#during the summer i might keep paying rent but fully leave and go live with family

[figuerockfaeth]

I NEED TO MOVE OUT NOOWWWWWWW

[slapshot-to-the-heart]

When We Went From Friends to This - a. beauvillier

One day late, but here it is! I’ve been studying for the LSAT, but finally took it today, so I’ll have some more time to be writing more regularly now. Title is from Taylor Swift’s Paper Rings. I loved getting to write this, so please please let me know what you think, my inbox is always open! Reading the tags is one of my favorite things to do, and reblogs help me know people are liking my work.

word count: 7.7k+

September 18 (sat)

Astride Leclair was the kind of person you always wanted on your side. She’d drop anything for a friend, always be the first to reach out, and would never give up on something — or someone — without a fight. She was also incredibly stubborn. Astride had also always had a penchant for adventure, which is how she found herself in a new job 600 miles and one international border from her hometown. And she hated asking for help, it really didn’t matter the circumstance. Which is how she found herself alone, trying to heft an armchair up the stairs of her new apartment building after being very rudely informed by the width of the elevator door that it wasn’t going to fit. 

The lump sum her firm gave her for relocation was enough to cover a fair amount of the furniture for her new place and she tried to bring as much as she could on the drive down, but it wasn’t like she was about to rent a U-Haul and there was only so much a Honda Civic could hold. And Astride was still her father’s daughter, still would rather step on a rusty nail than pay Ikea for assembly, so by God she was going to do it herself. And “doing it herself” apparently meant dragging an 80 pound box up three flights of stairs in 90º heat in September, when New York City seemed to have not quite yet gotten the memo that the rest of the Northern Hemisphere was now in fall. 

Astride finally managed to get the chair in the door, propping the door open with one of her moving boxes, unceremoniously pulling the box through the entryway as she scooted backwards into the living room. The 600 square foot expanse of her apartment was covered in boxes, more boxes, and for good measure, extra boxes. There were moving boxes, furniture boxes, shoeboxes filled with anything except for actual shoes. There was her guitar leaning against the microwave, three suitcases worth of clothes in the barely-assembled bedroom, and her dog in a crate in the corner, who had started to whine. 

“I know, baby, I’ll get you out soon,” Astride said, shooting a sympathetic glance towards the beagle mix. She had adopted Poutine a little over a year ago, soon after starting her first job out of university. It was never a question whether or not she would make the trip with Astride, and thankfully it was much easier than she anticipated to find a dog-friendly apartment in Brooklyn. It wasn’t too long a walk to Prospect Park, a little under a mile, and she was looking forward to getting out with Poutine later in the day. If, that was, she actually finished unpacking enough boxes to function like a normal human being. She had picked up her mattress-in-a-box earlier in the day, but it was still sitting in the corner of her bedroom and she wasn’t particularly looking forward to a night on the hardwood floor. 

---

Three hours later, Astride had finally gotten all of the boxes out of her car and began to make decent headway on assembling the chair, finally having let Poutine out of her crate. The beagle trotted around the apartment, sniffing the baseboards, boxes, and single bag of groceries Astride had picked up from Whole Foods earlier in the day. The rest of her Ikea order was coming the next day, the actual bedframe and couch along with a couple of other larger furniture pieces that she had had to leave in Montréal. Whatever she couldn’t order online she’d find at a thrift store. 

Astride looked tiredly over at the kitchen. She really wasn’t in the mood to cook, and was in even less of a mood to dig through all the boxes until she finally found her set of pots and pans. She really should have taken her mom’s advice and labeled everything, but Astride was stubborn as a mule, and once she was stuck in her ways, there was precious little anyone could do to convince her otherwise. Pulling out her phone, she navigated to her Uber Eats, feeling a tiny pang in her heart as she switched her location to New York. Not the language, though. Astride was so hungry that she literally clicked on whatever place could get there the fastest, which ended up being a Chinese place a mile or so away. After placing her order — she got an extra box of chow mein so she wouldn’t have to deal with breakfast the next day — she settled back into the hair, the only fully-assembled piece of furniture in the whole apartment. Her finger hovered over her Instagram for a moment before she clicked on it, liking a few photos before going to post one of her own. It was a picture of the Brooklyn Bridge as she crossed it that morning, Poutine’s head lolling out the front window. One tap and one caption later, it was posted. 

---

Anthony flopped onto his bed, his duffel landing with a satisfying thump on the floor beside him. Training camp had just ended, and while he’d certainly been keeping up on his workouts over the summer, the hours upon hours of skating had nevertheless made him more than a little sore. He grabbed his phone, opening up Instagram and scrolling through the new posts, only half paying attention. Astride’s new photo caught his eye.

Sometimes, needing a change means a new haircut. Sometimes, it means a new country. Very excited to start this next chapter in my life. Salut, New York! Anthony quickly clicked onto her profile page and read her bio. International economics analyst. Eating my way through the world one pancake at a time. BCom McGill. MTL-NYC. He read the last line over and over again. MTL-NYC. He swiped back to the photo; she had tagged herself in Brooklyn. Brooklyn. She was less than an hour away, not even thirty if the traffic wasn’t bad. But she hadn’t told him, she hadn’t said anything. Anthony felt a pang in his heart. Astride knew who he played for — obviously — and she knew that of course he’d want to see her any time they were even remotely in the same place. She knew that. Right? 

He spent the next twenty minutes typing out a message to her. Then deleting it. Then retyping it. Then continuing the type-delete-retype cycle until his head was spinning. This was his best friend. Why was he so nervous to talk to her? Because she was his best friend, and as much as he hated to admit it, he really wasn’t sure where they stood. He hadn’t been sure for a long time. Hey Asty! He internally cringed at himself at the use of her old nickname. I saw you moved to New York, that’s amazing! I’m over on Long Island, so I’d love to catch up with you for coffee or something when you get a chance. It’s been too long :) 

It might have been a little petty — scratch that, it definitely was petty — but Astride didn’t respond to his text that night. She didn’t have read receipts on, thank God, but it sat in her messages, without response, like something she was too scared to confront. And she didn’t even know why. Okay, fine, she knew exactly why. She had moved and suddenly they were in the same city for the first time since they were kids and he was, had been, her best friend, but why now of all times? It’s not like he was never in Montréal during the year, or like they couldn’t have committed to a weekly FaceTime or something, or at least texted more than once a month. He could have done something. And that something, that lack of a something, was what kept her from responding until the next morning, tapping out a text as she halfheartedly made her way through a bowl of oatmeal. Hi, Tito, just saw your text! Lie. I did, an opportunity for a transfer came up and I decided to take it. I figured you were pretty close by, so it would be great to catch up. I don’t start at the office for a week, if you’re free any time between now and then. That much was true. She wasn’t stupid, she knew the Islanders played on, well, Long Island, and as much as she wanted to still hold a grudge against him, her heart ached at the prospect of finally being able to see him again. 

Anthony responded almost instantly, Astride having just closed the door to the dishwasher — a luxury in New York, she was told — before seeing her phone light up with the telltale bubble. I’d love to, we just finished up training camp so I’m more or less free aside from practices. A second later. Is brunch still your favorite meal?

Astride laughed. It didn’t surprise her that he remembered, but it was still touching to see him say something about it. It is.

How about Tuesday? I’ll send you the directions. It’s this little café in Flatbush, I think you’ll love it. 

I’m counting on it. 

September 26 (sun)

Brunch had turned into dinner, which had turned into going to a Broadway show — Anthony had insisted the moment she told him she’d never been — which had turned into him coming over for Saturday night movies, an old habit of the pair’s from their days back in Québec. Which had turned into two movies and two bottles of wine, which had turned into Tito sleeping over on the couch instead of driving the thirty-odd minutes back to his apartment. Poutine sniffed him curiously, nudging one hand with her head. Astride stifled a giggle, opening the door to the balcony. “He’s very sleepy, Poutine. It’s not good manners to wake up your guests.”

“Even when they fall asleep on your couch and steal all your blankets?” Anthony said sleepily from behind. 

Astride wheeled around, greeted by a half-awake Anthony Beauvillier, who was indeed bundled in all of the blankets she owned that weren’t actively on her bed. “Tito! Oh my God, you scared me. How’d you sleep?”

He shrugged. “Not bad, about as well as can be expected.” He tapped his phone, cursing when he realized it was dead. “Do you know what time it is?”

She glanced down at her watch. “8:52, why?”

Anthony jumped up, throwing his shirt back on and grabbing his still-dead phone. “I’m supposed to meet Mat for breakfast at 9:30, and the place is,” he paused for a moment, running through the grid system in his head, “probably half an hour away? I’m never the late one, can’t break that streak now.” 

“Gotcha.”

He grabbed his keys, looking back at her. “Why don’t you come? You’re already dressed, and you remember Mat, right?”

She wiggled her hand. “Kind of?” She crossed the room, letting Poutine back in. “You only want me for my charged phone and navigation system.”

“You got me,” he said, laughing. 

---

“You named your dog Poutine?” Mat snickered, taking a bite of his eggs. 

“Would you rather I named him Tim Horton?” Astride deadpanned. “He’s a good Canadian boy with a good Canadian mom. He needed a good Canadian name.” 

Mat raised his coffee mug, tilting it over towards her. “Touché.”

Anthony waved his hand in front of Mat’s face, trying to catch his attention from where he was utterly preoccupied with destroying his sourdough toast. “Hey, Mat.”

“Mmm?” He glanced up. 

“Did you know that Astride lives right by Barclays? Like, right by Barclays?” 

His eyebrows rose. “No way?” Astride nodded. “That’s a great area, would have been awesome if you were here a couple of years ago. Short walk to the games.”

“That’s what I told her yesterday,” Tito responded. 

---

“You’re kidding,” Anthony said, looking up at her building, then across the street to Barclays, then back to Astride, one hand tangling through his hair. “We used to play right across from here.” 

Astride laughed. “I thought about that,” she said. “You know I still watched your games, right? Even after we fell out of touch?” Anthony shook his head. “You were still someone I cared about, are still someone I care about, even when we only talked a few times a year.” 

Beau stood there, unable to formulate a complete sentence. As far as he knew, the last Islanders game she watched had been the 2016 opener, his NHL debut and her first year at McGill. Why did he assume that? Why did he assume the worst? You can care about people even when they’re not in your life anymore. And sometimes, if you get really, really lucky, they come back. 

October 9 (sat) 

“Ebs is having a barbeque thing over at his house this weekend, just stuff to celebrate the beginning of the season if you wanted to come. No pressure if you’ve got plans already, though,” Anthony said over the FaceTime. 

Astride nodded enthusiastically. “That sounds great, I’d love to come! Just let me know when to show up and what to bring, and I’ll be there.”

 It was almost a fifty-minute drive for Astride from her apartment in Prospect Heights to the house in Garden City, but there wasn’t too much traffic and besides, she had always liked driving. So she set off in her Civic, plugged her music in, and headed down 495. Anthony met her outside of the house, greeting her with a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek as he cocked his head towards the backyard. “Party’s this way. Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone.” 

Astride dutifully followed, trying not to let her nerves take hold of her. Everyone might have already been Beau’s friends, but she didn’t know them, or the dynamic of everyone’s relationships, or really, what to expect at all. 

He noticed her apprehension, stopping her with a feather-light touch on her arm just before walking through the back gate. “Hey, Asty. What is it?” 

She let out a little huff, still upset that he could read her like a book even after all this time. “I’m just worried that I’ll feel like I’m intruding on everything, like everyone already has their friends and a group and everything, and here comes some random Québécoise who’s a friend of Tito’s—” 

He laughed, turning her around to face him. “Astride, they’re going to love you. As long as you’re the hilarious, witty, caring person I know you are, they’re going to love you as much as I do, and you’re going to fit in just fine. Do you trust me?” 

She gave a tiny nod. “Yeah.” 

He smiled, squeezing her hand. “Good, now come back, everyone’s waiting.” 

They walked through the gate, greeted by a crowd of smiling faces as Anthony brought her around to everyone to make their rounds. There was Anders, he was the captain, and his wife. There was Jordan and Lauren, and she already knew Mat, and JGP — who was excited to have another person to speak French to — and a dozen or so others, along with their respective partners and children. Anthony had gone over to talk to Mat and some of the other players, while Astride had wandered over to the drinks table. Some of the other women were chatting nearby; one of them caught Astride’s eye and waved her over to join them. 

“Beau didn’t tell us he was bringing anyone!” one of the women said, pulling her over to the group with a bright smile and handing her a glass of sangria. 

“Mhm,” she replied, taking a sip of the drink. “I’m new to the city, obviously, so I think he wanted me to have some people I know outside of just work.” 

They all nodded. “How long have you two been together, though?” another asked. “I didn’t even know he was seeing anyone, did you?” She looked around at the others, who shook their heads as Astride’s eyes bulged. 

“Together? No, no, we’re not together. We’ve been best friends for ages, but,” she shook her head. 

“Could have fooled me,” Lauren said with the smallest of winks. 

Astride suddenly became very interested in the floating berries in her sangria. She looked over at Anthony, who was throwing his head back, laughing at something one of the rookies had said, and smiled. But Lauren’s words kept lingering in the back of her mind. Could have fooled me. Okay, it wasn’t like it was the first time they had been mistaken for a couple; whenever she’d make the trip up to Shawingan to visit him when he was in the QMJHL, more than once she’d have to explain to his teammates that no, she wasn’t Beau’s girlfriend, they were just best friends who had known each other forever. Just best friends. 

Astride had always equated her lingering feelings for Anthony to the nostalgia of a childhood crush, the safety and security that came with remembering something from a time that seemed so simple and so easy. But childhood crushes didn’t last for ten years. And that wasn’t something she hadn’t wanted to come to terms with, something she’d been putting off for years if she was being honest with herself. 

“You didn’t tell me Astride was coming,” Mat commented, seeing her mid-laugh in conversation with the other girls. 

Anthony nodded. “Yeah. She didn’t have any plans for the weekend and I thought it would be nice to introduce her to everyone. I remember how shitty it felt to be in a new city away from your family, don’t want her to be lonely. Plus, I genuinely think she’ll fit in great with everyone.” 

Mat hummed his agreement. “She’s changed since Switzerland, don’t you think?” he asked appreciatively, referring to over five years ago, the last time he had seen her in person.

“Don’t even think about it,” Beau mumbled to Mat, seeing his eyebrows go so far up they were hidden in his hairline. 

“I see a hot girl, I appreciate a hot girl,” Mat shrugged. “But don’t worry, I won’t try anything. I know she’s off-limits.” 

The rest of the afternoon passed quicker than she would have thought, and after a few hours and more good conversations, it was time for Astride to leave. “Have a safe drive back,” Anthony said, giving her a hug. 

“I will,” she responded. 

He opened the driver’s side door for her. “I’m really glad you came, you know. Everyone liked you, you fit in great.” 

“It wasn’t all me,” she said, sliding into the seat, turning her head to Anthony to continue the conversation. “Everyone really did seem to go out of their way to make me feel included, I think they understood the feeling of moving to a whole new place without a big support system and wanted to do what they could to help mitigate that for me.” Astride consciously left out Lauren’s little comment, four words that had been bouncing around in her head for hours since they had been said. He didn’t need to know. She didn’t need him to know, it could confuse him and complicate things when they were just getting back into the rhythm of friendship, of being each other’s person. 

Anthony tapped his fingers on the car door. “I’m glad.” 

“Me too.”

Beau went to sleep that night, Mat’s words bouncing around in his head. “I know she’s off-limits.” It’s not like Cass was his sister or something, someone who would inherently be barred from his best friend’s dating pool. But Mat seemed to know right away, without having ever been told, that she wasn’t someone he could ever even consider pursuing. Why? And what did Mat seem to know that he didn’t?

November 12 (fri)

It was early November, and Anthony and Astride had just settled down at a table in Prospect Park, coffee cups warming their hands through the late fall chill. “How do you feel about last night?” Astride asked teasingly. He had a three point game, two goals and an assist in a 4-1 win over the Canes, so there really wasn’t any question that he was still riding on the high. 

Beau rolled his eyes. “Good, obviously. It would have been nice to get a hat trick, but I know that’s asking for a lot and I didn’t want to tempt fate too much. They made a really good push late in the second.”

“But you won,” she said, poking his shoulder with the hand that wasn’t wrapped around her mocha. 

“But we won,” he agreed. He suddenly got quiet, the kind of quiet where, if you know the person well enough, you can tell that something’s up. That they’re thinking of something. And Astride was right. “Do you ever think about Switzerland?” he asked. 

Astride looked at him from the side, knowing right away that he wasn’t asking about the country. “All the time,” she admitted. 

---

It was the spring of 2015, and they were in Lucerne. By they, Astride meant her, Tito, and the rest of the 2015 Canadian U18 World Cup team. And by in Lucerne, she meant crowded into someone’s hotel room with no adult supervision. Anthony wasn’t sure where any of the coaching staff had gone, but if he was being honest, he was riding on way too big of a high to even care. They had clinched the bronze medal earlier that day, celebrating with the family and friends who had made the trip out, gotten dinner, and then packed into the first team room they came to. Well, technically, Astride, Tito, and Mat had made a stop at the grocery store before meeting everyone else back in the room. The drinking age in Switzerland was 16 for everything but spirits, and everyone was planning on taking full advantage of that. The cashier gave them a look as she took her and Anthony’s French licenses and Mat’s English one, but the charge went through just fine, and fifteen minutes later they were walking back through the doorway with three cases of beer and a few bottles of sparkling wine for good measure. Astride had never been so grateful to have her own checking account. 

“You ever drink before?” Mat asked her as they opened the cases. 

Astride shrugged. “Not really. A glass of wine every now and again back home with my parents, but nothing too crazy.” 

He held out a bottle for her, fishing around in his pocket for the bottle opener they had picked up at the store. “Have fun.” 

And have fun Astride did. She had finished off two of the beers, and one of the younger teammates — she didn’t remember who — had popped open the wine. In his slightly inebriated state, it took longer than it should have to twist off the muselet, which then led to foam all over the floor and fifteen sixteen and seventeen-year-olds running to the bathroom to grab towels to try and mop it up with. And then running back to the bathroom to get the water glasses because they needed something to drink it out of, right? And then to everyone else’s rooms because they quickly realized that two cups definitely wasn’t enough to go around, and then everyone was back in the room, on the beds and around the beds, finally letting themselves celebrate. Astride was just finishing her glass when Mat spoke. “Anyone up for never have I ever?” Nobody said otherwise, so two minutes later, they were all arranged in what could very generously be called a circle, fresh drinks in hand. After a solid five minutes of repeating the rules — there was always at least one person who seemed to genuinely struggle with the idea that you drank if you had done the thing, not if you hadn’t — they were slowly but surely making their way around the circle. 

Questions ranged from the mundane — “Never have I ever gotten detention” — to the raunchy — “Never have I ever had my parents walk in on me” — neither of which Astride or Tito drank to. 

By the time it was Mat’s turn, he had had plenty of time to think, looking around the group with a conspiratorial grin. “What is it?” Tito asked skeptically. 

He shrugged. “Never have I ever...kissed anyone in the circle.” As expected, nobody drank, but apparently that wasn’t expected, not for Mat, at least. He looked between Anthony and Astride incredulously. “Seriously? You two have never kissed?”

Anthony shook his head. “Nope.”

“How? You’ve been friends for, like, a million years, not even when you were little or anything?” he asked. 

“Never,” Astride said. “Kind of hard to kiss your best friend when you haven’t kissed anyone before.” She barely even realized that everyone was still listening in. 

“You’ve never kissed anyone?” Anthony asked, surprised. 

Astride looked down at her hands, sipping her beer. “Nope.” She gave him a brief smile. “I know it’s nothing to be ashamed of, but no. Just hasn’t happened yet.”

Maybe it was the alcohol talking, or maybe it was feelings buried so deeply in Anthony’s mind that he didn’t think would ever see the light of day, let alone have to be confronted, that made him say what he did next. “I could—if you wanted—you don’t have to, but—” he stammered.

Astride laughed, looking at him curiously. “What is it, Tito? You’re not normally one to stumble over your words like that.”

He picked at his fingernails, an old nervous tick from his childhood that his mother was never quite able to get him to break, keenly aware that the whole room had decided to listen into their conversation. “I was just trying to say...I could do it, if you want. Kiss you, I mean. If you just wanted to get it over with, or whatever. I just figured. You know me, you trust me, you’re comfortable with me. Better that than some idiot at school who doesn’t care about you.”

Her cheeks burned as she looked over at him, but even though it took her nearly a minute to respond, she had her answer after five seconds. “Why not?” Astride flashed him the purest, gentlest smile, the kind that let him know just how much she cared about him and how deeply she trusted him. And the look on her face meant the world to him. 

Anthony leaned in, his hand coming up to rest on her shoulder, his fingertips just barely touching her cheek as their foreheads leant together. “You sure about this?” He needed her to be sure. 

