#Pretty sure that while North was scrambling around the house gathering foods

[winterwrites23]

How does the weather effect the UK bro's?

Average weather doesn't affect the brothers (as well as the rest of the Nations). Most of them are old as dinosaurs so they grew accustomed to their climate and are in tune with its changes. In fact, they can predict the weather with pretty good accuracy. Though that doesn't stop them from complaining like cranky old men whenever it's raining again or looking in disbelief when the sun is out for more than 20min lol

It's slightly different for younger nations. The weather affects them a bit more because they are still learning to balance the Land and the People. And since the Land is tied to nature, then whenever the weather gets above average, it will affect the Nation either mentally or physically (shifting in moods, tiredness, restlessness, etc.)

However, when there's a sudden change in the climate (hurricane, heat wave, snowstorm, floods, etc.), both old and young nations will be affected. They get tense and on edge because they feel the damage across their Land and are even prone to get sick. And with climate change steamrolling the world in the last few decades, let's just say Nations aren't having a great time.

[waitimcomingtoo]

Open for holiday requests? Well then... ho,ho,ho🎅 Tom’s driving home frantically during holiday season and ends up getting his car stuck in a snowstorm. Reader and her family take him in from the cold and slowly he adjusts for the time being and maybe starts catching feelings???

I love a good hallmark like Xmas movie romance!

Home For The Holidays 

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Masterlist

“Spencer, look!” Lucas alerted his twin once he heard the knock. “There’s someone outside.”

Spencer got up to the window curiously and looked outside, seeing Tom covered head to toe in snow.

“It’s a monster.” Spencer shrieked as he ducked down from the window.

“It is not a monster.” Lucas rolled his eyes before looking out the window again. “Oh my God.”

“What?” Spencer asked, jumping up next to his twin to look out the window.

“Its a monster.” Lucas gasped. The boys scrambled to the door and flung it open, gasping in unison at the sight of a snow covered Tom.

“Hi. I’m-“

Are you the abdominal snowman?” Lucas asked as he let Tom in the door.

“No, I’m T-“

“Daisy!” Spencer cut him off with a shout. “Come in here!”

“Is there an adult I can speak to?” Tom asked the child as a little girl came into the room.

“Whats going on?” Daisy asked before her eyes landed on Tom. “Woah, is that an abdominal snowman?”

“Yea!” Spencer nodded. “He came right to our door.”

“I saw him out in the snow.” Lucas said proudly.

“Hey kids.” Tom spoke again. “Sorry to bother you, but I really need to talk to an adult. Are your parents home?”

“Did you come from the North Pole?” Spencer asked.

“No, Spencer.” Daisy rolled her eyes. “The abdominal snowman lives in Alaska.”

“I think he lives in Florida.” Lucas added.

“It’s actually abominable and I’m from Europe.” Tom cut in.

“Do you have magic powers?” Lucas asked.

“Yeah. I can use a phone really well. Do you want to see?” Tom tried to bait them into letting him use the phone.

“Wait!” Spencer gasped.

“What?” Daisy asked.

“Stranger danger.” Spencer realized. “We let a stranger into the house.”

“Oh no.” Lucas whined. “My parents are gonna be mad at me.”

“Mine too.” Daisy feared. “We can’t tell them.”

“Get Y/n.” Lucas instructed. “She’ll know what to do.”

“Okay.” Spencer ran out of the room, leaving Tom with the other two kids.

“Is Y/n your age?” Tom asked the children, hoping he wouldn’t have to deal with another child.

“No. Shes my cousin.” Daisy answered. “I think she’s 40. Shes really pretty though.”

“He’s right in here. He doesn’t look like the one in the movie.” Tom heard Spencer’s voice coming back. He came into the room with you, your one hand holding his and your other over your eyes.

“Okay. Can I open my eyes now?” You asked your brother.

“Uh huh.” Spencer said, and you slowly opened your eyes and removed your hand. Tom finally got a good look at you and felt all the air leave his chest.

“Uh, hi.” Tom waved awkwardly at you, taken aback by the beautiful stranger who let him on their house. You, on the other hand, were thinking something entirely different.

“AHHHHH.” You screamed and grabbed the children. “Intruder!”

“Woah woah woah.” Tom tried to calm you down. “The kids let me in.”

“Did you hurt them? Are you guys okay?” You asked as you inspected the children.

“We’re okay.” Lucas nodded, making you kiss his forehead out of relief. You picked Daisy up with one arm and held the boys close to you with your other as you backed away from Tom.

“Who are you and why are you in my house?” You demanded.

“My name is Tom.” Tom started slowly. “I’m so sorry to bother you but my car has broken down and I can’t get any service. Would you mind letting me use your phone?”

“My whole family is inside.” You told him. “Can you give me some sort of proof that you’re not chop us up and turn us into soup?”

“What kind of proof do you need?” Tom chuckled softly.

“Can you take me out to your car to show me that it’s broken down?”

“It’s really cold out here and I parked pretty far. It’s not safe for you to walk all the way out there.” Tom warned you.

“How far did you walk?” You asked, suddenly noticing how tired he looked.

“I’m not sure. You can’t see anything out there.” He shrugged. You chewed your lip and looked down at your siblings and cousin before making a decision.

“Kids, go inside and help grandma with the cooking.” You instructed. “Tell her I said you could have one piece of candy each.”

“Are we in trouble for letting a stranger inside?” Lucas asked fearfully.

“No, honey.” You assured him. “Just don’t do it again, okay? You did the right thing by coming to get me.”

The children smiled in relief before scurrying out of the room, leaving you alone with Tom.

“Empty your coat pockets” You demanded, trying to put on a brave face.

“Okay, but why?” Tom wondered as he took the contents of his pockets out.

“In case you have any weapons.” You said like it was obvious.

“There.” Tom said as he put the last of it on the table. “Pockets are empty.”

You eyed him skeptically before walking up to him and putting his hands in his pockets. You patted him down until you were satisfied.

“Okay. I believe you.” You nodded. “I’m Y/n, by the way.”

“Tom.” He shook your hand. “Are those your kids?”

“No.” You smiled. “Those were my brothers and my niece.”

“They’re cute.” Tom complimented. “They look like you.”

“Well, I have tons more in the living room.” You said proudly. “That’s why I have to keep you in here until I know you won’t hurt anyone.”

“How can I gain your trust?”

“Um, I don’t really know.” You realized. “I’ve never interrogated anyone before.”

“How about this.” Tom offered as he pulled off his hat and scarf, revealing his reddened face. “I’ll take off my stuff so you can see I’m just a regular guy.”

Your body language changed when you saw that he was a handsome guy your age. You blushed a little and looked around the room to gather yourself.

“Your skin is freezing.” You sighed as you touched a warm hand to his cold cheek. “How long have you been out there?”

“A while. I can’t feel anything below my neck.”

“You poor thing.” You sighed and rubbed his arms to warm him up. “Come on, let’s get you warmed up.”

“Wait, what about the interrogation?” Tom wondered.

“You passed. Now come on, before you get frostbite.” You laughed as you took his hand and lead him into your living room where your family was. Tom looked around the room, seeing at least 8 children and a bunch of adults. As soon as they saw you, your cousin Clementine ran into your arms for a hug. You scooped her up and held her on your hip as you addressed your family.

“Everyone, this is Tom.” You put your hand on Toms back. “His car broke down and he needs our help.”

“How cute is he!” Your aunt Linda gushed. “Look at those brown eyes.”

“The eyes? Look at that hair. So healthy.” Your Aunt Mary added.

“Nice to meet you Tom. I’m also Tom.” Your grandfather reached forward to shake Toms hand.

“And I’m Gary.” Your other grandfather shook his hand. “Nice handshake. Strong.”

“Thank you sir.” Tom smiled shyly.

“Ah, Y/n, he’s your age.” Your grandmother gasped. “What a cute couple you’d make.”

“Do you want to see my train set?” Your brother Charlie tugged on Toms hand. “I built it myself.”

“I helped.” Your youngest brother, George, told him. “I put the tracks together.”

“I’d love to see it.” Tom smiled at him.

“Can we get you something to eat?” Your uncle Jason asked Tom. “You must be starving.”

“How about a drink? Do you like hot chocolate? I just made some.” Aunt Linda offered.

“Have a seat, dear.” Your mom led Tom to a chair. “You must have been walking for miles.”

“A friend of mine owns the best auto shop in town. I’ll give him a call for you to see about your car.” Your uncle Richard said as he went to get the house phone.

“Thank you, sir. I greatly appreciate that.” Tom nodded in appreciation.

“Did you hear that?” Your mom gasped. “Manners.”

“And that accent.” Aunt Mary winked. “Oh, Y/n, he’s perfect for you.”

“Aunt Mary.” You glared at her. “We just met.”

“Oh, you must be freezing. I’ll get you a sweater.” Your other grandmother moved towards the closet.

“Make Y/n get it.” Your grandma waved her hand in dismissal. “You need to focus on the food.”

“Y/n, would you take Tom to get a fresh set of clothes? He’ll catch his death in this weather.” Your mother asked you.

“Please, don’t let me put you to any trouble.” Tom tried to stop them from going to great lengths for him.

“Nonsense. You’re our guest.” Your mother smiled at him.

“Follow me.” You put Clementine down and took Toms hand, leading him to one of the bedrooms.

