would have done without you. I don’t get my paycheck till next week, so I can’t really pay you right now, but I brought home some chocolate mousse cake from my work that you can have until I can-” “You didn’t tell me you worked at Huesso’s!” April didn’t shout, because there were two kids sleeping down the hallway, as she grabbed the bag Mikey had offered to her. “Dude, their deserts are like, crazy good! I love their cheesecake, but they’re stupid expensive and you have to get a reservation like, 4 months in advance to get in.” And April uses the change in topics as a distraction because there was no way she’d let Mikey try to pay her for helping out, she didn’t even want that to be an option. April didn’t do this for the money. She wanted to help out Mikey out. She liked Mikey. She thought he was funny and charming and had a heart big enough to cradle the entire world if he was as big as all the love he has. And she adored being around his baby brothers.

April grins at Mikey when she opens the box, and slides her finger over the glossy frosting of the cake and licks her fingers of the chocolatey goodness before she says, “Listen, if I could convince you to bring me home deserts from this place, then I’ll hang out with the boys anytime you want me too. You have my number, literally call me anytime, for any reason, and I’m here.”

[mariephillipswriter]

Square Eyes

Do they still say that if you watch too much television you'll get square eyes? Or is that an expression that went out of fashion when kids started spending all their time in front of the internet? Putting aside the obvious riposte (televisions aren't square, they're rectangular) I can report that I have been doing extensive research in this area and have come to the scientific conclusion: no, you won't. I have been watching so much television. SO MUCH TELEVISION. I never believed that I could watch such an immense quantity of television. On the whole I don't watch it during the day except for sometimes when I am having my breakfast and also when having my lunch, but in the evenings, when I have finished pretending to work, I might start watching television at about 6pm, or 5pm, or 4pm on a bad day, and keep going until, say, 11pm or midnight. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE. HOW CAN A PERSON LIVE THIS WAY. Well it's easy enough, it turns out, if you're under lockdown in London in December and it's dark from 4pm and raining most of the time and you have the emotional resources of a gnat and reading is too demanding and talking on the phone is too exhausting and the light in the living room is not good enough for doing a puzzle in evening hours and you quit social media a month or so ago because it was driving you out of your mind with anxiety. I don't watch six or seven or eight hours of television every night. Don't be ridiculous. Some nights I only watch about three hours of television because I have a Zoom call or I'm cooking dinner or I've got stuck into a good cryptic crossword, maybe the Saturday Times Jumbo one because the Guardian ones are too gimmicky, or at last I've found a book gripping yet easy enough that I can't put it down (thank you Robert Galbraith, thank you Marian Keyes), but I would say that three hours is the minimum and my god that is a LOT. EVERY DAY. THREE HOURS. MINIMUM. But you don't need to me to explain that to you because you are all watching three four five six seven hours of television every day and when you are not watching television you are phoning your friends and first of all talking about the specific way that your own personal lockdown is terrible but then eventually saying 'what are you watching on television' because what else is there even to talk about? At the start of lockdown there was quite a small pool of television that everyone was watching (that thing about the Tiger King, which I didn't watch because by the time I got back from my early lockdown in Costa Rica you'd all seen it, and Normal People which I didn't watch because I was too embarassed to sit through all the sex scenes with my flatmates, and I May Destroy You, which I didn't watch because about five minutes of it was enough to send me into a massive panic spiral, but I hear was very good), but once we had all (other than me) got through that and Covid dragged on for months, our conversations began taking on the tenor of Vikings crowding around one another as a boat returns from a foray, WHAT IS OUT THERE, WHAT DID YOU FIND OUT THERE, IS THERE SOMETHING OUT THERE THAT I MIGHT DESIRE? And the Viking says yes, there is this thing called Schitts Creek but you really have to push on through the first season because I promise you it gets better and better and you will start to love that obnoxious family. And then we all watched Schitts Creek. (Including me, it's wonderful, you have to push on through the first series you will start to love that obnoxious family, Dan Levy is a divinity in human form and if you want more of him you could do worse than checking out the lesbian Christmas-themed romcom Happiest Season, which you can rent from Amazon Prime.) And now we are beyond even that and all our lives resonate with the screeching sound of a televisual barrel being scraped and now this is when things get really interesting (or put another way, VERY VERY BORING) because everyone has fractured and we are all watching different kinds of random stuff found in the dusty corners and unloved algorithms of our streaming services. There's the friend who has got into watching obscure French crime series on Netflix (The Chalet! La Mante!) and the friend who is watching every episode of Poirot on Britbox (thirteen series, 70 episodes) (though that pales in comparison with the friend who did a total rewatch of Friends from beginning to end (236 episodes) and finished it ages ago and is starving for more) and the friend who calls me up seemingly every week with a new old show nobody else has ever heard of (such as the early 1990s Nigel Havers and Warren Clarke comedy spy drama Sleepers, which he is watching old-school-style on DVD, and which apparently is like The Americans only with Nigel Havers and funny, and also, you should watch The Americans.) When I look back on the amount of television I have watched this year it defies comprehension. There were the things I would have watched anyway like the whole of Strictly Come Dancing and His Dark Materials, and the things that took me by surprise, like the stealthily hilarious Danny Dyer gameshow The Wall that was on straight after Strictly and drove me into a total obsession with the way that Danny Dyer says "Drop 'Em" (he's talking about the balls that are dropped down the wall, it's hard to explain, you can find it on iPlayer, but meanwhile if you only click on one link in this whole newsletter PLEASE click on that one), there were the things that were created especially to get me through lockdown (the wonderful David Tennant and Michael Sheen Zoom comedy Staged, which is not only extremely funny but allows you to see inside David Tennant's house which I'm not sure I am technically allowed to watch because of the restraining order? Anyway, new series coming on Monday, fellow DT fans) and the familiar things I watched to soothe me when it all got too much (Doctor Who, starting before Tennant even gets in on the action, right at the begining of the New Who seasons with Christopher Eccleston, because armchair space travel is the only kind of travel we are going to be getting for a while) and the exciting things I watched when I could no longer bear the tedious repetition of every identical day (Line of Duty, in which the famous-for-the-far-inferior Bodyguard writer Jed Mercurio delivers ludicrously compelling twisty-turny stories about police corruption that cannot be predicted for even a nanosecond) and the things that I watched just because I loved them (Fosse/Verdon, the Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon bio-series starring the breathtakingly charismatic Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams, which is one of the best-made pieces of television I've ever seen, Love Life, the Anna Kendrick romantic comedy series which was surprisingly touching and truthful about the relationships that make up a life and which didn't make me want to open a vein as a single person the way that many looking-for-love shows do, and Better Things, a sort-of-comedy sort-of-drama written, directed by and starring Pamela Adlon, which began as a collaboration with Louis CK and initially reflected the sensibility of his show Louie, but became far more experimental and interesting once, after CK's disgrace, Adlon took over completely - the fourth series is maybe the closest thing I've seen on TV to a representation of the rhythms of real life, with long scenes of Adlon just cooking a meal on her own, or contemplating the rain, of having arguments with her children that explode from nowhere and end just as suddenly with tears or laughter or nothing at all.) And this entire paragraph is just things that I have watched on the BBC. Not even everything that I have watched on the BBC. The BBC is INCREDIBLE and my license fee has been serious value for money, before you even count all that time spent watching the news [Munch Scream emoji]. But overall, it doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of television that I have watched this year. Though while we're here, have you noticed that sometimes it's more relaxing to watch something bad than something good? Have you noticed that a vapid, cliched show like Virgin River (heartbroken city nurse with a secret moves to small town and falls in love with battle-wounded bartender with a secret), a show that makes This Is Us look like Succession, has the same effect on your brain that taking off your work shoes and putting on your slippers has for your feet? You can rest now, it says, there is nothing more for you to do. Have you noticed how easy it is to chug down, say, four episodes in a row of Designated Survivor - a show designed by a committee charged with taking elements of The West Wing, Homeland and 24, and making something similar but, crucially, much more ridiculous - without your mind even noticing that anything has happened at all? And if you're really ready for something utterly idiotic, might I suggest The Bold Type, in which three twentysomething girls in bonkers designer outfits "work" at an aspirationally "feminist" glossy magazine, and by "work" I mean constantly leave the office in the middle of the day to take care of personal business, and by "feminist" I mean "empowering women by for example having them post selfies of themselves looking perfect but without makeup on social media", a feminism so very feminist that they called the magazine's parent company Steinem in the first series and then had to change it to Safford, I can only presume because Gloria Steinem threatened to sue them. A couple of episodes of that is the televisual equivalent of having a nice relaxing full frontal lobotomy. Don't get me wrong: I love these shows. I owe them more gratitude than I can say. I would be unable to survive without them. I've managed to watch five hours of television just since starting this post24 hours ago (three episodes of Doctor Who, half a really cheap and very bad Sky Arts documentary about the musical Hamilton, and a travelogue in which Torvill and Dean go in search of a frozen lake in Alaska on which to dance Bolero but can't find one for almost the entire show because of global warming, which made me simultaneously and conflictingly want to give up air travel, fly to Alaska immediately, become obsessed with Torvill and Dean AND wonder how they managed to skate together all these decades without killing each other especially Torvill but also especially Dean). Five hours of TV, sounds like a lot, but with eight hours of sleep, that still left me eleven hours to fill in this boring boring boring boring BORING BORING BORING boring boring BORING boring BORING BORING lockdown. I think I am being incredibly restrained, all things considered. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some time to kill, having finished writing this post, and with at least five hours to fill before bed. I wonder what's on TV?

***

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[sacha-oleksandr]

“What is your ideal morning routine?”

When I envision an ideal morning routine, it starts an hour or two before I need to be up. Preferably when the sun is up, but I could get used to dark mornings too (and I guess technically I have, but it’s not my favorite thing). The first order of business is making a nice pot of coffee or spot of tea while I complete my Vietnamese and DataCamp dailies (my morning app routine). Then drinking said hot beverage while I listen to a podcast episode. I want to be the kind of person who can stick to catching up on the news, or something vaguely prosocial like that, but when I think of it really I think about listening to Vietnamese news podcasts or maybe one of those daily meditative poetry ones.