She nodded. “I’ve had a couple of drinks, and I never imagined my first kiss would be in front of an audience,” she paused to giggle at the rest of the team, who were giving the scene their full attention in a way that somehow wasn’t uncomfortable at all, just wholesome and supportive, “but yeah. I’m sure.”

That was all the permission Anthony needed to lean forward, pressing his lips against hers, in a kiss that was soft and sweet and somehow everything Astride needed all in one. He pulled back after a moment, a goofy smile on his face. “How was it?”

Astride couldn’t help but let out a laugh. “Good, it was really good, Tito. Thank you for that.”

“What are friends for?”

---

“Friends are for kissing each other, apparently,” Astride giggled, leaning into Anthony on his couch. 

He laughed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, absentmindedly rubbing his thumb over her arm. “Did you ever think something was going to happen between us?” Anthony asked curiously. 

Astride shrugged. “At some point, yeah. I think it was kind of hard not to, with our parents and literally everyone we spent time with saying we were destined to fall in love.” She looked down at her hands, trying not to give away the fact that at one point, she had believed them. 

November 30 (tues)

“Do you want to come over Friday?” Anthony asked, sprawled out across her couch on one of his rare nights off. He had made the drive over to Astride’s apartment, cooking salmon and roasting vegetables while she took the much more daunting task of picking what to watch on Netflix. She settled on Back to the Future. “I can order in Thai, I know we’re trying to work our way through the Mission Impossibles.” 

Astride grimaced. “I actually...kind of have a date Friday night,” she admitted. 

Anthony made a hum of surprise. “You do?” 

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t act so shocked, Tito. There are men in this city of nine million who want to take me out.” 

He sputtered. “It’s not that that shocks me, Asty. You’d have men lining up around the block for you if you’d give any of them a second glance. It’s just that. You never seem to bother actually going after any of them. What made this one different?” 

“I mean, honestly hour?” Astride said, shrugging. 

“Honestly hour.” 

“I haven’t been on a date since I left Montréal, you know that. It had been a few months there too. And I’ve loved hanging out with you more, getting to know Mat and the team and everyone’s partners, but...I needed something different, too. Something that felt like a part of my life that wasn’t directly connected to the team. Which, don’t get me wrong,” she added hastily, “I love them, and it’s been so nice to be a part of that group, I just…” Astride trailed off. 

“You can’t let that be the only part of your life. I get it,” Anthony added helpfully.  

“Yeah,” Astride agreed. “So enter Cole. He works in a different division of the IE department, I’m obviously Europe and he’s Asia, mostly does work with Taiwan and Singapore. Um,” she said, her eyes turning towards the ceiling, “he seems really nice, did international business at UPenn, which is a great program. Speaks fluent Mandarin, uh, I think he mentioned he’s got a few fish at home.” 

Anthony snorted. “What’s wrong with fish?” Astride asked defensively. 

“Nothing, nothing’s wrong with fish,” he said. “Just seems like an odd choice. Maybe his building doesn’t allow pets or something.” 

“Maybe,” Astride responded. “I wouldn’t know, he lives in Manhattan, over in Tribeca. Bikes to work.” 

Tito laughed again. “I don’t trust people who bike to work in New York City, Asty. They have zero regard for their own lives or safety.” 

She giggled. “That might be true. But I’m looking forward to it, the date, I mean. I really am. It’s been a while since I’ve really put myself back out there, and I’m ready for something good. Something real.” 

He gave a half-smile from his side of the couch. “I’m happy for you, Astride. I hope you have a great time, and I hope he treats you right. If he doesn’t, just let him know that you can sic an entire professional hockey team on him with a single phone call.” 

“I will,” she said. “I’ll call you when it’s over, tell you how it went.” “

I’ll be waiting,” he said. 

Anthony thought back on the conversation as he sat on the corner of his bed that night, about to go to sleep. He turned his phone over and over in his hands, his eyes fixating on the chip in the crown molding that he hadn’t gotten around to fixing yet. He wasn’t lying to Astride when he said he was happy for her. He was, of course he was, who wouldn’t want their best friend to be happy? But while he wanted nothing more, nothing more, than to be able to give his full-throated support for her date, and the potential the future held for her and this Cole guy, he couldn’t do it. There was something stopping him. And the worst part of it all was that Anthony was starting to realize what it was. 

---

Astride had said that their dinner reservation was at 7, some brasserie in the West Village. “That’s a French thing, right?” Cole had asked. 

“It is,” Astride responded, gearing up for her translation skills to be used for the first time in months. She spoke almost exclusively French around Tito, and with JGP and Brassard, but the majority of her day was spent in English. Cole said that the restaurant had come highly recommended from one of his Wall Street friends, something that should have been the first red flag. 

“Never trust the finance bros,” Reese, a German specialist and one of her friends at the office, had said. “They all think they’re God’s gift to mankind when I can guarantee you they ain’t shit.”  

She had said it was at 7, so Anthony wasn’t expecting to hear from her until much later; honestly, he would have been surprised if she had called before 10. He tried not to think about what it could mean if she didn’t call at all that night. She had said it was at 7, so when he heard a knock at his door at half past nine, he practically jumped out of his skin before scrambling to open the door. His eyebrows rose when he saw Astride on the other side of the door, then his face contorted into a look of sympathy as he saw the sad smile on her lips, her jacket slung over one arm. 

“Can I come in?” she asked. He nodded without question, holding the door while stepping out of the way. He padded to the kitchen, bringing out a bottle of Moscato and two glasses. Astride smiled gratefully at him as he uncorked the bottle and poured. He knew that she couldn’t do red wine when she was upset, and she was upset. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked tentatively. 

Astride shrugged, sipping the wine. “Not much to tell other than it was probably the worst first date I’ve ever been on.” 

That piqued Anthony’s interest. He’d never be happy that she was upset, but something told him the story wasn’t quite that simple. “What about it was so bad?” 

“Where do I begin?” she sighed. “He was on time, but that’s pretty much the only thing Cole did right the entire night. He was rude to the waitress when we had to wait all of ten minutes until our reservation was ready, because the couple ahead had gone long. Then he ordered the most expensive bottle of red wine they had, without even asking me to see what I wanted. He really just was trying to show off that he could afford it. And it was a Sangiovese, and you know I hate dry wines, so I was just trying to choke the whole thing down. And then he insisted on ordering for me, which is probably the most chauvinistic thing I could think of, I mean, who does that anymore?” she asked incredulously. 

Tito shrugged. It was disrespectful, absolutely, but more than that, it was just weird. If women have mouths that work, then they’re more than capable of doing something as simple as ordering their own food. 

“And he kept trying to pour me more wine after the first glass, even when I told him a million times I was good.” Anthony’s grip on his glass tightened. Astride rubbed her temples with her free hand. “He just kept going on and on about work, and this big promotion he’s insisting he’s going to get even though I know for a fact that they want Maria for it. I could barely get a word in edgewise. That’s when I just decided I couldn’t take it anymore. I faked that Jean-Claude was calling, grabbed my jacket, and caught a cab over here.” She looked up at him, the same disappointed expression she had worn when he opened the door. “I was really hoping this one would pan out, Tito.” 

He felt an ache in his heart. He may have been less than thrilled about the prospect of Astride going out on a date, but that didn’t mean it hurt any less to see her so despondent. He leaned over, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear that had fallen loose. “I know, Asty. And I’m sorry it didn’t.”

December 13 (mon)

Anthony and Mat were the last ones in the locker room after a morning practice. “I found this new place nearby last week that’s got great smoothie bowls, want to get one after you finish packing your stuff?” Anthony asked, looking over at Mat. 

“Yeah, yeah. Sure, Sounds good,” Mat nodded, half-listening. 

Anthony glanced over at him, a weird look on his face. “You good, dude? You sound distracted.”

Mat spoke abruptly, looking over at Tito with a laser-focused expression. “How long have you been in love with Astride?” 

Anthony’s eyebrows jumped a foot. “In love with Astride? Why would you think that?”

Mat gave him a look, the kind of look that let Anthony know he was dead serious about what he was saying, and more than that, that he believed it. “Tito, I’m dumb, but I’m not stupid.”

Anthony leaned forward, elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. “It’s that obvious?” 

“Yep,” Mat said, popping the p. 

“Do you think she knows?” His voice had dropped to barely above a whisper. 

“I don’t know,” Mat said, shrugging. “I don’t think so, she doesn’t seem like the type of person to really be able to know about something as big as that and not address it. Doesn’t like to keep things bottled up, it’s not really her style.”

Anthony nodded. “It’s not.” He raked one hand through his haid, his head still leaning on the other one. “God. How do you tell your best friend you’re in love with her?”

Mat put one hand on Beau’s back, comforting him as best he could. “I don’t know, Tito. I wish I could help. What I do know,” he said, “is that you’re going to have to eventually. Because it’s going to tear you up if you don’t.”

December 18 (sat)

Astride tossed one final empty can into the garbage bag. “I think that’s it,” she said, giving his living room a cursory look. What had looked like a warzone only less than an hour before now more closely resembled the somewhat-messy but perfectly respectable bachelor pad of a man in his 20s, like it should have. With the holidays approaching, Anthony had decided to take it into his own hands to host a party — alongside Astride, who he had practically begged for help — intent on showcasing his newly-acquired skills by playing bartender the whole night. He was surprisingly capable, Astride had thought, if her Sazerac was anything to go by. 

He smiled at her. “Thanks, Asty. And thanks for staying and helping clean everything up, you really didn’t have to.” 

She tied the bag off and set it by the door with the other one. “I wanted to. And besides, I’m staying over,” she said, looking over at Anthony, “so what did you think I was going to do? Lock myself in the guest room while you cleaned up the whole apartment by yourself? What kind of a woman do you take me for?” she asked in mock offense. 

Anthony laughed, sitting down on the couch with a satisfying thump, pulling Astride into his side when she settled next to him. 

“I’m so glad we got back in contact,” she said, muffled against the fabric of his hoodie. “I’m so glad we’re friends again.” 

He felt guilty; more than that, he knew that the guilt, at least some of it, was deserved. “I should have done more,” he lamented. “I should have done more to keep in contact, more to show you I cared, more so you’d know that your friendship is one of the things I value most in my life.” 

Astride gave a small smile. “It’s a two-way street, Tito. Sure, I won’t lie and say that you really put all that much effort into keeping in contact. You didn’t.” He winced, she shot him a sympathetic look. “I love you, but you know me. I don’t mince my words. But I definitely could have done more than text you congratulations or leave a thirty-second voicemail on your birthday. We both could have done more. We both should have done more,” she said, correcting herself. “What do you think happened, though? Where did we go wrong?” As much as she might have hated it, Astride was that kind of person. She went through every bad decision in her life with a fine-toothed comb, needing to know what went wrong, needing to know what she could have done differently. 

“I think,” he began, “that it was just so easy to get distracted from ‘back home’ things. From our friendship, from my relationships with my family. From the important things, the things that I should have made an effort to prioritize even when the season got hectic and games got hard. And I’m not trying to make excuses,” he added quickly, “but there was just something about where I was, physically and mentally. I was 19, a rookie in one of the biggest cities in the world, and I think I just lost sight of things. Between the practices and games and going out and community events and trying to get in more than five hours of sleep a night, it was a lot,” he admitted. “It was stressful, probably weighed on me more than I wanted to admit. And I don’t want to sound ungrateful, because I’m well aware I was — and am — living a life thousands of kids would kill for, but there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes that you don’t really understand unless you’ve been through it. I don’t have many regrets from my rookie season, or really many in my career so far. Don’t regret moving for minors, don’t regret going to the Isles, don’t regret any of the contracts I’ve signed or plays I’ve made. Well,” he smirked, “maybe a few. But the one big one? The only real regret I’ve had? Letting you go.” 

Astride swallowed hard, choosing her next words carefully. “What do you mean, letting me go?”

Anthony let out a hard sigh. He’d put it off for long enough. He couldn’t do it any longer. “Never telling you how I feel.”

“How you feel?” Her voice had dropped to a whisper, her fingers tangling in the fringe of the fleece blanket that was slung over the couch cushions. 

“Like I love you so much my heart could burst.”

Her breath caught in her throat. “How long have you known?”

He looked at her with a soft smile. “Ever since Switzerland.”

“Six years?”

“Six years.” He reached out slowly, so slowly, pushing a stray piece of hair behind her ear when she didn’t move back. They sat in silence for a moment, and when Anthony spoke again, his voice wavered. “Asty? Say something.”

Astride’s lifted her head, finally meeting his eyes. “I knew since I was 15.”

His face split into a grin, wider and wider until she was sure she’d never seen a bigger smile. “You did? You do?”

She nodded, leaning forward so their foreheads were touching. She put her hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat fluttering butterfly-fast underneath her fingertips. “I’m pretty sure I’ve been in love with you since I knew what love was, Tito.”

He pushed forward, pressing his lips against hers for the first time since 2015, the first time since Switzerland. It was gentle and meaningful and somehow communicated all of the love and emotion that had been built up between the two of them in the past six years. Anthony pulled back after a minute, his lips pink and slightly puffy. “Tell me where your head’s at, Astride.”

“Is it too cliché to just say that this might be the happiest I’ve been in years?”

He shook his head, smiling. “Not at all.” But there was something that she wasn’t quite letting go of. “What is it, Astride?”

Astride sniffed. “I want this. You and I, I want it so mad it hurts. I just hate the idea that we’d turn into some sort of cliché. Childhood friends who grow up and fall in love, but something goes wrong and they split up and suddenly the dynamic of everything is messed up and I don’t want that, Tito. I don’t know if I could deal with you hating me because of how things ended.” 

“But things don’t have to end, Asty. Every broken heart, every date where some asshole has stood you up has led you to know that you deserve more. You deserve so much more, Astride, you deserve the sun and the moon and someone who would hang them in the sky for you. It doesn’t have to end in heartbreak. It doesn’t have to end at all.” 

Astride had always been someone who was cautious, someone who thought before she acted and never spoke without thinking through every possible outcome. But this was one of the times that she couldn’t do that, one of the times when, as much as she may have hated it, she needed to take a leap of faith. And so she did. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Anthony asked, his voice lifting. 

She nodded, the happiness on her face unmistakable. “Okay.”

And as Astride and Anthony FaceTimed her parents to break the news, her mom slapping her dad’s shoulder, claiming that she had “called it” back in 2014, Astride was filled with a sense of undeniable, irreplaceable joy. The kind of joy that the poets write about and artists put brush to canvas trying to depict, the kind that most people go their whole lives only hoping to get a glimpse of. The kind that made Astride more certain of one thing than she had perhaps been in her entire life. It didn’t have to end in heartbreak. And this one didn’t have to end at all. 

And as they stood two years later in a little church in their hometown, promising in front of their family and friends and the entire New York Islanders to love each other for the rest of their lives, Astride finally believed it.

[actionnerdgamerlove]

Do You Want Me Now - Chapter 25: Beach Week, Part One

Find it on AO3

Many, many thanks to @laughingatlivedragons for her help with this chapter - Geralt's past vacations couldn't have happened without you, my love!

“Hey Geralt,” Jaskier called from the living room, “Are you a beach person?”

She heard him hum as he came out of the upstairs bathroom. She’d heard the shower shut off, and was waiting for him at the foot of the stairs.

“This isn’t a show, Jask,” Geralt growled (without any real heat in it) as he walked down the stairs, shirtless, toweling off his hair. “Maybe I should start selling tickets,” he rolled his eyes as he said it, but he was secretly delighted. Anytime Jaskier was home and able to catch him showering, she’d wait for him to come out, just to see him without a shirt on. (She usually waited downstairs in the living room, or the kitchen; she didn’t just hover outside of the bathroom.) She never said anything; just looked at him – and it was always the same look. She looked at him like he was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. No one had ever looked at Geralt like that before; not even when he was married.

“I mean, I do pay rent; is this not an amenity that’s included?” Larkin laughed, but then turned serious. “Geralt, for real though, if I’m making you uncomfortable, say the word, and it won’t happen again.”

“It’s fine,” he said while rolling his eyes, fondly. “I just – I figured the novelty would have worn off after six plus months, y’know?”

“NOPE! The effect of your physical beauty is just too compelling; I am powerless to resist.” Jask threw her hand over her forehead dramatically, leaning back.

“So, before we got sidetracked with your weird fascination with me,” the teasing note in Geralt’s voice made Larkin beam. “What’d you ask me?” he ended by throwing his towel over her head, enjoying the squawk and sputtering noises coming from under the towel. It had taken him a while to get used to the fact that Larkin just…rolled with stuff like that. He watched her pull the towel off her head, then point upstairs, then downstairs, asking him if he wanted it back in the bathroom, or down in the laundry. Geralt pointed upstairs; he’d just gotten it out. She took the stairs two at a time, and presumably hung it up on his hook in the bathroom.

Huh, he thought. Geralt wasn’t sure what he was expecting when he draped her in his towel, but return towel service was not it.

Larkin noticed the bewildered look on his face when she came back downstairs. “’Tis but a small price to pay, for the simple joy of letting me ogle you,”

“You’re weird,” he told her. Because she was. But he really liked it.

“Yep!” Larkin walked over to the couch and sat down, pulling out her phone. “Oh, so. Do you like the beach? Are you a beach person?”

Geralt felt like this was a trick question. “Why?” he asked, suspicious.

“Why do I get the feeling you think I’m going to try to do something mean, Geralt? Relax, sir. A friend of mine just said I could use her beach house for the summer, that’s all. I wanted to know if you wanted to go sometime.”

This has to be a trick, he thought. Who just doesn’tuse a beach house during the summer?

“Why isn’t she gonna use it?”

“She’s going on tour, she won’t be around. Shame, too, she’s a lot of fun.”

“Who is it?” Geralt asked, still skeptical.

“Taylor Swift,” Larkin said, like it was NBD.

Fucking WHAT.

*****

[White Wolf 6:30 PM]: Taylor Swift is lending Jask her beach house for the summer and wanted to know if I wanted to go with her.

[Eskel 6:30 PM]: Wait a minute. Taylor Swift wanted to know if you wanted to go with Jask, or Jask wanted to know if you wanted to go with Jask?

[White Wolf 6:31 PM]: Jask wanted to know if I wanted to go.

[Lambert 6:32 PM]: WAIT BACKUP. TAYLOR SWIFT? This is a joke, right?

[White Wolf 6:33 PM]: No joke, I made Jask show me the texts. Jask has a bunch of photos of the two of them together, apparently Jask stayed there for like a month last summer, before we met.

[Lambert 6:34 PM]: OH MY GOD, SHE DID. She said she was staying at a friend’s! She never said it was fucking Taylor Swift!

[White Wolf 6:34 PM]: Question still stands.

[Lambert 6:35 PM]: What was the question? Is there a question? You’re going, right? Is that the question? Do you not want to go? Why wouldn’t you go?

[Eskel 6:35 PM]: Seriously, Geralt – why wouldn’t you go?

[White Wolf 6:36 PM]: What’re we gonna do?

[Eskel 6:36 PM]: What do you do here?

[White Wolf 6:37 PM]: Nothing. Hangout. Go running. Cook. Watch movies.

[Lambert 6:38 PM]: I still can’t see you being ‘chill’, she is a literal miracle worker. Anyhoo. Do all that. At the BEACH.

[Eskel 6:39 PM]: Yes. Please go. Jas is asking you to go on a vacation, Ger. When was the last time you went on a vacation?

[White Wolf 6:40 PM]: Yen.

[Lambert 6:40 PM]: DEAR GOD PLEASE GO. I guarantee that Jas does vacations VERY differently. There won’t be an agenda every day. I promise.

*****

Geralt’s last vacation had been…intense. He and Yennefer had gone to Amsterdam for two weeks and to Geralt it had been…a LOT. Cities weren’t necessarily his favorite place in general, but throw in almost a million inhabitants, drugs and hookers EVERYWHERE, the waterworks, a literal shitton of bicycles and the mix of posh and historic – there was NOTHIING relaxing about that vacation.

It wasn’t a vacation, it was a trip. Lambert wasn’t exaggerating – Yen had actually come up with a written agenda every day, thinking it would appeal to the control freak in Geralt.

It did not. It actually made Geralt even more anxious, because it made him feel like there was a scheduled timetable they had to keep. And when Yen would dawdle, and throw off the timing of the agenda-

You can see how this did not appeal to Geralt AT ALL.

In general, his marriage to Yennefer had been intense on a level that was unsustainable for them both (hence the divorce) and he knew, he knew Jaskier was nothing like Yen, and would therefore probably vacation very differently.

But he was still kind of freaking out about it.

*****

Larkin could tell something was bothering her beloved Wolf. She’d asked him about going to the beach, and he’d just…avoided the question. That…was not Geralt’s style, AT ALL. She’d mentioned it to Lauren, her therapist, and Lauren had suggested that perhaps Geralt had had a bad vacation experience, once upon a time.