“You have such a big family.” Tom commented as you reached the room.

“I know.” You smiled proudly as you got clothes out of the closet. “Every holiday is a huge celebration. It’s the only time we all get to be together.”

“That’s really great that you’re all so close.” Tom smiled as he looked at the family pictures hanging on the wall.

“Yeah. I wouldn’t trade them for anything. Here.” You handed him clothes. “You can put on anything you find and leave your wet clothes in the bathroom.”

You went to leave the room but Tom grabbed your arm.

“Y/n?” Tom asked.

“Yes, Tom?”

“Thank you. I really appreciate you letting me in.” Tom smiled warmly.

“And I really appreciate you not chopping my family up and turning us into soup.” You smiled back before leaving the room. You waited a few minutes before coming back in once you assumed Tom was finished changing.

“I found some more sweaters if none of those...” You trailed off when you saw what Tom was wearing.

“What?” Tom asked in confusion as he looked down at the sweater.

“That’s my dads sweater. I haven’t seen it in years.” You smiled softly as you ran your fingers down the material of the sweater.

“It’s so soft.” Tom chuckled as he felt it as well. “He doesn’t wear it anymore?”

“No. He um, he passed away a few years ago.” You admitted, keeping your eyes down.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I can take it off.” Tom immediately went to remove it.

“No, it’s okay.” You stopped him. “It suits you.”

“Tom! Y/n!” Your aunt Linda called from the living room. “Hot chocolate is ready!”

“Come on.” You took his hand. “My aunt makes really good hot chocolate. You’ll love it.”

Tom blushed behind your back as you lead him to the kitchen, feeling intimidated when he saw your entire family sitting down.

“There you two are.” Your mother smiled. “We were just sitting down to eat.”

“You can sit next to me.” You pulled Tom to two empty seats. He pulled your chair out for you, making you smile.

“I wanna sit with Tom.” Daisy whined.

“No, I do.” George pouted.

“You can sit across from me.” Tom told George. “And I’ll sit in the middle of Y/n and Daisy.”

“I called the auto shop.” Your uncle told Tom. “They can’t send anybody out here until the morning. Hope you don’t spending the night here.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it.” Tom shook his head. “I’m sure I’ll find a hotel around here.”

“Nonsense. You’ll never make it to a hotel. Plus, we have a perfectly good bed right here.” Your grandpa insisted.

“I don’t want to put you to too much trouble.” Tom told your family. “You’ve already done so much for me.”

“It’s no trouble at all. We’re happy to have you here.” Your other grandpa said.

“Hot chocolate, for you.” Aunt Linda placed two mugs down in front of you and Tom.

“Would you like some potatoes?” Aunt Mary passed him the bowl.

“How about some greens? I put a little brown sugar on them to make them taste good.” Aunt Linda put some on Toms plate.

“You have to try this. It’s my special recipe.” Your grandma put a baked zucchini next to the green beans.

“My wife makes the best stuffing.” Uncle Gary chuckled as he put some on Toms plate. “You’ll want to take some before the kids get it all.”

“Ooo. Make sure you get some cranberry sauce.” Your mother filled the last empty spot on Toms dish.

“Thank you. All of you. I really appreciate your kindness.” Tom smiled fondly at the table, his heart warming with gratitude.

“It’s the holiday season. Kindness is the most important gift you can give.” Your grandpa declared.

“Tom, do you want to play dolls with me after dinner?” Your cousin Ivy asked.

“No, he has to see my train set first.” Charlie spoke up.

“We could put the dolls on the train.” Tom suggested, making all the children grin.

“Did you hear that? He’s a genius.” Lucas said to Spencer.

“How long is Tom gonna stay with us?” Ivy asked her mom.

“Can he stay in my room tonight? I have stars on my ceiling.” Lucas told Tom.

“That sounds really cool, Lucas.” Tom nodded. “You’ll have to show me.”

“Are you and Y/n gonna get married?” Clementine wondered out loud, making you slap your hand to your forehead while Tom laughed.

“We just met, Clementine.” You said shyly as you pushed your food around your plate.

“Do you like pie Tom?” Aunt Linda piped up. “I made apple and cherry.”

“And I made pumpkin.” You leaned towards him to tell him.

“I like pumpkin.” Tom smiled at you, leaning in as well.

“Me too.” You giggled as you bumped shoulders with him.

“Oh look!” Aunt Mary gasped. “You two are under the mistletoe.”

You and Tom looked up and sure enough, a bustle of mistletoe was hanging above your heads. Toms face immediately flushed as he looked at you, but you were busy giving an unamused look to your family.

“Wow.” You said sarcastically. “It’s almost like someone hung mistletoe over the only two empty seats at the table.”

“Maybe it was a coincidence.” Tom squeaked.

“Uh Uh.” You shook your head. “This was no coincidence. My family did this on purpose.”

You punctuated your sentence by standing up and taking the mistletoe down, making your family roll their eyes and huff.

“We’re not gonna kiss.” You declared as you set the mistletoe down on the table. “Not like this.”

Tom perked up at your words, but appeared to be the only one that heard it. He looked around the table for witnesses, but found that your family had given up and started eating. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched you slip the mistletoe into your cardigan pocket. Tom eyes you curiously but didn’t say anything as he began to eat his food.

After dinner, Tom helped you clear the table while the kids ran off to play. You couldn’t help but smile at him as he stood next to your grandmother, drying the dishes as she washed them.

“Look at him.” Your grandmother gawked. “He’s helping me wash the dishes.”

“Y/n, if you don’t marry him, I will.” Your mom clicked her tongue, making you roll your eyes.

“Stop it.” You scolded. “No one here marrying him. We don’t even know if he’s single.”

“Well, Tom, are you seeing anyone?” Aunt Mary asked him as she put the dishes away.

“I’m not, no.” Tom answered as he kept his eyes on you. You gave him a coy smile before looking away.

“Then when are you taking Y/n on a date?” Aunt Linda asked, making you gasp.”

“Aunt Linda!” You exclaimed. “That’s enough. Nothings gonna happen between us if you’re all poking around in our business. We’re leaving. Come on, Tom.”

Tom gave an apologetic look to your family as he followed you out of the room. You took his hand and brought him to one of the rooms, presumably the one you were staying in.

“Sorry about that.” You sighed as you shut the door behind you. “They’re always trying to set me up.”

“Has it ever worked before?” Tom asked, a hint of jealousy in his words.

“I don’t know.” You shrugged and flicked your eyes to the ceiling. “You tell me.”

Tom followed your eyes and looked up as well, smiling a little when he saw mistletoe badly taped above your heads.

“Hm.” Tom played coy. “Now, where did that come from?”

“I took it from the dining room.” You laughed. “It’d be a shame to go to waste.”

“You know what?” Tom smirked as he hooked his pinky under your chin, tilting your lips closer to his. “I was thinking the same thing.”

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[writers-whim]

Descended from the Stars (III)

II                       III                               IV

Holding back tears I say goodbye to Gran and watch as she starts her hours drive back to the secluded house I've called home for the past six years. I'm left standing in front of the Academy's main entrance, hearing and seeing a few other students saying their own goodbyes as I pass them, entering the Academy. 

The campus is enormous. It could be considered its own town or city with its size. Tall white painted concrete walls separate the campus and the outside world, even though it's in the middle of nowhere. The tall iron gate I'd just come through seems to be the only way in or out.

Closing my eyes I take a deep breathe, gathering the courage to continue walking further into the Academy. Snapping them open I begin my journey through the secluded paradise.

Patches of grass are spread evenly throughout the large space, wooden benches and small trees adding life to the place along with the groups occupying them. A tall fountain sits in the centre of the large open area, roads branching in every direction from it.

Nocte Academy is more than I expected it to be. I'd expected a large modern building at the front where classes would be held, dorms in separate buildings out the back along with sports fields and other classroom blocks. High school has influenced me too much.

I follow the main road to the fountain before turning in every direction, taking in as much as possible. Most of the roads that branched off from the fountain lead to rows and rows of two-story houses in colors ranging from red to white to black and every other color on the spectrum. Cars are parked outside many of them leading to the conclusion that they're occupied by the second year and above students.

One or two of the roads lead to rows of shops selling clothes, school supplies, food, etc. I can faintly make out the green of a football field or park further down another. A large build labeled 'Performing Arts' takes up one side of another road, the other being occupies by an art gallery and more stores.

The main road continues straight ahead to the main campus building, the entrance to the main hall already crowded with first years. As I continue forwards the positioning of the footpath allowed me to get a better view of what I have already seen and observed more of the campus. 

More houses can be seen further out in what seems to be a more secluded area, only these were much larger two-story homes with only a few three-story homes at the furthest point of the road. A large forested area appears on the horizon next to the larger homes, blocking the view of anything beyond.

Pulling my luggage up the stairs leading to the entrance, I huff when I get to the top, blowing a stray piece of hair away from my eyes. Walking inside I look around, people chat with each other, standing diligent by their luggage as more people enter and try to find space in the mass of people in the hall.

A raised stage is at the far end of the hall, a large bulletin board beside it. A boy walks up to the microphone on the stage, clearing his throat before waiting for silence. Everyone quickly complied.

