#THERE ISNT MUCH LEFT OF THE LAST VIDEO. help </3 theres like a little bit more than an hour left.........

[nightmaretyrantvantas]

Ok so guys i finally got part of it done(like three or four days later buuuut

I drew two sets of the families for my anxceit au!

Please meet virgil's family the Ravenwoods!

And as curtesy some info about them

Daneil Ravenwood

Hes been raising Virgil and Andy on his own since virge was about 8 and a half and andy was 6 months old

Hes a english and literature professor at the local college(that logan's parents also work at)

Hes in his late 50s early 60s current time( where virgil is 21 and andy is 13)

Hes also a published and well established fiction writer, but he writes under an alias

Hes a super supportive dad and teacher, even if he doesnt understand it he'll 100% support the decisions his kids make (ex: "oh your wiccan now? Cool virgy! Im glad you found a religion that makes you happy, though...can you explain it to me again?" "Oh andy you want to be switched to the art program? No problem! I'll call your counsellors tomorrow ok?" "Oh boyfriend huh? Thats great buddy, when do i get to meet him??")

Hes got a deep hearty laugh that makes you smile

Dad jokes to virgils mortification

Hes a skeptic but loves listening to and talking to virgil about his beliefs

had the philosophy of "the punishment should fit the crime, but you should be allowed to stumble and learn with it" raising the boys and wasnt too strict with them. Also never threatened punishments, only threatened playful embarrassment

The boys got their sass from somewhere, but he does remind them to mind their manners and watch their timing

Gentle giant as he is 6'3

Black hair peppered with grey and white and usually forgets tonshave his stubble

Passionate about his jobs, can get lost in his work

Andy Ravenwood

Virgil's baby brother, and he fucking adores his brother( even sometimes babbles about him to his friends at school and proudly talks about his "youtuber big brother"

This does not stop him from poking fun at virgil of course

Art boi!! Hes the top of his art classes!!

He is the one art kid that always has like three sketchbooks on him at all times

Loves the color purple

Look ok he knows he KNOWS his hair looks like his brothers it wasnt supposed to ok the original plan baCKFIRED AND HE COULDNT TURN BACK

Unlike virgil he doesnt cover his freckles

He has the same color eyes as their dad(grey-blue)

Andy loves animals! Especially raccoons!! Those are his favorite.( he happily took on the responsiblility of taking care of virgils cat when he moved out)

Hes a pretty cheerful kid if hes comfortable around you, but shy if he doesnt know you

Hes got an anxiety disorder but hes still living his best life

Virgil Ravenwood

Our main Cryptid goth( he dialed it down for the family photo)

Hes twenty one and lives on his own in an apartment complex close to downtown, which is a good 15 to 20 minutes from his childhood home so he visits regularly( like three times every other week)

Boi loves his family to bits, and has so SOOOO many good stories he’ll happily talk about 

Has both his own paranormal youtube channel and a joint youtube channel with his boyfriend Ethen where they explore and investigate haunted places(both well known and stumbled across)

He has the same eye color as their mother, blue violet, which stands out a little more than his dad’s or brother’s

He covers his freckles with foundation because hes insecure about them

Did a year of junior college before deciding school wasnt exactly for him anymore, but still goes to events for his best friend Logan

Works at a cafe downtown that stays open pretty late( they do dinner its almost a diner but not) part time, and the other half does youtube for a living

Has a cat that had to stay in his childhood home named Sally that Andy takes care of for him

Has been considering getting another cat for his apartment

Big firm believer in the unknown and the paranormal/supernatural

Hes wiccan and has an alter in his bedroom thats apart of his facecam background

He has a tarot deck but doesnt really do readings other than little ones for himself, as divination isnt his strong suit

Has a big crystal collection hes been adding to since high school

He can sing but doesnt have alot of confidence in his voice so he just doesnt

And also introducing~

The picani-sanders family! Aka ethen's big ol family

From left to right

Patton Picani

Ethen's older brother(by two years)

Him and ethen are emile's foster kids, but he adopted him when they were like nine and seven.

Patton is 23 and happily works at the library downtown as a librarian and a reader to the kids

He loves music and musicals and all things disney (partially thanks to his boyfriend roman)

He and Ethen come off as complete opposites and they have a very playful relationship, always teasing each other 

He loves his family alot and loves babysitting his little brother Thomas whenever his schedule allows it, especially during times of year Emile and Remy get swamped with work

He loves to knit and sew and make things!!! He makes sweaters and jackets and dresses and customizes clothes!! He could make a living on it if he really wanted!! (but he just does it for friends and loved ones instead- Andy has a hoodie that Patton sew wool on the inside to keep him warm and Andy adores it)

Hes really outgoing and friendly and seems to make friends wherever he goes! 

He’s known Roman since they were kids and was crushing on him all through school until they got together senior year 

He loves to bake and cook and help his dad make dinner whenever hes at home

Hes a sappy romantic and loves cliches

He has a huge collection of stuffed animals that hes been slowly transferring to his and roman’s apartment since he moved out(theres ALOT)

Emile Picani

The dad!! Hes in his mid 50s 

He works as a singular and couples therapist  and can have a bit of a wacky schedule

Hes been raising Patton and Ethen since they were little and loves his kids so damn much

So goddamn supportive of what they do, sometimes to the point its embarrassing(for Ethen)

Hes engaged to Remy Sanders and once their married their just going to combine their last names

He loves cartoons and gardening! And has his own collection of stuffed animals and toys(which hes been sharing with Thomas) 

He loves making dad jokes and him and Patton make them all the time at Ethen

Hes a damn great cook and has been teaching his boys to cook for years now, and loves making big meals 

Not really a strict parent, more of a sit down and talk it out kinda parent

Is part of the PTA of Thomas’s school

Actually used to be a punk in school

Thomas Sanders-Picani

The youngest! Hes 8 years old!

Our boy loves to read and write! He writes tons and tons of stories!

Hes got a huge imagination and likes to daydream

Hes bubbly even though he isnt the most social he still has a good group of friends!

Our lil boi is an actor of course! He loves getting parts in the school plays and in class assignments.

Hes in his schools choir  and gets vocal lessons from Roman’s mama

 His room is filled with toys and books and notebooks and pencils, and even though he tries his best to keep it clean it gets messy every week.(cleaning it is his weekly chore)

He has two best friends named Joan and Talyn that hes been friends with now since kindergarden and theyve been nearly inseperable ever since, its not uncommon for one of both of them to be at each others house on any given weekend

Hes Remy’s kid but has started calling himself by Emile’s last name too since they moved in with the Picani’s

Doesnt have too many memories of his mother but the ones he does have are all happy and pleasant(thankfully)

Calls Emile baba and Remy dada to distinguish them better

Loves his older brothers especially when they play with him, He also loves watching the old videos of Ethen’s theater performances and sometimes pesters him to reenact scenes from them( his favorite is the middle school production of ‘Alice in Wonderland’)

Ethen Picani

Our other main boy, hes also twenty one

He lives with his best and childhood friend Remus Prince in two bedroom apartment across town near the college

Does youtube full time for a living

the “black sheep” of the family as he and Remus call him 

He majored in theater in his two years of college

Loves reptiles but doesnt have any because their apartment complex doesnt allow pets and he doesnt want to get him and remus kicked out since their apartment is close to Remus’s work

Has a car he loving refers to as his “hand me down junk heap” Because he got Patton’s first car when patton got a new one

He loves the old thing though 

Has a good relationship with his parents. He loves his dad Emile and he likes Remy well enough

Him and remy have a very casual, relaxed relationship.( Ex: “ Dad you need to stop letting sleepless bums into the house” “ He’ll stop doing that when he stops letting punk wannabes into his kitchen, now get over here kid.” ) 

Loves his boyfriend Virgil to death and likes to spoil him when he can(even though virgil tells him to save his money for rent)

Hes more of a open skeptic but he’ll happily debate things with Virgil, and enjoys making videos for their joint youtube channel and being proven otherwise

He also has his own solo youtube channel where he does abandon urban exploration( sometimes with Remus tagging along for the thrill)

Remus has been calling him by the nickname “Dee” since middle school when they played Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Remus called him Dee so often he made it stick as a nickname years and years later. He refuses to let it die and Ethen has just accepted his fate

Remy Sanders

Hes around Emile’s age( mid 50′s) and looks the tallest in the family at 6′3

He came into the family later, when the boys were about 20 and 18( when thomas was about 5 or so)

Hes pretty laid back but surprising good at being strict, so he balances out Emile’s parenting style

Hes a divorcee and got guardianship of Thomas, though hes on a friendly and civil relationship with thomas’s mother and takes him to visit her three times a month( theyre currently working out more visitations and possibly thomas staying with his mother a couple weeks every months but thats still in the works)

Hes an insomiac and (usually) works night shifts as a security guard for a security renting business so his working hours can be a little unpredicitble, but he almost always works at least two night shifts and graveyard shifts a week. Hes paid both a salary plus an additional commissions by employers so its well worth it

He spends as much time with his kid and the boys as he can regardless of his wonky sleep schedule

Hes a bit of a tough love kinda person, and hes snarky and mouthy and doesnt hesitate to speak his mind

Loves Emile soooo goddamn much he talks about him alot at work to his fellow security guards. Theyre the ones who helped him pick a ring when he proposed actually

Oh yeah the two are engaged did I mention that?