Then there’s time to queue up my responsibilities for the day: The first thoughts of the day about work, or chores if it’s the weekend, getting my thoughts and goals and deadlines in order so I can tackle things efficiently when it’s time to get down to it. Sometimes I think including a short walk around the block outside would be nice too, though I can’t imagine being able to stick to something so labor-intensive (especially in the winter. Unless it’s snowing! I love a good snowy walk, even if my migraine brain doesn’t always).

I’m currently a little closer to making this ideal a reality, especially as my workday shifts to 8am to 5pm instead of the 7:30am to 5pm I’ve been doing (with a long lunch, but still). My intention is to wake up at 7am anyway, and at the very least listen to the NHK World Radio Japan news podcasts in Vietnamese that are read verbatim off the website for the first story or two of the day. In the meantime, though, I’m enjoying my 10-minute nap between 7:20 when I wake up and 7:30 when I start work.

[fistsoflightning]

guilty or innocent // zaya & tehra’ir

tagged by: @windupnamazu​!!!! carmela thank you very much for the pirate squad tag now featuring tehra’ir who could have been a literal pirate were it not for the calamity

tagging: open tag my friends!!! go wild!

warning; this post got long because of these two fools tossing banter!

With a promise of a zonureskin treasure map and Syhrwyda’s best cooking, you’ve managed to lure Zaya and Tehra’ir to stay in one place! Now’s the best chance to ask some questions for the Crystarium’s new magazine, The Crystal Echo!

Asked someone to marry you?

Awkward silence. What an odd question to start on, their expressions say.

“I… I believe… Dewah is guilty of this in his drunkest hour? I do not believe I could be considered to even be ‘dating’ Thancred… yet.”

“A’dewah with who? An’ seconded on the datin’ bit.”

“Who else, Tehra’ir.”

Both of them slowly turn to a table three sets behind them, where Thancred, Ryne, G’raha, and Y’shtola are having lunch at Syhrwyda’s behest; more of a sampling session, if one would ask. G’raha in particular stuffs a large amount of cake into his mouth as he meets Ryne’s widening eyes, the rolanberry delicately placed on a separate plate near Ryne where the rolanberries stack into a small mountain.

“But, Lun—well, I suppose Raha’s got two fambles to share, and a whole library of devotion.”

“What do you mean, two hands? Is that something Alisaie said?”

They never really answer about themselves, but any news about the newly revealed Exarch is better than none at all.

Kissed one of your friends?

“Why must these be so vague…” Zaya holds their head in their hands as they stare holes into the ground. “I… have not kissed Thancred, if he were to count— but, uhm.”

Zaya flushes red, but Tehra’ir is shameless as always. “Guilty! Whiddled I’d try my fams at surprisin’ tactics, and Zaya was the poor cove I set my glazes on first!”

 “And I proceeded to push you into a wall of wine bottles that you made me pay for…”

Tehra’ir laughs heartily, and Zaya merely mumble-sighs at the memory of a wine-drenched, overly enthusiastic Tehra’ir being happy about retaining the element of surprise.

Danced on a table in a bar / tavern?

“Momodi would have my legs if I ever tried to dance on her bar, but I have danced for work in Limsa’s Drowning Wench before.”

“Ye don’t want t’ see me dance. Bein’ a rogue doesn’t cover dance floor etiquette, no matter how much it looks like I’m dancin’ when I fight.”

Ever told a lie?

“I wish I could say absolutely not, but I have. Three counts.” Zaya seems reluctant to elaborate on what they are.

“My career is built on lies. Shockin’ that Zaya still tried to be friends with me.”

“You do not lie to your friends, and hardly to your enemies. The only lie I’ve heard you spin was when you ate Y’shtola’s last tangerine tart before she could grab it and then saying it was Alphinaud.”

Tehra’ir squawks in fear as Y’shtola, three tables back, gives the duo an innocent glance. 

Had feelings for someone you can’t have?

Zaya raises an eyebrow in confusion as Tehra’ir taps his head a few times.

“ ‘Can’t have?’ As in forbidden, or as in restraint, or...” Zaya’s hands trail off, clearly caught up in the confusion of loving someone you shouldn’t.

“Maybe a flight o’ fancy fer some o’ the nicer Garlean citizens... Nothin’ else comes to mind.”

Ever kissed someone of the same sex?

“My sisters, and on the cheek, but that is not what you are asking, yes? A girl back home, who wished to see if it was different than her boyfriend.”

“Innocent until we get home.”

Zaya whistles, a taunting expression crossing their face. “Ah, so that is what the letter from two suns ago was for.”

“Ye heard nothin’ o’ the sort.” Tehra’ir gives a steely yet joking glare as Zaya dons what could only be described as a shite-eating grin.

“Payback.”

Kissed a picture?

“Hells no! Have ye seen how dusty an’ dirty paintin’s an’ pictures get?” Tehra’ir’s face scrunches up in twisted disgust at the thought of kissing a painting. “I’ve seen how dirty Lumelle’s daddles get after a paintin’ session, and I am not about t’ put my gob to that!”

“That seems like something one of Ul’dah’s lords would do, to be honest.”

Slept until 5pm?

Zaya’s eyes shoot wide open as if to contemplate some poor decisions as Tehra’ir laughs it off.

“Actually, all eight o’ us Warriors just did so yesterday. Millin’ primals in Eden to runnin’ ‘round the Copied Factory takes it out o’ ye, right?”

“I was planning on doing the same thing tomorrow, truth be told… still recovering from the whole Light ordeal.”

Worked at a fast food chain / restaurant?

 “Ye should really only trust Syhrwyda with cookin’...”

“We… may have set off the fire alarm in the Pendants when we attempted to make buuz a few suns ago…”

Both Warriors look almost ashamed at their ineptitude with cooking. Perhaps you should back off...

Stolen something?

“Secret plans fer a Garlean gun, the Silver Ravens, Jacke’s heart, money from some rich arsehole who stepped on the singers in the Beehive. It’d be easier to name somethin’ I haven’t stolen.”

Zaya gives Tehra’ir a blank stare as he continues to ramble off various items that he’s stolen, mostly from Garlean soldiers or noblemen.

“Stole once to keep Elwin alive, but… did Tehra’ir really say Jacke’s heart as if he hasn’t lost his to Jacke?”

Been fired from a job?

“Can one be fired from a chore? Otherwise, I work for Ul’dah’s guilds on a contract, so no.”

“Got fired from bartendin’ in a neutral tavern after they found me stabbers under the crates... although it wasn’t meant to last either way.”

Done something you regret?

“Holding back on my feelings, for one. Not aggressively ragging on Thancred during our first time in Il Mheg and Rak’tika comes to mind.” Zaya taps their chin lightly as Tehra’ir continues to think. “Performing a Tornado Kick on that poor robot in the Copied Factory gave me this giant bruise, so that too.”

“Remember the drinkin’ contest we had after millin’ Nidhogg?”

“Of all the stupid things you’ve done, you regret that the most? What about the backflip off of Kugane Tower that landed you tail-first on the lamppost?”

“...I thought we’d agreed never to mention that stunt ever again. Valdis dared me to do it!”

“Does not erase the fact that you agreed, jumped the full way up the Tower’s side, and leaped off without sabotons.”

Laughed until something you were drinking came out of your nose?

Zaya reaches for their nose at that, eyes sharpening in confusion. “That happens to people? Would that not burn?”

“Happens a lot, actually. Made a few coves do so t’ cloy their belongin’s once. Was a little disgustin’, but it worked.” Tehra’ir shrugs. 

Caught a snowflake on your tongue?

“When the four o’ us got to Coerthas the first time, all four o’ us did the silly thing of openin’ our mouths to get snowflakes...”

“None of us had seen that much snow before; Syhrwyda and I grew up in places where it never snowed, while A’dewah and Tehra’ir had never had the chance to. Alphinaud reprimanded us for being so foolish despite being a teenager then.”

Sat on a roof top?

 “We clambered up the crystal roof over the aetheryte plaza ‘fore we came here, actually! Zaya wanted to take a picture fer Ryne of the Crystal Tower with this tomestone we found.”

“Ryne really loved the colors when I showed her. I believe she’s even taking art lessons with Elwin and Lumelle now so she can paint the scenery of Norvrandt as a pasttime.”

Kissed someone you shouldn’t have?

“I’ve kissed a few poor saps before, but none o’ the ruffmans or someone taken... I hope. Comes with the line o’ work; seducin’ is on the table fer a lot o’ information.”

“Would it surprise you to say I have never kissed someone...? I was more interested in roaming than seeking out love like Mama had.”

Sang in the shower?

“Zaya might be the only one that has a singin’ voice, an’ they don’t quite use whids, so is it still singin’?”

“I hum in the bath, most days. Never have I truly sung before, but for choral purposes, I would likely make good accompaniment.”

Been pushed into a body of water with all your clothes on?

“Recently, and by Urianger, of all people. He and Y’shtola wanted to test if the Fuath in Dohn Mheg would still dare to bother them before Alisaie held her swimming lesson with Ryne there, and decided I was the best candidate to get soaked.”

“Watched ye get seaweed in yer boots for ten minutes!”

“Do not make me push you into the lake below the Crystarium, Tehra’ir.”

Shaved your head?

“Never shaved all of it, but I did have an undercut for a short while after the banquet in Ul’dah. My hair could not have grown out in time to meet Lord Edmont, so Tataru helped cut it short.”

“Never... think I’ve always had it down to my glazes at least, if I think about it. Seems itchy.” Tehra’ir’s ears flick as if to protest against such a bold haircut.

Made a boyfriend / girlfriend cry?

“Zaya’s not the datin’ sort —not yet, at least—an’ I tend to shy away from anythin’ that looks to last fer a while. Thankfully it saves me from makin’ the wrong choice that might make a cove cry.”