He gives a toothy grin as he begins speaking. "Welcome first years to Nocte Academy! I'm glad you made it on time even though there will always be the stragglers. I am Kim WeiJin and I am the student representative for the fourth years of the academy. I want to wish you all good luck with your studies here and for your future after Nocte."

His deep voice resonates through the large hall, his slight Chinese accent is amplified by the mic. "As you know Nocte is known as one of the most prestigious schools in the world..." He goes on to explain rules and some of the buildings of the academy.

"Now, if you were paying attention as you came through the main road you would have noticed the houses on the Southside of the property. Those are your dorms. At Nocte we don't want you to dread coming here because it is a school, we want you to feel at home and prepare you for life outside these four walls if you don't already have your own house." A buzz arose from the crowd as the purpose of the houses is revealed.

"There will be no bills and no mortgage but you will have to cook and clean the house for yourself. For the first term, there will scheduled checks and throughout the rest of the year these checks will be random meaning you have to constantly manage your home," the buzz grows louder as Weijin revealed more and more.

"Once you are given your dorm number that is it for the next four years, incoming first-years will take residence in the lots left by the graduated fourth years so the living area of each year group will rotate each year. North is fourth years, East Third, South Second and First West. This is not only the direction of the residential areas but also the name of the street you will need to take to get there." Heads tilt as some fail to understand the new information given by the Fourth year.

"The list of where you will be staying is posted on the board next to the stage, the number corresponds to the house you will live in. Move-in, settle down and explore before classes start on Monday. Your time table will be in your letterbox."

People begin pushing and shoving to get to the board and get out as soon as possible with the air becoming quickly humid and stuffy with so many people. I press myself against the wall as thoughts run rampant through my mind. What sort of school is this? Am I not supposed to be here? Was I not supposed to be given a letter?

WeiJin speaks again, yelling into the mic to be heard over the noise that has arisen from the crowd. "Can Avery Lee please meet me outside for a moment." This only amplifies my fears and made my heart beats faster as worry sets in. Those who heard the announcement begin chatting even louder while those who didn't remain oblivious. I glance at WeiJin again only to see him already gone from his place on the stage. I hurriedly grab my bags and speed walk outside. 

The light of WeiJin’s glasses almost blinds me as I advance down the stairs, the reflected light beam hitting me straight in the eye. He looks up as he hears the tapping of my luggage on the steps, looking me up and down as I made my way to him.

"Your an odd case Avery." He looks me straight in the eyes, not at all disturbed by their unnaturally bright green hue.

"Huh? What does that mean?" He laughs, loud and boisterous, attracting attention from those around us.

"Walk with me and I'll tell you as we head to your dorm." He turns on his heal practically skipping in the other direction before pausing and waving a hand at my still frozen form. I scramble to catch up with him as he goes back to his skipping.

"The Principal wanted me to explain something to you. You're a special case and I was surprised to hear that you had been admitted in for several reasons-"

"What reasons?" I interrupt his little rant, eager for answers.

"We'll get to that later. All the other students know what this school is really about and you are the odd one out in that category which is why I'm here to explain and answer any questions you may have."

We pause as we reach the end of the road. In front of us stands one of the large three-story houses I'd seen earlier, the biggest of them all. Large windows and vines loomed over us as we made our way through the front door. Making our way to what I assume is the living room we sit on the leather couches sitting in front of the unlit fireplace.

"Where are we?" WeiJin grins again as I express my cluelessness.

"This is your dorm, well house, mansion thing." I'm pretty sure my eyes bulge out of my head.

"My house? This?" He nods in response. "Wow."

"Yip, however as cool as this place is I still need to explain everything to you so get comfy."

I lean back into the black leather and grip a red fluffy pillow close to my chest as WeiJin completely distorts my view of reality.

"Wait, what?" I ask not understanding anything WeiJin's just told me. WeiJin sighs in either annoyance or frustration. It's more than likely a combination of both.

"We are all summoners." He repeats his words as if he talking to a toddler, staring unblinkingly into my eyes to get his point across.

"Summoners? Like demons and stuff?" I scratch my head in confusion.

"Kind of. Summoner is a general term used to describe those who have the ability to summon entities from a realm outside our own. All those who can be summoned are summoned through a card connected to their spiritual being allowing their master to summon them at will once they have bonded." WeiJin explains.

So many questions I want to be answered float to the forefront of my mind however I'll let him finish before overwhelming him with them all. I nod, biting my lip slightly as a signal for him to continue.

"Everyone here at the academy was brought up with the knowledge of all this so you are a special case that is the first of its kind here, this means because this is all new to you I will need to explain everything which will take a while." Taking his cue I resume I leaned back position, hugging a cushion from beside me close to my chest.

"Warriors, as a general term, are beings from the stars. Each Warrior can harness an ability from one of the five specialties of Fire, Water, Earth, Air and Spirit. Summoners, in turn, use their powers by ordering their bonded Warriors to do as they wish. Warriors are connected to cards by their spiritual essence meaning each card will summon only the warrior it is connected to. You get cards through trials while others are passed through the generations and others are claimed by the victor of a death battle." He pauses waiting for me to absorb the new information.

"Warriors have four ranks Zodiac, Disciples, Descendants, and Desaliars. There are only twelve Zodiac. The Zodiac is the most powerful Warriors and has powers that fall outside or on the extremely more powerful end of one or more of the five specialties. They are one of a kind and are the only one of their constellation. They are believed to be only a myth as they have not been seen by anyone in millennia. 

Disciples are those from the Desaliar rank, which I will cover in a moment, who have chosen to follow the Zodiac as gods, worshiping them and in turn, gain similar but extremely weaker abilities and forfeit their own." He pauses again waiting until I nod to continue.

"Descendants are those who are apart of a constellation and other than slightly stronger abilities nothing is different about them. A single constellation is shared by several Desaliars.  Desaliars are the weakest of the Warriors and are the most common among Summoners. They are not connected to a constellation and are weaker than the other three rankings. The Summoners are ranked instars one to five by their ability to control their cards and battle with them as well as their own  capabilities." 

He pauses again only this time I relent to asking a question as my restraint weakens. "What happens to the Warriors in their cards?" 

He cocks his head at the odd question but answers anyway. "We don't know really. Because they are connected to stars and constellations, we suspect that their spirit returns to their connected star and waits to be called again. Maybe they live in the cards, maybe they are trapped in nothingness, who knows. " He shrugs in nonchalance as if he'd never even thought about it.

"What does this have to do with me?" I tighten my hold on the cushion as WeiJin smiles.

"Avery, this school is for Summoners to learn how to be Summoners and control their Warriors, giving them the chance to gain new ones at the same time through trials set up by the Council."

"That can't be true. I'm not a Summoner. I didn't know anything about this before you started talking." I begin to panic, unwilling to accept this new aspect of the world.

"Avery, I know you don't believe me but let me prove to you then you can bombard me with as many questions as you want, I know you have been holding them back."

I watch as he reaches into a brown pouch at his side, pulling out a silvery grey card with lilac spirals dancing across its surface. Holding it flat in his hand his brow creases lightly as a small flash of light appears next to him, fading to reveal a boy with black hair with white tips, dressed in grey and black with lilac accessories such as his belt and shoelaces.

"You called me Master?" Despite is slight smile his voice is monotone and blank of any emotions, as are his eyes, I note as I look closer.

"See Avery, this is all real." WeiJin leans forward as he places the card back in his pouch, the Warrior standing beside him not moving an inch.

"The fuck is this?! He wasn't there before! What was with that light? What the fuck is going on?" I leap, rapid-fire, into my questions taking full advantage of his invitation.

"This is Shin he is apart of the Spirit specialty and possesses the power of Hypnosis. That light occurs whenever a Warrior is summoned and it takes a lot of training to control its intensity." I stay frozen, almost matching the state of the warrior before me.

"You okay Avery?" No, I'm not okay. My whole world, the last nineteen years of my life flipped on its head. Destroyed. Gone. Unbelievable. 

"This...is all real?" It sounds more like a question as the statement escapes from my parted lips.

"Yes." Damn his calm and collected self. I sigh heavily, recovering from my almost mental breakdown. "This is going to take some getting used to but eventually you'll get used to it." Another encouraging smile is sent my way by the Chinese charmer himself.

"Do you have any other questions?" What don't I want to question is a more accurate question. "How do Summoners and their Warriors usually interact, I mean I need to know if I want to fit in."

"Summoners order their Warriors and Warriors follow. If they disobey or ignore an order they are punished in whatever way their Master sees fit even if it means destruction, which is only achieved through fire by the way. Summoners can do as they wish to the Warriors they have bonded with but if they discipline or do anything to other Warriors, outside of battle, that their Master doesn't like, the Summoner will be punished before the Council. Some get their cards striped, others are whipped." He says it so casually I get goose bumps even imagining having to discipline or punish a Warrior outside of battle.

"Other than that, Warriors generally follow their Summoners command, in order for them to get stronger, their Summoner has to get better at wielding them and giving orders, however, most don't try to help their Summoners improve, settling with just taking orders. Although there are some who do try to help, they are usually shot down before any actual improvements." WeiJin comments, smirking as he looks towards Shin.

"Relax, for now, look around your new place and try to read up as much as you can in the library I was told was upstairs on our world. Take it easy, you might even find a card hidden in this place, who knows." The light shines again as WeiJin sends his Warrior back to his card, standing as he does so. He pats my shoulder as he walks past me towards the door.