Larkin hadn’t thought of that.

Armed with this potential realization, Larkin attempted to bring it up once more.

“Geralt, would it be ok if I talked to you about maybe going to the beach again?” She asked one night as they were clearing dinner dishes. She watched his shoulders tense up.

Oh boy, she thought.

“Sure,” Geralt said, sounding utterly defeated.

Ok, WHAT THE FUCK, thought Larkin. Who hurt my Wolf with a VACATION?

“Geralt,” she started, watching him load the dishwasher, back to her, obviously uncomfortable. “You know you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. I can’t make you go. You won’t hurt my feelings if you say no.”

Geralt turned to face her, over the open dishwasher trays. “No, it’s not – that’s not-“ he took a breath. “Why me?”

Larkin was puzzled. “I don’t understand the question. You’re like my favorite person; I love spending time with you. I thought it might be a nice break from the farm, and school? If it being just the two of us makes you uncomfortable, I can invite-“

“Why would it being just the two of us make me uncomfortable? We live together, just the two of us.”

“Ok, so it’s not me that’s the problem.” Larkin was glad to get that sorted out; she’d worried she’d freaked him out by asking him alone.

“Of course you’re not the problem – you’re never a problem, Jask.” Geralt was looking at Larkin like she were speaking moon-man language.

“Is there a problem? Do you…not like vacations?”

“No, Jas, it’s not-“ he sighed. Larkin watched him push a lock of hair out of his eyes. “My last vacation was…not fantastic. It was very…structured. There was a written daily agenda. It was like a two-week long bad day.”

“Geralt, I don’t mean to be smart, but are you sure that was a vacation? That sounds like an extra circle of hell, to me.”

“It was.”

“Ok. So, knowing that, that isn’t really what I had in mind? I mean, if there’s stuff we want to do, we can talk about it before hand, and I don’t really think we’d need to write it down, but if you wanted to, I guess we could? Like, I’m not sure you’d really need to write down “go for a run” or “let’s go fishing”?

“Fishing?” Geralt’s ears perked up at that.

“Yeah, there’s a bunch of fun stuff we could do, if you want. There’s hiking trails, fishing, I think Taylor’s leaving me her boat, so there’s that-“

“A BOAT?”

Geralt was fully invested now. He left the dishwasher wide open and came to sit next to Jaskier on a barstool at the kitchen island.

“I mean, she is Taylor Swift. It’s a pretty sweet boat.”

“You know how to use it?”

“Yes, Geralt. Former Viscountess, remember? I got that angle covered,” Larkin said, smiling. “If you want, I’ll send you the address, and the website for the town. You can see all the stuff they have going on, it’s a really nice place – both the house and the town.”

“It’s not a city?”

“Oh, Lord, no. This place is the definition of laid-back small town. Lemme ask you this – what are your concerns, other than an agenda driven nightmare of anti-relaxation?”

Geralt snorted. That was exactly what he was worried about. “Lotta people, crowds, feeling cornered.”

“Ok. Can you give me one second to get my laptop? I have some photos I think might help.”

Larkin waited for Geralt to nod, and she hopped up and grabbed her laptop from the living room. She flipped it into tablet mode, and opened a photo album titled “Taylor – Beach – 1st year”.

“Ok, so, this is going to seem silly, but she sent me a video tour of her house, because I was nervous before going the first time.”

“How many times have you been there?” Geralt asked, sounding insanely curious.

“Last year was my third year. She hasn’t really changed much with the house since she took this video.”

Larkin pressed play, and the video showed Taylor, in all her blonde “girl-next-door” glory, starting outside a really nice-looking tan-clapboard-sided ridiculously big beach house, that looked like it was in the middle of fucking nowhere. She walked around the paved drive, showing the marshland across the road from the house, then walked up to the house, up the big front entry stairway, into a foyer the size of their living room. She continued the tour through what seemed like five separate living rooms, a massively well-equipped kitchen, several different dining areas, the 97 bedrooms, the outdoor living areas on the deck outside, and then the little walkway out to the private beach. Taylor did a 360-degree spin on the beach. There were no neighbors.

All in all, the video was thirty minutes long. There was a lot of goofy, silly good-friend stuff throughout; Taylor made up songs about the different rooms, she essentially sang the tour to Jaskier. She ended it by saying “I love you; I can’t wait to see you. We’ll have fun. I promise.”

Geralt looked at Larkin with a look she couldn’t translate. “Did you guys…date?”

“Huh? Oh, that. No. I met her shortly after the fallout of the Countess bullshit. I was…not okay. She was really kind, and a really good friend. She’s still a really good friend. No, we didn’t date.” Larkin smiled at the fond memories the video brought back. It had been a really shitty time, and Taylor, and that beach house made everything a lot less shitty.

“What did you guys do?”

“We sang a lot, we laid on the beach, we took walks, we ate – boy, did we eat, I tell you what that girl can EAT, Geralt; you wouldn’t think it to look at her but GOODNESS. It was great.”

“Why was it great?”

“It was just nice to be able to see her being herself, like, instead of the person society says she is; she wanted to eat, so she did. I did a lot of cooking while I was with her, it was fantastic. We went to the boardwalk a couple times, but we had to kind of lay low, because she’s a BIG DEAL. She has an aunt in town, Aunt Karen, so mostly the townsfolk are real chill about her being there, but sometimes the tourists are the WORST. We went out on the boat, we went fishing, and we slept a lot. Sometimes on the boat, sometimes on the beach. We got really tan.”

“That house has a lot of bedrooms,”

“Doesn’t it? To this day I haven’t slept in them all; it’s my mission in life to do that. I feel like the house keeps gaining extra bedrooms, so it’s always one step ahead of me.” Larkin turned to Geralt. “So, that’s kind of the extent of the excitement. It’s definitelynot crowded, unless you bring people with you. There’s a soundproof music room, so that’s cool. I think you’ll like that feature,” Larkin said with a smile.

“Hey!” Geralt said, sounding somewhat offended. “That was like, one time. Ok, maybe more than one time. But not a lot of times!”

“I’m kidding, big guy. You have been so gracious about my constant noise making, really. I tease.” Larkin considered the man next to her. “You know, you still haven’t answered my original question – do you even like going to the beach?”

“The way you describe ‘beach time’ is not the way I’ve experienced beach time in the past. Your way sounds much more enjoyable.”

“Did you have agendas for beach time, too?” Larkin was horrified someone would desecrate beach time that way.

“Kind of. It wasn’t relaxing, let’s say.”

“Wow. So, it’s like this. You wake up in the morning and want to go hiking? We do that. I wake up and want to lie on the beach for a while, and you don’t? I lie on the beach and you do whatever you want to do. We want to do something together? We figure it out, and do it. If there is a specific something happening on a specific day, that we want to hit? We work it in. There’s like, sightseeing we could do, but it’s not like ‘going to the oldest European city EVER and needing to see every piece of every shard of something someone really old carried from one place to another’ kind of sightseeing. There are a couple nature preserves in the area, and a lot of really good places for nature photos.”

“This sounds too good to be true.”

“Right? I am ridiculously lucky to have such a good friend. I wish she wasn’t going on tour for so long, I think you’d really like her. She’s super goofy, she’s a lot of fun.”

“What’s Renfri think of her?”

“Renfri LOVES HER. She gets heart eyes the entire time Taylor is anywhere in the vicinity. It’s hysterical.”

“Are they…a thing?”

“I’ve never asked, and neither of them has ever said. Taylor deserves privacy. I want them both to be happy. If that’s with each other, then I know they’ll have a good time.”

“So wait. You said she gave you this house for the summer – are you going to be there ALL summer?” Geralt asked. Larkin thought he sounded panicky.

“I, uh, hadn’t really thought about it. I still plan on paying rent, Geralt, it’s not like I’m moving out or anything,”

“I wasn’t worried about the rent, Lark,” Geralt said, making a face at her.

“Then what are you worried about?” Larkin asked, giving Geralt a concerned look.

“Three months is just…a long time,”

Larkin thought that wasn’t exactly what Geralt wanted to say. Larkin was pretty sure she heard “I’ll miss you,” instead. Now it was her turn to hum.

“Well, I don’t think I’ll be there for three months straight, for sure. I do think I want to go before Taylor leaves, so I can see her for a couple days before she’s gone, and I’d like to spend some time with you there, and I think I want to get my brother and sister there for a couple days, too; obviously you’re welcome for that, if you want. They love you, they’d love to see you. Other than that, I don’t really have any ‘must-do’s’ other than maybe having everyone there at the same time? Do you think Eskel and Lambert would want to come? And Aiden? And maybe Triss?”

Yes, Geralt thought. But do I want them to come, is the question.

“What about Renfri?” he said instead, noticing that she hadn’t mentioned her best friend.

“Oh, obviously Renfri would be invited at some point. But she’s already gone with me before. I’ll talk to you before I go, Geralt, it’s not like I’m just gonna up and leave without saying anything,” she paused. “And hopefully, you’d be willing to come with me, at least once,”

“Lemme think about it. I see my therapist tomorrow, I want to talk to him first. I’m serious, Larkin, I really will think about it. I do want to go, it’s just – beforetimes.

“Beforetimes.” She nodded, sadly. Larkin knew exactly what he meant.

*****

Geralt was almost able to predict exactly what Frank, his therapist, was going to say.

“So, let’s break this down. You’re afraid of two things. You’re afraid of going on vacation because vacations with Yennefer were not enjoyable for you, and you’re afraid future vacations will also be not enjoyable. But you’re also afraid of Larkin being away for an extended amount of time. Are those both accurate statements?”

“Yes.” Geralt wanted to argue about the use of the word ‘afraid’ but knew it was pointless because he was, in fact, afraid.

“Let’s start with the overall vacation idea, because I think that one might be a little easier to navigate.”

“Not every vacation is going to be like a Yennefer vacation.”

“You’re getting pretty good at this, maybe we should switch chairs,” Frank said, making Geralt smirk. He really liked his therapist. He’d been seeing Frank for four years; Frank had taken over when his last therapist had retired. He’d liked his last therapist, too; he’d gotten pretty lucky that way. Frank was real. He used examples from real life to illustrate and make parallels. He understood PTSD. He understood Geralt’s limits, and didn’t push – too hard. He called Geralt on his bullshit, in a gentle and professional way. He was a really good therapist.

“You said Larkin gave you an idea of what vacationing at this specific location, specifically with her, would be like. Correct?”

“Yes.”

“And what did she make it sound like?”

“Perfect.”

“Ok. Do you trust Larkin?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because she’s honest. Because she’s down to Earth. Because she cares about me.”

“Do you think anything she said about this beach house, or spending time with her there, is made up, or embellished?”

“No, I don’t.”

“I gotta tell you, I’m really skeptical that she knows Taylor Swift.”

“I’m telling you, Frank, I saw the video. Taylor Swift made Jas a half an hour video five years ago singing her way through this fucking humongous gorgeous beach house. She used Jaskier’s name several times in the video. She told Jas she loved her at the end of it. There are pictures of the two of them together at this house, and other places. Jas has text messages on her phone from her.”

“Well, those could just be made up,”

“Frank. I know you googled Larkin. She’s not making this up. If anything, the HOUSE is made up, but it’s not, because there are pictures of her and Renfri, and Taylor Swift all on the couches and at tables together.”

“You have a fascinating roommate.”

“Yep.”

“Back to the vacation idea. So. How certain are you that Jaskier is telling the truth about the laid-back beach vacation of which she speaks?”

“99.9% certain.”

“And the .1%?”

“It sounds too good to be true.”

“Face it, Geralt, a lot of Jaskier sounds too good to be true, but it isn’t, because you’ve lived with her now for what, over six months?”

“Yep.”

“And there are parts of Jaskier that are NOT too good to be true, correct?” Frank asked, giving Geralt A LOOK.

“Yes.”

“But you still like living with her?”

“I do.”

“I think that brings us to our second point.”

“Joy.”

“Geralt. You knew we’d get here eventually. So. You don’t like the idea of Jaskier being gone for three months straight. How come?”

“I just…don’t want her to be gone that long. That’s a long time.”

“Ok, Geralt, I feel that it is my place to remind you that you’re safe here, you know that, and it’s ok to have feelings, here and everywhere else. Care to delve in to that last bit a little deeper?”

“I’ll miss her.”

“There you go.” Frank paused. “Ok, I’m going to ask, and I won’t push about this one. Why will you miss her?”

Geralt sighed. Yep, he thought. This is the problem.

“I love her.”

“Oh, shit!” Frank exclaimed, his face a mask of surprise. Geralt had never actually seen Frank look really, actually surprised. “I honestly thought that one was gonna take longer.”

Geralt just stared at him.

“Oh, come on, Geralt. I am not your brothers; I’m not going to bust your balls over this but even still. It has been obvious to me for quite a while, and especially since that fucking wedding what the actual fuck is wrong with her family- I apologize. That was inappropriate. Accurate, but inappropriate. Anyway. It’s been fairly obvious for quite a while that you care about her deeply. That’s all I’m gonna say. You pay me to notice things. So I noticed. Mazel Tov, man. For what it’s worth, from what you’ve told me about her, you guys are a very good fit. You’ve both dealt with some really serious shit together in the time you’ve known one another, and you’ve handled it well, both separately, and together. So, good luck, if you decide to move things in a more romantic direction. In my nonprofessional opinion, I think that will be received very well.”

“Oh. Thank you.” Geralt was feeling kind of bewildered, both from admitting OUT LOUD that he loved his roommate in the ‘Yeah, I’d kind of like to get married to you,’ way; but also that his therapist already knew about it, and thought his chances of success were high.

[longsightmyth]

Chapter-by-Chapter, The Naming, Chapter 11

PELLINOR

And from his icy throne a king

Rose from his spellbound sleep and saw

A vision of the banished spring

A form so fair and luminous

That from his frosted eyes the hoar

Ran down like tears and, marveling,

He felt the chains of winter thaw

And years of thraldom ruinous

Between them stood a wall of ice

And round them barren winter waste,

But each saw in the other’s face

The light of summer lingering:

And then like thunder broke the frost,

The chill wall fell, and morrowless

Immortal maid and man embraced,

Their light and shadow mingling.

That’s two verses from The Lay of Ardina and Ardhor, and that’s how this new section (Rachida) starts out.

Maerad and Cadvan ride through the dark and the rain for a couple of hours before coming to a small town called Stormont. They’re still in Innail Fesse (basically the lands that Innail is responsible for educating, healing, and in general helping) and Cadvan feels safe enough to rent some rooms at an inn without disguising him and Maerad. The innkeeper knows him and assures him that he’ll be discrete.

The next morning Cadvan wakes Maerad up and they’re ready to go within an hour even allowing for a giant breakfast. Maerad reflects that if their stays are always like this the trip won’t be too bad.

Maerad is less genre-savvy than she could be. It’s unfortunate. Also unfortunate: everyone and their cousin seems to think Cadvan might be shacking up with a sixteen year old on the sly. I’d forgotten that.

The innkeeper mentions as he sees them off that he keeps hearing stories about things being ‘out of whack’. Cadvan says that things are, but the bards are doing what they can and hopes that the inn remains untouched. They’re off.

They ride for a day before coming up on another inn. Cadvan is clearly being nice, and he tells Maerad cheerfully that after this she should be ready for tree roots. Here they pretend to be husband and wife, and I sideye EVERYONE, though I suppose if they’re pretending not to be bards Cadvan could be assumed to be in his mid-to-late twenties and I GUESS if we’re going with vaguely Renaissance culture (as stated in the appendices) sixteen isn’t too young for marriage but also she’s sixteen. Ugh. Anyway.

The innkeeper here gives them a suite, and Maerad realizes that in the biggest fanfic cliche ever there is only one bed. She stands there, getting more and more nervous, until the innkeeper leaves and she quietly points this out to Cadvan.

“There’s only one bed,” she whispered.

Cadvan glanced up quickly, and Maerad understood that he knew or guessed more than she realized about her doubts and fears.

“That’s easily solved,” he said. “I’ll sleep on the couch. Luxury for a man like me.”

“A hard man of the wild,” she said, suddenly feeling lighter. “No doubt a stone floor is a king’s sleep.”

“The finest swans-down. But of course, you are welcome to such comfort if you desire.”

Maerad laughed, her anxiety dissipated.

They have dinner (“a thick beef casserole fragrant with herbs and topped with a chewy layer of melted cheese, with fresh bread and local wine” and yes I am now hungry) and the innkeeper offers them some apple tart too, because his wife (the cook for the establishment) makes super good clotted cream and her tarts are good too.

It’s super good. Maerad and Cadvan tell the innkeeper so when he comes back for plates.

“Marta will be grand happy to hear that,” [the innkeeper] said. “She takes a lot of care over her cooking, so she does, even if some don’t care or notice.”

I am officially invested in this innkeeping couple, okay. He’s mad that people don’t appreciate his wife’s work. He brags about her skills. We haven’t even met her yet and I ship it hard. ANYWAY.

Cadvan does some probing in regards to Ettinor (Helgar the racist dick’s school, if you recall).

“I hear the bards is demanding up in Ettinor,” said Halifax [the innkeeper]. “And they leave scarce little for the people to make a life with, living high on the sweat of others with nary a thank-you. Not like our School here, where they run things fair, if you know what I mean. They do Barding proper here, they do. They’re here every Springturn and and harvest, and the little ‘uns hereabouts know all their letters. And I remember when my daughter had the witchfever, back when she was a babe, and she looked like dying, and Oron herself came and laid her hands on her.”

Halifax also mentions more specific grievances, such as the two people who felt like bards leaving without paying the other day. He leaves to take care of other guests.

Maerad asks what all of this means. Cadvan doesn’t know for sure, but he doesn’t like it and he fully believes that the innkeeper was right about something being off here too.

“Innkeepers are not stupid, they are used to meeting many kinds of people, and their intuitions are often more practiced than most.”

They go to sleep, and Maerad dreams.

Something creeps along the road to Innail and tries to get into Silvia and Malgorn’s house but fails miserably in a bright flash of light. It picks itself up and keeps moving.

Dernhil looks up “like a deer scenting a wolf” just before there is a knock on his door. He doesn’t answer it, but it busts open anyway.

Two figures stood in the dark hallway beyond.

Dernhil stood up as the figures walked into the light. They were heavily cloaked and booted in black, and their hoods obscured their faces, although he could see their eyes burning red. A chill, like that of a tomb, entered the room with them and Dernhil lifted his hands as if to fend them off.

“You cannot ward against us!” said one of the figures sharply, making a strange motion with his hands.

Dernhil was suddenly stilled, as if he were frozen.

“We are come for a little information, Dernhil of Gent. Help us, and our master will reward you richly.”

There was a long silence. “I know who you are,” Dernhil said at last. His speech was thick, as if he were in pain. “I’ll not have any dealings with your kind.”

They want to know about Maerad. Dernhil says absolutely nothing for the last very few minutes of his life, but he does radiate “an aura of light, recalling the luminosity of sunlight on summer trees or the radiance of a fountain.” It seems to hurt the hulls (that’s what they are, okay, we know) but they aren’t stopped and try to probe his mind for info. Dernhil and one of the hulls meet eyes, and Dernhil shouts and collapses, dead.

“There was nothing there,” [the hull] said. “Nothing.”

Maerad wakes up when they leave the room, but first they kick Dernhil’s body aside pretty carelessly. She takes a long time to go back to sleep.

Pages: 12

Fragments: 2

Em-Dashes: 3

Ellipses: 0

THRONE OF GLASS

Only one chapter this time! It’s chapter 23.

Celaena has a dream where she’s back in Endovier being whipped. It’s a pretty effective piece of writing up until the very end, where it goes flowery again. She wakes to Chaol telling her it was a dream, and we are reminded that she has three whip scars on her back.

We also learn that it’s Samhuinn, and Celaena is angry that no one told her. They have toilets but not calendars? Anyway, she’s not training today, and she wants to know if there’s a feast.

There is, Chaol says, and she’s not invited. Celaena says of course she isn’t and manages not to exposition dump what Samhuinn is but still convey the idea of it in dialogue, which I appreciate even though it’s Samhain. It’s just Samhain.

Chaol does say she can go to the temple services as they sit down to breakfast, saying that religious observances shouldn’t be denied anyone. I agree with the sentiment but question the practicality of allowing the assassin in the same room with all the royals and courtiers.

She keeps adding sugar to her porridge and at one point makes a ‘demented’ face. We learn by way of her complaining that there is another Test coming up, and that the last one was three days ago and involved javelin-throwing from horseback. Celaena’s wrist is still sore.

We switch to Dorian’s PoV. He was bored during the service and doesn’t like religion, which also means we saw none of the religion. He is also bored with the women at court, because they all titter and fawn and flutter their fans and lashes or whatever. Probably these women all titter and fawn and flutter their fans and lashes because they live in a court at the whim of an apparently tyrannical and murderous ruler and are playing it safe, but what do I know? Probably every single woman in the entire court of Adarlan is actually a hollow, empty shell who cares nothing about anything but looking pretty, that one seems more likely.