“I have made other couples cry, however, from sheer terror on Valentione’s Day when they inquire as to why I refrain from ‘finding that special someone’. Never wanted to seek them out, really. Kind of just... ended up attached to Thancred...” 

Shot a gun?

“That would be best left to Elwin, unless you want me to hurt someone. I have only ever trained in bows and throwing chakrams, not aiming down the side of a barrel.”

“Limsa’s known fer muskets and rifles, but they never really interested me. My fambles are better ‘round stabbers than a trigger.”

Still loved someone you shouldn’t?

“Shouldn’t have loved Jacke, really; he’s technically the boss man o’ the Rogue’s Guild, but the dimber dambers back home don’t mind too much as long as I don’t use me charm to coerce Jacke into givin’ them shite assignments.”

“I... perhaps? I could not place the feeling at the time, but seeing an old friend fighting at the Naadam the last time we went and later finding them attached at the hip to their long time rival brought something up in my chest.”

Tehra’ir snorts. “Ye couldn’t tell if ye were happy or scared that one time! Not surprisin’ that yer emotions are indiscernable to ye.”

Zaya gives a small glare to their good friend-rival, but continues to smile softly.

Have / had a tattoo? 

Zaya immediately backs away from Tehra’ir, who gets a large glint in his eyes. 

”Ye know, Zaya, ye’ve never shown anyone but me that tattoo yer covering the scar on yer right arm with...”

“There is a reason, Tehra’ir, and I told you it already!”

Tehra’ir sigh, backing off, but as Zaya lowers their arm back down to the table, he grabs it and shoves the orange and gold band up slightly to reveal a small yet intricate depiction of storms making a ring around Zaya’s arm. A small name in swirly letters is peeking from the bottom, but Tehra’ir holds his hand over it charmingly.

“There it is!”

Zaya sighs aggressively, but relents and keeps the tattoo in sight for a few more moments before putting the armband back in place.

“A... fan, of sorts, saw lightning sparking around me once, and offered me a design for a scar I had earned protecting someone. A gentle gesture to soothe the hurts of the Calamity, in all likeliness.”

Liked someone, but will never tell who?

Zaya makes a soft ‘oh’ of surprise, which is alarming since they haven’t spoke a single word. Tehra’ir huffs out small chuckles as he watches Zaya attempt to regain composure.

“Hanami has told me I looked like a fool when I was around Thancred for a good portion of our time here, save for perhaps when Ryne was involved…” Zaya looks to their feet sheepishly, toeing the lines in the wood platform. “Both Hanami and Lunya figured my feelings out that way, but I was never good at lying.”

“An’ accordin’ to several hours o’ interrogatin’ by Zaya’s mum, there’s no one else! It’s been that charmin’ doofus from the start!”

“TEHRA’IR PLEASE. MY REMAINING DIGNITY.”

Been too honest? Ruined a surprise?

“I often come off as rude when speaking to new people, especially since I do not respond verbally to anyone. I did have Thancred tell some odd recruiters that their robes were filthy, though. They ended up in jail for assault...”

“Never,” Tehra’ir gives a mysterious smile. “I have a penchant fer secrets and skulkin’, an’ I know when to tell the truth and when to stubble it.”

Been told that you’re beautiful by someone who totally meant what they said?

“Innoce—”

“I’m pretty sure Thancred’s flirtin’ from Ul’dah counts, mate. An’ the flirtin’ he did last night after Y’shtola got ‘im tipsy.”

Zaya flushes a bright red before signing. “...Guilty, then. Tehra’ir, what about Jacke’s letter?”

“WHAT LETTER COULD YE BE TALKIN’ ‘BOUT, WHAT A RUMMY TALE YER SPINNIN’—” 

“I can read his handwriting on the paper on the table. ‘The moon shimmered off o’ the sea like diamonds in the darkmans, and it reminded me o’ yer hair—’”

Tehra’ir spins on his stool to slap a hand harshly over the well-penned letter. “STUBBLE IT ZAYA ‘FORE I DO IT FOR YE.”

Stalked someone?

“Only for work, although that sits better in Tehra’ir’s rogue circle.”

“Once stalked a man fer takin’ my bandana, as a wee kid. He regretted it.”

Thought about murder?

”In the job description, mate. Have to, when lendin’ one’s daddles to the safety of yer continent.”

“I think I speak for all of us when I say we do not think about it much outside of Warrior business, save for perhaps when sitting in on our third official meeting of the day.”

Tehra’ir groans loudly at that, head falling into his hands.

“Now I don’t want to go back jus’ to ignore those swivin’ meetings fer longer.”

How about mass murder?

“Fer toads, maybe. Never felt like stabbin’ more coves than I need to.”

Zaya chuckles at that, slowly pulling a stuffed toad out of their bag as Tehra’ir turns away. The toad finds its way next to Tehra’ir’s foot before Zaya signs again.

“Once, and of Garleans when they were invading the Steppe a long time ago. I seriously contemplated bringing Ochir to the skies above Doma Castle and letting him swoop down at their archers.”

Tehra’ir screeches, stomping on the stuffed toad when he sees it. The brown toad doll makes a small squeaking sound, as if it were a dog toy.

“Zaya, must you do this every time I mention the toad problem?!”

Cheated on someone?

“I feel like we’d answered this already by sayin’ we’d barely consider ourselves t’ be datin’ our interests. Cheatin’ isn’t among our list o’ priorities if we’re still stuck on lovin’.”

Zaya shrugs, and that’s that.

Gotten so angry that you cried?

Tehra’ir starts to shake his head before he notices Zaya’s clenching fist, eyes tipping into a concerned look rather than a teasing one.

“Alisaie an’ the snow kids?”

Zaya nods, before adding onto his graceful interjection. “Was put off duty at Ghimlyt for a sennight to make sure I would not do anything rash. My anger resulted in several nights spent hunting for Clan Centurio.”

Tehra’ir pushes no harder, and smiles softly before looking to you to continue.

Tried to stay away from someone for their own good?

“Well, with our line of work…”

Zaya starts to fiddle with a pendant necklace hanging next to their Crystal of Light, shimmering a light blue in the sun. 

“Comes with the territory, mate. Jacke certainly didn’t let that stop ‘im from stickin’ with me.”

“Before Ifrit, we all tried to keep away from being friendly in case one of us died in our primal conflicts. Not exactly what you meant, but it holds.”

Thoughts about suicide?

A stifling air comes about the table as both of them fall silent as the forest night.

“No thoughts fer it ourselves,” Tehra’ir starts, fiddling with a small fork next to his plate of seafood pasta. “But fer our mutual friend and spots where one might whiddle would be a good place t’ die in the darkmans.”

“That night was easily scarier than Titan was.”

They fall silent again until Tehra’ir picks up, a beaming smile back on his face.

“Moving on!”

Had a girlfriend / boyfriend?

“Is it jus’ me or are ye really interested in us havin’ a relationship?”

Zaya and Tehra’ir both squint curiously at you, but relent after a few moments.

“Like we said, not really. The whole love business is... complicated.”

Gotten totally drunk during a holiday?

“Not fair! Zaya’s impossible to get drunk!”

“If I can recall, Tehra’ir got his hands on a cartload of ale three days before Heavensturn, and proceeded to try and drink me under the table.”

“That was ‘fore I knew about Zaya’s swivin’ Echo benefits!”

“He threw up on Lyse’s new shoes in the middle of the large Heavensturn celebration in Rhalgr’s Reach and then fell into the waterfall below the Destroyer. What a mess he was then...”

As soon as Zaya finishes the last sign, Tehra’ir butts in with a different, wholly unrelated quip.

“At least I didn’t set the Pendants aglimmer this mornin’ tryin’ to bake cookies!”

Zaya gives a deadly glare at the already running rogue, giving a short wave and slamming back their hot cocoa before chasing their fellow Warrior of Darkness, pink petals and a blue flower forming around them as they lean into a full on sprint. Their Scion friends stare momentarily from their table as they watch the duo run off to who knows where, returning to their own table of desserts quickly.

Unless you can chase them, perhaps the interview would be best ended here.

[walkerismychoice]

For Law and Love - Chapter 14

Book: Desire and Decorum - Modern day AU

Paring: Ernest Sinclaire X MC

Raiting: PG-13

Summary: Anna uses the letters from Ernest to help her get through their month apart and decides to surprise Ernest with letters of her own.

Word Count: 1431

Law and Love Master List  - Catch up here

Day 2:

Anna woke up the morning after her birthday and sat up in bed. She immediately looked over to the stack of letters on her nightstand and couldn't wait to open the second one.

Good Morning Anna,

Yes, I said good morning because if I know you, you'll be opening these letters first thing. I hope you had fun celebrating your birthday last night, but also that you aren’t too hungover. I’m picturing the empty space on your bed right now and wishing I was there waking up next to you like it should have been (except if you are at your dad’s house. I know he likes me, but I’m not sure he’d be cool with that). If you didn’t head there last night, I’m sure you’ll see him today for Sunday dinner, so say hi to him for me please if you don’t mind. 

With Love,

Ernest

P.S. - I know you think I’m a bit paranoid, but I do still think it’s best we don’t make any attempts at communication via phone or electronics. While I highly doubt anyone is going to scour my phone records to check for evidence of a relationship between us, it is better to be safe than sorry.

Anna laid back on her pillows with a smile. There was the L word again, and it was definitely not a mistake. 

Day 3:

Anna groaned as she rolled over and shut off her alarm clock, wanting to keep hitting snooze until the last minute, but then she remembered a new day meant a new letter, and she suddenly felt better about facing the day.

Happy Monday my dear Anna!

I know how you dread Mondays, but I say it’s happy because I’ll get to see you in class today. I’ll try not to get too distracted by the sight of you, but I can’t make any promises. I figure you could put the enclosed gift card to good use for your usual order from Crema Cafe. See you soon!

Love,

Ernest

Anna tucked the gift card into her bag before she headed out the door. While it didn’t completely surprise her, Anna was amazed at Ernest’s attention to detail where she was concerned, knowing that she would most definitely be bringing and extra large coffee to class that day. She grabbed her latte on the way and convinced Annabelle to sit in the second row again behind Luke and Hamid, who were now attending every class due to the change in circumstances. 