"Hang on, you haven't told me how to claim or summon a Warrior." WeiJin spins a look of horror on his face as he misses out likely the most important part of being a Summoner. 

"Right. To bond with a card, you must place a drop of your blood on the face of the card and a Warrior will appear. Once bonded you name them and they are yours to do as you wish. From then on to summon them you can either call to them mentally or verbally by saying something like 'Jeff of Cygnus I summon you' or something like that or you can kiss their card."

"This is sounding more and more like Pokémon." I deadpan taking notice of the fact that he said I would name my Warriors, depersonalizing them even further. I'm not liking the norm of this society so far.

WeiJin chuckles as he turns and begins making his way out again calling back before he left the house completely. "Basically. Good luck Avery." Then I was alone.

Staying curled up on the couch I contemplate moving and only do so once I realize that my luggage is still sitting at the foot of the staircase by the entrance.

Climbing the stairs I drag my suitcase behind me, my smaller duffle bag riding on top of it as the larger is slung over my shoulder. The staircase itself is grand with dark railing and red steps. Cream carpet covers each step and the hallway it leads into on the second floor.

Stopping to explore I leave my luggage at the base of the second set of stairs I open the first door of the hallway revealing a linen closet. I seal the door and push on to the next door. This one opens into a room filled to the brim with books. The library.

The next few doors reveal what seems to be small guest rooms, each with  closet and bathroom, more closets and the main floor bathroom.

Picking up my luggage again I proceed up to the third and final floor of the house. This time instead of leading to another hallway, it spans into an open circular room with one hallway splitting off from it.

The room itself is furnished by three leather couches, a TV, a piano in a corner, small bookcases and photo frames filling the blank spaces on the walls.

Turning I begin down the hallway, opening every door I reach only to quickly realize they're all bedrooms, larger than those downstairs and decorated as if they were on a home and garden magazine cover.

Each has its theme of one or more colors like green, blue, red and brown. Each, like those downstairs, has a closet and bathroom. None of them take my eye enough to call my own.

Moving my way back into the main room I spot a pair of double doors made of the same dark oak as the rest of the house, sitting directly opposite the hallway explaining why I hadn't seen them when I first came up.

Opening them all air is pushed from my lungs as I gape in amazement. The room has the same cream carpet as the rest of the house but the walls are a vibrant purple, matching the rug and some of the smaller pillows on the bed.

Light blue curtains, bedspread, and pillows complement the ceiling that is painted to look like the sky. Small holes indicate to me that once night fell and the room turned dark, the ceiling would go from day to night, the small holes glowing like stars.

White sliding doors reveal a large closet that would fit all my clothing and still have room left over. Another door next to it spans into my own bathroom, an oak vanity, three white walls with a dark tile feature wall, a large bath, shower and toilet in pure white. This alone was heaven.

A set of white doors heads out on to a balcony that overlooks the back yard, forest, pool and enabled me to see a large chunk of the campus. I can't help but wonder why I, the clueless newbie have been given the largest and most private house on campus.

I leave my bags in my room and make my way back down to the bottom floor, going back to opening every door I notice. There are the living room and the ash grey and white kitchen across from it. A large dining room that could seat at least twelve opened on from the kitchen.

Another bathroom similar to my own is tucked next to a small laundry that was hidden away near the back door which leads out to the open backyard where a set of outdoor furniture sits on a paved area facing out towards the forest, while the pool rests opposite from it.

Returning to my room I arrange all my belongings where they should be, then take down some of the empty photo frames to put pictures in them at some point. A few of my trinkets are placed on the mantel of the fireplace in the living room while others end up perched in the bookcases or on shelves within one of the three floors.

I don't touch any bedroom except my own, they're fine as they are.

Three hours later and everything is where it should be, neatly organized and clean. My mind is still reeling from everything WeiJin told and showed me, still not able to process it all. Hoping sleep would help I flop onto my bed, curl up and close my eyes, blocking out the world around me as I fade from consciousness.

[travelingtheusa]

NORTH CAROLINA

5 Dec 2019 (Thu) – We drove into Wilmington today.  It was about an hour away.  First stop was at the Bellamy Mansion.  A doctor lived there with his wife and nine children.  It was a beautiful building.  An unusual aspect was that the dining room was in the basement. The main floor had four parlor rooms. Upstairs had many rooms; presumably bedrooms for all the kids and their nine slaves.  The mansion had four floors.  The docent who took us on a tour was very chatty and he knew so much about the family and the time period.  It was a very interesting visit.

��   Next stop was at Front Street Brewery. We enjoyed a nice meal and Paul had a flight of six beers to sample.  We walked around the neighborhood for a bit.  There were many antebellum homes.  The area was very beautiful.  The main road had dozens of houses lining the roadway; each with a plaque describing its date of construction and who lived there.

    After lunch and the local tour, we drove to the Railroad Museum.  It was mostly a model train center.  After admiring all the little trains and towns, we climbed up onto a caboose, a train engine, and a box car decorated with hobos.  

    When we got back, we gathered up information about the SMART club and went over to talk with another camper. He and his wife were interested in hearing about the club.  Another woman was visiting and joined in the conversation, too.  A man came running over, grabbed a brochure, thanked us, and ran back to his rig.  That was very funny.

 4 Dec 2019 (Wed) – We drove to the North Carolina Aquarium this morning. Their roof was undergoing repair from the recent hurricane.  When we first arrived, we saw a lone construction guy up on the very high peak. Not only did it look lonely, it looked very dangerous.  He was on a glass roof that was over the reptile area that included a 15 foot albino alligator.  Talk about dangerous jobs!!!

    We spent about an hour in the aquarium. It was small and half of it wasn’t accessible because of the roof damage.  There was nothing we hadn’t seen somewhere else.

    Lunch was at Jack Makerel’s Restaurant. It was a pub located in a lovely old building.  The food was good and they had a flight of beers that Paul thoroughly enjoyed.

    After lunch, we went to Fort Fisher Historical Site.  There was a battle there during the Civil War.  It was gruesome!  The battle lasted more than two days.  There were 1,400 North Carolinians and 300 south Carolinans who held off 10,000 northern forces for 58 hours.  The battle raged on and at the end, everyone was reduced to clubbing each other in hand-to-hand combat.  When Fort Fisher finally fell to overwhelming forces in January 1865, it marked the beginning of the end.  Robert E. Lee surrendered in April 1865.  Today, many of the redans are still in place.  A replica of a large canon sits inside a small fenced area.  Across the street stands a tall monument in tribute to the men who died during the battle.    

 3 Dec 2019 (Tue) – The weather cleared up and while it is still cool in the low 50s, at least the rain stopped.  We pulled up stakes and headed out to Fort Fisher Air Force Recreation Area Campground at 9:30 am.  It is a National Guard Training Base with a campground.  There is no gate and no base facilities.  They do have a swimming pool that is closed for the season.  The area suffered damage from Hurricane Dorian in September and there is a lot of repair work in progress.  There was a crew putting a new roof on the registration office.

    This is a very nice beach town. There are rows of pastel colored three-story homes, many with signs offering the house for rent.  Most of the buildings are empty as this is not the popular season.  We are on a narrow island with the Atlantic Ocean on one side and a bay on the other. We walked out onto the Kure Beach Pier. There were dozens of birds looking for goodies from the many fishermen on the pier.  One guy had just caught a blowfish and was throwing it back in.  He said he was trying to catch trout or whiting. The stretch of beach on either side of the pier reminded me of California.

    We went to dinner at Fred’s Italian Restaurant.  It was a cute little place and was about half full.  Paul had pork chops, baked potato, and applesauce.  I had shrimp scampi.  While Paul was happy with his meal, I didn’t like mine.  The appetizer (crab dip) had too much parmesan in it. The bread dip was more vinegar than oil. My shrimp was tough and chewy. The angel hair pasta was bland. My sangria was too dry.  All in all, I did not enjoy the meal.  Except for the company.  He was perfect!  And the ambiance was nice, too.  :-)

 2 Dec 2019 (Mon) – We went for a walk down by the water yesterday.  The marina was very quiet – no cars, no planes, no people.  It was very peaceful.  While we were looking out over the water, a fish broke out of the water.  It turned out to be two dolphins swimming by.  One was larger than the other so we thought it was a mother and child making their way up the river.  The sighting was a delightful treat!

    While I did some baking this morning, Paul did the laundry.  They have a small set up here in the campground with two washers and three dryers.

1 Dec 2019 (Sun) – It rained all night.  At least it wasn’t noisy like our popup used to be.  When it rained in that one, it sounded like popcorn popping.  It was raining when we got up and rained on and off all day today.

    We left at 11:30 a.m. and drove around the base, exploring the area.  This is a very large base with lots of amenities.  They have a golf course, a yacht club, two marinas, a couple of recreation areas, lounges, a movie theater, and a large housing complex. They rent out campers and boats to the marines on base.

    After checking out the base, we drove toward Beaufort.  On the way, we stopped for lunch at a restaurant called Smithfield’s Chicken BBQ. It was kind of like a McDonald’s. You walked up to a counter with the menu overhead behind the counter.  You gave your order and got a number then took a seat.  When your food was ready, a waitress brought it out to your table.  While we were eating, wait staff came by offering to clear away garbage and offering refills on our drinks (very UNLIKE McDonald’s).  The food was pretty good.