He fuels Emile’s plushie collecting, even if he knows he probably shouldnt( But oh well, it makes him smile and thats all he wants to see)

Looks punk now but he was the biggest straight laced prep in highschool that comparing him now to him in highschool gives you whiplash

Would fucking die for his family. No one messes with his fiance or his kids, he doesnt care if two of them are fully capable adults 

And its done!! Two of the four main families is finished!

And watch out because im also coloring these digitally(its just taking awhile :/) but those will be getting posted soon...I hope...Im trying

But here you go Virgil’s and Ethen’s families in two cute family photos!

Let me just add im so fucking proud of The Picani-Sanders photo because it was a struggle to fit them all in the picture and get the heights right and the entire side of my arm was grey with pencil lead by the time I was done but it turned out great!

Up next is Roman and Remus’s family the Princes and Logan’s family the Daniels!! 

Art references are credited to @the-pastel-peach​ @aimasup​ and @underdog-arts​ , especially @aimasup​ and @underdog-arts​ for getting 8 year old thomas to look like a kid because im not normally good at drawing little kids but after practicing with some of their art as my reference and inspiration he turned out really well!! 

I hope you guys enjoy!!

Taglist

@phantommoonpeople

@sweetsweetemo

@leesacrakon

@amazable01

@starbucks-remy

@jemthebookworm

@max-is-tired

@seriously-a-dragon

@sar-kasstic

@soupspam

@aimasup

@sugarglider9603

@underdog-arts

@strawberryjellystuff

[a-kettle-of-vultures]

VC TIPS MASTERLIST

@ The anon

Well, for collecting, I cant really help you in finding dead things, they kinda just find YOU. Although water sources in the woods and along main roads is always a good bet if you want to pick up your own deads. If you’re ok with buying from trappers and hunters there is an array of sites to order from. Heres a useful link for buying furs Alternatively, you can go hunt the things yourself - but that seems to be…an unpopular opinion. Its really just up to you.

Collecting Things you will need with you in the car at all times (if possible)

Trash bags\plastic bags\or even a plastic bin, whatever floats your boat. Be aware that corpses left in plastic bags in anything over 70F or 21c (I think) for more than a couple hours will begin to literally melt. I cannot tell you how long an individual corpse will last in a plastic bag in your car trunk, but if its hot, probably not more than two or three hours before it is ruined. Its gonna be gross, man. Do not be alarmed if the pelt gets damp, you only need to worry if the fur starts coming out in huge clumps when gently tugged on.

Gardening or latex gloves I don’t personally believe in using gloves, because there are very few things you can catch from the dead. BUT there ARE things you can catch - especially from raccoons, so, if you want 100 percent safety, and also maybe to feel less grossed out, bring these.

Knife\scalpel Vulture or not, I think its wise to keep a knife on you at all times   regardless, but you will definitely want one in the car in case you find something pancaked into the road but with bits you want. (IE: the top half might be gone but the tail is good, or the back half is gone but the head is good.). The knife should be sharp….derp.

Hedge clippers In case the knife doesn’t cut it or you find  deer or coyote you cant fit in your car. Pro tip - try to find the joints to make chopping less of a hassle

Air fresheners\febreeze\ anything you want to keep the car fresh Even if you keep it in a bin or bag - the smell WILL linger. I didn’t notice it, but other people sure as shit did - and they didn’t like it.

Theres probably more things Im missing, but this is just my personal list.

Processing

If you want the skin - I recommend watching some skinning videos , not only will it prep you for the gore, but in general they are very helpful.

Key words for vids you WILL need at some point - Fleshing. Fleshing is very important. This will probably take up a lot of your time tbh. It does mine anyway…

Once skinned and fleshed you need to put a generous amount of salt on the skin…like..an entire layer. Make it look like Christmas morning. The salt will get all mushy and eventually hrden as it dries the skin out. Replace the salt daily. When the skin is dry and kinda stiff - and the salt isnt getting mushy anymore. You’re done with salting phase.

Tumblr Skinning links

http://a-kettle-of-vultures.tumblr.com/post/162449711340/want-to-get-into-tanning-but-dont-have-the-time

http://a-kettle-of-vultures.tumblr.com/post/159724525615/what-would-you-suggest-for-materials-for-a-first

Skinning out a coyote foot

Tumblr Taxidermy tips

Prepping a face for taxidermy

Reshaping  face

Mounting a face

http://a-kettle-of-vultures.tumblr.com/post/136429479200/knuxtiger4-new-years-started-off-well-when-it

Tumblr Tanning links

http://a-kettle-of-vultures.tumblr.com/post/162774696970/i-have-a-squirrel-hide-that-was-tanned-using-the

http://a-kettle-of-vultures.tumblr.com/post/155639675180/excuse-me-but-would-you-happen-to-have-any

http://a-kettle-of-vultures.tumblr.com/post/143505520810/hide-tanning-methods-pros-and-cons

Brain tanning

http://a-kettle-of-vultures.tumblr.com/post/137298183735/hello-i-recently-skinned-a-mouse-and-ive-kept

http://a-kettle-of-vultures.tumblr.com/post/136238239250/hey-sorry-for-this-question-but-i-havent-been

Processing for bones

Maceration: When you put the corpse in a plastic bag in the sun - or in a bucket or bin of warm water to melt down for bones. In either case you will want t make sure it is somewhere dogs will not get it. If you use a bucket, make sure to put a lid on top of it. This is the most effective way, but also the most smelly…Like…its bad. Its terrible. Chew some gum or a mint or just dont breathe around it, because its the worst thing ever.

http://a-kettle-of-vultures.tumblr.com/post/162182840065/tips-i-havent-seen-mentioned-maceration-edition

Burial - You can just wrap it in a sheet or whatever and bury it outside, or in a pot. May take a while, but its the least smelly, most discreet and you can care for flowers while the corpse rots down =3 If you want articulate the bones - or put them back together to form a complete skeleton later. Cut the corpse into sections and wrap them individually (again a sheet is best, but certain wire works too)

Open pit - This was my preferred method - Some bones get stolen but, eh. You just dig a hole and pile your body in there on top of a sheet or trash bag. Make sure to secure it by putting wire on top and weighing it down with dirt on the edges, or rocks. You can put leaves over top of this if you want to help the smell.

simmering or boiling - NOT RECOMMENDED. You put the parts in a pan or crock pot of water you will never be using outside of gross stuff ever again.I hear this is easier with a crock pot. Supposedly this is by far the fastest way - but youre very likely to ruin  the bones. You just…set the crock pot to simmer or boil the bones

Dermestids - You can get yourself an aquarium and fill it with corpse eating beetles! They require some basic tips and care sheets, but they dont seem difficult. The most worrisome thing is - that if they escape they may eat your collection…This is the most effective and safe way imo, but it can take time - and also you have to care for beetles.

http://a-kettle-of-vultures.tumblr.com/post/163741647780/do-you-know-of-any-pets-insects-that-live-longer

If you have bones but they're a little dirty (dirt, grease, stains) and you ant them pearly white, you will want to soak them in a tin can, glass jar, or plastic tub with peroxide. Skulls will float, find a way to weigh them down (stuff em with beads, rocks, whatever. Tie a string to a rock then to the skull and let it sink. Arrange ther bones in a teepee or wedge to make them hold the skull down.

DO NOT USE BLEACH. UNLESS YOU WANT BONE DUST, BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT YOU WILL BE GETTING IN THE END. IT MIGHT TAKES WEEKS, IT MIGHT TAKE YEARS, BUT YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A BAD TIME.

If you mess up, its ok, this might help.

I advise cleaning the skull separate from other bones. ANd I recommend cleaning the teeth separate so you risk losing them less.

Dying bones

You can dye bones by boiling various plant leaves and berries with salt. Pokeberries make a deep purple-red, rose petals vary - the red makes a sort of maroon....ect - just experiment.

How to tell if the plant\berry can be boiled of its color - take a petal or part and rub it between your thumb and fore-finger, if it bleeds on you - it can make a dye. (at least in my experience.)

Crystalizing bones

http://a-kettle-of-vultures.tumblr.com/post/155195761070/hey-i-saw-that-you-specialize-in-crystallization

http://a-kettle-of-vultures.tumblr.com/post/155154295705/diy-crystallization-with-borax

Dry preserving

Much like  wet preservation, but you drop the body part \ small animal into formalin or alcohol for a month or two and then take it out and let it mummify. Idk a terrible bunch about this - I just stuck things in a box and forgot abut them for months on end...probably not the best idea...I have some regrets.