Ernest scanned the room and found Anna immediately upon his arrival. She held up her coffee cup and a big grin spread across his face. “Thank you” she mouthed subtly and he gave her a nod. Ernest turned out to be an amazing lecturer. She’d never been more attentive in class in her life, and not just because her boyfriend was speaking, though it didn’t hurt.

-

That night, Anna decided she loved her letters so much, she’d start writing letters to Ernest as well.

Dear Professor Sinclaire (Okay I know you aren't technically a professor but I'm still going to call you that),

I thoroughly enjoyed your lecture today and have never found the topic of business law more interesting. You are a vast improvement over that asshole before you (who shall remain nameless) and you are much more fun to look at too. I know you probably think I'm just saying that because I'm your girlfriend, and you are the most modest guy I know, but you should have heard what the girls behind me in class were saying. Or maybe not because it would probably make you blush, but just know I realize how lucky I am to have you and cannot wait until these 30 days are up.

Love,

Anna

Day 7

My Anna,

One whole week down already. It's Friday which means that not only will I see you in class today, but I will hopefully get to see you at the Legal Aid clinic tomorrow. It's been a full week, and I'm sure to be craving your touch. I know we need to remain discreet and professional, but I'll take whatever I can get. Good luck on the quiz today, but I'm sure you won't need it.

All my love,

Ernest

-

Mr. Sinclaire,

What was that quiz today? I never thought I’d say this, but I kind of want the old guy back. Just kidding, of course, but that was rough. Good thing I know how you think, so I’m sure I did alright. I would like to mention that your eyes looked stunning today with that blue shirt you were wearing. You should wear that color more often. 

I’m so looking forward to seeing you at the clinic tomorrow. Hopefully we can get a little time to sneak away during breaks. I know if Bart has anything to say about it, we will. I think he’s my new best friend.

Love,

Your Anna

Day 8

Good Morning Anna,

I’m sure it will be a good morning because I get to spend the day with you. Even if we don’t get any alone time, just being near you will brighten my day. I know you aren’t otherwise thrilled about getting up so early on a Saturday, so don’t worry about getting up earlier to get coffee on the way. I’ll take care of you.

Love Ernest

As promised, Ernest had Anna's usual coffee order waiting for her when she arrived. It was a really busy day, and they didn't get much time together, but they snuck in little kisses and touches when they could. Ernest ordered food for the two of them and arranged for a picnic style lunch on the floor of the file room for them because it was the only place they could ensure privacy. And of course Bart covered for them and made sure no one needed to access the room during that time. Anna also got the chance to surprise Ernest by giving him the letters she had written throughout the week and she could tell he was truly excited to read them. The day passed all too quickly, but she was thankful for the time they did have.

-

Dear Ernest,

It was amazing to spend time with you today, not only because I got to talk to you, hold you, and kiss you, but because your passion for helping people is inspiring. Seeing the way you treat all your clients as your equals without judgment shows that you really care, and I know you are going to be the best at whichever type of law you choose. Speaking of kissing you, I'm already about to combust every time you touch me, and when I climbed into your lap during lunch I could feel how wound up you are too. I can hardly imagine what it's going to be like st the end of these 30 days, but I can't wait to find out.

Thinking about you always,

Anna

Day 20

Anna, My Love,

Only ten more days until I get to hold you in my arms once and for all and never let go. I assume by this point I’m getting desperate for you, and have become well acquainted with my right hand. I envision myself closing my eyes and imagining it’s you wrapped around me instead, wondering if you’re in bed doing the same as me. Just thinking about it now already has me aching for you.

Love, hugs, and kisses,

Ernest

-

Oh Ernest, 

You don’t even know how bad I want you right now, and your letter from today only made it worse. You are correct that I’ve spent many nights touching myself as I think about you. I’ve also purchased a couple new toys to help get me through, and I’m looking forward to trying them out with you too. We’ve already made it two thirds of the way there, let’s hope this last third flies by.

With Love,

Anna

Day 30

My Favorite Girl, Anna,

We’ve made it! The day is finally here! I hope you haven’t made any plans for the next few days, because I’m taking you back to my place and we’re not leaving my bed until it’s absolutely necessary. I want to see you as soon as possible, so meet me at my office at 5pm. I will have all the grades for the class submitted and then we will be free - no longer student and teacher, just Ernest and Anna.

Can’t wait to see you my Love,

Ernest

[bean-pronounced-bawn]

Rant (sorry)

I hate it when people flake. I fucking hate it. I don't think I would mind if I lived downtown, or on the west side of the city where most of my friends live, but I don't live there. I live SE, a good hour+ car ride away from anywhere reasonable. Not only that, but I live nowhere near a bus station, so if I want to hang out with my friends, I need to a) go to work with my mom at 6:30 in the morning, b) sit at her work until about an hour before I plan on meeting my friend, and c) bus for usually 40 minutes plus some walking. So it pisses me off when, 15 minutes before we're supposed to meet, my friends decide they can't go. Not only am I probably already at our meeting spot, but my mom leaves work at 5pm, so if I'm not with a friend, I'm sitting at my mom's work (in a tiny-ass teacher's lounge) for the entire day with nowhere to go.

And it's not like I don't warn my friends. They know I live SE, but I don't hold it against them if they don't realize how fucking far that is from civilization. What I do hold against them is when I tell them that I'm out of the house by 6:30 am solely to meet them at fucking noon, or (if I'm lucky enough that my dad decides to work from home and can drive me straight there) at least an hour and a half before our designated meeting time. So when you tell me fifteen minutes before I arrive that you can't meet with me, I will want to fucking shoot you. Great. Wonderful. Thank you. I can't go home now. I'm stuck either downtown until 5pm, or in a goddamned elementary school I'm not technically allowed to be in because I'm not an elementary schooler or a teacher. I don't care how sorry you are, or how "unexpected or sudden" whatever the fuck you're doing now was, you're a fucking inconsiderate bitch.

Because I never make my friends go to the east side, cause I fucking understand how hard that is for people. I'm the one inconveniencing myself (and, fairly, my parents) for an entire fucking day solely to hang out with you, and you're treating me like an unimportant piece of shit. And my friends will tell me like "oh, but my mom made me go," or "oh, but it just came up," and... who gives a shit? That has happened to me too where my parents suddenly decide that they want me to do something with them when I already had plans and you know what I do? I tell them no! I tell them I already made plans, and that we can do what they wanted to do some other time because I already have plans for today. Sure, they get pissed at me, and they call me ungrateful and tell me I care more about my friends than about them, but I don't give a shit! Cause I know how rude it is to cancel plans right before they're supposed to happen, and I'm not a fucking asshole!

And let it be known that never once has a flaker told me something truly understandable. Never once has it been "I just found out my mom got into a car crash and I'm going to the hospital to check on her" or "my dog just started throwing up nonstop and I don't know what's wrong." It's always "my mom wanted to eat lunch with me" or "my moms wanted to bring me shopping with them." It's always shit that a) is not an emergency, b) is not important, and c) can be fucking scheduled for another time. It's always shit that tells me that my time, energy, and presence is not important enough to you that you would care to tell someone "no," or even just "later." And it's fucking shitty.

So if you flake on me, fuck you. I don't care how close of friends we are, I don't care how long I've known you, I don't care how much I like you. Fuck you. You're a rude and inconsiderate piece of shit who doesn't care about other people's time of day.

Flakers is why I'm always reluctant to hang out with people because I can count on both hands the amount of times I've successfully managed to hang out with someone without them flaking, whereas the amount of times I've been flaked on are innumerable. I hate it. It's fucking shitty, and if you ditch someone without giving them fair warning, you're a shit person.

[rikki-lynn]

(via What It’s Like to Live A Day with ADHD)

Writing about a day in the life of someone with ADHD is a tricky thing. I don't think any two of my days look alike. Adventure and (somewhat) controlled chaos are my constant companions.

As someone who runs a YouTube channel called How to ADHD, who’s engaged to someone with ADHD, who has ADHD herself, and who talks to tens of thousands of ADHD brains, I can tell you this — if you’ve met one person with ADHD, you’ve met one person with ADHD. We’re vastly different creatures.

We do have a surprising amount in common though, especially when it comes to the stuff we experience on a daily basis. Most days, it’s:

a rollercoaster of successes and failures

some moments feeling like a genius, and others feeling stupid

both distractibility and hyperfocus

good intentions gone off the rails

little emotional wounds from being judged by the outside world — or ourselves!

the healing from being understood and accepted for who we are

I hope this peek into my experience of one day with ADHD helps with that understanding.

The morning scramble

I wake up suddenly, search for my phone — what time is it??

Oh, okay. Still early.

It takes me awhile to fall back asleep — restless legs — but as soon as I do, the alarm goes off. The snooze button and I trade punches until my fiancé turns it off.

I jolt awake — what time is it now??

I scramble for my phone. 11 am.

SHOOT. Totally missed my morning yoga class, and now there’s not even time to shower. I growl at my fiancé — “why did you turn off the alarm??” — and stumble toward the dryer for clean clothes … which are still in the washer. I start a new cycle, then dig through the hamper, literally sniffing for something to wear.

I throw on semi-decent clothes, deodorant, mascara, take my meds — I’m almost out, SHOOT, gotta make an appointment to get another prescription — grab a Fiber One bar on the way out the door …

And then I run back inside to grab my phone. 11:15. YES! I’ll still make it to my meeting!

With time to spare, I run upstairs to kiss my fiancé goodbye and apologize for my morning crankiness. And I’m out the door! Woot!

I run back inside to grab my keys. 11:19. STILL GOOD!

The part where I wish time machines were a thing

As I jump on the freeway, I remember to call my psychiatrist — also that I forgot to charge my phone last night. Gotta decide between my headphones or my charger (thanks, iPhone 7).