     When done, we continued on to Beaufort to the North Carolina Maritime Museum.  A great deal of the museum was dedicated to the story of pirates in general, and Blackbeard in particular.  Queen Ann’s Revenge, Blackbeard’s flagship, was found sunk a half mile off the coast here in North Carolina.  They had artifacts from the ship and detailed stories of the ship’s plunder.  After going through the museum, we went across the street to the Watercraft Center where a lone volunteer was working on a project.  We got to talking to him and he regaled us with details of the boats they make there.  It was very interesting.

     On the way back to the base, we stopped at a Food Lion to pick up groceries and Pet Smart to get food for Bonnie and Sheba.

 30 Nov 2019 (Sat) – We went to the Galley for breakfast again today.  We were the only people in there for about 20 minutes then four Coast Guardsmen came in.  The cafeteria has never been very full each time we have been in there.

    After breakfast, we finished packing up and left the base.  It rained most of the drive to the Cherry Point MCAS (Marine Corps Air Station) in Havelock. The office was closed but a packet was sitting outside with paperwork for us.  After we set up, we settled in and just watched TV for the afternoon.  I just couldn’t get warm.

     After feeding the animals, we went out for dinner to a Mexican restaurant.  The food was very good.  The margaritas were listed on the menu as small, large, monster, and pitcher.  Paul got the monster and I got the large. They were VERY filling!

      When finished, we drove back on the base to the shopping complex looking for the package store.  While there were several stores in the complex, there was no liquor shop.  We drove a block down the road to the gas station figuring that they might have wine and liquor in there like they do on other bases.  Sure enough, they did and we picked up some drinks.

    During the drive from Elizabeth City to Havelock, we passed many small and run down homes.  There were also lots of trailers along the way, too.  Based on all those homes, we think this is a pretty poor state.

29 Nov 2019 (Fri) – We got up early and went to the Galley for breakfast. The choices were pretty good:  scrambled or hard boiled eggs, sausage (it was cold), ham, diced potatoes, and pancakes. There was a waffle maker on the counter but no batter.  You could toast bread or bagels.  The coffee was like flavored dishwater.  Ugh. The cost was even better:  $7.50 for both of us!  This is pretty good cost-wise.

    After breakfast, we drove to the Outer Banks.  First stop was at the visitor’s center to get another map.  They also had a centennial memorial to flight next to the center. Starting with the first flight by the Wright Brothers in 1903, there were several columns in an oval, each listing several aviation firsts, and ending with 2003.  It was interesting to see how far we have come in one hundred years.

    We drove more than two hours to the end of Pea Island to Hatteras.  There was a great looking museum – “Graveyard of the Atlantic” – that was closed. That was very disappointing.  We parked and walked out to the seashore.  There were many vehicles parked on the beach and it seemed like there was a fishing competition going on.  People were standing on the beach casting lines into the crashing waves.  There were several commercial boats fishing out in the ocean. One particular boat had hundreds of birds flying around it. We figured they were probably fileting their catch and the birds were looking for scraps.  Paul got pictures of pelicans flying by.  We stood on the beach and watched everything for a while then left.

    We then stopped at the Cape Hatteras Light Station.  The museum was also closed (bummer).  You could buy a ticket to climb the 210 foot tall lighthouse but we did not.  It looked like it was the same height as the Fire Island Lighthouse but when we checked it online, it turned out it was only 167 feet.  Significantly smaller than the Cape Hatteras station.

    Lunch was at the Buxton Munch.  It was a very small restaurant but very busy. It was rated number one of 48 in Buxton. We both had crab cake sandwiches which were OK but not as good as the crab cakes we had the other day.

    After we got back, fed the animals, and walked Bonnie, we went to dinner at the Galley.  They had the typical choices:  two proteins (hot dogs or chicken breast), one starch (rice), two vegetables (peas or collards), and hush puppies (I’m not sure what they are). The mess hall closed at 5:45 p.m. and although we were still eating, they shut all the TVs off promptly at 5:45. They were in a hurry to get home!  It was clear that it was time to leave.

    28 Nov 2019 (Thu – Thanksgiving Day) – Since it was a holiday, we assumed everything was closed and just stayed around the campground today.  At 5 p.m., we went to the Coast Guard Galley (cafeteria) for dinner.  They had turkey and ham, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, corn bread, salad fixings, soup, and various cakes and pies for dessert.  Most of it was canned; not fresh made.  Oh well.  It was holiday meal.  And it only cost us $7.70 each ($15.40).  What a deal!!

 27 Nov 2019 (Wed) –We were planning on leaving Friday, November 29, for southern North Carolina.  Unfortunately, the camp host said they did not have anything on that day but the next day was open.  So we changed our departure date to the 30th, meaning we could go back to Cape Hatteras the day after Thanksgiving.

      We went to the Museum of the Albemarle this morning.  It was a nice museum but all reading.  They divided the history of the area by eras – the Railroad Era, the Automotive Era, etc. It was a little confusing.  

     We went to the movies tonight and saw “Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.”  It was not what I expected.  Rather than being a movie about the life of Mr. Rogers, it told the story of a conflicted news reporter who was affected by Mr. Rogers.  Tom Hanks was good, as always, but I don’t think I really cared for the movie.

26 Nov 2019 (Tue) – What a great day we had today.  First, we drove to the Wright Brothers National Memorial at Kitty Hawk.  There was a visitor’s center with a small display area telling the basic story of the Wright Brothers’ lives and accomplishments.  Out in the open field, there was a stone marker commemorating the 25th anniversary of the first manned flight.  There were also four markers, each for their successive flights on December 17, 1903.  The first attempt failed.  The second try lasted 12 seconds.  The third was also 12 seconds long; the fourth was 15 seconds; and the last, and most famous, lasted 59 seconds.  There was a young boy at the field on that day.  He was 8 years old and had skipped school to watch the planned flight.  He lived to see man land on the moon 66 years later.  Wasn’t that amazing?!?!?  It is so incredible how far we went from those early flight experiments.

    There was a large monument up on a hill. That was where the brothers flew their gliders from.  They set many records for gliding.  Down on the walk was a picture commemorating the 25th anniversary celebration.  In it were Orville Wright and Amelia Earhart. It gave me chills.

    When we left the Wright Brothers memorial, we drove down the main road on the Outer Banks until we came to a local brewery where we stopped for lunch.  Paul did a beer flight and I had a glass of wine.  The food was pub fare – good but nothing to write home about.

    After lunch, we continued down the main drag to the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site.  This was the site of the Lost Colony.  In 1581, explorers from England arrived on Roanoke Island.  They befriended the natives and explored the area then returned to England.  They came back the following year and left again.  In 1984, a group of 115 people arrived from England planning to colonize the area. When winter came, they were starving and in need of many things.  Captain John Raleigh was convinced to return to England to get supplies for the colony. When he got home, he found England at war with France.  He was not able to get a boat or provisions to take back to the colony for three years. When he was able to return to the colony in 1987, there was no sign of the colony.  Everyone was gone.  No one has ever been able to figure out what happened to the colonists.

25 Nov 2019 (Mon) – We left Fort Belvoir, VA at a little after 9 a.m.  It was a 3 hour drive to Coast Guard Base Elizabeth.  Signage on base was poor and the camp area was hard to find.  We only have 30 amp hookup.  The camp area is in a small circle on a corner.  The other, 50 amp, area is nicer.  Maybe next time.

     We explored the base.  It is a small training base.  There is a Galley (dining hall) that we can eat at because I am retired.  We walked over and looked over the menu.  I think we will probably eat Thanksgiving dinner there.

     The Base Exchange was nice and we picked up a couple of bottles of wine.

[life-of-lizbet]

another "celebrity" sighting (yesterday) and sorry for the long Independence Day post

For those of y'all who don’t understand Independence Day weekend in Wolfeboro, let me explain…

Everyone with a summer house/family with a summer house/etc. flocks to Wolfeboro for the long weekend to escape the madness that is the Boston and its suburbs and New York City and it’s suburbs. (My friend’s mom has a lake house in Wolfeboro, and their friends from California are up for the week. I’m not kidding when I say everyone flocks here- I’m just glad I’m not working.)

I’ve already explained Jimmy Fallon and Mitt Romney (and other politicians) in my previous posts. Yesterday my dad told me that another “celebrity” was in the store. I say “celebrity” with quotations because it’s not like the average person would know who this dude is, like with Jimmy Fallon (okay maybe his stache would throw you off) or Mitt Romney. The owner of the Boston Celtics (basketball) was in yesterday. I was like “no way!” Wyc Grousbeck is his name, and according to my dad in the past he’s given two of our coworkers tickets to see the Celtics play. You can’t make this crap up, I’m tellin’ ya!

Okay, back to Independence Day in Wolfeboro. As I sit here writing this (~9:40 am), the parade is gathering to step off at 10 am sharp. This is the first year (I’m pretty sure ever?) that I won’t be in Wolfeboro for Independence Day, and it’s actually kind of sad. For the last 6 years I’ve marched in the parade with the Cate Park community band, and before that I’d always watch the parade with my family- each year it would be a different combination of my family, depending on who was around. Sometimes my aunt would come over from Maine, other years we’d watch the parade with my grandparents, and still others we would watch it with my grandmother and her friend (and whoever she invited along).