Example and some tips:

Uuuuuh, I feel like im missing stuff, but, I did my best. Here have some ref links.

Misc Ref so you can see how traps work in case thats something you worry about

Making rawhide

Reshaping a face

The MBTA in case you live in the US

All birds UNPROTECTED by the MBTA in the US

How to tell if a skull is bleached

How to pack frozen deads to ship to others

Sorry this got kind of lenghty, and linked to a lot of other posts rather than TLDR giving my own takes, but all of these links have been insanely helpful to me at some point or other and they do a great job of walking through the processes imo =3. I hope this helps.

Feel free to IM me if you have a link you want added to this post

[lizardswithoutlegs]

HOOOOOWOWOAH BOY

ART ASKS

when i walk into a building i get to eat everybodys pencils and they cant say no

do it 

( also thanks for asking ! ) 

itd bother me a lot less if everybody came to my apartment and took one of these beautiful eggs

YEAH UNFORTUNATELY IM STILL..... WORKING THROUGH THE SAME WAITLIST but im comparatively REAL CLOSE to being done with it and i should be opening up sometime later in...... the Year

Boy Have I

theres This messy thing from a while back and then also

THIS, from even FURTHER back, when i didnt realize how fucking RED all the outlines on my things were because of the monitor i was using, two for the price of one

why not both

i do Not but it you ever see me walking on the street please throw handfuls of teeth at me theyre the only things my wretched body can digest and im always hungry

OH MAN ok so, an art telephone game is based on, of course, the game telephone, where one person says a phrase and then whispers it to the next person, and so on and on until the person at the very end says whatever they heard and if its done right the final sentence is wildly different than what you started with

an ART telephone game is the same kind of concept, except one person draws out a scene or character, and then other artists draw THEIR interpretation of whats going on, and so forth until the last person can end up with something COMPLETELY different than what the first scene was

youd think thered be less room for error with drawings, but as each person ONLY sees what the person ahead of them has made, they can get PRETTY OUT THERE - im gonna be a part of pythosarts game, and theyve done a couple of em before - for example one round started with THESE as the first two drawings

and then fourteen interpretations later, ended up with these as the final two

its good its real good

I Cant Control Where Bigfoot Goes, I Can Only Take Note Of Where Hes Been

YEAH, sort of ! on the main, iguanamouth, i have a bunch of different tags for art depending on what they are but not really a catchall one, BUT i do have an art only blog where everything gets tossed over ! 

HONESTLY THE ADVICE i got is basically what all art advice is gonna boil down to eventually - you gotta just. do it. you gotta DO it

absolutely nobody you know who draws things well started out at the level theyre currently at, and putting down the things youre visualizing onto paper is a combination of getting the the technical aspects down as much as getting the idea in your head

and that goes with figuring out anatomy and how bodies are put together ! ive got to use references for a Million things,. especially the dragon hoards - theres absolutely nothing wrong with using references for your drawings ! and being able to create accurate representations of things without looking is something that comes more with drawing something over and over and memorizing the body shape more than just, feeling like you should KNOW how to do something

so dont beat yourself up for needing references. if youre trying to shy away from them a little bit but still cant make something look nice without em, try using several different reference photos to put together an entirely different pose ? 

theres ALSO the SHRIMP METHOD, which is great for practicing and getting good at one particular thing - this probably isnt SUPER HELPFUL but good luck ! 

god i tried. exactly ONCE maybe fourish years ago but it wasnt art, i was trying to stream the lion king movie and i had no idea what i was doing, i didnt realize i needed to wear headphones so the sound wouldnt snowball into a feedback loop of my own voice that never ended but i kept laughing and it kept distorting worse and worse, like the audio version of saving and resaving something as a jpeg

it was just me and my friend ronni in the stream and ONE other person who never left and never said anything and i kept addressing them out loud like WHO ARE YOU and that only compounded the noise problem and eventually i gave up

anyway i havent tried since

i uhhhhh dont think i COULD, really - fear especially is something thats kind of subjective and one persons Big Terror could be neutral or even cute to another person

like for me i used to have a lot of childhood fears about the ocean, and how deep and dark and vast it was, to the point where i couldnt play a lot of water levels in video games, even ( but i had almost drowned several times when i was Very young which probably had, a little somethin to do with that )

maybe sometime ill try to explore things IM afraid of, but its hard to encompass a psychological response in an image !! could be a fun experiment, though ! !

a few PLANT ANIMAL AZKZ, HUH, DONT HAVE A WORKING Z KEY

SHIT DUDE THESE ARE... SO GOOD thats the official name EVEN IF i didnt use. a daffodil as the flower base. it doesnt matter 

yes

i got A BUNCH of flower and plant themed suggestions and theyre all REALLY GOOD ( way more than these ) but straight up im taking a break from em for a while - if anybody is else is reading this though you should definitely tackle one of em

WASABI ASKS

Do Not Feed Animals The Paste

i keep going back to read this ask because you could replace wasabi with my name and its the exact same. its the same. i feel like i have to hide somewhere

this was real and this is the award they gave us

there were other awards but the judges refused to give them out. they burned them in front of the other dogs. we won

it depends on the age ! wasabis pretty much an adult, so her sheds are pretty infrequent ( usually once every 7-8 months ) BUT when she was still growing back like 6 years ago, she would do a full-body shed every other month !

wasabi accepts tokens of appreciation in the form of : fruit, green beans. No Exceptions

i would never seperate wasabi from her hands

absolutely..... not. not even a little bit h h hh a this isnt a disney animal companion, i dont even know what “kind of like a dog” means with , a lizard who cant make any vocalizations or get up on their hind legs or NOTHIN sometimes if i hold a piece of fruit on my hand and she reaches for it she gets confused on whats what and tries to bite my fingers instead

ONCE WHEN SHE was attacking her reflection in a mirror i put my hand in front of her face to break eye contact and she SUNK HER TEETH RIGHT IN THERE but immediately let go like “oh whoops”

lissten . . .  wasabi is so sharp, just absolutely everywhere, and these are the sharpest. the grabbers

heres a lil battle damage from earlier today actually

this is pretty tame BUT the long long lines are from claws, and the thinner, closer together ones are from holding her and her scales scraping against the skin. so not even just the Body is completely safe ! this is not an animal youre gonna wanna get your face real close to if theyre in a walkin mood

she doesnt even MEAN to scratch the shit outta me, its just kind of a byproduct of being a big tree lizard. her tail is absolutely the worst thing to get hit by though. the WORST. lucky me she doesnt attack anything that isnt a dog or a vacuum cleaner or her own reflection

ahhh i got her when i was 16 ! and i dont know her exact age but she was somewhere between 3-6 months when i get her - SHES probably closer to 9 years, but ive had her for about 8

LENGTH THOUGH...... the last time i measured her she was just barely under four and a half feet, but that was a few months ago and its possible shes. Just Slightly larger. shes currently sleeping as i type this so i guess we will never know

duel me

too late for coats..... its all tail action now

ROCK ASKS AND ALSO ASKS ABOUT PUTTING ROCKS IN YOUR MOUTH

oh MAN i feel you . . . . . . . . . . i dont think i could actually Bear To Eat any for real but some of em. just. they. i gotta. just. bite on em a LITTLE just a little bit, a tiny bit, a nibble

when i was real young i used to tap things against my teeth to tell what kind of substance they were made of based on the feeling/hardness/density WHATEVER and i still sometimes do it when im checking stuff out and. it uhhhhh sure is interesting finding out not a lot of people did that

a handful of these delicious raw agates, just for you

please stop spying on me

i DO NOT but you may eat this piece of bornite

meet me at the airport and ill cover your bus fair

theres a lotta different ways to figure out what kind of rocks you got but when you have absolutely no clue on where to start your best bet is to search for the biggest distinctive features of it, and try to narrow it down based on the results

like for something like these pieces of chalcedony, you could try “waxy green translucent mineral”, and from the search results find a few candidates that might be what you have on hand, and then look into each one to see if you can get a definite answer 

ive got a handful of rock and mineral guide books that i always pick through whenever i snag something im not sure of, and if youre REAL into it those are always something you could start keeping an eye out for 

now this is a REAL superficial way to telling what something is and wont be useful for a good chunk of minerals ( as a lot of samples can look really close to something else ) and THIS is a much more in depth way of telling something apart, but its also a lot more time consuming ! so good luck. and good eating.