4 percent battery? Charger wins. I wish wireless headphones were an option, but I have a hard enough time not losing regular headphones. And technically, they’re on a leash.

I try using the speakerphone but it’s too noisy on the freeway, so I hold the phone up to my ear as I call. The receptionist says there’s only one appointment available before my meds run out — do I want it? “Um … let me check my calendar … ”

Shoot. It’s the same time as coffee with Anna. This would be the second time in a row I’ve canceled on her. Not much choice though.

I’ll make it up to her, I vow … somehow.

I bring the phone back to my ear and see police lights in my rearview mirror. I panic and wonder how long they’ve been following me. The receptionist is halfway through confirming my appointment — I hang up and pull over.

One policeman eyes the dirty plates on my passenger side floor — I call these my car dishes — as the other hands me a ticket. As soon as they turn away, I start bawling. But I’m very aware I deserved it and weirdly grateful for being called out. I’ll definitely drive safer from now on.

Wait, 11:45?!

I get back on the road and check Waze obsessively to see whether I can make up for lost time. I drive faster, but Waze is annoyingly accurate. Eight minutes late as predicted.

Well, not terrible … you don’t really need to call unless you’ll be more than 15 minutes late, right?

Except I still needed to park … and fix my mascara … and walk over.

12:17. Ugh, I should’ve called. “SO sorry I’m late!”

My friend is unfazed. I can’t decide if I’m grateful he isn’t annoyed, or depressed that he expected it.

I tell him that, half joking. But he takes me seriously and says, “I used to have trouble with that, too. So now I just leave early.”

But this is what I hear: “I can do it, why can’t you?”

I don’t know. I try. It never seems to work out. I don’t get it either.

He starts pitching an internet project he wants me to write and I’m having trouble focusing. I’m doing a good job of pretending, though. I’ve got the thoughtful nod down.

Plus, my meds should kick in soon … Seriously though, does he have to talk that slow?

I see a server hand someone a check and I wonder how much my ticket was for. When do I have to pay it by? Do I have to pay by check? Do I even HAVE checks anymore? Wait, did I set up autopay for my new credit card?

I’ve missed half of what he’s saying. Oops. I start playing with my spinner ring to ground my attention. Focusing gets easier, but this doesn’t look as good as the thoughtful nod. I can tell he’s wondering if I’m listening now. Ah, the irony.

Honestly, this project sounds cool. But something feels off — I don’t know what. I have good instincts, but I’m kinda new at this whole “success” thing. I failed pretty regularly the first decade of my adult life.

It’s weird being successful enough that other people want to work with you. It’s even weirder having to decide whether or not they get to.

I awkwardly end the meeting.

Back on schedule — let’s try to keep it that way

I check my bullet journal, the only planner I’ve ever been able to sort of stick to, to see what’s next. Research from 2 to 5pm, dinner 5 to 6pm, writing 6 to 9pm, relax 9 to 11:30pm, bed by midnight. Totally doable.

My meds are in full effect, my focus is good, so I decide to head back home and start early. I should maybe eat lunch, but I’m not hungry. The table next to me orders fries. Fries sound good.

I eat fries.

On my way home, my friend calls. I don’t answer. I tell myself it’s because I don’t want to get another ticket, but I know it’s because I don’t want to disappoint him. Maybe I should do his project. It was a cool idea.

Back home, I cuddle up with a soft blanket, and start researching — and realize why I didn’t want to do the project. I reach for my phone and can’t find it. The hunt begins — and ends with me giving up and using the Find My iPhone feature. A loud beeping emerges from my blanket.

I call my friend. He answers. Does anyone else find that slightly weird? I almost never answer when people call. Especially if I might not like what they have to say. Call it phone anxiety, but a text to announce a phone call is the only way to get me to pick up — maybe.

But he answers, so I tell him why I don’t want to write his project: “Because YOU should write it!” I tell him what he said that made me realize it and walk him through how to get started. Now he’s excited. I know he’ll crush at this. I feel successful for the first time today.

Maybe I do know what I’m doing. Maybe I — I hang up and see what time it is. 3:45.

Oops. I’m supposed to be researching dyslexia for an episode.

I throw myself into the research until my alarm goes off at 5, reminding me to stop for dinner. But there’s stuff I still don’t understand yet. Ehhh, I’ll just keep going until 6.

It’s 7 and I’m starving. I grab way too much food — wait, wait.

I bring the food to my desk and begin typing furiously: “Turn ‘reading with dyslexia’ into a game …”

I write half the episode.

I get a better idea.

I start working on that one — WAIT — laundry! Not gonna beat me THIS time!

Switching the clothes to the dryer, I realize my workout clothes aren’t in there. Argh, I missed today so I have to go tomorrow or I’m not gonna feel good.

I grab my yoga pants and a bunch of other clothes off the floor of pretty much every room in the house and start a new load. I remember to set a timer!

I sit back down to write, but the idea doesn’t seem as great now.

Or maybe I don’t really remember it.

ADHD, the after hours

I can tell my meds are wearing off. It’s getting harder to hold all the thoughts in my brain while I work with them. The page in front of me is a random tangle of words. I’m getting frustrated.

The timer goes off. I gotta change the laundry — except the dryer’s still going.

I set the timer for another 10 minutes and head to the couch to hang upside down and try to get my brain to work.

Upside down, I remember I’m trying to get better about work-life balance and wonder if I should stop, even though I haven’t gotten much done. But tomorrow’s super busy, especially now that I have to work out, and — BZZZ.

I race back to the laundry room, take a corner too sharply and run into the wall, bounce off, grab the dry clothes, dump them on my bed, switch over the wet ones, and start the dryer. I race back and check the clock. 9:48.

Okay, I’ll keep working, but I’ll stop at 10:30. And fold the laundry. And relax.

10:30 comes and goes. I find a way back into that idea and I’m in a flow. I can’t stop. This is hyperfocus, and it can be both a blessing and a curse for those of us with ADHD. I write and write, and rewrite and rewrite, until my fiancé comes to check on me and finds me passed out in front of the computer.

He carries me upstairs, sees the pile of clothes on the bed, pushes them aside, and tucks me in. I promise to do better tomorrow, to make more time for us. And to fold the clothes.

He kisses me and tells me that clothes are just clothes, but the stuff we make lasts forever.

I hug him, hard. And see the time over his shoulder — it’s 3am. I’m gonna have to choose between sleep and yoga. Tomorrow’s gonna be another scramble.

Written by Jessica McCabe on July 27, 2017

[coolinaustin]

SXSW 2018: Free Party RSVP Roundup, Part 1

South by Southwest 2018 is just around the corner, and to help you keep your eyes on the party prize, we’re rounding up the RSVP details for the best of the free parties that you might actually want to go to.

All of the events below ask you to RSVP, and we anticipate that they’ll all most likely be open to people without badges or wristbands. However, some of these parties do give priority entry to badge and wristband holders, and some become badge-only at night — we’ve identified those in the listings.

We’ll be posting batches of new parties right here in the days ahead and compiling the full list on the “SXSW” tab at the top of this page — so keep checking back for updates!

A few tips for maximum enjoyment:

1) SHOW UP EARLY. Parties sometimes hit capacity very soon after they open, so there’s a good chance that you’ll be dealing with some pretty serious lines by mid-afternoon, especially on the weekends and double-especially on Music weekend. Plan accordingly and have several backup options just in case. Also be aware that free drinks and free food may not last for the entire event, so try to get there when doors open whenever possible to maximize your chances of getting the good stuff.

2) RSVP for as many events as possible, even if they conflict, and even you’re not sure you’ll actually go. It’s good to have options (see tip #1).

3) If an event page says the party is sold out, check again later (and get on the waitlist if there is one). Some organizers reopen their lists and start accepting more RSVPs closer to the event.

Stay tuned to this site, our Twitter feed, and our Facebook page for more RSVP tips, band recs, and other SXSW-related goodness. Heard about any cool events you don’t see on the list yet? Tweet @ us and let us know! Good luck out there!

Multiple Days

Mashable House Fri. 3/9 and Sat. 3/10 from noon–5pm; Sun. 3/11 from 11am–3pm • The Main, 610 East 6th Street • RSVP required Free food early in the day, sometimes free drinks, swag, mingling, product demos, and various other activities. This is an official event so badges will get priority, but you can usually get in without one if you get there early enough. The big MashBash party is Sunday night from 9pm–2am, and that’s most definitely gonna be badge-only. The Deep End by Vox Media Fri. 3/9 through Sun. 3/11 • 11am–8pm • The Belmont, 305 West 6th St. • RSVP required Free food and drinks, cool panels, podcast tapings, arcade games, and more. Sounds like a great time and should be a pretty hot commodity.

The Fast Company Grill at SXSW Interactive Fri. 3/9 through Mon. 3/12 • 11am–4pm • Cedar Door, 201 Brazos St. • RSVP required Free drinks, tech demos, panels. If you’re patient you can probably also get some free food. One of our faves!

Fox Sports House Fri. 3/9 through Mon. 3/12 • 11am–8pm • Hangar Lounge, 318 Colorado St. • RSVP required; may be badge-only at times This is an official SXSW Sports lounge, but they’re taking RSVPs so there’s a chance that parts of it could be open to the public. Sounds like there should be lots of food and drinks to go around, plus some sports panels and special parties throughout the weekend.

Pinterest House Sat. 3/10 and Sun. 3/11 • 10am–2pm • Container Bar, 90 Rainey St. • RSVP required Free drinks, food, and panels. This is technically badge only, but they were somewhat flexible on that last year. Swing by and find out if you’re in the area.

Future of Technology Lounge 2018 Sat. 3/10 through Tue. 3/13 • 11am–5pm • Capital Factory, 701 Brazos St., 5th Floor • RSVP requested Tech demos, panels, and probably some free snacks and drinks at various times during this multi-day lounge hangout.

Texas A&M X '47 Discovery House Sun. 3/11 from 3pm–midnight; Mon. 3/12 from 11am–midnight • RSVP required Free Stiles Switch BBQ, music, and a bunch of other things Aggies like. It’s unclear whether signing up on this event page counts as an RSVP, so look out for a confirmation email.