We learn that Perrington wants to bring in more soldiers and launch a full scale assault on Eyllwe, on whose political status I am still unclear. Are they a protectorate? A tributary? Have they somehow managed to stay their own independent nation? If so, why only Eyllwe out of all the other nations? Or are Fenharrow and Melisande ALSO nominally still under their own rule but have Adarlanian ‘advisors’ or some such? Why does Dorian say there are no more princesses? I know Fenharrow has the council of lords and Melisande has a puppet queen, but neither of them seem to have the same presence or consideration at court that Eyllwe does. TELL ME.

Ahem.

Dorian runs into Celaena, Nehemia, and Chaol. Chaol seems to be over his difficulties about Celaena hanging out with Nehemia. Dorian comments on Celaena’s dress, which is out of date (hey look! Consideration of the evolution of fashion!). Chaol says that her maids were at the service so she had to get ready herself, but that makes no sense from a timeline or nobility/entitlement standpoint so idk. Dorian reiterates that Celaena can’t go to the feast when Nehemia asks. For some reason Nehemia and Celaena intimidate Dorian by cracking one joke about him keeping women entertained.

Nehemia rags on the king of Adarlan in public and asserts that soldiers and guards are the same thing. Nehemia, I expected better princess Leia-ing from you, madam. Nehemia also declares that Celaena will teach her Adarlanian, to which Chaol acquiesces. I’d believe the royal pressure more if Chaol ever caved to royal pressure in ways that doesn’t directly benefit the plot just because.

They see Cain cleaning the marks on the ground around the clock tower. Nehemia says Celaena is hiding something from her. Celaena can tell Nehemia is hiding something from her too. They agree to meet after supper for Celaena to teach Nehemia her language. End chapter.

Pages: 12

Fragments: 2

Em-Dashes: 3

Ellipses: 0

COMPARISON

I just don’t like Throne of Glass, y’all. I just don’t. I find the worldbuilding shoddy at best, the characters unlikeable and inconsistent, and the morality upsettingly protagonist-centered while masquerading as feminism. Putting one female character on a pedestal and dragging down all other women who don’t actively uphold that pedestal is not feminism, it’s just being an asshole.

That being said, this is not its worst-written chapter. We manage to learn something about the religion (or at least a religious holiday) in a pretty natural-seeming conversation AND get some idea about current fashions vs historical ones, Nehemia and Celaena are being bros, and there is some actual foreshadowing (however clumsy I personally found it).

I still despise Dorian. I despise him with every fiber of my being. Anyone who decides that every woman around him (except our beloved protagonist, of course) is a shallow, vapid twit with no brains and fails to note that the only factors they all have in common are a, him, and b, his tyrannical, murderous father, is a selfish dick who refuses to see past the end of his own nose. Miss me with that ‘Dorian is our hope for the future’ nonsense, Chaol, I don’t want him.

Meanwhile, Nehemia’s spycraft is slipping sideways into shoddy. It’s unfortunate, but moreover it undermines the scariness of the king of Adarlan. I can’t be scared of him if he never does anything, book, and unfortunately the later murder of a rebel group that we’ve never met and knew nothing about doesn’t give me-the-reader the kind of low-key dread that I’d have if everyone at court worked hard to never naysay him or be heard speaking against his policies or just plain disappearing if they did. That would be scary, book. That would imply consequences. As it is, he just lets people who actively and loudly undermine him run around court? Sure. That sounds like a demon who has no regard for human life running a conquering nation with an iron fist. Absolutely.

Over in Pellinor, we have Maerad and Cadvan riding and riding and riding, and we learn all sorts of things about the world from what bards are expected to do, how good bard leaders behave, and the respect Cadvan has and is imparting to Maerad for non-bards.

We also get people thinking Cadvan would sleep with a sixteen year old. What is this, y’all. Why. She’s sixteen. She’s a CHILD. Renaissance-based culture, etc etc, I know, but we’re writing for modern audiences and I just. Maerad and another sixteen year old or even eighteen or twenty or whatever, okay, I get it, but Cadvan and Dernhil are both fully mature bards around the same age and Cadvan is in his seventies so…? Book. Book culture. I’m watching you.

Cadvan and Dernhil do respect Maerad’s feelings and boundaries, though, as opposed to Celaena’s 500+ year old love interest/mate/husband in later books though, so like. Am I grading on a curve? Does Pellinor get points for having a mature and cautious slowly-developing relationship after having another dude react maturely to rejection? Does it lose them for having a romance (two?) between what is after all a sixteen year old and a 70+ year old even if he is essentially a Dunedain? Do I give Throne of Glass points because (most) of Celaena’s love interests are around her age, or take them away because she ends up with a 500+ year old jerk who doesn’t listen to her about her own body or feelings? It’s a dilemma, y’all (it’s not: they all lose points, Throne of Glass just loses more)

Speaking of Actual Peril with High Stakes, Dernhil is dead. Dernhil, we hardly knew ye, but we did know you were an emotionally mature librarian and Silvia liked you, so. Props for bardically killing yourself so the hulls couldn’t get anything out of you about Maerad and Cadvan. I’m sad about it.

[bidsfor]

via Real Estate

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“I can’t make the numbers work!”

“My housing market is too expensive!”

If you ever find yourself saying any of these statements to yourself – or to your significant other who has told you to “put your money where your mouth is”, or “stop talking about it and just do it” – get in touch on with a look at some of the high-level strategies I use to solve this common problem for many new investors.

I live in California where there is a housing shortage, and single family homes go for $500,000+. Many properties in the San Francisco Bay Area are over $1 million! But there is a model you can use that will give you high cash flows even in an expensive market if you do it right.

I’m talking about the student housing rental market. By investing in local college towns, you can (in most cases) double the usual rental income on a property. For example, one of my properties earns $3,110 per month in rental income, but according to Rentometer, the house should only be allowed to rent for an average of $1,530 per month.

Before you get started, there are a few key points to focus on to create your own student housing system.

Buying the right home in the right location

Finding high-quality tenants

Have a system for managing the house and its tenants.

I already covered finding the right home and location in my previous article. Read on for the other two keys!

More about student housing from Bids For

Finding quality tenants

Find out where your target tenant hangs out. For college students, you can use campus bulletin boards, Craigslist, or Facebook groups.

You want to create an ad highlighting the benefits of staying in one of your bedrooms, from a student’s perspective. The proximity to the campus, fully furnished rooms, a safe neighborhood and ample parking are things that students consider highly. So I try to offer all these benefits in my rental.

Something as simple as installing a garage spot or camera, for example, gives students and their parents peace of mind when they decide to stay at your home.

As for viewing the house, you can let your previous year’s tenants do the screenings for the new incoming tenants. Sometimes students are fine with just getting a video walkthrough or photos of the house before signing a lease. About half of the students who sign a lease with me don’t need a personal tour once I explain that tours are limited, but we have plenty of photos and video walkthroughs.

Leasing for individual tenants

I make an individual lease for each tenant. However, I recommend that you check with your city planning department first to see if room rentals are legal in your city. In my city, room rental is allowed as long as you register a business license with the city and pay the city tax on that license.

In general, the lease will be very similar to a whole-home lease, except you’ll only be charging for a bedroom and utility bills will be shared equally among all tenants. If a tenant leaves a little earlier, the landlord may have to cover the portion of that tenant’s utility bill for that month. Fortunately, this can be deducted from your taxes, as it would be considered a business expense.

I structure all my leases as one-year leases, starting in mid-August of the current year (when school starts) to mid-August of the following year. Students may sublet during the summer months and when they do not live there. Before subletting, the other tenants must agree to the chosen sublet.

There are a few key differences between a normal lease and a rent per room that I’m talking about in advance.

If damage to home or furniture occurs in a common area, I make it clear that I will deduct the repair costs equally from all tenants’ security deposits, unless everyone agrees that only one tenant has defaulted.

No house parties are allowed. Each tenant is entitled to “a quiet enjoyment of the property”. It is up to tenants to resolve problems and conflicts through open discussion.

I do not allow pets. Pets unfortunately pose an allergy risk to the other tenants of the property – current and future. If a tenant insists on having a pet, they must get a signed written agreement from every other tenant stating that they know there will be a pet in the house and that they are okay with it and that they will not be liable to the landlord if an allergic reaction should occur. happen to them or one of their guests.

Where possible, I try to get a parent to co-sign the lease. The only time I don’t need a co-signer is when the student has significant financial aid or loans to cover both tuition and housing.

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Dealing with tenant conflicts

Two words: tenant empowerment!

When there is a dispute between two tenants, I tell the complaining tenant that they should first talk to the other party personally and develop a workable plan. Then implement that action plan.

If there is still a conflict after that, they can come back to me. But nine times out of ten I hear nothing from the complainant. Either the problem is solved, or they have learned to coexist despite the problem.

If the face-to-face conversation and action plan doesn’t work, I quickly call one of the parents who signed the lease, discuss the complaint and ask them to help us correct it. After that I never had any more problems. Although they are a last resort, the parent is usually an authority figure who can resolve the situation.

Rental to couples

I like to rent to couples because I can generally charge higher rent for the shared bedroom. My rule of thumb is to increase the rent for the bedroom by 30% and then divide by two to get the rent per tenant.

For example, if I normally charged $670 for the bedroom, I would charge about $870 ($670 x 1.3) instead. So each person would pay $435 per month ($870/2). I then receive $200 more rent per month, which is $2,400 per year, enough to replace a broken water heater or cover an unexpected repair.

Whatever you do, you should maintain a 3:1 person to bathroom ratio. The maximum number of people you want to share a bathroom is three. After that it gets a bit crowded.

Keep in mind that bringing in a couple puts you at risk of them breaking up. In that case, the lease may have to be renegotiated or one of the partners may have to move. But in general, you shouldn’t have a problem with rent payments as most students still stick to their agreements regardless of relationship status. But if necessary, the option of subletting can also come in handy.

How much can you earn with student housing?

This is the real reason why I invest in student housing: it is a win-win situation for everyone. First, students get much cheaper housing than on-campus housing — about half the price. And as a landlord, you can double the total rental income on the property. In fact, everyone has a lease for at least one year, so you don’t have to worry about turnover and cleaning up every few days like with short-term rental properties.

Here’s the brutal, no BS breakdown of my cash flow on a few properties.

Fulton Street house

This was the very first house I bought. I added a fourth bedroom and reinvested the cash flow and some W2 earnings to pay it off in full in a few years.

I bought it in 2016 for $262,000. During that time, my investment property interest rate was 3.625% with an origination fee of $1,125. I chose to pay it off early to increase my cash flow on the property and didn’t overuse myself.

In general, I would recommend using your money as much as possible if you are just starting out. After you have a few rental properties in your name, start paying off some of them so that you are in a stronger position if a housing accident were to occur.

taxes Insurance Rental income cost Cash flow $284.64 $47.83 $2,420 $307 $1,780

Estimated Rental Income per Rentometer: $1,555 per month

Actual rental income: $24.20 total

Bedroom rent: $490, $610, $650, $670

Current cash flow: $1,780 per month

Cash flow if made, only estimated Rentometer rent: $1,555 – $284.64 – $47.83 – $307 = $915.53 per month

Difference between estimated rent (as a whole home) and actual rental income (per bedroom system) = $1,780 – $915.53 = $864.47 per month

Living in California has also given me quite a bit of appreciation for this first property.

Valuation since purchase = $130,000 over 5 years = $26,000 per year = $2,166.67 per month

West Churchill house

Here’s the most recent rental I’ve bought – my fifth rental. I closed it on May 28, 2021. And by the time I closed it, I had already signed leases for all five bedrooms from August 2021 to August 2022. Total rent: $3,440 for this one rental.

Monthly Mortgage (Principle + Interest) taxes Insurance Loan term (years) interest Rental income Estimated cost Total PITIA Cash flow Cash flow when paid $1,202.33 $355.53 $38.50 30 3.375% $3,440 $833 $1,596 $1,010 $2,213

Estimated Rental Income per Rentometer: $1,537

Actual Rental Income: $3,440 total

Rent Bedrooms: $620, $630, $650, $660, $880 (pair paying $440 each)

Estimated cost after the first year: $400 per month (~$4,800 per year)

Cash flow after first year: $3,440 – $1,596 – $400 = $1,444 per month

Cash flow if made, only estimated Rentometer rent after first year: $1,537 – $1,596 – $400 = –$459 per month (Yes, that would mean negative cash flow!)

Difference between estimated rent (if the whole house) and actual rental income (per bedroom system): $1,903 per month

Using the per-bedroom system, I was able to turn what would have been a negative cash flow holding into a very positive cash flow holding.

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[sofiasmusings]

2020 is a strange time

“...during these unprecedented times...”

“...during these uncertain times...”

“...during these strange times...”

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard these phrases these past three months. For a while, it seemed redundant and I would almost wonder if there was any other way to say it. Every podcast, video, news article or even advertisement started with or included these phrases. But I realized that what has happened this year has been so bizarre and unexpected that we really can’t describe it any other way. We are truly living in an unprecedented time as our chapter of a future history book is being written. 

And, like everyone else, I’ve felt a lot of emotions. Admittedly, at one point when the whole world was focused on China, a lot of us probably felt fearful, uncertain, and sympathetic but at the same time there was also a sense of detachment. The crises we face today are not unique in the grand scheme of things, but the mindset most of us had was that it was happening “over there” or “far away”. But as the months crept along and the virus crept closer, those feelings changed.

Friends started losing jobs, I heard more stories of people knowing that someone that was sick, and I started reading a lot of news. More unsettling was the injustice and violence that raged on during a time where it’s more important than ever to be united. I often feel anxious, angry and in disbelief. I’ve had to come face to face with my privilege. The fact that I have a stable corporate job that allows me to work from home. The fact that I can order groceries online with the click of a button. The fact that I live alone and don’t have to worry about quarantining myself from loved ones. The fact that I am not already immuno-compromised. The fact that I live in a relatively safe neighborhood. The fact that I can be racially ambiguous. The fact that I don’t have to worry about paying my rent next month or the month after. 

I’ve had a lot of time to reflect and realize that:

Human nature is more apparent than ever: The hoarding, the conspiracy theories, the racism, the selfishness, the claims that safety measures are infringing on freedom--it’s the challenging and difficult times that truly bring out peoples’ true colors. Humans aren’t perfect. And we’re not supposed to be either. We’re driven by fear of things we don’t understand and even our experts don’t understand what’s happening. But we can and should be better. We can be educated. We can be compassionate. And there have been sparks of hope out there that prove this point. 

...and so is the brokenness of our system: This is a system that perpetuates and normalizes racism--whether in the form of attacks on the Asian population, the high mortality rates of people of color and the continued police brutality toward black men. This is a system where petty politics, economics, and the thirst for power trumps (hah) the importance of peoples’ lives. 

Sometimes there is no answer: And we have to accept it. We are literally pushing the limits of science. Earlier, we thought there was a possibility it could be contained and die out, like the other coronaviruses we’ve encountered. Then, when it got really bad, we kept trying to pinpoint when this might be over. By Easter. By the summer. And although we fully know vaccines can take years to develop, test, and manufacture all before having to be distributed to everyone, we placed our bets on having a vaccine ready by next year. But now, we’re looking at potential spikes in the fall/winter and a much, much longer lead time for vaccines. We’re so used getting bad news but at least having some good news. And right now, it feels there is no good news, no answer and no light at the end of the tunnel. It’s a hard truth for us to understand--that life isn’t a movie where good wins over evil at the last minute or by some miracle. 

...but there’s room to grow: We have to grow and evolve from this. We can fear and reject the changes that this new world will bring, but that won’t help us. 5, 10, 15 years from now, will we have grown from this experience? 

This is what it means to be human: Most of us have been privileged enough to not worry about death knocking on our door anytime soon. But death is everywhere now--by the hands of a virus and other humans. And, as is core to our human experience, we’ve had to come face to face with mortality. We can do everything in our power to control our fate and have our lives go exactly to plan, but we know deep down that’s not how the world works. Many people will experience suffering and loss in their lives. In reflection, I keep thinking of how I would feel if my life were to end tomorrow or if I were to lose someone close to me. Would I leave behind regrets? Would I be happy with who I was? Did I treat everyone with compassion? Did I make a positive impact on everyone I interacted with? Did I let people know they were loved? Did I live out my life to the fullest? This is not being morbid--it’s understanding that life is a gift, no matter how long or short. 

I have always considered myself to be a listener and an observer. I listen to a lot of things, I read a lot of things. I would rather observe people than be the loudest voice in the room. But it’s time to speak up. 

[blackwhitefrancis]

August 27, 2017 12:20 AM

I keep seeing those list of questions to get to know people here in Tumblr and in Twitter, so I decided to give it a shot. I found a list of questions that I think I could comfortably answer and would give you ideas of me aside from what I post here. Instead of asking for a random number or a word from ask, I answered them all because I don’t think I have enough followers to get through all of them anyway. This is also because I haven’t posted for a while and would like to remind people I’m still alive. I’ve got a couple of drafts going, but they’re not fully thought out yet.

Anyway, here goes!

1.  Who was the last person you held hands with?

Does the Ama Namin prayer in church count, because if so, I’d have to say my brother.

2.  Are you loud, outgoing, or shy?

Shy if I’m not comfortable around people. Outgoing if I am.

3.  Who are you looking forward to seeing?

Well, this blog is dedicated to a certain someone.

4.  Are you easy to get along with?

I’d like to think so. 

5.  Have you ever given up on someone, but then gone back to him/her?

I’ve given up on a lot of people, and I have never gone back to any of them. 

6.  If you were drunk, would the person you like take care of you?

I should hope so.

7.  Do you think you’ll be in a relationship two months from now?

I don’t think two months is enough to get to know someone before being in a relationship, so even if I do meet someone today, the answer will still be no.

8.  Who from the opposite gender is on your mind?

My very busy friend who I wish I could hang out with more often.

9.  Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable?

Me, no, but the company I keep does, so we rarely talk about it.

10.  Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with?

That same busy friend. I spent the last Saturday just lounging around in her room.

11.  What does your most recent text say?

“Medyo nga. Baby steps. Haha.”

Have fun figuring that out. 

12.  How do you feel about abortion?

Fun fact #1: I’m a BS Biology graduate from a Catholic University and I was still studying at the same time the RH Bill issue was at its peak. We weren’t allowed to openly support it as long as we wore our school uniforms. I was in third year, and our Embryology professor defied that rule and supported it anyway and taught us why. I don’t remember the specifics scientifically, but what I remember was that abortion should be fine but only up until a certain point, but only because this considers the health of the mother. 

13.  Do you like big crowds of people?

Hell, no!

14.  Do you believe in luck and miracles?

Yes!

15.  What good thing happened this summer?

I got a raise in my salary.

16.  Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?

I kiss my parents on the cheek before I leave for work and when I come home, so yes.

17.  Do you think there is life on other planets?

Statistically speaking, yes.

18.  Do you still talk to your first crush?

Not as often as I like, but yes, she and I still do talk when we happen to bump into each other. Yes, she.

Fun fact #2: She was the very first person I came out to in high school, but we’ve known each other since 1st grade, and I had a crush on her during 5th grade.

19.  Do you like bubble baths?

Haven’t tried it yet. We always have showers. Even if I do find bathtubs, I’m always to tall to fit in them comfortably.

20.  Do you like your neighbors?

Not really. They have kids and those kids cry sometimes at godforsaken hours in the night.

21.  What are your bad habits?

Is eating ice after I finish my drink a bad habit? I’ve also been told that taking a shower immediately after I get home from work is a bad habit.

22.  Where would you like to travel?

Denmark and Iceland

23.  Do you have trust issues?

Yes. My default setting is to trust, and if that trust is broken, then it’s gone.

24.  Favorite part of your daily routine?

That shower after I arrive from work.

25.  What body part are you most uncomfortable with?

Fun fact #3: I have a birthmark on my left arm. It’s not that I’m uncomfortable with it, but I often forget it’s there and it’s very noticeable for other people. I get uncomfortable when people point it out.

If not that, then my height. For a very introverted person, standing a head taller than most people is extremely uncomfortable. I get noticed with and without my presence, like “oh, there’s the tall guy”, or “where’s the tall guy”? 

26.  What do you do when you wake up?

During weekdays, after I turn off my alarm, I change to workout clothes and exercise for around 40 minutes. During weekends, depends on what time I wake up, but usually I’ll start playing Guild Wars 2, because that’s North American prime time, and I get to do stuff that I can’t usually do.

27.  Do you wish your skin was lighter or darker?

I like the color of my skin. I guess it could be lighter, but I don’t really care either way.

28.  Who are you most comfortable around?

The same handful of people I’ve known since high school.

29. Have any of your ex’s told you they regret breaking up?

If I play my cards right, I won’t have an ex, but for now, let’s label this as TBD.