The last 6 years that I’ve marched in the parade (last year with my brother, he plays the trumpet), we’d have to be out of the house by 9 am, give or take, to make it into town by around 9:15 am. Depending on the year, my mom would drive me up to the starting point, up South Main Street (which turns into North Main Street) or as the case was last year, my brother and I simply walked from the store parking lot up South Main Street. It’s about a 7-ish minute walk uphill, depending on how fast you can book it. My mom found it easier to dump us (or just myself, if my brother wasn’t marching) in the parking lot. I’d hike up the street with my saxophone and music in hand, ready to take on the parade.

A few short stories from Independence Days of years past-

It must have been either 2 or 3 years ago now that this happened. So the way the parade works, is everyone lines up in order of groups. We’re the band, and we march, so we’re like the third group to go off. Therefore, we line up at the very front. Every other group lines up behind us. This parade lineup stretches god knows how long, snaking its way down residential streets. (You wouldn’t drive down that road unless you lived there, kinda deal.) Alrighty, now you have sufficient background for this story to actually make sense.

So when the parade begins, we turn left onto North Main Street, where we will march for the entirety of the parade. Just over halfway through, North Main Street becomes South Main Street, but it’s still the same road that we’re marching on. Anywho, as parade begins and we step off, we begin by playing one of the two songs we’ve chosen to march with. (We have small copies of the songs, both of which are about 5"x7".)

Once we finish the first song, we continue marching along while the drummers play to a beat so we can catch our breath and switch songs. One of the older ladies in the group (probably mid-60’s) who plays the flute was waving to one of her friends or a family member or something, but when she waved she did so with the hand that was holding the flute and BAM! it landed on the pavement. She managed to drop her flute while waving because she opened her hand 🙈😂 My god, that was hilarious. And go figure, the flute wasn’t damaged (as far as she could tell.)

Another story-

So when we finish the parade, it wraps down a side road where the private high school is. Then everyone disperses once we hear the news on when to show up for the Independence Day concert in the park that night. So we walk down the sidewalk, back the same way we came. The perks of being in the beginning of the parade- you can watch most of the parade after you’ve finished marching!

So I walked back to the store parking lot, took care of my instrument and put it in the car. Then I joined my mom and brother to watch the parade. At some point, three local people (one of them being my eye doctor), were marching along dressed in regalia that made them look like they stepped out of the year 1800 or something. They were carrying rifles and every so often along the parade route, they’d stop and shoot into the air. (The dogs never approved of this, and they made it clear.) This time, they stopped pretty much right in front of us. Now, they try to make them all go off at once- you can probably see where this is going. They aimed, they fired, and only two of them went off. The other poor soul struggled mightily. So, he tried again, and nothing but laughter from the parade-goers. Finally, he made it go off, to a sarcastic “yay” approval from the parade-goers. Whata time.

(As I’m writing this, the parade is stepping off in Wolfeboro. Happy Independence Day!)

Now, another thing to understand about Wolfeboro- because everyone and their third cousins are up for the week, that creates a lot of people who need to be fed one way or another. Many people will go out to eat once or twice, but on Independence Day, everyone is having a cookout with burgers and dogs and beer and chips and soda and macaroni salad and coleslaw and EVERYTHING. And I mean EVERYTHING. So that means that everyone has to flock to the grocery store to buy food. The locals (us who live in Wolfeboro year-round) understand that unless you are in and out of the grocery store by like 8:30am on July 3rd, don’t even bother. It’s that bad. The past few summers I’ve been working on the floor putting up freight. (Basically when the truck comes, we quickly unload all of the dairy and frozen foods and grocery items and then scramble to get it all on the shelf as quickly as humanly possible, because by 9am, you’re screwed if everything isn’t up on the shelves yet.) It’s stressful, but let me tell you time absolutely flies when you’re running around tying to get everything on the shelf so customers don’t trip over boxes of pancake mix or 12-packs of yogurt.

That’s just a very long-winded way of saying the store is packed on Independence Day weekend. Last year I had the pleasure of working a 12 hour shift on July 3rd (sarcasm is oozing from this remark, just as an FYI.) I worked 6 am to noon on the floor, putting up freight, filling the gallon water display, filling the beer and wine, filling the ice (I’ll get to that in a moment), filling the ice cream, and finally helping my dad fill the milk and orange juice cases. Phew. It’s a lot just thinking about it all.

Now, when people buy bags of ice, they either buy the 5 pound bags, which are your basic $2 bags of ice that you would usually find at your local gas station or convenience store. We also sell 10 pound blocks of ice (rarely do we sell any of these), and 25 pound bags of ice for $6.49. (It’s cheaper to buy one 25 pound bag of ice than 5 5 pound bags of ice, which is why people often go for the 25 pound bag of ice.) Now these things are rather large, and we can only fit so many of them in the freezer located in the entrance/exit hallway of the store. We can probably fit about 10-12 bags in there, but the overflow freezers outside store many more. So if own customer buys two 25 pound bags of ice, another customer buys one bag, and another customer buys three bags, well, we’re getting low on ice. So we always have to keep and eye on the ice to make sure we have enough that people can grab.

Enough on ice. Back to the chaos that is July 3rd in Wolfeboro. Because everyone flocks to the grocery stores to stock up on food and plates and beer and wine and everything else, everyone grabs a shopping cart as they enter the store. Sometimes families will grab two or three carts- it’s honestly like they’re feeding small armies. People who live on one of several islands on Lake Winnipesaukee take their boats to the town docks, so they will have to take their shopping carts down with them to the docks. We don’t require that they bring them back to the store, although some are kind enough that they do. We usually send a bagger down a couple of times over the course of the day to bring the carts back. It doesn’t take them more than 10 minutes to go down to the docks, chorale up 3 or 4 carts, and bring them back. The only problem is, it’s so busy we don’t have time to send baggers down to the docks to fetch carts until someone realizes “crap, were down to threes shopping carts in the hallway.” By then it’s maybe 10 am and one hell of a mad dash to get carts back to the store so people can shop for their food.

My home sickness (is it though? I’m not sure tbh) is probably quite evident from this post. To be fair, this is the first Independence Day I’ve spent away from home and away from my family. While I would have loved to been home for the long weekend, I’m actually kind of glad I’m not. My best friend from back home is at her summer internship at Western New England University, my mom and dad both had to work today, and I probably would have had to put up with excessive drama at home relating to everything going on at my parents work. I guess the drama can wait until I’m home and back at work in three short weeks.

Until then, Happy Independence Day, and I’ll keep y'all posted on crap my mom and dad fill me in on.

[crashpaddiaries]

Dear Crashpad Diary #26

Yooooooooo freackin beasts!! Wassssssuuuuuup??

So great to hear good news from Ireland!! Ro and Stephen are already training with Rob Hunter… the master!! ahaha Now I am the one worrying about it… they’ll become beasts and it´ll be so hard to catch up with them later on hehehe All the best vibes beasts and keep strong… it´ll hurt and youll get exhausted but itll also pay off!! =)

So… going back in time a bit and I´ll tell yas about: our adventure overnite going to Koh Tao, rainstorms, the incredible case of a Russian newbie alcoholic-wise,  fruits for free, getting close to sea urchins, things for the first time ever, Brazilians messing around, another interview, boat to Krabi, what a great start for the surfing trip, the cursed room, paid beaches and fixing the room for the AC…

coolio…. last time we were heading Koh Tao or Kho Tao or Kho Thao or Ko That…. dunno… they defo have some trouble defining what is the correct way to write down their shit heheheheh

So… the boat from Surat Thani… or Suratani or Surat Tani… hahaha same same… was pretty cool… we got there not putting much faith on it but we were surprised by the quality and the size of the boat… it was like a hostel… dunno… maybe 200 beds or so… double beds and all… we got there a bit early and left the bags to get some food outside… as it was weekend there was a huge… gigantic open air market.. with food, clothes, animals, electronics and so on… as usual… real local street food does not suit vegetarian so we walked a little to find some for me… Luh is always freakin patient with that… haha thanks Luh!! Luv ya!! =)

I got some Papaya Salad and he ate his addiction… fried rice with chicken hehe and than we went back to our floating and surprisingly not-shaky-at-all hostel… sweet dreams and few hours later we arrived to one of the most beautiful islands I’ve ever been to… Koh Tao!

I had the idea that Id get some climbing there too but turned out that the climbing is quite inexistent and all the info I gathered in 27crags was quite shit… we walked one day loads to get to a boulder and there was any hahahah instead, we ended up in an open field hahahahah maybe with a local it’d be better but even that I couldn’t find hehe so we went for snorkelling all the days we were there… such a bad option, right?? hehehe

Ive always being a mountain guy… I would go for jungle/forest/mountain rather then ocean anytime but the reefs and the beaches here got me… the underwater world is amazing and we are enjoying in a way that I could never imagine!! We walked pretty much everywhere there and got one day the boat to go to Koh Nang Yuan… three islands connected between them… one of the few ones in the world…. what a gem!!

All the other beaches though, are incredible too… there is no need of boat to have a blast here!!