Playground Pop Up at Alibi Sun. 3/11 from noon–8pm + 9pm–midnight; Mon. 3/12 from 2–7pm + 8pm–midnight • Alibi, 96 Rainey St. • RSVP required Music technology party with demos and DJs. Night events are probably badge-only.

#WeDC @ SXSW Sun. 3/11 and Mon. 3/12 • Easy Tiger, 709 East 6th Street • RSVP requested Most of the details are still TBA for this year’s event, but we loved it last year. Potentially some free drinks, food, and swag in addition to panels and music.

Pandora at SXSW Tue. 3/13 through Thu. 3/15 • 1–6pm • Gatsby, 708 E. 6th St. • RSVP required Three days of good up-and-coming bands. Make sure to pick up your Pandora wristband in advance to avoid standing in line twice.

TWIX House of Duos at Lustre Pearl Wed. 3/14 and Thu. 3/15 • 1–7pm / 8pm–midnight • Lustre Pearl, 94 Rainey St. Nice lineup of duo music acts. Night shows are probably badge-only.

Dr. Martens Presents COLLiDE @ Container Bar 2018 Wed. 3/14 through Fri. 3/16 • Noon–7pm • Container Bar, 90 Rainey St. Three days of live music.

PMA Global Street Farm Wed. 3/14 from 1pm–midnight and Thu. 3/15 from 3pm–midnight • L’Estelle, 88 ½ Rainey St. • RSVP required; badges get priority Food samples, cocktails, live bands. Global street food tastings both nights from 9pm–midnight — these are sure to be in high demand, so it might be difficult to get in without a badge.

FLOODfest Wed. 3/14 through Fri. 3/16 • Times TBA (day + night shows) • Cedar Street Courtyard, 208 W. 4th St. • RSVP required Three days of day and night shows. Badges get priority at night and it’s usually tough to get in without one.

British Music Embassy Wed. 3/14 through Sat. 3/17 • 2–6pm • Latitude 30, 512 San Jacinto Blvd. • RSVP required Brit rock, fun vibes, and occasional free drinks make this four-day event one of our favorites each year. RSVP separately for each day: Wednesday / Thursday / Friday / Saturday

BrooklynVegan + Margin Walker Present: Lost Weekend Thu. 3/15 through Sat. 3/18 • Noon–6pm • Cheer Up Charlies, 900 Red River St. • RSVP requested Lineup info is still TBA, but there’s usually a very good slate of acts. RSVP separately for each day: Thursday / Friday / Saturday

Sound + Color Presented by M&M’s Fri. 3/16 and Sat. 3/17 • 1–7pm / 8pm–midnight • Lustre Pearl Rainey, 94 Rainey St. • RSVP required Great two-day lineup and probably hella M&Ms at this Rainey Street bash. Friday afternoon acts include LovelyTheBand (2pm), Mallrat (3pm), Gothic Tropic (4pm), Flint Eastwood (5pm), and Okkervil River (6pm). The night showcase is very likely badge-only; headliners include R.LUM.R, Billie Eilish, and Sylvan Esso. Saturday afternoon’s lineup includes Warbly Jets (2pm), CYN (3pm), The Shacks (4pm), Ron Gallo (5pm), and The Black Angels (6pm). The night showcase features Night Beats, Albert Hammond Jr., and Cut Copy.

Friday, March 9

Fitvent 10am–6pm; 8pm–2am • 301 Chicon St. • RSVP requested Fitness-focused gathering featuring music, speakers, and giveaways. Free food and nonalcoholic drinks in the evening.

YouEarnedIt @ SXSW 4–8pm • YouEarnedIt, 206 East 9th Street, Suite 1502 • RSVP requested Free food, open bar.

Panoply #DataParty 4–6pm • Ginger Man, 301 Lavaca St. • RSVP requested Free drinks and food at this networking event for data and marketing pros.

ATX Startup Crawl Multiple locations and hours; RSVP to get the map and more details • RSVP requested Free drinks and food hosted by companies all over downtown, starting in the afternoon and continuing into the evening. A classic way to kick off the fest.

Do512 Presents Galactic Interactive 6:30pm–2am • Hotel Vegas, 1500 East 6th Street • RSVP required Free drinks, cool bands, and standup comedy at this outer-space-themed throwdown. Music lineup features Great Good Fine OK, Riverboat Gamblers, SMiiLE, Tamarron, and more.

Saturday, March 10

Spredfast Smart Social Suite Day party (time TBA) • The W Austin, 200 Lavaca St. • RSVP required; must receive confirmation Free food, drinks, and other festivities. This was our favorite party last year, and it’s pared down to just one day this time, so make the most of it! Must request invite and get confirmation email.

Retail Innovation Lounge 9am–5pm; happy hour 5–7pm • Max’s Wine Dive, 207 San Jacinto Blvd. • Must request invite and receive confirmation Free cocktails and food.

Saved By The Brunch 2018 Presented By Natural Light 10am–2pm • Deep Eddy Cabaret, 2315 Lake Austin Blvd. • RSVP required Drinks, burgers, and a DJ. The organizers would like to note that this Natty Light-sponsored event is for “deal closers only.”

Smart Home Open House Hosted by Yonomi 10am–6pm • Yonomi Townhouse, 111 West 8th St. • RSVP required Free wine, beer, snacks, home goods on display from local vendors, and demos of smart home devices.

American Cities House: Startup Celebration Rooftop Lunch 12:30–2:30pm • Maggie Mae’s, 323 East 6th St. • RSVP required Free lunch and libations.

Soundcheck Saturday 1pm–?? • Hotel Vegas, 1500 E. 6th St. • RSVP requested A bunch of bands and multiple booze sponsors, so possibly free or discounted drinks.

#SXsmarketing - The Smart Way to Work with Agencies 2–6pm • Darwin's Pub, 223 East 6th Street • RSVP required Open bar for beer, wine, and well drinks, plus panels and networking.

Connect 2018 6pm–1am • Terrace 59, 412 Congress Ave. • RSVP required Complimentary tacos and open bar. Looks like you’ll need to receive confirmation to be sure you’re on the list.

Startup Night SXSW 2018 Presented by the Kauffman Foundation & TechCo 8pm–12:30am • Maggie Mae’s, 323 East 6th St. • RSVP required (Probably) free drinks; get there early to have a chance of getting in, as badges will get priority.

Sunday, March 11

Create + Cultivate: Women to Watch 11am–5:30pm • The Refinery, 612 Brazos St. • RSVP required Panels, mentoring sessions, and other events, plus some free food and beverages at certain times while they last. This one was packed last year and there are some more big-name speakers this time, so it would be smart to get there super early.

SXSW BBQ Brunch and Brands Noon–6pm • Secret location • Must request invite and get confirmation Free BBQ and networking.

Startup Sunday with SendGrid & Friends Noon–6pm • Key Bar, 617 West 6th Street • RSVP requested “Startup shenanigans, live music & open bar all day.” Mimosas and samosas available when doors open at noon!

On Vinyl & Human Influence Present: South Austin Local Showcase 3–7pm • Location TBA • RSVP required / suggested donation (see below) Sponsored by Austin Eastciders, Guayakí Yerba Mate, Tito's Handmade Vodka, and Deep Eddy Vodka. Local line-up featuring Rachel Lieberman, Torino Black, The Mammoths, Blynd Birds, Coattails, SMiiLE, and Swimming with Bears. This is a benefit for SIMS Foundation, and people who donate to the GoFundMe get in automatically. Or, if you’re a local Austin artist, you can apply for an invite here.

Splash Presents: Magic Hours 7pm–1am • Sidewinder, 715 Red River St. • RSVP required Music by Glassio, Rick Feds, Miears, Yellow Shoots, Mobley, and The Disfunction.

SocialHaus SXSW 2018 8:30pm–?? • “Justine's Secret House,” 1303 East 7th St. • Must request invite and be confirmed “An exclusive night of secret art exhibitions, live installations, and performances.” Probably lots of free stuff.

Amplify Philly House Party 9:30pm–2am • Pour Choices, 401 East 6th St. • RSVP required; technically badge-only Open bar til midnight, plus music by DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ Aktive, and Fuegomayo. This is an official event so it might be tough to get into without a badge.

Monday, March 12

Do512 and COVERT CURIOSITY Present Strange Brew 7 1pm–late • Hotel Vegas, 1500 E. 6th Street • RSVP required Big slate of bands and possibly some free/cheap drinks from sponsors Deep Eddy Vodka and Karbach Brewing.

A.V. Club and The Onion Present: Just Another Manic Monday 3:30–11:30pm • Mohawk, 912 Red River St. • RSVP required Nice lineup featuring Superchunk, Wye Oak, Bully, Shamir, and others. Possibly some free drinks from sponsor Wild Turkey American Honey. Badges and wristbands get priority.

Lafayette Live Crawfish Boil @ SXSW: A True Cajun Experience 5–9pm • C-Boy's Heart & Soul, 2008 South Congress Ave. • RSVP requested Free Cajun food while it lasts, one free drink, live music, and networking.

Big Fat VR Party 6–9pm • Capital Factory, 701 Brazos St. • RSVP requested VR, booze, and food.

Amplify Philly Music Showcase 8pm–2am • Pour Choices, 401 East 6th St. • RSVP required; technically badge-only Official SX showcase with music by Low Cut Connie, Son Little, Vita & The Woolf, and others. This is an official event so it might be tough to get into without a badge, but we’ve heard it’s possible if you get there early.

Tuesday, March 13

The ShipStation Lounge Experience Noon–8pm • Vuka Gather, 411 West Monroe St. • RSVP requested Free food and drinks, networking, and panels. Open bar and music 6–8pm.

She Shreds Noon–8pm • Kinda Tropical, 3501 East 7th Street • RSVP requested Music by La Luz, Speedy Ortiz, Hinds, Shamir, and others.