Just Try And Fucking Stop Me

ANIMAL ASKS THAT ARENT............ ABOUT MY LIZARD

im married to this one actually

fuck. ok. heres. a secret. a In the ask Post secret. wasabi goes through a period that lasts a month every single year where she carries eggs in her gut, and spends that month not eating and digging around in everything, trying to find the right spot to lay these eggs. and. when it happens i never know what to do with them, and i dont want to just THROW THEM AWAY so i. eat them. i eat the eggs. i fuckin eat the eggs dude

Theyre All Goddesses

unless you plan on having your lizard roam around outside whenever they want, the outside environment doesnt really matter much for most reptiles as long as you set their habitat up right ! BUT i do know that australia has bans on certain reptiles ( iguanas are one of them ) and so youre gonna have to look up whats actually available in that area 

 bearded dragons are native and those are always a good option, but so are a lot of geckos - its really gonna depend on what youre into ( but i dont really recommend anoles if thats an option, because theyre fast as Hell and dont like being handled )

what the fuck is a bee

oh geez im sorry ! i remember going through this with spiders a lot when i was younger to the point where looking at photos of em used to be a fuckin, TRIAL 

you could try a really gradual exposure deal, where you start off with getting comfortable with just images, and slowly working your way to dealing with one in a controlled setting ( like a petstore, maybe ? not HANDLING em or anything, but just being near one in a way where its absolutely impossible for them to touch you )

the shitty thing about this kind of phobia is that even if you KNOW its irrational theres sometimes not a lot you can do about it, but if you can stand looking at photos of them you could try learning up about them, and finding out the types of species youre likely to encounter around your house, and seeing how many ( if any ) are ones you should avoid ?

i know some people that have major problems with snakes are because theyre unsure if the ones they find are poisonous or not, and it might go a long way to confirm that the reptiles you meet wont be able to harm you even if they TRIED ( which is gonna be the case with a lotta house geckos, they cant do SHIT youre a GIANT )

very VERY few lizards have venomous bites, and the worst most of em can do is give you a bloody finger if theyre large enough, and even then its usually not much worse than a cat scratch !

still though, if youre really serious about trying to get past this, dont force yourself too quick into what you think you SHOULD be, and take tiny steps outta your comfort level when you can

this probably isnt uhhh SUPER helpful hh hhah but good luck !  shit im going through this post and its like ALL reptile photos. im sorry

i feel about them, with my hands

MMM it shouldnt HURT them unless theres something Really wrong, considering its a natural procession of growth, BUT its definitely itchy as hell, to the point where reptiles trying to remove it will drag their bodies over stones or walls tryin to get it off

sometimes wasabi drags her whole hind foot over her head like a dog to get it off and it is. a Sight

ahhh honestly there arent a lotta reptiles thatre gonna do much more than TOLERATE the touch and not really, enjoy it, like a dog or cat or bird

but speaking from experience with wasabi, youll probably want to avoid most the head and stick with the top of the back near the sides - wasabi doesnt enjoy having her tail messed with much either, but shes ok with her dewlap and feet being touched

the most important thing to keep an eye out for when youre touching one is their body language, because  THATS gonna be a dead giveaway for whether you need to back off or not

closing their eyes is a sign of stress, not enjoyment ! same with tilting the head back, but if thats ALL theyre doing then youre probably not gonna face any retaliation

B U T if theyve got an extended dewlap with a raised body or tail off the ground, not a good idea to interact with em ! thats a defensive posture, and you risk getting hit with a tail or even bitten if your hand gets too close

youve got more to risk with males, who are way more territorial and generally larger, but if they seem pretty chill when you approach and dont stand up and stare at you, youre probably in the clear

COCK of the ROCK

I HAVE im so jealous of anybody whos got to see one in person - actually handling one is a level beyond that which i could even comprehend

OTHER THINGS.....

no but i was bit by a pigeon once

this is the only joke i know

i fuckin WISH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ayy im into it - honestly i havent been following the band so much as just kinda, picking up whatever anybody else mentions and so my knowledge on Gorillaz Lore is pretty uhhhh h hh h scattered but im definitely interested in seeing where this goes

i remember watching the first and second season and it being pretty good - some of the episodes and jokes are hit and miss but you absolutely got me with the creature and alien design

havent seen any of the third season yet though !

i mean the fruit ones could be pretty up there 

how bout. an abstract concept. who cares about physical forms wheres the dragon of melancholy 

why come theres nothing to eat in my apartment but bread. im good otherwise but its all just bread

i havent watched either of em in YEARS and YEARS but i distinctly remember. these lil dancing mushrooms

oh wait FUCK 

FUCK !!!!!!!!!

no... NO.... she is not allowed to eat ANYTHING from the plan shelf, try as she MIGHT

im a little mad that this sill isnt bigger because the only other one that gets sun is in my room and wasabi WIll... absolutely eat those. no doubt. a convenient and expensive salad, for my awful gremlin 

god im looking at these and its all jade plants isnt it

little golden books taste the best but they can make you sick if you have too many at once. my favorite genre for snacking is sci fi fantasy but anything over 300 pages tends to get a little tough if you dont break it up with smaller chunks. non fictions always a gamble because the taste is wildly different each time but you can usually tell how ripe it is by the cover color

ayy im already a big fan of some of their stuff, ive got a couple songs from them in my music tag - im especially into i miss you and their shut up and bring it here remix

TOP FIVE THINGS

1

2

3

4

5

this is barely related but once i filled up a bathtub with water and then dumped about ten bags worth of mint tea into it and then just. soaked around in the tea. listen it was really nice. id try the cheese

i dont have any ships but i was on one of those model pirate boats once for a school trip. our boat was named naruto and the other one was named sasuke and the captains shouted “make them kiss” and ran them into each other. everybody on board drowned

youre trying to trick me into googling yoshi without shoes and its not going to work

me reading this message from the safety of my apartment :

nice try, but wrong again ! : )

THIS IS GOOD info, thank you

oh SHIT the other side of paradise, take a slice, life itself, and season 2 episode 3 are all my Big Faves

the way you phrased this makes me think you already have a strong opinion on it

hey uh. coming from a person who was absolutely CONVINCED that theyd be dead in the future when they were 12, a not insignificant part of that was me feeling that there was something irreversibly wrong with me for not behaving or acting in certain ways based on what was going downstairs

and obviously im still HERE but it means i can understand how devastatingly terrible it can feel when youre that young and it seems like the way you behave and feel are flawed, or dirty, and anything that can lessen that feeling and make you comfortable in your own body is huge, can save your life

not that im saying its always a LIFE OR DEATH decision !

i guess if youre viewing it as adults forcing a child into making decisions that you dont think theyre capable of understanding its easy to be hesitant about getting behind it, but nobody is forcing a child to be trans. nobody has tricked them into feeling this way. you cant just walk in and get started on treatment on an immediate whim - some programs require 2 YEARS of concrete evidence before theyll even consider it

i feel like you should try speaking to the parents of trans children before you really put down a concrete opinion on whether this is a good or bad thing, and seeing the difference ( if any ) its made in their lives 

people whove detransitioned, or found they had ultimately a different identity than the one they were exploring could also be an avenue to look intto ! i have several acquaintances who, after a period of years, found they werent trans but wouldnt take back the time where they were figuring out if they were, and i know this doesnt invalidate the friends i have who ARE 

ultimately this is what it boils down to for me : Its Sure Gotta Beat Being Dead

i WILL give you that ive definitely seen a lot of overreactions to seemingly innocuous topics on this website

but youve also got to keep in mind that everybody who is saying these things MEANS them, and to them theres a completely reasonable explanation to why they feel that way

im not saying you should blindly accept any criticism you get, but to instead try to get a grasp on WHY theyre responding the way they are instead of immediately dismissing it

its because i cant drive and they wont let me sit in the front on account of the smell

NICE THINGS

AHHHH I GOT.. a bunch of other really sweet messages to the point where id feel weird about putting em ALL UP BUT... IF YOU SENT ME SOMETHING i can promise i absolutely saw it and it made my day better and just, holy shit, thank you for taking time out of your life to say anything to me at all

because you didnt have to, even a little bit

youre all beautiful and im kissing you on the mouths all at once. no take backs

[themoneybuff-blog]

Questions About Checking Accounts, Nintendo Switch, iPods, TSP, and More!