30. Do you ever want to get married?

I do. The church and the government not so much.

31. Is your hair long enough for a pony tail?

No. I like my hair short. My hair gets really wavy when it gets too long and it’s hard to comb.

32. Which celebrities would you like to have a threesome with?

Scott Hoying and Matthew Daddario. 

33. What do you spend most of your money on?

Bills. *cries in corner*

34. Do you play sports?

My friends and I just started playing badminton regularly. I hope we can continue doing it as a weekly thing, but knowing my very busy friends, that just might not happen.

35. Would you rather live without TV or music?

I already don’t watch TV, technically speaking. But if I had a choice between TV shows and music, I would drop TV shows. I need music. It helps calm me.

36. Have you ever liked someone and never told them?

Don’t we all?

37. What do you say during awkward silences?

Nothing. I would let the silence continue.

38. Do you think age matters in a relationships?

Physical age, no. Maturity, yes.

39. What are your favorite stores to shop in?

Booksale, Fully Booked, Powerbooks.

40. What did you want to do after high school?

Fun fact #4: I originally wanted to be a marine biologist, which is why I took BS Biology. But in college, Bio subjects were my weakest subjects. As in I would do very well in my Math/Chem/Literature classes yet barely pass my Bio classes. I realized that it might not be for me. I wanted to shift to Sociology or Behavioral Science, but my parents didn’t think I would get a good job from that. So I weathered it out and graduated in the same course anyway. I did try to find a job related to my course though. In the end, I found my love for the written word, and got a job in editing. Haven’t looked back since.

If I could give any of the young Tumblr bloggers here some advice, I’d say don’t worry too much about your course or your future. Use your college experience to find out more about yourself and the things you’re passionate about. Five to ten years after graduation, nobody will give a fuck what your course was, as long as you’re doing a good job. Just make sure that job is something you love.

41. Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance?

Yes, but no more than that.

42. If you’re being extremely quiet, what does it mean?

Look up Tranquil Fury in TVTropes.org.

43. Do you smile at strangers?

Not really. Which is why people usually think I’m unapproachable or intimidating. The height doesn’t help with this.

44. Trip to outer space or bottom of the ocean?

Outer space. I don’t know why, but the ocean kinda scares me.

45. Do you want a roommate?

I already sleep in the same room as my two brothers so no thanks. I also help pay rent, so moving out will just add more expenses for me. 

46. What are you paranoid about?

That I’ve said something offensive or hurtful without even knowing. My humor tends to be a mix of sarcasm and wit, so there are times my intention gets misunderstood.

47. What was the meanest thing someone ever said to you?

My friends and I were playing this game called Disturbed Friends (look up the game if you want to know the rules), and they basically said that I would screw up raising a child.

48. The nicest thing someone ever said to you?

That I would make someone incredibly happy someday.

49. Have you done something recently that you hope no one ever finds out about?

Yes. Let’s leave it at that.

50. What language do you want to learn?

I took Spanish in college and want to continue learning the language someday. 

[adventuresaroundasia]

After two years of working as a college counselor in Beijing (and over five years of living in China), I’m finally moving on. That’s right, my job is finished, and soon I’ll be leaving my cozy Beijing apartment for bigger and better things.

I know, I can’t believe it either. I never thought this day would come, and now it’s almost here. I know quitting my job and leaving China is a huge deal, not just for me but for this site as well. But it had to happen someday, and that day is… six weeks from now.

Pin Me!

Let Me Fill You In

Leaving my job in China is obviously bittersweet. On the one hand, I’m super excited to finally be able to travel as long as I want and work for myself without having to worry about round-trip tickets and vacation days. On the other hand, China has become my home, and I know many of you are a bit upset that I won’t be living here anymore.

Who wants another bland, professional travel blogger who hops nomadically from country to country, living in cheap digital nomad hotspots like Chiang Mai and Bali. We have enough of those, thank you very much.

So today I thought I’d talk a bit about all of the huge changes going on in my life to give you all a little insight into where this site is headed.

Why did I quit my job? What’s next for me? Will I still be writing about China? Where am I going? How am I going to survive without a full-time salary?

Well, read along folks, because this one will answer all your questions!

My first few weeks as a college counselor in China!

Why I Quit My Job in China

Well, first things first, I didn’t actually quit my job in China. My two-year contract as a college counselor expired and I personally chose not to renew it, much to the disappointment of my boss and coworkers. While working as a college counselor was an incredible experience (and a great way to pay off all of my student loans!!), it just isn’t my dream job.

I’ll be honest, working as a full-time college counselor while also managing this site AND creating a new teach abroad site was REALLY HARD. I was constantly stressed and exhausted. During admissions season I developed panic attacks, and I suffered from some hard-core FOMO whenever I was offered an incredible opportunity I couldn’t take because I had to be at work.

My story is the same as any other person who wants to start their own business without the capital to quit their full-time job. Side hustles are hard. Developing a new business with a full-time job is time-consuming and exhausting. I haven’t had the time or energy to fully devote to this blog because I’ve been too busy actually working at work.

It’s my hope that leaving my job as a college counselor will actually give me the time and energy I need to make the most of this site. For the last year and a half, my traffic has been pretty much stagnant. I struggle to crank out posts on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, and I’m not making as much money as I would’ve hoped by this point.

But now you finally have my full attention, and that’s super exciting!

Me over two years ago, finishing up my dissertation at the University of Nottingham in China

So… I’m Still Actually Working for My Job in China

Wow. So many over-exaggerations! Not only did I not quit my job, I’m actually STILL working for my old company part-time.

As much as I want to dive head-first into being a professional travel blogger, I’m also a little too responsible for my own good. I’m not a fan of having a low bank account balance or taking any financial risks, and I couldn’t bear to leave my students right at the start of admissions season either. So, I decided to sign a part-time contract with my college counseling job for the remainder of the admissions season.

This fall I will be helping my students craft and design their college admissions applications remotely via email and Skype. I’ll be paid for each final draft I help my students complete, as well as each hour I meet with them to chat. So far, this hasn’t been too much work, but I know things will ramp up when deadlines start approaching.

I’ll also be coming into the office 1-2 days a week throughout October and the first half of November. I’ll be meeting a ton of students back-to-back to prep them for upcoming application interviews (my specialty!), and I may also teach a few large classes on specific topics like interviewing, essay advice, etc. Thankfully my company is paying me pretty well for these meetings, and I’ve been working closely with my coworker to schedule them all as tightly as possible.

Exploring the Summer Palace’s Suzhou Street

Why I’m Leaving China

I’ll obviously write a full post on this later because there are many, many reasons why I can’t stay in China forever, (crowds, pollution, censorship, food safety, bureaucracy, and if I get bumped into one more time…) but there are a few major reasons I can quickly address here.

I Want to See the World

Firstly, there’s just so much of the world I want to see that I haven’t been able to explore because I’ve been living as a full-time expat in China. There are even some major parts of China I still haven’t been able to travel to, mainly because I only get Chinese holidays off from work, and I don’t necessarily want to go to Huangshan at the same time as 2 billion other Chinese tourists.

I know that if I was paying rent in China, I’d constantly feel guilty whenever I was on the road. Why am I wasting all of this money on an apartment I’m not even in?! I know there’s Airbnb and subletting, but to be honest, I’d rather just put all my stuff in storage and actually travel without worrying about an apartment.

Bye bye expensive apartment

Beijing’s Rent is Way Too Expensive

Seriously, I paid more for my room in a 5-bedroom apartment in Beijing than my friend Edna did for a room in Paris! Sure, I could easily move to a cheaper city like Xi’an, Chengdu, or Kunming, which might be an option in the future, but why do that when I could have my own villa in Bali for half of what I’m paying to share a room in a tiny rundown apartment by the Beijing Zoo.

China is Horrible for Digital Nomads

Two words: internet censorship. Sure, I can get around it using VPNs, but I’m SO TIRED OF IT. Did you know I have 6 VPNs?! Yep, while I usually use Express, I have five other VPNs as a backup. FIVE.

I’m sick and tired of just not being able to get on Instagram, or having to drain my 4G to load a Snap. If I can’t get my VPN to work I have zero access to my email, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google, Snapchat, YouTube, GoogleDocs, Pinterest, and basically everything I need to actually do my job.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the Internet just worked? I’ve almost forgotten what that’s like.

Chillin’ with Mao in Tiananmen Square

I Need a Break From China

I love China. I just spent two weeks showing my parents around Beijing, Xi’an, and Yunnan. I had such a great time and even contemplated coming back to Yunnan for a month or more! I imagined myself picking out an apartment in Xi’an and possibly opening up a cute boutique hotel there (because for some reason Xi’an doesn’t have any boutique hotels).

China is incredible, but I need a freakin’ break! China is not the easiest place to live, and after 5 years, I just want some peace and quiet! I just need a break from the constant construction, crowds, pushing and shoving, oily food, pollution, and internet censorship.

I know I’ll be back, but for now, I need to take a breather so I can appreciate all of the good things about this incredible country without becoming the dreaded ‘Jaded China Bitch‘.

Big Adventures Ahead!

So… Where Are You Going?

With all of this free time comes the desire to pack it to the brim with adventures and travels. At one point I really thought I was going to show my parents around China in September, head to TBEX Ireland in October, travel around Ireland and UK, then go to WTM at the beginning of November, head to Africa in Mid-November, and Australia in December.

Oh my god. Not only would that completely drain all of the money I’ve saved up. I also wouldn’t have ANY time to actually work.

Thankfully I was able to put my foot down and give myself a solid 6 weeks for working here in Beijing. But come mid-November I will be traveling to Japan to work with the Mie Prefecture and spend two solid weeks hiking the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage trail! Then Chris and I will be exploring a few other major cities: Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo!

After that, I’ll be heading to Australia to celebrate Christmas with Chris’ family in Ben Lomond Australia, a tiny village in Australia’s New England. To be honest, some peace and quiet after a few years in China sounds like heaven.

Finally, I’ll be visiting my parents in Palm Desert California, and then I’m onto a friend’s wedding in Atlanta!

What’s Happening With Adventures Around Asia?!

Australia? The US? What’s going to happen now that you’ve left China?

I get it. I’ve actually had multiple people message me saying that they’re disappointed I’m leaving China. People have come to associate me with this country, which is actually incredible, but also a bummer for many people now that I’m leaving.

So, to answer all your questions and quell any worries, here’s what’s happening with Adventures Around Asia!

Hanging out at the summer palace

I’m Still Going to Write About China

I have so much content on China I could literally create a new site tomorrow and never run out of blog post ideas. Seriously. I almost wish this blog was only about China so that I could have the time and energy to fill it to the brim with useful China content, crazy stories, and detailed guides.

Even though I’m not living in China full-time, I’ll still be writing about China. I’ll still travel to China, I’ll still create awesome guides, and I’ll be sure to keep all my info up to date. The only thing that will change on the China front is that I will no longer be continuing my expat monthly recaps, This Beijing Life.

I’ll still be covering Asia off the Beaten Path!

I Won’t Be Writing About Places Outside of Asia

I decided a long time ago that Adventures Around Asia will focus on Asia off the Beaten Path. I’m not going to all of a sudden start writing about Australia or Europe. I want to use this blog to show off the destinations and cultures that not everyone visits. I want to inspire people to explore like a local and get off the typical tourist trail.

There are enough blogs about Europe and North America. There are enough sites teaching you how to quit your job and travel the world as a backpacker or digital nomad, and there are far too many blogs talking about traveling Southeast Asia on the cheap.

I don’t want to compete with them. Frankly, they’ve been doing it better and longer than I have. While I do plan to share what’s going on in my life with all of you through personal posts and my new monthly recap series, The Freedom Life, I don’t plan on restructuring my blog to talk about something completely different.

Gotta update all the stuff from 2012!

I Will Be Writing More, and Updating Old Content

You know what’s great about not having a full-time job? Having the time and energy to actually commit to this site. Every time I read an old post about Sichuan or Yunnan from 2012, I squirm with embarrassment. Every time I check my most recent posts and see that I’ve barely written anything, I feel guilty.

Now I finally have the time and energy to fully commit to this site. Sure, I won’t be in China, but my China content will only get better in the following months. Promise.

Sometimes it feels like I’m the only blogger that’s NOT location independent

Aren’t You a Little Late to This Digital Nomad Game?

It’s a bit weird becoming a “digital nomad” when it feels like most travel bloggers are finally starting to settle down. To be honest, I almost feel like I missed the boat. Isn’t the digital nomad fad a huge cliche now anyway?

But despite all that self-doubt, I know I need to do this for me. There’s so much of the world I still want to see, and I want to be able to run my business and make money while doing it.

I know I’m late to the game, and I don’t care. I’m not becoming a “digital nomad” because it’s cool, or popular, or because everyone’s doing it. I just want to travel and see the world while also contributing, helping others, and growing a business I’m proud of (and without worrying about money all the time.)

I know the nomadic lifestyle doesn’t last, and I’m not even sure how long I’ll travel for. I’m an expat at heart, and once I’m tired of traveling, I’ll be settling down somewhere, probably in Taiwan. I’ll get a cute apartment and a cat, practice my Mandarin, find local friends, and buy some fuzzy blankets.

For me, “digital nomad” isn’t the dream. My dream is location independence. I want to be my own boss. Travel when I want to travel. Take opportunities when they come my way, and stop constantly worrying about vacation days and being in my office at a certain time, dressed a certain way, every. single. day.

I want freedom. I want control. I want to work for myself. Whether that’s on the road, as an expat, or at home in the USA is up to me.

What About Money? How Will You Survive?

Good question.

To be honest, I don’t make much money off of this site. It was my goal to be consistently making $1,000 USD a month by the time I quit my job. However, I can pretty much say I’m only hitting $600. While this isn’t a huge issue, it’s also not where I want to be, and definitely not enough to comfortably live in Beijing.

That said, I do have a few major income streams right now, and many more ideas where that came from!

Firstly, I had about $16,000 USD saved up when I quit my college counseling job. I have to say I’m pretty proud of myself for saving that much, considering I spent the first 1.5 years paying off $20,000 in student loans.

On top of my little nest egg, I have my part-time college counseling, which is a nice little consistent source of income. I’ve also been working as a recruiter for a few different schools and education companies in China. For every teacher that arrives in China, I make about $150-300 USD. This is a pretty slow moving process (especially since I’m SUPER picky about which schools I work with), so it can take months and months of work before I finally see a penny. However, I think this will be a pretty decent stream of income for me in the future.

Upcoming Business Projects!

In the next few months, I also really hope to work on boosting my passive income by fixing old blog posts to focus on affiliates. I feel like I’ve really been dropping the ball in this area, and I’d love to fix it.

FINALLY, I have a huge project I’ve been working on for the past few months. I can’t tell you all yet, but I will say it has to do with teaching abroad in China. I’m really hoping I’ll be done with everything by January, but it’s been a pretty slow-moving process.

If you’re at all interested in teaching abroad in China and you want to be one of the first to know about my HUGE MASSIVE INCREDIBLE PROJECT, be sure to sign up for my Free Teach Abroad Mini-Course and you’ll be the first to get all the info!

Just casually climbing a mountain in Yunnan

What About Your Boyfriend?

Oh, Chris? He’s coming too!

Chris has been location independent for a while now and works from home as a travel blogger and safari sales expert for a popular Tanzanian safari company. The only reason he lives in Beijing is because I’ve been stuck here (and his brother and nephew live here too).

To be honest, in the past I always imagined embarking on this new adventure alone. I was kind of excited about the prospect of long-term solo female travel. I embraced the challenge.

However, now I’m super excited about the idea of having someone to share everything with. Chris will be with me every step of the way, from hiking the Kumano Kaido, to working till the wee hours in a cafe with horrible wifi. Thankfully we have pretty much the same exact travel style, which makes things fairly easy.

…and we’re NOT combining blogs. I’m too much of a control freak for that. 

Anything Else You Want to Know?

I know these are some huge changes, and this is a lot of information to process. That’s why I want to know: Is there anything I haven’t covered? Is there something you want to know about in more detail? Please let me know in a comment so I know what to cover in my next few posts!

Also, are you curious about hearing more on how I’m surviving as a “digital nomad”? Would you like a monthly income breakdown with personal updates on how I make money and emotionally handle working for myself? If so, would you like to see it in a monthly recap or as a post of its own? Be sure to fill me in on your thoughts!

After FIVE Years in China, I’m Finally Moving On After two years of working as a college counselor in Beijing (and over five years of living in China), I'm finally moving on.

[specialchan]

[Breeds] Looking for a dog for our young family via /r/dogs

[Breeds] Looking for a dog for our young family

Looking for a dog that would like hiking and would enjoy living in our London suburb mid-terrace house with our 2 year old son and our cat. A rescue would be wonderful if we could make it happen.

Introduction

1) Will this be your first dog? If not, what experience do you have owning/training dogs?

My wife and I both had medium sized dogs growing up (a retriever and a some sort of lurcher mutt). We both remember our parents training them and are pretty confident we'll do okay. My wife dog-sat for neighbours as well

2) Do you have a preference for rescuing a dog vs. going through a reputable breeder?

We'd love to rescue, but with a toddler (2 yr) and a cat we may be out of luck. The dog homes here in the UK are notoriously cautious. Would love recommendations on how to handle them and adopt the right dog!

3) Describe your ideal dog.

Cheerful and playful, safe around kids and grandparents. Ready to play fetch or wrestle a bit. Perhaps a bit smarter than the average. Doesn't need to run constantly, but will happily come along with us on hikes around 10 miles.

4) What breeds or types of dogs are you interested in and why?

Some spaniels seem like a good balance of this. Considering schnauzers, bigger terriers or beagles as well, though I'm not sure how well they hike.

5) What sorts of things would you like to train your dog to do?

I'm not fussed about tricks, but it would be super useful if it was comfortable traveling on public transport. Fetch would be great but plenty wonderful dogs won't even let you near their sticks.

6) Do you want to compete with your dog in a sport (e.g. agility, obedience, rally) or use your dog for a form of work (e.g. hunting, herding, livestock guarding)? If so, how much experience do you have with this work/sport?

No thanks

Care Commitments

7) How long do you want to devote to training, playing with, or otherwise interacting with your dog each day?

We don't expect to do much training beyond basic obedience, housebreaking and public transit. In the post-covid world at least one of us will be working from home every week day so they won't get lonely, but we will need to work during that time so a dog needing constant attention would be a problem.

8) How long can you exercise your dog each day, on average? What sorts of exercise are you planning to give your dog regularly and does that include using a dog park?

We are expecting as much as an hour's walk including a dog park in the morning, with a shorter walk in the evening. Plus running in our back garden during the day (~30 meters), and longer walks at weekends.

9) How much regular brushing are you willing to do? Are you open to trimming hair, cleaning ears, or doing other grooming at home? If not, would you be willing to pay a professional to do it regularly?

We would happily do the grooming as necessary and there are plenty of professionals in our area. I think we lean away from the truly hairy breeds, but more guided by their comfort in our climate.

Personal Preferences

10) What size dog are you looking for?

Probably small to medium. We love large dogs, but while our house is decent size for London it is not huge and will need to be shared with 2 adults, a toddler and a cat.

11) How much shedding, barking, and slobber can you handle?

Slobber and shedding is fine and fun and part of dog life. Barking we are less keen on (and we also have neighbors with whom we share walls)

12) How important is being able to let your dog off-leash in an unfenced area?

The dog will have to be able to behave itself at a basic level to handle parks and country walks. I would say this is probably pretty important.

Dog Personality and Behavior

13) Do you want a snuggly dog or one that prefers some personal space?

Probably medium? Love having a dog that puts their head in our lap and tries to lick our face. But again we will need to work from home around them, so yapping until we pick them up could become a problem.

14) Would you prefer a dog that wants to do its own thing or one that’s more eager-to-please?

I like anywhere on that spectrum, though perhaps not fully aloof. I would say it's more important that they are able to relate to kids. Guess would probably be more eager to please, but not really sure.

15) How would you prefer your dog to respond to someone knocking on the door or entering your yard? How would you prefer your dog to greet strangers or visitors?

I'd rather they be open to strangers. Having a dog with a guard mentality might be tricky in a mid-terrace house with neighbors close by. Barking a bit when someone knocks is fine, but they should accept people when we bring them inside.

16) Are you willing to manage a dog that is aggressive to other dogs?

I don't think that's a good idea. Just too many around here.

17) Are there any other behaviors you can’t deal with or want to avoid?

Avoiding too much barking is probably the main one. We can manage if they turn out to be yippy (you never know) but we are keen to be kind to our neighbors.

Lifestyle

18) How often and how long will the dog be left alone?

One of us should be working from home every weekday and we will be around weekends. I would say that it would be good to be able to leave them for half a day sometimes, but we should be able to get people to look in on them if it's longer than that. We have good neighbours and friends locally who could help.

19) What are the dog-related preferences of other people in the house and what will be their involvement in caring for the dog?