SXSW Boot Scootin’ BBQ 5–8pm • The Vaughn, 310 Colorado St. • RSVP required; must request invite and get confirmation Live country music, Salt Lick BBQ, and an open bar.

Media Temple's SXSW Interactive Bash 8:30pm–late • Stubb's BBQ, 801 Red River St. • RSVP required (see below) Giant official closing party for SX Interactive. Usually very tough to get into without a badge, but the site suggests that it’s possible: “entry is first-come, first-served but priority is given to SXSW Interactive and Platinum badge holders.” RSVPing also gives you a chance to win VIP access and a meet-and-greet with the closing act.

Wednesday, March 14

Day Drinking with DistroKid at SXSW 2018 1–3pm • The Jackalope, 404 E 6th St. • RSVP requested (but probably not required) Possibly some free drinks at this music industry meetup.

CxBB — Celebration by Beardbrand 6–11pm • The Rattle Inn, 610 Nueces St. • RSVP requested Live music and free drinks while they last.

The Sound Release SXSW 8:30pm–2am • Peckerheads, 402 East 6th Street • RSVP requested Emerging hip-hop acts.

Thursday, March 15

Dutch Impact Party SXSW 2018 Noon–6pm • Waller Ballroom, 700 East 6th Street • RSVP required Free drinks and food for “delegates”; we’re not really sure that that means, but last year you got a drink ticket and a tasty grilled sandwich with your RSVP. Also good music and nice people. Fun times!

SMILF at The Showtime House 1–7pm • Clive Bar, 609 Davis St. • RSVP required Day show lineup includes US Girls (2pm), Stella Donnelly (3pm), Natalie Prass (4pm), Sudan Archives (5pm), and Sunflower Bean (6pm). The night party runs from 9pm–midnight and is very likely badge-only.

Precision, Olympus & For Spite present Turn Your Camera On 1:30–7pm • Precision Camera & Video, 2438 W. Anderson Ln., Suite B4 • RSVP requested Good local bands and free drinks provided by Tito's Handmade Vodka and Big Swig. This is a 10-minute drive north of downtown so plan to get a ride.

Brew Music 5–8pm • Zilker Brewing Company, 1701 East 6th St. • RSVP requested Free beers for the first 100 people, followed by spirited discussions about synth music. We highly recommend Zilker’s Marco IPA, by the way.

South by South Wildfox Party 9pm–1am • Pop, 620 West 6th Street #1 • RSVP requested Open bar.

Friday, March 16

11A Records, Northern Spy Records and Wharf Cat Records Present: Romancing the Wax 11am–6pm • Hotel Vegas, 1500 East 6th St. • RSVP requested Music by Golden Dawn Arkestra, Odetta Hartman, A Place to Bury Strangers, and others.

Cinderblock's Block Party presented by Pacifico Noon–late • The Cabana, 5416 North FM 973 • RSVP required (paid ticket options available; see below) Free drinks at a mansion pool party, with performances by Rayland Baxter, David Ramirez, Medicine Man Revival, Mathew McNeal, Mitchell Ferguson, and Suzanna Choffel. It’s pretty deep east of Austin, so it may be wise to shell out the $10 for guaranteed admission (or $45 for VIP, which includes food and other perks).

Fun On the Run Tour Noon–?? • The ABGB, 1305 W. Oltorf St. • RSVP requested Day show at a cool venue south of downtown.

Cocoa Butter Radio LIVE at SXSW Noon–5pm • The Townsend, 718 Congress Ave. #100 • RSVP requested Live interviews followed by artist performances and showcasing DJs in between sets.

Beats x Beers Festival 4 Noon–8pm • Lone Star Hookahs, 301 Chicon St., Unit G • RSVP requested Music and fun surprises. More details TBA.

The Chi at The Showtime House 1–6pm • Clive Bar, 609 Davis St. • RSVP required Day show lineup includes Melo Makes Music (2pm), Air Credits (3pm), Knox Fortune (4pm), and Joey Purp (5pm). The night party runs from 8pm–midnight and is very likely badge-only.

4theculture Pop-Up Party 6–10pm • 1408 East 13th St. • RSVP required Free drinks, music, vendors. More details TBA.

Saturday, March 17

Do512 Presents: The Big One 11:30am–6pm • Barracuda, 611 East 7th Street • RSVP required Performances by Ron Gallo, Hinds, Michael Rault, Speedy Ortiz, and others. Beverages from Deep Eddy Vodka, Mike's Harder, Austin Eastciders, and Karbach Beer. This will get crazy as the day goes on so try to get there close to doors.

Hip Hop Weekly SX St. Patty Party Noon–5pm • 501 Brushy St. • RSVP requested Free green beer and jello shots. This one just might get rowdy.

You Made 4 It? Industry Panel & Artist Showcase Noon–6pm • 217 East 6th St. • RSVP required Hip-hop panels, performances, and free food. The organizers are also hosting an invite-only mansion party at a private location from 11pm–4am, so keep an eye out for more info on that.

Shameless at The Showtime House 1–7pm • Clive Bar, 609 Davis St. • RSVP required Day show lineup includes The Nude Party (2pm), Post Animal (3pm), Shamir (4pm), Tank and the Bangas (5pm), and WAVVES (6pm). Expect a pretty large crowd, seeing as how this is a pretty small venue on Music Saturday. The night party runs from 8pm–1am and is very likely badge-only.

Sunday, March 18

The Austin Puppy Party 2K18 Noon–4pm • Lustre Pearl, 94 Rainey St. • RSVP required Complimentary beverages (1 Tito’s Vodka drink ticket when you show the Bumble app on your phone), plus some pretty nice dog swag and, of course, puppies! Might not be as crazy as usual since they’re having it on the final Sunday of the fest this year.

[sally-annesstories]

Day 93 - Lost City Trek, Colombia

Made it to the Lost City !

1. The grossest morning when you wake up and nothing is dry. I had just dry sock, underwear and a top. Everything else was very much drenched. To the point it was still possible to ring out water! Even so at 5am I put it all on to get going for the day. Then time for breakfast before we started our second to last day and trip to the lost city. Luckily it had stopped raining! First up was 20 minutes wandering through down past the river bed. Then another rivercrossing. This time the only way across was through it. We could see everyone going was drenched so I removed shoes, socks and top to attempt to keep them dry as possible for the trip. My shorts are still drenched from yesterday and also technically quick dry so should get better as we walk around. The one perk of this walk was we didnt need to take our bags as we'll be coming back to camp after the lost city. I also had to leave my walking stick on the river bed as the river was so strong it was better to save it for when we come back. The walk across the rover had us holding two roaps and there were guides on the far side also helping act as a barrier to support people across.

2. On the other side shoes were put on and it was time to walk! There are 1200 steps to the lost city. They aren't the easiest to walk up but you get into a rhythm and go. I managed to find myself alone for a lot of the trip up which was nice as no pressure to catch up or be faster than anyone else. I have to be honest, I was a bit underwhelmed on seeing the lost city. The hike was fine but I've seen a lot of nice views lately and then the city itself if to be honest, just all right. I might have worked it up in my head. After some delicious mango, sweets and a few chats with local indigenous Indian people we made the walk back to the camp. This included in 1200 steps down plus the river crossing round two!

3. Back at the campsite we had lunch at a cool 11am and gathered all of our things. Mine were still a bit damp and everything continues to be smelly as well I think. It doesn't seem to matter how much I shower and wash! Then time to hit the road. Oh my word it felt like it went on forever. Today we were able to do the river crossing where yesterday we had taken the pulley over. My shoes had dried in the sun over lunch so rather than getting them drenched again I whipped them off and held them above my head!

4. Today was bloody killer. gifter good luck the whole way I finally managed to overextend my ankle and 8 was at the back of the pack. It didn't hurt so much but it just makes me so slow. I ended up falling about 4 times because of it. Even managing to break my (AMAZING) water bottle in the process. It's been the best travel companion. There were so many uphills in the sun and then downhills along the way. Then worst off was finally doing my second ankle. I'm sure I arrived at the camp 30 minutes after everyone else.

5. At the camp again most went for a swim in the river but I really just wanted a shower so did this and put on really clean clothes. I've never felt so fresh! The arvo was then spent chilling with dinner at 4.30/5pm. I honestly could have gone to bed at 6pm but it was widely encouraged to listen to another local Indian man chat. Unfortunately our guides advised us too late so we half listened at the back but couldn't really hear. So then we had a second turn in private. By the time 8pm rolled around I was knackered. When the chat ended I went to bunks to brush my teeth and close down for the night. Final 5am start for a while is in the morning!

[melissaswimbikerun]

California: The Ultimate road trip

Normally I keep this blog about my triathlons/training and staying away from my usual mundane life. However for the last 22 days I have led a much more colourful existence road tripping around California and Nevada. And, just so I don’t stray away from the main theme of this blog, I did do a triathlon during my trip! So here is a write up of our time in the USA. Also there is more to come as we are only the first part of our journey as our travels continue on to New Zealand now.

Outline of our route and 2100 miles traveled 

On Monday 20th August Nathaniel and I began our journey. We said goodbye to our loved ones and got on a flight from Manchester to Los Angeles.

Jessica and I at my leaving party

Ready for our adventure at Manchester Airport

We arrived at Los Angeles International at 3pm local time (11pm Greenwich mean time - so we soon got quite blurry eyed!). After security and collecting bags and bikes, we got a taxi to meet our home for the next 22 days. Meet Oliver, the converted Dodge Campervan!

Oliver the campervan 

After some paperwork we set off on the road. We stopped at one of the biggest supermarkets that I have ever seen. Very tired by this point it was a struggle to scout the miles of shelves for food and equipment. We spent far too long searching for a coffee-maker (which was probably the only thing in the world this massive supermarket didn’t sell).

We drove out of the city and eventually got too tired to function any more (it was about 5am UK time!!) so we pulled over in a quiet lay-by in the Angeles National Forest and stayed there for the night. (Luxury, I know!)

Lake Tahoe

It was a 400 mile drive to Lake Tahoe. We could distract ourselves from the journey by the scenery as we drove along the Sierra Mountains. We stopped for lunch at the beautiful Mono lake.