Whats inside? Here are the questions answered in todays reader mailbag, boiled down to summaries of five or fewer words. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question. 1. Great advice for job seekers 2. Old hometown checking account 3. Making your own seasoning mixes 4. Inexpensive Nintendo Switch games 5. Partner has extreme debt 6. TSP contribution questions 7. Uses for old iPod? 8. Job search not that simple 9. Value of authenticating sports cards 10. Financial independence and career plans 11. Advice for selling books 12. True hourly discretionary income question I wanted to offer a little update on my switch to a standing desk for professional purposes. About two weeks ago, I moved my main workstation to a standing desk. The purpose for doing this was to significantly reduce the amount of time I spend sitting in a given day, because sitting for your job all the time has some negative long term health consequences. I did recognize that doing this fully cold turkey is a bad idea, and so I planned from the start to do it in stages. My plan was and still is to use the desk until I felt noticeable discomfort, then switch to a laptop in a chair for a while, then maybe alternate back later in the day. My goal was to simply raise my average time at the standing desk a little each week as I strengthen different muscle groups. After a couple of weeks of doing this, Ive found that the big impact has been on my lower back, with a smaller impact on my feet. Im able to work for about four to five hours a day at the standing desk, with other work time spent sitting in a comfortable chair with a laptop. What generally happens is that my lower back starts to get sore, not in a something is broken way but in a this is a muscle thats getting taxed due to exertion and needs a break way. Ill sit down for a while and itll feel much better. However, its constantly experiencing a low-grade soreness, the kind of soreness that happens when you exercise a muscle group. Theres nothing wrong here if I felt something wrong, I would stop using the standing desk for a while. However, it can be a little uncomfortable. Ive had some very minor foot discomfort, mostly on my heels, but nothing significant and it honestly seems to be fading over the last few days. Its hard to tell yet whether or not the standing desk is improving my health in any notable way. I certainly dont think its been bad, but I havent noticed a big health improvement. I do exercise most days, so thats definitely a positive factor, but its hard to extract the benefits of standing with the other benefits of exercise. I think its very likely that there have been some minor benefits, and I likely would have noticed more if I didnt already exercise. Its all about feeling healthy for as long as possible. On with the questions. Q1: Great advice for job seekers I wanted to share some advice from my own experience as an interviewer [in a large corporate HR department]. The big thing is that you shouldnt be hard on yourself if you interview for a job and dont get it. Often, there is already a candidate that is pre-selected and the interview process is a mere formality. Someone thought you were a good candidate and brought you in, but you didnt actually have a real chance at the job no matter how you interviewed. In fact, you should treat all interviews like that. Dont get stressed about them, because theres a good chance that theres already an anointed candidate. I would say that 75-80% of the time, we already have our minds made up regarding which candidate to hire before the interview process begins and interviews virtually never change our minds. Sometimes we will interview someone great and put them on a list of people to call in the future but almost without fail those people already have a job when we call them back. So please dont be hard on yourself if you dont succeed at an interview! And dont get overly stressed about it because theres a good chance that theres already an anointed candidate anyway. Just go in there and answer the questions and learn about the company and let the chips fall where they may. Alison This is great advice, and in line with some of my own hiring experiences in the past. I have been on all sides of this coin at various points. I have been the anointed candidate in a hiring process. I have also been one of the other candidates in a hiring process (where I knew someone else was anointed for an absolute fact). Ive also been involved with several hirings, some of which had strongly preferred candidates and some of which did not. The thing is, you never really know which kind of situation it is when youre interviewing. It may be a more open position where you actually have a good chance, or it may be a situation where you are one of the other candidates in an open process engineered to bring in the vastly preferred candidate with minimal questions. I think the mantra of dont worry about it is the right one here. Just go in there, answer the questions, ask some questions about the company, and move on and keep looking for the next interview or opportunity. If youre the right candidate, theyll call. Often, you wont be, and it wont be due to a fault of your own. Q2: Old hometown checking account I have left a checking account open at my old hometown bank for the last 20 years. It pays a very small interest rate 0.05%. I have a balance of about $1,200 in there. I have always looked at it as a last ditch emergency fund. If anything seriously goes wrong, Ill go there and use that money. But its just sitting there. Isnt there something better I could be doing with it? Dana I dont think theres anything wrong with having a last ditch emergency fund in a bank thats not easy to access. That idea is fine by me. However, its probably just going to sit there for a long time, so you might want to consider doing something with it that earns a better return. The next time youre in your hometown, stop by that bank and see what other options they have. Simply explain that this is an emergency fund for you and you want it in a place where it earns a little more, doesnt lose value, and could be withdrawn in an emergency but isnt likely to be withdrawn. Its very likely that theyll suggest a certificate of deposit, which is akin to a savings account except that it earns a bit higher interest rate and theres a small penalty for withdrawing it early. It wont take very long at all for the CD to earn more than the penalty for early withdrawal and then, after that, its onwards and upwards. Make sure that the bank allows you to automatically roll over the CD when it matures. Right now, with interest rates a bit higher than they were but still fairly low, Id choose a medium term CD, something in the range of one to two years. That will give you a higher interest rate than a short term CD but wont lock you in to these relatively low historical rates forever. Set it to automatically roll over, then forget about it until that last ditch emergency occurs. Q3: Making your own seasoning mixes Have you ever written an article about making your own seasoning mixes instead of buying mixes at the store? You can buy the component spices and mix them yourself and save a lot of money if you use seasonings a lot. I make an Italian seasoning and a chili seasoning and a toast seasoning myself. Margaret Toast seasoning? Youre going to have to send me that one. I have a bagel seasoning mix that I like to use on buttered toast sometimes I wonder if theyre similar. Although Ive mentioned seasoning mixes before and noted how its cheaper to make your own, I dont think Ive ever written a listing of the various spice mixes we have and how we store them. I store most of my spice mixes in large baby food jars that we still have from when our children were babies. I usually make them by mixing other spices by the teaspoon into a bowl and then stirring them thoroughly so theyre mixed, then I fill up the jar with the spice mix. I use masking tape for labeling. Using a mix is a learning experience. Over time, you start figuring out how much to put in stuff. Our chili mix, for example, usually takes a tablespoon and a half per batch, and a batch fills up our slow cooker about halfway. I could write a full post about this if theres interest, including some of my recipes. Just send me a message on Facebook if youd like to see that. Q4: Inexpensive Nintendo Switch games My husband and I bought our son a Nintendo Switch for Christmas. It is his first video game console and he had been asking for it all year so it was really fun to see him open it. Both sets of grandparents got him a game for it so he has had two games to play. His birthday is coming up soon and we asked him what he wanted and of course he wanted a Switch game. We asked him for a list of the ones he wanted and it has 15 or so games on it. The problem is that they are all $50 or more. Why are Switch games so expensive? Our full birthday gift budget for him is $50. Can you help? Anna This is a consistent challenge with Nintendos consoles, and it has been since the 1980s. Nintendo makes very high quality exclusive titles for their consoles those are usually the ones that wind up filling wish lists for console owners but they rarely go down in price until later in the consoles production cycle and the Switch is a pretty young system. Trust me your son isnt being greedy here. Hes probably listing most of the best games for the console, but they all happen to be expensive ones. I would guess that in a year or two, Nintendo will have a line of some of their top titles from a few years prior as Platinum titles for a much lower price point around $20 but were not there yet. So what can you do now? My recommendation is to visit a video game store that sells used games, like Gamestop, and see what they have available for the Switch thats used. Switch games, as you know, come on small cartridges, so its very easy to test a game to make sure it works you can ask them to test it before you buy. Getting a game used in the original packaging will still cost 50% to 75% of the sticker price and the selection may be a bit limited, but this is probably a fairly safe bet for getting one of the games he wants within your price point. A used Switch game is just as good as a new one in terms of someone focused on actually playing the games, so Id look there. Another approach would be to give him a gift card to the Nintendo eShop. There are a lot of very good downloadable titles for the Switch, and you use those gift cards to buy those downloadable titles. While this wouldnt give him any of the games he specifically wants, it would enable him to get a couple of games at least, and there are some very good games for $9.99 or less on the eShop. Q5: Partner has extreme debt I recently discovered that my bride-to-be (June) has about $140K in student loan debt. She had said that she had some student loans in the past but I did not have any idea how much. I am very uncomfortable with being saddled with that much debt. This has caused a great deal of conflict between us over the last few months and I found this out during the holidays. I am not sure what to do. Daniel The biggest factor Id look at is her day to day behavior right now. Is she a frugal person? Does she watch her nickels and dimes? Is she committed not in words but in actions to getting that debt paid off? Is she making extra payments on that debt? If you see that, then I wouldnt fret about it. On the other hand, if she seems to think that such a big debt isnt a big deal, she spends money frivolously all the time, and she isnt making much progress on that debt I would think very, very carefully about this relationship, because thats a value mismatch thats going to chafe for years and years. Beyond that, I would also consider what kind of field that her degree is in. Was the degree she earned in a field with a high income potential, or was it something that will never earn a substantial income? Also, Id look at other factors, like whether or not parental support was promised and then denied. If shes aiming for a high paying career, such as medicine or law or some types of engineering, I wouldnt worry too much about it. If she took out that much debt for a career path that has a very low likelihood of earning a high salary, I would be really concerned. I would also be concerned with that level of debt if there was also significant financial support from her parents where did all of that money go? The challenge with marriage is that you are financially tied to each other in a very deep way and her choices regarding the debt she took out for her education are indicative of the decision making process she will likely employ going forward except now youll be financially liable for them. Having that much debt unless you are both high income earners will significantly affect your life decisions for a very long time, likely for the rest of your life. It will delay your ability to have children that you can support financially, for starters. It will alter both of your career choices and possibilities. It will delay your ability to have a home of your own. I guess, in this situation, what I would really look for are