Us two adults are both very keen. We will see about our toddler as he ages but mostly seems fine.

20) Do you have other pets or are you planning on having other pets? What breed or type of animal are they?

We have a rescue cat (normal british short-hair) whom we have had for 3 years now and is about 5 years old. She has a cat-flap and we are planning to keep the dog out of at least a room or two to help her.

21) Will the dog be interacting with children regularly?

Yes, being good with our kid and their friends is essential.

22) Do you rent or plan to rent in the future? If applicable, what breed or weight restrictions are on your current lease?

We own and are planning to stay.

23) What city or country do you live in and are you aware of any laws banning certain breeds?

London, UK. There are laws about breeds which are said to be violent.

24) What is the average temperature of a typical summer and winter day where you live?

Summer hovers around 20°C most days, but gets up to 25-30°C, almost never more than that. Humid but not muggy. Winter is not below freezing all that often. A week or so of light snow in total is not unusual, but fairly mild overall.

Additional Information and Questions

25) Please provide any additional information you feel may be relevant.

We would really love to rescue a dog, but are not sure how we could do that since we have a toddler and a cat. Rescue charities here are very restrictive and we have so far not seen any dogs listed as ok for both small children and cats. Should we just give up on this approach? Is there anything we should try?

26) Feel free to ask any questions below.

I loved my mutt growing up. I recognize breeders would probably not call any of their dogs mutts, but is there any way to let breeders know we would be interested in, let's say unconventional cross-breeds?

Submitted July 26, 2020 at 06:43AM by subsetOfInsanity via reddit https://ift.tt/39wwknm

[oltnews]

It’s the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, but what is it about sustainable fashion and accessories designers in Los Angeles: how are they going to stay alive? With the coronavirus pandemic hitting the fashion industry hard, sustainable brands in the Los Angeles market are doing what they can to welcome customers and stay afloat. Here are some of their stories.Being innovative: Deborah Lindquist Los Angeles-based fashion designer Deborah Lindquist in her garden wears one of the eco-masks she has made and sold.(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) "We don't know how long this shutdown will last, we don't know who will be forced to leave business, and we wonder if our own restructuring ideas are right," said Deborah Lindquist, a clothing and accessories company. and interior designer who has designed for celebrities such as Sharon Stone, Pink, Jessica Alba, Christina Aguilera and Rihanna."Small businesses are the cornerstone of our country, just as important in big cities as in small communities," she said. Deborah Lindquist makes masks in her North Hollywood home.(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Lindquist focused on creating masks in her North Hollywood home using the remaining pieces of her recycled denim jackets, which are embellished with appliques, studs and rhinestones. "For other models of woven masks, I use pieces of printed silk from my production of dresses, skirts and blouses in leopard, sari, vintage kimono," she said. "And I make a group of white masks with my friends and family in the health field, based on vintage table linen and napkins. “As an innovative designer, I have always found ways to use materials at my fingertips. Since we have to cover our faces, we might as well look cool. I think it's a good idea to have a mask wardrobe these days not only to have a new one on hand, but to keep it interesting. "Change of course: Dalia MacPhee Designer Dalia MacPhee.(Dalia MacPhee) In January, designer Dalia MacPhee was able to see the writing on the wall while watching the fashion scene in China. "I was on the phone with manufacturers who were stranded there," said MacPhee. “I knew it was only a matter of time before the industry was affected here. However, I never thought it would go so bad. " The veteran fashion designer, whose creations were worn by Mel B, Olivia Munn, Niecy Nash and Julianne Hough, began to manufacture certified personal protective equipment (KN95 masks, intensive care suits and isolation gowns) for the medical community a few weeks ago. Dalia MacPhee's Vintage Design Face Covering, $ 19.(Dalia MacPhee) "I went from evening gowns to hospital gowns like that," she said. “We also produce designer fabric masks with filters for the public. And because we may be working from home over the next few months, I also worked on an athletics line.“It's a scary time. Those of us in the fashion industry now have the task of taking the new standard and making it right. In my own line, I have created a new collection including matching mask-legging combos and PPE in the colors of this season. We must add a certain lightness and normality while directing the ship towards safety. It will take time for fashion to return. " Rolling with the punches: Alisun Franson Alisun Franson sells face masks on a stand in front of his company Amiga Wild in Venice.(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) "With any challenge, you have to roll with your punches and think outside the box," said Alisun Franson, who owns the Amiga Wild store in Venice with independent jewelry designer Sadie Gilliam. “We have to keep paying the rents even when our doors are closed. Through brainstorming, we hope to lead customers to our online store, where customers can purchase and attend workshops in the safety of their homes. " Franson, which makes jewelry from recycled bicycle parts, has also co-created a pop-up store where consumers can purchase face masks on a donation basis. "We have hand sewn over 500 masks in the past few weeks and have provided masks to the nonprofit organization Worthy of Love, which helps children living on a skid track," she said. declared. “We want to do whatever it takes to help the community stay protected in the fight against COVID-19. Sadie Gilliam, left, and Alisun Franson sell face masks on a stand outside their store in Venice.(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) "Sustainable fashion is the future - not a trend," she said. “It is a lifestyle that people adopt because they see the importance of preserving our earth. There are so many materials existing in the world. Why send them to the landfill when they can be reused and transformed into portable art? "Slow mode: Desiree Buchanan Founder of Poplinen Desiree Buchanan.(Michelle Mosqueda) Desiree Buchanan, founder of the Poplinen line for women, has tried to adapt to the massive decline in fashion due to the stoppages and delays of COVID-19."We face problems along the supply chain and do our best by making masks," said Buchanan. "We want to keep our production partners and local creative entrepreneurs in Los Angeles busy while being responsible for social distancing, which slows everything down." Due to the home stay order, all of the in-person events that Buchanan had scheduled were canceled until further notice, which was a huge upheaval. "With so much uncertainty, it is difficult to set targets for the next quarter, let alone 2020 as a whole," she said. "We use this time to create useful, high-quality content on topics that match our efforts for inclusion and sustainability. Our goal during this time is to be a vehicle for the good in the lives of our customers and our followers, doing what we can to stay true to our mission to celebrate women and meet their security and protection needs. ” If the on-site shelter continues, Buchanan said she hopes to find ways to get around this and help restore value to the fashion."For consumers, I think it will lead them to make conscious purchasing choices - buy clothes that bring value and longevity to their lives," she said. “If our teams can no longer work closely together for the foreseeable future, we will find ways to adapt. Being small and disjointed allows for resilience around obstacles. With modern technology, we have been able to go that far. It's just one day at a time; slowdown in production because our sewers practice social distancing and implement fewer hours to avoid spreading the pandemic. " Strengthening the brand: Isadora Alvarez Isadora Alvarez, founder and artistic director of Back Beat Co.(Johanna Siring) Isadora Alvarez, founder and creative director of the Back Beat Co. women's line, pushed all her efforts during the coronavirus epidemic towards promoting and strengthening her brand. "Online is our only revenue stream right now, so we really want to have an ongoing dialogue with our community," she said. “Normally, a large part of our business is wholesale, but with the closure of bricks and mortars, we devote all our time and resources to marketing. The next two months will be difficult because people will recover quite slowly. " Creating an eco-friendly fashion line was not easy for Alvarez, which has now made masks for hospitals and essential workers. The Spring-Summer 2020 collection of Back Beat Co. by artistic director Isadora Alvarez uses materials such as hemp, organic cotton, tencel and recycled cotton.(Brian Overend) "We have had problems with the fact that the industry is very outdated and resistant to change for a more sustainable future," she said. "We had to convince our suppliers to use better fibers like hemp, organic cotton, etc. There is also a problem of minimums where we have to do a lot, so there is a lot of waste. Fortunately, we found partners ready to work with us under these conditions after years of hard work.“As a woman of color, it's always difficult, because they never consider you the boss. I am always asked who my boss is. The clothing industry is still mostly made up of older men, so I just have to take a more direct approach when dealing with them. " Flexibility is the key: Mariah K. Lyons Designer Mariah K. Lyons at the Astara factory.(Leah Shiros) Being malleable in times of uncertainty is an integral part of the business plans of Mariah K. Lyons, founder of the Astara line of sustainable shoes. "We are trying to view this period as an opportunity for innovation, rather than just a break before resuming normal business," she said. When the pandemic hit, the brand had to cancel productions and new launches and work with very different schedules and "dramatically changed projections," said Lyons, who was once a publicist for the famous shoe brand Jimmy Choo. "We want to change our business model and significantly expand our offerings, [and] not only evolve with this massive current, but also to maintain cash flow and have the ability to create fully sustainable products and build a community. " Astara transparent quartz sandals, $ 325.(Oxen Studio) Lyon recently reduced the cost of its durable shoes. "We mainly ship directly to consumers right now," she said. “We wanted to change our retail model and reflect the new distribution structure throughout our pricing - with the ability to reach and help more people. Our goal has always been to create shoes that support the well-being of the body, mind, spirit and the planet. Hopefully this will allow for greater accessibility. "Strength in numbers: Rachel Temko Whimsy and Row owner and art director Rachel Temko. (She wears the Flora pants from her brand in natural and the Valentina top in white.)(Goldfaden MD) To cope with the effects of the pandemic, Rachel Temko, owner and creative director of Whimsy and Row, launched a small business alliance called Together Apart, which donates 5% of sales to Feeding America and a collective discount of 20% to customers. "Our Together Apart campaign includes many of our stores to help promote and develop them during this time," said Temko. "We felt it was much bigger than we are individually, but with like-minded small businesses, we will all increase."To date, the alliance has donated $ 990 to Feeding America and more than 1,400 masks to the Union Rescue Mission, Downtown Women’s Center and Midnight Mission.For designers, the challenge of having cash and having enough to cover their bills was daunting. "Many of our wholesale accounts do not accept orders because their stores are closed, so we are suffering [lack of] income and have an overstock problem, "said Temko. "I hope they can survive online and start taking orders soon." Having to let go of employees was "even more difficult," Temko said, but as sales increase, his staff will be called back to work. “Our production and development have come to a complete halt, because none of our subcontractors can work. We are concerned about meeting our deadlines. " Despite uncertain times, Temko remains hopeful. "It could be a blessing in disguise because the fashion industry has no choice but to change," she said. “We have already reduced our deliveries and plan to create only less seasonal and more versatile clothing. Fashion must be able to have a longer sales time and easily pass from one season to another. We have to evolve to survive. "The future of eco-fashion: Keri Lassalle Keri Lassalle, founder of Lulu Dharma.(Hermas Lassalle) Keri Lassalle, founder of the Lulu Dharma range of ecological accessories, sees the global spread of COVID-19 as a kind of “collective deep breathing” for the Earth. "It forced us all to take a break and really think about what is important to us," she said, "especially in the fashion industry because we are one of the main contributors to pollution and waste. " Lassalle believes that the industry will move quickly from sustainability to the idea of ​​regenerative production - the use of agricultural waste, recycled materials and organic cotton grown responsibly and that take into account the health and well-being of people who cultivate and sew. "As soon as the cost of materials goes down for these materials, many more companies will be ready to use them," she said. "And when fashion brands really realize the impact of creation in an unsustainable way, the direct impact, people will realize that it is absolutely essential to change course."Do we really want to 'sustain' our momentum towards climate change, or do we want to start reversing the trend?" Asked Lassalle. “Education is over there. The signs are there, and fashion brands are taking note. Customers are definitely interested in shopping with transparent and responsible companies. We will all have to be responsible. " window.fbAsyncInit = function() FB.init( appId : '119932621434123', xfbml : true, version : 'v2.9' ); ; (function(d, s, id) var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); (document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); https://oltnews.com/in-the-midst-of-the-coronavirus-the-pivot-of-los-angeles-sustainable-designers-los-angeles-times?_unique_id=5ea14db4803ec

[mrsteveecook]

should we hire a candidate who lies, my fiance’s boss makes me cut her hair, and more

It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go…

1. Should we hire a candidate who lied?

My husband has a company (technically I do too, but it’s not my field and I am support). We are hiring and going through resumes. It’s an extremely technical field and one position requires certain skills. We are having a disagreement over one candidate. He is pretty good but is missing one important skill. I asked why he pulled him in for an interview, and my husband said the skill was on his resume but when he asked about it, the candidate replied that he had read a paper about it.

I realize most people fudge skills on their resume, but this isn’t something someone can Google. They can’t read about it, learn it, and apply it. I think that is the equivalent of lying and my husband isn’t so sure about that. My point is if they are going to pretend they know a skill, what else will they pretend if you hire them? This is an important position with a lot of responsibility. If they are drowning and pretend everything is going fine but nothing ends up working with the product (a possibility because my husband doesn’t want to be checking the work … that’s why he is hiring), we are in big trouble.

My husband is having trouble finding the “right” person so may need to adjust his requirements. I think he should pick someone maybe not perfect but that is clear from reading their resume rather than someone who pretended to have a skill and it only came out because my husband was making chit chat.

Yep, I’m with you. I actually don’t think most people fudge skills on their resume, and what this guy did is pretty much a lie. If he’s willing to lie (or even just shade the truth) to make himself look appealing to a potential employer and get something he wants, I share your concerns about what else he won’t be transparent about when it would disadvantage him. Plus, it speaks to a bizarre naivete about how hiring is supposed to work — the idea isn’t to bluff yourself into a job you don’t meet the requirements for, it’s to find a job that you can actually excel at.

It would be a dealbreaker to me.

2. My fiance’s boss makes me cut her hair

My question is centered around my fiancé’s boss. I’m a hair stylist, he works in marketing. When his boss found out I do hair, she told him she wanted to come to me to get her hair done. He wasn’t sure at first because we try to keep our personal lives and work lives separate, but she insisted. She says I have to do it for free. She doesn’t just want a quick trim. I have to relax her hair, dye it lighter, cut it, and style it. The process of doing her hair takes hours and I can’t work on other clients during that time, and it costs hundreds of dollars. She doesn’t pay for it or leave me a tip. It ends up costing me money because I’m an independent contractor. I rent my chair in the salon and I have to give the salon a cut of all the money I get paid. She also snaps her fingers at me to get my attention and can sometimes be stuck-up to me and my colleagues and other clients. One time she got mad when I told her my hair color was mine and not dyed after she asked how I keep my bleached hair so healthy and she told my fiancé I had a bit of an attitude. She is not pleasant to work on or be around.

I only said yes to doing her hair because my fiancé begged me to do it since she kept asking him and would not take no for an answer. I thought it would be a one time thing. I can’t keep doing her hair because I’m losing money and this is making me look bad in front of my colleagues and our other clients. It’s straining our relationship. I’m emailing you because I have had it. In order to get her to stop, what should my fiancé say? (I can’t do it because she’s not my boss and besides, if I do she’ll just run to him and get on his back about it.)

Actually, I’d try handling this yourself rather than going through your fiancé. The next time she calls you to schedule an appointment, why not tell her that the salon you work at is no longer allowing you to accept non-paying clients? Or that you’re fully booked for the next four months? Or even just say, “I need to let you know ahead of time that can’t do your hair for free anymore. My rate is $X. Would you still like to book the appointment?” (And there’s nothing wrong with adding a “jerk fee” on to your rate to account for the pain in the ass you know she’ll be.

If your fiancé thinks this will go over better if she hears it from him first, then he can certainly convey any of this to her. But the key for both of you is to just be matter-of-fact when you deliver the message. Don’t dance around it or try to sugarcoat it. Tell her directly and matter-of-factly as if of course this makes sense, because it does. If she pushes back, just cheerfully say, “Nope, sorry, I do need to charge!” (Or that you don’t have room in your schedule, or so forth.)

3. Can I find out my employee’s future plans?

I have a direct report whose partner is finishing his PhD this year, which she’s been open about. But that makes me wonder about his next step, and by extension, hers, since it seems like the odds are good he’ll be moving on to a new location. We have a pretty good relationship, but I can’t ask her where he’s looking for a job, and if she’d move with him, right? I just have to wait to see if she gives notice next spring/summer? I realize anyone can leave at any time, and I’m totally supportive of that, but this anticipation is killing me.

You can certainly ask, “Do you have any sense of your plans once Rupert finishes his PhD?” Just go into that conversation knowing that she may not be entirely transparent with you if she’s planning to leave because she understandably may worry about you pushing her out earlier than she’s ready to leave or otherwise limiting her during her remaining time. But if you have a good relationship, you can also say something like, “I want to let you know that if you do decide to leave the area, I’d totally support you in whatever you want to do, and if you ended up giving me an advance heads-up, I’d work with you to ensure that you can do that on your own timeline with no penalty from us.” But understand that she still may not feel comfortable doing that, because even managers who say that with the best of intentions can have that promise undermined by factors they didn’t anticipate. (For example, if she tells you she’s leaving next August and in May you find out that you have to lay off one person from your team, might you be tempted to pick the person who’s leaving anyway and save everyone else’s jobs?) So it’s tricky and you can’t expect complete transparency from her.

Also, you definitely shouldn’t keep pushing for information after bringing it up once, or that will make things weird and awkward for her. So one time, with the knowledge that you still might not get the info you want!

4. When should you give your references a heads-up?

I recently had a disastrous interview (the job posting didn’t match what the job actually was, the interviewer was very abrupt to the point of hostility, and more). At the end, just as I was thinking we’d be mutually glad to never interact again, he asked if he could contact my references.

I said yes, of course, but then I felt obligated to email my references and let them know that they may be hearing from the hiring manager, even though I thought the chances of him actually contacting them were nil. Also, this was after one interview, but he told me there would be a second round for finalists.

Did I make a mistake by alerting my references? I want to give these folks a heads-up when a reference check seems likely to happen, but I don’t want to bother them over and over again, or make myself look like a poor candidate by putting them on notice for calls that aren’t forthcoming. How do I gauge when an employer is serious enough about me to check my references?

Ideally you’d alert your references at the start of your job search, and that serves as one blanket notification. You don’t need to then notify them every individual time an interview seems like it’s getting to the reference-checking stage, as long as the original notification was in the last few months.

But it’s also okay to say something like, “I want to let my references know they may be hearing from you so they’re responsive about returning the call. Are you at that stage now, or will that not happen until after the second round of interviews?”

You may also like:

men with long hair at job interviews, I almost hit a coworker with my car, and more

my company interviewed and rejected my husband — and I’m frustrated

no one is reading my resume’s skills section

should we hire a candidate who lies, my fiance’s boss makes me cut her hair, and more was originally published by Alison Green on Ask a Manager.

from Ask a Manager https://ift.tt/2DE5BaF

[johnvonstach]

The Nitty-gritty On Reasonable Vpower Solar Energy Systems

These days, you don’t need a few acres of sun-light land to go solar, technology has advanced far beyond that! It is available to any business or home that wants it. This article will describe all the advantages of using solar power.

Your solar panels will function correctly if you maintain them. Look over the equipment one time a month and keep the panels clean. Don’t think twice about hiring a professional to inspect and clean your solar energy system for you, however this can also be done on your own.

You can help the environment by heating your water with solar energy. There are many kinds of solar water heaters like the solar powered tankless system and solar powered water tanks. You will only have to install a couple of panels on your roof or front lawn.

You don’t have to remove your whole roof to use solar energy. At the least, you’ll need to replace outside illumination with lamps and lights that run on solar energy. Your outdoor lights can keep shining all night, except maybe during the longest winter nights, using the charge they stored from the sun that day.

Although solar panels seem like a permanent installation, the best systems allow for the panels to be adjusted. Those in extreme temperatures may have a difficult time with this decision.

Take the time to look at the numbers before deciding to invest in solar energy. Depending on your location, solar panels could cost a lot when you have potential costs mixed with overhead costs. If you move too fast into solar without crunching the numbers, you might be given a rude awakening when you are done.

Check the inverter every so often if you add solar panels to your home. You want to always see a perfectly solid green light. If it is blinking, or off altogether, you need to call in an expert. Unless you are an expert, you may be unable to diagnose the cause of the problem. A technician should visit for free if you have a warranty for 25 years, which is standard.

Solar energy is something that can do quite a bit for a home, from helping a person save on energy costs to making less of a carbon footprint on the environment. If solar energy may be a good choice for you, find out more about it now. The information in this article can help you choose a solar system that benefits you the most.

The strawman purchase. The real estate agent has a non-disclosed partner in the strawman and lists a property for sale under market value. The strawman purchases the house and either rents it or rehabs it. They ultimately resell the home without detection. 3. The identity theft crook creates a forged title of a home to secure a mortgage loan on the property. The criminal and the loan proceeds disappear, leaving the owner’s home encumbered. 4. The scheme is stealing money from a bank account with stolen data. This can occur in many ways. Examples: A hacker installs malicious software that can read emails or intercept WiFi messages. There are keylogger programs that transmits the keystrokes on the keyboard back to the hacker who can then time their access to an account and empty it.  5. A room rental is non-existent or sub-standard, but a terrific deal. The tenant holds it with a deposit and later arrives to take occupancy.