Having an interlude from driving at Mono Lake

We arrived at Lake Tahoe at around 5pm and it was more beautiful that we could have imagined. The biggest bluest lake surrounded by mountains! We were staying at Meeks Bay Campground for 6 nights. It had its own beach and each site had a BBQ and fire pit. We had to put all our food and toiletries in a bear lockers so the bears can’t get hold of anything.

The beautiful lake Tahoe on our loop cycle 

The bear thing made me scared of venturing to the toilet block alone in the night for a few days. We never did see a bear in Tahoe though. One morning we did wake up and find the bear locker wide open, however the only thing we found eating our food was a pesky Blue Jay pecking at the loaf of bread! (We must not have closed it properly). The biggest mammal we saw was a beaver swimming in the creek near our campsite. He was a good spot.

The crystal clear lake was beautiful to swim in and we swam most days. The 2nd day we cycled the 70 mile loop of the lake with a cafe stop leaving the hilliest 16 miles to cycle with full bellies and 3 pints of beer each inside us.

Incredibly scenic cycling at Tahoe

We didn’t do too much at strenuous as we were tapering for the Lake Tahoe middle distance triathlon at the weekend. We did some running which I found really difficult - probably due to the 2,600 meter altitude that Meeks Bay was at!! At least we had a few days to acclimatise to the thin air.

Relaxing at the lakeside beach post ride

Pancakes for breakfast!

Checking out the triathlon venue 

Nathaniel and I during an altitude trail run 

Lake Tahoe middle distance triathlon

The morning of the triathlon it was an early wake up at 5am and Nathaniel and I scrabbled around in the cold and dark having cereal and gathering up all I triathlon stuff. It was a short cycle up the road to the triathlon venue.

We had already registered the previous day so we had plenty of time to prepare before the start. Than racked his bike next to me and transition and I guided him where to place his shoes and race belt etc. It was really nice to have him doing a triathlon with me, get we were both quite adamant to beat each other.

It was freezing waiting for the triathlon to start and we found the warmest place to wait for the delayed start was actually in the lake. The gun went off 15 minutes late at 7:15am.

The swim:

It was hard to site the bouys initially due to the sunrise but after the first turn it became easy. The swim was relatively uneventful- apart from losing my swim hat early doors, which I just stuffed down my wetsuit and continued hatless. There was no big groups to draft and I found myself alone for the majority of the swim except when I caught a man up near the end of the swim. I came out the water 6th Overall and 2nd Female. Leaving Nathaniel 15 minutes to claw back.

The bike: After running up a gigantic hill in T1 during the usual fumbling with my wetsuit I was off on my bike. Out on the road there was a guy to pick off. I felt strong on the flat, TTing along on the drops of my road bike. The course consisted of 2 out and back North portion (flat) and 1 our and back portion south (so very hilly). Approaching the turn around point I could see one other woman in front. I overshot the first turn in fact because a competitor in front carried on zooming up the road. I have learnt better than to trust other competitors so did a double take and looked at my distance - this was the turn around point! During the outs and backs I was making some progress against the woman in front and was keep Nathaniel at bay on the flat but it was soon time for the hills... This is when it started to get ugly!! The hills destroyed my legs as I picked off many competitors, only to be over taken again on the long technical descents. My legs began to struggle at the south turn around but I had caught up the woman in 1st place. I overtook her at a pace (proving a point, I guess). I think she must have seen me as a threat as she cycled away at a pace I couldn’t keep on the next hill. I could see Than on my way to T2 - still about 15 minutes behind (It’s out that he had a puncture on the first portion of the hilly section or he would have been sure to eat into my time buffer!)

The run. (A.k.a. The struggle!) After a speedy T2 (I got an applaud from the crowd for my discount and another competitor complemented the speed of my T2), it was time for the run. Heading off like a bat out of hell I began to struggle with my breathing - I needed to check my pace. The path soon turned off the concrete back and soon turned into a technical dirt track and, at one point, even a sandy beach! The air was hot and dry and, now, dusty. I chatted to another competitor, whom later learnt my name and gave me encouragement whenever he saw me. He soon ran off in the distance as I struggled controlling my breathing in the altitude. Exhaustion and altitude forced me to adopt a run-walk strategy. I expected Than to come cruising by any moment - but he never came (i presumed that he was having a worse time than me!). As I approached the finish I was going over scenarios in my head how I could brag to Than about my victory without putting him off another triathlon.

Smiles at the finish line Up the hill to the finish and who should be standing there with a beer but Nathaniel Manning!! I was extremely confused. Maybe he had pulled out?! Nope it transpires that Than was also confused as he had indeed “finished”. Later we discovered that he and some other competitions had missed at 1.5 mile section near the start of the run course which was poorly signed. Than thought I was ahead still and was worried when he looked about at the finish. He apparently also asked the medical tent for me... I’m dubious as he also had time for 3 beers in all this worrying and looking!!... Anyway a record was set - officially my slowest middle distance triathlon at 6 hours and 7 minutes!! Then again it was the hardest middle distance I have ever done. I still kept hold of 2nd female overall and came 1st in my age group. Nathaniel also got a prize for 2nd place in his age group (coming a good 20mins ahead of 3rd so we didn’t confess about the unintentional shortcut!). We were awarded with beer glasses and trucker hats! Cheers. And also Nathaniel is game for another triathlon... yet he still has to complete an actual middle distance triathlon!!

Las Vegas.

Following the triathlon we stayed one more night at the beautiful Meeks Bay and BBQ’d the biggest steak you have ever seen! The morning after we packed up Oliver, the campervan, and drove back south over the mountains and then the vast empty dessert - we were heading to “Las Vegas Baby” (the comment that Than would intermittently yell whilst popping the horn!).

The masses of sky scrappers appeared out of the desert and closer we got the buildings grander and the traffic heavier.

We found the Venetian hotel and waved goodbye to Oliver in the hands of the valet parking. After a long wait to check in we opened the door to the best hotel room I’ve ever stayed in (I’ve lived a sheltered life or maybe it felt it in comparison to our Campervan).

Vegas was everything I expected it to be big, fancy and at the bottom of everything fake. I wanted to give the city a chance.

We had a quick flutter on a slot machine before heading to our dinner reservation at The Cut. It was my treat for Nathaniel’s birthday which I regretted when the bill came - totalling US $500 (a bargain considering there was a wine on the wine list for $24,000!!). However it was the most delicious steak however Nathaniel had to finish it as a migraine had ruined my appetite.

Than and his expensive belated birthday steak 

We ended that night with a bit of Blackjack. $100 down I retired to bed. 

The second day we explored all the lavish casinos, trying our luck with a few chips as we went. We made our way down the strip to the New York New York hotel were he had dinner and watched a Cirque de Soilei show.

The following morning we had went on a tour of the Grand Canyon. Firstly we got to see areal views from the small plane and then driven to 2 different view points. Our photos really don’t do the Canyon justice - it’s size is just incredible! Landing back in Las Vegas we pigged out on the final night in the Bellagio buffet. Apparently the best buffet in the world but I don’t have much to compare it still. But it still being full the majority of the next day if good - then it was!!

Views over the Grand Canyon 

Mammoth Lakes.

We decided to visit mammoth lakes on our way to Yosemite. It was a good decision as this place is beautiful. We stayed up from the town at a place called Twin Lakes: aptly named due to the 2 lakes surrounded by granite cliffs and waterfalls.

We easily found a campsite on the first night. However, unbeknown to us, it was a big bank holiday weekend in the USA (labour day) so we were demoted from campsite to car park for the second night.

Views from our run in Mammoth

We did a beautiful run from twin lakes to Mary lake and around Horseshoe lake. Then lunch before we cycled up mammoth mountain to the panoramic view point. This tough day deserved beer so we stopped at Mammoth Brewing company tasting rooms. Than came out with a huge tasting platter and we selected our favourite for a few more pints (conscious that we had to cycle 4 miles up hill home!).

Cycling in Mammoth 

Than bought me a lovely tankard from the tasting room however I couldn’t hide my disappointment that it wasn’t a mammoth brewing co cycling jersey.

Tasting at Mammoth Brewery 

Yosemite National Park.

We were lucky enough to get to camp inside this breath-takingly beautiful National Park and did we make the most of it?!? 74 miles of footpaths and scenery was explored. Our legs ached but we will remember those spectacular views forever.

On our first full day with did a very ambitious 10 mile walk which ended up being 17 hilly miles however we were rewarded by seeing a bear walk across the footpath. A few days later we saw a bobcat on the footpath before he jumped back into the mountain rocks. Along with plenty of deer and birds of prey we have seen a lot of exciting wildlife.

At the river next to the campground

Nathaniel took over map reading after the 17 mile walk we did on the first day (which was supposed to be 10)

Walking up to North Dome (Via Indian rocks)

Half dome in the background

The bridge over Yosemite falls

Vernon falls in the background

Cooling off after a long walk in the river

Admiring a giant redwood

San Francisco

After 6 days of paradise in Yosemite it was time to continue travelling. Headed to the west Coast for San Francisco. San Francisco is a lively vibrant city which had a cool feel to it.

We swam in a beautiful outdoor lido in the Mission district which was full of lane swimmers and was a joy to swim laps in. We camped near a surfing beach and nature reserve due to the lagoons. During our 2 nights in San Francisco we did plenty of cycling. The first day 50 miles exploring north of the city and finishing with a burger and a pint in Sausilito.

At Alpine dam

Climbs in San Francisco earn you good views

perhaps the most iconic view

The 2nd day we did a 35 mile loop going through Muir wood. Afterwards we cycled over a very busy golden gate bridge with tourists crashing hired bikes constantly!! Over the over side of the bridge we had BBQ and tasting treats at the Presidio picnic before heading down the highway 1 back towards LA.

After taking 2 days to venture down the HW1. Seeing the sea otters at Monterey on the way. We checked into a hotel in LA ready to fly to New Zealand, our next adventure.