signs of financial maturity beyond that of the student loans. Is she focused on repaying that debt with or without you? Is she making the most of her degree? Does she spend frivolously? I cant answer for you whether this woman is worth it to you. She may be perfect for you in every other way, in which case youll be happier with her. However, having that much student loan debt, and given the alarm bells it sets off in your head, is a sign of likely incompatibility over financial issues, and thats not a recipe for a great marriage. As always, conversation is key, as is paying attention to her actions. What kind of steps is she taking (not just talking about, but taking) in her life knowing that huge debt is sitting there? If youre struggling to answer that and this debt makes you this uncomfortable, this may not be the best situation for you. Q6: TSP contribution questions I am 36 years old, single, no children, no plans to ever marry. I just got a government job that I hope to keep for the rest of my life. Knowing that I am receiving FERS and Social Security already in retirement, how much should I contribute to my TSP to be able to have a comfortable retirement?Want to retire at 65 and have about the same amount of disposable income when I retire. Janine For those unfamiliar, FERS is the pension plan for US federal government employees. TSP is an optional 401(k)-like plan for additional retirement savings. Based on this, FERS should provide about 33% of your final salary when you retire. Social Security, depending on your income level, will provide somewhere around 30% of your income. That means you need to make up about 37% of your income from TSP. If you contribute 5% of your salary to TSP, the federal government matches another 4%. Above that, theres no matching. Given all of that information, I ran some back of the envelope calculations and conclude that given your age and your aim to retire at age 65 with your full salary intact from your various retirement sources and that you want to be able to draw from TSP for the rest of your life, you should contribute 15% of your salary to TSP. This should enable you to withdraw enough from TSP each year to make up your salary shortfall when you retire at age 65 and the TSP balance should last for the rest of your life. Youll want to invest TSP fairly aggressively the target retirement options should work. While I cant guarantee that 15% will get you there, I can certainly say that it is extremely likely that it will either get you there or get you very close to your goal. Q7: Uses for old iPod? Found an old iPod in a desk drawer along with charging cable. Is there any use for this or should I just junk it? I powered it up and it turns on just fine. Adam I dont own an original iPod (I had one way back in the day but I sold it off circa 2007-2008), but a friend of mine keeps one in her car and listens to music with it every day using a cassette tape adapter. You could do the same thing with an auxiliary cable if your car has an AUX port. Just load it up with mp3s of a bunch of music and/or podcasts that you like, keep it in your car, and listen to it during commutes. If you have a charger that hooks into the cigarette lighting receptacle in your car, then you can plug into that and keep it permanently charged. My friend has hundreds of albums that she loved in her teens and twenties. If you like alternative or indie rock from about 1990 to about 2007, theres a good chance youll find a ton to love on her iPod. Just fill yours up to the brim with stuff you like and youll always have something to listen to. You can fill it up with the full archives of a podcast and listen to the entire run of a podcast, too. Old iPods are great for these kinds of things. In other words, use it for what it was intended for. Load it up with audio. Q8: Job search not that simple While I appreciate your regular encouragement to go find a new job if your current one is sapping you, its not always that simple. I have been working as a legacy systems programmer for the same company for 16 years. Most of my day is maintaining old code, migrating it to new machines, and dealing with corporate [nonsense]. I literally hate going into work each day. There arent any available jobs nearby that match my skill set. Trust me, Ive looked. I cant move because my daughter has particular health care needs and needs to be near a top notch medical facility. That also means I need good insurance. I cant just go into work and say, Well, time to find a new job today! Thats just a pipe dream. Terry All right, so what jobs are available in your area that are close to your skill set? Youre obviously in a metro area of some kind. I guarantee there are programming jobs in that area. Whats actually available? What things are most similar to your skillset? Once you know that, start honing your skillset at work so that you can make that leap. Learn how to write tools that will help you with the legacy coding you already do. Start trying to port your legacy code over to a new language for modern systems during your downtime. Use this as an opportunity to learn new languages and paradigms. Get involved with any and all local software development groups. Try to go to their face to face meetings and get heavily involved in any online spaces they have, being as helpful as you possibly can there. Build up some good relationships in your field, then just casually ask about positions that match your refurbished skill set. Also, keep your resume honed on LinkedIn so you can be discovered by people who might be looking for folks in your area. Dont aim for hopelessness. Aim for a light at the end of the tunnel. You can do this at any job. I had a job where I was literally shoveling dirt for hours and hours during the middle of the night by myself and yet I found ways to aim that toward my next step. Q9: Value of authenticating sports cards I have a bunch of sports cards mostly baseball and basketball from the 1960s. I have looked at selling some of them individually but when I look online almost all sales are authenticated cards in a special holder. I looked into this and it looks like you send your cards to an authentication service and pay them a fee and they put them in a special plastic holder with a tag that says its authentic and gives it a grade for its condition. Is this worth it for selling trading cards? Are there ways to sell cards without this kind of service? Marvin You basically described the sports card authentication world pretty well. It exists because there was rampant fraud in older sports cards and other trading cards for a while, so some reputable dealers popped up and started offering authentication and grading services so that people would know exactly what they were buying. Its become the de facto standard for any sports cards of significant value. Basically, if the card is older than about 1975 or so, the player has any name recognition at all, and the card is in reasonably good shape, youre going to make more money selling it after authentication than before, even including the cost of authentication. If its a no-name player or its beat up, youre not going to make a whole lot for it anyway, as people will just want those to help complete sets and they wont sell for more than pennies. What Id do is look for Hall of Fame caliber player cards from your collection (or, as a friend of mine said, Hall of Famers plus Pete Rose) and get those authenticated to sell individually. The rest, Id just divide out by set and sell in bulk. (I have an almost complete 1965 Topps set missing just a few commons that Ive worked on for literally decades, so Im fairly familiar with all of this.) Q10: Financial independence and career plans So how much financial independence would a person need to be able to have full career independence where you still want to have a career but you just feel empowered to make whatever choice seems exciting to you without really worrying about salary but still assuming youre earning a decent salary to live on? I make about $80K and think I can live well on about $40K so my savings rate is about 30% after taxes. How many years would I have to do this before money exits the equation as a career consideration? Barney I think the real question youre asking is how much do I need to save so that retirement is fully covered? This calculator is probably my preferred one. Youll want to play around with different settings to see how long youll need to save to hit your goals. The further you are from retirement, the lower your total savings goal will be. Also, if you assume Social Security benefits will come to you at rates similar to whats available today, the lower your total savings goal will be. You may even be at your target in several years. However, Id still recommend that you save for retirement after you hit your goal number if youre earning a good salary. This allows you to walk away even earlier if you just get tired of the rat race before a typical retirement age. Q11: Advice for selling books I have a collection of hardback books I want to sell. What is the best way to get maximum value for them? Tracy First of all, it depends a lot on what books youre exactly trying to sell. Are they novels? Cookbooks? Old Dungeons and Dragons books? Encyclopedias? Youll want to go to eBay and try to get a sense as to what theyre actually worth. You will probably get the maximum value from them by selling them individually. However, that is exponentially more work for only a fairly modest rate of return. You might be able to sell a lot of ten books for $20 or sell them each individually for $3, for example. Is that extra effort in packaging and shipping and tracking and communication for nine additional packages worth the $10 to you? Another note: if youre selling books, USPS Media Mail is your friend. Its a highly discounted shipping rate that applies to sending books through the mail, and it comes with a tracking number. (Its cheap because its slow and USPS knows a book can sit in a warehouse for a day with zero problems.) You should always use this when shipping books and magazines. Q12: True hourly discretionary income question I understand how this perspective helps to highlight the high cost of non-necessary spending now in terms of lost leisure in the future. But I think it overstates the cost of non-necessities in terms of hours worked. In your example where your annual net wage is $34,000 and your annual work hours is 2,740 (so you net $12.41 per hour worked) and your necessities cost $24,600/year, you should account for 1,982 work hours (= $24,600/$12.41 per hour) as covering necessities, leaving 2,740 1982 = 758 hours for non-necessities. In each of those 758 hours, you net $12.41/hour, and that is the cost of your necessities in terms of hour worked. So a $50 board game costs you $50/$12.41 per hour = 4 hours, not 10.5 hours. The key is to see that you still actually net $12.41/hour, regardless of whether those earnings go to necessities or non-necessities. One way to see this is to realize that the approach in the post can lead to unrealistic implications for the hours of work required to purchase non-necessities. For example, suppose in your example above, necessities are only $10,000 year, and non-necessary spending is then $34,000 $10,000 = $24,000. If your hourly wage for non-necessities is really $4.96/hour like the post says, then it would take $24,000/$4.96 per hour = 4,838 hours to earn that $24,000. But you earned the $34,000 with only 2,740 hours, so something is wrong. Max Max is referring to this article from last week, Using Your True Hourly Discretionary Income to Make Smarter Purchases. Youre just looking at the same issue in a different way. Rather than looking at each hour as being subdivided between essential expenses and non-essential expenses, youre doing the same thing with the total hours over a year. In that example, then, 1,741 of the hours you work essentially earn you nothing in terms of spending money, because all of it goes to essentials. So, frugality in essence just means that youre migrating some of the hours you work from your pool of hours spent on essential expenses to the hours you work for spending money. My angle was different. I divided the income from each hour into essential expenses and spending money. The essential expenses gobble up $7.45 of the $12.41 you earn each hour, while your spending money makes up only $4.96 of the $12.41 you earn each hour. So, then, you judge whether an expense is worth it using just the $4.96, since its the only portion you can actually freely spend. In this case, frugality moves a little bit of money from the $7.45 essential expenses per hour pile to the $4.96 spending money per hour pile. Got any questions? The best way to ask is to follow me on Facebook and ask questions directly there. Ill attempt to answer them in a future mailbag (which, by way of full disclosure, may also get re-posted on other websites that pick up my blog). However, I do receive many, many questions per week, so I may not necessarily be able to answer yours. https://www.thesimpledollar.com/questions-about-checking-accounts-nintendo-switch-ipods-tsp-and-more/