For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.sooeveningnews.com/business/20171212/dear-monty-10-common-real-estate-scams

Some Thoughts On Real-world Systems In Sault Ste Marie

For instance, the hospital’s foundation has its Tree of Hope up, decorations can be found in some areas of the Great Northern Road facility and there is talk that Old St. Nick, himself, may make an appearance, possibly Friday. “The intention of the policy was we’re reflective of who is coming into our hospital and being inclusive,” Sharp Young said. The policy, not provincially mandated but part of a revised SAH signage guidelines ushered in last August, outlines an “overall direction and process” for the displaying of signage, and includes a process for the displaying of holiday and seasonal decorations. Limiting ornaments pegging any number of events or holidays in areas often visited by the general public, the hospital says, fosters a “safe and welcoming” space. Exceptions must be approved by management, including holiday-themed fundraising, and Christmas decorations in inpatient units and areas not regularly used by the public must also be approved by SAH brass. “By having an approval process for the displaying of holiday and seasonal decorations, we ensure that we are inclusive and respectful of the diversity of our staff, patients, families, physicians and volunteers,” Sharp Young said. Knights of Columbus, a fraternal service club for Roman Catholic men, is a strong advocate of the “Keep Christ in Christmas” theme; ads can be scene here on city buses and there are signs throughout the community. “The general feeling” with K of C, Summers said, is that the hospital’s policy is “some form of overreaction.” “We’d like to see the idea of Christmas and Christianity protected in this country,” he added. “And what we see is that our moral structure is being eroded. I think maybe we’ve gone a little bit too far in welcoming people, to the point that we’re willing to give up what we’ve worked hard to create in this country.” Summers said he would fully understand if such a policy were based strictly on safety and fire code considerations. “I don’t disagree with the hospital’s right to have certain policies to maybe restrict how much is done,” he said, adding common sense ought to prevail. “I don’t think the hospital should allow (a patient) to put a six- or eight-foot tree in the room. But, I think sometimes Christians feel like they’re the new persecuted group in the world.” Religious considerations, Sharp Young said, aren’t necessarily at the root of requests for fewer decorations. For example, Algoma District Cancer Program has scaled back at the request of patients. “For some people, this is their last Christmas and coming for care and constantly seeing the festive decour was very difficult and challenging for them,” she added. “They took the position, ‘less is more.’” In terms of religious inclusivity, Sharp Young said if SAH’s Patient and Family Advisory Council made recommendations to celebrate Hanukkah in the hospital “differently, we would look to that.” “If there was an ask for us to have a Menorah in our lobby, we would move forward with that,” she said.

http://www.saultstar.com/2017/12/14/sault-area-hospital-says-guidelines-are-geared-to-foster-inclusivity-knights-of-columbus-contends-christian-values-being-eroded

VPOWERENERGY|130 Hood St, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6C 6E5, Canada|http://vpowerenergy.com|+1 705-759-3899|VS Products Inc America John Stach

The Challenges Today For Wise Solar Power Sault Ste Marie Solutions

You have likely heard that solar panels can significantly reduce your carbon footprint in the environment. This will be an important decision though. You must be able to afford this system. The piece that follows will help you understand the financial implications of switching to solar power.

Don’t assume that harnessing solar power means going full scale and ripping out your roof. You could simply start with switching all of your outdoor lights to solar versions. They gather energy during the day to light up at night. Just be aware that they may not work during long winter nights or predawn times.

If you’re leasing your solar energy device, make darn sure that you can transfer your lease if need be. This is essential if you plan to sell your home before it’s paid off. Having that transfer option can help you out of the contract and let the new homeowners enjoy its benefits.

When you want to live in your home forever, invest in solar panels. Unfortunately, solar panels are not cheap; therefore, getting your panels paid off and actually saving money could take several years. You should invest in solar energy only if you’re settling down.

Is solar energy right for you? There are several things to consider. A major reason to go with solar power is if your home is remote and the traditional power grid does not reach it. This is also an awesome option for those who can pay for high initial costs.

Really look at the numbers before you get solar panels. After you calculate what it costs to install the solar panels where you live, you may find you will never be able to recoup your investment. If you wait to see if they are going to save you money after your purchase, you could end up being very unpleasantly surprised.

You can get tax credits from your government for using solar energy. This can save you up to one-third of your initial purchase. Search the Internet or call a representative for information on local programs.

When putting in solar panels, take a look at the inverter. It is a good thing if you see a green light that is not blinking. You will have to speak with an expert if the light is off or blinking. You likely can’t diagnose this problem alone. If your panels come with a warranty of 25 years, a house call from a service technician should not cost you anything.

You know whether or not this type of power is for you now. This is great in theory, but other energy sources may be better if you don’t get lots of sunlight. Use this information to help you decide whether solar panels are a good option for you.

To learn more about vpowerenergy solar backup generator Sault Ste Marie visit https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/11/19/renewable-energy-is-now-cheaper-than-fossil-fuels.aspx

The post The Nitty-gritty On Reasonable Vpower Solar Energy Systems appeared first on VSP North America.

from VSP North America https://www.johnvonstach.com/vs-products-inc/the-nitty-gritty-on-reasonable-vpower-solar-energy-systems/

[touristguidebuzz]

U.S. Destinations Preparing For Overtourism Burst During Total Solar Eclipse

Cities such as Madras, Oregon in the path of next month's total solar eclipse are preparing for large influxes of tourists eager to experience the spectacle. Amy Meredith / Flickr

Skift Take: Cities like Madras, Oregon and others in the path of next month's total solar eclipse have lessons to offer other destinations about hosting once-in-a-lifetime events and the kinds of decisions and processes that it takes to welcome throngs of visitors.

— Dan Peltier

On Monday morning, August 21, a 70-mile-wide swath of America from Oregon to South Carolina will plunge into darkness during daytime hours.

The total solar eclipse—the first fully visible from the U.S. since 1979 and the first coast-to-coast total solar eclipse in 99 years—will reveal plasma flares on the sun visible from earth as the moon passes directly between them.

It will also drive an expected 100,000 people to the tiny town of Madras, Ore.—current population a little more than 6,000.

Twenty-four of the visitors will stay at Lysa Vattimo’s house.

“It’s organized chaos,” Vattimo said with a laugh. She is the lead member of the City of Madras Solar Eclipse Planning Group, a team formed more than two years ago after city organizers realized they could have a serious logistics problem on their hands. Their first tip-off was even earlier—four years ago when a travel agency called Continental Capers bought out the entire Inn at Cross Keys in anticipation of this year’s event. In such a tiny locale, such a purchase generated plenty of curiosity.

“Apparently, some astronomer said that Madras was the premier location for viewing the eclipse based on its high altitude, big plateau, and the weather compared to other locations across the path,” Vattimo said. “He could barely get anybody [here] to pay attention to him. But when all the hotels started booking up years in advance, we realized this was a big deal.”

The Premier Viewing Spot

Madras is far from the only location along the flight path. Idaho Falls, Idaho; Lincoln, Neb.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Columbia, S.C., are among the nine other cities NASA lists as ideal for watching. The first point of contact will be Lincoln Beach, Ore., at 9:05 a.m. local time; “totality,” as astronomers call it, begins there at 10:16 a.m. Over the next 90 minutes, the darkness will cross through Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and North and South Carolina, ending in Charleston at 2:48 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Its longest duration will be near Carbondale, Ill., where the moon will block the sun for two minutes and 40 seconds.

As the smallest and some say optimal viewing spot along the route, the ranching town 12 miles from Warm Springs Indian Reservation will experience the onslaught of eclipse chasers quite dramatically. With its high elevation, flat plateau land mass flanked by pristine snow-covered mountains, and crystal clear desert skies, it’s perfectly suited to stargazing.

As for the eclipse itself, ask a science lover why it’s compelling, and he or she will respond in disbelief that you even have to ask.

“It hasn’t happened like this in a century, and it’s the only one we’ll see in our lifetime,” said Molly Baker, the head of communications at Arizona’s Lowell Observatory. “It’s going to be incredible when it gets dark and to see the nocturnal animal activity.”

Lowell Observatory and Oregon State University are sending dozens of scientists to Madras to observe and record the event; NASA is sending a cadre of astronomers. They expect to observe and document unusual animal activity in addition to the plasma flares and other celestial activity during the eclipse. (When unexpected darkness falls, many animals, such as birds, think night has fallen and take to roost.)

Baker and her 30 colleagues attending, plus additional volunteers, plan to stay mostly in campgrounds and RVs. She did admit to some trepidation.

“I’m looking forward to it, but I’m also nervous,” said Baker, who will arrive a couple days prior to the event. “It going to be pretty hectic.”

Handling the Hoards

On their side of things, Vattimo and her team didn’t waste time. They contacted the Oregon state police, transportation authorities, and local business owners and residents to talk about how the region would sustain such an influx. “We knew we needed to lock arms, get to know each other really well, and get prepared,” she said.

Madras’s chamber of commerce has held dozens of town meetings to urge business owners to stockpile cash, gas, and wares. The town and surrounding campsites have rented nearly 700 portable toilets, including some from Idaho, to meet demand, with garbage trucks scheduled to run nearly 24 hours a day to transport trash to huge dumpsters before it begins to smell in the summer heat.

St. Charles Medical Center of Madras & Bend has loaded up on such supplies as gauze, bandages, painkillers, and other sundry items that medics would need to treat the general casualties frequent at any other large gathering, such as a music festival, say, or Burning Man. Doctors there have canceled vacations; pregnant women close to their due dates are being told to leave to avoid getting stuck, according to local reports. Restaurants such as regional favorite Black Bear Diner have bought five-weeks’ worth of supplies for one week of customers.

(Speaking of Burning Man, yes, there are multiple more free-spirited festivals planned for near Madras during the time of the eclipse. Expect those to have the same free-living energy—minus the corporate baggage—as the annual Black Rock Desert retreat.)

Where People Are Staying

Since area hotels sold out long ago, many farmers are renting out camping spaces on their land in plots with such names as Sunset Solar Campground, Solar Celebration, Solar Eclipse on the Farm, and Totality Awesome. Campsite rates run roughly $300 a night, with a three-night minimum; RV packages are running scheduled shuttles will move campers from the farms to restaurants and grocery stores in town. Music, food, and entertainment are all planned for display at a nearby fairground.

Christina Carpenter has 275 reservations to stay on her 100-acre farm, Organic Earthly Delights —and could accommodate twice that if she had to. She has hired 40 people to build decks, fences, bunks, tables, outdoor showers, and the like. Her Organic Earthly Delights will feature sustainable farming and bee keeping sessions, cooking demonstrations, movie screenings, and host Joel Salatin, the popular holistic farmer, author, and lecturer, during the week of the event.

She’s also importing experts for guided astrology lessons.

“The astronomers are so excited,” Carpenter said on the phone. She had just finished planting a cover crop of grass perfectly timed to flourish by the time of the eclipse. “They’re coming in from Hawaii, and they already sent their telescope ahead of them.”

Other residents as far away as Bend (43 miles away) and Prineville (30 miles away) are making a killing on Airbnb and VRBO bookings, either renting out rooms in their homes or renting the whole house for the weekend in a matter of minutes. Rates on Airbnb range from $500 to $1,500 for a room for one night; entire houses are listed for $2,000 and more. You can stay on a pontoon boat in a nearby lake for $2,850, though you must bring your own lifejacket, which is required for the stay.

“There is a sense of panic,” said Beth Rasmussen, a Bend native. Rasmussen and her husband, Jesse, are the language arts and social studies teacher at Pilot Butte Middle School and vice principal of Jewell Elementary, respectively. As the parents of two young girls, they plan to stay put for the event, if only to avoid an anticipated six- or eight-hour drive back home along Highways 97 or 26.

“ They are telling us to expect one million people to come to Central Oregon,” Rasmussen said. “Everybody knows about it. There is definitely a lot of hype.”

The Deluge

In fact, large billboards along the two-lane highway into and out of town have advertised the event for years. Rick Hickmann, who has lived in nearby Bend since 1976, said he was dumbfounded when the billboards appeared two years ago. “I laughed when I saw it,” he said. “The sign was in the middle of nowhere, in the hot desert, with not a tree in sight. I thought, who in the world would go to Madras for that ?”

Fast-forward to July 2017 and the Oregon Department of Transportation is predicting “the biggest traffic even in Oregon history” and posting humorous bulletins in efforts to stave off vehicular calamity. (Two examples: Don’t be a luna(r)-tic: Arrive early, stay put, and leave late; If travelers plan ahead and come prepared, we’ll all dance together for two unforgettable minutes as the sun throws the moon’s shadow over us. If travelers don’t plan ahead, we’ll all go nowhere together for many forgettable hours probably throwing shade at each other.”

How to Do It Right

Not scared off yet? It’s not too late to get to Oregon to see the event. Flights into the nearest airport of any size, Redmond, the Saturday prior can still be had. They don’t cost as much as you might expect—nearly $700 from New York and $600 from Los Angeles, which is up slightly from routine fares but not, say, double what travelers might usually pay.

But don’t expect to get anywhere fast, and travel with plenty of water, gas, food, and any essential prescriptions. There’s plenty of room once you get there, as long as you’re OK with a lot of fresh air.

“You just have to be willing to camp,” Vattimo said. “There is glamping, or you can rent an RV and bring it out, or pitch a tent.”

On some of the farms around town, a friendly rancher will even set up the tent for you. It’ll beat staying with 23 others in a crowded home—though that might be a lunatic time, too.

    This article was written by Hannah Elliott from Bloomberg and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.

[rollinbrigittenv8]

U.S. Destinations Preparing For Overtourism Burst During Total Solar Eclipse

Cities such as Madras, Oregon in the path of next month's total solar eclipse are preparing for large influxes of tourists eager to experience the spectacle. Amy Meredith / Flickr

Skift Take: Cities like Madras, Oregon and others in the path of next month's total solar eclipse have lessons to offer other destinations about hosting once-in-a-lifetime events and the kinds of decisions and processes that it takes to welcome throngs of visitors.

— Dan Peltier

On Monday morning, August 21, a 70-mile-wide swath of America from Oregon to South Carolina will plunge into darkness during daytime hours.

The total solar eclipse—the first fully visible from the U.S. since 1979 and the first coast-to-coast total solar eclipse in 99 years—will reveal plasma flares on the sun visible from earth as the moon passes directly between them.

It will also drive an expected 100,000 people to the tiny town of Madras, Ore.—current population a little more than 6,000.

Twenty-four of the visitors will stay at Lysa Vattimo’s house.

“It’s organized chaos,” Vattimo said with a laugh. She is the lead member of the City of Madras Solar Eclipse Planning Group, a team formed more than two years ago after city organizers realized they could have a serious logistics problem on their hands. Their first tip-off was even earlier—four years ago when a travel agency called Continental Capers bought out the entire Inn at Cross Keys in anticipation of this year’s event. In such a tiny locale, such a purchase generated plenty of curiosity.

“Apparently, some astronomer said that Madras was the premier location for viewing the eclipse based on its high altitude, big plateau, and the weather compared to other locations across the path,” Vattimo said. “He could barely get anybody [here] to pay attention to him. But when all the hotels started booking up years in advance, we realized this was a big deal.”

The Premier Viewing Spot

Madras is far from the only location along the flight path. Idaho Falls, Idaho; Lincoln, Neb.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Columbia, S.C., are among the nine other cities NASA lists as ideal for watching. The first point of contact will be Lincoln Beach, Ore., at 9:05 a.m. local time; “totality,” as astronomers call it, begins there at 10:16 a.m. Over the next 90 minutes, the darkness will cross through Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and North and South Carolina, ending in Charleston at 2:48 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Its longest duration will be near Carbondale, Ill., where the moon will block the sun for two minutes and 40 seconds.

As the smallest and some say optimal viewing spot along the route, the ranching town 12 miles from Warm Springs Indian Reservation will experience the onslaught of eclipse chasers quite dramatically. With its high elevation, flat plateau land mass flanked by pristine snow-covered mountains, and crystal clear desert skies, it’s perfectly suited to stargazing.

As for the eclipse itself, ask a science lover why it’s compelling, and he or she will respond in disbelief that you even have to ask.

“It hasn’t happened like this in a century, and it’s the only one we’ll see in our lifetime,” said Molly Baker, the head of communications at Arizona’s Lowell Observatory. “It’s going to be incredible when it gets dark and to see the nocturnal animal activity.”

Lowell Observatory and Oregon State University are sending dozens of scientists to Madras to observe and record the event; NASA is sending a cadre of astronomers. They expect to observe and document unusual animal activity in addition to the plasma flares and other celestial activity during the eclipse. (When unexpected darkness falls, many animals, such as birds, think night has fallen and take to roost.)

Baker and her 30 colleagues attending, plus additional volunteers, plan to stay mostly in campgrounds and RVs. She did admit to some trepidation.

“I’m looking forward to it, but I’m also nervous,” said Baker, who will arrive a couple days prior to the event. “It going to be pretty hectic.”

Handling the Hoards

On their side of things, Vattimo and her team didn’t waste time. They contacted the Oregon state police, transportation authorities, and local business owners and residents to talk about how the region would sustain such an influx. “We knew we needed to lock arms, get to know each other really well, and get prepared,” she said.

Madras’s chamber of commerce has held dozens of town meetings to urge business owners to stockpile cash, gas, and wares. The town and surrounding campsites have rented nearly 700 portable toilets, including some from Idaho, to meet demand, with garbage trucks scheduled to run nearly 24 hours a day to transport trash to huge dumpsters before it begins to smell in the summer heat.

St. Charles Medical Center of Madras & Bend has loaded up on such supplies as gauze, bandages, painkillers, and other sundry items that medics would need to treat the general casualties frequent at any other large gathering, such as a music festival, say, or Burning Man. Doctors there have canceled vacations; pregnant women close to their due dates are being told to leave to avoid getting stuck, according to local reports. Restaurants such as regional favorite Black Bear Diner have bought five-weeks’ worth of supplies for one week of customers.

(Speaking of Burning Man, yes, there are multiple more free-spirited festivals planned for near Madras during the time of the eclipse. Expect those to have the same free-living energy—minus the corporate baggage—as the annual Black Rock Desert retreat.)

Where People Are Staying

Since area hotels sold out long ago, many farmers are renting out camping spaces on their land in plots with such names as Sunset Solar Campground, Solar Celebration, Solar Eclipse on the Farm, and Totality Awesome. Campsite rates run roughly $300 a night, with a three-night minimum; RV packages are running scheduled shuttles will move campers from the farms to restaurants and grocery stores in town. Music, food, and entertainment are all planned for display at a nearby fairground.

Christina Carpenter has 275 reservations to stay on her 100-acre farm, Organic Earthly Delights —and could accommodate twice that if she had to. She has hired 40 people to build decks, fences, bunks, tables, outdoor showers, and the like. Her Organic Earthly Delights will feature sustainable farming and bee keeping sessions, cooking demonstrations, movie screenings, and host Joel Salatin, the popular holistic farmer, author, and lecturer, during the week of the event.

She’s also importing experts for guided astrology lessons.

“The astronomers are so excited,” Carpenter said on the phone. She had just finished planting a cover crop of grass perfectly timed to flourish by the time of the eclipse. “They’re coming in from Hawaii, and they already sent their telescope ahead of them.”

Other residents as far away as Bend (43 miles away) and Prineville (30 miles away) are making a killing on Airbnb and VRBO bookings, either renting out rooms in their homes or renting the whole house for the weekend in a matter of minutes. Rates on Airbnb range from $500 to $1,500 for a room for one night; entire houses are listed for $2,000 and more. You can stay on a pontoon boat in a nearby lake for $2,850, though you must bring your own lifejacket, which is required for the stay.

“There is a sense of panic,” said Beth Rasmussen, a Bend native. Rasmussen and her husband, Jesse, are the language arts and social studies teacher at Pilot Butte Middle School and vice principal of Jewell Elementary, respectively. As the parents of two young girls, they plan to stay put for the event, if only to avoid an anticipated six- or eight-hour drive back home along Highways 97 or 26.

“ They are telling us to expect one million people to come to Central Oregon,” Rasmussen said. “Everybody knows about it. There is definitely a lot of hype.”

The Deluge

In fact, large billboards along the two-lane highway into and out of town have advertised the event for years. Rick Hickmann, who has lived in nearby Bend since 1976, said he was dumbfounded when the billboards appeared two years ago. “I laughed when I saw it,” he said. “The sign was in the middle of nowhere, in the hot desert, with not a tree in sight. I thought, who in the world would go to Madras for that ?”

Fast-forward to July 2017 and the Oregon Department of Transportation is predicting “the biggest traffic even in Oregon history” and posting humorous bulletins in efforts to stave off vehicular calamity. (Two examples: Don’t be a luna(r)-tic: Arrive early, stay put, and leave late; If travelers plan ahead and come prepared, we’ll all dance together for two unforgettable minutes as the sun throws the moon’s shadow over us. If travelers don’t plan ahead, we’ll all go nowhere together for many forgettable hours probably throwing shade at each other.”