You´ll need only some goggles and hold your breath to get a breathtaking experience!! hehe

The top 3 beaches we visited there: Nang Yuan… Said Nuam…. Ao Lek…  2 of them you can go on your own and they are stunning!! =)

The trip to the Nang Yuan islands was great… the scenery is something else there!! But I dunno…. it seems that crazy people go everywhere… we got another mad guy… drunk just for a change… falling off from one of the platforms going to the viewpoint…. Viewpoints are normally on top of hills… so you can see better right?! Well… if you´re going up… kinda scrambling up…. would you drink and mess up with your ability of ensure that youre standing up?? I dont think so right?? hahaha

Well… the same way we got over Christmas, in Hampi, some dumb guy falling, hitting his head and almost dying, while walking and jumping from boulder to boulder drunk, we got another not-too-smart one… but this time was a bit funnier… kmon… its hard to find a Russian that goes down on whisky heheheh Yep… the weak Russian didn’t hold up well on whisky… decided go for a walk but chose the tricky path throughs the platforms that go over the ocean and rocks till the point you get to the jungle and reach the viewpoint… unfortunately, for his head and back…. he got a short cut to another view point… the viewpoint of the reef down there hehe he got some good scratches and the people on the beach had to come and help otherwise we would have one less person in this world and a little bit more alcohol haha

The best part was when a lady-boy came and said: “Don’t worry guys… Ill take care of him!”… and sailed away as a storm with his/her boat and the dizzy Russian!! hahahah

Talking about storms and rain… we´ve been enjoying hugely the rain here… every afternoon we get few storms… something peculiar for those who live in Ireland… First of all because we dont have storms like that… when it seems the world is ending on water… and second of all… its impossible to go out and enjoy the rain… feeling the mild water hitting your skin… and the refreshment that it provides….. if you try that in Ireland you´ll get some pneumonia with not doubt heheheheh

After few days having fun in Koh Tao we decided to leave and head to Koh Phangan… or Koh Phan Gnan… or…. hahahahah you know right!! hahaha

All the big islands are quite close and you can reach them with a short trip on a boat… so we did that… over 1 hours on a jumpy boat and we got to Koh Phangan… the second biggest island… we could see the other side Ko Samui… the largest one… but we decided for Phangan cuz Luh would meet Dai and we could also check some rad places we´ve been told!

The first days we stayed in the south… but there is no much… the accommodations are cheaper but the only attractions are parties and kite surfing… not our style tho…. fortunately we found a freaking good restaurant there… Harbour House… cheap and scrumptious… worth defo a visit if your there!! =)

Once we realised that the beautiful beaches and awesome waterfalls were up north we grabbed our backpacks and snorkelling gear and off we went!! WOW… if you like nature… go straight to the north of that island!! Astonishing!! =)

Thailand is great… seriously… its nature… people… food… you can easily fall in love with the country… the only thing I couldn’t understand was why everyone was telling me before the trip that I would love the fruits here and that would be cheap and all… but so far was so hard to even find it!! Well… Phangan surprised us in that sense… and confirmed our friends theory… we were walking one of the first days there when we found a fruit stand and simply asked how much was the banana… the girl didn’t speak any english but made sure that a wave of free fruits came towards us.. hahaha FINALLY… FRUITS FOR FREE!! HAHAHAHAHA No need to say that we got fruits for dinner that day!! and the other!! and the following one too!! hahahaha What a sweeeeet life!! =)

Days of new things are common when you´re travelling and for me it wasn’t different… as we were 3 people we had to rent two motorbikes… so Luh would go with Dai and I had to get one on my own… you know… I love adrenaline and that´s why I never got a bike… because if you accelerate it will speed up and I´ve already some trouble cycling… crashing into a wall with a motorbike is not on my life bucket so I´ve always avoided… up to now though… when you have no option … well… the choice is already made! hehehe

So there we were… handled our passports (yep… no passport no bike… no bike… no trip around… so….)… and got two bike… Luh is already used to it… but me…. you should’ve seen the guy´s face from the rental shop when I left the place driving the bike and showing all my newbieness hahahahahah Hoooooooray… the first 200 metres done and I´m in one piece!! Self high five!!! =) hahahah

In fact, in the end of that day I was myself and somethings else…. we went to another fantastic beach where you can see coral reefs and enjoy a sweet beach… Ko Ma… and chatting… not paying attention… I stepped on a sea urchin… haha got some nice spikes inside my left foot… few of them are still with me hahahahah part of the family hehehehe But even some needles can´t change your perception of great life, awesome vibes and gratitude when you are in a place like Ko Ma.

The tourism is the locomotive of the island… there are … loads of them… tourists from all over the world coming and going constantly… therefore, loads of people renting bikes… and falling off in small accidents… that´s one of the other reasons I didn´t want to rent the bike… additionally the island is full of up and downhills, the roads are good but some are covered in sand due to the constructions and all…. Plus, the amount of people wth sort of bandages or dressings covering the wounds was bigger than Hampi… and in there the bikes were shit like you turn to right and it goes to the left!! haha

I got the bike anyways cuz I had no option hehe but kind not sure of what would be the output.. some new scratches? On me or on the bike?? Will I get the passport back?? hahaha

In the end, I enjoyed the rides, learnt ok-ish and after the bad first impression I gave to the rental guy… I got along with the idea pretty well!! We met two  Brazilian girls that can’t say the same though… visiting Ko Ma we have to go through a quite big uphill… as we were going we saw on the left side a group of people in an area that is not common… well… on the side of the road… full of dirty and roasting under the sun… don´t think its a pleasurable place to be hehehe as we approach the group we realised that it was an accident… the bike went off-road with two girls and the other couple was trying to help´em… we stopped right after and started helping too… pushing here and lifting there… speaking in english with them and when we had to lift the bike back to the road  I spoke in Portuguese with my bro to sync the moves… so the girls said: Oh you´re Brazilian too?? hahahahaha and after that PT took the chat… the couple left as they had done loads already and couldn’t´t understand a fuckin word haha

With the rescue finished they told us what happened… it was a sum of mistakes… even funny tho hehehehe

1st and main mistake - they didn´t know how to drive… haha 2nd - they were going up through the wrong lane… as over here they use the British way… on the left lane…   3rd and the best one - the driver saw an elephant and got way to excited… tried to point it out to the passenger and forgot that autopilot is an utopia yet ahahahaha

They ended up with few some good scars, with less money and with only one good pic of the elephant hahahahah

That made remember one time I was enjoying a beautiful trekking in the middle of the desert in San Pedro de Atacama… the guy who brought us there told us that he couldn’t go further because it was dangerous and more likely to get stuck on the sand… cool… we were maybe 5 mins already walking, when we see a car stuck in the sand… actually with sand almost covering the tires… and everyone started chatting and commenting… the group was heterogeneous, peeps from different nationalities and we were all betting with nationality that guys were… hahaha just to mess around… some said Argentinian, some sad north American,  some bet they were locals… and as we got closer and closer we could hear the indistinctly Portuguese… clear and loud… mainly when one of them yelled to the driver: “I told you so!! The rental company said that we shouldn’t go any close to the dunes!” hahahaha

Yep… it seems the Brazilians are around to provide fun and good stories!! hahahahahaha We are messers and that no one can change!! hahahahah

What happened to that car??? Dunno… there are some stories… you know… urban legends… in that case desert legends… that says the car has been swollen by the sand!! The group registered a stealing case in the police station, the rental company got the money back from the insurance and the group rent only 4X4 cars nowadays!! hahaha

Our last day in Phangan brought another great surprise… fortunately, good vibes and sweet happenings are recurrent!! …. we met a girl that left everything behind, got a one way ticket to Thailand and started a YouTube channel… to tell her story!! It´s incredibly fantastic how people like her are inspirational and full of life… we chatted loads about the adventure… life… how the uncertainty makes us scary and happy simultaneously… how the world is great and provides the most extraordinary experiences for those that go after it…

In fact, in contrary of many people think…. not much courage is needed… one only a bit of curiosity… a small portion of will to change things in your life… capacity to accept what comes… and some steps towards the unknown… a leap of faith… that will present you with surreality, happiness and stories that you had never dreamt of!!    

She interviewed me for one of the videos that come out soon… and if you´d like to enjoy her stories and her epic adventure… send good vibes or get inspired to do the same… I mean… same same but different…. check her channel: Voecomjulia…. you type that one YT and you´ll have a blast!! =)

See you soon Julia and talk to yous soon beasts!!

I got a bit excited on this post… sorry for the exaggerated text… I´ll take it easy next time… or not!! hahahahaha too many stories!!

All the best vibes and sweet smiles…. =) =) =) =) =) =) =)

Cheers,

Evan

[newstfionline]

Headlines

Some Canadian businesses want to let Americans back in. Most Canadians don’t. (Washington Post) In normal times, this would be the high season for Eric Brown’s Ontario fishing lodges. In these times, he wonders if his business can survive. Brown says Americans make up 95 percent of the business at his Totem Resorts in Sioux Narrows. Travel restrictions on the U.S.-Canada border, he said, have “absolutely devastated us.” As restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus drag into a fourth month, Brown and other business operators are pushing officials to consider ways to let at least some tourists in. But they’re running into resistance from the broader population, which appears to have little appetite for lifting the restrictions. Amid a general sense here that Canada has handled the coronavirus better than the United States, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in June there was “broad consensus” among provincial leaders to keep current measures along the 5,500-mile frontier in place. A national survey by Destination Canada, a crown corporation that markets Canada as a tourist destination, found that just 24 percent of people in Quebec somewhat or strongly agreed with welcoming U.S. visitors—and they were the most enthusiastic province. In British Columbia, the figure was 6 percent.