[chunmakowski3-blog]

hotass milf - What You Can Do About Mature Asian Feet Pics Starting In The Next Ten Minutes

Ive always had this silly idea in the back of my head, that maybe I should be writing more than just forum posts and rants on facebook, that maybe I might have more to say, or share, than Ive been allowing myself. So, within that vein of thought, I sat down, and through a mix of two things that really did happen to me, along with some embellishment and other imaginings, I put the following partial story together. I have no idea what to expect from this, good bad or indifferent, but If you take the time to read it, please share your thoughts / critique. Writing like this is experimental for me and Im going even further on the limb by making it erotic... and know that I know, that this is rather rough. Ive gone over it a few times, and I think I could continue to edit, just this tiny piece for ages. Point is, I know Im a newb, and have a long way to go before I might be good. So be honest, but also respectful please. Advice, points, a direction... all welcome. This is just the beginning. The second piece and most of the conclusion are outlined. If folks show interest, Ill finish it up and post it as part #2. Laundry Day... Saturday morning... close to noon, still tired from staying up too late the night before. I get some coffee started then head back to the other end of the house to grab some laundry for the wash. Its a beautiful spring day, really warm outside so I pull some windows and the door open, with just the screens on to keep the bugs out. I live on a quiet street in the suburbs, and mine is the last house before a few empty lots, so I get zero foot traffic. I dont even think twice about traipsing about the house in my boxers. Im 28 years old, about six foot tall, a little too thin but muscular and wiry from working construction all year. I think that Im considered attractive despite my hawkish nose. I have long hair and about 3 days of facial growth. I need to shave, but dont much care too. If I have an attribute that stands out, women often tell me that I have nice hands. Im humming along to Sweet child o mine squeaking out of my old radio while stuffing dirty clothes into the washer when I hear a flat knock on the screen door. The door isnt latched, so it swings half open at the touch. Im a little startled and surprised when I look over and see an attractive woman, twenty-something, dressed modestly in shorts and blouse carrying a hand-bag and a stack of pamphlets. She has long, strawberry blonde hair, and I notice right away, tight, fit legs and a cute face. Regardless of my surprise, I sheepishly say hello, and without even considering that Im more naked than not I approach the door, baffled that theres anyone there at all, nevermind this pretty young woman. She appears to be about as nervous as I am, and begins a rehearsed line from the sheet she has clutched in her hand. She stutters a bit but recoveres quickly. She says My church has asked a few of us to pass out these pamphlets to let people know about our Sunday services. She looks up expectantly, while reaching out to hand me a pamphlet. I take it, and our fingers touch, giving me a slight chill down my spine. A slight breeze blows through the house and I notice that she smells really nice. A complimentary scent to the spring air. I smile and look down at the pamphlet, surreptitiously her thighs. She doesnt seem to have more to say, so I tell her that Im not particularly religious but if she wants to talk, shes welcome to come on in as long as she doesnt mind if I do some laundry while we chat. I gesture at my obvious near nakedness, expecting a repsonse, but instead she just smiles again, very deliberately pushes the door the rest of the way open and walks over to sit down on the couch. She looks demure and slightly nervous, with her legs together and a stack of pamphlets gripped tight in both hands. Despite the apparent nervousness, shes still wearing a grin that looks more mischevious than awkward. I think to myself that so far her actions have been more bold than timid. The situation was feeling rather unreal, her sitting there with me standing in only my very brief thin white boxers. I didnt really know what to do, and I dont think it was conscious thought that got me there, but I walked over and sat next to her. We both sat quiet for a few moments that felt overlong. While I was trying to think up something to say, and becoming increasingly aware of how close to nude I was, she looked over at me, a little red-faced, and then suddenly stood up, mumbled something I didnt understand and took off out the door. If you have any kind of concerns about wherever as well as how to work with mature milfs pics, you are able to email us from our webpage. I stood up to follow, but she had distanced herself from the house rather quickly and I didnt want to run outside in only my underwear. I was puzzled, and more than a little disappointed that shed left so quickly. Id gotten near as much warning with her leaving as Id had with her coming. I turned around, shook my head, laughed a little, walked to my bedroom, found some jeans and a shirt to put on and then walked outside to see her and her group a few doors down talking with my elderly neighbor. They all looked up when they heard my screen door shut. I waved, she waved back, then turned away as the group said their goodbyes to my neighbor, got into a mini-van and drove away. With nothing more to do or say, I went back inside refilled my coffee mug and sat down on the couch, still warm where shed been sitting, and attempted to take stock of what just happened. Though there had been few words and no contact, the experience left me with my blood pumping. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. My mind replaying the experience over and over, changing the subtleties to suit my fantasies. Fantasies that eventually got the best of me. My cock got hard. Throbbing in my boxers, I couldnt help myself, I reached down and stroked it thinking of what might have happened differently with this impromptu beautiful stranger who had come to my home, and then left again after such a brief encounter. As the days turned to weeks, the memory of the experience and the fantasy became a sort of routine. I would sit on the couch and masturbate thinking of the day Id had a beautiful stranger come to my door. Each time I would imagine having said something clever or having reached over and touched her leg while she sat there, each action or word a catalyst for the fantasy to bloom. A touch turned to another, and then a kiss, and well, you get the idea. Time passed, a month or more, I dont remember now. It was my day off during the week. I was killing some time playing a video game, awaiting the time free naked mature pictures to go meet my friends for drinks that afternoon. It was still warm out, and after her visit and my subsequent fantasies, Id gotten into the habit of leaving the front door open, screen door closed but unlatched. Id come down from the high of the experience, but it was still fueling my masturbation ritual on a nearly daily basis. Despite this and though I suppose Id subconsciously hoped to run into her one day, I was harboring no real belief that Id see her again. Amidst the noise and distraction of the game I was playing, I almost didnt hear it when someone at my door cleared their throat. Once again startled, I jumped a little, and when I turned to see, it was her at the door, and already pushing it open, though Id not invited her in. I was dumbstruck and overwhelmed at how attractive she looked framed by the door and the sunlight streaming in around her. She let the door shut behind her, and stood there smiling dressed in a white t-shirt and semi-raggy short jeans with her long reddish-blonde hair flowing down her shoulders and onto her chest. She looked different, less demure, and it took me a few moments to realize she was wearing makeup that was absent at our first meeting, and this time her clothes are a little tighter and I can see that through her shirt, the bra shes wearing is lacy, sexy milf, on purpose. Her cute face and fit legs are the standouts of her appearance, and though I cant tell with her facing me, I imagine that she must have a really fantastic ass too. Then, in an instant, several things cross my mind at once. I felt my face flush red, as several weeks of stroking my cock to thoughts and fantasies about this woman came flooding back to me. It was my turn to studder. I didnt know what to say, and then I began to feel myself getting hard. I thought, at least Im wearing pants this time. Feeling unusually confident, perhaps inspired by her bold intrusion, I let my inhibitions go and allow myself to become erect. I stood there facing her, each of us looking one another up and down, taking each other in, appraising. I was sure shed noticed my hard-on, she smiled and then looked me in the eye. I nervously, nearly choking on the words said, Hey again, how are you... come on in. even though she was already standing in the room. tweakmymeter

[survivorbouvetisland]

Episode #4/5: “I'm just lying and making a big deal about things because it is funny”- Bodhi

Bodhi

I don't know what is even happening I'm just lying and making a big deal about things because it is funny

Roxy

Im aolot inactive. Lmfoa

the serious confessioanl didnt uplod :/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NesmOdGOnX4

Lol thibis eric's org

Trixie 

If all goes as planned, Shea is gone! We purposely threw the comp to get you out. I just wanna say it's nothing against you as a person, I would have loved to work with you but we all felt you were going to be a problem later on so we had to send you home now. 

I feel really bad that I had to vote Zack out especially with him being a newbie. I also feel awful not letting Roxy in on our alliance. Hopefully with merge she can join us. She really doesn't deserve to get voted off so soon.