How to Do It Right

Not scared off yet? It’s not too late to get to Oregon to see the event. Flights into the nearest airport of any size, Redmond, the Saturday prior can still be had. They don’t cost as much as you might expect—nearly $700 from New York and $600 from Los Angeles, which is up slightly from routine fares but not, say, double what travelers might usually pay.

But don’t expect to get anywhere fast, and travel with plenty of water, gas, food, and any essential prescriptions. There’s plenty of room once you get there, as long as you’re OK with a lot of fresh air.

“You just have to be willing to camp,” Vattimo said. “There is glamping, or you can rent an RV and bring it out, or pitch a tent.”

On some of the farms around town, a friendly rancher will even set up the tent for you. It’ll beat staying with 23 others in a crowded home—though that might be a lunatic time, too.

This article was written by Hannah Elliott from Bloomberg and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.

[econobitch]

CAPITALISM AND ACADEMIA. I’d driven 107 miles from my home in Bangor, Maine to the BPL Plasma Center in Lewiston to collect $50 for having my arm punctured and a liter of my plasma sucked out. The actual donation takes about 35 minutes, but the drive and its attendant wait makes for an eight-hour day. I clocked in for that trip five times this summer. I’m a professor at the University of Maine. My salary is $52,000, and I am a year away from tenure. But like everyone else in that room, I was desperate for money. [...] Here are my vitals: I have more than $200,000 in student loans and $46,000 in credit card debt—all accumulated during my B.A., M.A., and Ph.D., and then search for a tenure-track job. My annual salary translates to a little more than $3,000 in monthly take-home pay. I pay $800 a month in rent, $1,100 in credit card bills (paying only the monthly minimums), $350 in student loans, and have $285 a month car payment. I also pay the usual insurances, utilities, groceries, gas, et al. I don’t have cable. Or a kitchen table. Or blinds on any of my windows. I’ve cancelled all magazine and newspaper subscriptions—an actual dilemma for a journalism professor. For my first year in Bangor I didn’t even have a bed. Instead I slept on a Target air mattress until it lost its breath; then I moved to the couch (which I had purchased on credit), until my back finally demanded I buy a bed (credit, again). * * * Midway through every month—when all my bills had cleared and I was left wondering how I’d make the hundred dollars in my checking account last the final two weeks—I’d ask myself: How did I end up in this mess? And each time I pointed my car south on I-95, asking the same question. But incredulity was the wrong note. A colleague who studies poverty bluntly put it to me: “What did you expect?” she asked me. And she was right. I decided to get a Ph.D. in American Studies from Saint Louis University, even though I was not offered funding. A gigantic loan got me through year one. Among the 20 or so in my cohort (roughly half of whom were fully-funded), I earned the lone “high pass” on our first year exams, which netted me a research assistantship and tuition remission for my second year. But after year two my course work was done, and so was my funding. I adjuncted for the remainder of my Ph.D. and supplemented this meager income with student loans and credit cards. My partner at the time was also in graduate school. Like most academic couples, we made it work by living cheaply, working as much as we could (often to the detriment of our academic progress), taking out huge sums of student loans, and, of course, credit cards. What started for me as one card with a $1,000 credit limit during my senior year of college bloomed into a dozen cards by the time I reached Maine; my credit limit nearly matched my annual salary. We eventually married and moved to a new city where she began her Ph.D. Both added debt, but not nearly as much as me attending several international conferences to present my work in hopes of boosting my profile for the impending job market. I self-financed these trips to Lisbon and London and Paris. My department offered a couple hundred bucks a year for graduate travel, but these trips ran into the thousands. Still, in time, it worked. Eight years after starting my Ph.D. and one year after defending my dissertation, I got a visiting position at the University of Notre Dame. It was my third year on the job market. Notre Dame has an endowment of approximately $10 billion, making it one of the 10 richest schools in the country. According to data from U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Educational Statistics, the average annual salary for an assistant professor at Notre Dame is $126,000. That figure, however, is considerably lower in the Humanities, and in my department tenure-track assistants start around $75,000. Because I was visiting, I was offered $40,000 per year, which I was able to negotiate up to $44,000. Nonetheless, the resources available at that gilded Catholic institution were mind-boggling. After my first week, I was given clearance to buy my entire class of 16 students iPad 3s at a cost of nearly $10,000. For two years I dedicated myself to the­ university, hoping this dream job would be converted to tenure-track. I published award-winning articles in both scholarly and popular publications. I earned grants and fellowships. And I taught to such acclaim that the students in my department petitioned university President Father John Jenkins to keep me. In the end, none of it mattered. Worse, my devotion to the job hollowed out my marriage. [...] As I dedicated myself to Notre Dame, my partner worked through exams, then left to do dissertation fieldwork. Midway through my second year I learned that my visiting position would not become permanent. The separation left me reeling. Fortunately, I was in a position to accept a tenure-track job at the University of Maine. With my partner still doing research, I moved to Bangor by myself in the summer of 2014. In time, our marriage dissolved, and I plunged into a dangerous depression. I faced the sudden reality of all the ways that I had mortgaged my future for some elusive—and illusory—present. In slow, painful time I would learn that there are all sorts of debt, and some of it cannot be relieved by a shot in the arm. When I was an undergraduate contemplating going to graduate school, my favorite professor encouraged me by saying, “If there’s anything worth going big-time in debt for, it’s education.” I never questioned her. Moreover, I never questioned myself; I just figured I’d be a professor someday and it would all work out—my own lack of foresight and long-term planning. But I’m not alone. According to a 2016 American Household Credit Card Debt study, U.S. consumers have $747 billion in credit card debt and $1.28 trillion in student loan debt. These gigantic figures translate to per-household averages of $16,000 in credit debt and almost $49,000 student loans. Within academia, this type of debt is not uncommon, while nearly 50 percent of Humanities Ph.D.s graduate with zero debt, 35 percent have more than $30,000­—the highest percent in that range across all fields, according to a comprehensive report from the National Science Foundation’s 2014 “Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities.” (Seventeen percent have more than $70,000). Meanwhile, the median basic salary of Humanities doctorate recipients with “definite commitments” in academe was $55,000—the lowest rate across all fields. I am aware of my extraordinary fortune, both professionally and class-wise. I have a tenure-track job, which is more security than a lot of Ph.D.s. There were more than 54,000 doctoral degrees granted in 2014, an increase of more than 80 percent from 1960. The surfeit of Ph.D.s and the constant reduction of tenure-track jobs leaves many in more dire straits than myself. According to the NSF, more than 40 percent of 2014 Ph.Ds were not able to secure a tenure-track job. Instead, many have to adjunct to get by, and even then, they don’t get by. A 5/5 teaching load does not earn a living wage or garner health insurance, or job security, or the time to work on their scholarship—the only thing that will eventually land them a tenure-track gig. I’m privileged, yes. As a friend recently reminded me: “Josh, you’re not poor.” And she’s right. Anyone making $52,000 a year is not poor. But I am struggling. My reality for the last two years has been spending the last two weeks of every month in a fever, wondering how I’m going to make my remaining $100 last two weeks. One month I sold all my DVDs. Another time I hocked some records for a pittance. One particularly depressing morning, I rifled through my recycling to collect a handful of returnables, which I bagged up and brought to the grocery store along with my coin jar for a coincident stop at CoinStar. That collective haul netted me $5.85—enough to do a load of laundry. I’ve gone grocery shopping with eight dollars and six days until payday. I’ve had popcorn for breakfast on more than one occasion. I’ve had panic attacks logging into my checking account and seeing it overdrawn. My point is this: tenure-track jobs are not necessarily the financial panacea that we in academia sometimes make them out to be—especially if people have been adjuncting for years before they get a position with more security. The stress of my financial situation has affected both my mental and physical health. The last two times I gave plasma, I failed the blood pressure test. The first time I was told to just hunch over on my elbows and try again. It worked. The second time, however, the tech made me sit down for 10 minutes. My pressure was 150 over 115. I told her I was a runner, training for two marathons in October. She told me I should get checked out by a doctor before I have a heart attack—a remark that, surprisingly, did little to calm me down. * * * Driving to Lewiston to give plasma is, no doubt, a dramatic gesture. As my poverty studies colleague chastised me: What alternatives did I explore before relying on some histrionic plan like driving for two hours to give plasma? Did I try to get a part-time job? Surely I could have found something in the summer to earn some side cash? I could have copy-edited. I could have become a test-scorer for ETS or Pearson. I could have hauled sugar beets during October harvest. (All are jobs that other academic friends have taken up to boost their income.) And it’s true: I could live more modestly. On the first of the month I go to Chipotle and buy a burrito. I may grab drinks with friends a couple times a month. Every once in a while I’ll buy a book or a record. That’s about it. But, yes, I could cut out some of those indulgences, and if I did I might be able to save $200 a month—a rate that would eliminate my debt in roughly 100 years. And it would also eliminate any and all vestige of human happiness. Moreover, I didn’t have to go to graduate school or get married or present my work at conferences in order to network for job references, and then hopscotch around the Midwest chasing degrees and jobs. In short, I didn’t have to live this life. * * * Given my financial constraints, how was it even possible for me to commute back and forth to Lewiston? Don’t I use all my payout on gas? Yes and no. One thing you learn when you have no money is how to game the system. For example, I learned that even when credit cards only have a dollar or two of remaining credit available, you can pump a full tank of gas on them. Yes, I know this is irresponsible, and that I’m getting slammed with overage fees and penalties, but when you’re without money you narrow your vision to now and worry about those issues next month when the bill comes. So I will pump $35 worth of gas on two dollars of credit; drive to Lewiston and back twice (428 miles) and make $100. I know you never get something for nothing, but when you’ve got nothing, you’ll take something, anything—even at the expense of more nothing down the road. On my third trip to Lewiston, I walked in on the clients captivated by the Olympic dressage competition. I signed in, took a seat, and joined them. There we were, dozens of us anxious for cash, watching fancy horses mounted by fancy riders tap dancing around an arena. The room was silent. We were rapt. The irony lost, or at least unspoken, among us; each distracted from the reality of why we were there. I went two more times. * * * Donors receive $50 for each of their first five donations. After that, your pay is determined by how much you donate, which is determined by body mass. In my case, the $50 paydays would decrease to $25 for my first donation of the week and $30 for my second. I could receive a $15 bonus for donating five times in a calendar month, and an additional $40 for going twice a week for all four weeks in a month. After five trips to Lewiston the abrupt reality of subsequent diminished returns hit me. I finally slouched toward a more sustainable solution: I met with a bankruptcy lawyer. With clear eyes it’s evident, now, that bankruptcy was the only solution—you don’t get out from $46,000 in credit card debt by hocking your plasma for beer money. But when you’re drowning in debt, it’s hard to open your eyes, much less see clearly. I will end up filing for Chapter 13 debt relief, which, for a $2,000 fee, allows me to make a monthly payment towards a percentage of my overall debt for the next five years. That payment will be about a third as much as the $1,200/month I pay now. The idea of an extra $800 of available cash per month—not to mention an end to the weekly panic attacks, to say nothing of no more days spent trundling to and from Lewiston —was obviously attractive. But, there was an even better option. Initially, the legal aid suggested I file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection. The cost was the same: $2,000. But after that fee was paid in full, all of my unsecured debt would be wiped away in 60 days—no monthly payments, no more debt. The hit to my credit report would be slightly worse than with Chapter 13, but the immediate financial relief made it a no-brainer. “You’re a perfect candidate,” she said, ticking off all the reasons: single, no children, no property, negligible assets, still young. It sounded too good to be true—because, of course it was. After a few more questions, she determined that I was ineligible. I make too much money. * * *

[cubaverdad]

The Cuban hustle - Doctors drive cabs and work abroad to make up for meager pay

The Cuban hustle: Doctors drive cabs and work abroad to make up for meager pay By ROB WATERS FEBRUARY 8, 2017 HAVANA — He knew as a child that he wanted to be a doctor, like his father. He went to medical school, became a general surgeon and ultimately a heart specialist. He practiced at Cuba's premier cardiovascular hospital, performed heart transplants, and published articles in medical journals. For this, Roberto Mejides earned a typical doctor's salary: about $40 a month. It wasn't nearly enough, even with the free housing and health care available to Cubans, to support his extended family. So in 2014, Mejides left them behind, moving to Ecuador to earn up to $8,000 a month working at two clinics and performing surgeries. It's a common story here, where waiters, cabdrivers, and tour guides can make 10 to 20 times the government wages of doctors and nurses — thanks to tips from tourists. "Doctors are like slaves for our society," said Sandra, an art student and photographer's assistant who makes more than her mother, a physician. "It's not fair to study for so many years and be so underpaid." Cuba is proud of its government-run health care system and its skilled doctors. But even with a raise two years ago, the highest paid doctors make $67 a month, while nurses top out at $40. That leaves many feeling demoralized — and searching for ways to improve their lives. Some enter the private economy — by renting rooms to tourists, driving cabs, or treating private patients, quasi-legally, on the side. Thousands of others accept two-year government assignments to work as doctors abroad, collecting higher salaries for themselves and earning billions for the state, which helps keep the stagnant economy afloat. In fact, health workers are Cuba's largest source of foreign exchange. A few doctors, like Mejides, arrange foreign employment on their own, putting at risk their future ability to return to a government job in the health system back home. "It's hard to migrate and be alone," Mejides said in Spanish, during a video phone call from Ecuador to a reporter visiting Havana in October. "It's stressful. I am in the wrong place. I should be with my family in my country, working and being rewarded properly." Still, with his Ecuador earnings, he was able to buy his wife, two daughters, and two stepdaughters a $23,000 apartment in Havana, and he sends them $300 to $500 a month. Renting out rooms to make ends meet While doctors back in Cuba grumble about their low pay, they usually find ways to make do. Sandra's mother, Nadia, a genetics researcher, earns about as much as she pays a cleaning woman to maintain her three-bedroom Havana apartment. Whenever she can, she rents one of those rooms to tourists for $40 a night, making more in two nights than she does from her monthly earnings as a doctor. She asked that her full name not be used to avoid any problems with the government. The rental income allows Nadia to have a modestly comfortable life and to be able to buy fruits and vegetables at farmers markets. But a restaurant meal is a rare treat, and traveling abroad is impossible. Still, she loves her work and the intellectual challenge of her research into genetic diseases. She said many Cuban doctors are committed and provide excellent service, in part because of the ways they have learned to overcome shortages of equipment and technology. "We don't have all the electronic tools, so we have to learn to do things other ways, to diagnose just by external examination," she said, over a dinner of fish and rum at her apartment. She'd like to earn more money, of course, and she understands why so many doctors, including many she knows, have chosen to leave Cuba. "I'm not ambitious for money," she said. "I get rent from visitors, and I get to live in Cuba. I have a nice house, and I'm happy with what I have. But I'm not a millionaire." Cecilia, a 60-year-old former nurse who also asked that her full name not be used, spent 25 years working in government hospitals and clinics. To adapt to the shortages, she learned to make inventos medicos — medical inventions — using a chair or bench to raise the back of a patient's bed, for example, or cutting the tip off an intravenous line to fashion an oxygen feed to a patient's nose. But she became disillusioned by the chronic shortages and the stress she saw in both her patients and colleagues. "The material scarcity is so overwhelming that it keeps people from dedicating all the passion, love, and brain power that they should to their patients in need," she said, sitting in a rocking chair in her third-floor Havana apartment. "I was the one who had to face the patients and tell them we don't have the drug that you need. It was very common. And I didn't want to do that any more." Doctors and nurses "have the best intentions, but they face so many obstacles, there are so many things on their mind," she added. "The doctor might be treating a patient but they are actually thinking: 'When I get home, at God knows what time, what am I going to feed my kid?'" She quit nursing in the early 2000s and later began to pursue her passion, doing hands-on alternative medicine that combines techniques of massage, kinesiology, magnetic therapy, and so-called floral therapy, which uses extracts of flowers and herbs as healing agents. Her work with private clients, who come to her apartment, is permitted under a license for massage, the only form of healing work included on a list of government-approved private services and businesses. Working three days a week, she earns almost $120 a month "if all my appointments show up," she said. "I use to make that in six months working at the hospital." A surplus of doctors In the years after Fidel Castro seized power in 1959, Cuba invested heavily in education and science, training tens of thousands of doctors, nurses, and scientists. As a result, Cuba, a country of 11.2 million people, today has 90,000 doctors, the most per capita in the world. About 25,000 of these doctors, along with 30,000 Cuban nurses and other health professionals, are working in 67 countries around the world. They earn about $8.2 billion in revenue for the government, according to a recent article in Granma, the official paper of the Cuban Communist Party. The bulk of the doctors, about 20,000, are in Brazil and Venezuela. Over the last three years they provided treatment to 60 million Brazilians, mostly the rural poor, said Cristián Morales Fuhrimann, the Pan American Health Organization's representative in Havana. Cuba receives about $5,000 a month per doctor from Brazil, pays each doctor about $1,200, and banks the rest, said John Kirk, a professor of Latin American studies at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, who has researched Cuba's program of medical missions. Most of the doctors' shares are deposited in their Cuban bank accounts, requiring them to return home to collect it. "Cuba has too many doctors, so their main source of hard currency is to rent out medical services," Kirk said. Once close allies of Havana, Brazil and Venezuela have been engulfed in political and economic crises that will cause them to reduce their use of Cuban doctors in the coming years. That may lead Cuba to redeploy some doctors to other parts of the world, including the Middle East. In Qatar, an oil-rich emirate about as far from Cuba geographically and culturally as any place in the world, the so-called Cuban Hospital is fully staffed by 400 Cuban doctors, nurses, and technicians. Cuba's dispatch of doctors not only generates revenue, it is also an exercise in soft power that allows the country to spread its influence around the globe. "It's a major contribution to the health of the world," said Morales. "They made a big difference in fighting Ebola in Africa, in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew in Haiti." Some Cuban doctors working overseas have defected to the United States, aided by a policy launched during the administration of George W. Bush that permitted Cuban medical personnel to go to the US with their spouses and children. In its last weeks in office, the Obama administration announced it was ending the program. Since the Cuban Medical Professional Parole Program began in 2006, more than 9,000 medical professionals and their family members were approved for admission to the US. In the past four years, the number of entrants spiked, reaching almost 2,000 for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. The Cuban government and the Pan American Health Organization protested the policy as a form of poaching that undermined Cuba's health system and impeded newfound cooperation between the US and Cuba. In a statement, Obama acknowledged that the program "risks harming the Cuban people." Cuban doctors are in demand internationally because they come cheap, are well-trained, and work in a public health system that is highly organized and well-run. In Cuba, primary care clinics are available in every neighborhood. Specialists in cancer, immunology, genetic medicine, and cardiovascular disease staff the hospitals. Life expectancy rates, which two generations ago were at Third World levels, are today roughly equal to those in the United States. But the absence of so many doctors also provokes complaints from patients, who say it keeps them from getting the best care. They also grouse that they have to bring their own food and bedsheets, wait for appointments or medications — and provide gifts to doctors to ensure good treatment. When the 61-year-old father of Concepcion, a young Cuban professional, was diagnosed with prostate cancer last summer, she used personal connections to enable her father to see a specialist promptly. Concepcion, who asked that her full name not be used to avoid reprisals or damage to her professional standing, also provided daily gifts of food, cosmetics, and sometimes cash to doctors, nurses, and technicians while her father was hospitalized for a month in Holguin, a city in eastern Cuba. "Doctors are used to receiving gifts," she said. "You give the gift and the attention starts getting better. If you stop and the attention goes down, you go back to handing out gifts. You feel sorry for the doctors because they work really hard under bad conditions and you always feel like they're not being rewarded." She estimated she spent about $500 on gifts and food, an amount she said would have doubled had he been hospitalized in pricier Havana. Jose dos Santos, a Cuban journalist who needs regular treatment for his diabetes, said the care he receives is excellent. Bringing gifts to doctors "has become a habit because we know that the job doctors do needs to be better rewarded," he said. "We don't produce oil," he added, "but we produce talent, and it makes sense that that talent is acknowledged and rewarded." In December, Roberto Mejides moved again, this time to Merida, Mexico, where he plans to work for the next four years. His income will be roughly the same as in Ecuador, but now he's just 90 minutes by air from Havana. He hopes to bring his family to join him in the coming months, "My hopes have always been the same, to work honestly and to provide my family with an adequate life," he said. Someday, he added, he wants to return to Cuba: "It's my country, my homeland." Rob Waters can be reached at robwaters@pacbell.net Follow Rob on Twitter @robwaters001 Source: Cuban doctors drive cabs and work abroad to compensate for meager pay - http://ift.tt/2lq478j via Blogger http://ift.tt/2k3w3Nz