U.S. leads world with record number of new COVID-19 cases (Foreign Policy) The United States recorded its highest number of new coronavirus cases in one day on Wednesday, with over 51,000 new cases reported. Brazil is not far behind, as it recorded roughly 44,000 new cases. Together the two countries accounted for almost half of all new coronavirus cases reported worldwide yesterday.

COVID-19 deaths are down (NYT) The coronavirus trends in the United States are pretty dark right now. But there is one important bright spot: The percentage of virus patients who die from it has continued to decline. Coronavirus deaths in the U.S. have been falling for most of the last 10 weeks—to about 600 a day recently, down from more than 2,000 in late April—even though the overall caseload was holding fairly steady for much of that period and has lately been spiking.

White House Downplays Russia Bounty Story As Afghan Middleman Named (Foreign Policy) A new report pinpoints a key figure in the alleged Russian-backed bounty program to further incentivize Taliban-linked forces to kill U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan. On Wednesday, the New York Times named Rahmatullah Azizi as a central player in attempts to launder money from Russia into Afghanistan in order to make payments to militant groups. Efforts to detain Azizi were made at least six months ago. Security forces instead found roughly $500,000 in cash in one of his Kabul properties. In an echo of America’s historical missteps in Afghanistan, Azizi was also once a beneficiary of U.S. largess: a former recipient of U.S. contractor cash for road building in the early days of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. The White House continues to dismiss the story as a case of thinly-sourced intelligence. National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien said on Thursday that the CIA official in charge of verbally presenting the daily intelligence brief to President Donald Trump had refrained from bringing up the Russian bounty story as she was not confident in it. He also said U.S. and coalition forces took protective measures at the time of receiving the intelligence.

Coronavirus hinders farm work (Reuters) The novel coronavirus delayed the arrival of seasonal immigrants who normally help harvest U.S. wheat, leaving farmers to depend on high school students, school bus drivers, laid-off oilfield workers and others to run machines that bring in the crop. As combines work their way north from the Southern Plains of Texas and Oklahoma, farmers and harvesting companies are having a hard time finding and keeping workers. Any delays in the harvest could send wheat prices higher and cause a scramble to secure supplies to make bread and pasta.

LAPD funding slashed by $150M, reducing number of officers (AP) City leaders voted Wednesday to slash the Los Angeles Police Department budget by $150 million, reducing the number of officers to a level not seen for more than a decade amid nationwide demands to shift money away from law enforcement agencies during America’s reckoning over police brutality and racial injustice. Other cities around the country also have cut police budgets or are moving to do so, including an effort in Minneapolis to disband the city’s force. New York City lawmakers approved an austere budget Wednesday that will shift $1 billion from policing to education and social services in the coming year. In California, liberal Berkeley passed a budget Wednesday that cuts $9.2 million from police, while Oakland leaders last week slashed $14.6 million from law enforcement and they are considering steeper reductions.

A star is born (WSJ) Pandemic-related politics helped propel a gun-toting restaurateur to an upset win against a five-term Republican congressman in a Colorado primary, underlining the unpredictability the coronavirus outbreak is injecting into elections this year. Lauren Boebert defeated five-term Rep. Scott Tipton on Tuesday night, winning by about 9 percentage points. Ms. Boebert, 33 years old, owns gun-themed Shooters Grill in Rifle, Colorado, a small town about a three hours’ drive west of Denver. In her restaurant, Ms. Boebert encourages servers and patrons to openly carry firearms. Ms. Boebert has tweeted that she is never without her Glock on her hip. An outspoken supporter of President Trump, Ms. Boebert dismissed the president’s endorsement of her opponent by telling local media she wasn’t sure Mr. Trump knew Mr. Tipton’s voting record. Her restaurant sells shirts that say “God, guns, Trump” in all capital letters.

Death Cafes help ease grief, loss in the time of coronavirus (AP) Panic attacks, trouble breathing, relapses that have sent her to bed for 14 hours at a time: At 35, Marissa Oliver has been forced to deal with the specter of death on COVID-19′s terms, yet conversations about her illness, fear and anxiety haven’t been easy. That’s why she headed onto Zoom to attend a Death Cafe, a gathering of strangers willing to explore mortality and its impact on the living, preferably while sipping tea and eating cake. Death Cafes, part of a broader “death-positive” movement to encourage more open discussion about grief, trauma and loss, are held around the world, in nearly 100 countries. While many haven’t migrated online in the pandemic, others have. Inspired by Swiss sociologist and anthropologist Bernard Crettaz, who organized his first “cafe mortel” in 2004, the late British web developer Jon Underwood honed the model and held the first Death Cafe in his London home in 2011. The idea spread quickly and the meetups in restaurants and cafes, homes and parks now span Europe and North America, reaching into Australia, the Caribbean and Japan. J. Dana Trent served as a hospital chaplain in a death ward at age 25 after graduating from divinity school, assisting in 200 deaths in a year. The ordained Southern Baptist minister used her experiences in the hospital for a 2019 book, “Dessert First: Preparing for Death While Savoring Life,” which offers a view of how “positive death” can be achieved. “COVID has certainly brought death to the forefront. It has brought the death-positive movement to the forefront, but we’re still scared,” Trent said. “What I’m grateful for is that COVID has awakened society to the possibility of death. None of us is getting out of here alive.”

24 shot to death in attack on drug rehab center in Mexico (AP) Gunmen burst into an unregistered drug rehabilitation center in central Mexico and opened fire Wednesday, killing 24 people and wounding seven, authorities said. Police in the north-central state of Guanajuato said the attack occurred in the city of Irapuato. Three of the seven wounded were reported in serious condition. Guanajuato is the scene of a bloody turf battle between the Jalisco cartel and a local gang, and the state has become the most violent in Mexico.

British judge denies Venezuela access to gold in bank vault (AP) A British judge on Thursday refused to give Venezuela control of over $1 billion in gold sitting in a Bank of England vault, ruling that it is unlawful to give it to President Nicolás Maduro since Britain does not recognize him as president of the Latin American nation. Maduro has demanded the gold to help his cash-starved nation fight the coronavirus pandemic. But the central bank for the United Kingdom, whose government recognizes Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó as his country’s legitimate leader, had refused to hand it over to Maduro’s socialist administration. Guaidó has sought to preserve the gold stash at the Bank of England to keep it out of the hands of the Maduro government, which it contends is illegitimate and corrupt.

Latin America Seen Heading for Deepest Slump Since at Least 1901 (Bloomberg) The World Bank projects the recession in Latin America and the Caribbean will be the worst downturn since reliable data began in 1901, setting back progress on fighting inequality and poverty. The development institution expects a gross domestic product contraction of more than 7% for 2020, making it worse than any crisis of the past century, including the Great Depression, the 1980s debt crisis and the global financial of 2008-2009, President David Malpass said. The drop in commodity exports based on a plunge in demand in advanced economies, coupled with the collapse of tourism, is hammering the region. “It hits the poor and vulnerable the hardest through illnesses, job and income losses, food supply disruptions, school closures and lower remittance flows,” he said. “The poverty rate, which had been falling since the early 2000s, will go up significantly as tens of millions of people lose their jobs,” he said.

With friends like these (Foreign Policy) The NATO alliance can’t afford another rift between its members, but it has one anyway. This week, France announced it would temporarily suspending its role in a NATO operation patrolling the Mediterranean after an incident between French and Turkish warships in June. NATO announced last month it would open an investigation into the matter. French officials accused Turkish ships of targeting one of its frigates with fire control radars after it tried to inspect a ship off the Libyan coast suspected of smuggling arms. Turkey denies the charges.

Germans bemoan slow progress on Brexit trade deal (Foreign Policy) German Chancellor Angela Merkel said progress on post-Brexit trade talks with the United Kingdom had been “very limited” and that the European Union should prepare “for the possibility that a deal doesn’t materialize.” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also said talks between the two sides were moving “very sluggishly and slowly,” and criticized the Westminster government, saying the delay was “partly because we don’t know if the British want an agreement or not.”

Russia extends ban on international flights until August (Reuters) Russia has extended a moratorium on international flights until Aug. 1, the RBC business daily reported on Thursday. Russia, which has so far recorded more than 660,000 cases of the novel coronavirus, in March grounded all international flights, except for those repatriating Russians and those transporting foreign citizens home. Last month it announced a partial reopening of its borders, saying it would allow people who needed to work, study, get medical treatment or look after relatives to travel abroad.

Landslide at Myanmar jade mine kills at least 162 people (AP) At least 162 people were killed Thursday in a landslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar, the worst in a series of deadly accidents at such sites in recent years. “The jade miners were smothered by a wave of mud,” a statement from the fire service said.

Israeli annexation in “weeks” (Foreign Policy) Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank will happen “in the coming weeks or months,” Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said yesterday, before adding that he is not “versed in the details” as a July 1 date for a vote on annexation came and went without any government action. As international pressure builds against the move, the Vatican made the rare decision to summon the ambassadors of both Israel and the United States to express “the concern of the Holy See regarding possible unilateral actions that may further jeopardize the search for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, as well as the delicate situation in the Middle East.”