So we threw the comp yet again and it worked - Zack is out. I would have liked to work with him but I knew he'd be a vote for the other side once we merged. Nehe's voting confessional for him was BRUTAL. It makes me scared if I ever got a vote from him. We had yet another tribe swap, back to 3 teams again. I travelled through tribes and landed on Skua with basically all my alliance minus Austin. I hope he manages to stay safe so when merge comes we can reunite as the Outsiders. 

I wonder who Adelie is gonna send home, huh?

QuilLynn 

I feel bad blindsiding shea tonight, i genuinely like him and would have liked to work with him. I think the tribe swap fucked him over a bit because he picked people who were already closley aligned (like nehe+trixie, austin+zack) for me right now the safe and smart thing to do is take out shea. I do want austin gone soon though, because once we merge he'll be a huge threat because he has connections on both sides.

so that immunity was a mess. The day started out good, tribal went as planned and we got out shea and going into the new immunity we thought we stood a chance and were genuinely going to try to win, however, knowing that bodhi and kelsey are probably on the bottom of that tribe and would be possible numbers for our alliance come merge we decided to throw it and take out Zack who we believe to be a number for skua. Austin has it out for jay it seems and is looking to take out his numbers and I think he actually thinks he's running things and making the decisions. Thats fine he can think whatever he wants, but it was trixie  and I who made the Shea blindside happen and saved his ass. We OMG INSTANT TRIBAL BRB

This instant might come back to bite me in the ass rip, its messy and people still haven't voted and I think austin thinks i'm voting him

I think roxy is really buying my "innocent newcomer" act right now that i'm using to cover my ass for this zack vote. I'm hoping i can get out of this still with the trust of all my tribe members. If i had to pick one to go next it would be Ali, because that rat went to austin saying I voted him... We'll see what the future holds

This new skua tribe is the perfect stiuation! I have trixie who is my #1 in this game, nehe who i'm closely aligned with and roxy who thinks were together 100%. I really want to win these upcomong challenges because I feel like there will only be one or two votes before we merge and I want all four of us on this new new skua to make it! It would break my heart to vote roxy at this point as we already blindsided her twice at tribals and she still trusts us, so i'm really hoping it doesn't come down to that. I'm also hoping for another clue, since i have one from skua before I think getting a second clue would really help my chances of finding one of these fucking idols!

Once again my team won, I mean so far this whole game I've only been on a losing team if we threw the challenge. I know i'm going to look like a threat come merge but i'm kinda looking forward to it. I'm hoping I can still use my innocent newbie "idk what i'm doing" act to get people to trust me, but I know eventually they'll want to take me out. I feel after this challenge our "outsiders" alliance from albatross will be over. Austin only got 10 points in the challenge so odds are he'll be taken out next, and if he's not then I'd take that as a sign that he joined the other side and if thats the case we'll have no use for him. Part of me is hoping that adelie takes him out tonight that way we don't have to do the dirty work later, but unfortunately I think that comes with the price of losing a jury vote. 

also, nehe is really pissing me off. If we lose the next immunity idgaf about the alliance at this point I like roxy more right now and I'd send his ass home.

The tribe chat is fun and all but... Roxy, girl. Sometimes it's a bit much. Jokes  and sarcasm just flies over her little aussie head. God bless.

Jacob 

Austin be throwin'? I played the challenge for less than an hour and I still got a better score. I hope he doesn't have an idol.

Shea

Aint shit

Austin 

:)

Rig-gate is real huh

Lily 

honestly i dont even know whats going on right now. we swapped? thats cool. we're not going to tribal? rad. honestly like if i got voted out next round i dont know if i'd care that much this premerge is just so chill for whatever reason its like my natural habitat

Andrew

I think Ali is a robot. Also lily and I are lookin for an idol™

Ali

I need to merge next I don't trust these hoes

Kelsey 

My goodness...after that disaster of a video challenge, I was truly blessed to stay. I had never really had the opportunity to connect with anyone and Regan basically eliminating herself was...luck, dear, it was luck XD But then a scadulous tribe swap happens and I'm even LUCKIER!!! With a tribe of four, I feel like we totally could just slay the house down and all four people are people I'm able to bond with over something quickly. Jay was super on the Regan boat and knows that I'm not the best with speaking with people, as was the other snake picture. And Austin says he's rather close to Jay, so I'm feeling rather good if we go to tribal, not that we wi- oh, we already lost, ok. Austin says he would love to work with Jacob and I and to eliminate Jay, which doesn't sound the most predictable, but at this point in the competition, I've never made it to the top thirteen and I usually mess it up for myself when get too involved with voting and being gung ho. This time, maybe I can just take a deep breath and survive past another one...apparently, there is this "plan" to convince Austin that I'm going home which makes the pit in my stomach advance even further but...it can't be helped. I could be making top TWELVE. TWELVE!!!! I've got to just take a deep breath, close my eyes, and jump off the bridge. Let's hope I land in foam~! And THAT'S all there is to it! Bon Apetit, beh-bay~ Kelsey Mikaelson

Zack

I have had Nehe and Austin approach me for a solid three. However, I have also been approached with a solid three person alliance with Trixie and Quillyn. If I can get this group to final five, I think I would be sitting pretty. Unfortunately, that means I have to turn on my alliance I've had from day one with Shea, Roxy, and Ali. But Ali and I have talked and he's going to jump ship with me. 

So, I've had Ali, Austin, and Nehe all trying to subtly convince me to trust the others of the three. It quickly became apparent that they're all working together, or at the very least, Austin has them both wrapped around his finger. Austin also mentioned Bodhi and Jay being numbers for him on the other side. Having everyone on my tribe trust me, I realize that this is my opportune moment to make a game-changing move and flipping the vote on Austin. I convinced Trixie and Quillynn (who have offered me an alliance for the time being) that if we want to succeed at all, we need to split up these three. More specifically, take Austin out because he seems to be the main tie for all of these people. Take out the kingpin, the rest will scatter. With Roxy still trusting me over everyone else, we should have just enough votes to take Austin out. I don't like sitting around, doing what I'm told, and waiting to be taken out in the final six. So sorry, Austin. I really hope you're out this week.

Jay

Regan is going to straight up murder me for voting her out, but sorry. You blew up on Kelsey, you're going home. Sorry not sorry. Also you're just gonna vote with Austin every vote and we can't have him having more power than me :)

Hey guys! This might be my last confessional in this game. So, Austin says he has an idol and that he's playing it. So like, I decided that I'm just gonna go for voting him. The thing is, if me, Jacob, and Kelsey stick strong, and he plays an idol, one of us go. HOWEVER, provided it's not me, whoever is left from Kelsey and Jacob is still trusting of me. Which would not be the case if i threw a vote onto Kelsey and Jacob left. Tribal is starting now. Good luck to me I hope things go well.

Nicholas 

hi so im trying to win this paintball challenge so my ass doesnt get voted off. i feel like for the first time ever in a survivor game i dont fit in with my tribe and like they are going to cut me the first chance they get. oh well i guess we will see what happens. its time to shoot some bitches

Nehemiah 

So now i'm on the albatross tribe and you can say that I'm on the bottom but actually theres people on the tribe I trust. Trixie and Ali are instant ride or die homies in my opinion and so is Austin. After I helped us win the lip sync with my amazing talent Trixie and Quillyn wants to have an alliance with me and Austin as we are the outside forces I am 100% fine with this. But Ali isnt with the other side he's with me and Austin. So this is also good if we go to a tribal. So i'm set up pretty nicely.

We have decided to throw the challenge to get out Shea. I personally have no connection to shea in the form that I didn't care if we threw the challenge. The outsiders alliance of me, QuilLyn, Trixie, and Austin is definitely off to a good start. We got shea to vote Austin and Ali is on board to vote Shea. I'm in a good spot when it comes to everything. I don't know how I'm going to fare going forward in the game but I do think I'm in a very good spot and I know how to speak to people. Zack was doing the challenge all by himself. We tried to throw it and he just wouldn't but to be fair he didn't know. So i had to talk him into throwing and getting out Shea leading on the idea that if he does so Austin and me would work with him. Everything should be good tonight.

The outsiders threw yet another tribal so we can get out Zack.

After our tribal of blindsiding Zack there was in our guts either a tribe swap or merge. As you can see it was a tribe swap and ironically I ended up on a tribe with my 2 fellow Outsiders and Roxy. I lied to Roxy the previous vote but I don't wanna loose that relationship just yet. There's a good chance my new tribe can win immunity and not have to vote off Roxy but if such things happen we are 3-1 and we have the ammunition to take aim. I only fear for out other votes that we need secure which that is being Bodhi, Ali, Kelsey, and Austin. I need all 4 of them to stay safe but I have a smart feeling that ain't gonna happen. But I still stand on what I said last time in that I'm in a good spot and I don't have to do much bullshit or manipulating just yet. I showed I can be sneaky as well as cutthroat when I need to be but I'm good for now.